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amitlee · 3 years

Note

Hi! I saw your request where open. And I’ve been having sever brain rot. What about a Ler! Karlnapity and Lee! Tommy fic? If not that is absolutely ok. Your writing it awesome!

Reassurance

Warnings: Panic attacks, tickling.

Summary: Tommy has a panic attack and Sapnap finds him. He brings him over to his shared house to ensure he’s alright.

Just a fair warning, I didn’t proof read this.

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The weather outside was beautiful. The sky was clear with the occasional cloud, the cool temperature of fall wrapped around Tommy as he sat on the grass. Which would’ve been nice on a normal day, but this was not a normal day. There was nothing special about today itself, just an off day for Tommy.

For him, the sky was mocking him, the sun causing him to need to shield his eyes. The weather was just cold enough to cause chills to run through his system. The leaves crunching beneath every foot step taunted him, telling him the sad story of a boy and a beach.

Tommy felt his throat tighten as tears stung his eyes. The familiar feeling of not being able to catch his breath caught up to him and before he knew it, he was seated on the ground, rocking himself back and forth.

His thoughts swirled into a hideous symphony of untrustful men. Dream, Techno, Wilbur, even his own father. He was betrayed by them all. He had no one to call his family, practically orphaned for his own safety.

He held these people in his thoughts as he sobbed and gasped for air. He knew he should’ve known better than to come out on a day like this. He was always prone to overstimulation and had never learned how to deal with such intense feelings.

His nails dug into the palm of his hand from where he had them in fists. He hit the ground, suddenly overcome with anger, only to hit a pinecone and feel pain shoot through his hand.

He broke down even more, of course that pinecone had to be placed right where he chose to sit. What kind of idiot doesn’t realize what’s around them? How could he have been so foolish as to physically lash out in his anger fueled haze? He screamed, completely overwhelmed. And, that’s when a light appeared at the end of the narrow tunnel.

“Hello?” An unknown voice called out from somewhere in the woods.

Tommy’s head shot up, “H-Hello.” He called back to them. His voice was quieter than he anticipated and rough from the past few minutes.

He heard the crunching of leaves getting closer to him and couldn’t help but feel hopeful that it may be someone who would love him. At least for a little while.

“Oh my god.”

Tommy turned his head to see who’d spoken. The figure of Sapnap stood in the vision. The man looked slightly frightened.

“Sapnap,” Tommy cried as he pushed himself up to his knees. Sapnap met him half way, taking the boy in his arms as his body, once again, was wracked with cries.

Sapnap held Tommy tightly in his arms. If he had it his way, he’d never let go of the broken image in front of him. “Shh, shh. It’s alright, Tommy. It’s all going to be okay.” He tried to calm the boy. He gently rubbed his back, hoping to help ground him.

“I’m so sorry,” Tommy stuttered out, feeling guilty for taking Sapnap’s time.

Sapnap shook his head, “Don’t be sorry. Please let me help you.” He tightened his embrace around Tommy as if scared he’d disappear.

Together, they went through calming exercises such as counting and knowing your surroundings. Once Tommy had calmed down, he was absolutely exhausted. Him and Sapnap sat on the forest floor and Tommy laid down to set his head in Sapnap’s lap.

Sapnap carded a hand through Tommy’s hair as he leaned back on a nearby tree. “I’m proud of you, Tommy. That was a hard thing to go through and you got through it.” He said genuinely.

Tommy wiped at his eyes, but weakly smiled nonetheless. “Thank you.” He sniffled, “Everything just got up to me, I guess. It’s so loud and it’s cold, and it’s too bright sometimes, and no one will stay with me.” He rambled on, feeling his breath puck back up.

Sapnap set a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, squeezing it. “I understand, things can pile up. But you have to talk to someone, Tommy, and I’d be glad to be that person.”

A pink hue dusted Tommy’s cheeks at the kind words. “Yeah. That’s good with me, or whatever.” He cleared his throat, looking away from his friend.

Tommy heard Sapnap laugh and felt a hand ruffle his hair.

“Alright.” Sapnap clapped his hands, “We’ve got to get you home, you’re absolutely freezing.”

Sapnap felt his heart tug at the scared look on Tommy’s face. “You can stay with us for a bit, we don’t mind.” He patted Tommy’s shoulder and guided him to stand.

The pair walked to Sapnap, Karl, and Quackity’s shared home. They exchanged small talk about various topics on the short walk. In no time, they’d made the journey.

Tommy was nervous. He didn’t know how Quackity and Karl would feel about him intruding in on their private time like this. He was prepared to be turned away to his own house as Sapnap opened the door.

“I’m home! And we have company!” Sapnap shouted to his fiancés. He gave Tommy a reassuring smile.

Karl was the first to greet them, running down the stairs and into Sapnap’s arms. “Sap! How was the trip?” He broke from their embrace and laid his eyes on Tommy.

“Tommy!” Quackity exclaimed, walking into the room with open arms. He took Tommy into a hug, squeezing him quickly before letting go.

“I didn’t see you there, Tom.” Karl said, also giving the boy a quick hug. “What brings you here?”

Tommy looked to Sapnap, who took the hint and answered for him. “Tommy is going to stay with us for a little. I’d feel better having him here with us, if that’s alright with you two of course.”

Quackity’s eyes lit up, “Of course! Thomas, a man after my own heart! Let me show you around.” He swung an arm around Tommy and proceeded to show him around the house. Luckily, the trio had a guest bedroom that was always ready to be used for times like these. Surprisingly, Tommy wasn’t the first person to come to their house under similar circumstances. All three of the men knew what was up, even if two of them were a little confused.

Karl and Sapnap stood by the door, Sapnap waited until Tommy was well out of earshot to explain to Karl what had happened. Karl was very sympathetic, completely understanding and vowing to cheer the boy up as much as he could.

Quackity was later filled in after dinner on the entire situation. All four had eaten together, Karl and Tommy left the other two to do the washing up. Quackity’s reaction was similar to Karl’s, very understanding. He promised to make Tommy feel as comfortable as possible.

Later that night, the four were watching a movie in the trio’s two king sized mattresses that had been pushed together. The bed had plenty of room for the four of them to fit comfortably. Sapnap was beside Tommy, who was beside Karl, who was beside Quackity. Sapnap had made the joke that it was a Tommy and Karl sandwich as he took his spot.

Tommy had been purposely placed beside Karl because he was the touchiest of the group, and therefore would provide the most comfort to the teen.

The atmosphere was calm as the movie played. Everyone was engrossed, well, almost everyone. Karl had gotten bored and decided to cause some light mischief.

He used his hand that had been around Quackity to move closer to the man’s sides. He stayed still for a moment to avoid suspicion before poking once at the skin.

Quackity flinched, looking at Karl, who had turned his attention back to the TV. Quackity leaned further into his fiancé and did the same.

After a moment, Karl moved so his hand was in the same position on Tommy’s side. He poked the boy’s side just how he’d done with Quackity.

Tommy flinched with a quiet squeak, quickly covering his mouth and looking at Karl. Karl had a fond smile on his face, even as he turned back to the movie. The reaction was undoubtedly adorable.

Karl didn’t wait very long to pinch once at both of their sides. Tommy yelped, curling slightly. Quackity batted at Karl’s hand, a giggle seeping out.

“Kaharl,” Quackity said, “You’re being mean,” He whined.

Karl gasped. “Mean. Mean? This would be being mean.” He skittered his hand across Quackity’s belly, paying close attention to the spots that made him squeal.

“KAHAHaharl! My lohohove, plehehease!”

Karl awed but shook his head. “I’m just demonstrating.”

Tommy was flustered to say the least. Seeing someone get tickled to pieces right beside him was not something he was expecting. He yelped as Karl’s hand started to move to his belly as well.

“Don’t worry, Tommy. I didn’t forget about you.” Karl said, digging gently into the flesh.

Tommy quickly dissolved into giggles. The spot and method being quite pleasant. He melted into the touch, not making much of a move to get away.

Sapnap cooed at Tommy’s obvious compliance. “Look at you! All giggly and sweet.”

Tommy shook his head, “ ‘M nohohot gihihiggly!” He covered his face to try and conceal the light pink that dusted his cheeks.

“I dohohon’t knohow, Toms. Yohohou seem gihihiggly tohoho mehehe.” Quackity teased between his own laughter.

Sapnap scoffed, reaching over the squeeze Quackity’s side, “You’re one to talk.”

Now that Sapnap was leaning over Tommy, his entire torso was left vulnerable to the boy, which Sapnap didn’t take note of until he felt nimble fingers prodding at his ribs. He yelled, almost collapsing, and resigned himself to laughter. Tommy had unknowingly stumbled upon one of his death spots.

“TOHOHOMMEHEHE, NOHOHO-“

Tommy had gained confidence, now wiggling his fingers between the bones.

This came to a halt when he felt a squeeze to his knee. He gasped through his giggles. “NOHOho! Nohohot there!”

Sapnap chuckled. “Why, does it tickle?” He moved himself away from Tommy’s reach and began to quickly squeeze the muscle right above his knee.

Tommy convulsed, the sensations much stronger than the ones on his stomach. He tried to lean up, only to be blocked by Karl’s arm wrapping around him.

“I think you deserve this after the stunt you just pulled, mister.”

“I DOHOHON’T! IHIHI DOHOHON’T!” Tommy’s childlike laughter burst into the room, bouncing and filled with squeals. He brought his knees up to his chest. A squeal tore through his throat when Sapnap squeezed his hips, causing him to curl onto his side. “Plehehease, not my knehehees,” He covered his face after the plea, thoroughly flustered.

Sapnap nodded, removing his hands. “We’ll spare you, this time.” He teased.

Karl had stilled his hands on both Quackity and Tommy once the shriek had flooded the room. Leaving Quackity to recover enough to be able to reach across Karl and scratch lightly at Tommy’s neck, making the younger scrunch up with more giggles.

“I won’t!” Quackity said jokingly, his free hand going to skitter across Tommy’s lower back.

“Quackithehehe!” Whihi- NOHOHOT THEHEHERE Q PLEHEHEAHAHA-'' Tommy was lost to laughter once Quackity had drilled his fingers directly in the middle of his back. The tingles erupting and spreading up his spine.

“Awww, little Tom Tom has a ticklish back? How cute.” Karl teased.

Tommy arched his back, sticking his stomach out to be perfect for Sapnap’s hand to vibrate onto. With the tickling on both sides, his laughter went silent and he tapped Karl’s arm, signaling he was done. Karl signaled for the two to stop and cradled the boy in his arms. Sapnap and Quackity rubbed the ghost tickles off Tommy.

Tommy turned around, giggling into Karl’s chest and wrapping his arms around the man. “Thahahank yohou.”

Karl hugged him tighter, “You’re very welcome, Tommy.”

“You can come to us anytime.” Quackity explained, saying that even if they were busy, they’d all have time for him.

Before Tommy fell asleep, he caught Sapnap’s eye. Mouthing a thank you and getting a wink in return along with a kind smile.

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Sorry I didn’t proof read, I wrote this all today and I’m too tired to do it. But I wanted to get it out and I really enjoyed writing it. Thank you so much for the prompt and I hope you enjoyed 💕

#mcyt tickle #mcyt tickle fic #tickle fic #ticklecommunity #lee!tommy #lee!tommyinnit #Ler!sapnap #Ler!karl #Ler!karljacobs #Ler!quackity #Ler!karlnapity #dsmpticklefic #dsmp tickle fic

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marauderundercover · 3 years

Text

Ice Cream Weekends

Hi, this is just fluff. Pure fluff and nothing else. (Reverse Robins and Bio!dad Bruce)

Ages: Damian (23) Marinette (21) Tim (16) Jason (14) Dick (9)

“Dad, we’ll be fine. It’s one weekend. We’re not helpless.” Marinette reassures her dad, practically pushing him out the door. If he cancelled another trip with Selina, she’d be pissed. And a pissed off Selina means that the wedding is gonna be pushed back and Marinette was not about to let that happen. Not again.

“Are you sure you and Damian can handle the others? And you’re sure I don’t need someone to fill in for Alfred?” He asks, obviously trying to find a reason to stay. Marinette huffs, crossing her arms as she glares up at her dad.

“Are you forgetting that I basically grew up in a French bakery before coming to live with you? Seriously?” She points out, smirking at the resigned look on his face.

“It’s the first time I’ve left Dick alone.” He says softly. She glances behind her, where Dick was currently chasing Jason in an attempt to get him to play tag. Her youngest brother was sweet, and despite the incident at the circus, seemed to be adjusting okay.

“I know. But he’s gonna be fine. I promise.” She says.

“Call me or Selina if you guys need anything. And I mean anything.” He says. She agrees, and waves as he gets into the car. Yeah, she’ll call them. When hell freezes over. She was not about to be the one to ruin their romantic weekend. If they really needed them, she’d make Damian call. He didn’t care about possibly ruining a romantic weekend. Locking the door, she turns and whistles, grinning as her youngest brother runs right to her, standing at attention. The other two trail behind him, neither looking excited.

“Okay men, we have an entire weekend without Dad. Do you know what that means?” She asks, posing to try and mimic a general.

“Ice cream for dinner!” Dick cheers, jumping up and down. Marinette grins.

“Right you are, soldier! What else?” She asks, quirking an eyebrow at Tim.

“No sleep?” He asks, finally smiling.

“Like that’s any different for you.” Jason mumbles with crossed arms.

“Good job boys. And what’s the last thing?” She asks, grinning as they all look confused. Perfect. “Nobody tells Dad!” She cheers, laughing as Dick whoops and starts running in circles.

“Or, you could be responsible like you told Father you would be. Actually make them eat dinner and sleep. Two things that are important for their health.” Damian drawls, walking into the room with his arms crossed. Marinette rolls her eyes.

“Or, you could stop being such a buzzkill.” She suggests. He scowls.

“I am not a buzzkill. I am, however, taking Father’s instructions seriously. Grayson and Todd are both supposed to be in bed no later than eleven.” He says.

“That’s not fair! What about-” Jason argues, clearly about to mention patrol, something he knew he wasn't supposed to mention around Dick. It was bad enough that Jason and Tim had taken up the mantle of Robin at 12. Dick would not be allowed out of the house in costume for several years. No way.

“Father said that Drake and I will handle it. You, Marinette and Grayson will remain here.” Damian says in a no-nonsense tone.

“Come on guys, we’re supposed to be having fun! Dad and Alfred are gone, it’s okay to just relax.” Marinette insists, letting Dick grab her hand as she starts towards the kitchen. “Dick and I are going to make gigantic ice cream sundaes and eat until we get sick. You losers can either join us, or go eat some stupid dinner that Damian buys because I’m not cooking tonight.” She adds, laughing as Dick cheers.

“Yeah losers! Mari and I are the best!” He yells, practically vibrating in excitement. Marinette grins. This was going to be the best weekend ever. Walking into the kitchen, she grabs the stack of special bowls she had bought specifically for this weekend. They were huge, perfect for giant ice cream sundaes and she’d gotten one for each of her siblings. She figured Jason would trail in eventually, if only to get away from Damian. She loved her brothers, truly she did. But every time he had to wear the cowl, Damian got cranky. It was annoying. She may find his uniform as Red Bird disgusting, but he was always more relaxed as his own persona. Pulling out several different types of ice cream and all of the toppings she could find, Marinette grins at the completely covered counter.

“Okay kiddo, how’re we doing this?” She asks, completely prepared to watch her youngest brother slip into a sugar coma.

“Can I have anything?” He asks, eyes wide as he takes everything in.

“Of course.” She says.

“Then I want chocolate ice cream and cookies n cream ice cream and cookie dough ice cream and fruity pebbles ice cream and the peanut butter cup ice cream with hot fudge and marshmallows and caramel and gummy bears and m&ms and whipped cream and a cherry and, oh! Sprinkles! Lots and lots of sprinkles!” He lists off all in one breath. Marinette blinks at him before nodding and beginning to scoop ice cream.

“It’s your sundae, kid.” She says, trying to ignore the nagging thought (that sounds an awful lot like Damian) that this was a horrible idea. She wasn’t going to listen, because that would mean admitting defeat and Dick would probably be upset. So hopefully nothing too bad happens.

“What the hell?” Jason asks, walking in. Marinette frowns.

“Language, Jay.” She reminds him, nodding towards Dick. He rolls his eyes, ruffling Dick’s hair before grabbing a handful of gummy bears.

“Is all that ice cream for him?” He asks, pointing at the huge bowl that she was currently drowning in toppings.

“Yup. Told you guys we’re going to eat ourselves into sugar comas.” She says, passing her little brother his sundae before starting on (a smaller) one for herself.

“Think you can get me a couple scoops of strawberry?” Jason asks after a pause. She looks over at him and grins.

“I thought you’d never ask.” She teases, switching over to getting his ice cream. She glances over at Dick, eyes widening when she sees the huge dent he’s already made in his ice cream. “Hey, slow down kiddo. You’re gonna get a brain freeze.” She says. He nods, but continues shoveling the ice cream in at an alarming rate. Marinette passes Jason his ice cream while sliding a glass of water to Dick. He frowns at it.

“What’s that for?” He asks with a pout as he hugs his ice cream bowl closer.

“It’s so you can slow down. I don’t actually want you in a sugar coma, buddy.” She says softly, he sighs, but still takes a long drink of water. Finishing up the toppings on her sundae, Marinette grins as Tim walks in.

“Does your offer of ice cream for dinner still stand?” He asks, holding a cup of what she knows to be coffee. She hums, turning to the freezer and grabbing the one ice cream she hadn’t offered to Dick.

“Is your favorite flavor still ‘Coffee Bean Blast’ from Trader Joe’s?” She asks, holding the container. Tim nods with a grin, watching as she gets him several large scoops.

“Thanks Mars.” He says, taking the bowl from her and adding his toppings. Hot fudge and chocolate covered espresso beans. She starts putting away the toppings and ice cream so that they won’t melt, knowing the chances of Damian joining them were slim. He’d never really acted like a kid. Not as long as she’d known him. And since he’s Batman for the weekend, he’d be even less likely to do anything fun. Just as she’s closing the last ice cream container, the kitchen door swings open again.

“I think it may be beneficial for our….bond as siblings, if I were to participate in this ice cream for dinner experiment.” Damian says, his face serious as he walks in. Marinette raises an eyebrow in surprise, but grins at her brother.

“What flavor?” She asks. This was going to be the best weekend ever.

