#he thought he was supposed to stay away from me because somebody told him to

[whorediaries-09]

Hi babes💓

May I ask for a French!Slytherin!fem X Sirius???

Could be angsty and slowburnish or whatever you'd like really [I'm a sucker for your smut]

I love you xxx

thank you for sending in the request, luv!!

i'm gonna make you my wife;

pairing- sirius black x frenchslytherin!reader warning(s)- banter, fluff, silly teenagers in love, kinda shy reader, alcohol, 18+ content. a/n- also sorry for poorly translated french, i used whatever google gave me hehe.

ps- i didn't write the day old cliche about slytherin reader and sirius in this one because i think i have read it so much, it doesn't inspire me anymore.

little train.

it was the most annoying noise. the way sirius black was sucking on the lollipop vibrated in your eardrums. in the quiet silence of the library, the constant swishing, flicking and sucking was deafeningly annoying.

more over, you didn't understand why he was here, of all places. and why he couldn't understand the meaning of personal boundaries. so you decided to voice your thought.

'black, move your ass away, will you?' sirius looked at you as if he'd noticed you were standing near him, struggling to get the book out which was kept on one of the higher shelves. while he could've easily gotten it out, it was fun to see you struggle, as the shirt that you had carefully tucked into your skirt loosened with every movement. it didn't really help with the fact that your skirt also rid up slightly as you stood on your tiptoes, exposing the skin of your thighs.

'why good morning, love, i see you're thinking about my ass today.'

'trust me, i've got better things to do, black. and don't call me love.' you warned. sirius seemed greatly amused. he moved closer to you, his breathe falling upon your hair. he could easily tower over you.

'then what would you like me to call you? sweetheart? honey? or maybe you'd prefer princess?' he didn't miss the way your lips quirked but you preferred to stay silent. he smiled, apparently satisfied with your reaction. he leaned closer, his finger tucking your hair behind your back. his lips almost brushed with your ear as he whispered, handing you the book you'd been reaching for,

'ou peut-être préféreriez-vous que je vous appelle mon amour.' ('or maybe you'd prefer me to call you my love.')

he didn't miss the way your eyes flicked to his lips. or the way your cheeks reddened at his words. or the way your pupils dilated, if only slightly. grinning, he held a two finger salute, walking away,

'see you at the game tomorrow! can't wait to beat the slytherins!'

'va te faire foutre, black,' ('fuck you, black,') you whispered as he walked away.

*-

it was cold. the air was harsh, biting your skin with every bellow. but as the enthusiastic quidditch fan you were, you had to go. well you'd be lying if you said you were the enthusiastic quidditch fan, you couldn't give more than two shits about it, you solemnly went to support your team.

at least that is what you told yourself.

it was again, a lie.

you wrapped the scarf around your neck closer, hiding yourself further into the soft and knitted wool. through the wind, you watched sirius throw a particularly nasty throw at evan. and try as hard as you might, you couldn't bring yourself to tear your eyes off from his form.

it was quite the show, every time he shouted at somebody else, every time his fingers wrapped around the ball, pulling it closer to his body and throwing it about with the club. you'd be lying too much if you said you didn't find that weirdly attractive.

but what would a few lies do?

you were pulled out your thoughts as you saw sirius approach closer, closer than he was supposed to during a game. he was grinning full ear to ear. you quickly diverted your eyes to the score board.

'enjoying the view, mon amour?' he shouted. you rolled your eyes,

'you wish, black,' he chuckled,

'you know i don't,'

*-

sirius knew what he wanted. and he knew how to get it. so, as he watched you sit down for a game of spin the bottle at the party, he sat strategically directly opposite to you. the rest of his group cheered as he was handed a shot of tequila. you rolled your eyes, as he cheered the air.

'not so cheerful today are we, mon amour?' (my love)

'it's never cheerful with you around, black,'

'you wound me, chérie,' (darling)

'i sure hope i do,' he chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. he took the bottle, placing it on the carpet. with a wide grin, he said, overly cheerful,

'lets get this game going shall we?' he spun the bottle. everybody stayed silent, watching as it turned in circles, before slowing down every passing minute and halting to a stop.

it pointed at evan and barty. barty smirked, evan groaned. the rest cheered barty on. he got on all fours, reaching towards evan,

'pick your choice, rosier,' he said. the other boy grumbled something incomprehensible before pulling him close and kissing him. the way he kissed him didn't seem very rivals of them.

'oi! get a fucking room!' james shouted, throwing a chip at them. barty pulled himself off evan's lips.

'i will potter, just not within the spectrums of your knowledge,' the boy blew a raspberry before grabbing the bottle and spinning it. it spun again. you hoped it wouldn't stop at you. you didn't want to have to kiss sirius. and neither did you want to have to drink the tequila.

you didn't have a very good experience with alcohol.

it stopped at james and lily. it was no rumor lily had finally said yes to the boy after years of unnerved dedication to pester her. but james had to change into a matured and good youth of course, before he'd finally gotten lily to fall in love with him. lily leaned over, but james being the over excited fellow he was, pulled her into a frenzy, smacking a hard kiss on her lips.

'james, we don't want to become uncles at this young age, bless us!' remus said, dryly. he seemed thoroughly bored. on second thought, he always appeared bored. it was just him, you supposed, not finding the thrill into these games. he much rather preferred rotting in bed with a book.

'i agree with remus,' peter piped in, taking the bottle. sirius' eyes lingered upon you. he could see the feign worry etched on your face. he thought it was adorable how oblivious you were at hiding your feelings.

he saw the whispers in your eyes.

'spin the fucking bottle.' you said.

and so peter did. when it stopped, so did your heart. well almost. sirius looked at you with the biggest grin you'd ever seen on his face. you huffed.

'pick your poison, babe,' he said. he didn't lean over. it was all part of his strategy.

'you're poison either way.' you said, taking the shot burning down your throat. he grinned, shrugging his shoulders.

je vais faire de toi ma femme. he thought. (i'm gonna make you my wife.)

je vais casser ton vélo. you thought. (i'm gonna smash up your bike.)

*-

you were high. and god forbid you didn't care about sirius' hands around your body. you allowed yourself to relish the feeling. the warmth your heart sunk as his breath fanned over your neck. his hands felt so familiar on your skin, as you'd felt them before.

the music crawled under your skin. he swirled you around, his hand placed on your waist, pressing your chest to his.

'i'm gonna get you one day, miel,' (honey) he said. you chuckled, dancing with unrhythmic steps.

'je vais te dire une chose, miel. je pourrais retourner ce putain de scénario et prendre le dessus, et te laisser comme cette stupide fête. ou je pourrais juste t'aimer jusqu'à la fin.' (i'll tell you one thing, honey. i might flip the fucking script and take the upper hand, and leave you like this dumb party. or i might just love you till the end.)

sirius laughed. it vibrated into your ears. it was a melody, a sweet vibratos of rasps from the depth of his throat. and god forbid it got you feeling things you'd never thought you'd feel.

'et je vais te dire une chose, bébé. je vais faire de toi ma putain de femme.' (and i'll tell you one thing, babe. i'm gonna make you my fucking wife)

you chuckled.

'et je briserai ton putain de vélo.' (and i'm gonna smash your fucking bike)

he dipped you, before swirling you for the last time and leaving you.

'i'll wait, sweetheart.'

*-

you didn't know whether you wanted to flip him off or pull him into the closet. but the whispers in his eyes were so loud, so lewd, it was as if you could hear them echo into your head. why was he sitting with the group to play truth and dare anyway?

worser still, it was a rapid fire if you chose truth.

'lace, satin or leather,' peter asked.

'that's the most most stupid question to ask the fucking sirius black leather! the guy's wearing a leather jacket in front of your eyes!'

'lace,' he said.

'we were not talking about lingerie.' lily commented, bored.

'i am,' he shrugged.

fuck. it was your turn. he grinned. without thinking, you chose truth. and god by the look on his face you knew he'd make it hard.

'tell us about any three kinks you have.' you almost choked on your pumpkin juice. your brain short circuited. kinks? you'd only had sex one time.

'fast, chérie, time is money,'

'uhm, may-maybe mirrors, oral and biting,'

he clearly saw through your lie, but made no further comment.

*-

'i see you can't stand us having a jolly time, black,' your friend commented as sirius sat down with your group. sirius grinned at her.

'if you want to, take away your girlfriend,' she grumbled. you hit her with your book. exactly why sirius black to sit amongst your group of friends, was extremely questionable. if you knew better, sirius black would've rather died than having been spotted at the slytherin table.

'she's not my girlfriend, yet,' he replied.

'and i'm never gonna be your girlfriend!' you snapped. he grinned,

'so we're going straight for husband and wife, mon amour?' you stuttered upon your words. he enjoyed the effect he had on you. he smiled, leaning closer, resting his face on his palm. you rolled your eyes.

'marry, kiss or kill me, ladies?' he asked. your friends groaned, each on of them mumbling a quiet 'kill'. sirius seemed thoroughly amused when you didn't say anything.

'it's just a game but really,' he said, urging you to answer. you smiled, a sly curve of your lips, so unlike you,

'i'm betting on all three, for us.'

this time, sirius black was left speechless.

*-

you were late. running towards slughorn's class wasn't the best option, considering it was down in the dungeon, where the floor tended to be slippery, but it was the second best option considering apparition was not possible within the grounds of hogwarts. not to say, you'd been used to the slippery floors after spending 6 and a half years in the castle.

but just as you were turning on your heel, a few steps away into his class, you were pulled by somebody who's touch seemed eerily familiar. their hand clasped upon your mouth, as they pressed your back towards their front, pulling you into a broom closet-which you didn't even know was there.

inky locks licked your forehead. the warmth of his body pressed upon yours and the ink of the fresh tattoos on his hand instantly gave away who it was.

'i hope you don't mind that i kidnapped you,' he rasped, letting you go once he was sure you wouldn't scream and let the whole school know where you were.

'i in fact do mind, black,' you said, reaching for the handle of the closet. he held your free hand, pulling you back,

'there's slime all over the floor. it's for snivellus. i hope you don't want to get stuck on it.' he said, warning you. you didn't answer, letting go the handle.

'it's too small in here,' you commented. he quirked an eyebrow, smiling wickedly,

'i think its cozy in here,' you rolled your eyes.

'push the reset button, babe, let's become something new,'

'no offence but god how do you talk so much. i think i die a little inside every time you open your stupid mouth. sometimes i just want to wrap my hand around your throat and choke you till you can't speak anymore,'

'that sounds kinky,' his reply took you off guard. 'are we discussing kinks in this closet? i don't think i'll be able to handle myself once i get to know about-'

his voice was muffled when you crashed your lips against his, pulling him down my his red tie. for a minute millisecond, he didn't kiss you back, and you thought you'd fucked it up. but when he smiled and pushed you back on the wall, his hands cradling your cheeks, you knew you lost it. your knees suddenly became very weak and your heart started thumping against your throat.

you could only hope you'd crawl out of this closet even alive. because the way he kissed you, so deep, so passionate, yet so rough had you losing your breathe.

'f-fuck black, i can't breathe,' you gasped, getting away from him. he smiled, slyly.

'had no idea you'd got so much in you, mon amour,' he said, his hands travelling between your thighs. he crawled his fingers upon the skin of your inner thigh, enjoying the way you crumbled bit by bit with every movement. his finger grazed over your underwear, feeling the little wet spot.

'may i?' he asked, his pupils dilated. you sighed, pulling him closer by the collar.

'god all you do is fucking talk, please,' he laughed, deep from the base of the throat.

'and all you do is hate me,' he slipped his fingers into your underwear, rubbing circles on your clit.

'you're so fucking wet,' you hummed, letting him scissor his fingers into your cunt. your walls pulsated at the cold contact of his rings into the warmth of your folds. you shuddered, his free hand undoing the buttons of your shirt.

'i'll mark you in places only i can see,' he whispered, his lips trailing over the expanse of your warm skin of your breasts. with a swish and click of his fingers, gone was your bra. he kissed your breasts gently, enjoying as you heaved hotly within his contact. you didn't think he had the right to be so outrageously good at this.

the last and the only time you'd had sex was not like this. it couldn't have been like this, you had not even orgasmed.

the rumors weren't wrong after all. sirius black knew shit. the way he toyed with you, leaving you shaking and desperate for him, just on his fingers drove you to fucking hell.

'god, you're so hot,' he whispered, pulling out his fingers, leaving you stranded, without the pleasure of climax. you whined. he grinnned.

'come on, tell me what you want,'

'you know what i want,'

'i happen to be a twat. i actually have no idea what you want,' he said, his wrapping his lips around the fingers that had been inside you not even a minute ago. you groaned, tugging at his collar, brushing his lips against yours,

'i need you to fuck me, black.' he grinned, crashing his lips with yours, picking you up, wrapping your legs around his waist. your fingers nimbly undid his zip, pulling out his cock. you pumped him in your hand before he lifted up your skirt, pushing himself inside of you.

he nudges his forehead with you, as you try to stifle your moans when he thrusts.

'mon Dieu, tu vas me ruiner, black,' (god, you're gonna ruin me, black,') he laughs silently, throwing his head back when your walls pulsate around him.

'je n'ai pas l'intention de le faire, chérie.' (i don't plan to, darling.')

your thighs shake around him, as you pull him closer, as if you want to crawl under his skin. his hand crawls on your torso, as he kisses, bites and licks every bit of bare skin he can find.

'attagirl, taking me so well,'

you groan.

'f-fuck, i'm gonna cum,' you say. he fastens his pace erratically, the tip of his cock hitting spots that made you see stars.

'Ouais? Dis mon nom. crie-le.' (yeah? say my name. scream it.') you groan, rolling your eyes and curling your toes as you feel yourself topple on the edge of insanity.

'f-fuck, black please,' he wraps his hand around your throat, forcing you to look at him,

'Non? regarde-moi, crie mon nom.' (no? look at me, scream my name.') and so you do. you crumble completely as the words spill from his mouth, heaving and clashing when you feel your orgasm hit.

'sirius- sirius- fuck!' he grinned, thrusting into you erratically, chasing his own high. you squeezed around him, as he toppled over the edge, rushing thick white hot ropes of cum into you, before pulling out. the sticky mixture flowed down your thighs. he rubbed his fingers onto the skin of your thighs. with his thumb, he parted your lips, placing his wet fingers on your tongue.

'taste,' he demanded. you wrapped your lips around his fingers, licking tasting the both of you on his fingers. and you saw the lust fade from his eyes, as he pecked you sweetly on your lips. and god forbid it drove you crazy.

how could have just leave you shaking and treat you like fragile glass within a few seconds?

'so would you want to go on a date with me sometime?' you smiled, devilishly,

'i'd rather smash up your bike, sirius black,' he grinned back, showing his pearly white teeth.

'and i'll make you my wife.'

**************************

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FOLKS THE LAST DIALOGUE IS SARCASTIC BETWEEN THE READER AND SIRIUS!!

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[phoward89]

Banner by me, dividers by @saradika-graphics

Summary: After finding you in the park with Sejanus, Coriolanus walks you home and convinces you to spend the night with him. He plants the seeds of doubt in your head about your new relationship and manipulates you into believing that he only wants what's best for you.

Warnings: Coriolanus Snow is a warning himself! Cussing, possessiveness, Dark!Coriolanus Snow, thoughts of murder, manipulation, cheating?, kissing

Chapter 3

“Maybe you should just stay at mine tonight, little dove. It's late; your mother might get upset if you wake her up.” Coryo suggested as you walked home together, weaving in and out of the dark alleyways as a shortcut.

Something you've always done with him ever since you could remember. He always guided you thru the dark alleyways as a shortcut; you never protested it either since you felt safe with him. Coryo was your best friend; the first friend you truly ever made when you first arrived in the Capitol, so you always trusted his judgment and always felt safe with him.

Even in places one should feel iffy about, you felt safe because your bestie with the platinum blonde curls was with you and you knew he'd never let anything bad happen to you. Plus it wasn't like you had to deal with a bunch of homeless beggars in the part of town you were in anyways. So really, there wasn't anything to fear. Even in the dark.

Feeling a bit torn, you sighed, “I dunno, Coryo. I'm with Sejanus now; sleeping over with you might be weird.”

That wasn't the answer Coriolanus wanted to hear. He wanted to hear you say ‘Okay, Coryo’ or ‘Okay, I’ll stay at yours, Coryo's’ like you'd usually say. Hearing you say it might be weird because of your stupid boyfriend pissed him off.

You've been having sleepovers with him in his penthouse since you were 5 years old! Nothing's going to change that!

He didn't care about your bullshit relationship with Sejanus, he’s not letting you end your sleepovers with him.

How else is he supposed to corrupt your innocence? He needs you in his bed, wrapped around his body.

Hell…

He knew he should've charmed you into fucking him a while back.

But no…

He didn't want to scare you by moving too fast.

