#echo would definitely garden and this is so amazing

[dreamwritesimagines]

Garden of Secrets [28] - Poison Ivy

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback and support my loves, it made my whole week, you’re amazing!❤ I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please don’t forget to tell me what you think, thank you! ❤

Thanks so much to @theskytraveler​ for helping me with the chapter!

Summary: Anger leads to impulsive decisions.

Warnings: Regency era society and social rules, some gender specific language and terms, angst.

Word Count: 4500

Series Masterlist

Well, this—

This was definitely unexpected.

You could feel the fear pounding through your system, the ticks of the clock in the drawing room echoing in your ears. Josie looked almost frozen in her seat, but you knew that expression on her face way too well. As soon as your uncle had left his study, he had asked you all to go to the drawing room so that you could talk about the letter away from Teddy, who was sent to play outside again.

“What does it say?” you croaked out as soon as the maid walked out of the room after serving you tea, and your aunt heaved a sigh.

“There’s nothing to worry about, we assure you.”

“Uncle?”

“What your aunt said,” he said. “It’s just a letter.”

“He doesn’t write to you,” you insisted. “You know I know that. So what is it?”

“Y/N…”

“Can I see the letter?” Josie spoke for the first time and your uncle heaved a sigh, then handed her the letter. You rubbed at your wrist, watching her frown before you extended your hand.

“May I?”

“This is not happening,” Josie growled, holding up the letter and your uncle shook his head.

“Obviously it is not,” he assured her and you pulled the letter out of her hand, then scanned the lines, your heart still beating in your throat.

“…They want to host Teddy for the season,” you murmured, raising your glances from the letter, then shook your head fervently. “No. Not that’s not—”

“That’s not going to happen,” your aunt said. “Teddy isn’t going anywhere.”

“It’s a trick,” you managed to say. “Remember what he was saying when you first got there to get us out, he only wants Teddy with you so that he can use him to get more money from you—”

“I know that,” your uncle said. “Trust me. I see through him very well.”

“And this…” A hysterical laughter spilled from your lips as you checked the letter again. “What is this supposed to mean? Coming to visit?”

“He’s not going to come here to visit,” your uncle said. “As you said, it’s a trick.”

“Uncle, if he tries to take Teddy away—”

“He’s not going to take Teddy away,” your uncle said. “I promise you. He’s not going to get any of you there ever again.”

You threw the letter on the coffee table and flexed your numb fingers before digging your palms into your eyes, shaking your head.

“I will just throw more money at him and it’ll be the end of it,” your uncle said as you lowered your hands. “I honestly wouldn’t have told you if you two hadn’t found the envelope, there’s no reason to be worried.”

“And everyone is safe,” your aunt said, reaching out to squeeze your hand and you offered her a small smile.

“Josie?” your uncle said softly and Josie turned her head.

“I’m fine,” she said and cleared her throat, rolling her shoulders back before she stood up. “I’m fine but um…I need to find Bess, excuse me.”

She walked out of the room in a haste and you exchanged glances with your aunt, then you darted after her as well.

“Josie!”

“I’m fine I said!” she snapped as she made her way down the stairs and passed the foyer with you following her.

“No you’re not!” you told her as you both stepped out of the house and you grabbed her arm to make her stop. “Come on. It’s me. I was standing right beside you throughout that hell, remember?”

Josie turned to you and clenched her teeth, then scoffed a bitter laugh.

“I don’t want to see him, or her.”

“Funny we have that in common,” you deadpanned and she clicked her tongue.

“I might just have to kill him if he shows his face here.”

You grimaced.

“Don’t,” you said. “Bess would kill me if I let you get hanged, and I can’t handle Andrew alone.”  

She heaved a deep sigh and sat down on the marble stairs, and you sat beside her, taking her hand in yours.

“He’s not going to take Teddy away,” she said. “Over my dead body.”

“And mine,” you said and twisted your wrist, trying to ignore the throb of pain but it didn’t escape her notice.

“I almost forgot,” she mumbled and you shrugged your shoulders.

“It’s fine,” you lied through your teeth. “It’s a habit at this point, it doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

“Are you alright though?”

“Um…” you trailed off, pursing your lips before nodding your head. “Yeah. I’m just worried about Teddy, that’s all.”

“And yourself?”

“I’m safe, I have Benedict.”

Josie smiled slightly. “I almost forgot,” she said. “Yeah. You’re married, they couldn’t take you back if they tried.”

“Oh that’s not why—” you paused and shook your head. “They wouldn’t have tried anyway. I’m not the heir, I’m worthless.” A small laugh climbed up your throat. “Look at that, I sound like mother.”

“Don’t say that,” Josie said. “Never say that. You know that’s not true.”

You heaved a sigh, fixing your gaze on the carriage before clearing your throat.

“You know, father sending a letter makes a lot of sense when you think about it,” you mused. “I was beginning to get too much sleep lately with zero nightmares. He must have sensed it or something.”

Josie’s lips twitched for a second and you raised your brows, then tried again.

“Not to mention I have been smiling too much, and Benedict even said he forgot how scary I can look sometimes,” you said. “We can’t have that, I have a reputation to uphold.”

That managed to draw a small chuckle out of her and you smiled at her, squeezing her hand.

“Will you be alright?”

“Probably,” she said. “You?”

“Always am,” you said. “I can take care of myself. Learned it from you.”

She smiled at you softly, then hugged you and stood up from the stairs.

“I will find Bess,” she said. “Will you tell Benedict?”

“Uh…” you trailed off. “I don’t know. I guess so.”

“I’ll just go and come up with a plan in case they do decide to show up,” she said. “Kiss Teddy for me?”

“Will do,” you said and she walked away to get in the carriage. You watched it go down the stone road and heaved a sigh, then stood up as well, threw your shoulders back and made your way to the backyard where Teddy was playing.

“Y/N!” he called out as soon as he saw you and ran to you. “Can we play now?”

You tried to blink back the tears and hugged him tight, then pressed a kiss on top of his head.

“Yeah,” you rasped out. “Of course we can, my sweet.”

                                               *

When you got back home, it was after lunch and you were so tense that you could feel it all over your body. While you were with your family, you had tried to act as if you weren’t worried at all especially because Teddy was with you, but now that you were home and didn’t have to pretend, your head was swimming with possibilities of your parents showing up.

And if they did decide to take Teddy back…

No. That was not going to happen. You were not going to let them, not even if it killed you.

They weren’t going to hurt Teddy, ever.

“Hey you’re back,” Benedict’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts as you were walking past his studio and you turned your head, trying to pull yourself together.

“I am,” you said. “And you’re still here?”

He motioned at the canvas in front of him and you stepped into the room, your eyes finding the covered canvas at the corner of the room before you turned to him.

“New project?”

“You could say that,” he said with a sigh. “I was working on yours but there’s just something in your eyes that I cannot depict on canvas. Not to mention the…rest of you.”

You raised your brows. “What are you working on then?”

“A landscape,” he said as he stood up from the stool. “At least I will be working on it once I get back. Right now only the sky exists.”

“You’re leaving?” you asked, your stomach doing a painful flip and he nodded, then cracked his neck, making a face.

“Yeah I’m meeting Henry,” he said. “It wasn’t in the plans but he insisted. How about you? How was Josie?”

You could feel your throat tightening but you managed to keep your expression calm.

“She’s fine,” you said and shifted your weight, nibbling on your lip. “Benedict, can we um… when you come back, can we talk?”

He pulled his brows together. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah!” you said quickly. “Sure.”

“Because I can stay—”

“No need for that,” you said. “It’s not urgent.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” you lied through your teeth and smiled. “It’s just that—it’s a long story. It can wait.”

His blue eyes searched your face as if trying to see whether you were lying and you could feel the panic filling you once more so you cleared your throat.

“You should go, you wouldn’t want to keep Henry waiting.”

He nodded slowly as if still deep in thought and stepped closer to you to press a kiss on top of your head to say goodbye. As soon as he pulled back, you rested your forehead against his chest, his scent filling your nostrils, the lovely sensation shooting through the absolute terror in your mind. You closed your eyes for a moment as his hand went to the back of your head and he pressed his nose into the top of your hair.

“Hey,” he said. “Are you sure everything is alright?”

You swallowed thickly and pulled back to look up at him, wrapping your fingers around his wrist to squeeze at it in an assuring manner.

“Totally,” you said. “I’m just tired I suppose. I should take a nap until the dinner time.”

“Okay,” he said gently. “Then I’ll see you at dinner time and we will talk, yes?”

“Yes,” you said, nodding your head. “At dinner time. Sounds good.”

He kissed your temple, making you smile slightly.

“Get some sleep,” his murmur was soft and he walked out of the room, his footsteps getting distant.

Panic crashed down on you so fast that it made your head spin. Your breath got caught in your throat and you managed to sit down on the sofa before your knees buckled, your heart beating in your ears. You clenched your teeth and closed your eyes, then forced yourself to take a deep, shaky breath.

“You’re fine,” you muttered to yourself as you buried your face into your trembling hands. “You’re fine.”

                                                 *

For the whole day until the dinner time, you felt as if you were watching the world through a haze. The panic was always there at the corner of your mind, and no matter what you did, you couldn’t focus on anything.

Walking in the garden didn’t help.

Trying to read in the library didn’t help.

Going over the ledgers for the staff didn’t help.

You had spent some time in the gazebo to at least enjoy the weather and relax your mind, but even that didn’t help.

You went back to the house around the usual dinner time when the sky turned dark, even if Benedict was nowhere to be found. You weren’t even hungry to be honest, so when the maids asked if you would like to take your dinner, you told them it could wait until Benedict got there and excused yourself to the drawing room.

It took around two hours of you listening to the ticks of the clock on the wall while staring at the book in your hand for Paula to knock on the doorframe, then step inside.

“Ma’am, the food is cold,” she said. “Would you like the cook to heat it?”

You tried to unclench your jaw and took a deep breath.

“I’m actually not hungry,” you managed to rasp out. “Could you perhaps bring me some tea Paula?”

“Of course,” she said and looked over her shoulder. “And—there’s a messenger boy for you.”

That made your head snap up. “What?”

“Shall I send him in?”

“Yes,” you said and stood up from the sofa as she walked out of the room and the boy stepped in.

“Mrs. Bridgerton,” he said and bowed slightly. “Ma’am, I bring a message from Mr. Bridgerton.”

Your heart dropped to your stomach as dread filled your system.

“Is—is he alright?” you stammered, looking at the clock before turning to him. “He’s late but I figured—”

“Oh no ma’am, he’s absolutely fine,” he assured you quickly. “There’s just…there’s this party at Sir Granville’s house and he sent word for you to join them.”

For a couple of seconds you could do nothing but stare at him, your heart clenching in your chest as if someone was squeezing it.

“…He’s at a party?” you heard yourself say and the boy nodded.

“Yes ma’am. A very fun one too. He sent you a carriage to take you there.”

The disappointment hit you so fast that you could feel the tears rushing to your eyes but you blinked them back, turning around so that you could give yourself a moment to pull yourself together.

A party.

Of course.

He was at a party having fun while you waited for him like a goddamn pathetic idiot just so that you could talk to him about what had happened earlier.

The hot red fury burned through your chest and you pressed your lips together, willing yourself to keep it under control before you dug your fingernails into your palms just so that you could focus on something else. You gritted your teeth and sniffled, then cleared your throat and turned to him again.

“What’s your name?”

“Joseph, ma’am.”

“Joseph,” you repeated and grabbed your small purse on the coffee table, then took out two coins. “Would you do me a favor, Joseph?”

“Of course ma’am.”

“Tell Mr. Bridgerton that when you came here, the maids told you I went to bed early,” you said, putting the coins into his palm and his eyes widened, then he looked up at you and nodded.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Thank you for your trouble,” you said and he bowed again before walking out of the room. You went to sit down on the sofa again, trying to ignore how badly your eyes were burning but bit inside your cheek, willing yourself to stop the tears on their way.

Paula entered the room carrying a tray and placed it on the small coffee table.

“I had them put some biscuits and such as well,” she said. “You haven’t eaten the whole day—are you alright?”

Your throat tightened as you tried to swallow, still keeping your eyes on the fireplace.

“Yeah,” you rasped out. “Yeah I just realized something.”

“Realized what?”

“How much of a fool I’ve been,” your voice came out as a whisper and you sniffled again before clearing your throat. “Paula?”

“Yes ma’am?”

You turned to look at her.

“There’s uh…” you motioned at the door. “In my bedroom, there’s a vase with a tiny sprout in it. Can you give it to Mr. Binsted? Tell him it’s geranium and that he can plant it in the garden or put it in the greenhouse, or throw it away if he wants.”

“Of course ma’am,” she said. “Now?”

“Now would be good, thank you.”

She offered you a small smile and left the room. A bitter laugh climbed up your throat and you shook your head slightly, a tear escaping from your eyes. Your hand shot up to wipe it away quickly and you heaved a trembling sigh, then pulled your knees up to your chest and wrapped your arms around them, resting your chin on them and fixed your gaze on the flames in the fireplace.

                                               *

You knew how to deal with anger.

Growing up in that hellhole your parents called a home had taught you a thing or two. You knew how to function with anger burning in your veins and remain completely calm to the outside world, no matter how much you wanted to scream.

And you should have seen that coming. It wasn’t as if this was Benedict’s first time telling you he would be there and then not turning up, it had happened when he had promised you a dance for the first time as well.

Not coming home at night was new though. You had read about it on Whistledown before you got married of course, but it hadn’t occurred to you that it would take place within your marriage as well.

Yet another thing you should have seen coming.

People didn’t change, really.

You couldn’t sleep that night no matter how much you had tried. You kept tossing and turning in bed, and when the morning came you decided there was no use trying, so you made your way to the breakfast room, the smell of delicious food filling your nostrils before you sat down, and a maid filled your teacup.

“Thank you. Can I have the room please?” you asked and the maid and the footmen walked out of the room, leaving you there. You pushed at the food in your plate and sipped your tea, grimacing at how hot it was before you heard the footsteps coming closer and soon enough the door opened.

Benedict.

Even the sight of him was enough to break your heart but it didn’t take long for sadness to be replaced by absolute fury. You could swear the rage was powerful enough to blind you but bit inside your cheek as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

“Good morning!” he said, smiling. “Y/N you have no idea what happened last night.”

Your jaw clenched as you watched him grab a piece of toast before he bit on it, your eyes taking in his whole appearance. He looked rather disheveled in a way you would have thought was handsome if it were any other time, but right now it only poured gas over the flame of your anger. His cravat was loosened, his hair was ruffled, he had rolled his shirt up to his elbows and the excited gleam in his eyes signaled that he’d had a rather fun night.

“I just got home by the way, I know I missed dinner but I sent a messenger boy to you last night but you were already asleep so I figured—anyway, last night there was this party at Henry’s, and Lord Easton was there!” he said, oblivious to your silent form. “My hero in art! And Henry introduced us, and he even showed some of my sketches to him and he said I was very talented! And Henry had this room for the party for artists only, and we all painted while drinking and Gordon—that’s Lord Easton by the way— he thinks I should apply for the Academy this year as well, can you believe that?!”

Your fingers curled into fists as you dug your fingernails into your palms, that fire in your chest climbing up your throat.

“I drank too much,” he said with a small laugh. “I absolutely lost the track of time around evening and we all fell asleep elsewhere at dawn, Margery was telling Lucy how her back will never go back to what it used to, and I woke up merely half an hour ago starving.”

You raised your brows, trying to keep your anger under control while he grabbed his cup to pour some tea, and took a sip.

“I’m just going to have a bath and a change of clothes after breakfast,” he said. “I can’t wait to introduce you to Gordon—he is a genius and he actually thinks I’m good! He was telling Henry how he didn’t exaggerate at all when he mentioned me to him!”

It felt as if you were swallowing glass shards.

“…Congratulations,” you managed to say through the haze of anger and he smiled.

“Thank you,” he said and sat down on the chair near yours. “Anyway, sorry about missing dinner last night. What did you want us to talk about?”

A silence fell upon you as you tried to see through the red haze of anger. You grabbed your fork just so that you could do something with your hands and pushed at the food on your plate, biting inside your cheek.

Calm down.

“It’s uh…” you rasped out. “It’s not important, I solved it myself.”

He tilted his head, now his whole attention on you.

“There was a problem?” he asked and you stopped the hysterical laugh threatening to spill from your lips at the last second, pursing your lips together.

Calm the hell down.

“It’s not important,” you repeated through your clenched teeth, willing yourself to keep your anger at bay as you kept your gaze on your plate. He shifted his weight, and out of the corner of your eye you could see he was frowning.

“Wait, I didn’t know—”

“It’s not important Benedict.”

“If I knew you needed me—”

“Why on earth would I ever need you?” the words left your lips like poison from a snake as your eyes snapped up to his, and even you were aware of just how cold your glare was.

As it was when you two had first met.

And even though you had been trying so hard to think through the fury and remain calm, you knew it was not going to work. The familiar fury had already taken over you, you were tired and sleepless and hungry and the worst of all, the tension that had been pulling at all your muscles since yesterday made you feel as if you were about to shatter into pieces.

He pulled back slightly, and from the look on his face you could tell that he recognized that cold glare just fine.

“What happened?”

A bitter chuckled escaped from your lips and you clicked your tongue, watching him with narrowed eyes.

“If this is about me spending the night somewhere else,” he said after a moment. “You were asleep already and I assure you nothing happened. I would never.”

“I assure you I couldn’t care less if anything happened,” you replied. “Your overestimate my interest in your life as usual. You are free to do whatever you want with whoever you want, that’s not the issue at all.”

“Then what is?”

“That you almost had me fooled,” you mused. “Which I admit was a mistake on my part to let you but you had yourself fooled as well so I suppose it’s not that surprising.”

His frown deepened.

“How am I fooling myself?”

“You’re not in love with me.”

A look of shock crossed his handsome face and you shrugged your shoulders, anger still pulsing through you.

“You—you’re just—” you stammered. “You’re an artist, a very good one at that, who was so desperate to fall in love and get some inspiration that you made yourself believe you were in love with the first person you found slightly interesting.”

“You don’t believe that,” he said, his eyes locked in yours and you scoffed.

“Why would I not?” you asked. “It’s the truth. You’ve never had any issues in your entire life so you had to create one, and you found the solution by making yourself think you loved me because all artists are supposed to be tortured and suffering, but life has been too good to you. Endless praise, endless wealth, endless opportunities with zero responsibilities, ought to be hard to find something to suffer in all that.”

His jaw clenched in anger. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“No?” you asked, trying to provoke him but it was no use, because even if you could tell that he was angry, he didn’t even let it seep into his voice as he spoke.

“Not at all.”

“Even you have to see how convenient this all has been for you though,” you said with a small, insincere smile as you stood up from your chair, leaning your hands on the table. “You had to find someone who wouldn’t bore you to tears but still be accepted by the ton, so you found the one person who didn’t swoon at the sight of you just so that—”

He stood up as well, running a hand through his hair, taking a step away from you as if he was trying to keep his calm.

“Y/N.”

You kept going as if he hadn’t interrupted you. “Just so that you could have an inkling of what all the other artists were driven by.”

He turned to you and narrowed his eyes. “You’re honestly being nonsense right now.”

“No, I think it’s the first time since I met you that I can actually see clear,” you retorted. “That’s what I meant by fooling me. And this?” you motioned between you two. “This was never supposed to get to this point. You didn’t even want to marry me, you merely wanted to find someone whom you could use as your inspiration because you’re so used to getting everything and everyone you want—”

“Don’t.”

“And you figured you might as well pretend to love me—”

“That’s not—”

The impatience got the best of you; “Do not interrupt me!”

“I will interrupt you all I want if you’re going to throw false accusations around!” he snapped back and you let out a bitter chuckle, a momentary silence falling upon the room until you broke it.

“I’m not accusing you,” you ended up saying. “If anything, I’m thanking you.”

He raised his brows, sarcasm etched in his tone. “Oh you’re thanking me?”

“Absolutely,” you said. “Now that we both know the truth, I do not need to feel guilty or bad.”

“For what?”

“For not feeling the same.”

That managed to get an actual reaction from him. The flash of pain crossing his face was more than enough to make your throat tighten, tears filling your eyes but you quickly blinked them back, trying to ignore just how badly your chest was hurting.

“You do not love me,” the words spilled from your lips like a growl, and you leaned in to lock your eyes with his, your palms on the table. “And I do not love you. I will never, ever love you.”

With that, you pushed yourself off the table and walked out of the room without looking back, tears burning your eyes but you managed to keep them at bay until you reached your room and slammed the door behind you and fell on your knees.

And then you started sobbing.

Chapter 29

[lucywritesagain]

Between the lines ┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱ Part 1

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈﹕Stephen Strange Masterlist ꒰ ᐢ｡- ༝ -｡ᐢ ꒱ Navigation ﹕┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

Please note that this story is a repost from my old blog @lucywrites02.

Summary: After becoming the sorcerer supreme Stephen gets the access to the ancient one's private library full of ancient tomes in languages the doctor hasn't even heard of. Luckily Wong's childhood friend is willing to help and becomes their personal translator.

Word count: 14.3k

“I’m so glad you could make it.” Wong greeted you with a wide smile- you didn’t even step into the building when the man picked you up, hugging you tightly. Oh how you missed his hugs! “You have no idea how happy I am that you came.” The librarian let you go and sighed heavily. He embraced you one more time before he took your bags and gestured you to walk in. 

You looked around, mesmerised. It was quite a while since you’ve last been to the New York sanctum and even though nothing really changed it still felt foreign. The stairs looked exactly how they used to, but the carpet looked a bit more red than you remember it. Did they clean this old thing or bought a new one?  And then there was that old foyer where you used to spend most of your nights, reading some random fantasy novels you found in the nearest library. It was funny how you always insisted on reading those books instead of ancient tomes about real magic. You smiled, remembering that time the former guardian of this building  scolded you for sitting too close to the fire and accidentally burning half a page of your book. Thankfully it was no book about sorcery- otherwise you would already be dead because Wong would definitely kick your ass for that. This guy was basically your family but he wouldn’t hesitate to  make you pay for damaging something valuable.

“I put your bags in your room.” Your friend’s voice pulled you out of your transe, but you couldn’t stop smiling. You really missed this place. Turning around, your eye caught a glimpse of the closing portal behind your favourite sorcerer. “Tea?” 

“Yes, please!” You said and followed Wong to the kitchen, walking with that happy jump to your steps, already excited to spend some time with your friend. When you were still a sorcerer, tea time with Wong always meant exchanging gossip- it was your favourite time of the day. And now you guys had a lot to talk about. “Oh man,” you exhaled and sat down on an old wooden chair right next to the kitchen island, “I missed your tea soooo much.” you giggled and breathed in the smell of your favourite flavour. “Did you buy this tea for me? You know I love it.”

“I actually did it myself.” The man said, proudly and poured your beverage to a ceramic cup from his favourite set. You smiled upon seeing the mugs you got him for his birthday a few years ago. Wong said it was his most valuable possession. “I picked up gardening last year and then decided to experiment with tea. I hope you like it.”

“Gardening? That’s interesting. You didn't mention it at all.” you took a sip and literally melted in your chair. Is this how heaven felt like? “Wow, this is amazing!” you took another sip and closed your eyes, cherishing the taste it left on your tongue. “And you did it yourself?” 

“I did.” The librarian puffed his chest like a proud peacock, making you smile again. “And there’s a lot I have to tell you so buckle up- I have a lot of tea to spill.” Wong said, looking at you and expecting a laugh at his oh so genius pun. You were trying to look unamused, not wanting to give him the satisfaction, but you didn’t care to be honest. Yes, that pun was terrible, but still funny! You wouldn’t apologise for laughing at your friend’s corny joke.

✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧

“This is the last time I went to that store alone.” Stephen spoke into the empty air- his voice echoed through the hall with no one around to listen to his whining. The sorcerer supreme sighed, closing the door to the sanctum with his foot and then headed to the kitchen to unpack all those bags. The list Wong gave Stephen was longer than usual and the amount of food the man purchased would last for him and Wong for a whole month. The librarian insisted that his colleague should go to this very specific store at the other side of the city- which Stephen found quite weird but when he questioned it, Wong went on a long rant, explaining to him that they had your favourite kind of noodles and that their spices were top tier. Stephen had never met you, but he could see how much Wong respected you. You were obviously someone very important, but were you worth taking the train and two buses filled with annoying people just to get all those groceries that could be bought from the farmer’s market three blocks away from the sanctum? Stephen didn’t think so.

As he neared the kitchen, the sorcerer could hear someone talking. One of the voices belonged to Wong- Stephen was sure of that- but the other one he had never heard before. Have you already arrived? The doctor stopped in his tracks and sighed when he realised that he wasn’t exactly looking like the most important sorcerer at the moment. What kind of a first impression was this going to be? Would you judge his casual outfit or pay it no mind? It was hard to tell since Wong refused to tell Stephen anything about you other than the fact that you could translate all of the books for him. He didn’t even get your backstory or anything about you as a person. Wong obviously liked you, otherwise he would never have invited you to the sanctum, but the doctor didn’t know what to expect from you. He knew nothing about you. Stephen hated not knowing. 

Lost in thought, he didn’t even notice when the hallway’s wooden floor beneath his feet changed to the turquoise kitchen teals. 

“Speak of the devil and he will bring you groceries.” The librarian spoke, greeting his fellow sorcerer as he walked into the room. 

The doctor’s eyes fell on the person sitting on the counter, face hidden behind the ceramic mug- Stephen was pretty sure that the dish was supposed to keep your smile hidden. So much for a decent first impression. Thanks to Wong.

You looked at the man who just walked in- bags full of food in his hands. Wong has told you plenty about the new sorcerer supreme, but you didn’t expect to see someone in their late 30s to be the most important sorcerer on earth. You knew he was in his late 30s because your friend has mentioned it once, but the grey in his hair made Doctor Strange look a bit older. 

Awkwardly hopping off the counter you put your empty mug aside and walked towards the sorcerer supreme. “Let me help you with those.” You said, pointing at the bags. They were probably really heavy. You didn’t wait for a response and took some stuff in your own hands. “Wong, do you need an invitation or something?” You called, putting the groceries on the kitchen island. 

Stephen huffed- almost giggled- when he saw how quickly Wong stood up and took the remaining bags from him. He might not have made a good entrance, but you have for sure impressed him. And you seemed like a really friendly person, too.

“Where are my manners!” You gasped, realising that this guy probably didn’t even know your name and you were so freely opening his cupboards and stuffing them with food. It must have looked weird to him. Leaving Wong to unpack the rest by himself, you walked over to Stephen the second time this day, extending your hand to properly greet him. “It’s an honour to meet you, Doctor Strange.” You heard a lot about this man- the best neurosurgeon in the US, maybe even the world, who graduated young with 5 phDs and then became the sorcerer supreme within a few months of studying magic. It was impressive. You admired him in a way. Wong spoke of him highly as well. Although he did mention the doctor’s arrogance and his ‘dumbassery’ as your friend called it.

Stephen watched your hand move up and then stop midair between your bodies. You wanted to shake hands….

He didn’t have his gloves! What if you stared at them? Even unintentionally. He couldn’t let you see his hands without the gloves on. Maybe he should stop worrying about them so much. Stephen has been trying to put an end to his overthinking but it was harder than he thought. You didn’t seem like a judgy person though. 

Before he could make a decision you already pulled your hand away. He didn’t even notice that his own moved behind his back- hiding from your eyes.

“Wong has told me plenty about you.” You smiled, knowing perfectly well that your friend didn’t want his colleague to know about that. “I’m glad I could finally meet you.”

“I’m grateful you decided to help us out.” Stephen spoke, not really knowing what he should say to you. He didn’t know you at all, meanwhile you seemed to know him pretty well. “Wong said you specialise in  translating ancient languages.”

“That’s right! I have translated most of the books from the library in Kamar-Taj and a great amount of books from the London Sanctum.” You announced proudly. 

“You always asked for those books when you were studying. You should thank our guest for providing your monolingual brain with all that knowledge.” Wong called as he put the last products in the fridge. The librarian was obviously not interested in your awkward ‘get to know  each other’ conversation and would rather go back to gossiping with you about some of the masters from Hong Kong. He didn’t even get to the part where Master Emily was having an affair with Master Min and that they got married in secret two weeks ago. 