---

Bonus: “I blame you for giving him so much sugar!” Damian yells, stacking a smaller stepladder onto their tallest ladder.

“How was I supposed to know the kid would be able to get up onto the chandeliers?” Marinette counters, sticking mattresses underneath where Dick was hanging precariously, a large grin on his ice-cream covered face. Maybe next time she shouldn’t let him have so much ice cream.

@maribat-bdbwm

#maribat #maribat bruce wayne #maribat bio dad bruce #maribat bio dad! bruce wayne month 2021 #maribat bio dad au #mbdbwm2021 #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat tim drake #maribat dick grayson #maribat damian wayne #maribat jason todd #platonic dickinette #platonic timari #platonic jasonette #platonic daminette #reverse robins

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rainydaydream-gal18 · 3 years

Text

(Clone Wars) ARC Trooper Echo x Reader: Sightseeing PART 2

(Requested by the amazing @nahoney22

I hope you likez!!!!

Warnings: some kissy kissy

Word Count: 2,146)

Link to Part 1

You wrenched the final bolt in, teeth clenched with the effort. Despite the quick thrum of your heart at the set of boots that were visible from beneath the ship, you kept your focus on the work in front of you. Finally, the bolt would not screw in any father, and you set the wrench down with a loud clang.

Swiping the back of your hand across your forehead, you sighed and began to climb out from under the vehicle. The bright lights of the hangar made you squint, though a silhouette stepped into view. Those boots you saw before were a few feet from your head.

The man knelt down, extending his gloved hand in your direction. You smiled as you took it, and he hauled you to your feet in an effortless motion. Suddenly, you felt a little self-conscious in your dirtied jumpsuit with grease smeared on your skin. You avoided his gaze as you brushed off what you could from your jumpsuit.

“All done?” Echo finally spoke, and you could hear the smile in his voice.

You finally met his eyes. It was hard to feel self-conscious when he was looking at you with tender adoration. One would think you were wearing the most elegant gown with the way his eyes glinted.

“All done,” you said. “Thank you for waiting. You didn’t have to, you know. You could’ve gone ahead to see the town.”

Echo shrugged his armored shoulders. It was so casual, like it was no big deal that he stood in the hangar for forty-five minutes waiting for your shift to end. He didn’t have a whole lot of time off as an ARC trooper, and you didn’t want him to miss out because of you. “It wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

A smile crept onto your features. There were times when he couldn’t formulate a sentence in front of you, and other times when he could be so smooth and so sweet. You knew it came from a genuine place and not from someone looking to score a date. Besides, it had been several months since your meeting, and he still hadn’t officially asked you out. It became a tradition for the two of you to go sightseeing on the planets you came across, but nothing had been said about them being dates.

Fives complained about it often enough.

“I need about ten minutes to shower,” you said.

Echo nodded. “I’ll be waiting...if you still want to go with me.”

“Of course I do. I just feel bad you’ve been waiting so long.”

“Like I said, it just wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Alright, well I’ll be back in a few.”

Fifteen or so minutes later, you found Echo waiting patiently as ever near the exit. You caught up with him, feeling much better about your appearance. He simply smiled when he saw you.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” you said. The two of you were able to take a military transport into town. It was a short ride, and the transport was filled with your chatter as you shared information about the planet. Echo had used his waiting time wisely to read up on some of the cuisine. He listed off some interesting restaurant ideas, making both of your mouths water. Apparently a festival was going on, so there would be lots of things to see,

When you stepped off the transport, Echo extended his arm slightly towards you so that you could loop your arm through it. No doubt the two of you looked like a couple, which was why you waited until getting into town to make such contact.

Your faced warmed as you observed his profile for a moment. His eyes were wide and fascinated as he glanced around the ongoing festival. Citizens wore colorful outfits and masks, bustling here and there. Cheerful music played by musicians with stringed instruments filled the air. Many delicious smells teased your senses. A loud growl from your stomach made Echo’s gaze snap back to you.

“Hungry?” he asked, amused.

“I haven’t eaten since before my shift,” you admitted with a bashful smile.

“Well, we’ll be sure to get something right away then.” He nodded in the direction of the nearest stand. “Let’s go.”

Several happy citizens were leaving the stand with food in hand, smiling and talking amongst themselves. You caught a whiff of one of the dishes. “Ooh, we should get that,” you told Echo. He followed your gaze and nodded.

“Mm, that does look good.”

Suddenly, you felt a rough hand grab your shoulder and give you a little shake. Your heart quickened at the potential danger, but as you turned your head, you saw a gloved hand on Echo’s shoulder too.

“There you are!” Fives exclaimed, giving you and Echo another affectionate shake. You exhaled at the realization it was just your friend. “I was wondering when you two lovebirds would venture out!”

Your poor companion’s words caught in his throat. “We’re not- I mean…” Echo stole a glance at you, flustered. Finally, he seemed to gather some resolve as he raised a brow. “No offense, but it’s none of your business.”

“Oh-ho-ho.” Fives chuckled, giving his brother a playful nudge. “I’m just teasing. No harm done.”

Echo rolled his eyes, nudging him back. “I’m sure.”

You smiled at the brothers’ banter. It was almost always like that when they hung out, which was all the time. Fives had also become a good friend of yours as you got to know Echo better. The three of you would often eat together at the mess hall or cause trouble at whatever places you found yourselves at on these new planets.

“Next!” the lady at the stand called. She wore a bright red costume with the sleeves rolled up as she put away the money from previous customers and closed the box. Only her smiling eyes could be seen behind the matching mask. “Troops! We appreciate the protection the Republic has provided our planet. What can I get you?”

“We’d like two of those,” Echo ordered, pointing at the menu item that you had mentioned earlier.

“Make that three,” Fives interjected.

“Okay, three of those. And could we also get two cups of tea. Fives, you want one too?”

“Count me in.”

Echo nodded and turned back to the lady. “Sorry, three cups of tea. And that’ll do it.”

She nodded and began adding up the cost. Echo handed over the credits, and you pitched in to tip the woman. She uttered her thanks, and the cook behind her started serving up the order.

“These are our special desserts that are only made during this festival,” she said, packaging up three little cakes. “You must try some!”

Echo reached back into his pouch for more credits. “How much?”

“On the house!” she said. “I insist! Enjoy the festival!”

“Oh, thank you!” you accepted the packages, and Fives and Echo grabbed the food and teas. The three of you headed over to one of the empty picnic tables and claimed your meals. You sipped the cold cup of tea, smiling at the mildly sweet flavor and how refreshing it was.

Fives had already dug into his food. “This is great!” he mumbled through a mouthful.

“Yeah?” Echo took a bite of his own. “Wow, you’re right.”

Another loud growl sounded in your stomach, making Fives laugh and earning him an elbow in the side from Echo, as you finally tried your portion of the meal. It did taste good, and it was very filling, though you had just enough room to have the dessert after.

When you were done, you started cleaning up the picnic table and dropped the garbage into a nearby trash can. On your way over, you overheard a conversation between the two ARC troopers. They were trying to speak over the volume of the festival and remain out of earshot of you- to no avail.

“So, Echo,” Fives said. “You know you don’t have to do the whole ‘secret relationship’ thing in front of me, right? Of all people, I’m not gonna’ say anything.”

“There is no secret relationship,” Echo muttered. “I was serious before. We’re not together.”

“Oh my gosh.” Fives shook his head. “Well, you’d better hurry up and claim her. Or someone else will. I’m telling you, she likes you.”

“Shh, she’s coming back.

You smiled, pretending you didn’t hear a word over your shoulder. “What is next on the agenda?”

“I’m actually going to go off on my own again,” Fives answered. “You two have fun.” Before either of you could even say “goodbye” for now, he left. You looked to Echo, shrugging, and looped your arm with his again.

The two of you did an initial sweep of the festival, checking out the games and activities as well as taking notes on any that you’d like to try as the evening went on. There was something different about this outing. You’d been to many places with Echo before, but this time, it seemed he was being a little more forward. In a good way, of course. You figured it was because of his conversation with Fives, but even so, you had not expected him to be as confident as he was. At one point, he removed his arm from yours and took your hand instead, shooting you an inquisitive look.

You nodded in silent approval of the gesture, giving his gloved hand a squeeze. The smile on his face was so handsome. It was nearly impossible to look away. Pretty soon, the two of you were stopped in the middle of the festival with folks going around you. He gazed back into your eyes, the smile slowly fading into an expression you’d never seen on him before. Excitement coursed through your veins as he suddenly gave your hand a tug, leading you through the swarm of people until the two of you were in a small alley between two of the town’s shops. It gave you a nice view of the festival from where you stood without being crowded out by other people.

“What’s this about?” you asked, though you had a feeling you already knew. Echo leaned his shoulder against the wall, glancing down at your intertwined fingers.

“I wanted to play it cool,” he said. “But I’m afraid I’ve been playing it too cool.” His eyes met yours again, and you didn’t miss the way his chest rose and fell with a deep breath, as if he was preparing himself for something daring. “The truth is... I really like you. I have since the moment I first saw you.”

“Nothing wrong with taking your time,” you replied. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you.”

“I’ve enjoyed getting to know you too,” he agreed, your response visibly putting him at ease. The smile returned to his face. “I don’t consider any of the time we’ve spent wasted. And if you’d rather we stay friends, I can do that. I just...wanted you to know. I care about you.”

Your insides were practically melting at his words, though your heart was thudding fast and strong. From the start, it was like gravity had been bringing you closer together. You revolved around each other; not quite touching, but never too far.

Suddenly, gravity brought you even closer. You took a step forward. He pushed off the wall slightly to meet you halfway, releasing your hand only to wrap his arms around you in a firm embrace.

“I care about you too,” you told him softly. He regarded your misty gaze with another one of his smiles before his eyes fell on your lips with intent. Echo, ever the chivalrous, shifted so that his back was to the crowd. Once you were concealed from any curious stares of those passing the alley, his lips caught yours.

The kiss was planet-shattering. It held all the tenderness you would’ve expected at first, and then slowly built up with tension the two of you had been keeping tucked away for some time. Something snapped, then. Your lips were meeting his faster, needier; and he was happy to oblige.

Both of you were unwilling to part, but the sounds of the festival brought you back. Echo was still tilting your chin as he pulled away to see your loving gaze.

“Beautiful,” he murmured.

“You sure are,” you said with a chuckle.

He chuckled too with the slightest shake of his head in amusement. “And she has a sense of humor. How’d I get so lucky?”

You pretended to consider his question for a moment, your face scrunching up in thought. “It sure is a mystery,” you joked lightly, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. He caught your lips one more time before you pulled away completely, and you nearly swooned.

#arc trooper echo #echo x reader #arc trooper echo x reader #clone wars reader insert #the clone wars x reader #clone wars echo x reader #echo x you #echo x y/n #clone wars fanfiction #the clone wars reader insert #star wars the clone wars reader insert

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crackinwise · 3 years

Text

Mondo having a thing about coating Taka with hickeys and Taka having a thing about very much enjoying the process is a good headcanon I've seen used several times, in both fic and art.

I see it causing an issue for them at least once.

Kiyotaka has the syllabus and upcoming events memorized before he and Mondo have a "session" so he won't be caught broadcasting his love life unwelcomed. Besides, he always fears he'll be accused of being hedonistic and immoral just for using some free time to feel wanted by the man he loves.

Meanwhile, Mondo knows to keep it below the uniform collar, but that's a lot of fair game there. After one night where they get carried away, Taka's torso from the base of the neck down looks like a leopard. Taka looks like he lost a fight with an octopus. But it's fine because a)Taka wanted it, and b)he can still look presentable in public with them covered.

But, the next day at gym, the class is told the schedule had to be rearranged and everyone is to head up to the pool. Taka instantly panics.

As everyone starts walking, he grabs Mondo's arm and pulls him to the back of the group.

"Mondo," he hisses, "I can't go to the pool!"

"Why?"

Taka fully despairs for a brief second. "If I take off my uniform, everyone will see the marks you've made!"

The caveman part of Mondo's brain makes his chest want to swell with a mixture of pride and possession, but it plummets down to become a lead ball in his stomach the instant he notices the unshed tears and fear in Taka's large eyes.

"It's okay. S'okay, I'll figure somethin out. Let's just get goin," Mondo promises him.

He can't let Taka feel humiliated. He mostly trusts his classmates by now--Taka would never have another middle school experience--but this wasn't a couple hickeys to get teased over and laugh off. Their peers' first reaction might be to get Taka a bodyguard and Mondo a muzzle. The teacher might investigate; Taka's dad might be called. Mondo shakes away the mental image of a mortified Taka and tries to actually problem solve.

He couldn't picture Taka sitting the period out on the bleachers and risk being a bad class leader. Taka could lie about feeling sick or needing somewhere else to be to work on his Talent, but he wouldn't. Taka wouldn't forgive him for pulling the fire alarm either. He didn't know of any clubs Taka could help at this hour. Would anything at the pool hide him when they got there?

Mondo's head snaps up with an idea and he walks faster to catch up with the classmate who made swimming pools her domain. "Asahina!"

Hina stops hopping around excitedly next to Sakura and turns to address him. "Mondo? What's up?"

He starts to whisper while also glaring at any classmates daring to curiously rubberneck. "I need a favor. Do ya have one of them, like, swim shirts? Y'know, surfers and shit wear 'em?"

"A rash guard?"

"Sure."

Hina frowns, apologetic. "No, I never thought to bring one here since the pool is indoors." She gives him a once-over. "And I'm not sure we'd be the same size."

"It's not...for me." Mondo rubs the back of his neck anxiously. He makes sure to keep his voice low. "It's for Taka."

"Since when does Ishimaru prefer a rash guard while swimming?" Kyoko asks, suddenly appearing on Mondo's other side, startling him.

"Holy fuck! Who who asked you?!" he yelps.

"You're not as quiet as you think you are," she helpfully warns them. "Here, let's walk to the side a bit."

The three step to the outside of the pack of students to continue talking a bit more covertly.

"Now, Oowada, what's this about?" Kyoko asks, eyes sharp.

Yeah!" Hina loudly whispers back. "Is Taka all right? Him asking for cover is concerning, ya know!"

Mondo's defensive annoyance threatens to flare up. "He's fine, but he can't go in the pool today. I can't tell ya why, so don't ask."

Maybe if another teacher needed help, but Mondo didn't know of any and unless one walked down the hall, he couldn't beg them. Or the headmaster!

"Oi!" Mondo's outburst causes Hina to jump. He lowers his voice once again, "Kirigiri! I need ya to ask yer dad if he has anythin he can call for Taka to work on. Like, now, for the whole period."

Kyoko's cool eyes narrow at him. He knows she's still trying to suss out his motives.

"If it were just for you, I'd demand more of an explanation, but this is for Ishimaru, right?" Even as she asks, she has her phone out, texting the headmaster. Mondo catches a glimpse of her text starting with "URGENT" and feels a wave of appreciation.

Finished, she looks from her phone back to Taka, still uncharacteristically silent and walking yards behind everyone else. She notes how he's hugging himself and darting his unfocused eyes around.

"Hmm." Her hand is up to her chin in thought. "Well, all we can do is wait for my father to answer me or make an announcement on his own. I could always just lie and say my father requested him."

"Y'know damn well he'd hate that and give us both detention when he found out," Mondo gripes. He understands why Taka refuses a little dishonest help, but it's still frustrating as hell sometimes.

"Yes," she agrees, her voice was as level and confident as always, "but that depends on how much he'd rather be tricked than show off your love bites."

"Right? Damn."

Hina, still close by and listening, covered her mouth to muffle a giggle.

Then Mondo's steps faltered. "HEY!"

His shout echoed around the hall, causing a few students to eyeball them. Makoto was clutching his chest, about ready to imitate a fainting goat.

Kyoko didn't so much as blink though. "It's as if you forget who I am. But don't worry, I'll take all the blame for lying to Ishimaru if it comes to that."

"Thanks," Mondo sighs out. "If you two didn't help, I was gonna pay Hiro to predict a pool disaster big enough to stall."

That causes Hina and Kyoko to realize the severity of the situation might be more than simple awkwardness.

"You know Hiro would try to charge you, like, hundreds of dollars for that," Hina says, worried. "Maybe thousands. Is Taka really that embarrassed by a hickey?"

Mondo swallows thickly but doesn't answer. He feels incredibly guilty. He feels like a danger to Taka's reputation for a new reason than the usual ones that sometimes haunt him. He knows hormones and his lack of self-control are a bad mix, but add in Taka enthusiastically praising his mouth, and he has zero hope of restraint.

They arrive at the changing rooms for everyone to switch into their swimsuits before going to the pool. The other students file inside while Mondo, Hina, Kyoko, and the trailing Taka hang back.

When Taka stops in front of them, his wide eyes finally focus on Mondo. He glances at the girls then says, hopefully, "Any, um, ideas?"

Mondo worries Taka is going to have a panic attack with the way he's breathing and clutching his blazer closed. As if the marks were magically visible through his uniform shirt too.

Kyoko brings her phone screen up to her face to check for a reply, then shakes her head at Mondo. Hina wrings her hands.

Deciding he's just going to kidnap Taka for the rest of the day and risk his boyfriend never speaking to him again, Mondo starts to grab Taka's arm.

The P.A. system squeaks on. "ISHIMARU, YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED IN THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE, PLEASE!"

All four friends sag with relief. Hina does a little cheer, gives them a thumbs up and skips into the girl's changing room. Kyoko nods at Mondo's thankful expression and follows her inside.

Taka runs his fingers thru his hair, laughs bubbling out of him. He has no idea what had happened to save him, but he wasn't going to question it just now. He squeezes Mondo's wrist once with his left hand and smiles to convey he was never upset with his partner about the situation. Then he proceeds to speed-walk to the office.

Mondo's frayed nerves want him to break the rules and embrace Taka, but his impulsive actions have caused enough problems today. He turns to go get changed for the pool, his caveman pride starting to return after helping to protect his Kiyotaka.

Following this, Taka didn't let them have another "session" for a month, and when he did he made contingency plans to be nowhere near the pool for a full week.