And look at where that got him. Trying to keep you from being taken away from him by Sejanus Plinth, the richest district dog in the Academy. Damn, if he only would've acted on his impulsive desires months (hell years) ago instead of showing restraint then he wouldn't be in this mess. You would be telling everyone that you’re his girlfriend instead of telling people that Sejanus was your boyfriend.

Coriolanus knew that he had to say anything and everything to get you to sleepover with him, to share his bed. Flashing you a sweet, but manipulative smile, he told you, “Sleeping over won't be weird, little dove. We've been best friends since we were 5 years old.”

“I dunno, Coryo.” You hesitated.

Yes, he's been your best friend and constant your entire life, but you have a boyfriend now. Surely you can't keep using Coryo as your lifeline, your crutch while you're with Sejanus? It's time for you to get to know the sweet Plinth boy better. Time for you to learn how to distance yourself from your best friend so that he can, maybe, find somebody too.

Little did you know that Coriolanus didn't want to find anybody. He had you. You were all that he wanted, all that he needed too.

He was obsessed with you; would have you too. Even if it meant permanently getting rid of your boyfriend, Sejanus.

“We're not just best friends, but the bestest of friends, Y/N. Don't push me away because you're afraid of Sejanus judging you about our friendship.”

“I'm not afraid of him judging me about being your best friend. He knows we're close, it's just…maybe…I dunno…”

“Little dove, don't do this. Don't try to talk yourself out of staying with me tonight.” Coriolanus told you, guiding you into an alleyway that would make the Corso appear in minutes. “I'm your bestest friend, Y/N. You know I just want what's best for you. I'd hate for you to get in trouble with your mother for disturbing her while coming home so late.” You and Coriolanus walked out of the alley and onto your street.

The Corso.

“Just stay the night with me, little dove.” Coryo pressed while leading you down the street towards your grand building.

A grand building with a broken elevator and crumbling, moldy, rat infested apartments.

Outward appearances can be deceiving.

The bedroom was pitch black, the only light faintly coming from the moon shining thru Coriolanus’ bedroom window. The light seemed to make his pale skin glow as he laid in bed with you.

The twin bed could barely fit his lanky frame, let alone hold the both of you. But you made it work. You always made it work.

You've been sharing a bed with him since you started having sleepovers years ago. When you were little, the bed seemed more than big enough, but as you both grew the bed was no longer big enough. Now it's too small for him, let alone you.

But whenever you slept over, he needed you in bed with him. You were his best friend, the bestest actually, and therefore you always had to sleep in his bed.

A very uncomfortable bed, but it wasn't like your’s was any better in your 8th floor apartment. Hell, all you had at home was a mattress on the floor with a worn quilt.

Coriolanus' bed was in better shape than yours, but that wasn't saying much considering you're both poor. His bed was worn; the metal frame was being held up by cinder blocks, since the legs of the frame had rusted and snapped off years ago. The mattress was also lumpy and held together in places with electrical tape. The white sheets, now stained a faded yellow with age, loosely fit over the bed since the elastic of the fitted sheet snapped years prior. At least the loose fitting sheet did hide the poor state of Coriolanus’s mattress.

The flat sheet for his bed had long ago been used by his cousin to make him some shirts, so the only linen he had on this bed was a thin blue blanket.

It offered very little warmth.

The only thing that kept him warm in his bed was your body pressed against his whenever you shared his bed during sleepovers. Since the bed was so narrow, you were always laying on top of him with his arms around you.

You looked like a monkey or a koala bear clinging to him. He enjoyed having you so close to him. It fans the fires of his dark, obsessive, and possessive nature when it comes to you. You in his bed, in his arms, legs tangled with his makes him feel like the happiest man alive.

Even though your touch was innocent, it fueled his feelings for you.

Coriolanus loved the feeling of you in his arms; knew that he couldn't share you with Sejanus. Hell, you went out on one dinner date with that district scum and it drove him insane worrying about you. He knew that he needed to convince you to drop the district dog.

And what better way then to plant some seeds of doubt. So, as you used your best friend's chest as a pillow, he ran his hand up and down your back while sighing, “You know, dove, you shouldn't tell Sejanus about our sleepover. He might not understand how we are; might try and make you choose between us.”

You lifted your head up, only to rest your chin on Coryo’s bare chest. “Sejanus is your friend too, Coryo.” You reminded the platinum blonde. “And I don't think he'd make me choose…but…it might hurt his feelings if he knew we share a bed and snuggle during sleepovers.”

“That's why, if you don't want our friendship to end, you shouldn't tell him.” Coriolanus stressed as his hand rested on the small of your back. “Guys get jealous when their girl's with somebody else all the time. He’s not going to like how close we are.”

“Coryo, he knows you've been my best friend since we were little. I don't think he'd get jealous over you or make me pick between you and him.”

Of course Sejanus won't get jealous or demand that you choose between him or Coriolanus. That was Coriolanus’ game. He's the one with an unhealthy love obsession with you. The one that wants you with him and nobody else.

And he's the one trying to manipulate you with twisted words to choose him over the sweet boy from District 2 that enjoys helping his Ma bake.

“But we're not just best friends, little dove. We're the bestest of friends. That's going to threaten him, Y/N.”

“No, it won't, Cor-” You began, only for him to cut you off with, “He’s already threatened by us. It's why he seemed so annoyed that I stumbled upon your date during my walk.”

Coriolanus' touch seemed to sear thru the shirt he lent you for the night; his tone turned bitter as his words filled the air. “He accused me of trying to be the third wheel on your date when all I did was go over to make sure you were okay, because I thought you were already home from your date. I spotted you sitting with Sejanus while taking a walk, because I couldn't sleep, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Even in the dark, you could make out how Coriolanus' jaw clenched, how his brows knitted above his icy eyes. Eyes that were full of something you couldn't quite pinpoint.

His voice shook as he continued his rant. “Because we're best friends, I wanted to make sure you were safe, and he made fun of me for it. He implied that I was trying to insert myself into your date, when that wasn't the case at all.”

It was the case. Actually, the platinum blonde wanted to find you and end your date by dragging you home.

But he'd never tell you that.

No…

Better to make Sejanus look like the bad guy. Maybe if you viewed him that way you'll break up with him; won't miss him too much when Coryo decides to kill him.

And Coryo does plan on killing his ‘friend’ to keep him away from you. He just needs a solid plan first, so he doesn't end up punished for it.

“Yea…” You trailed out in a sigh. You didn't know what else to say. Your best friend's words made sense, even if you didn't want them too.

Then, the thought of losing him terrified you. What if he was right and your boyfriend, Sejanus, wanted to make you choose between them? You'd be heartbroken if you had to choose.

“I can't lose you, Coryo. You're my best friend and you mean a lot to me.” You confessed, causing Coriolanus’ ego to inflate. “Sejanus is my boyfriend now, but I don't think I could handle it if he was jealous of you; made me choose.”

Inside Coriolanus was smirking in triumph. His plan to manipulate deeper into his arms and away from Sejanus was working perfectly. But, on the outside, Coriolanus painted a solemn look on his face.

“Sshh.” He cooed, bringing his hand to push your hair away from your face. “Don't worry about losing me, little dove. It won't happen.”

“But-” You started to protest, only for your friend to quiet you by placing his finger against your lips.

“I shouldn't have brought it up, Y/N. It upset you and that's the last thing I wanted to do.” Coriolanus sweetly lied. He didn't feel bad about bringing it up at all. In fact, he wanted you to feel upset over the idea of losing him.

He wanted you to cling to him more; push away your new boyfriend.

Coriolanus let out a sigh before suggesting, “Let's not dwell on it, darling.”

His large hand tilted your chin up as he leaned in closer to you. Without warning, his lips pressed against yours in a gentle kiss.

The kiss caught you off guard.

Breaking the kiss, you stuttered, “Coryo, I-I…I’m with Sejanus.”

“Y/N, my little dove, that was just a goodnight kiss.” The platinum blonde smoothly lied. It was more then a goodnight kiss. It was him staking his claim on you, knowing that he was your first kiss.

“I dunno, Coryo. It feels like cheating.”

“Oh, my best girl, that kiss wasn't cheating.” Yes, yea it was. But Coriolanus wasn't going to tell you that. No… Instead he continued to manipulate you with his innocent sounding lies, “It was just a goodnight kiss. Like we used to do as children.”

“Okay.” You weakly nodded.

You were torn about whether or not to believe him about the goodnight kiss. You didn't want to get into it tho, so you decided to just lay your head down on his chest.

“Don't worry too much, Y/N. Just get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, see you in the morning, Coryo.” You whispered into the dark.

“Goodnight, my little dove.” You heard Coryo whisper back as you closed your eyes.

You fell asleep to the rhythm of Coryo's chest rising and falling with every breath he took mixed with the beat of his heart. Coriolanus on the other hand fell asleep with you in his arms, feeling as if he'd won the best prize in all of Panem. His possessive side of his dark soul was fed as he held you in a hold tighter than a boa constrictor’s.

Tags: @kuroosbby001, @purriteen, @poppyflower-22, @meetmeatyourworst, @whipwhoops, @bxtchopolis, @readingthingsonhere,@savagenctzen, @ryswritingrecord, @erikasurfer, @tulips2715, @universal-s1ut, @thesmutconnoisseur, @squidscottjeans, @sudek4l, @wearemadeofstardust0, @mashiromochi, @gracieroxzy, @belcalis9503, @shari-berri, @aoi-targaryen, @whiteoakoak, @spear-bearing-bi-witch, @gisellesprettylies @loverandqueenofdragons, @qoopeeya, @mfnqueen1, @permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88

[bugboysgf]

Hate + Love

Chapter 2

series masterlist

Previous chapter

Summary: There is a thin line between love and hate but what if it's way thinner than you thought?

“Hi, im suppose to be tutoring somebody.” you told the lady at the front desk. The last 2 weeks had been stressful but out of extreme luck you managed to get all A’s but that also meant you had to tutor the people that were not doing so well in school.

“Oh yes, you must be Y/n.”

“I am.” you confirmed.

“Min Ho.” The lady calls his name and he jumps out of his seat.

“You gotta be kidding me.” you look at Min ho and he seems just as surprised as you are. “There has to be some sort of mistake, I can't tutor him.” the lady looks at her computer for a second and looks back at you.

“Sorry but there is a specific note from the teacher saying you can't switch.”

“What? Who wrote that.” you asked.

“It was your math teacher. Take a seat and get started.”

“I can't believe this.” you said sitting down.

“Do you think I want to do this? I have no choice.” Min ho rolled his eyes.

“Whatever can we just get started.”

After two hours tutoring you were done but to you i feel like 5 hours because every 10 minutes you and Min ho were arguing about something different.

“Thank you.” Min Ho says. You look at him in shock, you were never expecting those words to come out of his mouth.

“You have manners, I see. Can I get an apology too?” you asked hopefully.

“It happened almost 3 weeks ago, get over it.”

“God you're such a bitch.”

“Takes one to know one.”

—-

“We have Alex next.” Kitty said. “Oh my god we still have to walk up the stairs.” you said, you were tired already and it was only your 2 period.

“Do you want to go to a ramen place after the 5th period?” Kitty asked.

“Im Pretty sure I don't have to tutor today, so yes.”

“How is it? By the way, you are still not getting along.”

“Nope now i have to sit with him in alex class, because he wont let me change seats.” you rolled your eyes.

“Dude you have 4 months left until winter break, at least try to stop hating each other.”

“He's the problem, not me, he won't apologize. He said thank you yesterday when i tutored him but that's it.” you explained to Kitty. You honestly don't think that you and Minho would get along every chance he gets to make fun of you. He's gonna take it and you're tired of it.

“The problem is that you are both stubborn.” Kitty grabs the handle of the door and lets you into the class, she gives you a ‘be nice look’ and takes a seat.

You walked over to your seat and to your surprise Min Ho was already sitting down, he was always late. You take a seat and don't say a word to him.

“No greeting?” he asked

“What do you want?” you say in a cold tone.

“Woah, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.” he smirks.

“I just don't have time for your bullshit today.”

Lucky Alex didn't have you guys do anything with your partner work today you didnt think you could handle it anyways.

You grabbed your things and stuffed them into your backpack.

“y/n?” you stopped in your tracks and looked at the guy that called your name. Minho also stopped and looks at him.

“Yes?” you look at him confused. You've never seen this guy in your life and you had no idea why he was talking to you.

“I'm Derek, I was just trying to see if i can get your number.” you look around to see if anybody was watching and behind him were his friends waiting to see your next move. You didn't want to seem stuck up or anything, so you just smiled and typed your number into his phone.

“Great, I'll text you.”

“Cool” you watch him walk away and turn to Min ho. “And why did you stay?”

“What does he want with you?” “What do you mean?”you asked, confused.

“His dad is literally a millionaire.”

“I honestly dont give two fuck about that.” you said.

“It had to be a dare.” Min ho shook his head.

“Oh really? Just because an attractive guy asked for my number that means it has to be a dare?” you said offended. Min ho knew he messed up, he always jokes around but he knew that what he said really affected you.

“That's not-”

“Save it.” you walked away.

—

For the next few weeks you continue talking to Derek, you thought he would be a jerk but turns out he wasn't. He was really nice and listened.

“Where are you going?” Min ho asked Q. “Oh the nature club is having a hike today.” Q said, putting on his shoes.

“Great i'll come” Min ho got up from the couch. “You can't.” Q said.

“Why?” “Club members only.” “Dude i went last time.” Q stayed silent and didn't say anything. “Unless you don't want me to go for some reason?” “It's not that I don't want you to go, it's just that y/n and Derek are going to be there and I don't want you messing it up for her. She told me what you said when he asked for her number.” Q confessed.

“That's not what I meant, I tried to tell her that.”

“You should have said it in the first place, are you jealous or something?” Q asked.

“What no… no”

“Yup that sounds so convincing.”

“I don't like her, I hate her.”

“You know, you can hate and love somebody at the same time.” Q said shutting the door.

Min ho stood there thinking there's no way that he loves y/n? He hates her too much.

[canyouiimagine]

Showed Me | CS55 x Black!Reader (draft)

A/N: This is just a draft but I wanted to know if you guys like the use of I or You better 👩🏾‍💻 👉🏾👈🏾

I'm also planning on making this a series so, yeah 💖

Warnings: cursing, mean reader, mentions of cheating. (idk how to do this 😭)

Carlos Sainz was an asshole. 

I knew it, she knew it, everybody knew it. 

It wasn’t even like the man looked like an angel. Carlos looked the part and his actions told it all. He was selfish and narcissistic, but he was also charming, and that’s how he got away with everything.

Y/BF/N had met him at a party a year ago in Ibiza. It was love at first sight she told me. He had saved her from a guy who was harassing her and stayed with her afterward to make sure she was okay. He eventually drove her home not expecting anything in return and gave her his number in case she needed anything. Shortly after, they started dating. 

To her, was sweet and caring. He flew her out places, bought her expecting gifts, and gave her his time whenever he could. But being an F1 driver, they were apart a lot. Sure, he would fly her out but it was different. They were in a secret relationship, something that he had managed to convince her she wanted, and so even when in the same city, the time they could spend together was limited. 

To me, he was a prick who had convinced my friend that it would be better to keep their relationship a secret so he could feed her crumbs and use it as an excuse.

Carlos being an F1 driver, they were apart a lot. Sure she would sometimes attend the races - she was a software engineer and worked remotely so she could accommodate - but they couldn't even interact in public. They spent their time loving each other in secret. It was hard but worth it. Or so she thought. 

After a year of dating that’s when she saw it. A girl had posted a picture at his house. She didn’t tag him or add the location but she didn’t need to for my friend to know. Of course she would recognize the house she spent half of her time in anywhere! Though she tried to reassure herself at first, after scrolling through the pictures she resigned herself. He had been cheating on her the entire time. There were pictures upon pictures of her at the same places she had been flown to, to meet up with her boyfriend. Hotels and homes they stayed at. And all with a week or sometimes even just hours she presumed of difference!

She didn’t even know who was the side chick, was it her or the other girl? Had he met the both of them at the same time? Were there other girls? 

She cried on the phone explaining everything to me and I couldn’t resist the urge to say -

“I told you so.”

“Y/N! You’re supposed to be supportive! I gave him one year of my life. One year!” She cried out to me. 

“I’m sorry…” And I really was. Y/BF/N was emotional. She was the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. She wouldn’t think ill of somebody until they did something bad to her, that’s why all of our warnings fell silent to her ears. 

“He wasn’t a bad boyfriend. There was no way I could have suspected this.” She lamented. What she said was half true. He was a good boyfriend, always treated her very well but his actions were suspicious on more than one occasion. 

For instance, they had this “ritual” if you will. They would call each other every night to talk about their day and whatnot. But sometimes he wouldn’t answer the phone and tell her he was busy with work but could be seen partying with girls later in the media. She would ask him about and he would say it was for business and he couldn’t say no because then they would suspect something and he wanted to protect her. 

That was always his excuse.