“It was all you?” Stephen asked, surprised. During his stay in Kamar-Taj the doctor had read dozens of books- in the beginning of his journey with sorcery said books were mostly in English, but once he memorised them he started reading the versions of those books in the original languages. It helped him learn how to read sanskrit in two weeks. “I must say I’m impressed. They proved to be very helpful.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” You couldn’t stop smiling- it was rare to hear people praising you and you always got excited when that happened. “How many books do you have for me, Doctor?” 

“Oh, yes, please follow me.” Before he could leave, Stephen turned around to Wong, “is it my turn or your turn to make dinner tonight?” 

“It’s your turn.” The librarian spoke as he moved to exit the kitchen and walk to his own room.

It was Wong’s turn.

“20 books?” You said, looking at the old tomes in Stephen’s office. 

“I know it's a lot and I understand if you don’t want to do all of that-”

“You want them translated into English, right?” You asked and picked up the first book from the enormous pile, laying on the sorcerer’s desk.

“Yes, of course.” the sorcerer paced awkwardly around his room and watched as you went through the master’s guide to astral projection in mirror dimension. Was it embarrassing that the sorcerer supreme needed assistance to read books? The Ancient One didn’t need a translator and most of the Masters were fluent in more than one language. Stephen made a mental note to download duolingo. But did they teach Hebrew from two thousand years ago?

“Would you like me to translate it into any other languages?” 

“How many do you know?” The doctor asked, curious.

“7 if we only count the old ones.” You answered and picked up another book, carefully inspecting its spine. Maybe if you find the time you will restore some of them as well. 

“And if we count the new ones?” 

“24.”

“How long will it take you to translate them?” Stephen changed the subject, feeling quite intimidated by your skills. He wouldn’t tell this to anyone, but last night he really needed to translate some notes and used Google to do it. Needless to say the spell was a disaster and the doctor swore to never use google translate for spells ever again. Even if he’s desperate.

Your eyes scanned the heavy tomes in front of you once more while your brain tried to calculate the amount of work you were about to begin.

“Two months. Maybe three.” You answered, putting your hands into the pockets of your black zip up hoodie. “I can start tonight.”

“Three months per book or-”

“All of them. I need to print the pages and then bind them into a new book and that will also take some time- hence three months.” You explained, knowing perfectly well that you would probably do it in two months. That’s if you were able to hide from Wong that you worked using your astral form in your sleep. He would never let you hear the end of it if he found out. “Now let’s talk about payment.” You walked around the desk and sat down at a little armchair in the corner.

Stephen stood frozen in place, watching you making yourself comfortable. He felt embarrassed because he didn’t take into consideration that you would want money for your services. Now that he thought of it he felt stupid for not thinking about it. The sorcerer’s hand wandered up his neck, scratching the skin on his nape as if that would help him come up with a solution. 

“Oh dear, I was just kidding!”  You laughed, covering your mouth with your palm. “I don’t want your money, Doctor.”

Those words made Stephen breathe out in relief. “Are you sure? You said it will take you three months. It wouldn’t be fair of me to expect you to do this for free.” Yes, Stephen didn’t have money, but the thought of you getting nothing in return for your hard work rubbed him the wrong way.

“You really don’t need to worry about money, Doctor.” You stood up and walked up to the pile of books again, your fingers tracing the spines as you continued- “I want to do this for the sanctum. Besides you letting me stay here is already enough. Those books are for the sorcerer supreme only and I’m honoured that you’re entrusting me with them even though we don’t know each other.”

“I’m happy to hear that because we are broke.” Stephen said, causing you to laugh again. You were a very nice person and Stephen liked your personality a lot. Your aura was friendly and kind which was something this place really needed. “I guess that means you’re hired!” The sorcerer joked.

“Thank you, Doctor.” 

“Please call me Stephen.”

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Rubbing your eyes, you leaned back in your chair. A little desk lamp and your laptop were the only sources of light in the library. You couldn’t tell how late it was but  you knew you should stop and call it a day. In the first two weeks of your stay in New York you have already done more than you expected. If you kept up that pace you would be done in less than two months, but working all day since sunrise and then writing in your astral form all night wasn’t healthy. Plus Wong started to be suspicious and took your sling ring so astral projecting was off the table for a while.

As much as you loved peace and quiet, the sounds of New York’s nightlife made you a bit nostalgic. Honking of a car, laughter of tourists- things like that would annoy most people, especially at this hour, but you missed it. You missed this city. Maybe once you were  done with your work in the sanctum you would stay for a bit longer. Just because. And to be completely honest you really missed hanging out with Wong. It felt like a family reunion and you loved it. You didn’t know how much you needed this until now. It felt so good to be with people who genuinely cared about you and wanted you around. You haven’t felt wanted ever since your failed relationship a year ago. It was a very disappointing experience that damaged your confidence, but thankfully Wong was there to help you  pick up the broken pieces like a good friend. Nights like this one always send your mind in all the wrong places.

“Can’t sleep?” Stephen’s voice called from the entrance, making you jump in your chair. Your hand rested on your chest, feeling the rapid beat of your heart caused by the person standing in the doorway. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” He smiled apologetically and put some papers on the desk next to yours. “Isn’t it a bit too late for that?” The doctor pointed at the white screen of your laptop with a cup of tea in his hand.

“I was actually going to take a break.” You announced with a yawn and stretched your arms over your head so hard your  whole body shook. “I don’t have much left though and I could always rest after it’s done.”

The sorcerer hummed, looking at your screen. “You want to tell me that you have almost translated the whole book?” His eyes moved between the laptop, your notes and the heavy tome laying on the desk.

“Yes?” 

“600 pages in less than two weeks?” Stephen took a sip of his already cold tea, cringing at the bitter taste.

“I'm actually finishing the second book.” You said, moving your arms around in hope it would ease the pain in your back. “Impressive, I know.” You joked, winking at the man sitting next to you.

“It actually is quite impressive.”

“My secret is Wong's black tea 5 times a day with three sugars and astral projection after midnight.” Stephen’s laugh echoed through the empty library, making you smile. The two of you didn’t spend much time together- he had his duties as sorcerer supreme and you were working on your translations. Neither of you wanted to disturb the other one. The only conversations you had so far were the ones around the dinner table with Wong. It was nice, but you wished you had more time to get to know Stephen. “Although he confiscated my sling ring so I can’t do that anymore.”

“It’s not healthy to use your astral form too often.” The man said, knowing he sounded like a hypocrite, but you didn’t have to know it. “Trust me, I’m a doctor.”

“Didn’t you use it every night back in Kamar- Taj to read?” You asked, amused by the look on Stephen's face.

“So he told you.”

“Wong tells me everything.” You grinned, narrowing your eyes playfully. 

"Everything?" The doctor asked in a tone that sounded more like a dare. You weren't expecting the new sorcerer supreme to be such a chill person and you were glad that he liked to mess around sometimes. It made your stay at the sanctum a lot more fun than you thought it would be.

"Everything, including that one time you accidentally turned a student into a cat because you didn't read the spell correctly." You whispered, slowly gathering all of your notes and closing your laptop. You knew you wouldn't get anything else done that night. "But just so you know- Wong speaks very highly of you. He enjoys sharing those funny stories with me though." 

"Good to know," Stephen grinned, feeling quite relieved that his colleague- friend- respects him beyond his occasional arrogance. "He has never told me anything about you before though." He said, sounding almost disappointed. Maybe Stephen and Wong weren't that close yet. They tend to talk about other students and masters, but never about their lives outside of the sorcery world. They should definitely change that.

"Is there anything you'd like to know, Doctor?" You stood up to throw away the pieces of paper that you didn't need anymore and stretched your legs a bit. It felt so good to move around like that after a whole day of sitting.

"It would be nice to get to know you better, but I think it's quite late and we both should be sleeping." The man said and yawned which made you yawn, too. Yeah, it was really late. 

"I think you're right. I can barely keep my eyes open, let alone hold a conversation." Looking down at the desk you decided to clean the rest tomorrow. It wasn't going to run away. 

"You could take a free day tomorrow and accompany me to London." Stephen suggested. You were a really nice person and the sorcerer liked your friendly spirit. You liked to joke around- even with Wong- and Stephen would lie if he said that he didn't wish for you to stay longer. He didn't feel so lonely with you around. Yes, you didn't talk much but he knew that you were always in the library with Wong and it made this place less…. lonely. 

"I would like that! I haven't been to London in ages." 

"Let me walk you to your door." The Doctor said, offering you his arm with a playful little bow.

The two of you stayed silent while you walked- neither of you had enough energy to talk anymore. The sound of your synchronised steps echoed through the empty halls. The distance from the library to your bedroom wasn't too long but it felt like eternity to get there. A free day was probably a good idea- you could feel the effects of your constant work and seriously needed a day to yourself.

The only words spoken between you were the whispered goodnights and the sanctum was dead silent again.

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"You want to tell me that one day you just went on a walk and accidentally walked into the sanctum in Hong Kong?" Stephen asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. 

The two of you decided to have brunch in a little cafe near the park- for you it was more like breakfast, but there was a 6 hour difference between NYC and London. The place was lovely and the chilly weather of early spring in England combined with the beautiful scenery of trees and the river made you smile. 

You took a sip of your tea and smiled at the memory.

"I was a kid and didn't know I wasn't allowed there."  You explained, trying to make sense of your actions from the past. "I was 8 and got bored so my grandmother told me to go play with other kids, but I got lost on my way to the playground and ended up in the sanctum." Stephen watched you carefully which meant he was really interested in the story. He rested his cheek on his hand and you continued, " I got really scared because I realised that I wasn't supposed to be there and when someone tried to talk to me I ran and hid in the library-" you had to laugh at that. Little you were terrified, but the older you found the story hilarious. "Wong found me an hour later crying under the desk and then walked me home." 

"That's an adventure." The doctor laughed- the wrinkles under his eyes made themselves more prominent. It suited him. Happiness suited him.

"My grandma then made cookies and told me to give them to the nice man who got me back home." You smiled and took another sip of your drink. "And then I just kept coming there whenever I had time and hung out with Wong in the library. He made me his apprentice- although he was still just a student himself. I insisted and he couldn't get rid of me." 

"Really?" The sorcerer would love to see the little you annoying Wong so much he had to make you his apprentice to shut you up.

"No, he actually asked if I wanted to study under him."

"Did you say yes?" A sudden blow of cold wind made the sorcerer shiver, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Talking with you felt so natural and it felt like you've been friends forever. It was nice to have this connection with someone. Stephen really needed to feel normal every once in a while and sitting with you outside of a cafe on a chilly afternoon in London made him feel normal.

"Take a guess, doctor."

"Right, that was a stupid question." Strange grinned, hiding his face in the hoodie he wore to shield himself from the wind. Stephen could tell you he wanted to go inside, but you seemed to enjoy the chilly weather. He wouldn't die if the wind picked up every now and then.

"There are no stupid questions." You said, playing with the remains of your tea that were too cold to enjoy anymore.

"I like your mindset, but as someone who worked in medicine for years I can tell you that some people ask very stupid questions." 

"I can only imagine." 

"So why is it that I have never met you before. I was in Kamar-Taj for a very long time and I visit other sanctums whenever I need to, which is pretty often." The doctor was curious how he managed to not see you even once during his stay in all those places.

"Oh, I left the sorcery world when I was older because I got  into a university in Scotland. I still kept in touch with Wong and some other masters though. I even visited New York last year but it was only for the weekend and you weren't there." 

"What did you study?" 

"You will never believe when I tell you." You wiggled your eyebrows with a smirk on your face.

"Surprise me." Steohen said, already suspecting what your answer was going to be. 

"I studied ancient languages and became a translator for an archeology centre in Greece when I graduated." You didn’t mention to him that you quit working in said centre after one of your colleagues broke your heart into a million pieces and walked all over it. He didn’t have to know about your failed romances. At least not yet. 

"No way." The doctor fake gasped causing you to laugh again.

"Shocking, I know." 

"I would have never expected it." He kept playing along, amused by your silly shenanigans. "Why languages? Was it like your passion or a hobby?" He asked, coming back to his more serious self. 

"I always learned fast- I took Latin in school and then thought it would be fun to learn similar languages so my mom signed me up for French classes, I learned Spanish at home because I was tired of French and then took Swedish to change things a bit. Then there was Japanese, Korean and Hindu. And then when I started spending more time in Kamar-Taj I thought it would be very fun to be fluent in languages no one speaks anymore. It all just came natural to me. I was good at it so I decided to do it for a living." You explained; your gaze getting lost in the picture of the clouds changing their shapes. Taking a deep breath you tried to think of a good topic of conversation, but Stephen beat you to it and spoke again.

"That's really interesting. Your brain is fascinating." 

"My brain you say?" You remembered that he used to be a doctor from what Wong told you, but you didn't know what kind.

"I mean- you possess so much knowledge I can only imagine how amazing your neural connections must be." Stephen continued, his hands flying around as the words left his mouth.

"That is the strangest compliment I have ever gotten- I love it." You put your hand on your chest, trying to show your gratitude. "Pun not intended."

Your afternoon was filled with fluid conversations that seemed to have no end. Stephen asked about your family, friends, hobbies. Being your polite self you asked them the same questions and found things that Wong didn't tell you.

 For example, the sorcerer supreme used to play piano and was pretty good at it. His love for music extended farther than just listening to sounds- he also liked to create them. The doctor hid it well, but you could see the sadness in his eyes when he told you about his musical skills. It was because of his hands- that was for sure. They wandered down under the table, hiding from your eyes as he spoke about his passions. You had scars of your own- you understood the struggle. 

But it was still painful to see- ever since you met him Stephen was nothing but confident in everything he did. Sometimes he walked the thin line between confidence and arrogance, but it was a part of his charm. He never was an asshole- not to you, not to Wong. Not even to that kid who tried to put graffiti on the sanctum's walls two days ago. At the end of the day Stephen- although still very much powerful- was just a man. A human being with insecurities. 

"Did you play the banjo as well?" You asked resting your chin on your fist- elbows on the table. 

"Just because I'm from Nebraska doesn't mean I know how to play the banjo." Stephen defended himself, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.

"Answer my question, Stephen." You demented, pointing a finger at him and trying to hold in your laughter. Stephen's lips formed a thin line. The red on his cheeks became more prominent- maybe it was the cold. 

"Yes." The sorcerer mumbled.

"What was that?" 

"I won't repeat myself." 

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You’ve been in the New York sanctum for over a month now and it was the first time ever that all of you were in the library at the same time. Right after your morning tea the three of you headed there to do your own things- you wanted to finish translating the book on interdimensional herbs, Wong was going to fix a spine of his book of shadows meanwhile Stephen was trying to upgrade some spell. It was quiet, but very cosy. Almost domestic if you dared say that. 

Speaking of Stephen- ever since that day in London you became pretty good friends. He talked to you more, made sure you took breaks when working. Sometimes he would invite you to go grocery shopping with him and Wong. Yeah, it was really domestic. You never expected the sorcerer supreme to be so friendly towards you, but you were glad he proved you wrong. You were happy to have a friend like him. This place really felt like home when Wong and Stephen were there with you. You really felt wanted.

Wong was basically family to you and you always felt wanted around him, but it really surprised you how hard Stephen was trying to make you feel at home. Making your favourite food for dinner, taking you on walks. One time you and the doctor were talking about movies and he even suggested a movie night. You accidentally fell asleep on his shoulder that time and Wong took a photo of it. It looked pretty cute- you had to admit that. But the more you looked at that polaroid- or thought about everything you did with Stephen- you realised that there might be something more between the two of you than friendship. 

You saw each other every day- talked every day- for over a month now. Just a month but it felt like years. It scared you a bit. How quickly you were developing a crush on this man. And it wasn’t like you didn’t want to get involved with him romantically- Stephen was a great person. But your last relationship left a hole in your heart and even though a lot of time had passed since that failed romance you were still weary when it came to dating. Especially if the person of your interest was the most powerful sorcerer that you have met only a month ago! Plus you were literally working for this man. 

It was a shame that you had to leave so soon. After you got your sling ring back you continued to work 24/7, translating 15 books in two weeks which was your new record. Wong had volunteered to book-bind a few pages, making your job even easier. Meaning that you would be done even faster. To be honest you didn’t want to go back to your job in ‘real life’. Yes, you loved it, but you didn’t realise how much you missed the world of sorcery until now. 

You were torn between wanting to be a sorcerer again and having a normal life. Your fingers stopped typing as your eyes stared at the bright screen of your laptop- not really focusing on anything. The sound of your keyboard had been the only thing filling the silence. Now the air in the room was dead and empty. Looking around you watched as the two men worked on their own things and decided to take a short break- make some tea for the boys, stretch, think about your future. Stuff like that. And so you left quietly, knowing that neither of them probably even noticed that you were gone. 

Little did you know that one of your friends was watching you all the time. Wong sensed that something wasn't right. The moment you picked up another book to translate your mood shifted. It was odd and Wong didn’t like seeing you like this.

“SHIT!” you shrieked as you turned around and saw the librarian, standing in the kitchen doorway. “I could have dropped the kettle!”

“Didn’t mean to scare you.” The man apologised and sat down at the table, trying to figure out how to even start this conversation with you. Deciding it would be easier to just rip the bandaid off he spoke again. “You seem sad today. Is everything alright?” 

The question surprised you. “I didn’t think you’d notice.” You didn’t disagree. You didn’t see the point in hiding your feelings and you had always trusted Wong. You could tell him everything without the fear of being judged. 

“I wanted to get this job done as quickly as possible-” you said, fiddling with the kettle in your hands. “And now that I'm almost done I don’t think I want to leave.”

“Then stay.” He smiled at the thought of you living in the sanctum again. This last month reminded Wong of the good old days when you used to share a house and do all kinds of stuff together from practising spells to folding laundry. 

“Do you think Stephen would allow it?” you asked, shyly. The doctor was in charge of the sanctum after all so it all depended on him and his decision. 

“He adores you! Of course he would allow it.” The librarian rolled his eyes when he said the word ‘adore’ which made your face feel a little bit warmer for some reason. “Just ask him about it. He will be thrilled to hear that you’re staying.”

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Another week passed and you still haven’t asked Stephen. Wong’s words made you rethink some things and reflect on everything that happened in the last month. Closing the book you’ve been working on for the past two days you realised that there’s only one of them left. 

Your friend’s words played in your brain like a broken record. 

‘He adores you’

You didn’t want that. 

Okay, maybe you did, but you weren’t ready for that yet. You weren’t ready to get your heart broken again. Besides you weren’t planning on staying any longer than necessary so why even worry about it?

Laying on your bed, you stared at the white ceiling, trying to come up with a solution to your- not so little- problem when a knock on your door pulled you out of your head.

“Hi.” Stephen whispered- his head peeking from behind the door. “I saw the light in your room was still on and wanted to check on you.” The sorcerer invited himself in and leaned his shoulder on the wall. 

Your eyes fell on the jar of cookies he was holding in his hands. Stephen’s gaze followed yours and the doctor smirked.

“I was going to eat them alone, but since I’m already here would you like one?” He said, taking a step forward and sitting at the edge of your bed. You moved, too- your back straight against the headboard. It created more distance between you which wasn’t really intentional, but you were glad that there was a bit more space. Of course you would love nothing more than to get closer to Stephen, but it was all happening so quickly. And you hated yourself for feeling that way.

“So…” The jar lid popped open and your friend took two cookies out of it, handing you one with a silent question. You took it without thinking twice; your fingers brushed and a shiver went down your spine. “You couldn’t sleep again?”

You signed, taking a bite and not really caring about the crumbs on your sheets. 

“Not really.” You managed to say between the bites. Stephen observed you carefully- almost like he was studying your face and all your movements. You had plenty of conversations that started in this exact way. Usually you would talk the night away, but you weren’t in the mood to talk for so long.

“Is everything alright?” The sorcerer’s voice echoed through the room- it was deep and very soft. You loved listening to him talk, not only because you liked how his voice sounded, but also because he was always very nice to you when you two talked. 

“Why shouldn’t it be?” You raised your brow, hugging your knees close to your chest to get some comfort.

“Wong said you’ve been ignoring him. And you’ve been ignoring me, too.” The doctor mimicked your pose, now fully sitting on your bed. “I know we don’t know each other as long as you and Wong do, but I still care about you. You are my guest and I would be a horrible host if I didn’t care about your wellbeing.”

You knew he said it to make you feel better- to make sure that you knew that you could trust him. And you did. You trusted Stephen. But not with your feelings. You weren’t even sure what those feelings were. 

Were you just excited that you made a new friend and mistook that excitement for romantic attraction? He gave you his attention, but this was what people did when they wanted to be friends with someone. Strange smiled at you once and you were convinced you developed a crush on him. It was pathetic how much you craved love that you were seeing it everywhere even if it wasn’t true.That was probably the reason your last relationship was a disaster. You went into it too quickly and then were surprised that it didn’t work out. You needed more time to think about it- your feelings for Stephen. He was a good friend and you would hate to lose that.

“I really appreciate it, Stephen.” You said with a genuine smile on your face. There was still some uncertainty in your eyes. “I think I’m just a little tired. I tend to overwork myself sometimes.”

“That makes the two of us then.” He smirked and pulled out another cookie. Stephen handed you the jar and you moved closer to him, decreasing the gap between your bodies. “I saw that you have just one book left to translate.” 

“Yeah-” You sighed a bit too loud, ignoring the sorcerer’s gaze. “Wong said he would bind them all so I will probably be gone by the end of the next week.” You said, feeling a weird squeeze in your chest. You didn’t know why you felt like that. You leaving wouldn’t be the end of the world! You would still keep in touch with Wong- you have for all those years. So why was it affecting you so much this time?

Stephen stood up, clearing his throat quietly. The man stood up, leaving the cookie jar on your blanket and wiped his hands clean on his pyjama pants.

“You are welcome to stay longer if you want.” The doctor announced and slowly made his way to the door. “Wong and I- we love having you around. I wanted you to know that.”

Stephen left, letting you be alone with your thoughts.

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“Do you really want to go back to your old job though?” Wong asked, taking a sip of his morning tea. You liked to talk about many things with him, especially in the morning while you prepared breakfast. But the topic of your old job was making you nervous. It wasn’t really about the job itself- you liked what you were doing. The issue was people- or rather a person- who was still working there. It’s been almost a year since you left and your side gigs couldn’t pay all of your bills. You were happy when Wong called you and asked if you could come by to help translate some stuff, but you were here almost two months and felt like you should leave soon. You wouldn’t have to figure out your feelings for Stepehn if he wasn’t around. 

“I have to make money somehow.” You flipped a pancake and put on a fake smile. 

“You could find something here in New York. And you wouldn’t have to worry about rent since you’d be living here.” Your friend proposed.

It wasn’t a bad idea- now that you think of it it was an excellent idea. You really couldn’t argue with that.

“I will think about it.” 

“That’s all you’ve been doing lately.”

Why was it so hard for you to open up to Wong now? You never had a problem with that before. Taking a deep breath you decided to rip the bandaid off.

“I think I have feelings for Stephen.” You breathed out, looking at your dear friend and waiting for his response. All you got was a hysterical laugh.

“That’s a good one!” Wong said, slapping his knee repeatedly. “Oh dear, I love your jokes.” 

But you didn’t laugh. 

“No- you’re-” the librarian lowered his tone, almost whispering. “No.”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

That was a good question. Were you sure?

“I don’t know.” A tear rolled down your face- you didn’t even know why you were so emotional about it. You didn’t even know for sure and you were making such a scene. Putting your face in your hands you shook your head and cried. “I don’t know, Wong!”

You were trembling and breathing heavily in your friend’s arms and didn’t even notice that you were walking somewhere- the librarian guiding you. You couldn’t see well because of the tears, but you recognised the outline of your room. Your knees hit something soft and if Wong didn’t turn you around you would flop on the bed face first. 

It took you half an hour to calm down.

You missed breakfast that day, too.

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Taking a deep breath you put your sweater on and exit the library. You tried to do something productive, but nothing was going your way today. First the fiasco in the kitchen, then you isolating for the rest of your day and now sneaking out to the library when everyone else was asleep. What was going on with you? 

Your stomach spoke, demanding food. You weren’t surprised- you haven’t eaten anything at all. And you really should do that. You can’t keep destroying yourself because of one tiny inconvenience.  

Your bare feet walked through the wooden floors leading to the small kitchen you love so much. 

“Midnight snack?” Someone spoke, making you jump and bump your leg into a chair. “I’m so sorry.” The familiar voice apologised, gently putting a hand on your shoulder to see if everything was alright. “I thought you saw me.”

“It’s fine.” You shrugged it off, massaging your knee to ease the pain a little. “I wasn’t paying attention.” You straightened your back and realised how close to you Stephen was.

Your heart skipped a beat.

“Would you like some tea? I was gonna make myself a cup.” The sorcerer proposed, taking a step back and giving you space. 

Playing with the sleeves of our sweater you jumped on the counter- your favourite place to sit- and nodded. “I would kill for a cup of tea right now.”

“No killing will be necessary. I will do it willingly.” Stephen smirked, taking two ceramic mugs out of the upper cupboard. You noticed that one of them was your favourite mug- you used it literally every day and Stephen was a very observant person so it shouldn’t be surprising that he knew what you used to drink and from where. “The usual?” He asked, throwing a kitchen towel over his shoulder like a bartender, making you giggle.

“Make it double.” You said, playing along. 

“So what brings you here at this hour?” The doctor asked, pouring the hot water into your mugs and then putting the tea inside. 

“I wanted to get some work done, but I couldn’t focus.” You explained. Your friend handed you your tea and you thanked him with a shy smile.

“Wong said you had a really bad anxiety attack this morning-” the man hopped on the counter right next to you, his baby blues looking at you with some kind of softness you haven’t  seen in him before. “-and I know you probably don’t want to talk about it which is fine-” he spoke, not really knowing where he was going with it. He wanted to make you feel better, but Stephen wasn’t the best at expressing his emotions. He was going to try though. For you. “-but i want you to know that you can trust me and I can find you some professional help if you need it. I know a few people who would be able to help.” 

“I don’t-” you tried to defend yourself, but your voice shook. “I’m not crazy. I don’t need it!”

“Where is this coming from?” The doctor asked, confused . “Therapy can be for everyone no matter what and there’s nothing wrong with getting help.” He turned to you to get a better look at your face. He looked surprised by your little outburst, but he knew there was more to the story.

“You think so?” Suddenly you felt small. You have been to therapy before, but your ex wasn’t really supportive of that. You were called a variety of names. You were shamed and gaslighted into believing that you seeking help was a sign of weakness. That’s why you stopped going. You stopped taking your meds. And when you hit the rock bottom your partner decided that you weren’t worth all the trouble and left. You were scared of asking for help again- it was a weird fear, but it just wouldn’t let go of you. 

“I know it.” Stephen’s gentle voice made you tear up a bit. “I’m no psychologist, but I have contacts. If you want I can accompany you to the first session. Or Wong.” He put your arm around you, drawing random shapes on your shoulder in a soothing motion. 

You gave in and embraced him, throwing your arms around his neck and sobbing quietly. 

“Thank you, Stephen.” You whispered and felt his hold on you tightening. 

“Did anyone ever tell you that it was wrong to go to therapy?” The doctor asked in a hushed voice. He didn’t break the hug.

“You could say that.” You sniffled, face still hiding in his chest. You were sure there was already a wet spot from all your tears on his shirt. “An ex of mine had very strong opinions about me taking meds and going to therapy.”

“What a dick.” Stephen huffed, anger radiated from him. If he ever met that person he would send them to some crazy dimensions to fuck with their mind. “They didn’t deserve you.”

“There’s a reason this person is an ex.” You smiled sadly and took a deep breath. “Wong had already kicked that asshole’s butt so don’t worry.” You giggled at the memory. Violence was never the answer, but in that case it was really appreciated. “But ever since then I was kinda scared of reaching out, you know?” 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Your friend’s hand wandered from your shoulder up to your hair and gently massaged your scalp, making you melt in his arms. “I will make some calls first thing in the morning. You should see someone as soon as possible. Especially if you need medication.” He said. You could hear the determination in his voice. Stephen was nothing like your last partner. He really cared. He supported you and wanted the best for you. And even if there could never be anything more than friendship between you you would still be happy to have him in your life. “When was the last time you took your meds.” 

"I'm embarrassed to say." You straightened your back and let your hands fall from Stephen's neck. He was still holding you, knowing you still needed some comfort. 

"You don't have to tell me, but please mention it to your therapist, okay?" The sorcerer gave your shoulder a light pat and hopped off the counter. "Our tea is getting cold." You smiled and followed your friend to sit at the table. You saw him taking a sip from his tea and cringe. "The bags were in the water for too long. It's really bitter." 