#this was originally a two-sentence post wut am i doing #ishimondo #kiyotaka ishimaru #mondo oowada #probably would have been funnier presenting the premise and leaving it to your imaginations my bad #danganronpa

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damsel-loves-machines · 4 years

Text

Being Donatello’s Girlfriend Headcanons

Author’s Note: I’ve been writing headcanons for a good while on my anime account, so I thought that I could try my hand on ROTTMNT!Donatello’s character for the time being. Before anyone asks, no I will not be taking requests, whether it be at the moment or at all because I feel like I would be stressed if I did. I just write whenever I feel inspiration. Thank you for your consideration and thank you for reading.

Atomic Lass who???

You caught his attention when he would go on one of his famous techno babbles and you never made the attempt to interrupt or ignore him.

Even when you didn’t understand a good portion of the diction that flew out of his reptilian mouth, Donatello greatly appreciates that you, at least, try to follow along and understand his passion.

You may or may not help him with his inventions by physically building it, but you were usually the first one to help him with gathering materials and throwing ideas into his head whenever he’s on Inventor’s Block.

Don’t think any of your ideas are stupid or unnecessary. This soft-shell turtle built a self-cleaning toothpick machine and a Anti-Turtle Ray. Anything is acceptable.

He considers you his own personal motivator.

Whenever Donnie ever feels down, and the words from his family don’t seem to work at the time, he would call on you. Whether search to you in person or just a simple phone call, the sound of your reassuring voice puts his mind at ease.

He has written lists on your likes, dislikes, hobbies, favorite things etc for research and invention purposes. It might seem concerning, but this shows how passionate he is of you and how he doesn’t want to screw anything up.

You’re his very first girlfriend and he doesn’t even want to think of the percentages of you leaving him. You have to sit him down, calm him, and explain that you aren’t going anywhere. Then suggests that you do something that HE wants to do and talk about what HE likes to do because a relationship works both ways.

You make sure he has a functional working, eating, and sleeping schedule because yes he has to go on night patrols and stuff with his brothers, but they shouldn’t be telling you that Donnie never left his lab outside of retrieving a cup of coffee several separate times since you left the other night.

You have to text/video chat him as confirmation that he is going to bed to actually sleep. You make sure that he keeps his promises because Shell-don has your back.

You can never have an at-home date in the lair.

Not that Donnie doesn’t want you there at his home because you are always welcomed there. Without question.

It’s his family that he doesn’t trust. They are embarrassing as hell.

Leo is the tease master, stating that this might be his alone chance of fulfilling his ‘embarrassing his brother in front of his crush’ goal he would always see on TV. He will even text Donnie romantic advice he found on the internet from the other room to both bug him and help him.

Raph would be the mom figure and barge into the date and ask if everything is ok and if “Do you kids need anything” every 5 minutes.

Mikey is the little sibling who would try to be included in the activities, oblivious to the fact that it was only suppose to be the two of you. (Think of the episode ‘Shell in the Cell’.)

Splinter has no shame and jokes about marriage and grandchildren with with that boisterous laughter of his.

Never again.

You know that when Donnie’s soft shell is clearly exposed to you, he trusts you with his life. So the day when you gave him his first massage had him believe in heaven for the first time in his scientific life span.

This was around sometime late at night from a long mission where the both of you were retiring for the night.

You noticed the aches in his shoulders and the occasional strained groan when he would rub his back. You offered some help in the form of a massage, eyes shining in hesitance when asking for permission because you were afraid of moving faster than Mr. I’m Afraid of Togetherness could take.

Donatello blinked for a second before agreeing and laid down onto his bed. He would recall his father soothing aches on his soft-shell with his warm-blooded, mammal hands when he was much younger, but Splinter had to be careful with his rodent nails from scratch the shell’s leathery skin.

You began at his shoulders before working on the back of his neck. Then, you slowly made your way toward the fragile shell of your boyfriend.

Donatello never fell asleep so fast in his life.

Your hands were so careful with handling pressure and so warm and soothing that it unintentionally lulled him into slumber.

Hopefully, you aren’t in a position to be trapped in his embrace when he does because if you are, you are not escaping.

Do you see his arms? Hope you’re comfortable because you might as well sleep right next to him. His snores mixed with his turtle chortles somehow put you to sleep as well, despite how loud they might be.

Put violet hearts emojis around your name in his phone.

You were his self-appointed cheerleader during the Lair Games and cheered loudly when he won.

Whenever Donnie would do something really stupid or kinda mean, his brothers would threaten to tattle on you. You’re his impulse control and the others will keep reminding him of that til the end of time.

It works damn near every time and he hates that it does.

Donnie: *does something dangerously chaotic*

The turtles (most likely Raph): “Stop it or we’re telling Y/N.”

Donnie: *reluctantly stops with a glare*

Donatello would feel so starstruck if you managed to perform or solve something with knowledge you learned from him.

You adjusted an error on one of his gadgets to get it working again? You fought a villain with his tech-bo or some kind of staffed weapon in the environment and are owning the villain’s ass?

He’s ready to marry you.

You might as well give him your ring size. He’s gonna try and find out sooner or later.

#donatello x reader #donnie x reader #donnie #donatello #rottmnt #rottmnt x reader #rottmnt imagine #donnie imagine #donatello imagine #rottmnt donatello x reader #rottmnt donnie x reader #rottmnt donatello imagine #rottmnt donnie imagine

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sokkas-honour · 3 years

Note

For the Spotify writing could you do 50 for Korra

ms. california - korra x reader

pairing: korra x reader (gender neutral)

wc: 1.8k

notes/warnings: nothing here folks :)

i love your voice but hate the way, you talk of her consistently

you heard the boats coming in before you saw them, you heard the cheers erupting from a small crowd that had formed around the south pole’s dock, all flocking to catch a glimpse of their avatar coming home. while everyone’s excitement stemmed from seeing what was essentially a hero, you were just excited to finally see your oldest friend whom you hadn’t seen since she had left to go back to republic city after spending time healing with master katara in the south pole.

excitement cursed through your veins at the prospect of seeing your best friend after years of being separated as you ran to mix in with the crowd of natives welcoming one of their own home.

your heart swelled once you finally spotted her, standing proudly at the front of the ship, her mother placed right next to her as they both waved at the crowd. you noticed her newly cut hair that you had only seen in recent varrick industries movers, it looked even better on her in person.

you pushed your way through the crowd, excusing yourself as you bumped into several people, most of them unphased as they kept their gaze on the master of all four elements. you didn’t stop moving until you found yourself next to tonraq, a man who had served as almost a second father to you ever since you were a toddler. your father being one of the water bending masters that kept an eye on korra growing up, meaning you grew up alongside her at the white lotus compound.

“hey y/n, excited?” the chief asked as soon as he noticed your presence next to him, keeping his eyes on his daughter that was fast approaching.

“yes sir.” cheers got louder as the boat finally stopped, chief tonraq invited you to join him as he walked towards the boat, the guards he had enlisted letting you pass in order to join him.

when your eyes met here as she started coming down, you felt a smile grow on your features as you watched her face mirror yours, two old friends finally reuniting.

unexpectedly, korra picked up the pace and wrapped you in a hug as soon as she got near you, taking you by surprise.

“i missed you.” she exclaimed as you were returning it, happy to once again be in her arms. her large coat was soft to the touch but she smelled rather foreign, most likely due to the fact that was living in a bustling city. the sound of her voice was something you didn’t expect to miss so much but now that you finally heard it for the first time in months, you didn’t want to ever go without it again.

“missed you too.” you squeeze her slightly before you two finally broke apart, grins still on your faces as you both eyes each other up and down in order to see if there were any noticeable changes in each other’s appearance.

a little later during the day, after following korra revisit her home town you ended up having dinner at her childhood home. swapping not only childhood stories but also catching up on the things you had missed and that’s when when you found out about her.

one question was asked and suddenly, that’s all korra could talk about, all of her recent experiences being completely thrown out the window to talk about things her girlfriend, asami, had been doing, how her company was doing, some new invention she had come up with in the later hours of the night, a funny thing she had said, everything that was coming out of the avatar’s mouth had something to do with her.

you tried your hardest to engage in the conversation, finding your heart melt at how she talked about asami with so much love and amazement. her eyes sparkled in a way you had never seen them and you felt your heart sting a bit knowing that she’d never talk about you that way, that her eyes would never lit up at the sheer mention of your name. after a couple of minutes of enduring it, you retracted to your own thoughts, letting tonraq and senna interact with their daughter.

but every time you say her name, it honestly kills me

to help digest your food, and because korra insisted she wanted to, you both went on a walk after you finished eating some delicious homemade noodles. the cold didn’t both you as much as you were bundled under your coat, happy to find that outside the sky was clear, no signs of a snow storm in sight.

“sorry, i talked a lot back there.” she immediately said once she stepped out of her home to join you, excusing herself for being the center of attention at her own celebratory dinner.

“you realise that you haven’t been home in ages, and you’re the avatar, you’re the only one with any real stories to tell.” you joked as you started leading her in a random direction, knowing the whole area like the back of your hand meant that no matter where you two went, you wouldn’t get lost.

“come on, life here isn’t that boring.” she laughed lightly at your comment, following you closely so she wouldn’t get lost.

“you’d be surpised.” she rolled her eyes, not believing for one second that her best friend who always loved to live life to the fullest was admitting to living such a monotonous one.

“my dad told me you started teaching people waterbending which means you’re a real master now, that’s cool!” she nudged you lightly, causing a small smile to tug at your lips at the compliment on the full mastering of your skill, something that you were incredibly proud of.

“yeah, it’s not what i plan to do forever but it’s fun.” you shrugged your shoulders slightly before you two fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound between you being the trudging of your boots in the snow and the usual night sounds.

“but i could totally beat your ass, water or all elements, you don’t stand a chance.” you spoke up defiantly while simultaneously holding a joking tone in your words making her stop in her tracks.

“is that so? i’d love to see it.” she placed her hands on her hips as her eyes jokingly narrowed in your direction, thankfully you were still close enough to people’s houses to have some light letting you see her hilarious facial expression that looked identical to the one she used to wear when she was younger.

“how about tomorrow? we can even invite your parents so they see how weak the avatar actually is.” you teased as you suddenly felt the snow beneath your feet shift, causing you to fall backwards. quickly reacting, you brought snow up around the both of your arms to propel yourself forward, directing the snow directly at your friend as soon as your feet were flat on the ground.

korra brought her arms up to stop the snow from hitting her before letting it go limp and drop the ground.

“damnit, i would’ve loved to catch you off guard.” she whined, finally walking up to you after having let you walk by yourself a short distance.

“korra, you called me a master not two seconds ago, did you not think i’d be able to react to that?”

“listen, i didn’t think this through.” she rose her hands up in defence as you laughed, shaking your head at how much your friend could be idiotic when she wanted to.

“no kidding.” your comment earned a gust of air being bent in your face, causing your hood to fly backwards and your face going cold.

you narrowed your eyes at her as she simply stuck her tongue out childishly, causing you to laugh at how immature she was.

“i sure hope your city friends also get to deal with this side of you, would be a shame if they didn’t.” you managed to say once your laughter died down, being met with playfully offended avatar with her arms crossed as she observed you laughing with a quirked eyebrow.

“actually, asami says i’m pretty mature.” she stated matter of factly and you felt your happiness falter slightly at the mention of her girlfriend, wishing you could just go back to five minutes ago when you weren’t reminded of the fact that korra was living a completely different life to yours, one that didn’t involve spending it with you but with some supposed beautiful and genius inventor.

she's your girl, she's in all your pictures. california girl, i wish i was her

the following day, after tiring each other out sparring, you both headed back to her house as she mentionned wanting to show you some pictures she had of her life in republic city. you had barely seen certain staples of it like air temple island and the aang statue inside of books but never anything more.

“this is the spirit portal in the middle of the city.” you had seen numerous times the southern portal but there was something about the new one that made it stand out, while trying to figure it out, you spotted her, tall, long black hair, looking adoringly at korra who was talking to some officiel and you knew right then and there that was asami.

as korra showed you pictures of the pro bending arena, more in depth ones of air temple island, the spirit vines and in practically all of them you could see her, her whole presence seemed elegant, you could tell why korra had fallen for her.

when you're gone, she sleeps in your t-shirts

“shit i forgot my shirt.” korra mumbled as she frantically searched through the bag for her night shirt as you watched her from the other side of the room.

“don’t you have some here?” you suggested, looking around her room to maybe see one laying around but you knew that senna kept the room nice and tidy while her daughter was away.

“probably, hopefully asami is making use of it.” korra shrugged her shoulders before abandoning her bag on the ground, making her way to her crate where she kept all of her older clothes, grabbing the first one that came in between her fingers before facing you again, excited to have a sleepover like you always used to have.

“yeah, hopefully.” you mumbled, staring at the small fire that korra had lit for extra warmth, wishing that maybe in another life you weren’t just korra’s childhood friend, maybe you two actually got together, maybe if you had followed her to republic city instead of staying home afraid of being reprimanded by your parents for disobeying orders, maybe everything would’ve been different.

it hurts, i wish i was her, ms california.

general taglist: @biqherosix @draqondance @butterfly-skinnylegend @alteasmoon @staygoldsquatchling02 @sunnypluto

lok only taglist: @welovediaaxx @firelady-jay @callmecopper

#korra x reader #atla x reader #avatar the last airbender imagine #lok x reader #avatar the last airbender x reader #krew x reader #korra #atla #lok #avatar x reader #avatar #korra lok x reader

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svnflowervol666 · 4 years

Note

harry doing baby bubs hair in the bathroom while she’s facetiming mitch 🥺

Word Count: 2.4k

Author’s Note: This made my heart melt. It’s in a puddle on the floor right now. That’s all.

“Baby, ye’ gotta sit still,” Harry huffed as he resituated his daughter on the bathroom counter for probably the fifth time that morning.

She was normally a patient and well-behaved child despite her ripe age of three, but today she was really showing her age.

“Want mummy do it!” she whined, smacking her pudgy toes against the inside of the sink.

“I know ye’ want mummy t’ do it. I want mummy to do it too, but she had t’ go t’ work early. ‘S just me and you today.”

Harry reached for the spray bottle filled with water with his right hand while keeping a firm grasp on his daughter’s unruly head of curly hair with his left, determined to tame the frizzy strands that seemed to have run wild while she slept the night before. A ponytail shouldn’t be this fucking hard. Should it?

He spritzed the bottle a few inches away from her head, trying to smooth down the baby hairs that littered her hair line. And he almost had it. That was, until his daughter tucked her head downward in agitation and caused Harry to lose his grip and the poofy tufts of chocolate brown hair to fall once more around her forehead and ears.

A exaggerated (but not really, it was well-deserved) groan erupted from Harry’s chest, and a feeling of defeat washed over him. He rubbed his tired eyes with the knuckles on his fingers. It wasn’t a big deal and he knew that, but the fact that he couldn’t do his daughter’s hair was making him feel like a failure of a father.

“What’s it gonna take for ye’ to stop squirmin’, huh? Will ye’ just be good so daddy can do your hair and we can get ya t’ nana’s?”

She was getting restless now, the hard stone making her tiny bum ache and her attention span dwindle down to the point of non-existance.

“Daddy, I want dowwwwwn,” she fussed as she balled her hands into fists and hit them on her knees in protest.

“I’ve got t’ fix your hair, lovie. Can’t have it hangin’ in your eyes. Just be still for a few seconds. Ye’ know what? Here. Play with this.”

Harry fished his cell phone out of his back pocket and placed the sleek device in his child’s lap. He was normally against letting her mess with his phone in fear that she’d accidentally delete an important file or call one of the dozens of influential figures he had saved in his contacts, but at this point he’d do just about anything to make her stop moving so that he could put her damn hair up.

Her eyes seemed to light up when she realized what she now held in her possession, fingers moving quickly to unlock the screen and cause whatever damage her heart desired. It didn’t take her long to realize that unlike her mother’s, Harry’s phone was locked with a passcode and she was unable to get into it.

“Fix it, daddy!” she exclaimed, raising the phone over her shoulder while Harry had finally managed to regather her hair into a somewhat presentable bundle.

He cursed under his breath and let her curly mane go once more, then took the phone back from his daughter. It was unlocked and back in her arms in a few seconds flat, to which Harry’s millionth attempt at corraling the curls he undoubtedly passed down to her began.

In an instant, she’d forgotten all about how antsy she was, now busying herself by opening random apps that caught her eye and pressing random keys that meant absolutely nothing to her because she was a three year old that couldn’t read, but it didn’t deter her from thinking she was a proper adult doing adult things on her very own cell phone.

Harry let out a sigh of relief when she seemed completely content, reaching once more for the spray bottle to rewet the comb he had been using to smooth over his daughter’s scalp. She put up no fight when he pulled her hair taut against her head, almost as if she had forgotten he was even there as her pudgy fingers tapped away on the glass screen.

The silver lining was now in reach, the finish line only a handful of long strides away. He was satisfied with his work. Sure, there were a few lumps and bumps, but nothing his wife or mother would fuss over, so he raised his arm up to his mouth to pull the neon pink hair band from his wrist with his teeth. As fate would have it, just as he began securing her ponytail with the hair tie, the flimsy elastic snapped and shot to the floor, leaving the toddler’s hair in a bird’s nest on top of her head and Harry’s patience at it’s end.

“You’ve got t’ be bloody kiddin’ me,” Harry groaned, having to turn his body away from his daughter as if the fuse attached to his last nerve was going to implode at any second.

He was now certain that whatever higher power in the sky was planning his demise on this bright and sunny Tuesday morning.

With the last bit of his dignity, he knelt down to open the cabinets and rummage through the bin with all of his daughter’s clips and bows until he found another hair tie that would match the outfit he’d picked out for her to wear. He kept a firm hand on her back as he jumbled around the contents of the container, just in case she lost her balance and fell backwards off of the counter (she didn’t really need the extra reinforcement, but he’d not quite been able to shake the over-protective dad persona that he’d adopted whenever she was much smaller and prone to flinging herself backward without warning). There was no additional pink hair tie in sight, so he was forced to go with a bright green one that didn’t compliment what she was wearing in the slightest, but it was just nana’s house, so who gives a shit, he thought to himself.

As he was regaining his stance from where he was balanced on his haunches, he heard a deep voice that wasn’t his daughter’s echo off the walls of the master bathroom.

“Hey, man! What’s goin’ o-,” the voice, which Harry now recognized as his best friend’s came to an abrupt hault when the camera focused and the man was able to see who was actually facetiming him at seven o’clock in the morning.

“Oh. You’re not Harry,” he toyed, trying to amuse the tiny girl he’d known and loved since the minute she was born.