“We can’t let him get away with this! We-” She said, all sadness gone from her face. 

“We?” I asked, cutting her off. I didn’t remember this being a ‘we’ problem. 

She glared at me and resumed what she was saying. “We -" she emphasized, "- have to make him pay!”. 

She looked at me expectingly and I sighed.“What do you have in mind?”

Hearing that, she grinned, looking at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Like I said, Y/BF/N was emotional. She wanted revenge and revenge was what I did best. 

[run-me-through-but-not-like-that]

Nursed

Summary: When Izzy gets sick, Stede insists he takes some time off. He also insists that you are put in charge of the first mate's care.

Word Count: 3477

Izzy knew that the best thing to do when a member of the crew got sick was to quarantine them, at least to some extent. Ships were prime spaces for viruses to spread and if the whole crew got sick that would be good for nobody. 

That rule hasn’t applied much to Izzy since he became First Mate, though. He was always needed for one thing or another, he couldn’t just take time off because he had the sniffles or a sore throat. He had to just work through it unless it got bad enough to have him unable to move from his cot, that wasn’t very common though.

Why Bonnet had insisted on following this one rule of ship and crew maintenance was beyond him, probably just to irritate Izzy even more than he already does. Izzy had let a few coughs and sneezes slip while he was up on deck, no big deal, but Bonnet had taken notice. Roach had agreed that Izzy was coming down with something, and Bonnet had insisted that Izzy retire to his cabin to sleep it off, to take as much time as he needed until he was feeling better. Of course, Izzy had thought it, but Edward had only backed up his co-captain on the matter.

So, Izzy had stomped down to his cabin while hurling verbal abuse at anyone who he passed just to make himself feel a little bit better. He supposed that if he was going to be trapped in his cabin until he could pass as being perfectly well, he might as well actually try to sleep some of this sickness off.

His short nap was cut even shorter by the sound of somebody knocking at his door. Surely Bonnet had told the whole crew that Izzy was in bed with some terrible illness by now, so maybe if he just stayed quiet the person outside would just go away.

Instead, the door opened. Izzy groaned as he sat up, finding that his head was actually aching a little more now rather than feeling any better. He glared at you, only snarling a little, as you entered his cabin.

“I guess I woke you…” you observed, at least looking a little guilty about it. “Didn’t think you’d actually go to sleep. Thought you’d just pace around until you passed out or something,” you didn’t look at him as you moved further into the room, placing a tray down on his desk.

“Anyway, got some…bad news,” you turned to him, a not so sorry smile on your face.

“If I’m dying, that would actually be a relief,” Izzy huffed. Even when he was sent to his cabin to wallow in his sickness, he couldn’t get a break from this damned crew.

“Ah, nobody’s that lucky, I’m afraid,” you joked, but it actually came out more light than malicious. “Stede has assigned me to nurse you back to health,” you finally informed him.

Izzy blinked at you like you had just spoken some other language he wasn’t familiar with. “What?”

“Best to only have one person coming to see you, reduce the risk of contamination and all that. Since I help Roach with the medical stuff around here, Stede thought it would be for the best,” you explained.

“Fucking hell,” Izzy sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. His head was aching more now.

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” you laughed to yourself before stepping to the side, gesturing to the tray on his desk. “Got you a pitcher of water, you really need to keep hydrated, and some broth. Won’t be too heavy on your stomach.”

At least you didn’t bring up the whole ‘Izzy the Spewer’ thing, even if Izzy could tell what you were getting at with the stomach comment. To his surprise, you actually sounded sincere and concerned rather than mocking.

“When did you start feeling sick?” you asked, almost clinically. A little like Roach would ask ‘does that hurt’ when he was poking at a bleeding wound.

“I can take care of myself. Done it plenty of times before.” Izzy wasn’t even sure why he was fighting it, stupid shit seemed to be inevitable on this ship.

“Oh, I’m sure. I bet you worked through it all like the stubborn little creature you are, right?” you rolled your eyes, your tone flat.

“Didn’t have much of a choice,” Izzy muttered.

“Well, you still don’t, now you have to let yourself accept help and be taken care of,” you tutted before repeating your question. “So, when did you start feeling sick?”

“...felt it coming on yesterday.”

“You’re at the beginning of it then. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Probably just the common cold, nothing to worry about, sure you’ve dealt with worse,” you shrugged slightly. “Drink. Eat. Drink some more. Then get some sleep. Let your body rest and heal,” you advised, “I’ll be back later to check on you, get you some more food and water.”

“Don’t feel obligated,” Izzy grumbled as you headed to the door, unsure if he even wanted you to hear him.

“I’ll see you later. Or not…if you’re asleep, I won’t wake you,” you told him, leaving no room for debate.

And just like that, you were gone.

Despite being frustrated with Bonnet's stupid orders and even more frustrated that you would be popping in and out, Izzy dropped down in the seat at his desk. He ate the broth and drank some water before dragging himself back into bed, suddenly feeling incredibly tired.

Just as you said you would, you dropped by his cabin later on to check on him. To your surprise, he was actually sleeping. Even more surprisingly, he actually looked somewhat peaceful, not as grumpy as he usually is. 

Maybe it was silly, but you couldn’t help but smile a little at the sight.

You placed the fresh pitcher of water and some leftover biscuits, in case he got hungry, down on his desk.

Silently, you stepped over to Izzy’s cot and carefully fixed the blanket over his frame. He must have kicked it off of himself a little in his sleep. Izzy hummed and nuzzled into his pillow, you bit back a small laugh. Wasn’t that just adorable? You dug a cloth out of your pocket and wiped away the slight sheen of sweat over his brow before returning to his desk.

With your job done, you gathered up the dirty dishes and left the cabin. You walked into the galley, dropping the dishes down by the sink.

“How’s the patient?” Roach asked. He had been very vocal about how pleased he was that Stede had assigned you to watch over Izzy and not him.

“Sleeping,” you told him, “think he’s getting a fever.” 

“Better you than me, I’d probably just tie him down to the bed and force feed him until he’s better,” Roach mused. He was a surprisingly talented medic but not always the most patient one. If his patient didn’t want help, they wouldn’t be getting it.

“Kinky,” you wiggled your brows at him before turning back to the dishes. “Let’s just hope the fever makes him easier to handle.”

You checked in on Izzy again before you headed to bed. He was sleeping again but there was less water and fewer biscuits than what you had left earlier, so you took that as a win. You would stop by before breakfast, make sure he wasn’t going without anything.

-

The next morning you checked in on Izzy, expecting to find him still in bed, but instead he was sitting on the edge of his cot. His clothes sat beside him, pants in hand. It looked like he had started to get dressed but had to sit down before really even starting.

He looked frustrated with himself but he clearly wasn’t well, his face pale and his shoulders slumped.

“Are you seriously trying to get up?” you asked with a huff, like you just couldn’t believe what you were seeing. You absolutely could believe that Izzy Hands was trying to get back to work when he was hitting the worst of his illness. 

“I’m fine,” Izzy insisted, cringing at how rough his own voice sounded.

“That’s a blatant fucking lie,” you rolled your eyes. “C’mon, back in bed,” you were in front of him in an instant, pulling the leather pants out of his hands. You folded his clothes neatly and placed them on top of the chest at the bottom of his bed.

Izzy just watched as you moved around his cabin, vaguely pleased that you had neatly handled his clothes, as ridiculous as that may be. Then you were returning to him, a hand on his shoulder as you got him to lay down and pulled his blanket over him. He protested and weakly thought but before he knew it, he was back in his bed.

“Too warm,” Izzy complained, trying to push the blanket off of him again.

“It’s your fever. Don’t kick it off, okay?” your voice was surprisingly soothing as you spoke, like you really wanted him to understand and not just do as you said because you said it. “I’ll get some stuff for you in a minute,” you assured, tucking the blanket back into place.

“Are you up for eating?” you asked, stepping back. Izzy just shrugged, feeling completely out of his element. “I’ll get you something small,” you decided with a small nod. “Want some medication?”

“No,” Izzy answered. You just nodded, not pushing him on the matter.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” you promised before gathering up the dirty dishes and dipping out of the cabin.

When you returned again a few minutes later, it was with another tray of items.

Izzy grumpily sat up and let you give him what you brought for him. You got him to drink a full cup of water and then helped him eat a few spoonfuls of soup. He blushed the whole time at the fussing and protesting that he could manage himself, but you just shushed him and did your job.

Izzy drank some more and lay down properly again. You placed a cool damp cloth over his forehead, making him comfortable before telling him to get some sleep. He surprised himself by actually falling asleep, unable to fight his heavy eyelids.

This time, as he slept, you stayed. Sitting by his bedside so you could keep replacing the cloth and keep his temperature down.

You had to pop out of the cabin every now and again throughout the day to tend to other things but you would always return to care for Izzy, even if he fought you every step of the way.

-

On the third day, Izzy’s fever seemed to reach its peak. Which you hoped meant it would start getting better soon.

He ate very little that day but you managed to force him to drink whenever he woke up. When you had been asked to nurse Izzy a little, you had completely planned on giving him plenty of space and time alone since he seemed to enjoy it so much, but that day you barely left his side.

While he slept, you were sitting beside him, rinsing and replacing the cloth on his forehead to help keep him cool.

Your silent routine was interrupted by a quiet whine. You paused, frowning down at the sleeping first mate. He whined again, his brow pinching slightly.

“Shush, just gotta get through the worst of it,” you attempted to soothe him, even if he couldn’t hear you.

Izzy’s face scrunched up as he began to writhe on his cot, like he was having a nightmare of some sort. It was probably a symptom of his fever, or at least worsened by it.

“You’re alright, Iz. Just a bad dream, I’ve got you,” you continued to talk sweet nonsense until he calmed. He hummed slightly when you ran your fingers through his dirty hair, so you continued, happy that it was soothing him.

You smiled as he settled. “There we go, just sleep it off,” you whispered. Izzy let out a small sigh, slipping back into a dreamless sleep.

With a sigh, you stood and began tidying up again. You couldn’t sit around watching Izzy sleep all day, especially when he would most likely be perfectly fine, but you found yourself not really wanting to leave him.

-

The fourth day came around after you managed to pull yourself away from his side to get some sleep. Of course, the first thing you did was grab some food from the galley and went to see Izzy. He was laying on his cot, awake but not looking happy in the slightest. At least he wasn’t trying to get back to work this time.

“Still feeling shitty, huh?” you asked.

“You tell me,” Izzy muttered.

For some reason you felt fond about his grouchiness. “Alright, I brought some brekkie. Hungry?”

Izzy eyed the bowl in your hands. “...could eat…”

You insisted on spoon feeding him even when he fought it. He eventually allowed it, grumbling with each bite he took. The broth was good though, soothing his throat, clearing his sinuses, and warming his belly.

“Ate more than yesterday, that’s good,” you acknowledged.

As you placed the bowl down, Izzy actually asked for something. “Water?”

“Look at that, asking for things, accepting help. You’re growing, doing so well.” You were teasing, of course you were teasing, just joking around. Still, he couldn’t help the way he flushed at the praise. What the fuck? He only asked for some water.

You poured him a cup of water and handed it over without another comment. “If you finish the full cup and I’ll leave you alone until lunch,” you promised.

“If that’s all it takes,” Izzy huffed, bringing the cup up to his mouth.

“Ah, you like me. You haven’t even threatened to stab me once,” you teased.

Izzy distracted himself by finishing the drink, letting you take the cup back once it was empty. He really didn’t need all this doting, and surely he could fight it a little more…

“And we say…” you prompted.

“Fuck off.”

“Come on, Izzy. Say it and I’ll bring an extra treat with lunch.”

“Fucking-” Izzy sighed, knowing you wouldn’t drop this. You had probably earnt it at this point anyway. “Thank you.”

“See, not so difficult,” you smiled, seemingly pleased with him, before pressing a kiss to his temple.

Izzy froze but you didn’t pay it any mind, you just went about tidying up like you always do and headed for the door. “Get some rest. Feel better soon, Iz,” you left him with another sincere smile.

-

You returned to Izzy’s cabin later on that day. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. Can I fucking move now?” Izzy glared at you. He was probably going a little crazy locked up in his cabin for the last few days, and you couldn’t really blame him.

“Nope, not until you’re back in perfect health. Captain’s rules,” you at least looked a little apologetic, “maybe tomorrow, though.”

“Got you some broth,” of course, you had your tray with you, “Roach is making stew for dinner today, think you’re up for that?” 

Izzy huffed and rolled his eyes. “Just some fucking stew.” 

“Izzy, work with me here. Don’t want to give you anything that upsets your stomach,” you sighed, something about it a little pleading.

You were right, he supposed. You only wanted to help, even if Bonnet had fucking ordered you to. “...yeah…stew will be fine,” he gave in.

“Good,” you smiled, bright and genuine again.

You let him feed himself this time, since this time you sat and ate with him. Letting him have half of your orange.

“Since you’re feeling better and not sleeping through the whole day, do you want me to bring you anything for entertainment?” you asked but Izzy just raised an eyebrow at you. “I dunno, like a book or something?” you weren’t even sure if he could read, you had seen him working on the logs but that was a little different.

“I could get Frenchie to sit outside your door and play some songs,” you suggested.

“A book is fine,” Izzy answered quickly before begrudgingly adding, “nothing boring.”

“It will be the most exhilarating book you’ve ever read,” you winked playfully.

-

Since lunch had gone so well, at least in your opinion, you had decided to eat your dinner with Izzy as well. Plus, he was more cognizant than he was yesterday and you thought the company would be good for him even if he didn’t much care for it.

“Aren’t you worried about getting sick? I mean, you don’t have to eat with me,” Izzy eventually questioned after eating in silence.

“Don’t want you to be all isolated and lonely in here. I’ll take the risk,” you shrugged, sounding honest enough. “You’ll just have to nurse me back to health like I have so kindly done for you,” you teased.

“In your fucking dreams,” Izzy scoffed. He was a first mate, not a nurse.

“I bet you’d be the most effective nurse ever, very practical. Terrible bedside manner, though,” you thought out loud, hearing Izzy’s quiet snort of amusement. “Bet you’d just tell the illness to fuck off and it would.”

“Huh, haven’t tried that yet,” he muttered.

“Wouldn’t work on yourself. Bet your illnesses are just stubborn as you are,” you hummed thoughtfully.

At that, Izzy smiled a little to himself. He had to admit that this is kinda…nice.

“Think you’ll be back up on deck soon?” you asked.

“Could have been up there today but you’d snitch to Bonnet,” Izzy shot a halfhearted glare your way. 

“Damn right I would. You need to get fully better or you’re just going to make it worse again,” you chastised. “But maybe the next couple of days, maybe even tomorrow.”

“Thank fuck,” Izzy seemed genuinely relieved. You’ve never met somebody so reluctant to take a break, especially when they obviously needed one.

“That means you need to be caught up on what’s going on up there,” your eyes brightened at the realisation.

“Bet it’s not piracy,” Izzy scoffed.

“I’d say you won that bet, but I have no coin to give you,” you rolled your eyes fondly. “Anyway, here’s everything that has happened since you got sentenced to your cabin…”

You went on to tell him about all of the inane things the crew had gotten up too over the last few days, even going into depth about the most mundane things.

Izzy truly didn’t care about the stupid conversations the crew was having over dinner in the galley, but he found himself listening anyway. Admittedly, he lost the actual words every now and again when he really lost interest in the story, but he still found your voice soothing. Even if he couldn’t recall everything you said, a part of him didn’t want you to stop. He could just finish his stew to the soothing sound of your company.

-

On the fifth day, you might have even said that Izzy seemed excited to see you. As soon as you stepped into the cabin, Izzy perked up. “Thank fuck you’re here.”

“Wow, you’re happy to see me…did you fall out of bed and hit your head?” you squinted in suspicion. 

“No,” Izzy huffed. “No, I’m feeling better. I can be…discharged or whatever the fuck,” he insisted.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” you tutted.

“Which is why I’m glad you’ve shown up already,” he rolled his eyes.

“I’m right on time!” 

“Just get on with it!”

“Careful or I’m going to tell Stede you need a few more days bedrest,” you warned sternly, earning a small grumble from Izzy.

You gave him a quick check over, making sure his temperature was back to normal, that the colour had returned to his face. Asked how his throat felt, how tired he was, even though you knew he would most likely lie about anything he could. You had to admit, he did seem a lot better.

“Alright, first mate Hands, I think you’re good to get back to work,” you announced/ “But take it easy. First sniffle or clearing of your throat, as I’m dragging you back down here,” you warned.

“Fine. Now fuck off,” Izzy huffed, waving his hand to dismiss you.

“...I still brought breakfast…might as well eat before heading up,” you reasoned, gesturing towards the tray on his desk. Two servings of porridge that Roach had prepared for the crew this morning. 

“Yeah. Fine, alright,” Izzy accepted the breakfast, not complaining when you sat with him to eat together. “...thanks,” he whispered, his gratitude unprompted and sincere this time, making you smile as you ate another spoonful.