You sighed, putting the mugs in the sink. It was probably a sign that you should go back to your room.

"There's a place 3 blocks away with great Thai food." Strange looked at you with a silent question. You couldn't say no to food, but you weren't sure if it was a good idea to go out so late. "They also have great tea and I know for a fact that they are still open." He sensed your hesitation, but refused to leave you alone in your room with your thoughts. You had to get away from here- even if it was just for a few minutes. "I'm paying."

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Walking side by side with Stephen, your arms in your pockets to shield them from the cold midnight air, you looked around to see plenty of people doing all kinds of stuff. New York truly never slept. It was a part of its charm.

The doctor offered you his arm when a group of tourists passed through the crowd, almost pulling you in with them. You liked big cities, but you absolutely hated the crowds. You hooked your hand in the place between Stephen's arm and his elbow, holding it tightly. It didn’t take long for you to get to the restaurant Stephen told you about. You visited many places like this with the boys when neither of you wanted to cook anything, but this building wasn’t familiar to you. 

Stephen opened the door for you like the gentleman he was and as you stepped inside you were hit with a variety of smells. Your stomach reminded you of its existence once more and you were sure everyone in the room could hear it. 

Your friend waved his hand at the older lady behind the counter with a smile on his face. He gestured at the small table in the corner- hidden from everyone’s eyes- and took your jacket. Taking two menus from the wooden napkin holder in the middle of your table, Stephen handed you one, his cold fingers leaving a feather-like sensation on your palm.

“Their green curry is delicious.” The sorcerer said, turning his menu around and pointing at the picture on top. 

“I will have to take your word for that, Doctor.” You smirked actually feeling some happiness in you after the entire day of sleeping in your depression cave you called the bedroom. 

“What tea would you like?” He asked, tapping a finger on his knee to the beat of the song playing from the radio. Your eyes scanned the pages of the little book in your hands. Stephen was watching you while you tried to make a choice. You looked adorable with your hair a bit messy from the wind, biting your lip deep in thought. The sorcerer smiled- you couldn’t see it, but the look he gave you was full of adoration. 

“I think I will get the Thai Ice Tea.” You announced, putting your menu aside. Turning your head to face Stephen you noticed that he was staring and immediately became self conscious. “Do I have something on my face?”

“What? No it’s just-” The doctor straightened his back, blushing. The awkward pause between you was interrupted by the waitress who appeared at your table.

“Stephen! It’s so good to see you here, honey.” The older woman you saw earlier behind the counter pinched the man’s cheek in an affectionate manner. The sorcerer groaned, but couldn’t hide the smile on his face. “What can I get you today, sweetie?”

“It’s good to see you too, Malee. You look beautiful as ever.” The doctor leaned back in his chair and put on his charming smile. “Did you get a haircut?” 

“Oh, I did!” the woman giggled, taking a pen out of her pocket. “But the flattery won’t give you a discount.”

“It was worth a try.” The sorcerer shrugged. You watched this exchange with a huge grin. You were enjoying their little interaction. It was kinda sweet. “We would like two plates of green curry and  two ice teas.”

Malee quickly  wrote down your order and put the pen back into the pocket of her jeans. “I will bring you your drinks right away.” She said, tugging her long grey hair behind her ear.

“I will go get them, just tell me when they’re done!” Stephen called as the women walked through the door leading to the kitchen. “She has really weak hands, she shouldn’t carry anything heavy.” Your friend explained, turning back to you. 

“She’s a lovely lady.” You mentioned, trying to change the subject. You wanted to keep a steady conversation, fearing that if you fell silent your thoughts would spiral in the wrong direction again.  “Very lively.”

“She is just the sweetest.” The doctor’s smile made the wrinkles under his eyes stand out. He looked good like that. “Wong and I come here very often when we pull all-nighters.”

“I can see why.” You looked around, your eyes scanning the art on the walls and the curtains that matched the floor. “It’s very cosy here.”

You didn’t realise it, but you were swaying to the music playing through the speakers. You were enjoying the moment of peace and Stephen’s presence helped with that a lot. You also didn’t notice when the sorcerer stood up to get your tea. He put the glasses on the table and gave you a smile. A teenage boy walked behind him with a tray of your food. And oh, you were so excited to finally eat something after a long day. You were all set when Melee came up to you with a little candle and matches. She put it in the middle of the table, surprising both you and Stephen. 

“Enjoy your date.” She winked at you and left, leaving both of you out of words.

“I just want to clarify that I didn’t intend for it to be a date.” Stephen said, awkwardly scratching his neck. 

“Oh, yeah. I-” You didn’t want to let it show, but you were a little hurt by his response.

“It’s just- you had a really rough night and I-I wanted to provide some comfort.” The sorcerer explained, stumbling over his own words.

“I understand, Stephen. It’s really okay.” You took a sip of your tea- the flavours melting on your tongue made your stomach calm down a bit. You were fighting back your tears- you didn’t want to ruin the night even more.

“And besides, a restaurant seems a little cliche for a date.”  The doctor cleared his throat and took a fork in his  right hand. “If I was to ask you out on a date it would be something special.” He mumbled, but you heard him perfectly clear. “If you agreed, of course.”

“Really?” You asked- your voice still felt weak, but there was a bit of hope behind your eyes. “You would ask me on a date if you knew I would say yes?”

“I would ask you regardless of your answer and handle rejection like a big boy.” He said in a joking tone, but you knew he meant that. “But the timing doesn’t seem right right now, does it?” He smiled sadly at you and got busy with his food.

“What do you mean by that?” You asked, trying to decipher the meaning of Stephen’s words.

“I mean-” Your friend took a deep breath, looking you deep in the eyes. “You are still working for me. You are also living in a place where I’m technically the boss. I’m about to help you find a therapist.” Stephen explained. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to agree to go on a date with me just because you feel like you should.”

You were taken aback by this answer- not in a bad way. It showed that Stephen really cared about you. You never felt like you owed him anything, but he took your valuable state of mind  into consideration which made you feel really appreciated. He wanted to make sure that you would feel comfortable in this relationship- that you wouldn’t feel trapped and obligated to being with him. 

“I really appreciate that, Stephen.” You smiled, taking a spoonful of rice. “I wouldn’t say no if you asked me- not because I live under your roof. You are a great man and anyone would be lucky to have you.” A familiar warmth creeped up your face. It made you feel like a middle school child having their very first crush. 

Stephen’s eyes shyly wandered around the room. Your words made his heart beat faster. He had to run the conversation in his head twice to make sure you really just said what he thought you said. The sorcerer wasn’t the best at showing his feelings- especially romantic ones- but with you it seemed to be much easier. 

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see where it gets us.” Strange replied, looking at you one more time. You locked eyes and smiled.

And for the first time in ages you didn’t worry about the future.

“How was your session today?” Wong greeted you with a hug and a cup of fresh tea as you entered the kitchen. The smell of cheese hit your nostrils, making you salivate. Home sweet home. 

“It was pretty good.” You said, taking a sip of your hot beverage.”I will probably get new meds soon.”

“That’s fantastic!” The librarian cheered. 

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Ever since Stephen helped you start therapy again you became more alive. You didn’t realise how much stuff affected your mental health until now. You’ve been going to that Doctor for 3 months now and you couldn’t believe how much changed in such a short amount of time. You were going easy on yourself- you were slowly unlearning your old self destructive behaviours like working 24/7 without a break or bottling up your emotions. Wong was very supportive and helped in any way he could. In some way your therapy helped him relax a bit. He promised to take you on a hike every weekend- something you loved doing when you were younger- and he didn’t say it often, but he loved that, too. It was your quality time with Wong. Even if he had a ton of work to do he always made sure to finish before the weekend, not wanting to miss that time with you.

And then there was Stephen. You’ve been in New York for almost 6 months now and Stephen was nothing but kind to you. Your relationship progressed very quickly and the two of you became best friends in no time. Of course there was still the question of your feelings, but you both agreed to give it time. But with every passing day you fell more and more for him. Little did you know that the sorcerer supreme felt the same way. He was still shy around you at times, but you always made sure you were both comfortable no matter what you were doing. You spent plenty of time together from practising spells to watching movies. You cherished all these moments. 

You finished translating the last book a few weeks ago- Stephen and Wong insisted that you take a break and focus on your health. Work could always wait. The librarian convinced you to let him bind those books by himself so that you could have more free time. Those guys were the best thing that had ever happened to you.

“Is that lasagna I smell?” The doctor walked into the kitchen through a portal and took a seat right next to you.

“It is!” Wong said, proudly as he took the dish out of the oven and put it on the table. “Did you bring the wine?” He asked, looking around in hope to find a bottle. 

“I didn’t know you wanted me to.” Stephen said, setting the table for the three of you. “I can go get it. There’s a few more bottles in the basement.” 

“No, it’s fine. I will get them.” The librarian said and walked out of the room. He used it as an excuse to leave you and Stephe alone but you didn’t have to know that.

“I heard your session went well today.” The sorcerer spoke, sitting down on his chair.

“It really did.” You smiled, following his lead. 

“What are your plans for today?” Your friend asked, wanting to make some small talk before executing his little plan and asking you out. This time officially.

“Oh, I think I have a date.” You said with a sprinkle of uncertainty in your voice.

Stephen was stunned by your answer- a little bit hurt, too. It wasn’t like you had swore to go on a date with him, but the things were going so well between you the doctor assumed you felt the same. Apparently that wasn’t the case and Stephen respected your decision.

“Oh, a date?”

“Yeah, I don’t know if he agrees though. He’s kinda busy with sorcery stuff and all that.” You bit your lip, trying to stop yourself from smiling.

Stephen exhaled in relief, with a smirk on his face.

“I’m sure he will find some time for you.” He announced, playing along. “He already cleared out his schedule for you.”

You giggled like a little kid, taking Stephen’s hand in yours and placing a gentle kiss on his knuckles. “It’s a date then, doctor.”

“I believe it is.”

[sarcasticdolphin]

"Mistake (or not)" Smrt and little Rudolf into Smrtolf with older Rudolf. Not in the least bit canon.

So I had a thought about what would happen if Smrt accidentally killed little Rudolf. I think I sent Adri an ask (or part of an ask) about it as well. And now here it is in drabble form. I was thinking this would be cracky but it turned out more serious.

For the amazing @adridoesstuff as all the Smrtolf drabbles are.

This is kind of a weird drabble. Definitely not quite my standard structure for the English. Under the cut for length.

Smrt’s hand slips. Or that is what he tells himself. What else could it be? The boy - the princeling - so clearly yearned for him. It was just that his hand had slipped.

But the prince doesn’t even seem to notice his own demise, rather hesitantly climbing into Smrt’s arms and tucking himself against Smrt’s chest.

The damage is already done, and so Smrt embraces the boy, cradling him close, as he might a young angel. It is almost on instinct that his lips brush against the boy’s brow, blessing him. Granting him wings.

Smrt comes back to himself perhaps a quarter of an hour later, still sitting on the boy’s bed with the newest member of his little flock tucked in his arms. He might not be able to see Aemilia, but he can feel the coldness of her gaze all the same. Rather hypocritical in this case. She had been calling the prince to her only minutes ago. And she did so like having new siblings that she could teach the joy of flying.

The young angel - Rudolf, that’s the name of his Empress’s son - is snoozing so Smrt carries him, reminded each passing moment of just how young the boy is. 

----

To some extent, Smrt isn’t even really sure that the princeling notices his own death at all. Or perhaps it would be better to say he rejoices at it. Rudolf still has his tutors, but they no longer run him through endless military drills. Well, expect Aemilia. But flying is such a pure joy in it of itself that even her strict instruction cannot possibly put a damper on it. And most angels prefer her style for flying lessons, even if they chafe against it at first. The winds are not to be taken lightly, even in Smrt’s peaceful realm.

No, instead of logistics Rudolf learns of birds, of feathers. Of gardening and painting. Smrt for his part teaches the boy preening. Normally he wouldn’t, but the boy’s joy is infectious and Smrt rather selfishly wants part of it. 

That Rudolf grows still is unusual - Smrt’s youngest angel does not remain that way for long, soon towering over more than a few of his instructors and siblings, but still joyous as ever. Happy in a way that he hadn’t been that day Smrt had plucked his young soul from the world. Happy in a way that the Empress never was.

It’s odd, in a way. Smrt had thoughts the boy’s presence might be painful for him, might remind him constantly of the Empress who wanted nothing to do with him, who had thrown him from her life, but nothing of the sort happens. Perhaps it is the boy himself, making every space brighter for his presence and soothing Smrt. 

Smrt is watching Rudolf’s music lesson- one with the harp - as a raven hidden in the branches of a nearby tree when the thought comes to him. For all Smrt had taught Rudolf preening, he was not among the angels who were truly Rudolf’s principal tutors. In the beginning he had simply thought he had no talent to teach the prince. Well, none besides reaping souls. And that would ruin Rudolf’s beautiful joy.

But Smrt could sing. Most often he did so to the souls that needed a lullaby as they passed. It seemed to help. Or at least Smrt thought it did, but it was not as if he could simply ask the souls. 

So he takes the boy for a lesson one day, leading him into a grove, humming a melody then singing it. Rudolf echoes him with perfect ease, eyes bright with an awestruck starlight that would have had Smrt blushing if such a thing were possible. 

Aemilia is grumpy that she is no longer Rudolf’s favorite tutor by the next week, and Smrt takes every excuse he can find to give Rudolf more singing lessons in what quickly becomes their little grove. Their place, hidden even from the other angels. 

Smrt isn’t totally shocked as the boy’s feelings change - it is perhaps more common than not for his angels to harbor some form of affection for him that is perhaps more romantic than platonic, but Rudolf seems so human in his adoration. In his love, sweet and pure. Or perhaps it is more worship.

Still, his angels are reserved creatures and Rudolf has learned from his siblings. Even though he desires more, the prince seems ever so hesitant to even accept the tender brush of Smrt’s lips against his cheek. He even blushes in a way that angels - the younger ones that still can - rarely do.

It is natural, Smrt tells himself, that he prefers Rudolf be the one that preens his wings. He had taught Rudolf himself, after all. The prince knows his preferences in a way that few angels do. And Aemilia is busy enough with her own duties. Better for sweet Rudolf to be the one that tends to him, if only so Smrt can assess his skill. A smaller part of Smrt wants Rudolf to be the only one that preens his hair feathers too, but the preening of hair feathers is not something that can be quickly learned. Still, one has to start somewhere. And while Smrt’s hair feathers are sensitive, he is far from the most sensitive. It is natural that Rudolf would begin preening hair feathers with Smrt’s.

For all Rudolf’s skill at preening he is too starstruck to do more than a few feathers the first time Smrt invites him to preen his hair feathers. And Smrt finds it sweet. That his prince thinks so highly of him.

So of course Smrt does what any good teacher would. He shows Rudolf how it is done. How to preen hair feathers. It is such an intimate act between angels that he wouldn't’ dream of asking another of the flock to be there, instead showing the prince using said prince’s own hair feathers. The boy is blushing the entire time, and Smrt wonders later if the lesson was even the least bit effective. Probably not, in hindsight. But Smrt can’t bring himself to care.

Which of them initiates the kiss is anyone’s guess, in the end. Rudolf had been tucked into Smrt’s arms, humming along as Smrt sang a melody for him. It had felt so natural. An extension of what they already were. The preening of each other’s hair feathers felt more intimate. Still, Smrt will treasure it - that soft and hesitant first kiss - until the end of time itself.

[blackink-onpaper]

The Descend and the Resurface

Damian Hart (Beyblade) x OC

Summary: OC comes from a complex background, and in the midst of trying to save it all and help her family she enters a strange arrangement, which will change her life forever.

Masterlist 🖤

Tags: Beyblade, Beyblade Metal Masters, Ryuga, Jack, Damian, Zeo Abyss, OC, Gingka Hagane, team Starbreaker, team Gan Gan Galaxy, dr. Ziggurat, Hades Inc.

A/N: (ambience suggestion) this chapter and the next will go along with the canon storyline, for this chapter watch Beyblade Metal Masters episode 93 if you like, it’s available on youtube! Also, at one moment I mention Damian’s worried expression, which you can see on the last photo :) Enjoyy~

Chapter 16

I tried getting backstage a few more times, but the crowd kept being too difficult to get past from. ‘Well, time to find something to do for half an hour’ I thought to myself, as I pulled out my phone for a scrolling session. I had social media, but really hated it ever since Julian and I had started dating because of all the nosy, toxic people trying to get into my life just because of him. If I was qualified to write a book about anything, it’s definitely on what it’s like being an “uninportant” girlfriend of an important man. And it seems I did it again, ironically, but at least no one knows for now. Checking if I had any messages, I saw an ad for a summer dress in the same blue colour as Damian’s hair, with white stripes on the hems, and I gasped in excitement. I immediately checked the availability and ordered the dress, so that I would have it for a celebration with Damian once all of this was over. Reflecting on my previous relationship again, I realised I did everything completely different this time around and how liberated I actually felt: to be able to say things I should’ve kept hidden, to have sex before having a date first because there is no one who would gossip and make a story out of it, and of course, my biggest cliché of all: to fall in love with a ‘bad boy’.

After ordering the dress, which would probably make Julian throw up if he ever saw it, I remembered I had some polaroid photos in my phone case I had completely forgotten about. My phone case opened with a loud crack sound, showing me a few memories from my past: there was a picture Sophie took of me when we were all invited to Julian’s summer house at lake Como, and one more from the same day of me and Julian together. Everyone told us we were an amazing couple, and I agree we certainly looked the part, but looking back on myself then I was feeling nowhere near complete. I wondered what people would think of Damian and I, would they love us as much as they did the Konzern-Casilarghi combination? The last picture was that of my garden, with my mom and I eating cherries in the sun; I took a picture of it and sent it to my mom with a text that I’m at the championship. She replied back almost immediately:

“My darling ❤️🍒 Enjoy the match, any luck with Julian?”

I was struck by a wave of mixed feelings; I felt as if I was lying to her by not telling her I completely let Julian go and had fallen for someone new, especially because I am not sure what they would think of Damian, and Damian of them. However, I’m sure my parents would easily get over any hard feelings if they considered Damian rich enough, which is comforting in it’s own way I guess.

The match began again. Just as the presenters announced the Gingka vs Jack battle, a literal meteor fell from the sky right into the stadium. For a brief moment I thought this was the end of the world, as the fire swept over everything, and loud thuds and cracks echoed from the walls carrying the whole construction. Opening my eyes, I saw most people had the same idea, because some even hid under the seats or shielded themselves with their bags, but we were all unharmed. However, there was a distinctively recognisable figure standing in the stadium.

The Japanese presenter stuttered: “It-it’s Ryuga, everyone!”

I’ve only ever heard of this guy, but he looked the same as in the pictures I had seen some time ago: platinum hair, tanned skin, angry eyes. But from what I’d heard, he is the strongest and most fearsome Blader out there. Seeing as he was standing on the side of Gan Gan Galaxy, it occurred to me that Gingka might have lied about not having a third member, but I then realised how bewildered the three members of the team looked and discarted the theory entirely. However, Ryuga’s choice of standing position might mean trouble for Jack.

“You do remember what you said to me, don’t you?” Ryuga asked Jack

“No, what?” Jack blurted out bluntly, without his usual pompousness

Apparently, Jack had told Ryuga at some earlier point that he would paint him a picture of Hades, and Ryuga came to collect his comission. But it seemed Ryuga also had an agenda against Ziggurat, as he looked up at him several times. I darted a look at Damian; while Jack accepted his challenge, seeming enviably and surprisingly confident, Damian seemed quite worried - I would dare say perhaps even scared as he stood a few steps behind Jack. But his facial expression was hard to read, so maybe he was just being more serious than I’m used to.

As the battle began, I had to admit I was also becoming worried both about the match and Jack’s wellbeing. I mean, Ryuga is really not the kind of guy one would like to mess with, especially because I know Damian would not break the tournament rules for Jack like Sophie and Wales did for Julian - and rightfully so, because if Jack loses Damian can still win the final battle, whereas for Excalibur the tournament had already been decided before the intervention.

The start of the battle must’ve been one of the most explosive ones I’d ever seen. No time was wasted by Jack and Befall, who just kept hitting Ryuga’s Bey without a break, and Jack was evidently enjoying himself. After a couple of more attacks, Jack slowly descended into an insane laughter:

“Sorry, Mr. Ryuga” he began, after he calmed down from that weird laughing spell: “Earlier I said I’d make this match into an amazing work of art, but allow me to correct myself. This will be my greatest masterpiece! Yes, and the completion of my work of art will mean your total and definite defeat!” Jack proclaimed loud and clear as his hair started to levitate, and a glow in different shades of gorgeous pink colours surrounded him like an aura. I mean, I have to be honest and say I was not nearly as confident about this as Jack, but I was absolutely blown away by his bravery. Many experienced Bladers would not even have half the personality Jack held up against Ryuga.

But I need to be equally honest that Ryuga’s demeanour was nothing short of imposing: Jack slashed him with his special move, appropriately called The Ripper, and he didn’t even bother to move. I darted a look at Damian, who had a curious look in his eyes and a small grin to support Jack’s attack. Curious with a reason, as Ryuga’s L-Drago was spinning as if nothing had happened:

“You really are stimulating the right side of my brain now! How stimulating is this!” Jack announced yet another special move - Slice and Dice - as Befall began to literally carve out the stadium to his will and whim. I pulled myself closer to see better, but ended up almost slipping of my seat because I hadn’t noticed how close I already was to it’s edge. After checking left and right if anyone had seen me, I continued watching to see what image Jack was aiming to create:

“One more stroke, and my greatest masterpiece will be complete!” Jack waved his finger around as L-Drago was being dragged around by a lethally slicing Befall: this was looking good for Starbreaker, but something just didn’t sit right with me about this. As the camera display on the televisions across the stadium panned out, an elegant body of a peacock emerged from the flat stone of the dome stadium.

“So Jack is drawing an image of his muse: Befall” I chuckled to myself, he was really something else entirely. Befall struck L-Drago right into the eye of the illustrated bird, and his spinning was slowing down almost to a stop:

“L-Drago is almost out of power now!” The presenters gripped the handrails of their positions, while Gan Gan Galaxy looked pale as three sheets of paper from the stress. At least this seems to be an imminent win for Starbreaker; I guess I was just overthinking Ryuga’s strength, his mysterious reputation probably playing up his fame.

But then he made me question both my vision and my sanity by increasing his rotation with simplicity and out of nowhere. Gasps arose from the audience around me:

“But how?” Jack blurted out, more confused than shocked or outraged, to which Ryuga measured up to with:

“You call this your greatest masterpiece, do you? Heh, are you sure you’re all done?”

“No way” Jack gasped in a half pleading tone: “Don’t tell me… Don’t tell me the entire battle up to now has just been to measure my power?!”

Then, Ryuga called his special move, the name of which I did not catch because of the gust of fire, heat and wind that swirled over the stadium in a burning red glow. Very reminiscent of Damian’s Hades Drive, but inexplicably multiplied. A long red dragon, stretching out at least two kilometres into the air appeared, and even though Jack put up one last brave stance against him by sending Befall into a defending flight, it was completely clear it’s an immediate defeat.

An explosion shook the entire stadium, making a crack in the floor from underneath my feet as people’s hats, pamphlets and random small items just flew away over their heads. Jack’s loud, piercing scream was the only thing I heard over the explosion itself. Befall was now the pink ruby centerpiece imbedded within the eye of the peacock that stood for a minute until the entire dome collapsed, the image now forever lost and forgotten. Jack whimpered about his work of art, hugging himself as if to calm himself down as he fell to his knees. Ryuga stared at Ziggurat’s room overlooking the stadium, and L-Drago launched into a flight, breaking his window.

“Woah…what the…” I uttered to myself, there was something seriously foul in the history between Ziggurat and Ryuga if he acted this way. As Ryuga was walking away, some paramedic that are unmistakeably from Hades Inc., given their dark grey lab coats, helped Jack up to his feet again and into the backstage, while Damian was nowhere in sight. I got up immediately, and grabbed my bag and water bottle to run to the backstage door, before noticing all of the water from my bottle had evapourated from L-Drago’s fire.

“Unbelievable…” I gasped before making my way past the security guards and into the Starbreaker wing.

[parakkatresort]

Resorts in Munnar with Jacuzzi | Luxury honeymoon resorts in Munnar

Our life in general has become very redundant. It often involves certain chores that make it far less interesting. City life has hooked us up to our machines and left us, workaholics. More often than not, a lot of us often end up burnt out yet let the work control our minds and body. However, the weekends are a sigh of relief as they provide us with a much-needed break. While most of us would definitely take a long vacation, a short weekend getaway isn’t too bad either. Not only will it rejuvenate your soul but energize you to begin the week afresh. Munnar, the beautiful hills located in Kerala are just right for a short weekend trip. Parakkat Nature, the best resort in Munnar is at your service in such a scenario.

Being the hottest vacation spot it is, resorts in Munnar are located within every kilometre. However, most of them are located far away from the major sites and since the place is inside thick forests, it makes travelling difficult. Located within the 15 minutes drive to Munnar, the 12 acres nature resort is splurged with state-of-the-art facilities without compromising the nature’s view. Developed around the model of a boutique resort, this one facilitates ample parking space, the best eating points and even a pool place.

Munnar is famous for various trekking and wildlife safari spots including the Attukkad Waterfalls, Echo point, Eravikulam National Park and Tea gardens. Most of these are set up in remote locations and can be difficult to navigate alone. For those, we have introduced the package, “Hello Munnar” which is a guided tour set up by our resort where guests are paired with local tour guides who know their way around the place.

What makes us the best resort in Munnar for Honeymoon apart from our strategic location is our exclusive package. Monikered, “Bliss of Love”, it allows the couple a stay in our Honeymoon club suite fitted and furnished with a round bed, a Television and bedroom decorations. For couples who are enthusiastic to enjoy the outdoors, we have Jeep Trekking, Rope Way, Cave House and Campfire included in the package. We also organize special candle-lit dinners and fill the air with romance.

When you are not travelling or trekking, spend time in our luxurious hotel rooms -Superior rooms, club suites and Presidential suites. With over 60 rooms at your disposal, all of them house a spacious bedroom and a washroom, free WIFI, room service and a balcony. We are especially proud of our pool villas showcasing spacious rooms and a large private swimming pool for the family.

Imagine celebrating your party or anniversary among the hills. It sure is as fun as it seems. Our world-class event halls are constructed with your special parties in mind. Parakkat is the best hotel in Munnar to organize official conferences as well as wedding receptions. The restaurant serves multiple cuisines to introduce your taste palettes to amazing flavours.

So experience our hospitality this weekend by booking a room!

[harrison-abbott]

THE UNCONVINCED EYES

I climbed the wall. Atop it was a gleaming bar of frost. My fingers made patterns in the crystals; the kinds of shapes I would’ve liked better if I was still a child. I perched on the wall’s top and analysed the building. There were no lights through the windows. In the garden there were little tricycles and balls scattered about, and on the building’s wall was the lettering STRAWBERRY HILL NURSERY. I jumped off the wall, landing softly on the grass. The strands were brilliantly silver and crunched under my boots; I’d long stopped shivering: had just gone accustomed to the temperature. The stars were amazed and mindlessly gaping in pixie dots in the sky. The gates had been locked from the front. I checked the front windows and it looked like nobody had gotten in from there. I went around the back of the garden. One of the back windows had been smashed out. Glass all over the floor. I panicked. And immediately sought to retreat. In case somebody was inside … But, I’d been silent thus far. I scanned the windows from this side and there was no illumination. At the back of the garden I waited, squatting in the growth. I gave it half an hour and there was no movement, nothing. So I approached the broken window and climbed through. The air didn’t change much when I did so, was only a little subdued. I turned the torch on. Vapours twirled about the beam’s blade. “Hello?” I called. The voice was ominous, hard, stark, in this big house. I was in a grand living room type space, also filled with toys and colourful stuff, kids’ stuff, and it made me queasy to be here. (I never even went to nursery myself.) “Anyone in here? I’m a civilian.” There was only the small dying and then dead echo of my voice. I moved over the toys on the floor towards a new door, bearing the torch forward. Came to this atrium, where there was a grand staircase and these other rooms. There was nothing else broken in the atmosphere; nothing like the crashed window. There was a reception desk and all of the keys were hung on nails on the board above it. A telephone and computer which weren’t blinking. There was one other room which had the title SLEEPING POD on it in rainbow lettering. And when I peeked inside there were these rays of tot beds in long rows. I shut the door. And went upstairs. It must’ve belonged to some upper-rich family, two centuries back: considering the style of the house. I wondered what they would’ve thought if they would’ve seen me, in here, right now … an intruder, a stranger. I got to this new room which was stuffed with further children’s stuff. All I needed was a place to sleep, for a few hours, before dawn. Which would be here soon. I couldn’t sleep anywhere near infantile items. So I thought I should just use the corridor floor instead. Where there were only carpets. I took my jacket off, and put it over me. Out of my bag I took the bottle of water, the handgun, and bottle of gin out. I took a swipe of the gin. The water bottle was running low for just now so I left it. Another few glugs of the gin. Then laid the handgun by them, close to my head. Then turned the torch off. Was fairly sure I was safe in this house, and I would be on my way in the morning. I did have food and that helps anybody sleep but I had to ration the cans I had as well. Plus, the instant I lay down I was too tired to get back up again. Clamped down. Was lucky to have a good coat. My brain slipped into that inter-land of consciousness and dreams. For weeks I would rather belong to the latter, and stay there forever, no matter how mad they became in content.