“Mitchy!” Harry’s daughter yelled directly into the speaker of the phone, causing Mitch to hold his own phone several inches away from where he had it resting on the arm of his sofa.

“Hello, princess. Where’s your dad?”

“Right here,” Harry interjected with a grunt as he willed the pain in his knees (and back) away.

“Sorry, she’s messin’ with m’ phone. Must’ve called you on accident.”

“No worries. ‘S a lovely surprise. What’re you two doin’? You on baby duty this mornin’?”

Mitch could see Harry messing with the toddler’s hair, a purple comb balanced in between his teeth and locks of wavy, brown hair slipping in and out of the frame as he gathered it on top of her head.

“Yep,” Harry spoke through the comb, “And it’s not goin’ s’ great.”

“Judgin’ by the look on your face, I’d say so.”

“Haha. Very funny.”

“Mitchy!” Harry’s daughter called for him again as if to refocus the attention of this conversation back on herself.

“Yessss?”

“I see kitty?” her voice raising an octave as she asked to see the kitten he’d adopted a few months ago that she adored oh so much.

“Kitty’s sleepin’ with Sarah right now, bug. Can’t wake them or they’ll both be grumpy for the rest of the day. Why don’t you come over and visit and you can see all of us? We miss you,” Mitch pouted dramatically at the camera, making the small girl giggle in a way that made him smile right back at her.

He’d always been rather reserved, but had quite the soft spot for his close friend’s bub and couldn’t help but show her all of the affection that he could.

“Daddy, I go to Sarah’s house?” she jerked her head back to look at her father, whose life flashed before his eyes when the sudden movement almost caused his to drop her hair again.

Harry quickly turned her jaw back towards the mirror with his thumb to keep another disaster from occurring.

“Maybe later, petal. You’re going to nana’s today. Daddy and Mitch have to go t’ work.”

“You play songs?”

“Yeah. Gonna play some songs,” he laughed at his daughter’s earnest attempt at understanding what he did for a living.

“Are you bein’ good for ye’ dad?” Mitch asked, seeing Harry’s struggle and doing what he could to distract her while Harry smoothed the final lumps over her delicate head with the fine-toothed comb.

“Yeah, I bein’ good,” she gloated, flashing her tiny baby teeth.

“If that’s what ye’ want to call it,” Harry mumbled under his breath.

He wasn’t quiet enough for Mitch to not hear his snide comment, to which he let out a chuckle towards Harry.

“I take it you’ve got a bit of a fibber on your hands?” Mitch directed at Harry.

“No kiddin’,” Harry huffed, face concentrated on one stubborn tendril of hair that wouldn’t lay flat no matter how many times he brushed over it, “’Ve been trying to put her hair in a bloody ponytail for twenty minutes. I swear I’ve never seen a three year old with this much hair before in m’ life. Don’t know how her mum does this every mornin’.”

“’M afraid that hair’s all you, lover boy. Those curls are unmistakeable.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“Is your dad good at fixin’ your hair?” Mitch asked the toddler, knowing good and well he was giving leeway for Harry to be teased mercilessly by his ruthless toddler.

“No, I like mummy do my hair more. Daddy pulls it too much.”

“Listen here, you little monster. If ye’ would have sat still for two seconds, this would have been done ages ago and we could’ve been halfway t’ nana’s by now,” Harry stated very matter-of-factly.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Mitch intervened, “Take it easy, mate. She’s three. It can’t be that bad.”

“I would absolutely love to see you babysit her for twenty-four hours. You’d be choking on your words.”

“I’d love that, actually,” Mitch snided, “What d’ya say, princess? Sleepover at uncle Mitch’s house with Sarah and the kitty?”

The three year old cheered excitedly, her chubby cheeks widening on the sides of her face at the thought of spending time with her favorite people in the world (aside from her mum and dad, of course).

“No, no, no!” Harry yelled frantically, “Hold still. ‘M almost done.”

He quickly looped the brightly-colored elastic around her bunch of hair that he held tightly in his hand as if an imaginary stopwatch was about to go off and signal that he was out of time and he’d lose control of her curls once more, for which he’d certainly burst into tears.

“Aha!” he held his hands above his head in victory when he was satisfied with the number of times he’d wrapped the hair tie around her hair.

“Finally.”

Harry was breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon, making Mitch cheer him on sarcastically.

“Super dad does it again.”

“You’re not funny, Mitch.”

“‘M very funny, actually. Isn’t that right, bubs?”

“Uh-huh!” Harry’s daughter agreed, earning an eye roll from her father.

“Alright, we’re very late. Need t’ get goin’ before Jeff yells at daddy n’ I’m not sure I can handle much more today.”

Harry scooped up the pint-sized child from the sink by the belly and helped her stand, her hands still clasped around the phone surrounded in a baby pink case.

“See ye’ in a bit yeah?” Harry asked Mitch as he straightened his daughter’s shirt that had crinkled at the hem from sitting on the counter for so long.

“Yeah. Reckon it’s probably time to go wake Sarah. You be good for your dad and nana today. Alright, stinker butt?”

“I not stinky!” the girl cried, almost offended.

“You’re right. ‘M sorry. Your dad’s the stinky one.”

“Goodbyeeeeeeee, Mitch,” Harry sang monotonously into the speaker.

“Bye, Mitchy!” his daughter called after him.

“Bye, sweetheart. See ye’ at the sleepover.”

She began rattling off another excited spout of words, but was cut off as Harry reached down and pressed the red button on the screen, ending the call. He took the phone from her hands and slid it back into his pocket. His daughter was too busy buzzing from the high of being invited over to Mitch’s house to play with his kitten to throw a fit over being deprived of it, to which Harry was thankful.

“Did ye’ put your bunny in your backpack?”

She nodded her head, yes.

“And your blanket?”

She paused, lips pursing as she tried to recall whether or not she stuffed the worn, yet still comforting wad of fabric that she’s had since she was born into her bag.

“Better go check then,” Harry added, watching her as she booked it down the hall towards her room as if she was in a race against herself to make it there.

“Got it!” her tiny voice came trailing back into Harry’s bedroom, the corners of the blanket sticking out from the giant backpack that was nearly the size of her body strapped to her back.

The sight of her wobbling back into his line of sight with the oversized bag made him want to cry. She was still so tiny, but where had his sweet baby gone?

“Good gir-” he began to praise her before he realized what he was currently looking at.

In the midst of her running, she must have exerted herself a bit too harshly, for her curls that were styled perfectly just minutes ago were floofed around her head in a (not-so angelic) halo and the hair tie had slipped down dangerously low, mere inches from falling completely out.

Her inherited curls were one of the cutest things about her and anyone with even the worst vision would agree. But, god. At what cost?

“-YOUR HAIR!”

#harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #dad!harry #dad!harry x reader #asks

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allisondraste · 3 years

Text

Announcing: Ambivalence

It has been exactly one year to the day since I published the final chapter of my Nathaniel Howe/F!Cousland long-fic, Temperance, and I could not think of a better time to unveil it’s first sequel, which I have had on the back-burner while I took a much-needed hiatus from writing.

This will be a far briefer story than it’s predecessor, but tells an important part of Nate and Liss’ story.

I hope you all enjoy!

Fandom: Dragon Age

Pairing: Nathaniel Howe x Female Cousland

Story Summary: It has been just over a year since Nathaniel Howe and Elissa Cousland were reunited, childhood friendship forged into a love that endured a decade apart. However, every love is tested at some point. Presented with circumstances that could either make or break their relationship, Nate and Liss are no different.

[AO3 Link]

Chapter 1: Pity and Pride

Chapter Summary: It is no secret that there is trouble in paradise, and Nathaniel is quickly becoming tired of his friends’ concern.

Vigil’s Keep, Solace 9:33 Dragon

Sunlight poured into the room, undeterred by curtains carelessly drawn open the night before, forming a halo around the woman who lay next to him with bare limbs draped comfortably across his body. It was rare that he awoke before her, rarer still to catch a glimpse of her sleeping peacefully, features unmarred by the nightmares that so often plagued her rest. It was difficult to fret over their privacy when the uncovered window painted such a beautiful portrait. How many years had he longed for moments such as this, fleeting and perfect, always just out of his reach?

And now Liss was there, snoring softly and tangled in bedsheets. Unable to quell the urge to touch her, to make sure she was real, he reached forward and brushed a lock of hair from her face before allowing his fingertips to settle on her cheek. She stirred, thick brows pressing together as her eyes flickered open, rich, brown, and sparkling with a groggy smile.

“Good morning, Nate,” she said quietly, voice hoarse as she shifted beneath the sheets and brought her hand up to cover his, an intricate ring glittering on her finger.

“My love,” he whispered, allowing his eyes to blink closed just briefly.

Then, he awoke.

Nathaniel sighed as his eyes opened, not to a lovely sun-soaked room in Antiva, but rather to his own tomb-like quarters in Vigil’s Keep, with nothing but low-burning sconces illuminating the depressing stone walls and floors. It was too cold, and he rolled over to be closer to the warmth of his bed partner, stretching out an arm to drape across her.

However, his arm fell only against a mound of blankets, his dreams having played a cruel trick on him once again. This was not the first time in recent days that he’d woken up to find his bed empty, the woman who had lain with him the night before gone without a trace other than the turned back sheets and coverlet on her side of the bed. In fact, it seemed that he woke up alone more often than not.

“Liss,” he asked the empty room, as if it could summon her for him, as if he did not know she was already up and running about the Keep pretending that everything was fine.

When the room did not answer him, he sighed and sat up begrudgingly, shivering as the chilly air met his bare skin, and slid out of bed. Without any windows, discerning the hour proved difficult, yet he figured it was past time that he got ready and behaved as an acting Warden-Constable anyway.

In peace, vigilance , and all of that.

A rustling from his closet drew him from his thoughts and his head darted toward the direction of the noise out of instinct. Cautiously, he made his way over to the door and placed an ear up against it, hoping to get a better idea of what lay inside.

Meow .

Nathaniel sighed and shook his head as he opened the door, glancing down to a pair of bright green eyes examining him. Ser Pounce-A-Lot was a ridiculous name for a creature who only ever snuck about and examined the world with cold calculation, pouncing very little, if at all.

“This,” he grumbled, stepping out of the animal’s way, “Is how curiosity kills your kind . ”

The cat tilted his head in an almost unnatural way before mewing again and sauntering forward, snaking himself around Nathaniel’s leg and purring gratuitously for several long moments.

“You are keeping me from my duties, Your Lordship ,” Nathaniel said, glaring down at Ser Pounce, who appeared wholly undeterred, before stopping, blinking up at him, and then chomping down on the back of his heel. He hissed in pain and pulled away reflexively.

Reaching down to give the cat a scratch behind the ears, Nathaniel said,“Perhaps you were meant to be a war beast after all.”

Ser Pounce nuzzled into his hand, gave a final meow, and pranced out of the room as if nothing had transpired. He wondered how he had ended up caring for the damnable creature in the first place. Then again, it was not as if Anders had been in any sort of condition to care for a pet when he fled the Keep, nor was Nathaniel certain Justice would have allowed him to. He shook his head free of the disappointing, bitter memories of his friends. He had more pressing matters to attend.

It took him little time to dress himself in his Warden attire. The days had been short and peaceful since The Mother and her spawn were destroyed, yet he preferred to dress the part of a Grey Warden, armed and prepared for an attack at any moment. In the aftermath of Loghain’s slanderous campaign against them, and with the decision to allow Amaranthine to fall looming over their heads, the Wardens had ample other enemies now, enemies that the Darkspawn threat had once held at bay. Anything could happen.

Appropriately equipped, Nathaniel straightened his posture and stepped out into the hallway.

It was an odd experience to reside in his childhood home, yet on an entirely different floor and wing. When Delilah assumed control of the arling, she had kindly offered that he keep his old room, as part of the Howe family. He promptly declined, having no fond feelings for the room to which he’d been unfairly banished more times than he could count. Besides, he preferred to stay with the other Wardens, his new family.

Nathaniel made his way through several dark corridors and down multiple flights of stairs, feet guided more by muscle memory than sight, until he’d reached the ground floor. He couldn’t say for certain he would find Liss in the great hall, but it was as good of a place as any to start.

The largest room in Vigil’s Keep, was the only room with any semblance of warmth. One of the longest-standing, impregnable fortresses in Ferelden had no use for stained glass windows, open courtyards, or natural lighting of any kind. His father had always declared that it was called a keep and not a castle for a reason, an underhanded criticism of the things Nathaniel pretended not to love about Castle Cousland when he was a child.

He scanned the space before him, nearly vacant with the exception of pages and scouts milling about waiting to be assigned tasks. He thought to approach one of them to ask if they’d seen Liss, but thought better of it. They likely had no idea who she was or what she looked like, and they no doubt had better things to do than participate in this unnecessary game of hide-and-seek.

“Morning, Nathaniel,” called a voice off to his side, a voice he did not particularly wish to hear at present. He turned to see Alistair standing several feet away, wearing that lopsided, cheerful grin that usually occupied his face. The younger man had thickened up slightly since they’d first met over a year prior, an effect of safety, security, and not carrying the weight of a Blight on his back. He looked healthy and happy, and Nathaniel envied his ability to bounce back.

“Morning, Alistair” Nathaniel replied dryly. He paused, eyes darting around the room in another cursory sweep before returning to the other man. “Have you seen Liss, by any chance?”

Alistair flinched at the question. “You mean, you haven’t seen her this morning?”

“No.”

“Damn...” he shifted his weight, laughing nervously and bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head, “I, um.. I haven’t seen her either.”

“Wonderful,” Nathaniel muttered, shaking his head.

“Listen, you know how she is,” Alistair said, placing a hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder in what was undoubtedly an attempt at reassurance, a gesture of pity. “She probably just got one of those wild hairs of hers, ran off to the library in the middle of the night, and is now passed out under a pile of books. I’m sure everything’s fine.”

Nathaniel blinked at him several times, then looked down to glare at the hand that was resting on his shoulder. “Uh…huh.”

The other man withdrew his hand awkwardly, frowning. “Sorry,” he remarked pointedly, holding his hands up in defeat, “Remind me to wait until you’ve woken up properly next time I decide to show you basic human decency.”

Nathaniel deflated at Alistair’s words. “No, I apologize. I am just a bit tense as of late.”

“Yeah.” Alistair looked down at the floor and kicked at the stone with the toe of his boot before looking back up. “I know. For what it’s worth, if I was in your shoes I’d… I don’t know what I’d do. Probably fling myself into the nearest body of water.”

Nathaniel snorted derisively. “Thanks.”

“That sounded bad didn’t it? What I meant is--”

“I know what you meant.”

“Right.” Alistair let out a nervous laugh and shook his head. “I’m going to stop talking now, before I put my other foot in my mouth.”

Nathaniel offered him a hint of a smirk to indicate that there had been no real harm done, then teased, “I believe that is a wise decision.”

Alistair smiled in return and nodded. “Anyway, I was actually meant to inform you that the commander would like to speak with you. She’s in her study right now.”

“I shall see her at once.”

“And if I run into our Dear Lady Cousland, I will tell her you were looking for her.”

“Please, do.”

Concluding his conversation with Alistair, Nathaniel headed immediately toward the corridor that led back to the commander’s study, the room that had previously belonged to his father’s portraits and trophies. As a child, he’d spent many hours hiding away in that damned room, dreaming himself up a better father than Rendon would ever be. He was grateful Lucia now occupied the space, her solemn kindness and humility painting over the history that had once lived there, and he hoped that with time, she would eliminate his father’s stain completely.

The large wooden door was left slightly ajar, a small band of lamplight leaking out into the hallway. He still stopped and decided to knock, rather than just entering as others would have. Despite her open-door policy, he refused to startle her without need. Three quick raps, and he waited for her response.

“You can come in, Nathaniel,” she called just loud enough for him to hear her.

He pushed the door open and entered, laughing. “How did you know it was me?”

Lucia looked up at him with a hint of a smile. “You’re the only person I know who knocks when the door is open.”

“Right,” he replied, pressing the door closed behind him.

The young woman he called his friend and commanding officer stood bent over her desk, despite a perfectly adequate chair sitting just behind her. She propped herself up with one hand flat on the surface of the desk, as she thumbed through pages of some antiquated tome with the other. Though her long, dark hair was styled in a low ponytail, it still fell down and cast a shadow over her face. Surrounding her were stacks of other old texts and scrolls.

Lucia had been rather consumed by research as of late. An unassuming journal had found its way into her hands, one with writings that had been identified as Warden-Commander Duncan’s. In it, he had documented an encounter with their very own Architect. She hoped the record would provide them with some valuable information about the unsettling creature, and it had. But it had also made mentions of an unnamed Grey Warden, a mage, who was freed from her calling, tainted blood healed and unable to be re-joined.

Ever since, Lucia had been pouring over Grey Warden lore and history and manuscripts about obscure magics, no doubt searching for something they all wanted deep down: A cure. As honorable as membership in the order sounded, the same power that granted them their Blight-stopping capabilities became an unbearable curse in peaceful times, each moment that passed one breath closer to The Calling. The commander was so young, and he understood her newfound compulsion to find a solution. She was not the only one struggling to cope with the reality of a Grey Warden’s fate.

“You asked to speak to me,” he stated tentatively, almost as a question.

Lucia’s gaze darted up to him, and she straightened her posture. “Yes, I did.”

“And?”

She walked around her desk to stand in front of him, piercing eyes searching his face for an answer to a question she had yet to ask. “How are you holding up?”

A twinge of irritation sparked through him. “Holding up?”

“Perhaps it is presumptuous of me to say as your commanding officer, but we are also friends, and as your friend I feel obligated to point out that things with Elissa have been a bit… tense since you two returned from Highever.”

“That is presumptuous,” Nathaniel replied through his teeth, “Even as my friend.”

Lucia stood, unfazed and blinking. “You can be annoyed with my concern if you wish, but that won’t make it go away.”

“Your concern is wasted.” His words were clipped, and he crossed his arms. “I am fine.”

“Nate,” she urged him, dropping her typical formality and reaching forward to place a hand on his arm, a gesture of which he was quickly tiring. Still, they were friends, and he wondered if it might give him some clarity to discuss the matter with the woman.

He opened his mouth, prepared to provide a more honest answer, but clamped it shut as a knock rang out on the door behind him. He released the breath he’d been holding, never more grateful for an interruption.