[equallyshaw]

(i might do a blurb on his pov during those lost years)

YES!! i love seeing other povs!!

this takes place during 2018 christmas, june 2019 & summer 2023!

warnings: swearing! jack being immature lmao

send in more thoughts pls!!

everything that kailey did, annoyed the absolute crap out of jack. luke nor quinn had ever understood why, and jack never wanted to explain why. this christmas in particular was difficult, and missing a cherished member of the hughes family. kailey had been having a difficult time in highschool thus far, her sophomore year with luke. she decided that she was gonna fly up to upstate new york, to get away and be in a different environment. and truth be told, while she was dealing with bullies at school she was also dealing with a bully at home, and could never escape them.

☆

christmas 2018-

it was the day before christmas eve, and quinn had just flown in while kailey was flying out. he got into jims car and he could sense that something was wrong or off, "whats going on dad?" he questioned, nervous that it had to do with kailey. and he was right. "kails went to go visit my folks in upstate new york. she'll be back on the 2nd." he said and quinns eyebrows crinkled. "she's- she's having a really hard time at school and we already know that jack isn't helping. id rather ship him off if he didn't have practice." jim muttered and quinn sighed. "what is wrong with him? I've already spoken to him a lot this summer and he still isn't getting it." quinn said pulling out his phone to text kailey, "you're mom has about had it." jim said getting onto the expressway.

_

as soon as quinn walked in, he quickly went to go find jack who was with luke downstairs. "what the hell is wrong with you?!" quinn asked turning the tv off. "hey!" both younger brothers exclaimed, and quinn shook his head. "what is wrong with you jack, huh? why do you keep driving kails away!" quinn demanded but jack rolled his eyes, standing up. "no!" quinn said pushing him back on the couch, "tell me right now why our baby sister had to fucking flee because of you!" quinn exasperated, while luke stayed silent. luke knew exactly why.

jack shook his head, "do you not realize how bad it is at school? do you not realize the amount of bullying she gets, for you to only add to it here? what is supposed to be her safe place, is not!" quinn fumed and jack sighed. "if you don't say, i know luke will tell me exactly what i need to know. im giving you a chance to come clean." quinn said standing his ground. jack was silent, "what is it?!" quinn screamed one last time.

jack sighed once more, "its always about her, kailey this kailey that, when is it my turn?" he questioned and by the look on quinns face, you thought he was about to kill his brother. "seriously? you're jealous of your sister? you're jealous of somebody who doesn't play hockey, doesn't skate, plays her own sports and gets bullied? you're jealous of your sister who does whatever she can to blend in? are you stupid?" quinn said angrily. luke rolled his eyes, "he's just upset because mom and dad make sure that they are there for everything of hers. he's upset that she has more freedom, and gets the most support out of the two of us." luke butted in and jack glared at him. "you're an idiot, an absolute buffoon jack. last time i checked, you chose this. you chose to play hockey." quinn said shaking his head. "you are the reason why you guys moved here. she may be upset at that fact, but she's moved on from it. you give her so many reasons to not like you - but shes a better person because she still wants to do right by you. she wants to prove to you that she can be a good sister. do you not realize how much shit she puts up with from you, because she wants you to be her friend at the end of the day? and don't deny it, but i heard about the 'she's literally just a roommate' comment to the boys." quinn finished, before looking at luke. "i expect more from you luke, i expect you to stand up more to this idiot." he finished before walking upstairs to find his mom. he had a plane to catch to new york.

☆

june 2019- nhl draft.

kailey wanted to be anywhere but here. yet, her parents and quinn had convinced her to come to vancouver with the family. kailey would do everything in her power, to not stand out because she couldn't step out of line or else jack would throw a fit. it had been hard the past few months, but she kept assuring herself that she wouldn't have to put up with him for much longer. ellen pulled her daughter into a hug the morning of the draft, as kailey began to sob. kailey had been experiencing anxiety attacks for a while at that point and only her and luke knew about them. this morning she woke up in a panic, as soon as the alarm went off. she called her mom in a panic, from the next room door and she quickly rushed over. "i - i cant do it, i cant i wont i wont." she sobbed into her mom's chest. ellen rubbed her hand over her daughter's back, holding on as tightly as she could. but she knew that if she didn't give jack the attention is so craved, she'd also never hear the end of that. "i cant mom, i cant!" she exasperated, pulling away and sitting down on the bed. ellen sat down across from her on the extra bed, waiting for her daughter to say something. "im sorry, i cant do it. i cant support somebody that tears me down every chance he gets. i literally breathe and he finds an issue with it. im over it, im not making my self physically sick anymore." she said beginning to cry again. ellen and jim could never say or do enough to get him to stop, and none of the boys would say why exactly he had done what he'd done. they'd had it with him, taking away things and grounding him but none of it did a damn thing.

ellen had a sneaky suspicion of what it was, but would not hear the truth for awhile longer.

the family had just finished getting ready and were in jack's suite, filming as well. kailey on the other hand was in her bathroom, sitting on the tile floor puking her guts out. she had made herself so physically ill the whole day, and this was the only way for her body to dismiss it. quinn knocked on the door with luke before walking in, and realized that the room was empty. luke knocked on the door, and he quickly whipped it open when he heard gagging. "oh my god!" he said kneeling down in front of her, pulling her hair back as she puked. she sat back against the bath tub and the boys took in how hollow her eyes were. her skin pale, and exhaustion plagued her features. "whats going on?" luke asked pulling her against his chest. she shrugged, as quinn texted their mom. her eyes began to refill with tears, as luke pulled her in as close as possible. "i cant go. i wont allow myself to." she whispered for only luke to hear. "he doesn't deserve my support, anymore. i cant support somebody who doesn't love me or even like me." she said louder and quinn picked it up. he left the bathroom and room, and headed over to the suit that his parents and jack were in. as soon as he walked in jack smirked, "wheres the drama queen?" he mused, making sure his tie looked good. "she's sick." was all quinn said leaning against the wall next to ellen. ellen looked over at him, and she could tell what she was exactly sick with. "sick? i doubt that. she just needs the attention on her." jack said cockily, and quinn could kill him right there he thought. or, one chance to take a swing at him. "lukes with her?" ellen questioned, and quinn nodded. ellen walked out of the suite and walked over towards kaileys.

luke wiped kaileys tears, and smoothed down her wavy hair with his other hand. she had finally reached the end of her effort, she didn't have it in her to support the brother who always thought of her as less than. her personal bully had won, and was getting rewarded for it that day.

☆

spring 2023- may

quinn looked over at jack, who was busy typing away on his phone. quinn had just gotten back from brunch with kailey in detroit, and he was relieved to see how kailey was doing after her sophomore year of college. she had just gotten back from study abroad and had absolutely adored her time there. she had also spoken about how she was thinking about doing a semester at sea but wasn't exactly thrilled about the cost. but quinn wouldn't hear it, he was gonna make his baby sister as happy as he could, and make up for the lost years.

"listen, youre gonna help me do something for kails." quinn announced, without giving jack a choice. jack looked up from his phone, and gave him a 'wtf' look. "yeah right." jack said, returning to his phone. "no! you're gonna do this with me asshole. you are gonna make up for the lost years. you are gonna do right by kails, and you're gonna do this with me. she deserves to be happy, you didn't see how happy she was today. i haven't seen that big of a smile since we lived in canada man. i haven't see her so content. and you are not gonna fuck this up." quinn explained, and jack set his phone down while sitting up.

"why would i help her? last time i checked she doesn't speak to me or support me." he said like it was obvious. quinn rolled his eyes, "if you weren't so thick in the skull you'd realize just how much she supports you and how much she wants you to be happy. y'know she keeps up with all your stats, and watched games with luke this season. she asks me and luke all the time how you're doing, and whats going on with your life. maybe if you'd give her the time of day, she'd open up to you and she'd show you how much she loves you. these past three years away from you has given her perspective and grace, and you don't deserve any grace. but that's who she is, always looking for the benefit of the doubt and ever the optimistic person." quinn paused, "you're gonna be a nice brother and play the part, and you're gonna do this with me." quinn said not taking no for an answer. "she has no idea that were doing this, so don't give me the "shes gonna expect more of this." but you know deep down that she isn't that person. mom and dad didn't raise her to be that way, so wipe that thought." quinn said with intuition, knowing what was going on in jack's mind.

jack sighed, "what is it for?" and quinn smiled. "semester at sea. she wants to go to europe and asia, for the spring semester. we still have time to pay for it. she got accepted but was gonna decline when she saw the final amount after scholarships and financial aid, etc." quinn said pulling up the email he got from ellen. after he left brunch, he headed over to his parent's house to talk to them. they were more than elated that quinn wanted to do this for her because let's be honest. she deserves the absolute world.

_

a week later.

"quinn?" kailey called out after stepping into her parents house. she had received a text from quinn if she could meet her there, that afternoon. what she did not expect, was to see jack there with quinn. they two were in the living room, hanging out with everybody. "hey sweetie, come here!" ellen said patting the spot next to her. kailey eyed jack, as she walked over to the couch. he hadn't seen her in three years almost, and she had changed. changed for the better of course. "yes?" she questioned as the family looked at quinn and jack with smiles. "we wanted to do something for you, kails." quinn began. "think of it as a token of our brotherly love." jack said and quinn elbowed him, "you're in on this?" she questioned jack. jack swallowed hard and nodded, "umm." she said not sure how to respond. "here." quinn said standing up and handing her the envelope. it was a confirmation slip for the semester at sea and a flight to europe for docking. she took the envelope, and opened it up slowly. she saw the ticket before the confirmation slip, "oh my god? oh my god!" she said standing up and freaking out. her eyes filled with tears of gratitude, and hugged quinn. "thankyou thankyou thankyou." she said into quinns chest, and the family only laughed in response. "oh my god, i could cry." she said pulling back and looking up at her brother. "don't cry kails, it isn't necessary." he said and she shook her head. "ill repay you guys i promise! it might take awhile after graduation, but ill get there!" she said looking between jack and quinn, but they shook their head. "no! you arent repaying us a dime. we want to do it for you, we have the ability to so you don't need to worry." jack finally spoke up. worry was her middle name when it came to jackson.

"dont worry blondie, you deserve the opportunity to go, so you're going." quinn added and kailey frowned. "alright." she said softly before luke stood up and wrapped his arms around his sister. "you're gonna have to text me every day, send me all the pictures in the world. im gonna have huge fomo." luke mused and quinn second that. "come here." quinn said wrapping his arms around the other side of the girl, and she felt the weight of them. "god ii swear to god if you make me fall over." she said as the two boys laughed. quinn waved jack over, and jack fought with himself. he didn't know what to do. "get over here princess." kailey announced, and jack sighed standing up.

ellen snapped a quick picture of the four's group hug. ellen and jim looked at one another thinking the same thing, they hoped that this was the beginning of a new chapter between kailey and jack. and hoped that jack wouldn't screw it up.

hope you enjoyed!!!

also quinn and luke to the rescue 🥺

[jakeyzzz]

I need you...

(angst/fluff) jake x f!reader oneshot

masterlist 💌

⚠️♡ warnings - ( heavy making out! , crying, forbidden love, reader getting into an argument with her parents, kissing, hurt, fluffy ending! , not proofread) - ⚠️♡

!! let me know if I missed anything 💌

!!! english is NOT my first language so please be nice 💌

( got this idea when i listened to shameless by camila cabello... )

...

It was about 1AM when some Idiot was constantly banging on your front Door. ,,What the hell...'' You cursed under your Breath as you tiredly rubbed your eyes. The banging became louder and louder, which made you even more mad since you lived in an Apartment and you most definitely weren't the only Person who was trying to get some sleep. With furrowed Eyebrows you finally walked over to the Door, ready to yell at whoever was disturbing your precious sleep. Before the Person could make even more Noise, you quickly opened the Door. And then, your Eyes met. Your Hand was still on your Doorknob as you completely stopped in your Tracks. His Gaze sent shivers down your Spine. The Room was suddenly utterly silent when all you did was staring at each other. You didn't exchange one single Word. Your Heart was racing when you intensely stared into other's Eyes. Your Body froze. He slowly stepped inside of your Apartment, Eyes not leaving yours as he carefully closed the Door behind him, before getting closer and closer to your Body.

But before your Bodies could touch, you stopped him by placing your Hand on his Chest to softly push him away. ,,Jake i don't think this is a good Ide-'' He quickly interrupted you by crashing his Lips into yours. He firmly pulled your Body against his as he kissed you messily, making you both stumble backwards. At this point you were leaning against each other, supporting each other up as you tried not to fall. His kisses slowly travelled down your Neck, making you bite your bottom Lip as your Fingers got tangled in his silky Locks.

,,I tried to stay away from you, Y/N .. I  can't .'' Jake whispered against your Neck, as he left a few Love Bites here and there. You immediately pulled him up to your Lips again, making him kiss your Lips with the same intensity as before. He suddenly picked you up bridal Style to slowly carry you over to your Couch, making you Gasp against his Lips.

Jake carefully laid you down before hovering over you as he softly pushed his tongue into your mouth, kissing you even more passionately as you wrapped your Arms around his Neck. You carefully wrapped your Legs around his Hips as you felt him bite your Lip softly, making a soft Moan escape your Mouth. His Hair was all messy, and your Neck was covered in Love Bites. You had no Idea how you were supposed to cover them up. ,,I can't let you go again.'' He mumbled, breaking the Kiss before carefully resting his Forehead on yours. You and Jake were in a secret Relationship. Your Parents didn't want you to be with Jake since they thought he wasn't good enough for you. They wanted you to be with somebody else. But you loved Jake, and they didn't even try to understand that.

They didn't want you to be together. So You and Jake eventually started being in a Secret Relationship without your Parents knowing anything about it. But you did  tell some of your Friends about it ... and that ended up being a bad Idea. Because when you got into a Fight with one of your Friends, she immediately told your Parents about everything. And your Parents eventually made you break up, leaving you both in pure Pain. ,,I know.'' You whispered as you felt a Tear run down your Cheek. Jake carefully laid down next to you, before softly intertwining your Fingers as he placed a light Kiss on your Wrist. ,,I need you to stay with me, please.'' Jake whispered, leaving a few Butterfly Kisses on your Shoulder. ,,I'm not going anywhere.'' You said, making Jake smile against your Skin. ,,The thought of losing you scares me as much as it scares you, Jake. I promise I won't let this happen again.'' Jake let out a shaky breath of relief before softly kissing your Forehead.

You placed one last gentle Kiss on Jake's Lips before eventually getting up from the Couch to make some Tea. You walked into the Kitchen and carefully put your Phone on the Kitchen Counter, as you heard Jake's Footsteps behind you. Only a few Seconds later, you felt Jake softly wrapping his Arms around your Waist. He softly kissed your exposed shoulder before resting his Head on it, making you smile to yourself. ,,You can sit down on the Kitchen Counter until I'm done... You're gonna stay here tonight, right?'' Jake smiled before softly nodding his Head. ,,Yes.. I'll stay'' He mumbled happily as he sat down on the Kitchen Counter,  patiently waiting for you. And all of a Sudden, he heard your Phone Buzz next to him. ,,Someone messaged you...'' Jake said, making you look at him for a Second. ,,Oh really ? Who is it from ? My password is 1511 !'' Jake sighed before slowly unlocking your Phone to read the Message. His smile immediately dropped.

You noticed how Jake suddenly became very silent, so you quickly turned around to look at him. ,,Jake ? what's wrong ?'' You said as you walked over to him, before softly resting your Hands on his Knees. Jake looked at you worriedly before turning your Phone around so you could read the Message.

''Y/N ? Are you awake ? Jake's Mom just texted me. He's not in his Room. Do you know where he is? I really hope you're not with him right now.''   

Shit. You both had no Idea why Jake's Mom would suddenly go to Jake's Room late at Night, but she did ... and now you had no Idea what you were supposed to do.  ,,I didn't mean to get you in Trouble, Y/N. I'm sorry .I should leave.'' Jake murmured as he quickly got off the Kitchen Counter before making his Way back to your front Door. ,,Jake wait !'' Jake immediately stopped walking as he looked at you with Tears in his Eyes.

Once again you just stared at each other in Silence for a few Seconds. ,,I don't care.'' You spat out. Jake furrowed his Eyebrows. ,,What do you mean?'' He whispered. You scoffed loudly as a few Tears left your Eyes. ,,I need you, Jake. More than anything else. And I'm not letting you go. I'm allowed to make my own decisions and I don't care about what my Parents think. I know they probably just don't want me to get hurt by anyone but I'm so sick and tired of them telling me what to do. I want you ... and i love you. Please stay here.'' Jake tried to force a Smile before slowly walking over to you. He softly cupped your Face with his Hands as he stared at your teary Eyes. ,,I would never hurt you, Y/N. I wish they understood that.'' He whispered before pulling you into a tight Hug. You silently cried into his Chest, making him caress your Back softly. And after a few Minutes,you eventually broke the Hug.