  BANG.

    CRACKLE.

    I woke up. Where was I? A house … It was still dark. I lay on a floor.

    There was another bang from downstairs. I flinched. Somebody was definitely in this house with me. Yes – that was it, I’d broken in.

    I got up and put my coat on. I took the bottles and put them in my bag and I equipped the handgun, and all the blood charged up my body and into my head. And listened.

    Watching the stairwell at the end of the corridor I listened for any other cues.

    A light appeared. An orange light, wavering, steadily making more brazen shadows on the walls.

    I took my torch out of the coat pocket. And, with that in one hand and the gun in the other, crept towards the edge of the stairwell.

    Shuffling, muffled, awkward noises. It was firelight. For sure. I edged to the banisters atop the well and looked down. And there was a person. Moving slow. Holding an opened lighter. I couldn’t tell whether they were male or female. But they were obviously weak. Despite that, I still had to be wary. I gulped. Gulping, and my heart yammered.

    The person started to walk up the stairs on the below floor, holding the flame out before his or her face.

    I stepped up. And pinged the torch light on. And ran a few steps down the stairs.

    I stung the torch on the person. It was a man. Old: older than I was. Who screamed. And dropped his lighter, and that item went spinning away and now it was only the nasty torchlight.

    He tried to flee. Back down the stairs. And tripped, and landed on his front. I ran down to the halfway point in the well and kept the torch on him. He sat upright and whimpered and held his hands up. I held the handgun on him.

    “Please, don’t,” he said.

    “Who are you?” I called.

    “Nobody.”

    “Why you here?”

    “Just looking for shelter, is all. I can go. I’m sorry.”

    “It’s all right. It’s fine. You a civilian?”

    “Yes!”

    “I am as well. It’s okay – I was just checking.”

    I took the torch off of him and shone it on me instead. And the light was horrible. And I felt bad for doing that to him. But then I couldn’t see anything so I aimed the torch downwards, and put the handgun in my inside pocket. And this man twitched there at the bottom of the stairs, me above him. I was ashamed.

    “Honestly,” I said, “I won’t hurt you. It’s just that we can’t trust strangers, right?”

    He nodded.

    “Where’d your lighter go?”

    “Huh?”

    “Your lighter – you dropped it.”

    I shone the torch on the floor around him so he could locate it. And at the same time I came down closer to him. He was still on the ground. There was this lighter, shining. He heaved across for it. Just by his movement I knew that he was injured in some way. He put the lighter in his pocket. Was still afraid of me.

    “Come on, man,” I said, holding down an open palm, “let me help you up.”

    He clasped my hand and he was featherweight to lift up. And I held him as he stood and swayed. He was maybe twenty five years older than me. I was 30. His forehead was grubby, sweaty, and his eyes were all dazed. He looked like he was going to fall over again, so I said,

    “Here – looks like you need some rest. There are some beds this way.”

    I helped him over to the kid’s tot-bed room. Where there were all these eerily dormant beds. The man wheezed; he was delirious and dusty to the touch. I lowered him onto the floor versus the wall. And then gathered some of the pillows from the beds. (There were no blankets but there were some pillows leftover.) And I put them out on the floor for the man. He lay on them. I put the torch against the wall, angling it in such a way as you would a lamp, so we had some overall light.

    “What’s your name?” I said to him.

    “Bill.”

    “Nice to meet you, Bill. I’m Louis.”

    “Good to meet you.”

    “Are you hurt? Injured, I mean.”

    “Yes.”

    “Where?”

    As an answer, he lifted a flab of his coat off, and then, with great strife, lifted his shirt up. There was a black-red bandage on his lower back, below his ribs and above his kidney. I swallowed.

    “Were you shot?” I said.

    “Stabbed.”

    “By which side?”

    “Neither. It was a random man. A crazy man. We were in a store. Fighting over food. He tried to grab a basket off of me. I wouldn’t let him. So he stabbed me. And then ran away with the basket.”

    “When did that happen?”

    “Day before yesterday.”

    “Who bandaged you up?”

    “Me. I got some bandages from another store. But I can’t reach it so well.”

    I didn’t know how to form a next sentence and then both of us were silent for some time.

    “Sorry for scaring you earlier, Bill.”

    “No problem.”

    He put his shirt and coat flaps back down.

    “I have some food,” I said. “You want some?”

    “You do?”

    “Yeah, hang on.”

    I went into my bag and fished one of the cans out. It was baked beans. I opened it.

    “I’m afraid I’ve got no cutlery,” I said.

    “Thanks a lot.”

    He opened it and wolfed into it. I opened one of the other cans too … the beans were mushy and glorious and heady and calorific.

    “You want a drink as well?” I said. Offering the gin. His eyes flashed at the sight.

    “I used to have a problem with all of that,” he said, and then he took the bottle. “But, what does it matter now?”

    He swigged and he winced.

    “I couldn’t get out of the city when the bombs hit,” Bill said, “and I had to hide in my apartment for days. What’s your story?”

    “I’m trying to get out, too. Have tried the north, to go that way. But the soldiers are too heavy there. So I turned to the east, and met the other side there. They shot at me. Now I’m here and I’m gonna try the south this time. You can come with me if you like?”

    “Thank you, Louis.”

    He passed me the gin and I drank some and gave it back to him.

    “How old are you, Louis?”

    “I’m 30. You?”

    “65. I gave up alcohol about twenty years back. Now that I think of it: I don’t think that ever helped me out much. The world just got worse all around me in those two decades. Who cares about a nobody like me?”

    “I care, man. I can help you out. You can come south with me.”

    “There aren’t many people like you, though. … What’s with your face, Louis?”

    “Sorry?”

    “There’s a mark on your forehead, above the eyebrow.”

    “Ah yeah. That incident with the soldiers. When I was running away. I fell. Banged my head. It was probably lucky … that I fell, when I did. Because this shower of fire went over me. Then I pretended I was hit and lay under the rubble. They stopped. I ran. They shot after me, but missed.”

    “I’m glad you’re still alive. World needs angels. Even if there are few angels. Maybe you aren’t one. A good man. But you seem like it.”

    “Thanks, Bill. You want something else to eat?”

    “No, thank you though. My stomach’s all filled up.”

    “You want to rest? We should move out by dawn. But, if you want to rest a bit longer then that’s fine with me too?”

    “Dawn sounds good, my man.”

    “Right. I will be sleeping out in the hall.”

    “Okay.”

    “Night night for now.”

    “Hey, Louis. Thanks again.”

    I left him in the kids’ room. And went out into the atrium and I lay on the floor. It was a long while trying to head to sleep and I kept taking nips of the gin to aid me off there. Nor could I enter that weird between-planet where dreams are suggested. I heard Bill’s snoring from the other room. It wasn’t really snoring – only the humble breathing of an older man’s sleeping head. In the outer dark I could sense the high ceiling above me, far away; this long credible hard surface which was my roof for the terminal night.

  I awoke to a whispery feeling on my face. I feared it might be a spider. When I wiped my cheeks nothing came off in my hands. I stood up. There was a stronger-than-hoped for light outside the nursery windows: I’d slept in past dawn. This was a bit risky. I drank some of the water, which really was running low. It’d been out all night and the chill ran down my gullet. Into Bill’s room with the tiny beds. He had his back to the wall and was still. “Hey, Bill?” I whispered. “We gotta get up now and get going south.” It was mean to wake him but needed being done. He didn’t stir. I moved closer to him, and bent to see if his shoulders were moving. His coat was sprawled over him and I could only see a slither of his face. “Bill? It’s me, Louis. We have to get up now and continue heading south. Want some breakfast?” His face was grey. Lips open. I touched his shoulder and shoogled it a bit. There was no break in him. I said his name three times and shook him a bit more. “I’m sorry, my friend,” I said. “That I couldn’t do more for you medically.” I lifted his coat up above his face; it was so babyish, pathetic. There was a raw, guttural anger in me for whomever stabbed this man. “You’re probably on your way to Heaven, at least,” I said to his body. “Somewhere better than here.” I closed the door behind me, leaving him in there. Then this immediate urge to get free of this nursery overwhelmed me. And within minutes I was all kitted up and climbing back through the open window at the back. Then back up the wall and into the street. It was all in blue and pink. And the sky comfortingly clear and bright. I took a slug of the gin. South was this way. I knew. So I continued … Unto an area of plush houses. Middle class district, I mean. Ghosttown suburbs. And along the way I could see that some of them had been looted. One had his front door hanging open. Another had its garage door all blackened out. But I always thought these suburbs were sterile and empty, even without a war on. When I was in school (a long, long time ago) there was a much-similar district which I’d walk through to get to the schoolbuilding on the mornings. It looked like this one. The only thing which was different was that there were no cars in the driveways. They’d all fled. … Within the air I smelled burning petrol. Only the hangovers of – not fresh. But I needed to be alert. I walked out of the neighbourhood without any movement save the bare rowan trees flickering in the wind. Past that, I came to a narrow path, and when out of it arrived on a small woodland. A woody trail. There was a four way arrow sign. I recognised one of the names. And headed that way. Along the trail. Nice woodland. Lots of amber leaves and birch boughs. The types of images to help you forget. The land arose steeply. And when I got to the top of the hill I heard the sound of water. The path dallied down the other side of the valley, and soon enough the path led me to a rolling brown river. There was a bridge over that. Before the bridge I stole down to the bankside and inspected the water. It was obviously an urban river. But if I boiled some of it up then I could kill off the toxins within and it would be drinkable? My bottle was almost done and I had another day ahead of me. It was worth a shot. I had a pot in my bag. … So I let by bag down. And fashioned a ring of rocks on the bankside. I already had some newspaper in my bag, too. (Papers from weeks ago, with these stark ominous headlines, all these warning words in capitals.) I scrunched up the papers and made fodder bobbles with them. Then went up the bank and pilfered some of the dead bracken and fallen birch twigs and brought them back to the rock halo. I had matches with me. And I lit one and held it under the paper bobbles. They curled and sparked and caught up with the dark twigs above them. And soon I had a fire on me. With me. I warmed the hands. The lush scent of woodsmoke was native and fond to me. The little pot in my bag – I took it over to the river and I scooped up a heft of water in it. Then looked at it, to check for bits … to see if it was clean. It just looked like water. Then I brought that back over to the fire. And arrested the pot by the rocks, over the flames. Got a decent slant on it. And I watched the water at the bottom of the metal, until it began to bubble. These spritely balls, forming and pinging up to the surface. And I watched the resurgence of the rest of the water coming up to the boil with relish … And then I saw this shape descend down the river towards me. From afar. This lurking shape. I stopped and stood up and I sensed the handgun in my inner pocket. The shape flowed down the current towards me. What was it? It was black and lumpy. Without quite realising it I took the handgun out and trained it on the object, and backed away on the bankside. It came closer and closer. Was no animate thing. It was a dead dog. A canine that no longer lived. Muzzle-up, it rampaged down the current, past me. How did it even get in the river? How did it die? Shouldn’t call it ‘it’: it was a he or she and somebody’s pet: it had a collar on it. Then the dog just disappeared around the bend in the river beyond the bridge. I put the gun away. … I went back to the fire and took the pot off of it. All the bubbly violent water. I threw the pot into the water. It sizzled briefly on the current and then turned into zilch. I touched the bottom of the pot against the river to cool it down. Then I sat on the bank and drank some more of the gin instead of the water that I really needed now to spare. I judged that it would take me another day to get to the southern border. If I really tried walking it. That was doable. I snuffed the fire out with my boots. Shame, because it was a nice little affair. I got back up from the bankside. And headed across the bridge.

  There were further suburban areas. Which thinned out as I ventured; the housing getting more spacious and fancy across the hours. And then I found the motorway. Which is what I was looking for. A motorway, rather. I looked on the roadway sign and found the M digit I was after: this road would lead me there. … And so then I was in a landscape of fields all around me. All in splendid wintery sunshine. And the cemented roads motionless as fair paintings, grey streaks versus the ginger squares of the land.

    It was worrying me that my gin was running out too. I glugged on that. Was quite dazed. It was around lunchtime, by my gathering: but what did Time matter anymore? What did Time honestly mean? Fuck it.

    There was a noise behind me. Racy switch-on echoes. I tied the bottle up and put it in my coat again and turned around. This volcanic thundercloud emerged from the end of the motorway. I stood there for way too long. Just watching. Because I’d forgotten that I was in a different world.

    A jeep raced towards me. An army jeep. In ultra green … it flushed down the road and I now no longer had the chance to bail to the side of the road. They’d already seen me. So what I did was simply continue walking. Turned my head, hoping that they wouldn’t stop and check me.

    The volume of the vehicle crescendoed. And then diminuendoed. And I knew they’d seen me … that they weren’t going to drive on. The coward that I was: I just kept walking, ears a-prickle. The handgun was heavy in my inner pocket. I’d never technically used it before. I didn’t know if this would be my last chapter in life. What the soldiers would do to me. But even with the gnarly glug of the army jeep behind me, I was too cowardly to turn around.

    Until they honked at me.

    I jumped, cartoonishly.

    And this was met with a manly laughter.

    I looked around and there were two men through the windshield; could see the white scapes of their teeth, hahaha. They turned the ignition off.

    This is bad. I thought. This is bad. And then I thought about making a belt for it. But I believed in a good nature of common men. Some crap like that.

    “How are you doing, sir?” one of the soldiers called, stepping out of his jeep. He was the driver. He had a prominent moustache.

    “I’m good, sir,” I said. “You?”

    “Just fine. Fine indeed.”

    “Where you off to?”

    “Just walking, is all.”

    “Where are you off to?”

    “I’m heading south. Just on my own. Not a threat to anybody.”

    “Ho. I see.”

    The other soldier was very small. He had an assault rifle carried across his waist. As he got out of the jeep I noticed that he stumbled. And his eyelids were depressed. He looked at me with boyish curiosity. Was proud of his gun. He went around the side of the bonnet and then sat on the edge of it.

    “What’s your name?” he called.

    “Louis,” I said.

    “Louis what?”

    “Louis Dykes. I’m just a civilian. Heading on my way. Not affiliated with any side.”

    “Ha ha ha!” the proud gunman called. “That will save you for sure.”

    This man then took his weapon off of his body and set it on the bonnet. Then he nipped over to the other side of the road. Unbuckled his trousers. And began pissing.

    The moustache man was drunk as well. I got that from his smell and his gait, as he waggled over to me, all confident with eye contact. Got up in my face.

    “Where are you from?” his breath made my nose peel. But I disguised the wince.

    “Here.”

    “Where is here?” he looked around the fields and the motorway. There was a pistol in his belt. His mate was still pissing in the ditch.

    “I’m just from the city, is all. I want to be on my way.”

    I moved on from him too soon. He made to block me with his arm. I clashed into his arm. And then he grabbed me by my arm.

    “I didn’t say you could go,” moustache man said.

    “I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t care about the war. No threat to anybody, I swear.”

    “Why do you say ‘threat’?”

    “That’s what I’m not saying.”

    “Are you a deserter?”

    “No.”

    “We’ve had whole dozens of men desert on us when they should be on the field. Men your age as well. How old are you?”

    “What does that matter? I was never in the army. The answer is no.”

    “I asked how old you are.”

    “46.”

    “Don’t be cheeky. If you’re cheeky I will muck you up.”

    “I’m 30.”

    “Really?”

    “Yes, really.”

    “How come you’ve got grey hair?”

    “Unlucky, I guess. I drink too much.”

    “You drink?”

    “Yeah.”

    “Got anything for us?”

    “I’m gonna reach into my pocket, okay? I have some gin. If I give you my gin, will you leave me alone?”

    “What you got?”

    I went into my pocket and brought out this warm sweaty quarter full bottle of gin. And handed it across to the soldier. The soldier was all puffed up in uniform, all this glitzy gear on his chest. Urban camouflage, blue and grey. Why did he make so much effort to tend to his moustache?

    He opened the bottle and sniffed at it.

    “Why,” he said, “thanks so much, chum.” And then he turned to his friend the other side of the road. Who was buttoning up his waist. “Our chum has give us some of his gin!”

    Moustache man then turned back to me. And he swung the bottle at my head. I ducked down, and he missed. And within the thrust, he lost hold of the bottle, and it went flying into the weeds by the roadside … I knelt. Moustache man saw me under him. And booted me in the head. Just kicked at me. It caught me in the cheek and I swerved to the side. Landed on my hip. Then tried to get up. He kicked me under in the stomach. Then I bashed into the bar at the roadside. Both sides of me were winded. Then he kicked me again just for fun.

    “I think you’re a deserter,” he said.

    “I am not.”

    He aimed a kick for the front of my face. So I ducked down. He kicked me in the back of the skull instead.

    His colleague laughed the other side of the road.

    There were further boots in my back.

    I began crying. Sobbing, in mock form. And I turned farther over to my left side. To let moustache man kick me further. He accepted the cue. As he pounded his colleague kept laughing.

    Amidst the pounding I reached into my left pocket. And caught the grip of the handgun. And then I rolled to the side. And sprang my hand up with the gun. Aimed it at Moustache man’s face. Shot. This puff puffed out of the back of his head. And he fell backwards.

    His colleague stopped guffawing. He was no longer drunk. He looked at his rifle on the bonnet. Then made a dash for it. I caught him in time and grabbed the rifle before he could get to it.

    “Just stop,” I said. “Just stop!”

    He kept running and so I shot him in the leg. He tripped over and collided with the floor.

    “You shot my friend,” he said.

    He was thin and birdlike, scrawny.

    “I did. You were both going to kill me.”

    “We were only playing.”

    “You would have murdered me and left me on the road.”

    I walked away from him.

    “You just gonna leave me like this?”

    “Why not?”

    “I’m bleeding!”

    “You were just about to murder me. Why should I help?”

    “I wasn’t.”

    “You were laughing. I hate that poisonous sound.”

    “You shot me in the artery. Look at the blood.”

    “Bye bye.”

    I yomped off. I emptied the cartridges from his assault rifle and tossed them off key unto the fields. Then, a mile down, and far past the view of the violent scene, I chucked the gun’s body into a river I passed.

  As I walked along the motorway I thought about my history. Realised how worthless I was. In dips and arrows of black ink the crows sped across the sky; as I walked along the fields, they burst out of the trees, in these fabulous frenetic non-patterns of glee. And I wondered what it would be like to be a crow, to have a bird’s mind. To be able to fly. I wondered how incredible it would be to fly, over the lands. And mind you that birds are the only species that have outlived humans. We were never able to conquer them completely. (I say ‘we’ but I always hated farming. The mass annihilation of animals; mass painful murder. I walked all day. And there were still sheep and pigs and even horses on the fields. Where they glad that their mass slaughter was postponed? I couldn’t tell from how they looked whether they would’ve been executed already despite the war. I suppose that I never thought it so bad to kill an animal for food. Murder it in order to eat it. But, to raise it and make it suffer its whole life and then murder it, painfully, seemed a bit too much. I thought that when I was a kid and still think that way as an adult. I’d just shot two humans and killed one of them. Soldiers. Stupid boys. … I thought about going off road and ending it all. Why not? Who would care? I didn’t care myself. And this idea took hold of me now. So I did, take off the motorway, and this time it was pine forest. All glossy in evergreen. I went down through the pine trunks and I settled under one of them. The trunks, and I raised the pistol to my head. But I couldn’t pull it. Cowardice. I smelled the snap of the pines even in the winter air. And I thought it was worth it just to stay alive for the scent of that. Just to be able to breathe that in, it was worth going on for. … I ate another of the cans. Soup this time. The factory gloop dribbled down my chin and it tasted glorious and as I ate or swallowed I thought I am a murderer I am a murderer and there was nothing to doubt or question that. I no longer deserved the salty can of soup. I’d crossed myself forever. Was no longer a moral man. I would be Judged. Nightmares would plague me. Let them, I thought. Let the plague commence.

  The motorway diverted and a new road popped up – the one I was after. It rose along a hillside filled with dense forest. A great flock of crows arched over the treetops and I heard their witchy cackling and whence at the top of the hill the road changed directions again. I looked down one way of the road, and there was nothing. The other way, when I look, I jumped. There were two people. In one of the bus shelters. This green bus shelter: two people huddled in there. I paused … One of them came out, of the shelter frame, and peered at me. By the build of the body I could tell it was a woman; and there was a smaller person inside, who she joined, which I guessed was a child. I had to go up to them because that was the way I was going. Had to meet them on the way, as it were. As I ventured I thought, I can’t think of them as mutual civilians, because I’m not one of those anymore. Both woman and child had gone silent on my approach. I stayed outside of the shelter when I greeted them. They had a fat load of bags with them. “Hello there,” I waved. Their skin colour was different from mine. “I’m a civilian as well. You’re all good?” Their eyes were big and the mother shieled what I assumed was her daughter behind her. “Are you just pausing here for a rest?” I said. “Or waiting on a ride?” … They didn’t respond. My face and my eyes have never quite been able to convince people. Other folks, whichever age, have always been dodgy with me. I have no trustworthy presence. “Are you hungry?” I said. I opened my bag and the woman rustled and I took out a can of peaches. And held it out to her. Her eyes (and the kid’s) instantly snapped on it. The unconvinced eyes: as if the offering were a trick, a threat. “I just want you to take it, if you’re needing to eat,” I said. By the reticence I kinda sussed what was up. “Oh, do you not speak English?” She shook her head. I guessed which language/creed she was and I said, in her tongue, from what I remembered, “Food, for you.” And she said, “Thanks,” back and took the can. She was squirming to eat it – the kid too – but didn’t want to eat it in front of me. “Be well, then,” both of you. I saluted them. And the child, to my amazement, saluted me back, a little flick from her forehead. Which was nice. … Off I went. The motorway descended, this time. I walked for a long time. I did think perhaps I should’ve persisted with that woman – in asking her if she was waiting on a bus. I’d heard of civilian volunteers who were running coaches, to take people out of the city. Snippets of stories like that. Perhaps it would’ve been worth it to try and see if she was waiting for one of those … and there were intermittent, other bus stops along the route too. But I walked for hours and no bus came by me, and, again, it was only me and the birds, the birds and I. … Until I came upon a petrol station. There were gulls around the bins: I watched it from afar. The leftover bins I mean: the gulls were tearing up the wreckage, and had even managed to knock one of them over, ripping into the contents inside. When I went up to the station, they sensed me irately. Mean, sadistic birds. They flapped six yards above my head and I wouldn’t be surprised if they divebombed me. They didn’t. … The store, of the station, was totally looted, ransacked. Looked like somebody had driven through the front windows, because all of this weedy glass yawned on the floor … hmm, and the front of the roof had buckled inwards. I went inside anyway, to the store, to see if there were any provisions worth scouting for. It smelled of chemicals inside. Deodorant-spray-esque chemicals. Most of the shelves were cleared of everything. There was one loaf of bread which had been crushed during the imagined scuffle, and when I looked closer, all of the slices had gone a turquoise colour. The alcohol and tobacco sections had both been stripped bare – but I did find one lighter on the floor under the shelves, which, when I tried the switch, still gave fire. So I pocketed that. And when I looked farther under the shelf, hopefully, I found a lone packet of cigarettes. I didn’t smoke. But maybe I could find somebody that did: might come in useful at a latter stage. Almost all of the food had been lifted. There was a bag of crisps, Salt and Vinegar flavour, with the packet burst and the chips strewn on the floor, and they were probably still edible. But I wasn’t that desperate. I did find, at the end of the rows, the newspaper/magazine section. Where there were quite a lot of magazines left. There were TV mags and celebrity mags and Golf mags, football, all of that shit. With these smiley pretty faces on the front covers. All these slogans from then when the world was still operational and not fucked up. I wondered if all of those faces were still alive. Whether they’d been attacked and killed like the rest of us. As if there were some automatic bunker for people that were famous. Meh. Maybe not. Why should I resent them? In the stationery part I found some gluesticks and paper and pens, scissors and post it notes. Was surprised that all of that had been left by the looters? I took a pair of scissors and a bundle of notepads. I wasn’t much of a hand writer – but maybe I could keep a diary. And, if I died, perhaps somebody would find it thirty years from now and it could turn into a glorious books. Silly thinking. But I put them in my bag anyway.

    And then I heard a noise from outside the store. I was in a dark corner, of the store. I looked around the edge of the aisle. And, in front of the dashed windows, was parked a new army jeep. Four soldiers got out of it. I heard their hard manly voices ricochet across the car park, and in here. I swore. They proceeded to walk towards the store. I put my bag on. I couldn’t go out the front entrance. There was no proper place to hide within the store. How else could I get out? I looked farther down into the dark corridor. In the other corner, and there I thought I saw a FIRE EXIT sign. So I got up and scurried along. Yes, it was a FIRE EXIT. The light was bust, obviously. But I saw the letters in the gloom, and the door had a bar on it. The soldiers were just entering the building. I made a dash for the door. And I couldn’t see what was under my feet. And something knocked my shoes; I slipped, tumbled, and crashed. And wacked my chest. Clanged my ribs. And of course I made this terrific crash when I landed. Which was followed by a brazen silence. Wherein I waited for the soldiers, stupidly, hopefully not to notice. The seconds pounded by, clunk clunk clunk. “Somebody in here?” I heard one of the men call. I yomped up and plunged towards the EXIT door, bashed through the bar. And this pang of daylight struck me clear on in the face. I slammed the door behind me. Back inside, I thought I heard the pandemonium of the men running towards me. I was now in a fenced off courtyard. Barrels and chubby wastebins. I ran up to one of the wastebins, and jumped up on it. It was choked with bin bags. And I caught a few mouthfuls of the reek from within and I gagged. Jesus. But it gave me a lever up to the fence. … The soldiers bashed through the FIRE EXIT door. Mean faced and bloodthirsty, gun nozzles trained. They saw me. I jumped up onto the fence. It staggered on my weight. One of the troops took aim at me and fired. The bullets spackled on the wire squares, ripping them out. I fell. And landed on my back. Then I took out my handgun. Swivelled, and fired back at them, BOOM BOOM BOOM. Three shots. And I don’t think I hit any of them but they whizzed away and took cover, and this gave me some time. I saw some woodland. And dove for it. By woodland I mean a ray of trees. There was this mushy grass all clogged up with litter, thrown from the commuters over the years. Lord, it was barbaric. … The soldiers shot again. And this flurry of polystyrene and rank foliage burst up and went all over the calves of my jeans. I jumped into the trees. With a bit too much gusto … because I didn’t know there was a drop straight after. Which I rolled down uncontrollably. Wrestling with the undergrowth. It beat me. I stopped on a fallen tree with a land on my side. It winded me. But I wasn’t shot or dying, any time soon. I got up. How many times had I fallen over today? I dove down the hill. Keeping concentration on the balance. The trees were wise and pretty. And the ivy under them hypnotic, magical, with their emerald triangles. Slippery, too, and I slipped a jumble of times. And kept looking back. But I heard nothing from the soldiers. Only my own panicked breath. I stopped for a while, between a circle of holly bushes. I stayed in there. And waited, watching the upside of where I’d just come from. To see if they were following. My heartrate eased. From my bag I took out the diary. And I wrote down what’d just happened. On the first page, I wrote, ‘Got chased by four soldiers. They shot at me. Ran into the woods, and I escaped. I think?’ I’d actually forgotten what date it was. And my writing was so poor that I thought about tossing it away right then. But, I kept it. … Then I ventured onwards.