“Who’s there,” Lucia asked.

“It’s Liss. I just spoke with Alistair, and he said you wanted to see me.”

Nathaniel glared at Lucia waiting for an explanation that she did not provide. Instead, she released his arm and moved to sit down in the chair at her desk. “You can come in.”

The door creaked open slowly, and Nathaniel turned to see Liss. She froze in the doorway when their eyes met, wincing as if his presence had inflicted physical pain. Then she blinked suspiciously between him and the commander before flashing a smile and bouncing into the room. ”

“Good morning, Lucia,” she announced cheerfully, as she moved to stand beside Nathaniel, giving him a confusing, playful nudge with her elbow. ”Hey Nate.”

“Now that you’re both here,” Lucia began formally, “I have an assignment for you two.”

“Oh?” Liss perked up, and fidgeted excitedly.

“Some sort of Warden business, I presume,” Nathaniel asked, making every effort to hide both his discomfort and his relief.

“Yes. ” Lucia nodded. “As you know, a new Junior Warden was transferred to us from the Warden Fortress at Montsimmard last week.”

“The woman from Kirkwall?”

“Her name’s Bethany,” Liss corrected with a quick laugh, “I met her in passing near the baths. She didn’t seem too keen on having a conversation with me at the time.”

“Warden Bethany has been through quite an ordeal in the past six months,” Lucia explained, “She is an apostate who was living as a refugee in Kirkwall with her family after they fled Lothering during the Blight. She was Joined by a contingent of Orlesian Wardens after an encounter with darkspawn in the Deep Roads.”

Nathaniel frowned and brought his hand to his chin. “The Deep Roads? What was she doing in the Deep Roads?”

“It seems pretty fortunate that she would have stumbled into a group of Grey Wardens, too,” Liss chimed in.

“It had nothing to do with fortune,” Lucia continued, words stern and direct. She stood up, clenching her fists at her sides. “Bethany and her older sister were part of an expedition into the Deep Roads to search for artifacts and treasure, accompanied by one of our own, who provided them with confidential Warden maps to help them navigate.”

The palpable vitriol from Lucia meant one thing, and one thing only.

“Anders,” Nathaniel asked.

“Yes,” she responded defeatedly, “According to Bethany he’s been living in Kirkwall ever since he deserted, running some sort of healing clinic. He is the reason they were able to find the other Wardens.”

“Wow,” Liss remarked, “That all seems uncharacteristically noble of him.”

“Uncharacteristic of Anders, perhaps,” Nathaniel stated, “But not of Justice.”

“Right.” Lucia’s gaze was fixed on the ground, deep in thought. She looked up at them before sighing and speaking again, “As unorthodox as it may seem to assign a mission based upon personal feelings, I believe my reasoning is sound. Anders is still a Grey Warden, one who I conscripted, which makes him my responsibility. I would like for you two, along with Bethany, to travel to Kirkwall and pay him a visit. ”

“And do what exactly,” he asked, annoyed by what felt like a waste of time, “Drag him back to the Keep by his collar?”

“That would be a sight.” Liss chuckled at his side and he rolled his eyes. “Ten silvers he sets your little chin hairs on fire.”

“He would have to catch me first. Twelve silvers.”

She smiled and winked at him. “It’s a bet.”

“If I am being completely honest about my intentions, I just want you to check in on him, “Lucia continued more softly, paying no heed to their irreverence to the task, “Make sure that he is safe and warn him against sharing too many delicate Warden secrets.”

“So this is not “official” Warden business then,” Nathaniel asked.

“I’m not sure the Wardens ever do anything ‘officially,’” Liss stated flatly.

“This is just for my peace of mind,” Lucia answered with a sad smile, “Besides, I thought you two might enjoy some time away together.”

Her investment in their relationship shamed him, causing his face to flush. Lucia had so many other things that she could and should have been fretting over instead. He flicked his eyes over to Liss, wondering if she felt as he did.

She only frowned and shrugged out a reply. “I could use a vacation.”

“Kirkwall is a shithole,” Nathaniel told her frankly, words more pointed than he’d intended,”It won’t exactly be a vacation.”

“Not with that attitude, it won’t be,” she chirped, not missing a beat.

“Will you go,” Lucia asked.

“Of course,” he replied, with a reassuring smile. Liss nodded along with him.

“Thank you both.” Lucia seemed to relax, and sat back slowly into her chair. “You all should prepare to head out to Amaranthine first thing in the morning. I’ve arranged passage for you there.”

Nathaniel nodded in acknowledgement, noticing Liss do the same as she spoke, “Is there anything else you needed, Commander?”

“No,” she shook her head, “You are free to go. Safe travels.”

When he turned to face Liss , she was biting her lip and appeared to be lost in thought, a small wrinkle between her brows. It was ridiculous to ache for someone who slept beside him each night, to miss her. And yet he did. Maker did he miss her. That their companions sensed some sort of tension between them was not inaccurate, and had he been honest with Alistair and Lucia, he would have admitted that things were not “fine.” He just was not ready to broach the topic of what happened in Highever with anyone other than Liss, and she had been all but avoiding any opportunity they had to discuss it for the better part of two weeks.

Shaking himself free of his own thoughts, he nudged Liss with his elbow and held his arm out to her. There was no guarantee that she would accept it, but he would be damned if he did not offer it to her. When she glanced over to him, then down at his arm, and back up to meet his gaze, her face lit up, bright and warm, and relief washed over him. Thank The Maker he could still make her smile.

Without hesitation, she looped her arm through his and blinked up at him expectantly. “Shall we?”

A quiet chuckle escaped him. “Of course, my lady.”

Liss had always been adept at filling silences, or at the very least making them comfortable; however, as they left Lucia’s study together, arm-in-arm, an oppressive and awkward quiet fell over them. Nathaniel was no stranger to uncomfortable silences, but to share one with Liss was an entirely new experience. He racked his mind for anything to talk about that would not cause her to withdraw from him, but came up short. Hopefully he would be able to suffer his own discomfort until they made it back to their shared quarters.

“So,” she spoke up suddenly, much to Nathaniel’s relief, “Kirkwall. Just the two of us… and that Bethany person, of course. This’ll be fun.” She held his arm more tightly and let her head fall to rest against his shoulder.

“You really think so,” he asked, amused at her optimism.

She pulled away suddenly to look up at him, a pain he did not intend to inflict buried in her expression. “You don’t?”

“That’s not what I—” he paused, immediately frustrated and attempting to keep his composure— “It wasn’t meant to be serious.”

Liss continued to glare up at him, tears welling in her eyes, and he did not have a shred of an idea how to respond. She had never been a rational person, but this was a bit extreme. He squeezed and released his hands at his side as he fought the urge to reach out to her.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she muttered, looking down at the ground, “You’ve done nothing wrong. I’m just—”

“Liss,” he urged, hoping that she would finally open up to him, give him some clue as to why she kept pushing him away and erecting walls between them that had never been there before.

“Nate,” she whispered, a single tear falling from her lashes and rolling down her cheek.

Without thinking he reached forward to wipe it away with his thumb, allowing his hand to linger on her cheek. Her gaze softened at the touch, and for a moment he thought her defenses might falter, that she might let him in. She brought her hand up to cover his, briefly allowing her eyes to flutter closed. When she opened them again, there was steel in her expression and she grabbed his hand, gently pulling it away from her face. With that, he withdrew his hand completely and stared back at her in disbelief, jaw clenched.

“Talk to me,” he pleaded, voice hushed, “Please.”

“I can’t… do this right now.” She shook her head frantically, emotions barely held beneath the surface. “I’m sorry.”

“This is not something you can run from and hope it disappears, Liss,” he replied tersely, his frustration getting the better of him, “You can’t keep avoiding me.”

“I’m going to get some air,” she snapped, indignant and completely ignoring his remarks, “We can prepare for our journey after I come back.

“Liss, wait—”

“I’ll talk to you later, Nate,” she interrupted as she turned to walk away toward the front door.

They had done this dance too many times for him to be taken aback or even confused. No, the only thing he felt at the moment was exhausted. Countless times since they’d returned, he’d tried to get her to discuss how she was feeling, or to at least listen to how he felt, but she’d consistently found excuses or other ways to escape an actual conversation. It was ridiculous and immature, and he was at a complete and utter loss.

Ego bruised and chest aching, he made his way over to the bench along a nearby wall and sank down, resting his elbows on his knees as his face dropped into the palms of his hands. What was he to do next except give her space and hope that things would be sorted out with time?

His ruminations were cut short as his ears caught the distinct shuffle of footsteps that slowed to a stop as they neared him and a hushed murmur of women’s voices. He could not make out what they were saying, but the voices were familiar, and it was obvious they were attempting discretion and failing miserably.

“You two are not subtle,” he said with a sigh as he looked up to see the elf and dwarf blinking at him sympathetically, a look that had become all too common since he’d returned from Highever. Did people sincerely believe him to be so pitiable? His friends, especially, should have known better.

Velanna glanced between Nathaniel and the empty space beside him on the bench, brow furrowing slightly as she asked, “May I?”

“Be my guest,” he replied motioning to the seat, then letting his head fall to his hands again briefly before sitting up straight and watching as she sat down beside him. Sigrun remained standing, but moved to lean against the wall.

Nathaniel glanced from one to the other several times, noting their heavy silence and persevering looks of pity. He settled on Velanna, whose pinched expression he presently found the most irritating and asked, “Is there something you wished of me? Or do you intend to continue staring at me as if I were a lost puppy?”

“We are not—” Velanna began to retort, words echoing off the walls. She sighed and continued more quietly, “We are simply concerned for you.”

“There is no reason to be concerned for me,” Nathaniel protested, “I am fine.”

“Hah,” Sigrun interjected, laughing, “You don’t think we’re going to buy that, do you?”

“You don’t have to,” he retorted sarcastically, turning to face his other friend, “I am offering it to you for free.”

“Come on, Nate. We’re your friends, and we know better,” she pressed, “Besides, with the way you’ve been moping about the Keep these past two weeks, there are lost puppies I feel less sorry for.”

He bristled at her words, muscles tensing as he clenched his fists. Just as he was about to snap, Velanna’s hand fell on his shoulder and his gaze darted back to her instead.

“ Lethallin ,” she said firmly, a word from her own language. She’d once told him it was a term of endearment for her People, one used to signify the closeness between friends. He relaxed slightly, and she withdrew her hand to rest on her lap. “Was it not you who once told me I needed to stop viewing every expression of sympathy as a personal attack.?”

“That does sound like something I would say.” Nathaniel shook his head, snorted out a laugh, and slouched forward. “I can’t say I expected that to come back and bite me in the arse.”

It was silent for several beats, then he continued, apologizing for what seemed like the thousandth time in just an hour or so. “I am sorry, truly. Everyone is so concerned about me, and I know that I should be appreciative, but... if I am being completely honest, it’s humiliating.”

“That is…” Velanna said, “Understandable.”

Sigrun nodded her agreement. “Definitely.”

“I—” he began to speak again, but was interrupted by the loud bang of a door slamming back against the wall. Several scouts and pages gasped in surprise at the form that entered the hall, battle axe slung effortlessly over his shoulder. “Nevermind,” Nathaniel muttered quickly.

“Never fear, Ol’ Oghren’s back and better than ever,” Oghren shouted at the far end of the hall as the door slammed closed behind him. He appeared to scan the room, perking up when his gaze met Nathaniel’s, and immediately sauntering over to the bench.

Velanna sighed and rolled her eyes as Sigrun straightened up to wave and greet him.“Hey Oghren! How’s the family?”

The dwarf had been away for just over a month visiting with Felsi, and their brood. Ever since the turmoil in Amaranthine had ended, and most of the resulting mess cleared up, he’d been taking intermittent leave to be a more present husband and father. He was certainly rough around every edge, but he was trying to be better, and that was admirable.

“Oh you know, same ol’, same ol’,” he answered jovially, stopping as he stood just a few feet away from the rest of them. He brought one hand up and stroked his elaborately-plaited auburn beard proudly. “Felsi’s expectin’ again.”

“Maker’s Blood, man! Are you intending to father a legion?” Nathaniel exclaimed with a laugh that was cut short by a sudden realization. He squinted at Oghren and continued, “Wait. Congratulations and all, but... how is that even possible?”

Oghren shrugged. “Beats the shit out of me. The Commander told me Grey Wardens weren’t s’posed to be able to… y’know...”

His words trailed off into a low chuckle and he waggled his eyebrows, eliciting a groan of disgust from Velanna. At the same time, a mischievous smirk crossed Sigrun’s face and she tilted her head, crossed her arms and said with faux innocence, “No, Oghren, I actually don’t think we know.”

“Do not encourage him, lethallan ,” Velanna scolded, standing up as if preparing to escape.

To Nathaniel’s surprise, Oghren ignored the opportunity to pop off with an inappropriate joke, and instead looked at him, a hint of a genuine smile sparkling in his eyes, but hidden beneath his beard. “So, Howe, I figure congratulations are in order for you too, eh?”

Nathaniel stiffened, heart sinking like lead into his abdomen. He shook his head and let out a laugh that was more bitter than he had hoped. “No. No that won’t be necessary.”

“Wait… what?” Oghren scowled and examined Nathaniel for a moment before protesting. “Don’t tell me you changed your mind? Didn’t take you to be a chickenshit.”

“I didn’t.” Nathaniel stood up abruptly at the words, startling the others. “And I’m not.”

“Shit, I—”

“I’d prefer not to talk about it.”

“Nate,” Sigrun said gently, grabbing his arm.

He shrugged her off and stepped away. “I should go prepare for my trip to Kirkwall.”

“Nathaniel,” Velanna urged him, “Wait.”

“Thank you for talking with me,” he said flatly, glancing between Velanna and Sigrun, then over to Oghren, “It is good to have you back, my friend.”

“Yeah… sure.”

With that, Nathaniel gave his friends a nod, and turned to make his way to the nearest stairwell, heart racing as he struggled to remain calm.

“What crawled up his breeches,” he heard Oghren ask behind him.

Nathaniel did not linger to hear Velanna and Sigrun brief Oghren on the events that had transpired while he was away. He did not need to be reminded.

#dragon age #dragon age origins #dragon age origins awakening #nathaniel howe #nathaniel howe x cousland #my writing #ambivalence tag

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sweet-sammy-kisses · 3 years

Text

Once in a Blue Moon

Written for @tropetember day one: Friends to Lovers Fandom: 911 Pairing: Eddie x Buck Rating: Teen Warnings: Alive Shannon, background Shannon/Taylor Word Count: 1,471 Summary: Love like the one between Eddie and Buck was rare and only came around once in a blue moon. You can also read it on AO3

It was inevitable that the two of them would end up like this. From the moment Evan "Buck" Buckley had laid eyes on Eddie Diaz he knew he was in trouble. The man was handsome and just Buck's type and Buck 1.0 would have been flirting with him in an instance but he was still in love with Abby, she had played a role in changing him into the man he was now, who wanted something more than a fling and one night stand and it scared him that this new man at the 118 could cause such a reaction in him so he fell back on his asshole behaviour and tried to keep Eddie at a distance but that didn't work because Eddie was determined in making friends with him.

Eddie is like a thunderstorm that comes out of nowhere bringing him gusting winds, flashes of lightning that lit up the sky and cool rain that is welcome on a warm day. He also brings with him the son in the form of his son Christopher.

The moment Buck met Christopher he fell in love with the little boy that was pure sunshine and he met dad Eddie and if he wasn't gone on Eddie already watching him be the best dad for his son he whatever fight that was left in him was gone. He was crushing on his best friend and he didn't know what to do about that.

Eddie and Christopher became what Buck had been looking for a family and Buck was so afraid that he might lose him that they would leave him behind. So as his love grew for Eddie his fear of losing them had him staying quiet, he was just happy to be a part of their lives.

+******+

"You are an idiot."

A sigh escaped Eddie at his ex-wife's helpful comment. "Yes, you have told me this several times." He reminded her as he turned to face her.

A sigh escaped Shannon as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Eddie, Buck is in love with you just as you are in love with him, don't you think it is about time that you two did something about it. Hell Christopher is days away from starting to plan your wedding and Athena has agreed to help him."

Eddie could only stare at her in shock, "Athena?" Athena Grant is without a doubt one of the scariest women he has ever met and he knew that she wasn't playing around.

"Yes, Athena who is Buck's mom has decided that she is tired of watching you two pine and mope around one another. Not to mention the rest of us. Christopher wants Buck to be his papa, his second father. He knows that you love his Bucky and that Buck loves you and he can't understand why the two of you are taking forever in getting together. We both know that it is you who is going to have to take the first step because Buck is afraid of losing you and Christopher and he won't tell you how he feels he will put on a smile and pretend that he is happy with the way things are, just like he did when you tried to date Ana."

Eddie winced at the reminder of his ill-fated and thankfully short romance with Chris' former teacher. She was pretty and smart but she saw Christopher's limits and didn't want him to find his own way to do things and she had a deep dislike of Buck, which Eddie couldn't understand Buck is a puppy in human form and he had been nothing but welcoming to Ana, even when Ana started crashing their movie nights and inviting herself on their outings with Christopher.

It had been Christopher who spoke up and said enough was enough, he wanted time with his Buck and his dad not his Buck, his dad and Ana. When Ana had suggested that Buck needed to take a step back and let Christopher get used to her being in Buck's place Eddie had been horrified he couldn't do that, he couldn't picture his life without Buck and he knew that their relationship was going nowhere, that Ana didn't fit with them.

Eddie couldn't deny that he felt happier with Ana gone and he could see that Christopher was and even though he wouldn't say it out loud so was Buck.

"Eddie, you deserve to be happy and so does Buck. Think about it." Shannon told her ex. She had found her second chance of happiness with Taylor Kelly of all people now it was time for Eddie to find his happiness. Love like the one between Eddie and Buck was rare and only came around once in a blue moon she hated for them to miss out on it.

+*****+

The thing is Eddie couldn't remember what it was like not to love Buck. The younger man came into his life when he was struggling to stay afloat being in a new city, starting a new job and being a single father to the world's greatest kid he was drowning and then along came this ray of sunshine who offered him a life raft, who had supported him since, who told him what an amazing dad he was every time he began to doubt himself, who introduced him to Carla and who loves his son as much as Eddie does.

Buck was everything to Eddie and Christopher. The three of them had made themselves into a family and even his parents approved of Buck, they love and adore him and his dad kept dropping hints of when Buck would become a part of their family.