You wiped your Tears away as you looked at Jake, before quickly grabbing your Phone to call your Mom. You didn't even care about the Fact that it was late at Night. Only a few Seconds later, you heard her tired Voice through the Speaker. You sighed in frustration. ,,I might disappoint you, but I actually am with Jake right now. And i know you most definitely don't want me to be with him, but you can't change the Fact that i'm in love with him. Nobody has ever made me feel so loved, Mom. Please listen to me when I tell you that the Things you heard about him aren't even true ! I love him...please understand that ! .'' You cried out, as you wiped a few more Tears away.

Jake softly took your Hand into his, before gently caressing it with his Thumb to calm you down. You heard your Mom let out a shaky sigh. Was she crying ? ,,I don't know what to say, Y/N. I'm so sorry. I should've been more supportive, and I should've tried to understand you. I'm gonna make sure to talk to your Dad about everything.I'm so sorry for everything we've put you through... Can Jake hear me right now?'' You looked at Jake as soon as his Name left her Mouth. ,,Yes, he can hear you.'' You answered hesitantly. Your Mom took a deep Breath. ,,Jake ... I'm sorry for not respecting you. You must be an amazing Guy. I would love to meet you. Let's start over again.'' Jake softly smiled through his Tears as he looked at you. He looked relieved. ,,Thank you, Mrs. (y/l/n) . I forgive you. We all make Mistakes, It's okay.'' You smiled at Jake's Words, before quickly pecking his Lips. ,,Thank you so much for finally understanding, Mom.'' You mumbled through the Phone. ,,I love you, Y/N. I really could've done better. I'm gonna go back to sleep now, alright ? Please get some sleep as well ... you must be tired. Goodnight. !'' That was the last thing your Mom said before eventually hanging up.

You and Jake just smiled each other in silence, before Jake pulled you into another slow, but passionate Kiss. The Taste of his Lips mixed with the Taste of his salty Tears was even more addicting, making you softly push your Tongue into his Mouth just like he did earlier. He caressed the Skin under your Nightgown before squeezing it slightly, making you Gasp against his Lips. He smirked cheekily, as he pulled you even closer to his Body. ,,Can we get married already?'' Jake mumbled, breaking the Kiss. You giggled. ,,I think we should go to sleep first...'' You whispered, your Lips still close to his. Jake chuckled softly. ,,I love you.'' You softly smiled, before placing another soft Kiss on his Lips. ,,love you more..''

[eluxcastar]

Can I ask for Hc's of A yandere Guren x reader?

Guren as a yandere

── ୨୧：guren ichinose x reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: a retainer of the Ichinoses, you want to go out, and he is starkly against letting you do so. It's not safe for you, haven't you realised that yet?

୨୧﹑genre :: in the get traumatised category ♡

୨୧﹑content :: yandere (obviously) guren is basically a huge asshole, like he's lowkey rude 💀, implied infantilising, impled murder (blink and you'll miss it), his solution to many things is either to stroke their ego or degrade them, there's a very obvious power imbalance that Guren does in fact abuse

୨୧﹑words :: 1312

so it just so happened I was writing something related to Guren that gave me the idea for this and I was unceremoniously dragged back to tumblr to write this. also sorry I said I was gonna post a while ago but things happened (╥╯^╰╥) I feel better today though so now I bring you this. Pretty sure I've never actually written for Guren before now so he may be a bit iffy

the Lieutenant Colonel is one the most helpful he can be towards you, who is supposed to be a member of a retainer house to his family, the one who is supposed to be born to serve him. You manage to fit in well enough in the Demon Army, he makes sure of that, even if your job has never really tended to revolve around combat unless necessary.

it is his orders never to leave the city walls unless he asks you to, and never to venture too far away if you do. By his own words, equipment management for the Moon Demon Company is important, though it has never exactly been the most fun of jobs. If it is what he asks of you, you have little say in the matter. It never helps that your complaints to him are met with high praise to your attentiveness to detail and skill in this particular line of work. Anything that will make you stay right where you are.

each and every time, there's an excuse. Something that pushes and pulls you on a rollercoaster of feeling either somewhat content in pleasing a member of the Ichinose family or feeling as if you are a disappointment to him for underestimating how thought out Guren's decision to put you in charge of this work. Something to make sure you sit down and shut up. Something. Your work is necessary, he doesn't have time to fill your position, the members of your assigned 'squad' are all inexperienced in field work, each time they go out somebody ends up dead after getting separated from your group and next time that could be you.

that or it's a 'next time' that never comes.

though Guren admires that you have a desire to be helpful (his own words), he convinces you that your vital help is needed elsewhere, and to stop hassling him because you've devalued your own field of expertise. It's irritating. It comes off as something like getting told that the big kids don't want to play with you before Guren banishes you back to your room.

sometimes there are days Guren is tolerable, and those are the days in which he asks for your help in other things, and when his praise is least grating. He appreciates your work instead of trying to push you back down into your place, even when he's figured out that the surefire way to shut you up is to remind you you're merely a retainer. You are to do what he says exactly as he says it and you are not to fuss because this is your born purpose. He has so kindly offered to release you from this responsibility if you wish it so, but knowing the ridicule you'll likely face is enough to make you shut your big mouth and shake your head.

but he can only be patient for so long, and so your constant 'defiance' ends up landing in you in the equivalent of adult detention as he asks (more like orders) you to do you work where he can see you to make sure you don't intentionally make yourself look incompetent to get out of it. You've never pulled such a thing before, so it confuses you, but you begrudgingly accept. You always find yourself with little say in these matters, holing up in some corner of his office to go over the inventory records and reports broken or missing equipment that would need to be replaced.

it's an awkward silence, even with the record player spinning a vinyl record he found from God knows where, broken only by the occasional flip of paper or the moment you forced yourself to clear your throat, a sigh, a pen scribbling away at paper. It was something quite close to torture actually.

but it certainly shut you up again.

you decide to keep your comments to yourself, avoid Guren altogether in fact and hurriedly make up some excuse why you were busy every time he was in to check up on how things were. Truth be told you hate this work, never wanted it and still don't want it, but after being told it was one of your few options after training it was your own lifeline to be able to bargain with Guren for a spot.

to be honest he finds that really annoying about you.

though doing his best to keep you out of danger you insist on endangering yourself senselessly, and so if Guren would like to keep you locked up in your safe little cage where you stay under only his command he must continue to make life on the battlefield quite unappealing.

there is only one way to achieve such a thing. Guren must endanger you only once to never again fret over the possibility of you being harmed. Something to bring you down again so you start to appreciate how much effort he puts into protecting you.

he's quite insistent on talking to you on this particular day. Guren was willing to wait just to talk to you specifically, even when he had recently been content with talking to anyone for verbal reports. This was personal business apparently and he asked that you drop everything and come talk to him.

"You can go." is the first thing out of his mouth, and your eyes light up wondering if maybe— just maybe he was saying what you thought. "We're short some people, it's not like it's heavy combat." he quickly waves off the gravity of it with a motion of his hand.

he lied about that part, where he said it wasn't heavy combat.

stronger Vampires can easily overpower Demons of higher calibres, let alone ones with no particular importance, merely Rakshasa as was carried by many underlings of Guren's. It didn't stand a chance, it's hard to even remember how you got from leisurely wandering around with little care in the world to crawling along the floor in a pool of blood you weren't sure whether or not to be thankful wasn't yours. It all went horrible wrong somewhere, somewhere between venturing into an abandoned building and where you sit now letting blood soak into your clothes as you freeze up from the fear and realisation finally sinking in. You got ambushed at some point, your clothes being stained by the red smears on the floor that used to be your friends, and as the last remaining you know you won't survive that. Vampires are quite cruel like that, they like to play with their food sometimes.

you scrunch yourself into a tight ball at the thought and just lay there on the floor, replaying the events in your mind as you wonder what you were thinking exactly. How could you hope to be useful when you were still the little kid Guren had been treating you like? You should've just stayed where he told you to.

a heavy thud against your side causes you to flinch, but the weight dissipates so quickly all you can see are scattered ashes and the faint glow of Guren's violet eyes. "Do you understand it now?" he asks the question quite coldly, "It's too dangerous out here."

"Everyone is dead, aren't they?" your voice is shakier than you expected, quieter. It almost doesn't even register that you managed to survive. You look down at your hands, covered in blood that's beginning to dry and make your hands feel icky. Your uniform sticks to your skin uncomfortably. You feel dirty thinking about why that is.

he never answers your question, just quietly moves closer to you as your only comfort. You stiffen when his hand touches your back and swallow the urge to pull away. You know the answer to that anyway.

you never quite thought you'd be glad to return to busy work.

[wellthebardsdead]

Clockwork heart pt13

Part 12 here

———

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HES MISSING?!?!”

Tolfdir: Urag I take full responsibility for what occurred but please- *blocks a book flying for his head* Calm down! We’re organising a search party as we speak!

Enthir: HOW DO YOU LOSE AN ELF?! *rubs his face* I’ll reach out to all of my contacts I’m sure we can find him.

Onmund: we can search around the area again maybe he didn’t get as far as we thought.

J’Zargo: dunmer are not made for the cold, you don’t suppose-

Arniel: Don’t talk like that. Urag as second in charge of this-

Urag: Shut up. All of you just get out… *voice cracking as he starts rummaging around to prepare a pack for himself*

???: My, my. So the rumours are true.

Urag: *blood boiling to an uncontrollable rage as he turns around to see ancano standing at the entrance*

Ancano: *looking so smug despite the threatening warning talking to he was given by the arch mage* he’s so ‘precious’ to all of you and you lost him so easily. No matter, I’ll inform my fellow agents to track him d- *blinks as Urag suddenly teleports from his desk to right in front of him, only seeing his fist for a split second before suddenly ending up on the ground with the old orc glaring down at his bloodied face with murder in his eyes*

Urag: My baby is lost somewhere out there. All. Because. Of. You. *snarls as atronachs suddenly appear around him, all of them poised to kill* Get. Out.

*meanwhile*

Wyrm: *staring up at the horse he’d purchased nervously* u-um…

Taliesin: *brushing out his pretty white steed* …Oh don’t tell me you’ve never ridden a horse before.

Wyrm: there weren’t any stables in winterhold… and you grew up on an island and never learned how to swim.

Taliesin: I- th-that is neither here nor there thank you very much. *takes the reigns from Wyrm and ties them to his horse* but until you can ride on your own with only one arm you can ride on neigh-omi with me.

Wyrm: o-oh, c-can she handle carrying two people I don’t want to hurt he-EERR! *squeals and kicks as Taliesin picks him up and places him on his horse*

Taliesin: with how lite you are? Absolutely. *climbs up behind him and hands him the reigns keeping a thumb on it just in case* okay then, nudge her side with your foot.

Wyrm: *nervously does as he’s told and clings to the saddle as the horse takes the hint and starts moving, Wyrms horse following along side obediently* o-oh gods she’s moving! She’s moving!

Taliesin: and she hasn’t thrown us off yet~ good job.

Wyrm: …what do you mean by yet?

*a few hours later*

Wyrm: so far we’ve been attacked by wolves, 5 bandit clans, two thieves, a bear, one skooma dealer, and I saw a tree get up and run away!

Taliesin: Ah yes, skyrims nature at its finest isn’t it? At least no dragons have turned up today, I only just got my hair sorted after the last battle, why couldn’t they breathe ice instead of fire… can they breathe ice I wonder… gods can you imagine one spitting lightning that’d be- hm? *blinks as the horse suddenly stops*

Wyrm: *pulled on the reigns, staring at a crumbling prison across the waterfall* …

Taliesin: …What’s wrong?

Wyrm: I… heard somebody scream.

Taliesin: *ears twitching, not as big as Wyrms but able to pick up quite a bit* hm, I only hear the waterfall. Are you sure?

Wyrm: yes I heard a man, and-

*crack!*

Taliesin: *ears distinctly catching the sound of a whip* … *slides off his horse and leads it to some trees by the waterfall tying them there* someone’s being tortured. *grabs Wyrm by his waist helping him down* stay behind me, if I say run, run. No ifs or buts. Am I clear?

Wyrm: *nods, feeling a bit uneasy at how serious the high elf suddenly became* y-yes Tali.

Taliesin: *nods and carries him across the water right as the door suddenly swings open revealing a thalmor guard*

Guard: *holding a bucket to fetch cold water* gods why do they always pass out during lash- *pauses seeing Taliesin standing there with Wyrm behind him* What th- *suddenly silenced as Taliesin cuts their throat and kicks them over the waterfall*

Taliesin: Of course the thalmor would be behind this.

Wyrm: you… I thought-

Taliesin: Im not with the thalmor anymore Wyrm. My loyalties have changed, and if they get in your way or pose a threat to you, I will be there to protect you.

Wyrm: *blushes a little and smiles* th-thank you Taliesin, does this mean-

Taliesin: no you may not know my real name… but you can call me piper.

Wyrm: piper??

Taliesin: Oh yes, my mother used to call me her little piper~… so did the boys at the academy in fact.

Wyrm: *clueless* …why???

Taliesin: … *clears his throat* nope I’d rather not taint you with that information. Let’s um, just go inside shall we?

*a few minutes and killing another guard later*

Taliesin: *crouched down, ears pricked forward listening for life in the jail cells*

???: Ah. Good. You’re awake again~ enjoy your little nap?

???: f-fuck you cunt! I’ve told you everything I know!

Wyrm: *behind taliesin* what’s happening?…

Taliesin: shhh, I have a plan, hand me my robe and gloves, quickly.

Wyrm: *hands them to him*

Taliesin: *quickly slides them on over his new clothes before getting up and walking with purpose hoping he correctly recognised the voice* Ah, Cyrelian I thought I’d find you here! *pauses seeing an ungodly tall man shackled to the wall, back so bloodied his bones can be seen from the lashings* Busy as usual I see?

Cyrelian: *seconds from drawing back the whip to strike again* hm? Oh piper! What brings you here I thought you were assigned to finding that-

Taliesin: shrine to talos? Oh yes turns out it was real. A shame the worshippers killed my superior however. *walks over to him calmly* speaking of killing* cuts his throat in one swift motion watching the other high elf drop like a fly* Wyrm? It’s safe now. Bring a healing potion. Quickly.

Wyrm: *hurries in and freezes seeing the injured man and the dead elf* h-how did you know that’d work?

Taliesin: oh simple I recognised him, he owes me some coin. *takes the healing potion from him and walks over to the man* hello friend-

???: *looks up at him with murder in his eyes* when- when I get out of here. I’ll kill you all myself.

Taliesin: Tsk, my my you’re a feisty one aren’t you. You can relax, we’re not with the thalmor.

???: you?… *looks Taliesin up and down* you’re not?

Taliesin: hard to believe I know. What’s your name?

???: *looks at him then at Wyrm* Kaidan… my names Kaidan.

Taliesin: Well then, Kaidan- *bites the cork off the bottle and suddenly pours the potion over his wounded back* Welcome to the team.

Kaidan: FFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-

Taliesin: *covers his mouth* Language, really now it’ll heal instantly this way, you can drink another one in a moment. Honestly so dramatic.

*a few hours later*

Kaidan: *riding on Wyrms horse as Wyrm rides with taliesin* that’s about it really… was camping by the lake when they sprung on me…

Taliesin: huh, to think we were in the same area. Me searching for a shrine of talos and you searching for who you really are… it’d certainly explain why I suddenly ran into Cyrelian when we were headed to that area.

Kaidan: *glares at him, very obviously not open to the idea of talking friendly with him* eat shit and die.

Taliesin: ugh. Really? In front of Wyrm? The swearing isn’t necessary.

Wyrm: oh my papas said a lot worse in front of me. Though the worst I’ve ever said is shit, usually when I smack my thumb with a hammer.

Kaidan: how? You only have one arm?

Taliesin: *moves his horse closer just to hit him on the arm* don’t be rude.

Kaidan: fock you.

Wyrm: oh it’s not rude, *pulls his prosthetic arm from the saddle bag* it’s broken right now, but when it’s assembled I can control it and use it like a real arm! Like my eye! My papa enchanted it so I can see!

Kaidan: oh aye? That’s really neat, your da sounds like a good man, I think he and I would get along.

Taliesin: Hardly. He’s a librarian and I doubt you can even read. *ducks as Kaidan suddenly swings at him with the scabbard of his sword*

Kaidan: I can focking read you asshole!

Wyrm: *blinks feeling it woosh over his head before reaching into his bag and pulling out the book he’d found by the lake* oh, is this, your book then? mr kaidan?

Kaidan: You found that? Aye, just something to pass the time, didn’t really like it much. You can keep it if you’d like. But since your da is a librarian I take it you’re very well read? I envy that. I can read fine but I’d like to learn more.

Wyrm: oh! I’d be happy to lend you some books of mine.