    It began to rain. Quietly, then handsomely, then hard. And I put my hood up. Within a half hour I was drenched. This relentless, rampaging rain. I was stunned to be assailed by it. I stopped under a pine tree, and just sat there and let myself be drenched. The whole forest became this mirage of flashing vapour. I wasn’t Louis anymore. I was only a man under the rain. Under the Gods, the Orbit. Nothing else. And I checked the handgun chamber. To see how many bullets were still in it. Only two. Only needed one to kill me. What would I do with the other bullet? I held the gun out in my weak hand. And I aimed for a spot where there were no tree trunks in the direct line of vision, and I fired. The blast was mercurial, the sound dying quickly; the rain uncaring. I held the gun to my head and I wondered what it would do if I pulled. Would anybody even come looking for me, apart from maybe those goons? And, if they found me, they’d only be disappointed. … The rain stopped. There was this odd heat. Coupled with an emerging twilight. It was so cold that it was hot. I made my way through the woods. I was still going south. Even if I have few talents: one of them is a sense of direction. I was simply no master at making correct decisions. I thought that, if I’d had a different attitude throughout adolescence, if I’d cared more about other people in young adulthood, rather than only relying on myself, then I would not be in this situation right now. It was me versus nobody. I always saw it, in the past, as myself versus the planet – of people. And now I realised that people do not care. They focus on calories and lights, entertainment, chemicals, endorphins, the present day: what matters to them most within the now. Why was I any different? … There was a cut on my forehand. I didn’t notice it for a while. Must’ve happened when I was falling earlier. It bled quite feverishly. The blood was righteously crimson, mammalian, factual, complete. I had a sock in my bag. And I held the sock in it to stem the bleeding. It probably needed stitches. I thought about Bill, and how I wasn’t able to save him medically. I thought about my school days wherein I was bullied voraciously, primary and high school both. Thought about the jobs I’d gotten fired from. Of the girls I’d tried to date. I thought about the soldier I’d shot earlier – the image of that puff from the back of his head. Over and over. It’d been revolving in my mind. Some septic reel. … But what was the point in moaning? I regrouped; swapped my mentality back to blankness. Amongst the trees I saw a couple of squirrels, chasing each other. They bounded over the boughs with such majestic grace; ballet-like rather than gladiatorial. And I remember when I was in school the teacher was going around the kids asking what animal they would like to be. And all the other kids said cat and dog or lion or horse, and I said squirrel. And everybody laughed at me. I still remember the titanic gush of laughter, all of them. The teacher smirked as well. And I continued walking through the forest until the twilight lapsed unto dark. Until it got too dark to see ahead of me. So I took my torch out to avoid the tree trunks. Then my breath made these small clouds in the light, again. I played with them, blew them apart, made different contours. I was starting to giggle. Getting confident with the shapes. When the torch started to blink. Shuttering, the light blinking on and off. It went black and then came on again. And then it failed completely. I turned the button up and down. It didn’t work. I took the batteries out from the bottom of it. They were warm and fat in my palms. I put them back in the tube again, clucked it shut, and switched the ON button up again. It didn’t show.

    Had to look for some new batteries tomorrow.

[milkywaybottles]

Smile - Papa IV / Copia (The Band Ghost) x Reader Fluff

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Hiya! Thanks to the amazing response on the last Ghost post (Thank you all so much by the way <3), I'm back, but this time, with Copia! Please enjoy and don't forget to interact if you feel like it xx

Reader's Pronouns: Unspecified but typically more feminine descriptions. (Is labelled as ‘Sister’)

Prompt: 'There it is, there's that smile'

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The gardens of the ministry were by far the most peaceful area you had access to. The soft sound of water running from the pond complimented the streaming lights through the trees and the fresh smell of blossoms. The garden terrace was home to many arches of dahlias and vines, draping over the greenhouse beautifully. You were sure that even the resident birds had gotten used to your presence. It was times like this that you took to reflect or create art alone.

If someone needed you, they definitely knew where to find you.

In fact, Sister Imperator was so insistent in your involvement in that side of the ministry that she essentially made you Sister of the Satanic Garden, if there was such a thing. But it wouldn’t have surprised you if the kind woman simply wanted to keep you busy while Copia was away performing rituals. Nevertheless, you enjoyed tending to the flowers in all their glory, chopping the heads off of roses to keep the stems or watering the nightshade.

Though, this time around, you were swept with a wave of loneliness. Even the flowers appeared to be in sync with your emotions, the trees groaning with disapproval. The watering can you held clung loosely to your side due to slumped shoulders. Sighing, your eyes flickered across the garden beds, mood deflating. It had been weeks since you had seen Copia, felt his embrace or delighted in his conversation. It was always hard, especially as the job of Papa was so taxing on him, but this particular ritual cycle took everything out of you both. With little time for letters or any other form of communication, you felt yourself begin to drift from the members of the ministry and spend more time outside. Even when he was home, he tended to be distant.

It hadn’t been for lack of trying, of course. Many of the ghouls and ghoulettes had attempted at cracking through your hard shell but did not succeed. Cumulus would bring plates of dinner to yours and Copia’s room, only to find yourself curled in layers of his blankets, fast asleep. She would place the plate on the bedside table, stacking a pile of untouched food as high as the sky. Aether, who believed he would be the one to get through to you, would come on walks with you in the garden, eager to hear your ramblings about your latest endeavours. He would smile and nod, occasionally engaging in a handful of inquisitive questions. Even Rain, Fire and Mountain had their fair share of attempts.

To find the motivation to get out of bed, you would count the days. With each sleep, the number would fall ever so slightly, much to your satisfaction. When the number reached seven, your mood had lightened, coming down in the morning for breakfast. After indulging in a conversation with one of the Sisters, you found yourself in the garden again, picking a bouquet of flowers for the morning sermon held by Sister Imperator. The number echoed through your mind, taking a permanent seat there.

“Just seven, then there will be rest period” you repeated, grumbling and mumbling as you worked. Unbeknownst to you, Sister was peering through the window of the ministry, arms folded while watching you, face twisted with concentration. Your heart ached for companionship. Even if one of the ghouls had approached you, you would have never turned them away. And the company would have been lovely on such a harsh day, wind whipping against your face and your hair flying wildly. The clouds had darkened, shadows cast over the ministry. You were partial to this type of weather, the untameable and unpredictable kind. It was the kind that meant you could sit on the windowsill in your room with a hot drink and a book, shrouded in a blanket and Copia resting between your legs while brainstorming songs.

Without him, you felt as though you were suffocating, Copia was your air. You understood well that his religion was crucial to him, meaning rituals were a top priority, as they were to you, but the man worked tirelessly with little to no reward. Even when he was home at the ministry, you would catch him in the library or in his office at godly hours of the morning, face lit by candlelight as he studied Latin. The corner of your mouth turned upwards at the thought of him sleepily making his way back to bed.

Too entranced to notice the subtle crunching of leaves, you pursed your lips and continued working. A patter of rain beat against your body.

"Cara mia, what are you doing out here, eh? You're going to catch a cold". Your heart skipped a beat at the voice, the pet name, the inflection of the words, the speech pattern. You whipped your head around at the sound, eyes landing on a familiar figure. Barely able to hide your beaming smile, you observed the man. Copia still had the same salt and pepper hair, makeup smudged across his face and was still in the more relaxed ritual clothing. "There it is, there's that smile"

"Copia! What are you doing here?" You quizzed, suddenly feeling awfully insecure about your appearance. Since you thought you had a week before his return, you hadn't prepped to look your best to give him a proper greeting. Upon seeing this behaviour, Copia shook his head and stepped toward you, his gloved hand snaking up to your cheek.

"I am the Papa of this ministry, am I not, bella?". His innocent statement prompted a fire to break out across your skin, your cheeks covered in a hot blush.

"You know that's not what I meant"

"Si, the rituals ended early". You paused at his hand on your cheek, embracing the man with haste. The scent of fresh incense filled your nose, warmth radiating across your body. The desire to hold your partner and never let go was strong. His face found its way into the crook of your neck, hot breath against your skin. "So pretty, as always. I see nothing has changed"

"I missed you so much" you mumbled, pressing your hand to the back of his head to savour the hug.

"I missed you as well, Cara Mia. Sister told me you would be here... and oh my, the gardens have flourished under your care". He always knew how to compliment you in the right way to make you blush. His arm pulled out yours, extending it and his lips briskly brushing against the fabric of your sleeves. Soon, he left a trail of kisses in his wake, making his way up your arm and to your shoulders before placing a peck on your lips. A fire burned in your belly.

"I needed something to do while you were gone" you replied bashfully, squinting as the rain fell into your eyes. "I do get rather lonely sometimes". That was perhaps the biggest understatement. His eyes flickered with an unrecognisable emotion, eyebrows arching as he took his hands in yours, holding them to his face.

"Come with me next ritual, please" He begged.

You timidly smiled, "I don't think Sister will let us"

"We will make her listen". Another peck was planted on your drenched forehead.

From the window of the ministry, Sister could barely make out two figures, silhouettes blissfully reuniting in the haze of rain. Under the branches of a willow tree, the figures took each other's hand and the smaller figure was spun, falling into a twirl in the other's arms. Their devotion was sealed with a kiss.

Satan had blessed you with a smile once more, and Copia thanked him gratefully for it.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[arcanadreams]

Water Fights with the OM Bros

it’s 90 degrees outside at my place and you know what that means!!! water fight headcanons because I refuse to go outside in the heat in real life asdhgskjdgks

once again i’m only doing the brothers bc i do not trust myself with the dateables just yet lmao

Lucifer:

Literally only agrees to join because you’re so excited about it.

“...If it makes you happy, MC,” are his exact words. Simp.

You did agree to make the game have no points though, to keep things from getting competitive. Both at the advice of Lucifer and because you knew he would not join if there was any chance he could lose. (Also because Satan is a menace but we’ll get to that later.)

When all the brothers are gathered he suggests everyone pairs up into teams. 

“You’re only saying that so you can cozy with M-” Asmo tries to say before being sprayed in the face with water.

“My hair!” “Oh, look at that. I suppose the game has started,” Lucifer hides his water gun behind his legs, but he can’t hide the shit eating grin on his face.

He takes your hand with a “Come along, MC,” and leads you away as everyone splits up.

You two make a surprisingly good team for this sort of thing! He knows the gardens well and also knows where each of his brothers is likely to go. You are quite skilled water water guns and balloons. He’s basically the brains and you’re the brawn. 

He snatches a few kisses now and then when you look back at him excitedly after smacking one of his brothers with a balloon. You’re just so cute!

When everyone is all tuckered out and goes off to shower and whatever, Lucifer hangs back with you to thank you for organizing everything. With a kiss to the back of your hand, he says, “I’ll admit, I was...skeptical, at first. But, as usual, you brought my brothers together in a way I haven’t seen in a long while. Thank you, MC.” 

Mammon:

“I’m MC’s first man, so I get to team with them!” “You’re also literally my boyfriend, but okay hun.” Cue Mammon blushing beet red at the nickname and muttering at you not to call him that in front of his brothers. (He doesn’t mean it; he loves that they know you’re his and vice versa.)

Strategically, the two of you are the absolute worst. But that’s because you’re both just there to have fun!

And have fun you do! You actually get in quite a few fun chases with Levi! He’s probably the most into the water fight out of everyone, the three of you are just running around the gardens pelting each other with balloons. It’s super cute.

Mammon is absolutely the type to yell “I’ll avenge you, MC!” every single time you get sprayed. 

Eventually, you and Mammon follow Levi’s advice and start hiding in places to catch some of the other brothers by surprise. Which would be fine if Mammon didn’t blush super hard and start grumbling because of how close together you were when kneeling behind the garden wall.

You roll your eyes and surge forward to kiss him. He’s so shocked he has no idea what to do with his hands at first. But, after a second of pause, his water gun falls to the ground with a clatter and he wraps his arms around you.

“Get a room,” Is all the two of you hear before Belphie dumps a whole ass bucket of water on your heads. Mammon growls and jumps up to get the youngest before Beel can scoop him up, but you grab his hand and stop him. 

You’re laughing super hard, and the sun is shining on your hair. You almost look like you have a halo...Mammon gives up the chase before it even starts because his MC is simply ethereal. 

“Mammon!” You smile brilliantly at him when you finally stop laughing. “I kissed you to keep you quiet! And then you managed to make even more noise!” 

He just hugs you then so you can’t see his blushing face. Stupid lovely human making fun of him. (He likes it, though.)

Leviathan:

This boy is literally the MOST excited when you tell him your idea. He was in on it from the very start.

He actually helped you get all the supplies! He opens his Akuzon account right away and starts showing you what water guns would be best and picking out huge packs of balloons made specifically for being water grenades. (Definitely had looked all this stuff up before in case he found a LARPing buddy.)

You ask him how much Grimm all this stuff will cost and he tells you not to worry. “I’ll cover it!” “But, Levi-” He interrupts you with big blush on his face. 

“L-Listen MC. You’re m-my Henry! And I know this will be fun, s-so...I’ll cover it.” You leap forward and give him a hug, triggering a surprised but equally happy screech.

Honestly he is so excited you proposed an idea like that of your own volition. Like...it just makes him feel like all the games and stuff he finds fun truly don’t bother you. You haven’t been lying; you genuinely are interested in the same things as him. It makes him feel so warm.

When everyone is still arriving, you grab one of your water guns and do that cool spinny thing. You know the thing. The cowboy gun spin. You’re like, “Hey Levi! Check this out!” 

BAM. Boy is OUT. So red his face is steaming. That’s the hottest thing he has ever seen in his entire damn life. What the fuck, MC. He is basically frozen on the spot out of sheer overwhelmed-ness as how hot that was. You have to drag him away when the water fight starts. Totally worth staying up all night figuring out how to do the spin trick with a water gun.

Once the action gets going, you two are unstoppable. No one escapes the fight unscathed thanks to y’all. All those late night Call of Duty sessions trained you for this!!

Your favorite tactic is definitely camping, though. You and Levi would pick a spot and hide there, waiting for one of his brothers to come by, and then...ATTACK!

If it actually were a competition, you two would’ve won by a landslide. But honestly, Levi didn’t really keep track. He was having too much fun watching you. You were so mesmerizing when you were in the zone and so gorgeous when laughing as you gave him victory high fives after a successful ambush. 

You let him take a picture of you posing all tough with your water gun and he makes it his DDD background immediately. And his lockscreen so you can protect his DDD from intruders.

Satan:

THIS ASSHOLE. THIS MAN IS THE REASON YOU MADE SURE THERE WAS NO COMPETITION.

If there was any sense of competition, Satan would’ve gone absolutely out of his mind to beat Lucifer. He would make sure to destroy that man’s dignity as thoroughly as possible.

So, for the sake of both him and the eldest brother, no points. No contest. He grumbles about it, but, much like said eldest brother, he still joins because he sees how happy the idea of a family water fight makes you.

 Satan treats is almost as seriously as Levi does. EVEN THOUGH YOU MADE SURE IT WASN’T A COMPETITION, HE DAMN SURE STILL ACTS LIKE IT IS. UGH.

Literally pulls a map of the House of Lamentation’s gardens out of his back pocket??? And puts it on the side of the fountain?? And starts planning maneuvers on it with you??? He pulls a pen out of his SWIM TRUNK POCKETS to use to point with and emphasize his points. You just blink at him. This is your mans. Good lord.

Considering his expert knowledge of the layout of the entire surrounding area of HoL from that map, he actually knows of some secret passages the other brothers don’t even consider. He takes you to them so you can use them to spy on what Lucifer’s the other brothers’ strategies are.

It’s only once you’re creeping around the tunnels that he realizes something: none of his brothers know where you are. They can’t bother you...time to make out.

Grabs your attention with a quiet, “MC” and gives you a smooch. Soon enough he is backing you up against the wall. A water balloon you have tied to your belt pops against the rough brick, interrupting the two of you.

Satan disregards it and move to kiss you again, but you let out a gasp. He’s worried for you for a moment: did you scrape yourself? But when you turn to look at him, there’s a mischievous glint in your eye that he loves to see. 

“My water broke!” You whisper-exclaim dramatically, covering your mouth in fake shock. Satan has to nuzzle his face in your neck to avoid laughing and filling the tunnel with the echo that would alert his brothers. The two of you basically just canoodle in the passages until the water fight is over LMAO

Asmodeus:

Pretty much just to show off how good he looks in a bathing suit to you and anyone else who happens to be lucky enough to witness his glory.

He’s not the best at water fights and ends up using you as a human shield sometimes adjgfkjshf

“Asmo! Stop hiding behind me!” “I am not letting Lucifer mess up my hair twice in one day, darling!”

He comments quite often on how hot you look. Both in your bathing suit and also when in the zone looking for victims to douse in watery fury. You look like an action hero, MC! Have you ever thought about becoming the next Bond? Asmo could definitely pull some hypnotic strings.~

Every time you successfully pull him out of the way of an oncoming water balloon or block a blast of water from hitting, he totally melts. He presses his back to your chest, swooning against you and batting his eyelashes.

“Oh, MC, my hero! My dashing knight in shining armor!” You scoff, but think it’s super cute. You even play into it sometimes and pick him up bridal style.

“The king is looking for you, my prince,” you say once as you lift him, and he actually blushes. Asmodeus, avatar of lust, blushes at a silly pet name. He was not expecting you to get so into the role!!! He loves it, though.

For the rest of the water fight the two of you are basically roleplaying a royal and his knight bodyguard. It is stupidly fun and the both of you have an absolute blast.

“Oh, MC, my darling knight! I have amazing news!” Asmo says after the fight ends. You’re drying his hair off with a towel. “Yes, my liege?” 

“In exchange for your wonderful and dutiful protection, you have been given permission by the crown to court me! Isn’t that wonderful?” He smiles and you throw your head back in a laugh. You lean down and give him a nice, long kiss on the lips before pulling away. “That is absolutely splendid, your highness.”

Beelzebub:

He loves the idea because it’ll get his whole family together and he knows it. He has to carry Belphie out there but that’s normal.

He helped you and Levi plan!! Excited boy. You filled him in when he joined you and Levi for a game night. He totally volunteered to go get some extra supplies from some nearby stores for y’all. So cute.

Once everyone is actually fighting, this boy WILL NOT STOP BEING A HUMAN (demon?) SHIELD FOR YOU. LIKE NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TELL HIM IT’S FINE, YOU’RE FINE, HE WILL NOT STOP.

“Babycakes, it’s okay. It’s water. It can’t hurt me.” “But I love you. I want you safe.” O H. O K A Y.

Someone call a doctor Beel just shot MC through the heart!!! He’s so genuine you just bright red and kiss his cheek because he deserve it.

“Well, I guess that’s settled then, huh?” He gives you a big Beel smile and nods, ruffling your hair affectionately.

Y’all get sprayed with water A LOT because your hungry boy is very big and hard to hide. Er, I should say HE gets sprayed a lot because he is a fantastic meat shield and you’re practically dry by the time the fight is over. He, on the other hand, is soaked to the bone.

He still insists on drying you off with a towel, though. The two of you dry each other off back in the twins’ room while Belphie dozes nearby in his bed.

You’re in the middle of drying his shoulders when he just starts talking. “That was really fun, MC. I’m really grateful for you. Ever since you’ve been here, things are always more fun. And you bring all my brother together. Thank you.” 

You damn near burst into tears!!! Ahhhh!!! You sniffle and jump into his nap, wrapping your arms around him. “But MC, I’m still wet.” “I don’t care!! I’m giving you snuggles!!”

Belphegor:

Literally does not give a single fuck about a water fight until he realizes it lets him throw shit at Lucifer with absolutely zero consequences. Then he is all in.

Beel doesn’t even have to carry him around during the fight! Once he is outside and realizes all the shenanigans he can pull, he is perfectly content to grab you by the hand and be the one dragging you around, for once!

You two will probably team up with Satan and Beel at various points. Beel because he’s Beel, and Satan because he and Belphie absolutely set water balloon filled booby traps for Lucifer.

That’s his preferred strategy: set up a trap and wait in the bushes, watching for the target to approach.

He’s definitely the type to yell “Every man for himself!” if someone catches you guys hiding. Unlike his twin, he lets you get totally soaked while he runs away laughing. Dickweed.

You guys have a lot of fun, though!! Seeing Belphie excited is always a treat for you. And, though he doesn’t say anything about it, Belphie also thinks it’s a treat whenever you scheme with him. You don’t join in on his mischief often, so he always cherishes the times you do.

Eventually, after soaking Lucifer thoroughly, Belphie eventually gets a bit tired. You, however, want to keep the fun going. So, just as he begins to dose off in your hiding spot...you spray him. Right in the face. 

He opens his eyes and sees you raising an eyebrow at him challengingly, giggling to yourself. He growls playfully and grabs his own water gun, quickly giving chase as you bolt. 

Being a demon, he’s much quicker than you. But he lets you think you can escape for a few minutes before catching up to you and wrapping his arms around you from behind. 

As you squirm and laugh in his embrace, he feels thankful he joined in on the fight, even if he was hesitant at first. After all, it led to this moment, where he can turn you around in his arms and give you a nice kiss as you melt against his chest.

[angryschnauzer]

Bubbles

Summary: After a long hot day at work and a nightmare journey home, you find your husband has a very welcome and refreshing surprise for you in the form of a full size jacuzzi in your back garden.

Pairing: Captain Syverston x Female Reader Wife (no race or size mentioned)

Fandoms: Sand Castle (Movie), Henry Cavill.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Established Relationship, Semi Public Sex, Fingering, Oral (Female Receiving), Unprotected Vaginal Sex, Creampie, Alcohol consumption.

I do not run a tag list, but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications for future stories. All past works can be found on there or on my AO3.

Bubbles

It had been a long day. Work had been hot and sweaty, customers were grouchy and some even tried to pull the 'speak to the manager' bullshit, even though you were the manager. Traffic had been a nightmare, your car deciding that the middle of a heatwave would be the perfect time for the air conditioning to stop working, simultaneously with a truck of maple syrup hitting the central concrete barrier and spilling its sticky load. 

Snerk. You snorted a laugh through the sweat. Sticky load… your husband would have made a whole bunch of dirty comments and jokes about being covered in sticky loads. You couldn't wait to get home to see him, it was the fact that he had now retired from the Army and would be happily waiting for you at home every night that made each day worthwhile. 

When Sy had finally retired you'd wept tears of joy, every day was a blessing. You'd discussed what you were both going to do with jobs, your contract was up in 3 months time, Sy was drawing a military pension and had saved a considerable nest egg. He'd also taken to industrial upcycling; making lamps and coffee tables out of engines and car parts, which had been massively popular. You had to admit when you saw him in his workshop with his acetylene torch and welding mask on, cutting enormous chunks of metal in half and creating brutal beauty from the elements you were immediately turned on by the raw virility of the sight.

When you eventually pulled onto the driveway, a quick glance towards his workshop told you he'd finished for the day, and as you let yourself into your house you called out to him;

"Sy?"

"Out here" came his slightly muffled reply, and you realised he was probably sitting on the patio out back, nursing a beer.

"I'm gonna run upstairs and take a shower, the aircon in my car has stopped working"

"Darlin, come out here first… i got something that'll refresh you"

Rolling your eyes you started to unbutton your blouse;

"Really Sy, i'm all sweaty and stinky…"

"Woman…" he growled;  "I said get out here…"

If any other man had called you 'woman' you'd knocked them out, but you knew Sy and for him it was a term of endearment. Quietly walking through the kitchen you reached the back door and patio;

"Sy…" you started to speak, but was cut short when you saw what he'd been referring to.

Sat on the corner of your patio, shielded from view by the trellis covered in Clematis blooms was an inflatable hot tub, bubbling away with your mountain of a man sat in it, arms spread out on each side as he held a beer and grinned at you;

"Told ya' i had something that'd cool you down"

Pressing your hand to the side of it you tested the water, smiling when you found it the perfect temperature;

"You bought a hot tub?"

"Rented. Wanted to see if we liked it before we made the investment. Why don't you get in and give it a go?"

"Sure, i'll just go get changed into my bathing costume"

Sy's glinted with mischief;

"Why? I ain't wearing one…"

You weren't sure;

"Its rented? Is it clean?"

"Spent all afternoon flushing the system and giving it a full wipe down, even though the rental company says they do it after each use… i know how you are with hygiene" he moved in the massive tub, moving to the side where you stood;

 "Now are ya gonna get naked or am i gonna have to rip those clothes off of ya?"

A minute later you were climbing in, work clothes hastily discarded in a pile on the patio, Sy holding your hand as he guided you into the bubbly water and you immediately let out a long low moan as the jets of water soothed and massaged your weary body;

"Oh Sy… this feels amazing…"

"C'mere…"

His massive hands cradled your torso, pulling you through the water until you were able to straddle his lap, his mouth meeting yours for a fierce kiss. As your tongues danced together he smoothed his hands over your back, massaging the day's stresses away to the point where let your head tilt back. Resting in his strong arms you let your back touch the water, smiling as the warm summer breeze danced over your breasts, before that skilled mouth was on your breasts, sucking on one nipple then the other, before he shifted and you were floating on the water, his mouth on your pussy. 

You weren’t the tiniest of girls, but you had utter trust in Sy that he could hold you up whilst eating you out. The man would easily heave around 10 foot iron beam railroad tracks to make into coffee tables, he’d pushed his truck home when the engine had died and that is no mean feat when it comes to a Ford F350. So with that knowledge safe in your mind you could thoroughly relax and let his tongue work magic on your clit as his beard tickled your folds. You came with a cry and he swallowed down your essence, before lowering you into the water and onto his lap.

As he lowered you you felt his hardness seek you out, sliding through your folds before you reached down and positioned him at your entrance, wrapping your arms around his shoulders as you let yourself be slowly impaled on his shaft. With the worries and stresses of the day easing away with each blissful bubble that popped on your skin you sought out his lips for another kiss as you started to ride him, the friction palatable as the noise of the motor covered the sighs and moans the two of you were making. Sy’s hands firmly gripped your ass, pulling you up and down on his gnarled shaft;

“Fuck… You look so fucking good riding me Darlin’. Definitely gonna get a permanent one of these installed… might get you a coupla’ white bikini’s as i’d love to see these titties through the soaked fabric, would be such a treat…” he grinned at you; “A titty treat…”

Grinning at him you squeezed your pelvic muscles, finally shutting him up so you could concentrate as you chased your orgasm;

“Sure Sy, i’ll get a white bikini… you want me to do the gardening in it too? Watching me on my hands and knees as i plant the petunia’s?”

“Woman, i’ll fucking take you from behind right on the lawn if you do that” he growled, thrusting his hips up sharply and finding your g-spot. One of his hands crept around your hip and between your bodies, seeking out your clit as he ran his calloused thumb over the sensitive nub. From the way he was bouncing you on his lap you could tell he was getting close, his teeth gritted as he tried to hold off from cumming, but with no luck. His hands gripped your hips to stop you from moving in the hope it’d delay his orgasm. You watched as his eyes rolled back in his head and his head fell back against the side of the spa, thrusting his hips up as he swore out a litany of curses as his body reached its peak before he’d have wanted to;

“Fuck fuck fuck… ah god… i’m sorry… fuck…”

Cradling the back of his head in your fingers you stroked at the short hair as you dipped your head down and pressed open mouthed kisses to his neck and shoulders. With his eyes still shut he pulled a hand out of the water and raked it down his face before looking up at you, his blue eyes sparkling;

“Ah fuck i’m sorry Darlin’... lemme see about getting you sorted…don’t get off just yet…”

He slid his hand back between your bodies, his thumb back on your clit. His other hand moved to your breasts, using his mouth on one nipple as he pinched the other between his thumb and forefinger. Writhing on his lap you could feel your orgasm rapidly approaching, Sy knowing exactly how to play your body like a guitar as you sang out your siren song that was a blessing to his ears. 

As your orgasm washed over you Sy held you in his arms, letting you ride out your pleasure as he relished the feel of your body surrounding him. Slumped in his arms you nuzzled at his neck, happily riding the waves of pleasure that echoed around your body. 

“You ok there Darlin’?” Sy purred, smoothing his massive palm over your back like a giant bear paw.

“Hmmn” you hummed, stopping mid response when you felt him shift and realised he was hard again; “Sy?”

He looked at you, a smirk on his face as he cocked an eyebrow;

“Darlin… you know when i blow my load real fast i’m ready for another round… your sweet little pussy massaged me back to full health” he pressed a kiss to your nose; “Now turn around and bend over, hand on the side… i’m gonna rail that juicy pussy from behind, see how many times i can make you cum before i shoot load number two”

Manhandling you in the water you let out a shriek as he thrust into you from behind, your walls still tight from your previous orgasm and he did exactly as promised, splitting you open from behind as his powerful thighs railed you harder than the transcontinental express. With his heavy ballsack slapping against your clit you were soon cumming again, Sy fucking you straight through it before he brought you to another orgasm soon after as he filled you with another sticky load.