Eddie will also admit that he is a possessive and jealous man when it comes to Buck. He felt that jealous the first time Buck talked about Abby, he could see how loyal he was to her even though she had left him behind and when she came back with a fiancé after ghosting Buck for so long and used Buck's former feelings for her as a way to guilt him into making him promise to save Sam Eddie had been jealous that Abby still had such a hold on Buck and angry on Buck's behalf because once again Buck had been left behind by someone he loved.

Then there was Ali and she had been sweet and even though it burned him up to see Buck moving on with someone other than him he kept quiet as he was dealing with Shannon being back and them divorcing and figuring out how to be co-parents to their amazing son and making sure that Christopher knew that while they were no longer married they will always love him.

Then the bombing and Buck's leg being crushed and Eddie could see nothing else but Buck in pain and him unable to help him. Eddie remembers holding Buck's hand as the truck was lifted off of him, he remembers wanting to take the pain away from Buck.

He remembers Buck calling him and telling him that Ali had broken up with him because she couldn't handle it. Eddie had hated her for hurting her friend, in some ways Ana reminded him of Ali they both wanted the hot fireman boyfriend, the hero they could brag about but had no understanding about the danger they went into every day.

"Eds? What has gotten you thinking so hard?" Buck was looking at him, they were on truck cleaning duty and the sun was hitting Buck just right that made him glow and Eddie felt his heart skip a beat, Buck was like his own personal sunshine.

"I'm in love with you." Eddie couldn't control the words that escaped him.

Buck blinked at him as if he was taking in the words before a shy smile appeared on his face, "I'm in love with you too."

"Great now kiss." Hen shouted from above where she, Bobby and Chimney were watching and listening with interest.

"Come on Eddie we know you want to," Chimney added, a grin on his face.

"I will allow it this one time," Bobby added.

"Well, how can we say no to that?" Having Bobby's permission Eddie moved and pulled Buck into his arms, the other man melted into him as if he was made to fit in Eddie's arms. The kiss was soft and sweet but full of emotions.

"Later when we are alone I will give you kisses that will make your toes curl," Eddie whispered in Buck's ears as their teammates cheered above them.

Buck's smile was soft and sweet, "Does that mean I should tell Athena and Maddie to hold off planning our wedding?"

A teasing grin appeared on Eddie's face, "At least for a few more months."

#buddie #buck x eddie #tropetember #sherri writes #my fics #otp: you can have my back anytime

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blu-joons · 4 years

Text

BTS Reaction: He Finds Out Another Member Used To Be Your Bias

Jin:

His smile grew when he found your old notepad in your bedroom at home, it was one of the old BTS books from their debut, yet as he turned the first page, he saw Hobi’s name written in the middle, with a heart around it.

“So, you used to like Hobi then?”

Your eyes widened when you saw what he found, snatching it from him, “I wouldn’t say I liked him, but he was my favourite at the start, I loved watching him dance on the stage.”

“I was the best dancer,” he argued, watching as your eyes rolled at him, “am I your favourite now, or do you still wish I were Hobi?”

You smirked across at him, “you know that you’re my favourite, Hobi was just a phase, I wanted to be a dancer just like he was, but now I want to be just like you.”

“You want to dance like me?” He teased, wrapping his arms around you, “can we please take this notebook to the studio next time we go.”

“Absolutely no way, the boys cannot find out about this,” you warned, snatching it from him, “they won’t ever let me forget about it.”

“I won’t let you forget.”

Yoongi:

He frowned as he read through some of your old tweets that the fans had found and sent him, they were from a good couple of years ago, bringing a smile to his face, turning to face you with a big grin on his face.

“Did you always thank Kookie was fit?”

You looked across at him in confusion, taking the phone that he handed across to you, reading through the tweets. “How did you manage to find them? They’re so old.”

“Fans sent then,” he chuckled, “I always knew you and Jungkook got on, but now I know why you look him so much, clearly it’s his good looks and sweet smile.

Your eyes rolled, cringing as he spoke, “please don’t read them out, you know that they were never intended for now, I never thought I’d date one of you guys.”

“It must hurt that I’m not Jungkook,” he continued to tease, watching your head shake as you tried to comfort him. “Stuck with Yoongi instead.”

“You know that’s not true, I’m with you because you’re much fitter than Jungkook, and your gummy smile is always my favourite smile.”

“If you say so jagi.”

Hoseok:

As soon as you showed him the old box of BTS merch you had from concerts, his eyes landed on the old plush you owned from the BT21 collection, Hobi picked it up, throwing it in the air to capture your attention.

“Let me guess who was your favourite?”

Your head shook, “all the Mang toys had sold out so I had to buy a Chimmy instead, if a Mang was there to buy, I would have got it straight away, because you’re my favourite.”

“So, it’s not that you used to prefer Jimin?” He joked, throwing the toy across the room, “if you wanted a Mang, you should have just asked me.”

You crawled across the room to grab the toy, “I think it would be a bit weird if I asked you now for one of your toys when I’m dating you, don’t you think?”

“It would stop you having a Chimmy,” he groaned as you took a hold of the toy, bringing it back, “I’m definitely getting you a bigger Mang plush to get rid of this thing.”

“If it would make you feel better, bring me a Mang,” you assured him, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “I promise it will be my favourite.”

“It better be your favourite.”

Namjoon:

He couldn’t believe what he saw when you based him the photo, it was from a fansigning many years ago of you and Taehyung, it was clear you’d been crying with excitement, whilst he smiled anxiously by your side.

“This might be my favourite photo ever.”

Your eyes rolled, “I used to love Taehyung, I didn’t want to talk to any of you aside from Taehyung, I’m pretty sure I even asked the staff if I could skip all of you and just see Tae.”

“I’ve never felt so under appreciated in my life,” Joon laughed, recreating your expression in the photo, “do you think Taehyung remembers this?”

Your head shook rapidly, “I hope he doesn’t, and there is no way you’re showing him either. That photo is from a long time ago, things are very different now.”

“They better be, if you still liked Taehyung better than me, there’s no way I’d still be here,” he joked, feeling your arms wrap around him tightly.

“You’re my favourite member of BTS now, by far, nothing will change that,” you assured him, “you’re much better than Taehyung.”

“Damn right I’m better.”

Jimin:

When Jimin appeared at your door, your heart stopped, you let him in, knowing exactly what was in your living room. He stopped when he saw a poster of Jin laid out across the floor, turning to you to try and explain.

“What’s this all about?”

You sighed, “I was going through some of my old merchandise, and came across this, I couldn’t remember who was on it, so I unravelled it and then remembered buying it at my first concert.”

“Back when Jin was your bias,” he teased, snaking his arms around your waist, “don’t worry, I don’t mind, I hope you were throwing it out though.”

You nodded, turning back to face him, “I thought Jin might like it, he likes things like this with his face on to admire, might cheer him up a bit too.

“Don’t tell him that it’s yours though, he won’t ever let me forget it if he finds out you used to be his bias,” he requested, pressing several kisses to your cheek.

“It’s a secret, I’ll tell him a fan gave it to me to pass on,” you assured him, watching as the smile on his face grew.

“You’re the best, thank you.”

Taehyung:

You told him to open up your laptop to find something to watch, he did as he was told, only as he opened up your laptop, he found an old folder you had, titled Yoongi. He was intrigued but didn’t want to go behind your back.

“What’s in your Yoongi album on here?”

It was something you’d completely forgotten about, turning around to face him, “don’t open it, it’s no big deal, just pretend you’ve not just seen it.”

“It can’t be that big of a deal, I’ll just have a look,” he smiled, knowing exactly what was going to be in the folder, and all about Yoongi being a former bias of yours.

You shook your head, “don’t you dare Kim Taehyung, you think you’re being funny, but it’s not, you know that you’re just winding me up right now.”

“Alright, I’m sorry, I won’t open it,” he spoke, opening up Netflix instead, “don’t worry, I know I’m your bias now, and that’s what matters to me.”

“You are my favourite, Yoongi is my second favourite,” you told him, “now can you just pick something for us to watch?”

“I’m already on it.”

Jungkook:

Introducing Jungkook to your family was terrifying, they were all staring across at him, from the moment he walked in they were trying to figure things out, you knew something was wrong, you just didn’t know what it was.

“Is everything alright with you both?”

Your mum smiled, “when you told us your boyfriend was in BTS, we were expecting to see that Namjoon guy here, we didn’t realise that you’d moved on from him to Jungkook.”

“Mum!” You shrieked in horror, turning to face Jungkook, “I told you ages ago I was with Jungkook, Namjoon was just a phase when I was only a fan.”

She nodded her head, “sorry darling, I don’t know much about all these bands anymore, the name Namjoon just stuck with your father and I.”

“I knew something was wrong, you actually thought I was going to bring Namjoon home?” You asked, as they both nodded, making you feel terrible.

Jungkook took a hold of your hand, “don’t feel awkward, it’s funny really that your parents thought I would be Namjoon.”

“I am so sorry Kook.”

---

Masterlist

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givemeweasley · 3 years

Text

The Mailing Voice

Fred Weasley x Reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: Death and lots of angst, if you’re not tryna cry keep it moving

-----

Until you were eleven, you didn’t know magic existed.

The magic you knew of was in fairy tales with a beautiful princess or an evil sorceress. Handsome princes coming to rescue the damsel in distress. Magic was something to be dreamed of as you fell asleep, not something to be learned or realized.

Then you got a letter in the mail and it changed your life.

Someone from what they called the Ministry of Magic came to explain the circumstances to you and your family. How you possessed magical abilities and were to be educated at a school called Hogwarts.

You went expecting to be exposed to ways to manipulate the world around you with only a wand at your disposal, you didn’t expect yourself to encounter the one magic you cherished above all others.

Love.

Fred Weasley was at first just a friend, a comfort to someone who didn’t grow up in the magical world. Fred and George took you in and made you feel safe. When you were all pronounced Gryffindors, that bond strengthened.

You cheered for them at their Quidditch matches, you suffered detentions together, you studied in the library, ate in the Great Hall, and you even spent summers with them at the Burrow.

Life was brighter with them around, but it was Fred that held your heart. And one sunny day at the pond behind the Burrow, he told you how you held his own heart.

From that day on, the two of you were inseparable. He was truly your soulmate. The prince to your princess. The person you had dreamed of since before you knew magic to be real.

“Y/N?”

You blinked away your tears before looking up into George's face. His eyes were red around the edges and you tried hard not to let your own brokenness show.

“You ready?” He spoke softly.

Your throat closed up rendering you unable to speak. So you nodded instead and grabbed his offered arm. He was clad in a black suit and forgetting the circumstances, he had never looked better. You nervously brushed off nonexistent dirt off your own black outfit. George cleared his throat.

“You look beautiful, Y/N.”

You fought the tears that threatened to readily spill at the slightest provocation as you looked up at George. It was the first time you had really looked at George since- since the incident.

In a lot of ways, you saw the love of your life. But in the ways that truly mattered, he was gone. But you knew you weren’t the only one breaking. So you gathered what little courage was left and spoke.

“So do you, George.” It came out splintered and cracking, but he heard all the same. A soft smile curled his lips.

“No one’s ever told me I looked beautiful before.” The joke made you crack a hint of a smile as well. It gave you a little more strength to face what lay outside.

As George pushed open the door of the Burrow and led you outside, you had a moment where you saw something different.

Instead of rows of people dressed in black crying over what was gone, they were dressed in bright colors crying over what was to come. You would’ve been escorted by your father, not George. Dressed in a beautiful white gown that complimented every inch of your body. You’d be holding daffodils and sunflowers, not a single white rose.

You’d be gazing into the eyes of the man you loved with a smile on your face, instead of blankly staring at the black casket that lay at the end of the grassy aisle.

Finally, George sat you down and made his way up to a small podium. You didn’t really know how many people showed up, nor could you care enough to look behind you to see. Your eyes were glued on the final resting place of the future you could’ve had.

“I just wanted to say thank you for coming as we-” George cleared his throat again before exhaling and continuing. “As we lay to rest a man who meant a lot of things to a lot of people. For some he was an inspiration with his brilliant inventions and ideas, for others he was a friend who showed unwavering loyalty and love to those he cared about, and for an even smaller few he was family who pranked and teased us all until we couldn’t stand him but couldn’t help loving him still, for me-” George let a tear slip down his cheek silently. “For me, he was the best twin anyone could ask for. There are things I will never know how to put into words, and Fred and I’s bond is one of those things.” He looked down at the podium as if he couldn’t stand to look at anyone anymore, before glancing backwards at the casket. But despite his head being turned, everyone heard the next words he spoke quite clearly. “It seems so unnatural to be born together and to die apart.”

Whatever tears you had fought so hard to contain spilled down in waves at that.

George turned completely and laid a hand on his brother's casket. “I miss you already, Fred.” Before he came and sat down next to you.

You grabbed George’s hand and clutched it tightly. The only sense of comfort was felt in that connection between your hands. You tried so hard to tune out the sobs of everyone behind you and the words spoken by the others. Your heart was already so broken.

Instead you managed to tear your eyes away from the casket and gaze upwards into the sky. It seemed awfully unfair that the sky was filled with beautiful full white clouds, the sun shining brightly between them. The sky was stark blue and almost glimmered with brightness. Everything was beautiful, and you hated that it seemed like the earth didn’t care about its loss. You hated that somewhere, there was someone who didn’t know that he died and your world would forever be changed.

After everyone had finished their remarks, the casket was lowered into the ground, and people began to leave after approaching you and George to express their deepest condolences.

You sat in that uncomfortable chair until the sun began to set, you didn’t even notice George had already gone too until you heard him from behind you.

“Should I tell her to come inside?” He whispered, barely loud enough for you to hear.

“She’ll come inside when she’s ready, dear.” Mrs. Weasley responded.

“But-”

“Let her be.”

But you wondered if you would ever be ready when you so badly wanted to crawl into the casket and lay beside him. You didn’t know if you could live without him.

Shakily, you stood and sat down on the grass beside the now covered grave. You brushed the dirt and the headstone gently.

“I’m scared, Fred.” You whispered so softly you knew not a soul on Earth would’ve heard you. “I’m scared I’m going to forget what you looked like. How your nose was more straight or how your eyes were less slanted at the edges. I’m scared I’m going to forget your voice and how it sounded in my ear at night in bed when you told me you loved me. I’m scared I’m going to forget how you felt. That the calluses on your hands, which are so familiar to me I could count the ridges, will be forgotten in time too. How it felt to be in your arms and how your lips tasted. How your shampoo smelled fresh after a shower. I’m so scared, Fred.” You swallowed as the tears poured down your faces watering the soil below you. “I don’t wanna forget you.”

At that your head collapsed into your hands as sobs wracked your body. Your body was shaking and heaving as you mourned. You felt so hollow. So lost.

And then you felt arms wrap around you.

You leaned into the embrace as your tears began to slow and you began to hiccup. You didn’t know who it was, but you were glad they were there with you.

“I love him.” You murmured, staring down through the dirt into a face that would never smile again.

“I love him, too.” Mrs. Weasley cried softly pressing a kiss into your hair. You turned and wrapped your arms around her before breaking into tears again.

The two of your cried there together until the sky was dark and your shadows were cast by the stars that cried with you.

-----

You stayed with the Weasleys for a week before returning to your flat in London. George offered you to come live with him above the shop, one that you readily accepted.

Stepping into your apartment felt like stepping into a past life. There were takeout boxes on the coffee table, papers and bills on the kitchen counter. There was an open box of Fred’s favorite cereal still sitting in the last place he left it. The pictures of the both of you and your Hogwarts friends littered the flat.

And it was so quiet.

You picked up the one you begged Colin to take of the two of you at the Yule Ball. You were laughing wildly as Fred dipped you and kissed you heatedly. Your fingers ran over the picture before setting it down again.

“Twelve new voicemails.” Your answering machine called out. You already knew they would be one of two things: condolences or bills.

But you needed a distraction.

So you softly made your way into the kitchen where the phone hung on the wall.

A short memory flew to the forefront of your mind when you taught Fred how to use a phone when you still lived with your parents. They didn’t mind Owls, but you figured if you could teach Fred how to use a phone it would make your correspondence quicker. He loved it. He used to yell into it in broken English like he wasn’t sure if the telephone could be trusted with full sentences.

But he eventually got the hang of it.

It made you smile even as tears gathered in your eyes once more.

You pressed the button that played all the messages.

“Hey, Y/N. Just wanted to check up on how you were doing. Call me when you feel up to chatting.” Hermione's voice rang out over the speaker.

The next few were bills, as you predicted. Another several after that were more condolences that you couldn’t bear to listen to in their entirety.

You pressed the button to the last, but for a few seconds nothing happened. You sighed and walked away to your bedroom so you could begin packing.

You were in the living room when you heard him.

“Y/N?”

Your head snapped to the kitchen.

“I- um- am not sure if this will work. But I wanted to leave you a mailing voice. I don’t know how things are going to go today and just in case, I wanted to give you something to remember me by. If-” You heard yelling in the background. “ONE SECOND!” He shouted before his voice softened again. “If I don’t make it, I love you. I love you more than pranks or the shop. Don’t tell George I said it, but I love you more than George. I don’t want to leave you, and I don’t think I will-”

You fell to the floor sobbing.

“But if I do, I know you’ll be okay. You’re stronger than me. Just don’t forget to be happy. I’d hate to think that I make the woman I love sad for the rest of her life. Especially when I’ve made it my life's work to make people laugh.”

“FRED!” You heard George shout.

“I’M COMING, YOU GIT!” He shouted back. A laugh bubbled out from between your lips. “Anyway, love, I’ve got to go. I love you and I’ll see you soon.”

You stared at the voicemail machine for longer than what would be deemed normal. But for the first time in weeks, you felt a sliver of peace within your chest. He wanted you to be happy.

You knew you couldn’t do that today, or even tomorrow.

But you knew that one day, you would remember how.