Kaidan: I’d appreciate that.

Taliesin: *suddenly feeling a pang of jealousy well up inside of him* next you’ll be asking him to teach you how to count to te-

Kaidan: *pushes him off his horse*

Wyrm: TALI!!

*meanwhile*

Nerevar: *quietly steps into his and voryns room in the Mournhold temple* my love?…

Voryn: *dressed for travel but still regal as ever, sitting on the floor after getting dizzy* neht…

Nerevar: Ryn! *hurries to him helping him up* my love you’re not well, are you okay? What happened?

Voryn: I got dizzy brushing my hair… my legs ache…

Nerevar: *strokes his hair from his face* the transport is ready to take us to the ship, I made sure it’s comfy for you to rest, are you sure you want to-

Voryn: I want to come with you… but please…

Nerevar: Ryn?…

Voryn: can you do my makeup?… I don’t want to be seen in public so dishevelled… it’s taken so long to fix my houses reputation…

Nerevar: oh darling… of course… *gently lays him on the bed and picks up the red paint and a brush to apply his markings* anything for you…

[milhoutvanhousen]

Hi! I'm just crossposting from AO3 (I'll leave a link below if you prefer to read there). Left in the original AN just to really hammer in that this fic (read: all my fics) is not edited much lmao. Just a little short guy from ItaSaku week that I have...vague intentions to continue...the next chapter is half written and I am really trying to actively get back into writing so....we'll see no promises k bye!

Hiiii okay so, Bad start to #itasakuweek2023 because I thought today was the 21st and not the 22nd whoops. Fair warning, I doubt I will post any of these on time, lets be real. As for “these”, my thought process was to just write without planning (lol) the first chapter of something for each prompt, rather than a true one shot, and continue whichever one people liked/whichever one I actually like writing and have more ideas for. These are in no way refined, or fleshed out, sooooo you get what you get! I haven’t written in a long time and struggled so hard with past/present/whatever tense, please go easy on me or feel free to beta, I heard it’s so much fun! lmfao okay byeeeee luv u

Sakura had never felt her face drop so quickly. She was sure that if she could see herself, she would probably laugh. Sat in the coffee shop across from the university at this moment, however, she was definitely not laughing.

“Sorry...what?” Her shocked eyes blinked exactly once as the words forced themselves out.

Sasuke’s eyes rolled and she heard him suck at his teeth, she loathed that sound from him in particular. The quiet “tsk” sound could wind her up faster than him and Naruto trying to choose what to have for dinner.

“Sakura what was I supposed to do?” His eyes met her own again, but only for a moment, they drifted off to the side as he continued. “You know I couldn’t turn down the job, my father put in a good word for me and you know how he is. Besides, you know he’s driving me crazy right now and I just need to get some space.” She scrunched her face. Another blink to stop herself from tearing up. Why did she have to feel so many feelings? Didn’t she get to be blind to some of them like the boys were? How unfair

Two more years of medical school left. It was April, and her and Sasuke had been in the process of finding a new place to stay. The three of them had decided that they would rent a house together to get some space from their families before they started at Konoha University. Sasukes parents had been...not necessarily easy going about things, but they hadn’t fought him too much about it in the end. To her surprise, they had been more at ease when they found out that Sakura would be joining and not leaving Sasuke alone with Naruto.

Well, two years had passed and nobody had died, thank god. Naruto however, had announced right after their second Christmas together that this semester would be his last staying in the three bedroom house they rented. He had finally decided to move in with Hinata. Honestly, she didn’t know who was more nervous between the two of them, both friends had their moments of panic with Sakura in private, it made her laugh when she thought about how perfect they were for each other.

And so, she and Sasuke had set out to find a two bedroom as they didn’t want to share with anybody else, but couldn’t afford to stay in the larger rental without a third. They had found a nice apartment a little further away than their current place, but still within walking distance of the Uni, a requirement on Sakura’s end. Until Sasuke had to open his dumb mouth and put a wrench in their plans. How did somebody who talked so little cause so much damage when he chose to open his mouth, where had he been getting the practice?

“Weeell, to be fair this feels pretty spontaneous on my end, you literally never told to me about any of this. You know I understand with your dad but...you also know I cant afford this place on my own, what are we supposed to do, the lease is already signed and move in is only two weeks away! What the hell Sasuke, you’re seriously stressing me out!” And he was. She had finals soon to worry about, and she hadn’t lined up a summer job yet either. Not to mention that Ino wouldnt get off her back about finding a summer romance...get real. She could think of literally ten million things more important . A flick on the forehead snapped her out of her spiral.

“Relax, Itachi will move in.” Ah, he was back to Sasuke Light(TM), full dialogue not included.

“I obviously want more information than that, get real pal.” It was her turn to roll her eyes. He loved to bait her, just to be a dick, she was sure.

“He’s back in town next month from Suna, you know how easy going he is.” She did not. Itachi...she didn’t know too much about him at all to be honest. They had of course met a few times, she had known Sasuke since she was 12, going on almost 10 years now.

While her and Naruto didn’t end up at the Uchiha house super often, they spent a guaranteed four dinners there every year. Sasuke’s birthday (of course) as well as Naruto’s, Mikoto’s (She loved throwing large parties but her birthday was the only event Fugaku allowed her to get a little crazy...so she did), and every year without fail, they also gathered to celebrate the new year. Sakuras birthday was excluded, but only because she preferred to spend it alone and everyone had (finally) accepted that. It took a few years of arguments with the boys and hushed conversations with Mikoto, but everyone caved eventually. Sakura gave a mean puppy dog face.

She shook her head lightly, she was distracting herself again.

“Fine Sasuke, there’s not much I can do about it now I guess. Can you at least pass on my number so we can text and figure some things out?” What she really wanted to know was if he would be replacing their old ratty couch with one of his own, she was dreading buying a new one and she might as well be hopeful about the situation. He smirked, probably thinking the same thing, and gave her a mock salute as he walked away.

“Everything will be fine Sakura, I’ll see you later.” She pouted into her coffee, he didn’t know that. He couldn’t know that. Her phone buzzed.

It’s Itachi. Thanks for indulging my little brother. I know you probably aren’t thrilled about things but I hope we can help each other out in the coming year.

She hummed to herself. Realistically, Itachi wasn’t the worst option. In fact, compared to Sasuke directly, maybe it would be a more relaxed year in the home area, Sasuke definitely had a party boy reputation and often made it his roommates problem. Settling on cheering up, she messaged back.

Thanks for saving me this year, I’m sure having a roommate wasn’t in your plans but I promise all I do is study and have the occasional cry of either frustration or despair, normal med student things really. Do you want to arrange a time to see the place? I get keys in a week and we can move stuff in as early as the week after.

After stuffing her phone in her bag, she slammed back the rest of her coffee and tidied up the dishes she had. No point stressing herself out more than she needed to, she supposed. She wouldn’t have to pay rent alone, and hey, maybe she’d get a new couch out of it.

When she got back to the apartment, she screamed into her pillow for a solid minute. Cheerfully.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

When she woke up way later in the evening than intended after she fell asleep watching tv, it was due to hunger. She groaned as she pulled the blankets over her head, and not quietly. The natural consequence of course, was that Naruto barged into her room, acting as if he had never heard this specific cry before (he had).

“Uhhh....you good in here Sakura?” She responded with a mumble but got up regardless.

“Yeah Naruto, I’m good. Hey, are you here long enough for dinner? I fell asleep and I’m starving.” Before Hinata was in the picture it was always a yes, but the ol’ lug had grown up and actually prioritized things now, it was touching to see.

“Ahh I’m sorry Sakura, I’m just grabbing some stuff and then me and Hinata are going to see a movie, if you want to join I’m sure she wouldn’t mind though!” And she wouldnt, but third wheeling wasn’t in the plans for the night.

“Nah, go on without me, I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll probably go grab some tempura or something quick and then head back here anyway. Say hi to Hina for me though!” He grinned and gave a wave, leaving and walking so loudly to his room. It would have impressed her if she could forget how much it annoyed her first.

After he left she decided to sprawl out on her bed for juuust a few more minutes before committing to getting up and ready to leave the house. While she didn’t have groceries and wasn’t in the mood to go get some, she did have coupons for the tempura place down the street, so that settled things.

She took her sweet time getting out the door and eventually walked to the little stand around 11. End of the semester could be stressful but she had already dealt with pretty much everything that she technically needed to so...why not have a late night out? Dressed in Sasukes old soccer joggers and a tank top she sat down and greeted the owner Daiki, who waved at her and asked if she wanted the regular. She grinned and nodded while passing the coupon over the counter. Nothing made her feel better than food, guaranteed, every time. While she waited she browsed her phone, liking photos on Instagram and generally trying to keep busy so she didn’t feel too awkward sitting by herself.

But soon, the glorious moment came. Daiki set down her favourite food in the whole world. She picked up the shrimp tempura, dunked it in the sauce and got ready to take a (massive) bite. She closed her eyes and -  heard laughter. Laughter right next to her.

Popping an eye open she looked to her right. Lo and behold, there sat Itachi, hand over his mouth as he laughed. At her! And he looked so good doing it . How many times were these damn Uchiha brothers going to leave her speechless today?

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh at you, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you more happy than at this moment.” She set her food down (sadly) and turned to face him. “Also forgive me for joining you, I hope you don’t mind. I was out and saw you walking here earlier and I thought it would be a nice chance to talk about our living situation. Please don’t let me stop you from your first bite though, I would feel terrible.” Was he...joking with her? She didn’t hate it. With a quick nod, she picked her food back up and got right into her giant bite, not caring that someone else was present to witness it. After chewing and swallowing (maybe faster than she should have) she had a sip of water and cleared her throat while she tried to look classier than she was acting.

“While I didn’t expect to run into you here, I definitely don’t mind. Sasuke said you weren’t coming in to town until next month though?” Sasuke was the worst person for information, and it was hard to beat Naruto. A feat that personally, she wouldn’t be proud of.

“Are you in town now...permanently then? Or is this just a quick stop before you come back to stay? Or, well, sorry I guess I don’t really need to ask your whole life story right now.” More food into the mouth! Solves the problem of talking too much every time. Why was she so nervous? She knew Itachi was less touchy than Sasuke, but she still didn’t want to sour their friendship or whatever this was, before they even moved in together. Moved in together oh my god.

“Don’t worry, that’s not an intrusive question at all. Originally I had planned to leave Suna roughly within the month, but plans changed as they do and I caught a flight this morning, quite last minute. It wasn’t really in my plans, but, well, nothing much has been recently if I’m being honest.” Okay how could she not ask more after that, was he baiting her on purpose? These fucking brothers. He did look....a little...off though. It was hard to say for sure because they really didn’t know each other too well, but, he generally had a calm and in control demeanour about him. Right now however, he seemed the slightest bit rattled, or maybe surprised? It was hard to tell.

“Sasuke was right, you’re very easy to read.” Her mouth dropped open, chopstick mid air (again). He smiled, maybe to soften the blow?

“It’s not been the best couple of months for me.  A lot of...unplanned things have been happening. However, nothing to worry about. Everything will work out in the end, it always does.” He smiled softly and tilted his head and...and Sakura just hoped her blush didn’t look as strong as it felt.

“Well, I’m glad you’re so optimistic, and you can tell Sasuke to shove it, he’s not in my good books right now even though everything ‘worked out in the end’ as both of you, actually, put it.” Sakura made sure to scrunch her nose as she let out her distaste for his brother. Sasuke owed her, even if she liked Itachi and had definitely warmed up to the idea of staying with him the longer they sat together. Itachi and her had met, and even spoken before, but never as casually or as personally as this. He was often very short when at the Uchiha home, their encounters fairly brief for the most part.

“Finish up Sakura, I’ll treat you to some tea and dessert while we talk about the apartment and this coming year together.” Before he finished speaking he had waived Daiki over and paid for what she owed after her coupon, not even looking over to see if she was agreeable. He was so...confident. And a new kind of sexy, one she maybe hadn’t been subscribed to before but definitely was now. Okay this time her blush definitely stained her face, no way he didn’t notice. Did he not know what his voice and that tone...no, he couldn’t know, he was just being nice. As he always had been. Like normal Sakura, get out of your head dummy.

While she finished up her late dinner, she couldn’t stop the thoughts floating around in her head . Yes, she was definitely warming up to the idea of him.

[superloves4]

We can always begin again - Chapter 1

Relationships: Celegorm/Aredhel, Curufin/Finrod (background) Summary: Celegorm didn't think he'd be granted mercy, that he'd be re-embodied or that he'd be welcome anywhere. Aredhel thought she'd never welcome him again after what he'd done. They were never good at staying away from each other. TW: none for this chapter but a warning: this is mostly canon compliant Celegorm, for what this fic is supposed to be this means Eol won't be beyond salvation (he is in only one chapter briefly but I felt this needed to be said) (Not to worry tho, I have another aretyel fic in the works where Eol is just the worst) A/N: Enjoy!

Also on AO3

Tyelkormo Fëanorion didn't know how long it had been since he'd seen the sun. He didn't even think he'd be given a chance to see it again, a permanent residence in the Halls would have been mercy compared to what he had bound to his soul, turns out mercy, as some would call it, tasted of ash and poison. It hurt his eyes.

He breathed in then held his breath.

It was a cacophony of senses he no longer was familiar with and he just needed another minute. If he was free of Mandos then he could be granted that, it was the most humble request he'd ever made.

"I don't believe they shall let you back in, brother"

Tyelko opened his eyes to watch as Curufin prepared his oh, so kindly, allowed horse. He was rather happy to have the company, the twins and Caranthir had been released before him, it was nice to not be left alone now.

"What a shame," he shrugged, if somebody saw him now they'd almost believe it "I'm convinced we truly were close to send dear Mandos to retirement."

"And have to do his job? Rather dreary don't you think?" Curufin managed a smile back.

"On the contrary, after everything that happened I find it rather fitting."

It was a voice Tyelko was not expecting, in fact he was not expecting anyone, he figured even his brothers would rather steer away from him after Doriath, instead he could now see his mother approaching on the horse he could remember so clearly from childhood, and the one who spoke...

"Irìssë!"

She was there, black hair to the wind and dressed in all white, it was like nothing had changed, that she was about to call him to a hunt and then to camp in the wild, he'd tell her what story the birds were telling that morning and everything would be just right. He ran to her, he needed to feel she was real.

"Don't touch me!"

He stopped dead in his tracks, because this was Irìssë, this was his best friend, he had felt so hollow when he discovered her death, so why? Why did she back away from him, her face a mix of fear and hate.

He felt Curufin's hand on his shoulder and looked at him, but his brother only shook his head. It frustrated him, he didn't want to be told that thing were different, he was alive, he wanted to feel alive now. He pushed Curufin's hand away, looking to the ground instead.

"Are you still sure you want to be here?" he heard his mother ask Irìssë.

"Yes," she said back "Yes, I'm just not ready for that yet."

He nodded, it wasn't directed at him exactly but he knew what it meant.

"Irìssë, I-" Curufin tried to say but she quickly interrupted.

"There is no need," she answered but seemed to be eager to end the conversation instead "It's in the past now, I don't need any explanation."

Tyelko felt he disagreed but it didn't seem that anything he said would be useful so he decided to be silent instead and let things change. It had been what he'd searched for so long, why did it felt so wrong now?

They had been riding for at least an hour before his mother decided to break the silence.

"I am to make you two aware that you, in specific, are forbidden from Tirion Palace," she told them, it was rather curt but they supposed it was to be expected "You may choose one of the accommodations for the returned or," she took a breath and for the first time in that hour, they heard their mother "Or you are free to come home with me."

It was more than Tyelko expected, but then again, if freedom was the confines of Formenos then he'd much rather go back to Mandos, spirits could not feel real boredom.

"Findaràto is crown prince." Curufin hummed and Tyelko felt ashamed of his earlier rejection, he didn't think his brother would accept his support as it was now.

Nerdanel nodded "I have good reasons to believe that Ëarwen might build dungeons just for you if you attempt to enter."

If it was supposed to be a joke, it was a poor one indeed. But the chill was slowly leaving her voice and Tyelko could be grateful for that.

"What about you?" he couldn't keep himself from asking, Tyelko genuinely hadn't meant to sound so resentful, but the damage was done already "What have you come to tell us?"

Irìssë gave him a look that reminded him how cold she could be since the Helcaraxë, it was vague and he couldn't tell what she was thinking, she was right there and most distant than ever, before turning back to the road.

"I am here for the same reason as aunt Nerdanel," she said "To offer my home."

"What?!"

She'd been so distant he had expected for the journey to end in her telling him that from that moment on they had nothing to share anymore, that their great friendship would finally find its conclusion. She was free.

Instead...

"If you so wish," she said, her voice still on that bitter edge "You two are welcome to stay with me and my son in our cabin."

That was a surprise for both of them, they really didn't think anyone would welcome them back, let alone offer their house.