As you both tried to recover from the energetic synchronised aquatics he pulled you flush with his chest as he sank down into the water, letting you lay back against his chest as your bodies were still joined. His hands skimmed over your torso beneath your breasts, cupping them tenderly;

“We’re getting one of these, right Darlin’?”

“Hmmm, absolutely”

You sat there for a good half hour, cradled in Sy’s arms as you told each other about your day, before your skin wrinkled and it was time to get out.

-

Later that evening Sy had driven the pair of you to the main hardware store in town that he’d rented the Spa from, and you’d ordered the parts and equipment for your very own one. As Sy had started getting deep into conversation with the sales guy who turned out had also recently retired from the Army you tugged on Sy’s sleeve;

“Honey, i’m gonna pop to Walmart next door”

“Sure thing Darlin, i’ll catch up with you in fifteen minutes”

Just as promised Sy found you fifteen minutes later as you browsed through the clothing section, and you spotted that he was swinging a small clothes hangar from his finger;

“What you got there?” you asked

Sy held it up and your eyes practically bulged out of your head; He had found the tiniest white bikini, that although was your size, was little more than three small triangles of fabric connected with the thinnest of strings;

“Exactly what we discussed… now i see ya got a bottle of tequila and some snacks, how about we head home and we can test this out?”

Grinned you nodded;

“Just one thing…”

“Yeah Darlin?”

“We need to grab a few more of those… there’s no way that is gonna survive one wear with you around”

Nodding in agreement Sy grinned, taking the basket from your hand as he wrapped his free arm around your shoulders;

“See, that’s why i married ya’, thinking ahead…”

He pressed a kiss to your hair as he led you back to the display of swimwear, grinning as you pulled out numerous other cheap pieces of swimwear, knowing full well Sy would destroy them as thoroughly as he destroys your pussy.

[mezmatch]

Echo headcanons I have that just make sense for some reason Pt.2

He likes the color blue (it reminds him of the good ole days)

He reads whatever he can get his hands on (Cook books, gardening magazines, the dictionary, you name it!)

Really likes things that glow

Is a plant boi

A really good baker (Makes amazing cookies)

Knows a ton of constellations

Sunbeams

Likes Mint tea

Dumps a pound of sugar in his Caf cause he hates the taste of the GAR brand

(Crosshair looked horrified the first time he did it)

Picked up some jokes from Fives (He'll tell them to Omega when she's sad)

Used to whittle (he managed to figure out how to do it with one hand)

Type to lay in the grass at night and look at the stars

The one who keeps in contact with everyone (Will message Rex like "Vod did you eat? No? Go eat now.")

Makes sure everyone stays hydrated

Parental figure™

Mother hen ("Wrecker no don't do that! Tech you're going to get electrocuted! Where's Crosshair?!)

Seems like a mix of modern rock and classical music type of listener

Not actually super grouchy all the time! He just hasn't gotten used to Wrecker's snoring yet!

Will absolutely freak out over old ships (Probably Skywalker's fault)

Is weirdly good at finding lost things

("Echo I can't find my- it's on the copilots chair under Hunter's helmet. "Okay?..")

Would definitely pick the m&ms out of the trail mix

(Wrecker is convinced Crosshair's the one doing it. They keep fighting over it.)

Seems like a vanilla ice cream sorta guy or maybe cookie dough

Actually rivals Crosshair's skills with a rifle

(He's a Arc trooper what did you expect?)

They like to have competitions on shore leave

Has a necklace with dogtags on it with the names of his brothers

(Tech helper him carve the names on)

Pretty talented with a needle and thread (Someone's got to repair their civies after missions)

Fruit enjoyer

Hated the rain as a cadet (bc of Kamino) but has a newfound appreciation for it

He's the one who ends up repairing Gonky every so often

If droids could have favorites Gonky would pick Echo

Likes to learn everything he possibly can

Wrecker taught him how to disable bombs in record time

Hunter showed him some knife skills

He's ambidextrous (most of the clones are)

Tech hacked some data base and downloaded some old holovids from some security cams of his brothers

He likes to listen to them when he's sad or feeling lonely

Hunter has gotten really good at sensing oncoming panic attacks

The batch has learned what helps best for Echo

He appreciates it

Likes lemon scented things

Has a handprint on his armor (Omega put it on for him. He almost cried)

He's working on teaching Omega how to use her bow

She's been getting better

Echo has never been prouder

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ *⋆.☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆

Alrighty that's all I've got for now! Hope you guys like these! I had a blast doing the last one about Tech and I just couldn't resist doing another! Definitely expect more in the future! I'm thinking Wrecker or Crosshair next. Have an amazing day and make sure to drink some water! <3

[btsqualityy]

Magnolias in Springtime

Namjoon x Reader

Genre: Arranged marriage!AU, ABO (Alpha/Beta/Omega) dynamics, fluff, smut, and just a smidge of angst 

Warnings: Talks of arranged marriages, brief mention of polygamy (nothing comes of it, promise lol), oral sex, fingering, unprotected sex, knotting 

Author’s Note: This fic is based on a prompt from the Spring Fest “Spring Will Come Again” hosted by @bangtanarmynet​! I really hope you guys enjoy it! P.S: There will also be a part two to this fic so stayed tuned for that!

Prompt: While their parents discuss behind closed doors the terms of their arranged marriage to each other, they meet in the blooming garden to go over their own conditions.

Your pack was your entire life.

Growing up as what some of the elders in your pack referred to as the spoiled only child of the Pack Alpha and the Pack Omega, you were doted on by everyone. As a child, you marveled at the Alphas when they brought back the animals that they had haunted for the pack’s dinner and now as an adult, you were having Alphas dedicate those kills to you as a sign of intention to marriage. 

As a child, you tried to take notes on how the Betas seemed to be able to de-escalate any and all types of conflict, always seeming to have a solution that would placate everyone. Now that you were an adult, you found yourself going to those same Betas whenever you had conflicts with your parents or your best friends, because you knew that they would understand you. 

As a child, you thought that it was the coolest thing when you watched the Omegas essentially hold the pack together. They were the ones who gave birth, they were the ones who mostly took on child rearing and cooking (even though the Alphas and Betas in your pack always helped out as well), and they were always there when you happened to skin your knee as a child or just needed comfort. Once you became an adult and presented, you found yourself gravitating more towards the Omegas as you were also one now, and they took you under their wings as you learned just what it really meant to be an Omega. 

So in short, you loved your pack and you were extremely grateful for everything that they had taught you. Oddly enough, that gratefulness is exactly how you ended up in this situation. 

“We really appreciate the fact that you’re doing this for us Y/N,” your Alpha father, Byung-hoon told you as he, you, and your mother Deiji waited on the edge of the Kim Pack’s territory. 

“I told you that it’s fine Daddy,” you muttered, bouncing yourself up and down on the tips of your toes.

“Taking on this huge responsibility for our pack isn’t fine, but we’re grateful that you’re willing to do it,” Deiji said. Instead of answering her though, you decided to change the subject.

“Their territory really is beautiful,” you pointed out as you looked around, seeing multiple bushes of plum blossoms and azaleas. “At least I’ll have something pretty to look forward to once I move here.”

“That you will,” a deep voice added and when you turned around, you saw a large, muscular man walking towards you and following behind him was an almost equally tall woman who was easily one of the most beautiful women you had ever seen in your life. 

“Ah, hello Pack Alpha Ho-jin,” your father bowed and you and your mother followed his lead, holding the bow for a few seconds before straightening up again. 

“Hello Pack Alpha Byung-hoon,” Ho-jin replied as he and the woman bowed as well. “This is my wife, Pack Omega Eun Kyung.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Eun Kyung smiled. 

“This is my wife, Pack Omega Deiji and this is our daughter, Y/N,” Byung-hoon introduced.

“Hello,” Deiji smiled.

“Hello,” you echoed, even though your smile was a bit more forced than your mother’s.

“Oh, you are absolutely gorgeous,” Eun Kyung gushed as she stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing your hands. “Our son is a lucky man.”

“I’m sure that I am lucky as well, Pack Omega,” you replied.

“Please, call me Eun Kyung,” she corrected you. “I am going to be your mother-in-law soon.”

“Speaking of, where is Namjoon?” Your father wondered.

“He went off hunting with some of the other Alphas and Betas in our pack,” Ho-jin explained. “We plan on having a very big feast in order to celebrate their impending nuptials and he decided to go and try to find some extra meat.”

“Yeah, or to avoid meeting the wife that he doesn’t want,” you thought to yourself.

“He sounds like he’ll be an amazing provider and Alpha,” your mother smiled.

“Well, why don’t we all go into my office so that we can go over the terms and conditions of their marriage?” Ho-jin suggested before turning to look at you. “Y/N-ah, feel free to look around our territory and get a feel of the place. This will be your home soon, after all.”

“Of course,” you nodded. “Thank you.” After receiving a kiss on your head from your father and a pat on the hand from your mother, you watched silently as the four of them walk away together. As soon as they were out of sight, you let out a large rush of breath that you didn’t even realize you were holding. Even though you weren’t completely excited about this arrangement, your inner Omega wanted the parents of your future husband to like you and after meeting them, you were happy that you could seemingly not have that to worry about. 

Deciding to take your future father-in-law’s advice, you walked away from the front of their territory and ventured around. You were amazed at how vast their territory seemed to be in comparison to your pack’s, large buildings and houses searching as far as your eyes could see. As you walked, you took notice of what seemed to be a schoolhouse, a building that seemed to be a sort of meeting hall, and even a building that looked like a store front with mannequins in the window.

The thing that caught your attention though, was a large archway that was covered in gorgeous magnolia flowers. When you stepped over to it, you gasped at what laid behind it: A large wall full of nothing but magnolias stood a few feet beyond the arch, a small bench placed in front of it. 

“Gorgeous,” you whispered in awe as you stepped over to the wall, reaching out and gently touching the flowers. 

“Who are you?” A deep voice called out and you jumped up a little, your heart almost beating out of your chest as you turned around to find the source of the voice. Standing right underneath the archway, was a tall, tan skinned man whose presence seemed to command attention. 

“I-I’m Y/N L/N,” you replied, still feeling a little hesitant and the man’s eyes widened. 

“You’re Y/N?” He wondered and you nodded your head. “Well, you’re a lot prettier than I thought you’d be.”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” You questioned. 

“I’m Kim Namjoon,” he said, smiling at the soft gasp that escaped you. “Your future husband.”

“Oh,” was all you could utter in response because holy shit, your future husband was hot.

“Where are your parents?” Namjoon asked as he stepped closer to you. “I assume that you didn’t come here alone.”

“Um, they’re talking to your parents about the ‘terms and conditions’ of our marriage,” you told him and he scoffed out a laugh.

“Of course they are,” he chuckled as he took a seat on the small bench. “Well, I think that while they’re doing that, you and I should probably go over our own terms and conditions.”

“Our own?” You echoed as you sat down on the bench as well.

“Seeing as though we’re both fundamentally being forced into this, I figure that there’s things that you don’t want and that you do want,” he said. 

“That’s..true, I guess,” you nodded. “You go first.”

“Well, seeing as though you weren’t raised in this pack, I’d like for you to learn the ways of the pack and just be a proper wife,” he began.

“I’ve been learning about your pack since the discussions of a possible arrangement started,” you told him. “I have to wonder though, what exactly is your definition of a ‘proper’ wife.”

“Basically, just keeping house, cooking and cleaning,” he elaborated. “As my father plans to step down once we’re married, I’ll be too busy running the pack.”

“Well, sorry to burst your bubble but I wasn’t raised to be a docile Omega and I don’t plan on becoming one once we’re married,” you huffed.

“Why not? I mean, surely you don’t expect to run the pack with me?” He laughed.

“Actually, that’s exactly what I expect,” you smiled. 

“How can you expect to lead this pack when they don’t know you?” He asked.

“Since I’m going to be here for the rest of my life, then they’ll have every opportunity to get to know me,” you shrugged. 

“We’ll talk more about that one later,” Namjoon sighed. “Anything that you wanted specifically?”

“I know that your pack is going to be providing aid to mines once we’re married and as much as I plan on being involved in this pack, I also hope that you don't expect me to never see my pack again,” you said. 

“That’s the custom when you marry into another pack though,” Namjoon pointed out. “Plus, no offense or anything, but your pack is broke in terms of both money and resources and I don’t imagine there to be much to even go back to.”

“I am my parent’s only child and my pack is very close knit so I’d love to still be able to see them and for them to come see me,” you continued. “At least three or four times a year.”

“Alright, I guess that’s reasonable,” he relented. “Especially under these circumstances.”

“Thank you,” you smiled. 

“Oh, another thing,” he said suddenly. “I know that this marriage isn’t exactly something that either of us want but you cannot have any...uh, lovers on the side.”

“I’d never do something like that,” you frowned. “But I hope you know that the same goes for you.”

“That’s fine,” Namjoon nodded. “It’s not my style anyways.”

“In addition to that, I read your pack’s history and the whole taking more than one Omega as a wife thing isn’t going to fly with me,” you stated firmly.

“It’s tradition though,” he shot back. “Every leader of this pack throughout its’ history has had more than one spouse.”

“Your father doesn’t,” you pointed out. 

“Because he didn’t want one.”

“And you do?” You demanded to know and Namjoon just chuckled.

“You really meant that whole not a docile Omega thing, huh?” He wondered and you nodded while smirking. 

“You’re going to be Pack Alpha,” you said. “You have the authority to change tradition.”

“Fine, no additional Omegas,” he agreed. “I hope that means you’re going to be willing to have lots of pups then, since that’s what the whole multiple Omegas rule was for.”

“How many?” 

“At least 5,” he replied and you just laughed.

“5 is a pretty big number coming from a man who’s not going to be pushing them out,” you giggled. “Two, at most.”

“Three?” Namjoon bargained and after thinking for a few seconds, you nodded your head. 

“Deal,” you answered. “Anything else?”

“Just one more,” he added. “No roses at our wedding.”

“What? Why?”

“They’re overrated and cliché,” he shrugged. 

“What about magnolias?” You asked. “Those are my favorites.”

“I like those,” he smiled.

“Well, it’s settled then,” you announced. “No roses.”

“You know, this marriage thing is easier than I thought,” Namjoon said thoughtfully, making you giggle at him. “Do you have anything else you wanted to bring up?”

“Nope,” you shook your head. “I’m good.”

“Shake on it?” He extended his hand out to you and you let him grab onto yours, shaking each other’s hands. 

“Namjoon?” A deep voice called out and Namjoon sighed heavily. 

“That’s my dad,” Namjoon told you. “Should we head out there?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, standing up and waiting for Namjoon to do the same before the two of you walked back towards the front of their territory. As you did so, you couldn’t help but to Namjoon hadn’t let go of your hand the entire time.

“Ah, I see that the two of you met and are getting along!” Ho-jin announced happily.

“I’d say that we are,” Namjoon nodded as he looked down at you, and you nodded as well. 

“Well, why don’t we all move into our house?” Eun Kyung suggested. “We can have dinner and get to each other more.” After receiving nods all around, the group of you began to move towards the large cluster of houses that were a few yards away from where you were currently standing. As you let Namjoon lead you, you thought that maybe all of this actually wouldn’t be so bad. 

..........................................

A few days later, your time visiting Namjoon’s pack was winding down. After the first day, your father had happily told you that the negotiations between him and Namjoon’s father went off without a hitch and that the wedding could move forward immediately so the last few days of your visit had been spent planning your wedding.

“So maybe you and Namjoon can have your ceremony closer to the evening?” Eun Kyung suggested. “So that way we can move right into the reception afterwards.” You, her and your mom were currently in the dining room of Ho-jin and Eun Kyung’s house, going over some wedding details.

“That’s a good idea,” Deiji concurred. 

“Yeah,” you agreed. “Having the ceremony around 5pm sounds good.”

“Great,” Eun Kyung smiled as she wrote some things down onto the notepad that was on the table in front of her. “A later ceremony will hopefully ease some of the anxiety you’ll have that day.”

“Anxiety?” You asked.

“About your wedding night,” Eun Kyung clarified and your eyes widened. “When Ho-jin and I got married, we had our ceremony in the early afternoon and I was so nervous waiting for the reception to come because I knew what was going to happen afterwards and I had never been to bed with anyone before.”

“Oh,” you murmured. Of course, you knew that it was expected that you’d have sex with Namjoon on your wedding night and if it were up to your parents and Namjoon’s parents, get pregnant immediately but you had done your best not to actually think about it.

“Anyways, I think maybe roses for the flowers,” Deiji changed the subject and you gave her a small smile in thanks. 

“Oh, that would be gorgeous,” Eun Kyung gasped. “Namjoon’s grandmother actually has a garden full of red roses and I’m sure that she won’t mind us using some.”

“Actually, no roses,” you spoke up and both older women looked at you.

“I thought you liked roses, Y/N-ah,” Deiji said.

“I do, but Namjoon doesn’t,” you explained. “We agreed on magnolias instead.”

“You both agreed?” Deiji repeated and you nodded your head, making her smile. “That’s great.”

“You know, it’s so nice to see you actually trying to make the best of this whole thing Y/N,” Eun Kyung said. “I know it’s not ideal and you could be fighting this tooth and nail but the fact that you’re not says a lot about your character.”

“Thank you,” you smiled lightly. 

“Alright, magnolias it is,” Eun Kyung muttered as she wrote that down onto her notepad as well. Before the conversation could continue any further though, there was a sudden knock and when you looked up, you saw Namjoon standing in the door way to the dining room. 

“Hey, you all back from hunting so soon?” Eun Kyung wondered, referring to how Ho-jin, Namjoon, and Byung-hoon had decided to go off and hunt right after lunch. 

“Animals weren’t really out,” Namjoon shrugged. “Dad wanted to show Pack Alpha Byung-hoon our warehouse and I decided to come back here to spend time with Y/N.”

“With me?” You echoed in awe and Namjoon nodded.

“I wanted to show you around a little more, if you’re willing,” he offered. Before answering, you looked over at your mother who immediately waved her hands at you.

“Go, go,” she encouraged you. “We’re here for another two days so we can pick this up again later. Right, Eun Kyung?”

“Absolutely,” she agreed, turning to look at Namjoon after. “Show her the river.”

“I got it Mom,” Namjoon chuckled. “Y/N?”

“Sure,” you replied before standing up, walking over to Namjoon and grabbing his outstretched hand. 

“We’ll be back by dinner,” he called out to your mothers before turning around and leading you through the living room and out of the house. 

“Thanks for getting me out of there,” you said as the two of you walked down the front steps and began to walk away from the cluster of houses. “All that wedding planning was starting to get to my head.”

“I figured, which is why I got out of there right after lunch,” Namjoon laughed. “But I also genuinely wanted to spend some time with you too. It feels like I haven’t had a moment alone with you since the first day you got here.”

“I think our families are making sure of that,” you pointed out. “I think they’re afraid that we may realize that we hate each other if they leave us alone together for too long.”

“I think that’s actually a great assumption,” he chuckled. “They don’t have to worry about that though, at least not on my end.”

“Mines either,” you murmured shyly. “So, where are you taking me?”

“Well, even though my mom suggested that I take you to the river, I think that there’ll be plenty of time for you to see that later,” he told you. “I actually want to show you something that I’ve been working on.”

“Cool,” you nodded as the two of you continued to walk and you noticed that he was still holding onto your hand. On their territory, there were a few different clusters of houses and Namjoon was leading you over to a different one, stopping in front of what seemed to be the largest house. 

“What do you think?” Namjoon asked and you took a second to look over the outside, liking how it was painted a light brown color, had a large porch that already had a swing attached to the ceiling of it, and a large set of stairs. 

“I think it’s beautiful,” you smiled. “You built this?”

“Yeah, for us,” he revealed and you looked over at him in shock. “What? I hope you didn’t think we’d be living with my parents once the wedding is over.”

“Namjoon, I don’t even know what to say,” you murmured in awe.

“Want to take a look inside?” Namjoon wondered, reaching down and pulling a set of keys out of his pocket. You nodded your head rapidly and he chuckled before leading you up the stairs and unlocking the front door. Walking inside, you let out another soft gasp as you looked around. 

As soon as you walked into the front door, there was a little open space which could be used to place your shoes and jackets and then a staircase that led upstairs to the second level of the house. On your left hand side, there was an archway that lead into the dining room and kitchen and then on your right hand side, there was another archway that lead into the living room and another room that Namjoon said he planned on converting into a study. Once you went upstairs, you saw that there were a total of five bedrooms and the master bedroom was the largest and complete with an en suite as well. 

“I love it,” you gushed as you turned to look at Namjoon, who was leaning up against one of the walls in what would soon be your shared bedroom. 

“I thought I’d leave the decorating up to you,” he said. “That way you’ll have control over something here.”

“Good, because I already have ideas,” you grinned, deciding to throw caution to the wind and walking over to him, not waiting for him to ask what you were doing before throwing your arms around him. He hesitated for a second before hugging you back as well, and the two of you stood there for a few seconds with your arms around each other. 

“I’m happy that you like it,” he whispered and you craned your neck in order to look up at him. 

“I really appreciate it,” you told him.

“Anything for my future wife,” he smiled and it was when he said that that you realized how close the two of you still were. You dropped your arms from around him and stepped back, forcing him to let go of you as well. Feeling your cheeks warm up from embarrassment, you turned your back towards him and walked over towards the window to look outside.

“You know Y/N, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Namjoon began. “Why did you agree to all of this?”

“What, marrying you?” You asked for clarification and Namjoon nodded.

“I mean, I know the basic reason why but I feel like there’s more to it than that,” he said. “A lot of packs run out of money and resources at some point but their leaders usually figure something out instead of marrying off their children in return for more resources.”

“True,” you sighed before turning to look at him over your shoulder. “Long story short, I don’t want my pack to die out just because of my father’s mismanagement. I love every member of my pack and they have all been so vital to how I grew up and how I’ve become the person that I am. If me marrying into another pack will guarantee that those people can continue to live comfortably, then I’ll do it.”

“That’s incredibly selfless,” Namjoon replied as he walked over to stand next to you. 

“I guess so,” you shrugged. “But to me, I’m just repaying the people who gave me so much.”

“That’s amazing Y/N,” he muttered. 

“What about you?” You reversed the question. “Why did you agree to this?”

“Well, my reasoning was a lot more selfish than yours,” he chuckled. “It’s always been my dream to lead the pack and when my father came to me a few months ago saying that he was getting ready to want to step down, I was super excited. However, it concerned him that I’m 26 and not mated to anyone yet so he made it a stipulation that I meet someone and get mated before he allows me to take over for him. Since I planned on getting married at some point in my life, that stipulation really didn’t matter to me so I agreed.”

“Ah, I guess that explains why you weren’t too keen on me wanting to run the pack with you,” you said.

“Kind of,” he shrugged. “Although, after hearing why you agreed to all of this, I have to admit that I’m reconsidering that.”

“Really?” You smiled hopefully. 

“Of course, you’ll still have to get to know the pack and our ways,” he pointed out. “But I don’t think it would be the worst thing to have you by my side.”

“Great!” You exclaimed happily and Namjoon couldn’t help but to laugh from how excited you clearly were. 

“Do you want to go look in the other bedrooms?” He suggested. “Maybe see what you might want to do with them?” 

“Mm, we don’t have to. I don’t want to overwhelm myself,” you giggled. “Why did you make so many bedrooms anyways?”

“Well, for our future children,” he confessed and you felt your cheeks immediately become hotter. 

“Oh,” you whispered. 

“Is that ok?” Namjoon wondered. “I know it might’ve been a little presumptuous of me, especially since I did it before we had our conversation about what we both wanted the other day.”

“No, no, no, it’s....it’s fine,” you shrugged. 

“Oh, I get it,” he smirked. “You haven’t been with anyone, have you?”

“Namjoon!” You shouted in surprise.

“You’re nervous,” he surmised. 

“Can you blame me?” You scoffed. “I mean, it’s already embarrassing to have basically everyone know that I’m a virgin but knowing what’s expected of us on our wedding night....it’s nerve wrecking.”

“It’s not that big of a deal Y/N,” he shrugged. 

“Aren’t you nervous?” You asked him, only to see him shake his head. “Why not?”

“Because I’ve thought about filling you with my knot since the first day that I saw you,” Namjoon confessed. “So if you let me have sex with you on our wedding night, I’d consider myself to be a very lucky man.”

“Really?” You whispered.

“Of course, but I’m not going to push you,” he told you. “If you deicide that you don’t want to, then that’s completely fine. If you do though, just know that I’ll be more willing.”

“Good to know, I guess,” you muttered, more so to yourself but Namjoon still laughed at you. 

“Cute,” he smiled widely as he reached down and grabbed your hand, intertwining your fingers with his.

..........................................

A month later, your wedding day had finally come. After spending a week in Namjoon’s territory, you and your parents had traveled back to your pack’s territory where you prepared for the wedding alone. The only other time that you were able to see Namjoon had been when he and his parents decided to visit your territory in order to sign the treaty that would make the connection between your two packs official. 

Fast forward to now, you were standing in the guest bedroom of Namjoon’s parents’ house, getting ready with your mom and your two best friends. 

“I really wish you would’ve let me make you a more form fitting dress Y/N-ah,” Taehyung sighed as he pullzed up the zipper on the back of your dress. Your dress was pure white, with long billowing sleeves, a scooped neckline, and a loose, long skirt with a small train. 

“You know that I hate tight clothing,” you pointed out. “This feels more like me.”

“And you look beautiful,” Jimin spoke up, taking a second to stick his tongue out at Taehyung.

“That you do,” Deiji grinned widely as she placed a crown of magnolias on top of your head. “You look like a dream.”

“Thanks Mommy,” you giggled. Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door. 

“Everyone decent in there?” Your father called out and Jimin walked over to the door and opened it up, making your father gasp when he saw you. 

“Oh Y/N-ah,” he murmured as he paced over to you, setting his hands on your cheeks. “My baby girl.”

“What do you think?” You asked him. 

“I think that Namjoon is a very lucky man to be marrying such a gorgeous woman,” Byung hoon replied, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to your cheek. “You ready? There’s still time to back out and we can always figure something else out.”

“I’m not gonna do that Daddy,” you huffed with a smile, reaching out and taking the bouquet of magnolias that Taehyung was handing to you. “I’m gonna do this.”

“We can’t thank you enough,” your father murmured and you just leaned forward, giving him a kiss on the cheek as well. 

“What’s done is done,” you said. “So don’t stress about it.”

“Well, let’s go get you married,” Taehyung smiled as he reached up and pulled your veil down over your face.

“Let’s,” you whispered as you wrapped your hand around your father’s arm and let him lead you out of the bedroom. 

The ceremony was an unrushed affair once you met Namjoon underneath the little archway that had been placed near the large wall of magnolias where the two of you had first met. You found yourself not even paying much attention to what was happening during the ceremony and before you knew it, you were facing Namjoon as the preacher pronounced you man and wife.

It wasn’t the first time that you’d ever been kissed, but it still felt different all the same. Namjoon was so gentle as he reached out and grabbed the hem of your veil, lifting it up and over your head to reveal your face. He then placed his hands on your cheeks, cradling them as he leaned forward and kissed you softly. You found yourself kissing back on instinct, your hands reaching out and grabbing onto his suit jacket. 

The reception was definitely more fun than you imagined it to be. The food was amazing and so was the music, and you couldn’t help but to smile at how everyone in your new pack danced around happily as they celebrated your marriage. You found yourself having fun as well as you allowed Eun Kyung and Ho-jin to lead you around, introducing you to some members of the pack as well as spending time with your own family and friends as well.

Now that the night was over though, you were quietly walking back to your new house with Namjoon, which had been decorated to your liking. 

“Did you have fun?” Namjoon asked and you looked over at him, nodding your head.

“I did,” you smiled. “Your pack sure knows how to throw a party.”

“It’s your pack now too,” he pointed out and you hummed in reply. Once your new house came into view, Namjoon helped you walk up the front steps before pulling out his keys and unlocking the front door. 

“Wait,” he said when you moved to step into the house and before you could ask what he was doing, he leant down and picked you up bridal style.

“Namjoon!” You shrieked as he carried you into the house and you reached out to shut the front door for him. He then carried you up the stairs and into your bedroom before setting you down on the ground.