Taglist: @huffledor-able541 @sarcasticallywitty15

#Fred Weasley fic #Fred Weasley x reader #fred weasley #fw #angst #Fred Weasley imagine #George weasley #Harry Potter #Harry Potter fic #x reader #fred weasley x reader

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a-libra-writes · 4 years

Text

How the GoT Characters Comfort You Before an Arranged Marriage

This request was interesting bc ayyy, as anon said, this is Westeros and this would probs happen! Also I just realized u requested this ages ago i am so sorry lmao. I really need to keep track of dates n shit

In this preference, you'll be comforted by: Ned Stark, Robb Stark, Sansa Stark, Jon Snow, Benjen Stark, Jory Cassel, Dolorous Edd, Mance Rayder, Tormund Giantsbane, Theon Greyjoy, Yara Greyjoy, Daenerys Targaryen, Jorah Mormont, Missandei, Grey Worm, Tywin Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Jamie Lannister, Sandor Clegane, Bronn, Podrick Payne, Petyr Baelish, Stannis Baratheon, Davos Seaworth, Margaery Tyrell, Brynden Tully, Edmure Tully, Brienne of Tarth, Ramsay Bolton, Roose Bolton, Oberyn Martell, Beric Dondarrion, Gendry

NED STARK

He’d take it upon himself to talk to you before the arrangement was official, even if your family had already decided on it. Ned would take your hands in his and reassure you, hoping he could put what he was feeling into words. He was sure you’d do well in Winterfell, which had gone so long without a proper Lady in its walls, but you were also much younger than him, which made him worry that you wouldn’t be happy. However, your genuine thanks and a sweet smile would be enough to make the “cold” Lord Stark blush a little.

ROBB STARK

He had been told about this arranged marriage some months ago, but evidently your family didn’t bother with the same consideration. You didn’t find out until you were on the road to Winterfell. Robb had a fondness for you right away, so he gave you a tour of Winterfell to cheer you up. He was very considerate, asking what kinds of things you liked and pointing out places you could go to relax if things got too overwhelming. The whole time Robb was touching and guiding you gently, trying to prove that you didn’t need to be afraid around him.

SANSA STARK

Both of you knew it was only a matter of time before your marriage was arranged, since that was the entire reason your parents brought you to the Red Keep. It didn’t mean you had to be happy about it. Several times Sansa snuck into your room, bringing stolen sweets with her, letting you vent and pout while she held you. Sansa would try to be the optimist, assuring you that you were still a courtier in the Red Keep and once she was Queen, the two of you could visit anytime. They were nice fancies, something to distract you two from the inevitable.

JON SNOW

For a long time Jon had known he couldn’t marry you, but it still stung fiercely when you told him about the arrangement. His own pain was dwarfed by how much he hated seeing you this upset. As much as you both talked about this happening, now it was actually here, and Jon just wrapped his arm around you while you were petting Ghost. He alternated between reassuring you that it would be alright, but now that he was leaving for the Wall, he wasn’t so sure. He decided to visit you every day until he left, bringing you small gifts and making sure Ghost gave you plenty of attention. He hated having to leave you like this, so he made Robb promise to ensure you were treated well.

BENJEN STARK

It had to happen eventually, but Benjen always casually brushed off such things, and you grew used to that. When the news finally arrived and you told him, you didn’t expect such a strong reaction. He was trying to keep a cool face, but it quickly broke as he asked if you were sure. He didn’t outright ask you to try to break it off, but it was obvious he hated the idea of losing you, even if you weren’t supposed to be together in the first place. Benjen would have a hard time letting you out of his embrace as he promised it would be alright, although you knew he was already thinking of ways to keep the two of you together.

JORY CASSEL

He didn’t think much about marriage, only that he should eventually get around to it. He had always privately thought that, since he was from such a minor family, he would choose his own bride, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Still, you were a pretty girl and clearly beloved in Winterfell. He wanted to make a good impression, so he tried to talk about different things and show you around the keep. Sometimes he’d become nervous and stumble over himself, and your cute laugh didn’t help him feel less fumbling.

DOLOROUS EDD

He always said he’d pity the bride who got “stuck” with him, and that was true now. He was genuinely curious to meet you, since this arrangement helped his family far more than your’s. You were far more reasonable than he expected, but he still lowkey suggested that you could back out if you wanted to. You two actually spent a long time talking. He found it easy to talk to you, since you weren’t immediately off-put by his dour humor and you thought it was more amusing than rude. He was still worried you’d regret the match, and figured you’d call it off eventually.

MANCE RAYDER

Your father was the leader of the largest group of wildlings that had yet to join Mance. He would only accept the promise of a marriage. You agreed to the arrangement, but Mance already knew you weren’t some Southern bride. He admired your strategy and stories of your battles, and genuinely wanted to get to know you. He could tell you’d make a capable strategist, even second-in-command, and he wanted you to know he valued you as more than a simple agreement.

TORMUND GIANTSBANE

He was not happy with Mance about the arrangement, even if he knew it was the only way your tribe would join the massive army. He did a complete 180 once he realized who you were. He’d heard stories about you, and suddenly he was beside himself with excitement. Once you arrived, Tormund was quick to regale you with stories of his own triumphs, hoping to impress you and gain your approval. Mance was totally entertained by this change, figuring the both of you would get along. Tormund would find out your tribe’s courting traditions and do them, wanting to prove he would be a capable partner even without the arrangement.

THEON GREYJOY

Right away he’d brag about what an honor it was to be marrying a Greyjoy, and when he tired of that, he’d casually mention being a prince to the Iron Islands, too. This hadn’t impressed you much, since your family was one of the biggest ones on the Iron Islands, and just as old as the Greyjoys, besides. Still you humored him, and since Theon was attracted to you right away, he wanted to get to know you. He wanted to see how you fought and sailed, but also how you rode and if you knew some archery. It was amusing how much he liked the idea of a tomboy wife, as opposed to the proper ladies he met in the North.

YARA GREYJOY

Shit like this happened all the time to women, and you and Yara already knew it wasn’t going to keep you two apart. Yara didn’t have to worry about such things, but you were from a less powerful family that needed connections. To cheer you, she took you on a wild night before your wedding day. You both would hit up a chain of wine sinks, drinking and dancing your way into all sorts of debauchery. At one point, she’d honestly tell you what you meant to her, and if you were the slightest bit unhappy in your match … She and her axe would be there.

DAENERYS TARGARYEN

She wasn’t happy about the announcement, but she understood the politics of it. You had a say in it, at least, although she could tell it wasn’t what you wanted. You both could carry on your relationship - who was going to stop you? - but she still hated that it was necessary. On your wedding night, Daenerys would find your husband during the feast and pointedly tell him that if he did anything to cause you pain or distress, she had three dragons just outside that she was more than happy to introduce him to. Daenerys would ask you several times if you were comfortable with this arrangement, and she’d begin to think on ways to get you out of it.

JORAH MORMONT

He knew he didn’t have much to offer, so the proposal from your parents came as a surprise. Jorah had always admired how polite and graceful you were at feasts and in court, you’d even spoken kindly to him several times, even when most brides were told to disregard the Mormonts as a serious match. When you two met up, he made a point to bring flowers he heard you liked and was nothing but kind as he promised you’d be comfortable with him. He didn’t need to say how considerate he’d be; you could tell by the gentle way he held your hand and spoke so honestly. Even if you’d be living modestly, you knew he’d be loyal and amiable.

MISSANDEI

She was familiar with the marriage customs of most cities in Essos, so you telling her about the arrangement shouldn’t have been such a shock. Missandei should have known it was going to happen, but she was just so happy with your relationship and the time you spent together. Things would still stay the same between you two, since it was a marriage of convenience, and that cheered her some. While she helped take off the stress of planning it, she shared ideas of how you two could still meet, especially since you were an important advisor to Daenerys. Before long Missandei had come up with several plans that made you tease her about being so sneaky.

GREY WORM

While he understood the reason you had to go through with this arrangement, especially since it benefited Daenerys’ army, he wasn’t pleased about it. Grey Worm hadn’t imagined for a moment that you and him would have anything like that, but … It still hurt to see how displeased you were with making plans. He became even more protective of you, pointedly glaring at your “betrothed” anytime they were in the room together. He’d also make a point to bring you simple, nice things, like a cup of tea you liked or flowers, especially on days when the pressure of the date was grating on you.

TYWIN LANNISTER

This marriage was part of a larger plan he made, and your family was in no position to refuse. He would never marry a fool, however, and while he wouldn’t admit how much he liked your cleverness and wit, he knew there was no sense in making an enemy of you. Tywin would make it clear that you had every luxury available in Casterly Rock, your family could visit, there would be feasts and galas. As he expected, you took the news well, although you wondered when and how you’d come to the attention of such a powerful man.

TYRION LANNISTER

Well, the day had finally come, his father suddenly decided Tyrion was useful for a political match. He figured he should meet you before the day and warn you about what sort of family you were marrying, and what kind of husband you were going to have, as if both weren’t obvious to all of King’s Landing. Tyrion was pleasantly surprised by how considerate you were to him, and understanding of the situation, as your family had gladly offered you up to be a Lannister bride. Still, he carefully stressed that it could be dangerous for you. He promised to look after your safety and ensure you had every comfort you wanted, and he’d always treat you respectfully no matter what.

JAIME LANNISTER

It seemed to Jaime that the gods were punishing every aspect of his life they could get to. He really didn’t think his father was truthful in this threat of arranging a marriage, but here you were, just an hour after he was informed of the decision. He had a nagging feeling that you didn’t understand the extent of his family’s ruthlessness, like his sister - and worse, in the past, he would’ve left you at their mercy. He was different now, and he knew you from court. You didn’t deserve to be thrown into a lion’s den. Jaime tried to be casual as he explained to you the marriage was a bad idea, but since there was no way to avoid it, you had to be careful. He asked you to come to him if you saw anything suspicious, or especially if Cersei said anything. He’d even ask Tyrion to keep an eye on you.

SANDOR CLEGANE

Your “arrangement” was so thoughtfully put together by King Joffrey, who thought his dog needed a woman to keep him from barking so much. It was all a big jape to the court, a slight against you and your family… and there was no getting out of it. After days of avoiding each other, Sandor finally cornered you in the evening. He was totally drunk, but spoke to you bluntly. He wouldn’t make you do anything you didn’t want, and he’d never hurt you. You two could completely avoid each other. He was quite calm as he said all this, drunk as he was, and it surprised you. You’d heard such awful stories about the Hound, but here he was speaking softly and trying to reassure you.

BRONN

The fact that he, a great stuffy knight, would have to go on with a typical, stuffy arranged marriage. Your family was fairly wealthy, but a new name most old families weren’t interested in. He met you as a formality, but he was surprised by not just your looks, but how easily you sized him up and told him off. He was expecting a timid proper girl, not a woman who spoke fouler than most men under his command. Bronn made a point to visit you several times, bringing bottles of expensive wine and wanting to keep talking to you, even if you were prickly. Tyrion told him not to push your buttons but now Bronn was too interested.

PODRICK PAYNE

The arrangement was a surprise to the both of you, and something Podrick never expected, as he was always treated as a less important member of his family. He’d immediately go to Tyrion for advice, and if possible, a way to call it off. He was sure whoever was going through with this was an old spinster or a frightfully young girl. Worse than either, he was told by Tyrion that you were his age, pretty and well-liked in the court. When he met you, he tried to make conversation, but his nerves kept biting at him. He finally asked if you were alright with the arrangement, as he couldn’t fathom why you’d want to marry into his family. He appreciated your honestly, and figured you two could at least be on friendly terms, even if thoughts of a sept and wedding night was a bit too much at the moment.

PETYR BAELISH

He’d made this arrangement in the first place, all but backing your family into a proverbial corner to ensure they’d comply. Since you knew him as little more than a friendly acquaintance, he made a point to visit with you before any official wedding. Petyr was all charm and amiability, promising you’d have whatever your heart desired, and he’d treat you better than a princess, especially since the arrangement was so sudden. Each day before the event, he’d send a gift with a nice letter attached. All the sentiment made you wonder if this arrangement was your family’s idea after all.

STANNIS BARATHEON

Stannis isn’t the best with comforting words, and arranged marriages were expected of lords and ladies. But you were a much younger woman being arranged to marry an older man as a second wife, and he could understand how that could make you uneasy. He’d make a point to tell you about Dragonstone and the sort of comforts you could have there, and promise you could change things if you wanted, like rearrange a library or have a stable to yourself. He’d also promise to be loyal and respectful to you, since ideally, he wanted a wife who could help him run the household.

DAVOS SEAWORTH

He never dreamed of being part of a “political” match, because when would he ever have the position that was sought after? He’d been a widow for years, besides, but this was still presented to him. He felt bad for you, a fourth daughter being sold off to a man far too old for her. When he met with you, Davos was clearly nervous, but your understanding made him feel a little better. He tried to reassure you that there could be a way to get around the arrangement (somehow), but even if it had to happen, he assured you that he’d be nothing but gentle and would make sure you were cared for. Davos had seen some terrible conditions ladies had to live in, and while he was pleasantly surprised by your wit and understanding of the situation, he still thought you deserved much better.

MARGAERY TYRELL

She wasn’t able to prevent a match from happening, but she could ensure you were matched with one of her brothers or even a cousin. Margaery’s family was aware of her fondness of you, and she was stubborn in wanting to keep you close. Her grandmother warned her against such sentiment, but you knew she wouldn’t be swayed. Long ago you both had talked about what you’d do when duty called, and Margaery made it clear she would keep you as close to Highgarden as possible. She was so confident in herself that she’d help you plan the wedding, giving suggestions on jewels and wanting to be the first to see your gown once it was finished.

BRYNDEN TULLY

It happened, he was finally worn down and forced into a match. The fact you were so young and the match was highly beneficial to the Tullys was even more irksome. He argued with his brother that Edmure would be a better choice, an obvious one, but the deal was done. By the time you arrived he had simmered down. It wasn’t your fault this happened, and he admittedly began to get a soft spot for you as you two chatted. He still felt he was too old for you, but he straightforwardly said that he’d be loyal and make sure you were provided for. He was quite serious as he said this, but he was also holding your hand very gently and had to lean down because of how tall he was, so … it just ended up being endearing.

EDMURE TULLY

He was very delighted by this marriage proposal - Edmure remembered you from a gala several years back. You were the prettiest girl in the room, so it was great luck that you were engaged now… Except he learned that you weren’t told anything about it until the last minute. He hated the idea of you being unhappy in Riverrun, or worse, with him, so when you arrived he tried to give you a nice tour, showing the nice room you’d have, the pretty Godswood and sept, the lovely view of the river, and so on. His desire to please you would be obvious to everyone.

BRIENNE OF TARTH

The only thing that lessened the blow of your arranged marriage was that she could still be your personal knight. Had anyone tried to send her away, they’d have to deal with the two of you. You tried to reassure Brienne and promise that she’d always be by your side, and it would be easy to keep the relationship under wraps. It wasn’t an ideal situation, and you know she struggled with it, but as a Lady of a prominent House, your options were always limited. Brienne was comforted by your constant reassurances that you were always her’s, and in turn, she promised to protect you if your husband ever attempted anything untoward.

RAMSAY BOLTON

His father made it clear that you were a beloved daughter of a powerful family, and Ramsay wasn’t to toy with you in any way. If being scolded wasn’t irksome enough, you’d already heard unsavory rumors about him. When you arrived, Ramsay put on his best charm, treating you like the lady you were. There wasn’t much to the Dreadfort, so Ramsay asked questions about you and showed you his most docile horse and hound. He’d be pleased if you were a rider, as it was something you both could do with little talking. The charade was annoying, but it didn’t take long for him to form an interest in you.

ROOSE BOLTON

This arrangement had been a long time in the making, unbeknownst to you, as Roose had desired you ever since he first met you years ago. You only knew his family’s questionable reputation, and he knew he had to ensure your first visit to the Dreadfort was a good one. Roose was very gentle in speaking to you, considerate of your space and made a point to ask you how you wanted things arranged. You could have your own room if you desired, horses to ride, the Godswood to yourself, and so on. There was no way for you to back out of the marriage, but Roose didn’t want you to be unhappy. In time, he wanted you to enjoy being at the Dreadfort, and with him.

OBERYN MARTELL

His family finally managed to tie him down with an arranged marriage, and he would have refused it had he not already known of you. Oberyn was intrigued and attracted, and he did want your powerful family to ally with his. When you arrived in Sunspear, it was easy for Oberyn to be his charming and slightly scandalous self - even if his brother begged him to tone it down - and he gladly gave you a grand tour of the liveliest places in the city. He’d want you to meet his daughters, since they were your age, and he regaled you with all the fine rooms and things you’d have as a Princess of Dorne. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming, but you could tell he really wanted your happiness.

BERIC DONDARRION

He was a knight of good standing from an honorable house that had long needed a Lady, so Beric understood the arrangement, but he also understood why you might be uneasy. With his well-known sunny smile, he’d want to know your honest feelings and how he could make you more comfortable. It didn’t matter if it was filling a room with your old things or going out riding alone, Beric would indulge you. Truthfully, he was fond of you from your first meeting, and he wanted to make a good impression.

GENDRY

Being legitimized was already terrifying, then he learned he had to marry a proper lady. It gave him stress headaches just thinking about it. To make matters worse, you were beautiful and you greeted him nicely. He’d try his best to sound”confident, but once you both were alone, he’d just come clean and apologize to you. He felt like you expected something different, a “real” lord, not a glorified bastard. Gendry would be relieved how considerate you were, not at all like most ladies he heard about, and hoped you two could at least be friends.

#game of thrones imagine #game of thrones x reader #got imagines #game of thrones #got x reader #finally posting this behemoth

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mdelpin · 3 years

Text

Male Order Bride - Chapter 3

AO3 | Prev: Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Next:

Chapter 3

“Did you have to bring everything you own?” Lyon groaned after loading another one of Lucy’s suitcases onto the carriage that Gray had hired to take them from the inn where Lucy had been staying to their new home.

“These are just my winter clothes,” Lucy said, “but I’ll be sure to let you know when I send for the summer ones.”

“Don’t feel like you have to.”

“You should be used to it by now, with the way Erza packs,” Gray said, laughing away Lyon’s complaints.

“That’s different, we’re engaged!”

Natsu tuned them out from inside the carriage. He rested his head on the seat, eyes sliding shut as the exhaustion from days of not sleeping very much, and eating even less caught up to him.

He awoke to the feeling of his stomach staging a full revolt. Groaning in misery, he covered his mouth and willed himself not to throw up.

“Is she okay?”

“She gets motion sickness,” Lucy explained, “Been like that ever since I can remember. She’ll be fine once the carriage stops.”

Natsu tried to say something to reassure Gray, who had sounded concerned, but all that came out was a worrying gurgle.