"No," was Curufin reply "With all of my respect, Irìssë, mother, but I wish to be alone for now."

Tyelpë. The reason went unspoken.

"And you?" Nerdanel asked her third child.

"I-" Tyelko looked at the two women in front of him, his mother was giving him a simple solution that was much better than the small house away from everyone he thought was in his future. It was the correct option, to stay in Formenos, rust away there, but he had always been selfish and he wanted some closure.

So he spurred his horse forward, blocking the path of Irìssë's horse and earning her glare, it did, however, maker her look at him and that was what he needed.

Tyelko searched her eyes for any sign that they still knew each other "Do you truly want that?"

Her stare as intense as his, daring him to say anything "Yes."

"I'm sorry, Ammë," he told Nerdanel and he meant so, it had been so long since he'd seen her but he felt it wasn't what he needed.

Nerdanel, albeit strained, merely smiled "If you are both decided I have nothing else to say."

The four of them separated another hour later, Nerdanel leading Curufin to his temporary home, while Irìssë led him towards the forest, Tyelko had half expected to be led deeper inside, instead, they stopped right at the edge, where a small-ish wood cabin stood.

It was no Himlad, that was certain, almost too simple even for Irìssë but it didn't look cramped, having at least two floors, it would have been rather uncomfortable otherwise. Her son. Tyelko hadn't even considered that when he'd made his choice. He knew nothing about the boy, besides a vague memory of his presence in the battlefield with Turgon, thinking about it now, he wished he'd known sooner, it was strange how such a big side of Irìssë was now a mistery to him.

"You can still leave."

It was the first smile she'd given him and it was more of a scornful grin, crooked, not what he remembered in places. But it was the closest thing to home he had in years.

"Too bad, you're stuck with me now."

[persephoneflouwers]

So I read your posts about Saturdays and I agree with your analysis, I liked them a lot, thanks for making them because I couldn't put some thoughts into words like you did. What I was going with this anon is that I don't understand why when Louis sang it live there was a sea of ​​rainbows. I'm not against it or anything, I really love everything and the different interpretations seem perfect to me. But I don't understand how they connect Saturdays with something related to the community? I ask you why you can explain me better. I thought that maybe how the melody can convey hope to you, something like "yes, we said that Saturdays take away the pain but it's not always like that, and that's fine" and as if as the song progresses everything intensifies until it reaches the boom and yell "today may not be okay, my heart may be broken, but this isn't always going to be this way either, and it's okay because I'm going to be!" I don't know if what I said is logical but it's just thoughts I had at 1:30 am hahaha sorry for bothering you, I hope you're well :))

Hi angel! How are you? Thank you for asking. Saturdays is a layered song, it’s not easy to extract the true meaning and obviously every analysis is personal and super-valid. I was surprised to see the rainbows during the song ngl! Saturdays is such a melancholic song and maybe people like to involve it during fan actions because the slow tempo and the emotional burden it carries help building an intimate moment with all the flags and colours. Personally I would choose different songs for rainbows (bigger than me would be my first choice!).

If we go a bit through the lyrics of Saturdays, they don’t stand out as very queer to me. But that’s my interpretation and I can’t really talk over how a song can resonate for other fans. There are some lines that can recall this image of belonging to a queer community. For example “I’m not supposed to be feeling dirty cheap in Silver street”. It can be read as “i’m alone (dirty cheap) in a crowd (silver street)”, like a way of saying he struggles to find his place in a community where he doesn’t feel like he belongs entirely because he’s not out? Is he acknowledging the fact that his public image doesn’t meet the community standards in a way? Idk. This feels a bit forced and too much projection imo. That’s why my interpretation of the song goes in a complete different direction.

What I find extremely interesting when it comes to Louis’s songs is how constant such themes happen to be. Of course, I don’t know what they mean to him but this consistency helps me figure out.

He mentions change/changes/changing a lot in his songs. There are songs where he says change is inevitable and others where he says nothing changes. I don’t think he is contradicting himself (possible, but I like to give things a deep meaning usually). I think he refers to changes in different ways because he’s approaching changes in different moments, situations. I will elaborate my thoughts a bit. And I’m sorry this is taking so long to reply… anyway. Let’s report how many times Louis talks about this topic in his songs:

The Greatest: time came and changed it all

Bigger Than Me: when somebody told me I would change

Saturdays: some things change

Common People: nothing’s changed

Holding Onto Heartache: the nights they changed in seasons

Change: everything has changed, but I feel the same inside.

High in California: spent my whole life just thinking I had to change

COACOAC is the epitome of things that don’t change.

I listened to walls after a loooong time and AFAIK this topic/word are not in it. There are references to changes VS something that remains the same tho. Habit, Always you etc give this idea of a person/a thing that stays when everything around is somehow changing. Surprisingly Perfect Now has the line don’t ever change, which made my heart happy cause I love PN and she didn’t deserve the treatment she got starting from Louis and from all fans too but alas.

Where I am going with this is clearly change(s) are a huge topic in Louis’ music. I know my method of analysis is too scientific but making a list of how he approaches the topic in his songs allows me to distinguish 2 big categories that I will label as “Change YES” and “Change NO” lol.

I can’t go on for ever about this, I’ll cut it short. To me, when he wants to talk about the person he is or wants to be, about his personal journey with his sexuality, inner struggles and/or inner emotional fights, his resolution is clear: he’s not changed. He embraces it and accepts it (when you know, you know in OTB / I can tell you’re the same as me in ATT / all the above mentioned examples). My point is when he speaks on his queerness experience or the perception of it, he seems pretty sure he can’t change. Just to elaborate it a bit: somebody told him he would change in BTM, meaning he hasn’t changed and we knew already because he had made it pretty clear in Change and obviously in COACOAC.

When he’s talking about daily life things, ordinary things… well shit happens and he knows it. He knows some events can happen that will change more or less you and the way you go on with your days. Events like grief, hiatus, decisions from when you were 18… do you see what I mean?

That’s a pretty safe key for me to interpret his songs actually. Of course, I may be wrong! But til now, this Change YES/NO algorithm (lol) has helped me navigate his lyrics with a clear idea in mind. My opinion might be a little biased since I associate the poetics of Saturday as a concept to the poets I’ve read before with the theory of pleasure and stuff, but it makes sense to me like this for now!

We could write a similar post about the way he drops light/dark theme too, but that’s another story.

Hope this answered your question and thank you for asking <3

[sunnyie-eve]

A Family(pt.10)

Series: Fondness | Scream

Paring: (Chad Meeks-Martin x OFC Hicks! Ethan Landry x OFC Hicks!)

Word Count: 1653

Warnings: mention of attack, mention of death,

Last | Next

The next day while Mindy gets her arm wrapped and the police cover-up Anika, Sam was off feeling like it was her fault.

Lexi was still in deep thoughts about last night and the killer not really trying to hurt her and kept looking at her. Chad sees this so he holds her hand to comfort her till he sees Ethan.

"Chad." Ethan says so Chad lets go of Lexi's hand and goes up to Ethan grabbing him and shoving him against a vehicle.

"Where were you? Last night?" Chad asks and Lexi walks over to calm him down.

"What? I had Econ. You know this. I had proof I got there. I texted Lexi last night." Ethan tells him.

"Bullshit, man! She didn't get any text. You disappear, and my sister almost gets killed!" Chad pushes him against the vehicle again.

"You never sent a text to me." Lexi looks at him.

"I did! I pressed sent! Maybe it didn't go through." Ethan looks at her. "Dude, I was in a study hall with a hundred other people. You can ask any of them. Let me show you what I sent Lexi." Ethan says so Chad lets go of him and he pulls out his phone to show the text with a picture saying not delivered.

"Fuck, man." Chad huffs.

"Oh, my god. Who?" Ethan sees the body covered up.

"Anika and Quinn." Chad walks back over to the others.

"Mindy, I'm so sorry." Ethan follows them.

"Step the fuck back. You're at the top of my list." She tells him.

"I had Econ."

Mindy looks at Chad who eyes Ethan then looks at Lexi to his right looking down at the ground. She really wanted to believe him but you never know who you can trust.

"Lex." Ethan walks to get grabbing her arm to walk some ways to talk to her but Chad stops him.

"I'm fine." She gives him a head nod walking away some with Ethan.

"You believe me right? I don't know why my text didn't go through." He looks down at her.

"You didn't text me when you were done though. You were supposed to." She reminds him.

"I forgot, I'm sorry. I really am Lexi." He tries to take her hands but she steps back.

"I believe that but I'm just… last night so." She explains to him. Thinking back how the killer never attacked her to hurt or kill her. "Just no more leaving the group." She walks back to the others.

"You okay?" Chad leans towards her.

"I don't know." She sighs leaning her head on him so he holds her hand while Ethan stares at their hands.

Gale and Kirby show up and Gale says she found something so they all go with her to an abandoned theater that was a shrine of all the past killers. They all walk around looking at everything from past kills.

"This is fucked up." Lexi mumbles.

"Yep." Chad says passing her.

"Um, why am I here exactly? My alibi checks out." Ethan speaks up.

"So I can keep an eye on you, roomie." Chad smiles while Mindy does the I hit my eyes on you.

"I told you we all stay together." Lexi pats his back.

"You trust me right?" Ethan turns to her.

"I want to but the killer didn't attack me last night. Out of everyone, you don't seem like the type to hurt me since you like me." Lexi says being straight with him.

"Chad wouldn't hurt you either."

"Chad was there… You weren't. Yes, your alibi checks out and I really hope it was just a coincidence the killer chose to pick when you weren't there. I really hope it's not you because I would be heartbroken." Lexi squeezes his arm walking off to all the robes.

"So, somebody killed these chucklefucks and took over?" Chad asks.

"Someone who believes that Sam masterminded Woodsboro." Gale adds.

"If this was a normal Stab movie this would be the killer's lair." Mindy tells everyone.

"Which means this isn't a normal Stab movie." Kirby adds so Tara takes off.

Lexi walks to the end of the Star to sit down so Chad joins her, "Aren't around Ethan a lot like normally."

"I kinda have this new rule… Don't trust anyone because of the history of who the killers are to the victims. Boyfriends, friends, family members, killer's relatives." She explains to him.

"You don't trust me?"

"I trust the Fab Five." Lexi makes Chad get a big smile.

"Fab Five, baby." They high-five.

"But no really, I know you wouldn't have someone attack your sister. You two are close. And I trust you with my whole heart."

"I trust you with my whole heart too." He nudges her.

They both watch Ethan looking around at stuff so Lexi gets up going over to him, "You good?"

"Not really. Just thinking about all this. Like all the dedication someone went through to get all this for themselves… You know they had to have help getting all this. It makes me mad. Why help someone collect this shit." Ethan says and Lexi could tell there was a deeper meaning but doesn't ask about it. "Sorry, I'm just thinking about family stuff right now." He tells her.

"It's okay."

"It's just, my brother used to be so obsessed with something and my dad would do anything for him to feed into the obsession. Yet, if I had something he didn't give a shit about me. I know it's completely off-topic. All this makes me think back." Ethan explains.

"I get where you get the connection. It's okay."

"Thank you for understanding." He kisses her forehead so she nods her head.

When they get to moving again to try to turn the tables Ethan, Mindy, Chad, and Lexi end up in the van with Kirby to trace the call for when the killer calls.

"So we're really doing the phone tracing thing that never works in the movies. It will be all, Keep him talking, Sam. Two more minutes, I've almost got him. And then he hangs up just before we can get a lock." Mindy tells Kirby.

"I can trace a call in under 15 seconds." Kirby lets her know.

"Well, you've got them out there as bait." Mindy sits up.

"Because the killer usually calls from somewhere nearby."

"And you think they're safe because it's broad daylight in a public place?" Mindy adds.

"Look, I am here, okay? And so is Bailey."

"This is exactly how our uncle Randy died. Broad daylight. Public place. Yanked into a van. Stab, stab, stab. No more Randy." Mindy makes it clear so Kirby huhs.

The other three stay quiet so Ethan holds out his Cheetos to Chad and Lexi. Chad just looks at the bag and then at him while Lexi takes some.

Kirby ends up tracing the call to the Upper West Side. "He's inside an apartment building halfway across the city."

"On West 96." Tara says.

"How did you know that?"

"Gale." Sam says as they rush to get to her.

"That confirms at least two killers. Because how else would they know we were waiting to track them. They were told when to call." Lexi speaks up so Kirby gets in the driver's seat heading in that direction for them.

When they get there later than Sam and Tara they find out Gale was taken to the houses her boyfriend was killed. Everybody was siding down in the lobby, except Ethan, who was standing. Danny comes running in to check up on Sam and Lexi seemed to believe he wasn't a killer because he wouldn't have told them about Quinn being attacked.

"I'm scared you guys. I really don't want to get hurt again." Mindy says quietly.

"Neither do I." Chad tells her.

"I don't want you getting hurt again, either." She lets him know.

"I know. I know." Chad leans back resting his head on her shoulder.

"I don't want any of y'all getting hurt again." Lexi does the same leaning into Chad so he puts his arm around her while Tara rests her head on Mindy's other shoulder.

"So what do we do now?" Chad asks.

"Maybe he gets to win this time." Sam says so they all raise their heads, "He wants to punish me. Me. So maybe I let him. I'll just give myself up. If this is what I have to do to keep you safe, it's worth it." Sam cries to them.

"No, we're not doing that, Sam. You went back to Woodsboro to protect me. Every single day, you make the decision to protect me. None of us would even be alive if it weren't for you. You have to let us protect you this time. We're a team, remember?" Tara stands up.

"We aren't a team… We're a family. You four are all I have to call a family." Lexi gets up.

"Lex is right. We're a family." Mindy stands up.

"Let's go! Fab Five! Come on." Chad jumps up and he, Mindy, Tara, and Lexi put their hands in.

"Fab what?" Danny asks.

"It's an is thing." Chad lets him know so he chuckles a

"He's gonna keep coming after us."

"Isn't there somewhere safe we could just hole up in?" Ethan speaks up.

"No, he's gonna keep finding us." Tara tells him as they all take their hands out.

"Couldn't we use that though?" Lexi looks at Tara and Sam so Tara starts to make some calls.

"Are you sure about this, Lexi?" Ethan grabs her arm.

"Gotta have the final act where we get the killers to unmask then kill them after they're stupid rant about their motive. History shows they never win so I do y know why they keep thinking they're any different." She explains to him and he just stares at her.

[too-many-baes]

The Man That Stole Christmas

So this is my contribution to #tmsecretsanta2022 and I am gifting to @lizzybennets so a very Merry (belated) Christmas to you❤️ I wrote what came to mind so I hope you like it (even though it is on the angsty side)🎄

December 23rd, two days before Christmas. Most people were already at home with their families. Some might be making eggnog with a grin on their faces. Others might desperately be trying to keep the children away from the gifts under the tree for two more nights.

For the CIA it was just a regular night. Crime didn’t stop just because it was Christmas, so neither did they.

“So.” Jane said from his position staring up at the ceiling from the couch, using the word as if it were a complete sentence in and of itself. “Who’s getting coal in their stocking?” Although not particularly unfunny of a statement it still failed to pull any laughs from the group as their heads remained on their work.

“Well”, eventually split the silence, the crew one by one turning their heads to look at the source of the sound, “no coal. The opposite really. Craig is spending Christmas with me and my family this year.”

“That’s nice.”

“That’s quick.” Agents Cho and Rigby’s answers, while in unison, could not have been any more different in tone. Choosing to focus on the positivity Grace responded to Kimball as if he had been the only one to answer.

“It is. My parents can’t wait to have him over.”

“They’ve met then?” Grace nodded at Kimballs question.

“Just the once.” A not uncomfortable silence filled the room as one by one heads turned back to their desks.

“That’s quick.” Rigby’s repetition came too late to sound natural and completely lacked the nonchalance and ease he had intended. He sounded jealous and bitter, and he hated that his tone had so easily betrayed how he felt.

It was no secret to his team now that he hadn’t exactly had a happy childhood growing up. Having a father involved with a gang sounded exactly as unpleasant on a growing boy as it was, and as much as he usually tried to be chipper and happy, he had no problems admitting he was a complete and total grinch.

Christmas had never been made a big deal of in his household, it was like any other day where Wayne wished that his father would stay out as long as possible so he and his mother could enjoy the calm he left behind while they could. There was no tree, no gifts, no cookies baking in an oven while a hallmark movie played in the next room. Christmas was miserable. Until Wayne met Grace.

The first year she had joined the team and Christmas had rolled around he had been ready and prepared to be his usual self, no holiday cheer, no participating in office secret santas, and definitely no Christmas parties. Grace had had enough excitement and joy for the both of them and he couldn’t help it. For the first time ever he had joined in on secret santa, getting a new mug for Jane and receiving a tie from Cho. He smiled when he heard Grace humming along to Michael Buble and eagerly listened as she told him how she would be going to midnight mass with her family, as she always did, before having a sleep in and doing presents when everybody woke up.