“What was that?” You giggled as you looked up at him.

“Well, I couldn’t let you be deprived of a prime wedding experience,” he shrugged, making you smile. A somewhat awkward silence then settled over the two of you then and it wasn’t until then that you felt your nerves kick in. You had been successful in not thinking much about your wedding night for the past few weeks but now that the two of you were alone, it was all that you could think about. 

“You know,” Namjoon spoke up suddenly. “We don’t have to do anything tonight.”

“Namjoon, we talked about this,” you replied.

“We did and I meant what I said then,” he said. “We don’t have to do anything just because people might expect us to.”

“Really?”

“Really. Plus, it’s kind of insulting if you only have sex with me because you’re expected to,” he joked, making you giggle.

“You have a point,” you smiled. “What if I said that I wanted to though, because I want to?”

“Do you remember what else I said to you when we had that conversation?” He wondered and you felt your cheeks warm up immensely as you recalled his words. 

“Yes.”

“What did I say baby?” 

“You said that you, uh, wanted to....uh,” you stammered and Namjoon smiled, deciding to take pity on you.

“I said that I wanted to fill you with my knot,” he finished for you. “And I still mean that.”

“You’ll be gentle?” You checked.

“Absolutely,” he stated firmly. “And I’ll go as slow as you need me to.” You knew that this was a big step, losing your virginity. However, something about Namjoon made you feel so at ease and besides, he was your husband now.

“I want to,” you announced, causing him to grin widely.

“Can I kiss you?” He requested and you nodded your head. He reached up and placed his hands on your cheeks before leaning down and pressing his lips against yours. You immediately moved closer to him, placing your hands near his waist. He then took one of his hands off of your cheek and before you could ask what he was doing, he reached up and took the crown of magnolias off your head before throwing it over his shoulder.

“Someone seems eager,” you teased.

“You have no idea,” Namjoon chuckled deeply. He kissed you again, this time much deeper as he walked you backwards towards the bed. Once you felt the edge of the bed hit the back of your knees, you pulled away from his lips and looked up at him. 

“Help me take this off?” You whispered, taking a second to turn around so that your back was facing him. Without any hesitation, he reached out and pulled down the zipper on the back of your dress. The feeling of his fingertips against your skin made you shiver and when your dress dropped down to the floor in a pool around your feet, the feeling of his eyes on you made you get chills. 

“Did you wear this for me?” Namjoon asked before leaning forward and pressing kisses along the curve of your shoulder, referring to the white, lace bra and panty set that you had been wearing underneath your dress. 

“Maybe,” you breathed out, his lips on your skin making it hard for you to focus. 

“Gorgeous. Lay down for me?” He said and you nodded before bending down and crawling onto the bed. When you flipped over to lie on your back, Namjoon was working on taking off his suit jacket and unbuttoning the white dress shirt that he had underneath.

“You still ok?” He checked in as he climbed onto the bed as well and you smiled as you reached up and wrapped your arms around his neck. 

“I’m ok,” you confirmed, leaning up and kissing him again. The kiss quickly became heated, your mouth falling open as Namjoon slipped his tongue inside. He then pulled away from your mouth, moving down to press kisses to your jaw before moving down to your neck. 

“Been thinking about this, about you,” he whispered against your skin and you just blushed as you looked up at the ceiling.

“About me?” 

“Mmhmm,” he hummed. “Been thinking about your scent too.”

“What do I smell like to you?” You wondered, doing your best to keep your eyes trained on the ceiling as you felt him start to move down again. 

“Like...pineapples and bananas,” he murmured as he grabbed the cups of your bra, pulling them down so that they sat right underneath your breasts. He then leaned down and sucked your right nipple into his mouth, making you arch your back up from the bed.

“Holy, huh,” you moaned and Namjoon chuckled at you, which automatically made you pout. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized after popping your nipple out of his mouth. “You’re just so cute.” You couldn’t find the words to say anything else because Namjoon reached underneath you and you lifted your back up so that he could take your bra off completely, and he didn’t waste any time before taking your left nipple into his mouth. 

Once both of your nipples had stiffened to a peak, he moved downwards again, trailing his lips across your skin until he made it down to the line of your panties. 

“Lift up for me?” Namjoon asked and slowly, you lifted your hips and waited until he had grabbed the waistband of your panties and pulled them down before lowering your body back onto the bed. Once he pulled them off of your legs and threw them off the bed, you watched as he sat his hands on your knees and looked down at you. 

“Still good?” He wondered.

“Seriously, stop asking,” you giggled. “I’m nervous as hell but I want to do this so I’m good.”

“I just, you know you can tell me to stop at anytime and I will, right?” 

“I know, and that’s why I want this,” you smiled. “Want you to give me a bite.”

“Fuck, ok,” he exhaled harshly. “I want to eat you out first though.”

“Ok,” you nodded and you allowed him to push your knees apart, exposing your folds to him. He laid down on the bed so that he was right in between your legs, and you let out a loud gasp when you felt his tongue make contact with your clit. He used the tip of his tongue to make slow circles around your clit and even though he wasn’t placing a lot of pressure behind it, you felt like you were going to lose your mind.

“Holy shit, that feels...good,” you huffed and you felt Namjoon hum against you as he closed his entire mouth around your clit. The feeling was almost euphoric, and you couldn’t believe that you had been missing out on this for the last few years since you presented as an Omega.

“I’m gonna give you a finger ok?” Namjoon spoke up after taking his mouth off of you and you nodded, wincing lightly when he began to push his pointer finger inside of you. He then began to slowly pump the digit in and out of you, which made you moan lightly. 

“Feels good?” He asked. 

“Yeah. Weird but good,” you told him. 

“Good,” he smirked. “You’re getting wet.”

“Don’t say that,” you groaned. 

“Why not? It’s a good thing,” he shrugged. “It’ll make it easier for you to take my knot.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“Good thing you’re stuck with me,” he smiled before leaning down and taking your clit back into his mouth. As he fingered and licked you simultaneously, you found it a little harder to breathe because of the pleasure that was building in the pit of your stomach. 

“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” you hissed when he tried to ease his middle finger inside of you. 

“It’s ok baby, we just gotta get you stretched out a little bit,” he whispered and you just decided to be quiet and let him do it. Admittedly, you admired how much time he was taking making sure that you were properly ready and it made your heart soften because you had never had a man (other than your father) be so gentle with you. 

“Namjoon, I-I think I’m going to come,” you whimpered and Namjoon took his mouth off of your clit for a few seconds. 

“Go ahead baby,” he encouraged you before placing his mouth back on you. Sure enough, it didn’t take much longer before your body seized up, your orgasm washing over you. Namjoon continued to stroke you through it and by the time that it passed, you were reaching down and pushing him away from you. 

“Holy shit, that felt good,” you giggled, making Namjoon laugh as well. 

“That’s good,” He replied as he sat up onto his knees. When your eyes trailed downwards, they widened a little at the sight of the bulge in his pants.

“Should I, um,” you stammered as you motioned towards his pants and he looked down, chuckling before looking back up at you. 

“You don’t have to and besides, seeing you come turned me on and I doubt I’d last,” he admitted.

“Oh, ok,” you smiled shyly. He then pulled off the dress shirt that he had on, letting it fall onto the floor before moving onto his slacks, unbuttoning and unzipping them before pulling them down. He pushed them, along with his underwear, down his legs and your jaw dropped a little from the sight of his cock.

You didn’t know what you expected, but you definitely didn’t expect his cock to be so thick and long. You had to admit, actually seeing it made you even more nervous.

“Hey,” Namjoon called out and you looked up at him. “It’ll be ok. I’m still going to go slow.”

“O-Ok,” you whispered as he climbed between your legs. He reached out with two fingers and gathered some of your slickness from your orgasm before using it to lubricate his cock. 

“Ready?” He questioned as he positioned his cock right in front of your entrance and once you nodded, he slowly began to push into you. The stinging pain hit you immediately and you yelped out loud, reaching up and clutching onto Namjoon’s forearms. “Y/N?”

“Hurts,” you muttered through grit teeth.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, bending down and pressing a kiss to your forehead. He didn’t try to push any further, he waited until you gave him a small nod before pressing his hips forward again. You were almost ready to tell him to forget the entire thing as the stinging pain seemed to become worse the more he pushed into you. Before you knew it though, he had bottomed out and was looking down at you intensely.

“What?” You asked him.

“You just, you look so beautiful,” he complimented you.

“Are you just saying that because you’re inside of me right now?” You joked.

“I mean it,” he laughed. 

“Well, thank you,” you responded and he leaned down to kiss you again. He then slowly pulled his hips back before pushing back in, which caused you to let out a stuttered moan into his mouth. The pain was still thee but as he began to fuck you, it slowly went away and was replaced by what was probably the greatest pleasure that you had ever felt in your life up to that point. 

“So tight baby,” Namjoon grunted after he pulled away from the kiss. 

“F-feels so full,” you whimpered. 

“Good. I’m gonna fill you even more with my knot,” he said gruffly as he looked down at you. “You want that?”

“Yes.”

“Say it,” he instructed you.

“I-I want your.....k-knot,” you stuttered and he literally groaned at your words. He began to fuck you a little faster, making you grip onto him and wrap your legs around his waist.

“Been thinking about this,” he moaned. “Been thinking about how good you would feel wrapped around my cock.”

“Me t-too,” you confessed. 

“Fuck, you’ve been thinking about me baby?” 

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Since you told me that you wanted to...fill me with your, uh, knot. Thought about you calling me baby too.”

“You like it?” He smiled.

“Love it.”

“Then I’ll call you that as often as I can,” he promised. He continued to fuck you, and you realized that you were feeling the same buildup of pressure that you did when he was fingering you. 

“I-I’m gonna come Namjoon,” you announced breathily and he sighed.

“Thank god,” he huffed as he began to thrust into you both faster and harder, and your grip on him became so tight that you were sure you’d leave marks on his skin. “I wanna knot you so fucking bad.”

“Do it,” you encouraged him. “Want you to bite me too.”

“Come first,” he shot back as he focused all of his energy into making sure that you did so. After a few more thrusts, you were coming right onto his cock, your essence covering more of his cock every time that he pulled it out and then pushed it right back in. 

“Ready for a bite?” He asked and you nodded your head numbly. Leaning down, he stuck his face in your neck and began to suck on the skin there. As soon as you released a moan at the feeling, you felt his teeth sink in. 

You had heard a lot about mating bites and how it would feel when you finally received one, but you could truthfully say that the feeling was indescribable. You truly felt like you were now connected to Namjoon in a way that you had never been connected with any one before and the feeling was almost so overwhelming that you almost didn’t recognize that Namjoon’s knot was pushing its’ way inside of you.

“God damn,” Namjoon groaned deeply as his knot fully popped into you, and you gasped when you felt his cum pouring into you right after. You leaned up and after finding the perfect spot, you sunk your teeth into his neck as well, giving him a mating bite too. 

Namjoon collapsed on top of you and the two of you stayed like that for a while, at least 15 minutes, basking in the after glow of your new matching mating bites. 

“No offense or anything,” you spoke up. “But you’re heavy and it’s hot in here.”

“Some offense taken,” he laughed as he lifted himself off of you. “My knot has gone down but it’s gonna hurt when I pull out.”

“Go slow, ok?” You requested and he nodded, looking down in between your legs and slowly pulling out of you. It did hurt a little and you even winced a little bit, but it wasn’t that bad all in all. 

“Y/N-ah?” He called as he laid down next to you and you gently turned over onto your side to face him.

“What happened to baby?” You simpered with a teasing smile, making him chuckle. 

“I’m still gonna call you that,” he assured you. “But I wanted to talk to you seriously.”

“Ok, shoot,” you shrugged. 

“I know that you didn’t necessarily choose all of this and neither did I, but I don’t want you to worry,” he began. “I take this marriage and this relationship just as seriously as if we met in the conventional sense and I really mean it when I say that I can see myself falling in love with you.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he smiled. “Even though we haven’t known each other long, I can already tell that you’re kind, selfless, loving, and the most gorgeous woman that I’ve ever met in my life. I’d only be so lucky if you fell in love with me.”

“Well, I think that I can fall in love with you too,” you confessed, making him grin widely. “And I hope that I do.”

[into-the-daniverse]

Yo No Sé Mañana | Rodrigo x Dasa

For Day 3 of @the-midsummer-masquerade​​.

In which, Rodrigo pulls Dasa away from the crowd of the masquerade so they can share a moment truly alone.

Prompt(s) used: Outdoors  Title: Yo No Sé Mañana by Luis Enrique

1.5k words

As the third evening of the masquerade carried on around them—the sound of skin slapping against skin, screams and moans full of ecstasy and pleasure, the scent of sweat and sex mixing with the floral perfumes of the gardens—Rodrigo led Dasa past it all. Ignoring any questions they asked about where they were going, he held on tightly to their hand, fingers laced together, walking confidently further into the palace gardens, until all of the sounds and music of the masquerade had faded away completely.

They ended up in a small clearing in the woods, moonlight shining down on them, filtering blue through the leaves above them, casting dappled shadows on the ground. It was the same moon he spent every night staring at back home on his ship, and if he closed his eyes, he could almost smell the salt of the sea, hear the gentle lap of waves against the wood, feel the breeze off the water caress his sun-soaked skin.

When Dasa let go of his hand to walk around the clearing, he was brought back to the present. He watched them step between the shadows, moonlight making their skin glow. Eventually, they turned back to him, a relaxed look on their face, but still raising an eyebrow curiously at him.

“This place is beautiful. How did you find it?”

“I ended up wandering a bit yesterday. Mostly looking for someplace quiet—I wasn’t expecting it to look like this. But as soon as I saw it—” He smiled softly, stepping closer to them. “I knew I had to show you.”

“It’s amazing.” They sighed, glancing back the way they came. “Though, I’m mostly happy to be away from the crowds for a little while. I had no idea it would be… like this.”

“Is it too much for you, tesoro?”

They shook their head. “No, but this is nice. Being alone like this.”

He had to agree. Sure, they shared many moments alone, even on the ship in their room, in their bed. But those moments were different. Not quite as private, not quite as comforting as it was now, knowing that there was no one nearby to disturb them.

“Mi amor…” he murmured, and closed the last bit of distance between them, kissing them gently, slowly. He felt them melt into him as they kissed, and when he pulled back, their lips followed his for a second. “Dance with me.”

Dasa’s eyes seemed to sparkle in the moonlight as they looked up at him, and they tilted their head slightly, so their noses were brushing. “There’s no music,” they whispered.

Rodrigo stared at them for a moment, his mind wandering. They gasped lightly when his hand came to rest just under their shoulder blades, pressing them together. Taking a deep breath, he began to hum a song he remembered from his village, his voice quiet, a bit unsure, but his gaze holding theirs. They just stared at him, a soft blush coloring their cheeks, until he glanced at his other, empty hand. With a small, but happy sigh, Dasa took his hand in theirs again, and he began to lead them in a dance.

The dance, a bachata, was a style they were both familiar with, and one that allowed them to press as close as possible, breathing together, feet stepping in time. It was definitely one of his favorites and getting to dance with his lover to music that echoed in his own soul, feeling etched into his skin, was something that Rodrigo knew he would never tire of. Strong hands cradled them in his arms, leading them through the beat, and then he slid them down to their hips to gently urge them back, their spine bending as they accepted his lead. It took everything he had not to follow them down, the line of their chest and neck glistening in the moonlight, and he wanted nothing more than to press his lips there, to devour them with the urgency of his heartbeat.

After a moment, he began to sing the words that went along to the song in his native tongue, one that by now, Dasa could understand. Keeping his grip on them gentle, he sang about the moment, about how tomorrow was never promised, and as they had talked about before, that he couldn’t say what would happen to them the next day, or the day after that. But he could live each moment they had together like it was the most important one of his life, and he knew it was true.

Between verses, lines, words, even, he started to kiss them, softly, slowly. He kissed the peak of their forehead, each temple, the bridge of their nose, under each eye. His lips ghosted over their cheekbones, their ears, tracing their jawline. He felt their eyelashes flutter against his skin when he pressed close; he felt their breath catch just a bit under his fingertips when he pulled away.

He might have gotten lost in the song, or in them, repeating it again and again, but they didn’t stop him, swaying with him and the music as long as it continued. Eventually, he let his voice taper off and fade away, but they didn’t move away from each other, still pressed as close as they had been while they were dancing, each catching their breath for a moment. They were sharing the same space, foreheads pressed together, lips almost brushing, eyes closed. Rodrigo wanted to freeze everything. If he could keep them both where they were forever, he thought he’d be perfectly happy.

When was it, exactly, that he stopped needing or wanting anything else aside from them? He wasn’t completely sure but knew it had been that way for a while, and he wasn’t complaining. He had never thought he would get to feel this way about anyone, much less know that they would feel the same way back. It wasn’t that long ago that he was convinced love was something he would never receive, not after the life he had led up to that point. And yet…

As he opened his eyes, he met Dasa’s gaze, already staring at him with so much warmth and love that he felt it wash over him as they stood together, flooding him from the top of his head down through his feet. His hand still in theirs, he brought it over to his face, and kissed the back of their hand softly, eyes sliding shut for a second. He kissed each knuckle of each finger, lingering just a bit longer on the one that had his Mamá’s ring wrapped snugly around it.

“Tesoro…” he breathed, just loud enough for them to hear, despite them being alone in the woods. They didn’t answer, at least, not verbally, and he opened his eyes again to look at them. There was a tiny, warm smile on their face, watching him as he continued. “Tesoro,” he whispered, as he moved his lips up their wrist, over their forearm. “Tesoro,” as kisses were left across their shoulder. “Tesoro,” written into their collarbone, his teeth grazing the delicate skin, their head tilting back just slightly with a sigh that evaporated into the night air, joining the stars.

He kissed up their neck, gently ghosting over the marks that were growing darker from the previous days, kissed under their jaw, whispering into their ear, enjoying the shiver that ran down their back under his fingertips when he spoke, kissed their cheeks, their nose, every spot on their face that he could.

“Tesoro, tesoro, tesoro…”

When he was satisfied, he pulled back just enough to take them in under the moonlight. Their cheeks were dark, and their eyes were too, a certain, familiar, insatiable hunger glimmering in them. He was sure it was mirrored in his own eyes, or maybe they mirrored his. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was hungrier for the other, and he enjoyed not knowing. Anticipation hovered between them, in the inch-space left where their bodies weren’t joined.

Dasa took a breath, exhaling the name they had given him, Rodya, like it was something precious, something delicate they could break. And with that, he closed the inch between them, kissing them with as much passion and love as he could pour into the space they now both shared. Hands moved to hold each other closer, as if to smother any air remaining between them, fingers lacing in curls, tugging at laces, trying to melt into the other.

As their kiss only deepened, Rodrigo could hear the waves of the sea in his ears, smell the salt in the air.

They ended up on the ground, moving as if in another dance, fingers laced together in the grass, clothes strewn around them. This time when they had to pause to breathe, Dasa brought Rodrigo’s hand to their lips, kissing the back of it the same way he had done to them, and he felt like he could cry. Instead he just kissed them again, and whispered his praise to them as the moon started to fall from the sky, neither paying any attention to it.

~

Art for this fic!

Previous Day | Next Day

[alyssadeliv]

The Forgotten One

First      Previous

Chapter 8

Just seeing that dagger, even after years, brought memories that made his heart ache. He remembered giving it to her… It was her 12th birthday, and even being only six at the time he remembered feeling so proud of himself when her entire face lit up at the sight of his present. The yin and the yang always represented their relationship so well. She was the light inside his darkness, and he was the darkness to her light. He still had the other part of the set, from the last time he had ever seen her, it was his most prized possession. It was inevitable that every time he looked at it he remembered her, so he mostly kept the weapon in the back of his closet, carefully protected inside a wooden box, because it was too painful to look at every day.

Now that he was older he wondered if his first actions after discovering his other siblings had anything to do with her death. Something inside him told him he needed to secure a position for himself before his Father decided he wasn't needed anymore. Because that was the norm in the League. You had to fight for your position. The only person he could let his guard down was his sister. He didn’t need to prove himself for her. She looked at him as if the world started and ended at him, and he always had looked at her the same. 

He took her death hard, but he never truly got to mourn her properly. Being tossed aside by his mother to live with the father he had never met, after the most tragic event of his life, was enough to damage lesser children, but he was the Heir of the League. He needed to be strong. So that's what he did, first, he tried to eliminate his competition. But to his surprise, he was berated by not only his Father but his other siblings. 

Being only ten at the time he didn’t know a life without violence. And he had to relearn how to behave in this new world he was left on. Without his sister by his side, he felt incomplete. Being neglected by the Father he looked up to for so long wasn’t easy either. He never once told anyone about her. He didn't see the point. She was dead, and Al Ghuls never dwell on the past. But as a Wayne, he often found himself opening the wooden box and remembering all the happy moments of his life by his sister's side.

That’s why this copycat made him so angry. He recognized the uniform and the weapons being used. The fighting style and the evasion techniques he recognized from his training in the League. Whomever this person was, it had ties to his grandfather's organization. Living almost three years away from the League lifestyle was enough for him to decide to never return. But he couldn’t for the life of him understand why his mother sent someone to taunt him with his dead sister's doppelganger. That was cold even for her, and he knew that Talia would never cross that line because she loved Marianne too. 

It took him almost one week to try to come clean with his family. He needed time to process. In that period of time, their mysterious assassin completed their mission. Damian knew that because a high fashion designer was found dead by the docks a couple of days after their last encounter with the BatFam. There were signs of torture, but the most peculiar thing was that the designer was wearing a tailored suit with the Order of the Miraculi symbol on the back. Gotham police simply linked his death to a Chinese gang, but Damian knew better. He just wasn’t sure what exactly happened. 

He had a theory that after his sister's death, Wang Fu eventually got a new apprentice, and that person now was impersonating his deceased sister to obtain power. Before her death, Marianne was widely known as The Lily of the Desert. Her reputation was incredible. And her Modus Operandi, amazing.

In his sister's memory, he needed to put a stop to this impostor.

“I have not been completely honest with you Father” They were all at the cave, getting ready for patrol. Grayson and Todd immediately stopped whatever they were doing and stared at him as if he had grown another head. Drake nursing a hot cup of coffee didn't seem to have listened to what he said. 

“And what exactly have you been hiding?” Father asks folding his arms in front of him. These last couple of days had been hard on him. Catching the assassin had been his number one priority. 

“I believe that I have information pertained to Gotham's new visitor…” His Father's face darkens. He wore the Batman suit sans the cowl, but he still looked very much intimidating. 

“And why have I not been informed of this sooner?” He asks with a stern tone. Seeing his Father, with arms crossed, made Damian remember the series of long berations he received in his first months living at Gotham. And for some reason, he felt small.

Seeing his youngest reaction, of flinching, he softened his tone. 

“What I mean is… Why not come to us in the first place, surely we could have helped, and-” He was interrupted, a loud signal echoing through the cave signaling that there was a disturbance. Oracle immediately gets to work. 

“There’s a disturbance in Wayne Botanic Garden… The alarm indicated someone broke in. There is no response from the security team there.” The redhead explains the situation. “I don't think it is Ivy. There have been no sightings of her in weeks… She and Harley have been keeping a very low profile.”

“Suit up everyone! We will finish this later Damian. You and Hood are in charge of discovering where this intruder entered the building. Tim, Alfred benched you, stay here with Oracle and go through the security video, find out where this person is staying. Nightwing you are in charge of finding the security team. I’ll deal with whoever it is inside.”

And with that, they were gone.

When they got to the Botanical Gardens it was too silent. The alarm that alerted them wasn’t on anymore. And if they didn't know better it would have seemed a false alarm. 

“New plan, Nightwing and I will enter the building. Robin and Hood are to keep guard on the roof. If you see anything exiting the building notify us immediately.” And he was gone.

Damian got angry, knowing that his Father was punishing him for lying.

“Well, it looks like it’s just you and me baby bird” Todd says with a cheeky smirk. Even with his laid-back attitude, Damian could still tell that he had his guard up. “You stay here, and I’ll take the other side of the building. Call me if you need backup!” Of all of his brothers, Jason Todd was the one he least interacted with. He mostly lived in his apartment, and aside from patrol, he was never home. He liked to think that at some level the oldest understood him. He too was trained by the League for years, and he always wondered what it would have been like to meet him before coming to Gotham. 

Todd didn’t like to talk about the time after his death and Damian respected that. Because he too had difficulty talking about his childhood. Grayson was the one that always pushed them to try and talk about their feelings, and that was one of the reasons he did like his older brother, it kind of reminded him of Marianne.

Even if he did miss his life in the League, life with his Father was without a doubt, better. He was allowed to have pets, something he always wanted. And he wasn’t expected to train until he bled. He was obligated to attend school, and that he didn't like, but in general, he couldn’t complain. 

Suddenly he got movement from his perimetrical vision, and if it wasn’t for his training he might have missed it. Whomever it was, was taking advantage that the roof from the building across from the Gardens didn’t have lighting. 

Throwing caution out of the window Damian went into action. He didn’t need backup. If it was someone from the League, he could take care of it. When he got to the other roof he was immediately attacked. His opponent wasn’t using the weapons Damian knew she had in her possession. At their last encounter, he hadn’t been able to catch a glimpse of who had attacked Drake, but now he could tell it was someone older than him, and she definitely had previous training. He blocked her first punch but wasn’t able to escape the second one. He momentarily lost his air but didn’t let his guard go down. He responded in kind and suddenly they were in heated combat.

On his intercom, he could hear his Father and siblings asking what was happening, but he didn’t have the time to respond. For some reason, their fight suddenly felt like a dance. They were in synchrony with each other and he felt as if he was missing something. The girl was wearing the traditional League attire, with a small symbol of the Order of the Miraculous on her left breast. It was identical to the one his sister would use, and that only helped to fuel his anger. By now the other would be getting there in a matter of minutes, so he had to act fast. Fastly grabbing a Batarang he threw it with all his force. Not expecting it, she couldn’t get out of the way fast enough, and the weapon lodged itself to her right side. Blood immediately started coming out of the wound. He lunged at her. Using her wound as an advantage. But to his surprise, she didn’t seem affected. And was able to block his attacks with ease. He heard some bodies landing on the roof, his family had reached them. But that still didn’t deter him. Punch after punch he started to gain some ground over his opponent. Landing one powerful land on her jaw she falls to the ground defenseless, and her mask dislodged from her face, and now Damian was finally able to see the face of his opponent. He froze. 

Somewhere behind him he hears his Father asking her questions, but it is all muted. A million thoughts pass through his mind, but there are so many that he can’t form a coherent thought. 

“Ashataqat lak ya 'akhy" Comes from her mouth.

He throws himself towards her. He hears Grayson shouting for him to stop, but he can't, it's like his body is moving at its own accord.

Jason sees everything happening in slow motion. From the second they hear fighting sounds from the Demon Spawn’s intercom to when they reach the rooftop where the fighting is taking place. He sees the brutal moves, Robin, lands on his opponent. And if she wasn't an assassin he would feel bad for her. 

She’s injured but that doesn't stop Damian. Dick tries to interfere, but for some reason Bruce stops him. Something he regrets when she’s finally overpowered and is on the ground because even after Dick screams Damian to stop he still goes after the girl. 

But to their surprise, he doesn’t attack her. He throws himself into her arms. She hugs him back, not even caring that her side it’s badly bleeding. She holds him as if her life depended on it. And Damian is no different. Even being at a considerable distance they can see Robin’s shoulders shaking. He's crying, something no one ever saw him doing before.

That sight stunned him. And he can see he is not the only one. Bruce doesn’t seem to know what to do, and Dick looks like someone just kicked his puppy. 

Oh, how Bruce wishes he had heard what Damian had to say earlier.

So last chapter didn’t get a lot of notes... Is the story getting boring? Honest aswers please! I’m posting this chapter today as a birthday present for myself! (My birthday is in 2 days! So exited!) 

Please tell me your thought!

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[raewritez]

just a bit of meddling

based on this request: ah hi ! do you have any request rules? bc i'd love to see a zuko x reader with a little bit of platonic sokka x kyoshi warrior! reader mixed in as sokka tries to the reader up with zuko !! much love <3

---------------

Zuko’s head rested in his hands as he poured over the seemingly never-ending sea of documents sent from around the four nations. His face contorted into a focused expression, eyebrows furrowed and his bottom lip between his teeth. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and messing up his intricate hairstyle in the process. His head snapped up at the creak of a door, his eyes softening when they locked with yours.

“Y/n” he breathed.