The second year Grace was on the team they had not long started dating, so it was too soon to spend a Christmas with the Van Pelt’s, however much he had wanted to say yes when Grace had invited him. It would be too much, too soon. Next year, he had thought to himself. Next year maybe he’ll finally have a happy Christmas and he could hang up the grinch outfit he wore like a shield for once.

Well, this was year three, and it couldn’t have turned out any more different than what he had imagined. Instead of complimenting Mrs. Van Pelt on her ham while he and Mr. Van Pelt shared a whiskey he was having to sit in his office with his co-workers and listen to the love of his life excitedly share her Christmas plans as if she didn’t realise that it was supposed to be with him, not somebody else. It felt wrong, and it hurt Wayne more than a little that it seemed Grace hadn’t batted an eyelash that she was giving his Christmas to another man.

“I guess it is a bit quick.” Grace relented, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear that Wayne wished he could fish back out and twirl around his finger like he used to.

“No,” Wayne started to backstep, guilty that he had brought her mood down, “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes you did.” She responded without missing a beat. Because of course he had meant it like that, how else could you mean it. “But it’s okay.” He opened his mouth to apologise but a knock at the doorway had him snapping his mouth shut.

“Craig.” Grace beamed, jumping out of her seat and hustling to him so she could be wrapped in the embrace he immediately offered. “You’re early.”

“I know,” he punctuated with a kiss to her forehead that had Wayne’s nose wrinkling involuntarily, “but I figured I’d see what the chances would be of you sneaking off early.” She murmured that she’d check before she scurried off and knocked on Lisbon’s door, quickly entering when she was given the okay.

The group all exchanged merry Christmas’s back and forth, the pleasantries stopping when it was clearly Wayne’s turn. Try as he might to swallow his pride and utter the easy two words everybody else had said he couldn’t bring himself. How was he was supposed to wish joy to the man who’d stolen his Christmas? He offered a tight-lipped smile and a curt nod and was let off the hook from anything more as Grace hurried back over, excitedly exclaiming that she could go. With every item Grace packed away he could feel his blood running hotter until he swore the tips of his ears were burning as Grace shrugged on her jacket.

“Merry Christmas everybody, I’ll see you all in a few days.” She said genuinely with a bright smile and twinkle in her eye that Wayne couldn’t believe hadn’t dimmed at all with all the things she’d seen since starting this job.

“Merry Christmas.” His choked out version of the wish had been lost on everyone in the room, the volume of the chorus cancelling his voice out, but Grace had heard him as clearly as if he had yelled it in a silent room. Her eyes snapped to his as she lowered her waving hand back down to her side. Craig’s arm looped around hers had her body moving out of the room, but just before she turned to follow she offered up a small, genuine smile. It had been just for him, his eyes only, and he knew it, his heart skipping a beat at the action.

As the minutes trickled on, one by one agents started packing up for the night, until he was in the unique position of being the last one remaining in the office with Jane. As Rigsby knew he would more than likely be sleeping in the office he decided to cut his losses and pack up for the night.

“Wayne.” The assumed sleeping man had spoken just as Wayne was about to exit the room. He turned around to find the blonde man peeking at him out of one eye.

“Yeah?” He slowly opened his other eye, examining the mans face as if debating whether or not he should say what he had stopped him to say.

“You know it hurts her as much as it hurts you right?” He finally asked after taking in a large breath.

“I doubt it.” Wayne responded snidely, not caring any more at the immaturity that had leached into his voice.

“You shouldn’t.” Jane responded, his tone lower and softer in response to the bite in Wayne’s voice. “It’s as obvious as the nose on her face.” Wayne thought it over, knowing that Jane was seldom wrong on matters such as this and wanting nothing more than to believe him as he usually did.

“Goodnight Jane.” He stated with a dejected slap of his palm upon the doorway. He was met with a disappointed sigh but opted not to hang around and hear the lecture that might follow, instead making his way downstairs and into his car as fast as possible.

The car radio started as he pulled out of the CIA car lot, the sound of Bublé’s ‘White Christmas’ drifting though the speakers. He tsked to himself, reaching to change the station but stopping just short of the button.

He didn’t know what compelled him to do it but he let his hand drift back to the steering wheel, allowing himself to relive the memory of Grace’s humming those few years ago. He felt a prickling in his eyes and tightening in his throat, making his knuckles turn slightly whiter against the steering wheel.

As he continued to listen he kept thinking about Grace and the Christmas they could have, no, should have had. As the song came to a finish, the last notes dancing in his ears he promised himself one thing.

Even if it meant letting another man have his Christmas’s for however many years that it may take, he promised he himself he would never ruin a Christmas for Grace. No more snide comments, no more jealousy, no more Wayne ‘The Grinch’ Rigsby. Just because his Christmas had been stolen didn’t mean he would let himself steal Grace’s.

[raaorqtpbpdy]

I'm Nobody

Written for the Phic Phight prompt: How Valerie gains her name "the Red Huntress" (from @amabsis)

AO3 Link

[Warning for guns]

Valerie was not a vigilante, or a hero. She was a serious ghost hunter, not some performing monkey in a high tech suit who needed some dumb code name for branding purposes. Protecting her identity wasn't a concern because she worked alone, so there was no one to call her by her name.

"What are you called?" asked a ten-year-old girl as Valerie bagged an ecto-gecko the size of a bread-box who'd been terrorizing the girl's cat. Valerie scoffed.

"That's my business, mind your own!"

"What about Ghost-hunter Girl?" the girl suggested enthusiastically.

"Not on your life, kid," Valerie refused. Saying nothing more, she hopped onto her hoverboard and took off. "Ghost-hunter Girl?" she muttered to herself incredulously. "How dumb is that?" She was no little girl. Valerie was a strong, skilled ghost hunter, and if she did have a code name, it would reflect that, but she didn't want or need one.

She didn't think about it again until the next time someone else brought it up. There were more important things for Valerie to ruminate on, like tracking down Phantom and capturing him for Mr. Masters.

"Thanks, uh... what do we call you?" A man asked a few days later when Valerie captured the Box Ghost who'd been causing a ruckus in the store room of his and his wife's corner store.

"Nothing," Valerie said, stowing the ghost trap.

"Nothing? We can't call you nothing, you just saved our business!" The man argued. "How about the Lady in Red?" Valerie recoiled at the suggestion.

"I'm pretty sure a lady in red is what you call the ghost of a murdered prostitute, dear, so maybe not," his wife said gently.

"Definitely not," Valerie agreed, scowling being her mask and crossing her arms as the man's eyes widened and he quickly retracted his suggestion.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to suggest—" the man started to apologize, but Valerie was already starting to take off. "I only thought, because you wear red and it sounded good! I didn't know what it meant, I swear!" he shouted after her, but she ignored him, flying away.

After that, she could only hope that no one brought it up again. If she had to hear another insensitive name suggestion like that she was going to hurt somebody.

"A Study in Scarlet!" Mr. Lance explained when he walked into the teacher's lounge to see Valerie rounding up a swarm of blob ghosts that had congregated there, suckling on Ms. Carmen's feelings about her messy divorce. Her husband was leaving her for his secretary. The woman had practically laid out a feast for the things, and they'd become an infestation.

"Stay back, sir," Valerie told the teacher. One blob ghost was harmless, but there were a good forty or fifty of them, and Valerie had only managed to snipe about a third of them so far. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"Uh right, Miss..." he trailed off, waiting for her to fill in her name and she groaned in annoyance.

"Just step out into the damn hall!" she demanded.

It took her twenty minutes to shoot down the rest of the blob ghosts. Those little buggers were fast moving targets, and her aim may have been good, but nobody was perfect. When she finished, she holstered her ecto-guns and sucked the ectoplasm all over the room into a ghost trap before it could reform back into blob ghosts. That done, she left the teachers lounge.

Mr. Lancer and three other teachers were waiting out in the hall. She sighed. She'd been hoping to make a clean getaway. She should've snuck out the window.

"The teacher's lounge is safe now," she told them seriously. "The blob ghosts have been taken care of."

"Much obliged, Miss..." Mr. Lancer trailed off again, but again, she didn't give him a name.

Ms. LaRosa huffed. "How are we supposed to thank you if we don't know what to call you?" she asked.

"Don't call me anything," Valerie said. "And don't thank me either. I was never here."

"Does that make you like a ghost, then?" joked Mr. Prower. "Are you the Red Ghost then?"

"Scarlet Ghost, I would think," Mr. Lancer suggested. "It sounds much better."

Valerie growled. "I'm no kind of ghost! You hear me?!" she snapped. "Don't you ever lump me in with those monsters!" With that, she stormed off down the hall. Turning the corner and ducking into the nearest bathroom to change out of her suit.

The more time that passed, the more stupid suggestions Valerie heard. Crimson Catcher, Vermilion Ghost Sniper, Anti-ghost Warrior, if it didn't sound like the name of a tropical bird or an anime Valerie would hate, they just sounded plain stupid. Ghost Getter? Who could even come up with something as dumb as that? But the worst thing anyone ever called her was Red Phantom. Human or not, she almost beat the crap out of the guy for the absolute gall he had to suggest that she was in any way associated with that no-good, life-ruiner of a ghost boy.

"You ever considered coming up with a code name?" Phantom asked her as she chased him through town, weaving around buildings that he just turned intangible to fly right through. "It'd be a lot easier for everyone if you did."

"I'm not here to make things easier for everyone!" She shouted, taking aim with her rocket launcher. It was no good, Phantom's movement was too erratic for her to get a clear shot with it. She stowed it and switch to her wrist laser, shooting rapid-fire in the ghost's direction. "I'm here to make things harder for you!"

"Aw, for me? You shouldn't have!"

"Trust me! I want to!" Her next three shots hit another building as Phantom flew right through it, forcing her to go around again, groaning in frustration.

"I could help you come up with one," Phantom offered. "I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty good at naming things!" He didn't usually taunt her like this. What was he playing at. Valerie narrowed her eyes with suspicion and kept shooting. Now was not the time to make conversation. "Let's see, you're a ghost hunter, you wear red, hmm... I've got it! You should be called the Red Huntress."

That... wasn't bad actually. It kind of had a nice ring to it. Of course, Valerie would rather trip and fall on her own ecto-laser-blade than accept anything at all from a ghost, least of all this ghost, and least of all a name.

"I'll take a name you suggest over my dead body!" she shouted back. "I am not the Red Huntress! I am not Ghost-hunter Girl, or the Crimson Catcher! I don't need a name, and you don't need to know anything about me, except that I'm the girl who's gonna put you six feet under, where you should've stayed!"

"Bold of you to assume I was buried that deep," Phantom scoffed, "but if that's where you want me." He took a dive, plummeting downwards until he reached the ground, turned intangible, and kept going, the one place she really couldn't follow him.

She landed, shouted furiously, and threw one of her ghost traps in frustration. Her hatred of Phantom knew no bounds. She despised him with every ounce of her being. No force on Earth could reduce her pure, vitriolic loathing of that damned ghost.

A few days later she saw the news. A reporter on channel four was talking about Phantom, so Valerie turned up the volume to listen.

"Well, there you have it," the reporter said. "According to our town's resident ghost hero, the young woman in red who's saved so many citizens from ghost attacks when he couldn't, the Red Huntress, is the greatest living ghost hunter in Amity Park. Back to you, Todd." 

Valerie hit the power button on the remote to turn off the TV before chucking the clicker across the room. It hit her punching bag and slid to the floor without getting seriously damaged. "Phantom you bastard!" she shrieked.

It was too later to do anything about it. No matter how much she argued, no matter what she said, she could never go back to having no name. In the eyes of the town, she was the Red Huntress now, and there was nothing she could do about it.

There were worse names she could've been stuck with, she supposed. At least Red Huntress fit her skill set, her purpose, and her appearance pretty well. Eventually she did begrudgingly start to get used to it, and to even like the name. Regardless, she would never forgive that horrible, rotten, punk Phantom for sticking her with it.

"Red Huntress! Help!" someone shouted below, and Valerie took off in the direction of the cry. In truth, it was convenient for people to be able to call for her directly, not that she would ever admit that thought to anyone. She could tolerate the name, at the very least, and that was enough for the time being.

Eventually, years down the line she would come to truly embrace it. She would stand, unyielding, the greatest ghost hunter alive, face to face with a ghost wielding godlike powers and she would shout, "I am the Red Huntress! I fear no ghost! It's you who should fear me!"

[bellascarousel]

Hey!I love “Let’s Run Away Together”! I’ve had it open in a tab since chapter 1 came out lol! Was wondering if we could get a look at Kate waking up after falling asleep with Anthony comforting her in the aftermath of Lady Mary/Edwina. Fluff fluff and more fluff

xoxo

Aww... thank you! And here you go! (It ended up really long, and maybe not as fluffy as you were hoping for...)

“Good morning, Lady Bridgerton. Did you sleep well?”

Kate blinked at her husband, still in his clothes from the night before. Though his cravat was gone, as were his boots. His jacket and waistcoat were unbuttoned, but still on. A quick survey of her own clothing revealed her to be in a similar state. Her shoes were off, her dress unbuttoned and stays untied. And her hairpins had also disappeared somewhere. She pulled out of Anthony’s arms and sat up. “Do I even want to know what happened last night?”

“You managed to cry yourself to sleep. I didn’t want to wake you, so I did the best I could to make us comfortable without moving you too much.”

“I am so sorry.”

Anthony shook his head, then sat up and kissed her softly. “Never apologize for that. I am your husband. Comforting you when you are upset is my responsibility. And honestly, knowing what I do of your past, I’m quite honored that you are willing to cry in front of me. It means a lot to me that you trust me enough to allow yourself to be that vulnerable.”

Kate could only nod. The truth was that Anthony was the first person she had cried in front of pretty much since her father died. It had honestly surprised her how she had cried during some of their talks on the way to Scotland. And she knew that it was the same for him. And, as he said, she considered it an honor that he was able to be vulnerable with her.

“So, I suppose we should talk about the conversations we had yesterday. Did Mary and Edwina say anything at all of import?”

“Other than assuring me that they love you, no. Though, as I said, that could be because I barely let them speak. I was so angry on your behalf, Kate. I was so angry, and I just… I lashed out. Told them quite a bit of what I thought of them. Pointed out that Lady Mary is not your mother-”

“Anthony!”

He actually chuckled at that. “I wasn’t throwing her lack of blood relation to you in her face, but her actions. I told her that if anything, you were her mother, not the other way around.”

“Oh dear.”

“As I said, I was not kind. And perhaps most of it does not really need to be repeated. Though, one thing that you might need to hear, though, is my assessment of the tactic you took in trying to keep me and your sister apart.”

“Oh? And just what did you have to say about that?”

“I pointed out that you took the wrong tactic. That you were so convinced that I am not good enough for her that you never considered that she might not be good enough for me.”

“Well, that is certainly an interesting thought. I’m assuming you gave an example?”

“Ascot. I pointed out that if she cared about you at all, my courtship of her would have ended when you told her that me paying Mr. Dorset to pay attention to you hurt you. But, also that had you told me that it had hurt you, and you told her that and she didn’t care, my courtship of her would have ended. Because how could I trust somebody who cared so little about her own sister’s feelings with my sisters? How could I trust somebody who didn’t seem to love her own sister to love mine? How could I possibly trust her to be a confidante for them when she has shown such blatant disregard for you?”

Kate stared at him, stunned. They had talked about Ascot, of course. About how hurt she had been by it all. But, while he had apologized for his own part in that, they never really discussed the implications of Edwina’s part in it. She felt tears welling up in her eyes again as she was made to consider that particular aspect of it all.

Anthony was, as usual, ever solicitous of her moods. “Hey! I didn’t say that to upset you. I just… do you want to know something?”

“What?”

“While I was already in love with you, even if I wasn’t really ready to admit it to myself, the moment that really solidified things for me was when you begged me to go through with the wedding.”

“I pushed you away in the worst way possible, and you loved me for it?” This was also news to her. While they had talked about how she had hurt him, that morning, he had never mentioned this. It was quite fascinating, honestly.

“Yes. I know that it sounds strange. But, I could see it in your eyes that you were hurting. But, you were willing to do whatever it took to ensure your sister’s happiness. As I told your mother and sister when I went to see them, family is everything to me. Your willingness to sacrifice yourself for yours only made me love you more. I went through with that wedding for your sake, Kate. Because if only one of us got to be happy, it would be you.”

Kate was done talking. She knew that eventually she would have to tell Anthony about her conversations with his family. But, for right now, she just needed to be close to him. To know that he was here, and he was hers. She pulled him in for a kiss. And as their tongues tangled together, she pushed his jacket and waistcoat down his arms.

Anthony, for his part, needed no further coaxing or explanation. He quickly helped her make short work of the rest of their clothing. It was nearly time for luncheon before they finally emerged from their room. And if anybody had thought to come looking for them, they clearly turned away at the sounds of pleasure that neither of them even tried to muffle.