“Hey Fire Lord,” you smiled playfully. “What’re you up to? Not overworking yourself again, I hope.” He shook his head, his lips quirking up at the ends. “You know I’d never do that, Y/n.”

You snorted at that, recalling the several times this week alone when you’d had to drag Zuko away from his desk in order to get him to take care of himself. He had a tendency to neglect basic needs like food and sleep, and instead invest himself in reading through massive piles of paperwork that seemed to grow with every passing day. 

He glanced up at your small laugh, a soft smile gracing his lips. A smirk blossomed from underneath your face paint.

“Sure, Fire Lord. I’m sure Katara will be thrilled to hear that one.” He gulped nervously, the wrath of the waterbender all too familiar to him. Her motherly instincts, although something Zuko greatly appreciated at times, were a force to be reckoned with.

Y/n smiled amusedly at his worried expression. “Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Right, Zuko thought. That’s tomorrow. He had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of his friends in the Fire Nation for weeks, excited to again be surrounded by his little family. Y/n was excited too, overtime she had grown privileged enough to be able to call the Gaang some of her best friends and had missed them dearly during all these months apart. 

Serving as the Fire Lord’s bodyguard along with the rest of your fellow warriors proved to be a wonderful, albeit tiresome experience. On top of the attempts on Zuko’s life and the Fire Nation’s clashes with the Earth Kingdom, he had elected to keep you particularly close to him as sort of a personal protector along with Suki. Or maybe as a friend. You considered it your responsibility as his friend to look out for him, whether that meant kicking some bad guy’s ass or taking Zuko’s mind off his work with lighthearted conversations and turtle-duck ponds. Zuko found that he quite enjoyed your company, a warm feeling encompassing his being whenever you were in his radius. In the depths of his work, he found himself craving your presence; your smile, your laugh, the constant light you seemed to emit without trying.

You were about to offer him your hand and lead him away to the palace gardens as you always did, maybe sneak a fruit tart or two from the kitchens, when a knock on the door cut you off. 

From the shadows of the crimson hallways emerged one of the palace’s many servants, a timid look upon his round face.

“Fire Lord, sir, the Yu Dao ambassador is here to speak with you.”

Zuko’s content expression hardened into a stern one, offering a curt nod to the servant. “Thank you.”

The man scurried out of the room, leaving the two of you in silence once again. Zuko’s hand rose to pinch the bridge of his nose, a stressed expression overtaking his features. You slowly approached him, lifting your hand to softly squeeze his shoulder.

“Hey, Zuko” you spoke tenderly. “Don’t worry too much. I know tensions have been high in the colonies, but you’ll figure it out. You always do.”

He looked up at you gratefully, his face relaxing a bit at your supportive words and comforting smile. “Thank you, Y/n.”

You nodded and escorted yourself out of the office, oblivious to the way Zuko’s gaze lingered after you until you were out of sight.

---------------

You stood guard outside the palace entrance, the warmth of the sun a welcome sensation against your skin and a cool breeze swaying the green fabric of your dress. A small smile played at the corners of your lips, embracing the peaceful atmosphere.

Until it was violently disrupted.

You were suddenly sent to the ground, a heavy weight crushing you to the pavement. You stiffened, scolding yourself for being caught off guard and preparing to attack the intruder when you felt a familiar laugh vibrate against you. 

“Sokka,” you rasped out, grinning. 

“Hey Y/n/n! How’s palace life been treating ya?”

You chuckled and shoved him off of you, peering at his face while shielding your eyes from the sunlight. His usual wolf-tail was in place, his hair a bit disheveled from the airborne ride.

A beaming smile overtook your features, scanning the courtyard for the rest of your friends. 

“Appa!” you yelled gleefully.

Sokka scoffed. “Oh sure, say hi to the bison and not your best friend. Typical.” 

You snickered and reached up to ruffle his hair, causing an annoyed expression to contort his face. You launched yourself forward, finding solace in the familiarity of his presence. “Hey, Sokka.”

He smiled softly and hugged you back. You pulled back, studying your best friend’s face for a minute before speaking. 

“But seriously, where’s Appa?”

---------------

You approached the group, familiar barks of laughter and playful insults ringing in your ears. Your eyes lit up when you noticed Zuko, an elated look upon his scarred face.

“Y/n!” 

A voice boomed next to you, followed by a harsh punch against your arm.

“Ow. Hey, Toph,” you chuckled, rubbing the sore spot.

Her clouded eyes crinkled at the edges, a wide smile visible on her pale face. “Never thought I’d say this, but I missed you, Sunshine.”

You playfully rolled your eyes at her show of affection, and placed your arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, I missed you too,” you smirked, not revealing how much you had ached for your friend’s company in your time apart.

Your smiling eyes locked on to cool blue ones, Katara’s soft face coming into view. You pulled away from Toph, pulling Katara closer and throwing your arms around her.

“Hi, Katara,” you breathed out. “I missed you.” She smiled and pulled you tighter, having missed her friend deeply.

“I missed you too, Y/n.”

You stayed like that for a few seconds, until a familiar tattooed head inserted itself in the embrace.

“Group hug, everyone!” Aang yelled. You could hear Zuko groan.

You laughed lightly, you had missed your little family.

---------------

“So, you and the Fire Lord, huh?”

Your eyes snapped over to Sokka’s smug expression, a sly smile on his lips.

You scoffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Zuko and I are just friends.”

“Suuuuure,” he drawled, walking alongside you through the palace corridor. “So that explains why the two of you were making goo-goo eyes at each other all through dinner.” “What?! We were not!” You laughed, playfully shoving Sokka away from you.

“You totally were, Y/n/n. Seriously, you two are giving me oogies.”

You rolled your eyes, turning your head in attempt to hide your blush. Sure, you and Zuko were good friends. And sure, he might be super attractive...and kind... and his voice might make you weak at the knees, but no! You two were just friends. Sokka doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

“You’re blushing aren't you.” “Shut up!” you giggled, glaring at him in exasperation.

“Y/n, everyone can tell you like each other. The only people who don’t seem to get that are you and Zuko!”

You shook your head, your eyebrows furrowing. “Sokka, that’s not true.”

He looked at you with a disbelieving expression. 

“It’s not true!” you insisted. “Zuko definitely doesn’t like me like that, and even if he did...he’s the Fire Lord! It’s my duty to protect him, feelings would only jeopardize that” You weren’t sure if you were trying to convince Sokka or yourself.

“So...you do like him.”

“I’ll kill you.”

---------------

“Hey, buddy!”

Zuko looked up from his desk, the a figure dressed in blue infiltrating his office.

“Hey, Sokka,” the young Fire Lord grinned. Sokka perched himself atop the windowsill, trying to look casual.

“So...how’ve you been? Haven’t seen much of you.” Zuko frowned. “I know, I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I promise I’ll take off work as soon as this agreement is settled. I’ve been in here all day, hopefully I’ll be done by this evening.”

Sokka perked up. “All day, huh? So I guess that means Y/n hasn't visited.”

Zuko eyed him with suspicion. “No...she hasn’t. She’s probably out with the others.”

Sokka nodded thoughtfully. “Uh huh. So, Zuko. Would you say you’ve missed Y/n today?”

His scarred face contorted in confusion. “Um...I guess so?”

“Mhm. You enjoy the breaks you spend with her, don’t you?”

“Sokka...where are you going with this.” Sokka groaned in irritation. “You two are impossible! When are you going to tell her, man?”

He blinked. “Tell her what?”

Sokka practically threw himself on the floor. “That you like her!” he exclaimed.

Zuko stared at him, half in annoyance at his dramatics and half in bewilderment at his abrupt statement.

“I, what?”

“You’re so oblivious,” Sokka muttered. “Look, it’s obvious you two are in love with each other, why don’t you just tell her?”

Now that had Zuko’s head reeling. “What? She doesn’t like me, Sokka.”

“Yes she does!” he exclaimed. “She basically admitted to it last night!” He knew you would probably follow through with your death threat against him if you knew he snitched, but you needed some serious help. You and Zuko were both too blind to notice the other’s obvious feelings, and as both of yours best friend, he was required to take matters into his own hands.

Zuko’s mind was in shambles, echoes of denial bouncing around his head. There was no way you liked him. I mean, you were a Kyoshi Warrior! You were an amazing fighter and an even more amazing friend. You were everything, and he was, well, Zuko. The troubled Lord of the Fire Nation, and your friend. There was no way.

Sokka’s ranting subsided at Zuko’s pensive expression, his hand dropping in a comforting pat against his shoulder.

“Look buddy, it’s obvious. If you don’t believe me, Toph can tell. And let me tell you, your heart rate when she’s around, it’s-” he cut himself off at Zuko’s pointed glare, clearing his throat. “Anyway. You need to tell her, man. You don’t wanna lose her.”

---------------

 Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, laughter bubbling from deep inside you. Suki and Toph were currently reenacting The Boy in the Iceberg, the Ember Island play the six of them had seen while hiding from the Fire Nation. Katara’s face was in her hands, a blush rising to her face as the two of them acted out a scene between her and Zuko taking place in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se.

Suki placed a dramatic kiss on Toph’s cheek, having just professed her undying love for “Katara”.

You looked between the two of them unsurely. “That didn’t happen, right?”

“No, it didn’t!” Aang exclaimed, his expression mirroring Katara’s. You chuckled, someone was jealous.

At that moment the door swung open, Sokka bounding in as Zuko’s amber eyes locked with yours. You raised your eyebrows in question at his intense gaze before being snapped back by Suki’s shrieks as Sokka tackled her to the floor.

You giggled, the warmth that your friends brought you consuming your being. Zuko plopped down next to you on the sofa, sending you a sideways grin. You reciprocated, leaning closer to him.

“You never told me about this play, it’s fantastic!”

“What pl-” he started, realization appearing in his eyes. “Spirits, not this again.”

You laughed loudly, reaching up to ruffle his hair. He gazed at you fondly, a soft smile upon his plush lips. You two stared at each other, seemingly lost in each other’s eyes before an arm yanked on yours.

“Come on, Sunshine, we’re going to the gardens,” Toph spoke, pulling you along with her.

“Oh. We are?”

“Um, yeah? Didn’t you hear us talking? Or were you too busy staring at Sparky over there.”

You groaned, had your friends always been this irritating? The seven of you made your way to the palace garden, sunlight filtering through the trees. The sky was painted with ochre and magenta, casting a glow upon your skin. Zuko noticed.

Resounding laughter and cheerful conversation carried throughout the evening, memories of old adventures recounted and an aura of comfort prevailing. 

As the last rays of sun faded away and yawns emerged from people’s mouths, the group headed off to sleep. 

Until tomorrow, you thought fondly.

You were about to turn in for the night yourself when you noticed a lone figure standing by the turtle-duck pond. Your lips turned upwards, your feet carrying you over to his slender form.

Zuko side-glanced at you when you planted yourself next to him, the splashing of turtle-ducks creating ripples in the pristine water. He watched as you chuckled at their antics, grinning, before opting to lower yourself onto the cool grass and lay back, face turned towards the heavens. He gazed at you for a moment before lying beside you, peering up at the sky. The orange beams had morphed into deep blue, dots of light beginning to awaken from above.

You turned your attention from the aerial wonder to the man laying beside you. His hair was down, just the way you liked it, and he had traded his usual formal attire for a simple tunic. He looked at peace, his face free of any contortions and his lips resting in a content smile.

“Pretty,” he said, still looking at the sky.

“Yeah,” you replied, tracing the curve of his nose with your eyes.

His head slowly turned towards yours, amber irises meeting e/c ones. He was beautiful. The lovely rouge of his scar contrasting against his pale skin...from this close you could count the freckles that dotted his nose.

His eyes shone with adoration, yearning pulling at his heartstrings, begging him to close the gap between you.

He didn’t have to worry about that though, as you hesitantly pushed forward and pressed your lips against his. His eyes widened momentarily before he eagerly reached up to cup your face, bringing you closer to him. Your breath caught in your throat, the rush of confidence slowly fading as it transformed into an easy contentment.

His lips moved slowly and gingerly against yours, his fingers tangling in your hair as this thumb brushed against your bare cheek. His heart was full, relief and elation washing over him like the tide. All his doubt and insecurities melted away, the only thing that mattered was that you were here and you were kissing him. A nagging voice in the back of his head told him that Sokka had been right, but he pushed that annoying thought away with another sigh against your mouth.

You slowly puled apart, lips brushing together as a last quest to pledge yourselves to each other. When your breathing calmed and your eyes met his, a small chuckled emerged from the both of you. You leaned forward once more, pressing a chaste kiss against his slightly swollen lips. It didn’t matter that you were a Kyoshi Warrior and he was the Fire Lord, all that mattered was that you were exactly where you were supposed to be. Smiles rested upon both your mouths, his arms pulling you forwards so that your head rested against his chest. The steady thumping of his heart assured you that this was real, that this wasn’t some dream you had conjured inside your head. As you lay there under the stars, sweet whispered nothings being carried away by the soft breeze, you both relished in your newfound discovery that your sanctuary was in each other.

---------------

Unbeknownst to you, two figures were huddled in the bushes that line the outskirts of the palace. A pouch of coins was begrudgingly passed from one hand to another.

“Thank you very much,” a voice spoke with a tone that reeked smugness.

“Oh, shut up Sokka. Of course they just had to smooch tonight. All they had to do was wait one more day!”

“Don’t be a sore loser, Toph. It was too easy, a little assurance was all they needed.”

“Hey, you meddled! That’s totally not fair!”

“I wouldn’t say meddled, more like nudged in the right direction.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“Hey, you love me.”

“Sure, Snoozles.”

A rock hit his head.

“Ow! Toph!” he groaned, Toph’s chuckles echoing through the silence.

[parakkatresort]

Private Pool Villa Resorts in Munnar | Resorts in Munnar

Our life in general has become very redundant. It often involves certain chores that make it far less interesting. City life has hooked us up to our machines and left us, workaholics. More often than not, a lot of us often end up burnt out yet let the work control our minds and body. However, the weekends are a sigh of relief as they provide us with a much-needed break. While most of us would definitely take a long vacation, a short weekend getaway isn’t too bad either. Not only will it rejuvenate your soul but energize you to begin the week afresh. Munnar, the beautiful hills located in Kerala are just right for a short weekend trip. Parakkat Nature, the best resort in Munnar is at your service in such a scenario.

Being the hottest vacation spot it is, resorts in Munnar are located within every kilometre. However, most of them are located far away from the major sites and since the place is inside thick forests, it makes travelling difficult. Located within the 15 minutes drive to Munnar, the 12 acres nature resort is splurged with state-of-the-art facilities without compromising the nature’s view. Developed around the model of a boutique resort, this one facilitates ample parking space, the best eating points and even a pool place.

Munnar is famous for various trekking and wildlife safari spots including the Attukkad Waterfalls, Echo point, Eravikulam National Park and Tea gardens. Most of these are set up in remote locations and can be difficult to navigate alone. For those, we have introduced the package, “Hello Munnar” which is a guided tour set up by our resort where guests are paired with local tour guides who know their way around the place.

What makes us the best resort in Munnar for Honeymoon apart from our strategic location is our exclusive package. Monikered, “Bliss of Love”, it allows the couple a stay in our Honeymoon club suite fitted and furnished with a round bed, a Television and bedroom decorations. For couples who are enthusiastic to enjoy the outdoors, we have Jeep Trekking, Rope Way, Cave House and Campfire included in the package. We also organize special candle-lit dinners and fill the air with romance.

When you are not travelling or trekking, spend time in our luxurious hotel rooms -Superior rooms, club suites and Presidential suites. With over 60 rooms at your disposal, all of them house a spacious bedroom and a washroom, free WIFI, room service and a balcony. We are especially proud of our pool villas showcasing spacious rooms and a large private swimming pool for the family.

Imagine celebrating your party or anniversary among the hills. It sure is as fun as it seems. Our world-class event halls are constructed with your special parties in mind. Parakkat is the best hotel in Munnar to organize official conferences as well as wedding receptions. The restaurant serves multiple cuisines to introduce your taste palettes to amazing flavours.

So experience our hospitality this weekend by booking a room!

[itsbeaconhillsbaby]

a luminous love || tom holland x reader

a/n: I feel like I should apologise for the length of this. I was not intending for it to be as long as it’s ended up, but I hope that doesn't put anyone off! there is also a follow up of this planned: the subsequent road-trip. both are definitely stand alone’s but there will be a few casual nods to this fic throughout. i’m thinking of doing a couple shorter blurb style fics as these longer ones take up a bit more time to plan and write. also looking to delve into my angsty side after doing so many slice of life, fluff pieces. let me know what you think, thank you all for reading and being amazing as always! come chat! x  

word count: 2556 warnings: alcohol use summary: its the annual summer BBQ extravaganza at the holland household

The patio doors were wide open, folded in on themselves as shimmering golden sunlight enveloped the kitchen. Sunbeams glinted off the mirrors and glass surfaces, rainbows dancing around the open space. Light music was playing from a portable speaker, the birds chirping along to the soothing tones. You could hear voices all talking over one another, loud laughter and a dog barking. From your position in the hallway you could see people sheltering in the shaded kitchen from the sweltering heat that was London on a glorious summer day. Bodies filtered in and out through the large open space, congregating both inside and out. You felt a gentle squeeze of your hand. Taking your eyes off the crowded room and glancing up, you saw tom had rested his bag in the hallway, and was waiting for you to do the same. “You okay?” he asked, as you stepped out of your trance and copied Tom’s actions, “It’s only the family, you’ve met them before - and a couple family friends...” he trailed off. “Oh.No, I’m excited I promise!” you reassured him. Tom grasped your shoulders, spinning you round slightly so you were standing directly in front of him, your bodies touching. His smile widened, pressing a feather light kiss to the top of your head, “I got you.” You leaned into the kiss, closing your eyes quickly as you soaked up the closeness. You picked up the discarded gift bag, lost in amongst the jumble of things you and Tom had brought in for your quick stay at the Holland household. He entwined your fingers together, rubbing the back of your hand slightly with his thumb before jerking his head questioningly, ready to face the onslaught? you nodded, grinning. Pulling him in close beside you, he stretched his entwined hand across the back of your neck and up over your shoulder casually. “You weren’t having a summer Holland BBQ without your favourite, right?!” he bellows, as you both appear in the kitchen entry way. A myriad of eyes darted over to the pair of you, everything stilling for a millisecond. Even Tessa dropped her ball. Then the place erupted. “Oh honey!” “Ayy, about time guys.” “Favourite? yeah right!” “Only in your dreams you div.” “Oh look who he brought!! Thank god, I needed someone to talk about...” “My favourite non-Holland!” The cacophony of voices echoed around the room, people whooping and hollering before finishing their previous conversations. With another light squeeze, you feel the weight of Tom’s arm disappear from around you. His fingers ghosted across your back before he was hugging his brothers, pulling out high fives and fist bumps. You found yourself immediately enveloped into a perfume filled, soft hug, Nikki running a hand through your hair complimenting the slightly lighter colouring, “- I’m so glad you could both make it! I was worried you’d miss out what with your trip but it looks like we were just in time.” You were heading on a road-trip up to Scotland to visit your family since Tom had some proper free time off work, him wanting to drive and explore some pretty hidden routes with you. You’d decided to stop off for a night at his family’s house before heading off the next again morning. “We wouldn’t miss it! Yearly tradition and all, also it’s just a wee thing but please just accept it no questions.” Nikki pulls a face at the gift bag, “You don’t have to do that, you’re family - no need for gifts!” You can feel yourself falling into a grin at the comment before thanking her for letting you stay the night and for the amazing spread. You hear the pitter patter of tiny feet on the tiled floor, before your four-legged friend jumped up on her hind legs, tail thumping the ground and front legs pawing at yours. “Oh hi baby, hi Tess!” you coo softly, kneeling on one knee to stretch behind her ear and rub her belly as she continued to hop on her back legs, her tongue sticking out to lick your face.   Her ears suddenly pricked at a whistle, and both your heads turned as she noticed Tom - immediately forgetting about you and bounding over to him. He sticks his tongue out at you menacingly. You rolled your eyes, grinning as you stand back up again. Nikki leading you to a group of people gathered around the island, “Anyway! Let’s get you a drink and introduce you to some friends! Tell us how you’ve been, it’s been so long.” //// You were laughing with the twins, watching Paddy show some of his new football tricks. Tessa was trying to get in on the action, pink tongue hanging out as she ran around you all. You’d already been handed plenty of drink, a table set up in the corner of the kitchen with every kind of spirit laid out for guests to help themselves to. Massive beer crates were stacked next to the fridge, clearly on a rotation. You had met and talked with so many family friends already, before the groups dispersed and you were waved over by some familiar faces. The boys were taking up a whole section of the garden with their games. Far away from the BBQ and food, as directed by Dom. “What do you say to a game of beer pong?” Harry asked you, shaking out some of the curls that were beginning to stick to his forehead in the sweltering sunshine, “Bet a tenner I’ll sink you.” You laugh, smirking, “Alright kids, you’re on!” He groaned, “I hate that nickname, you’re older than us by literally two months!” Paddy acts as referee as you and Sam pair up against Harry and Harrison who were already squabbling about each other’s techniques. As you watched your last shot dive into the cup, bopping about slightly, you cheer loudly. The competition, beer drinking and sun already heating up your cheeks, staining them pink. You hug Sam in celebration and made a beeline to Harrison for a commiseration’s handshake-turned-hug, hearing Harry to have it out with his twin next to you.   “Cough up, bro.” You held out your hand upright as Harry begrudgingly slapped the ten pounds into your hand. You all start laughing as Harry downs the last cup, not before sloshing it all down himself. //// You’re lounging in a deckchair, listening to some childhood stories of the boys until you feel a shadow block your sun. “Hey darling, you alright?” He hands you two platefuls of food before pulling up an empty deckchair beside you. “Hey! So good. Warning I’ve definitely had more than my fair share of your gross beer.” You thank him for the food, pressing a soft and quick kiss to his cheek as he chuckled at you. He had already taken to the sun, his face now painted with a sun kissed glow. You take a minute, swallowing slightly as you take him in. The food plates resting on your lap, he lounges back slightly, a bottle of beer in one hand. Tess immediately jumps into his shorts clad lap, his striped linen shirt was unbuttoned and his dog tags shifted as she lay down, panting and eyes softly blinking in the sun, mouth upturned as if she was smiling. “You look good.” You whisper as you pass across his food, trying to avoid Tess’s eager snout as you did so. He quirks an eyebrow, “Oh really?” he laughs, “How many beers have you had exactly?” “Well, I played beer pong with your brothers...” He nods his head in understanding, smirking at the slight wobble in your voice. “Did you win?” “You bet I did!” The hand that was resting on Tess’s back he instead used to high-five you, laughing as he turned his head in search of his brothers. That same hand now resting on your bare thigh comfortably as his leg leant against yours. “Well, if you’ve got another round in you later...we can beat them again?” You agree enthusiastically, knowing that you’d be at a slight disadvantage seeing as the sun and alcohol was already going to your head, but that Tom would carry your team easily. More people gather round the two of you with their plates of food, engaging in conversation about golf, work, filming etc kindly including you in their conversations as you munched on your food, hoping it would soak up a little bit of the alcohol. You soon found yourselves back indoors, stomachs nice and full, as you took a break from the sun. Tom was leaning back into the arm of the sofa, wrapping his arm around your back and resting it on the opposite side of you, pulling you super close. He was talking animatedly to the man on his left, one of Dominic’s friends that you’d been introduced to earlier. You were fiddling with Toms tags, lightly dragging them back and forth on their chain as he conversed about his latest job. “I found it!” Nikki announced as she made her way over to the sofa, everyone shifting up as she squeezed in-between you and Harrison’s girlfriend, who you’d been chatting with on the opposite side of the couch. Tom groaned. “Not another one mum! I’m surprised you still have any left to show at this point.” Nikki ignored his objections before pulling open the photo album, and immediately you were taken in by the cute small toddler in a variety of places around the house; in the bath, under the christmas tree, in his high chair with chocolate birthday cake all round his face, outside in the grass on a blanket - giant smile plastered across his little face. Tom had rested his chin on your head, peeking over you. His cold tags making your back flinch slightly at the change in temperature. you cooed and laughed along with her as she took you through the book, telling you stories about her eldest, mischievous son. You could feel the vibrations against you as he laughed at different pictures, his mum leaning across to ruffle his hair. “You two would have the cutest kids, I’m just saying-“ Nikki blurted out. Tom groaned and immediately pulls himself and you up off the couch, “-I’m just saying! Tom!” “Oh, here we go! Mum you’re cut off,” he says laughing, guiding you back out into the sunshine, and past the BBQ, “Dad, mums at it again.” Dom sighs, then laughs before heading inside, “What has got into her!”   You stifle a giggle, Tom with a hand on either shoulder his body pressed flush against you as he propelled you through the throng of people gathered round a fire pit, and led you back to the beer pong table. “Please ignore everything my mother just said.” You spin around quickly so you’re chest to chest. Bringing a hand up to cup the back of his neck as you pull him down just slightly, whispering in his ear, “Whilst we’re definitely not ready for kids yet, I’m definitely not against some practice in techniques...are you?” He pulls his head back sharply, golden eyes coming to life in the glittering sun. His entire face breaks out into a smile, “You’re such a tease, move it!” 

Spinning you back around, he presses you forward brushing your hair behind your shoulder as he sinks some light kisses into the side of your neck, as you both continue towards the beer pong. You pretend to shove him off, his breath tickling your cheek. 

“PDA! PDA! Ew, get a room guys!” Paddy jokes, cupping his hand around his mouth and announcing to the garden. “What are you, twelve?! That’s it Pads!” Tom suddenly bounds away from you, leading to a chase as Paddy runs nimbly around the garden; dodging people, chairs, cups and plates - Tom hot on his heels. You burst out laughing, shaking your head as Tom lifted Paddy, chucking him over his shoulder. You sat yourself down on the dry grass, waiting for the boys to finish their play fighting. As you do, you feel a soft body lean itself against you, tail hitting off your legs. “Hey baby,” you murmur, clapping and stoking Tess as she lay belly up in the sun, “Whose a clever girl?” //// “Here.” You sit up, having been lying on the grass since the latest beer pong match which led to copious amounts of drinking games. You’d questioned if the world would stop spinning if you lay down, a chorus of laughter coming from the boys and their friends.  Tom passes you a glass of ice-cold water which you gratefully take, before hunkering down next to you himself, sitting with his knees up and his arms clasped around them. You take a couple sips before balancing your cup in the tufts of grass, he opens up one of his arms and you cuddle into him. “Your brothers suck,” you joke, the water chasing away your light headache. He laughs. “Thank you for pushing our trip back to fit this in,” You rest your head on his shoulder and look out at all the people, still having a great time despite the fact the sun was slowly disappearing below the trees. “Tom. Of course, my folks completely understand. I love your family and you don’t always get the time off to see them. What’s one extra day, hm?” He turns his face to look at you and you lift your head off his shoulder. You had a spattering of pink across your cheekbones and nose, your freckles peeking out. Your hair was falling out of its messy half up-do. yes twinkling as you looked up at him through your lashes. His hand brushed against your hair and the side of your face before he tilted your chin upwards and took your mouth in his, brushing his lips against yours. You smiled into the kiss, letting him press soft clusters of kisses on your nose and cheekbones. You laugh and bring him back to the centre. “I love you,” he announced, taking a breath before kissing you again - you unconsciously reached for the back of his neck to pull yourself in closer. “I love you too.” you sigh, shifting yourself to now lie between Toms’ legs. letting him whisper soothing words into your ears, of all the places you were going to visit on your trip.

“Oi lovebirds,” Harry comes bouncing over to the two of you. Tom leaning back on his elbows as you sit comfortably between his legs, him tightening them around you.

“I took these. Thought you might like them. Who’d of thought? You guys actually look really cute.” You hit his arm, as he dramatically yelps and rubs at the attacked area.

He held out the polaroid’s as Tom balanced on one elbow, shifting his weight to the left as he reached out and took the pictures.

“These are actually sick Haz, thanks bro!” He shifts back, sitting up with your back pressed flush to his stomach as he brought his arms round for you both to look at the small collection of photographs Harry had taken throughout the day.

You smile wide at the joy and love plastered on your faces, a tiny miniature you beaming up at your goofy boyfriend squinting in the sunlight. You feel Tom’s arms wrap around you tighter. breathing each other in, you feel him relax behind you, you trace patterns along his sun kissed skin with your fingers as the sun begins to paint the sky in gorgeous oranges and pinks.