A hand brushed his, so lightly Natsu wondered if he’d imagined it, but Gray’s assurance followed it. “It should only be a few more minutes.”

“You could try icing her neck,” Lyon suggested, “That works for Erza when she’s feeling queasy.”

“Queasy? You don’t mean to say-?”

“Get your mind out of the gutter!” Lyon spluttered, causing both Gray and Lucy to dissolve into giggles. “I meant when she gets sick after eating too much cake.”

After months of self-imposed isolation, the sound of their laughter cheered Natsu immensely. Even if he wasn’t clear on what it was they were laughing about.

A moment later, he felt Gray’s hand touch his again, this time squeezing it to get his attention. “May I ice your neck?”

Natsu figured it was worth a try, so he grunted his assent, worried about what might happen if he tried to talk. Gray moved the hair away from the nape of his neck, replacing it with his hand.

“Ice-make: compress.”

The resulting mist was soothing against Natsu’s neck, the ice creating a welcome distraction from his misery. It didn’t cure his nausea, but it made it feel much more bearable.

“Thank you.”

It was all the words he could manage at that moment, but he hoped Gray understood he meant it not just for the ice, but for all the times he’d already come to his rescue.

“We’re here.”

There was a tinge of excitement to Gray’s voice, but Natsu didn’t dare open his eyes, preferring to wait for the moment the carriage finally stopped.

0-0

Lucy exited the carriage along with Lyon and Gray. She stared at the two opposing staircases with a frown. From her visit the previous week, Lucy knew each staircase comprised seven steps leading to a small platform, from which a shorter set of stairs ushered visitors to the manor’s front door. It was nothing strenuous, but given Natsu’s current condition, it might as well be a mile’s walk.

“How long is she going to be like this?” Gray asked, peering into the carriage where Natsu had remained, hunched over his stomach as his body continued to struggle against his motion sickness.

“It usually takes a bit for her stomach to settle. She’ll be fine,” Lucy said, pulling Natsu out of the carriage and trying to force him to stand on his own, which was no easy feat given the high heels that were part of the outfit her spirit Virgo had brought from the Celestial World.

Gray attempted to carry him in his arms, but Natsu protested, just as Lucy knew he would. So they compromised, with Gray offering Natsu his arm to hold on to for support. It was slow going, and Lyon gave up on waiting for them, using the other stairs to make his way inside.

“I remember him being more charming,” Lucy muttered, and narrowing her eyes at Gray she added, “and you being decidedly less so.”

Gray only shrugged, focusing his attention on helping Natsu tackle the stairs, “You know, this would go much faster if you’d just let me carry you the rest of the way.”

“You don’t have to help me at all,” Natsu replied, his lips pressed together stubbornly, “I can do it myself, you know.”

Gray snickered as Natsu lost his balance on the icy steps, “Of course you can, dear.” He switched his attention back to Lucy. “I asked the staff to prepare my apartment for the two of you. I’m not sure how long it will take to get it ready. It’s been a while since anyone’s lived there.”

Lucy frowned. Gray had called Natsu love at the auction house, and now he was calling him dear? He’d also been rather attentive in the carriage, his behavior a sharp contrast to the aloofness she’d experienced during their meeting. She had a bad feeling about where this was all going, especially with Natsu so focused on whatever was happening with his magic that he didn’t seem to care about anything else. What was he even doing in Isvan, and where was Igneel?

She chose her next words with care. “Are you planning on living there as well?”

Gray shook his head.

Lucy was about to move on to her next question when Gray cut her off.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and I promise I’ll answer all of them once we have some privacy.”

They were already at his house, it’s not like she had any choice but to accept his promise. She rubbed her arms, trying to coax some warmth back into them. “Ugh, is it always this cold in Isvan?”

“No,” Gray laughed, “Sometimes it's colder.”

“Lovely.”

They finally reached the platform, but rather than continuing on to the next short set of steps, Natsu clung to the banister with one hand and Gray with the other, his breath coming in shallow pants. Gray stood next to him, looking bored but voicing no complaint. Lucy wanted to scream in frustration, and though she had half a mind to wait for them inside, she was wary of leaving the two alone together until she knew more.

“Natsu, can you please just let Gray help you? I’m freezing!”

“It’s only a few more steps,” Natsu pointed out, but Lucy didn’t feel like waiting any longer. She grabbed on to his other arm and pulled, ignoring his protests, until together she and Gray had lifted him over the remaining steps and into the house.

Lyon met them at the door carrying fire warmed blankets he draped over their shoulders. It felt heavenly, and Lucy took back every mean thing she’d ever said about him.

Gray disappeared for a moment, returning with a pair of fur lined leather slippers for Natsu. “Here you go, these should make it easier for you to move around.”

Natsu took off his shoes and replaced them with the slippers, “That is so much better.”

On her last visit, Lucy had been too nervous about her impending meeting with Gray to pay much attention to her surroundings. The only reason she remembered the number of steps was because she had counted each one off in her head to steady her nerves. This time around, she gaped at the large foyer, admiring the two elegant wooden staircases that curved gracefully to the second floor before following Lyon and Gray up the left staircase.

A large sitting room awaited them at the top of the stairs, furnished with plenty of chairs and couches, all facing three full-length picture windows. It was almost dark, but Lucy could still make out the outline of the mountains and at their bottom a darker area she thought might be a lake. She couldn’t wait to see it in daylight.

“Do you like it?” Lyon stood next to her, and when she nodded, he smiled. “Gray’s grandfather designed it for his wife. It’s one of my favorite parts of the house. Sometimes you can even see the aurora borealis from up here.”

The thought excited Lucy. She’d heard several people talk of the phenomenon, but she still hadn’t glimpsed it.

Gray walked over to the door on the left, “This is where you’ll stay. That other door is the entrance to my father’s apartment, where Lyon and I live.”

That same door opened, revealing two women exiting the apartment. They walked over to them with welcoming smiles. The older one reminded Lucy of Gray, with pale skin and short black hair that framed her face. She assumed that was his mother. Her companion was a beautiful girl with long red hair that came down to her waist. She wore a hird uniform and peered at them with interest.

“Oh boys, since you’re both here,” the woman said, “I’d like a word with you.”

“I should get them settled in-”

“Nonsense, I’m sure Erza wouldn’t mind doing that for you,” the older woman waved away Gray’s protests.

“Not at all. Hi, I’m Erza,” the red-haired girl introduced herself with a friendly wave, and the way Lyon moved to her side reminded Lucy of Gray’s teasing in the carriage. This must be the fiancée who loved cake.

“Hi, I’m Lucy and this is Natsu.”

“Nice to meet you and welcome to Fullbuster Manor. I’m Ur, Gray and Lyon’s Master.”

“Master?”

“Yes, I’m their magic teacher,” Ur explained to Natsu, “I can feel a lot of magic in you, both of you actually. What types of magic do you practice?”

“I have fire dragon slaying magic.”

“And I’m a celestial mage.”

“How exciting! Both are pretty rare.” Ur said, her mouth curving into an inviting smile. “Perhaps you’d like to join us for training while you’re here? It’s a bit too dark right now, but you can normally see our training hall from here.”

“I’m all fired up!”

“I’ll think about it, but I guarantee you won’t be able to keep Natsu away,” Lucy couldn’t help but giggle at how ridiculous Natsu sounded, saying his favorite phrase while using the feminine voice her celestial spirit Lyra had enchanted him with.

“Great! Well, I’ll leave you in Erza’s capable hands. You should have just enough time to get settled before dinner. I’m looking forward to hearing all about you then.” Ur waved, and Lyon and Gray followed her back to their apartment.

“She’s nice,” Natsu commented, earning an approving glance from Erza.

“I hope you don’t think me rude for asking, but what is your relation to Gray?”

“Oh, not at all,” Lucy tittered, scrambling to decide what to say that wouldn’t mess Gray up later. “He hired me at the employment auction this afternoon.”

Lucy figured she might as well say as much of the truth as she could, “As for Natsu, I’m afraid Gray wants to announce that himself.”

She changed the subject, “What about you? Did I hear you’re engaged to Lyon?”

“Y-yes,” Erza stammered, her face crimsoning as she showed Lucy and Natsu her ring.

“That’s a beautiful ring!” Lucy gushed, holding Erza’s hand up to the oil lamp’s soft light.

Erza seemed flustered by the attention, but also pleased. She opened the door of the apartment and led them inside.

0-0

“He got away from you?” Ur frowned at Lyon. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“He used the crowd at the auction to his advantage,” Lyon shrugged, fiddling with the beads in his braid. “I’ll get him next time.”

“For your sake, I hope there isn’t a next time. Silver is already furious it’s gone on this long. Were you at least able to get a good look at him?”

Lyon scratched his head, pretending to think it over. “Not really, I mostly saw his backside. He had short spiky pink hair, and his clothing was strange. Definitely not from around here. Maybe Erza saw more?”

“No, she said about the same, I was hoping you’d have more information.”

“Sorry, not this time.”

“Well, go talk to Silver anyway, he insisted on a report. Invel complained about the hirdmen presence at the Auction, so I’m sure he’ll have more questions.”

Ur turned to Gray, “He’ll want to speak to you as well. Invel apprised him of your presence.”

Fucking Invel!

Gray met Lyon’s gaze, unsurprised to see a triumphant smirk that screamed I told you so. It made him glad to have heeded the advice. The smirk, however, was short-lived. A more nervous look replaced it, as Lyon went off in search of Silver, filling Gray with guilt.

Lyon might attempt to act aloof, but Gray knew how much he hated to lie, especially to Ur. Now, Lyon would have to lie to Silver too, and he wasn’t likely to be as forgiving. Gray promised himself he’d make it up to him at some point.

He turned his attention back to Ur, who was gazing at him expectantly.

“It’s something Farfar1 felt strongly about,” Gray said. And it was true, even if he’d never known about it until that day. “I was just taking an interest.”

“And it’s a good thing I did,” he continued, not giving Ur a chance to ask questions he might not be ready to answer, “or I wouldn’t have met Natsu.”

“The fire dragon slayer?” Ur’s lips pressed into a slight frown as she listened.

“Yeah, her. We met at the Auction, and it was just, I don’t know. Love at first sight, I guess?”

“Oh, Gray, honey,” Ur grabbed his hand and peered into his eyes, “You can’t expect me to believe that. Not after you’ve refused to even consider any of the other girls. I know about the ultimatum your father gave you, and I promise, I’ll work on him until he changes his mind about Juvia.”

It was tempting to let Ur fight his father on his behalf, but he knew it wasn’t fair to put additional stress on her and Silver’s relationship. Plus, he was an adult, or close enough to count. The time for hiding behind his mother’s skirts was long past.

Still, Ur was the one person Silver might listen to. Gray had hoped she’d be so excited about him meeting someone he was genuinely interested in that she wouldn’t question his story. But it hadn’t worked out that way. He’d have to find another way to get her support or give up on his plan altogether.

From a young age, Silver had taught Gray that lies were something he should avoid as much as possible. But he’d also said that sometimes they were a necessary evil. An effective leader, Silver had lectured, resorted to lies only after he had exhausted all other avenues, and he was wise enough to include enough fact to lend the lie an air of truth.

Gray thought about Natsu, trying to settle on a truth that might convince Ur of the lie. He soon realized it wasn’t as hard as he’d thought. All he needed to do was remember Natsu’s smile and how it had made him feel, or even the anxiety that had come over him at his motion sickness in the carriage. If he could get that through to her, there was no way she wouldn’t be on his side.

“I know how it sounds, but when she smiled at me for the first time. I- I felt something in my heart,” Gray moved their joined hands up to his heart. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me before, Ur. I don’t know how else to explain it but love at first sight.”

Ur let go of his hand, her expression softening. “Sweetheart-”

“Let me have this,” Gray pleaded, “All I’m asking for is the chance to get to know her better and see if maybe she’d want to be mine.”

“You’re right, you do deserve that chance,” Ur said, offering him a tired smile, “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Thank you, Ur.”

She pressed her hands to his cheeks, patting them gently. “How could I say no to my adorable student?”

“You should get ready for dinner, I’ll go tell Ooba to set two additional plates.” She walked toward the door, turning to him with an impish grin. “She’s beautiful.”

Gray looked away even though she didn’t wait for his reaction, surprised by the unexpected flush that crept up his cheeks at her parting words.

Yeah, he really was.

He hurried to his room to change his clothes, determined to speak to Natsu before they faced his father at dinner.

0-0

“I thought she’d never leave,” Lucy complained after closing the door behind Erza, who had promised to come get them for dinner.

“I like her.”

“I like her too,” Lucy admitted, “She just didn’t leave us much time to figure out what’s going on.”

Natsu sat in one of the room’s rocking chairs, swinging back and forth wildly.

“Stop that,” Lucy scolded, “that chair is worth more than everything you own.”

“That wouldn’t be too hard, seeing as I don’t have anything.”

Lucy studied him with concern, but shook her head, “Nevermind, we’ll discuss that later. Where did you put your envelope? We need to figure out what we’ve gotten ourselves into.”

Natsu knew nothing good would come from Lucy finding out he’d received more offers than her, so he changed the subject.

“How do you know Gray, anyway?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Lucy raged, eyes shooting sparks at the memory of whatever had happened between them. “My father sent me here hoping Gray would choose me as his fiancée. The jerk turned me down, said I was too perky for his taste. Can you believe that? I mean, it’s not like I wanted to marry him either, but - What’s wrong with being perky?”

Natsu could absolutely believe that, despite loving Lucy like a sister. She’d been the only person besides Igneel and now, Gray, to take an active interest in him. He’d risk his life for her in a second, but he also knew that many people found her personality overbearing. The little he’d seen of Lyon and Gray made him think they’d fall into that category.

“I’m sure he’ll tell us more when he gets a chance,” Natsu stood up, stretching his arms above his head and examining the room they were in. It was the first time he’d set foot inside a residence since he’d arrived in Isvan, having spent most of his time hiding in abandoned buildings, trying to figure out how to search for Igneel in a strange country. At least he was lucky the language was mostly the same.

“Shouldn’t you be more concerned?”

Natsu turned his attention back to Lucy. “About what? I already said I’d do whatever it was.”

“You can’t just make promises like that, Natsu. People will take advantage of you.”

“You worry too much,” he said, waving away her concern, “I just wish I didn’t have to keep wearing these clothes, I feel stupid. Not to mention I don’t know the first thing about acting like a girl.”

“Well, you look fabulous!”

Natsu sincerely doubted it, but he appreciated the sentiment.

“Why were those hirdmen after you, anyway?” Lucy’s forehead furrowed with worry.

“I think that’s a longer story than what we have time for right now. Don’t you have to get ready for dinner?”

“It’s not just me, Natsu. Didn’t you hear Gray’s mother? You’re invited too.”

“That’s not his mother.”

“What are you talking about? She looks just like him.”

“Maybe, but they smell nothing alike,” Natsu said absently, his mind full of this fresh problem. Why would they want him to join the family for dinner? When he’d lived with the Heartfilias, he’d always taken his meals with the staff.

“Well, but isn’t your freaky magic on the fritz?”

“My senses have nothing to do with my fire,” he explained, “Are you sure about dinner? I never had to do that at your house.”

“You really have no clue what’s happening, do you?” Lucy looked heavenward in one of her over dramatic gestures that drove him nuts.

“I’m the one who’s with the staff, you are part of the family.”

“Part of the family? What are you talking about? We were both hired by Gray, weren't we?” Natsu paled. Suddenly there was the looming threat of forks to remember and napkins to use, all while wearing this ridiculous getup. Igneel had tried his best to instill manners in him, but Natsu had just never been that interested.

“Oh ho! Not feeling so relaxed now, huh?” Lucy watched him panic, her mouth twitching in amusement.

“What am I going to do? It’s going to be a disaster! You gotta help me!”

“Well first, I guess we should figure out what you’re going to wear,” Lucy headed into the room she had claimed as her bedroom, her suitcases already lined up against the wall.

“Can’t you just summon your spirits again?” He called out. If he felt uncomfortable wearing this dress, he shuddered to think of how he would feel wearing one of Lucy’s skimpy outfits. Not to mention she was several inches shorter than him.

“That’s not how celestial contracts work, I’ve already called on them today.”

“Your magic is weird.”

“And yours is out of whack,” she walked out of the bedroom, holding up a small piece of fabric that only she would consider clothing. “What’s up with that?”

“I dunno. I got sick right before I was supposed to leave with Igneel. Spetto took care of me, but my magic has been screwy ever since.”

“That’s strange,” Lucy muttered, “If we were still at home we could have searched my mother’s library. I doubt there will be much here that will be of help. Maybe Grandpa Crux might know something. I could try summoning him later.”

“Who?”

“Don’t worry about it. For now, let’s get you into this dress.”

Natsu held up the dress that Lucy handed him against his body. The skirt would barely reach down to the middle of his thighs.

A knock on the door saved him from having to put it on. Lucy walked to the door and opened it. To his surprise, Erza stood on the other side holding several items in her arms.

“Erza, you’re back so soon,” Lucy gestured to her to come inside, closing the door behind her.

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Erza looked stunning. She had changed out of her hird uniform and into a cream colored long-sleeved gown that reached down to her ankles. Over it she wore a woolen apron dress in a deep shade of blue that was open at the front. It was several inches shorter than her gown, in the fashion worn by well-to-do maidens in Isvan. Two gold brooches attached the straps of the apron dress to the gown, with strands of colorful beads strung between them. A third brooch held the fabric in place, creating the illusion of a neckline. A light blue patterned belt added a splash of color around her slim waist. Her long red hair was tied in a ponytail knot held in place by an ornate hair stick.

She offered Natsu the items she was carrying. It appeared to be several outfits similar to the one she was wearing. “I remembered you saying you had no belongings with you, so I brought you some of my clothes to wear until you can get some new ones.”

“Thank you so much,” Natsu cheered, giving Erza a quick hug.

“It’s nothing, Lucy is shorter than you, so I figured her clothes wouldn’t fit you very well,” Erza said, seeming bewildered by his enthusiasm. “If you put on one of the gowns, I can help you secure the hangerok2.”

“Okay!” Natsu entered the bedroom he’d chosen for himself and closed the door. He heard another knock on their door just as he’d wrestled out of the dress he’d been wearing. Soon there was another voice in the room, male this time. He pressed his ear to the door to listen.

A voice that sounded like Gray’s greeted Lucy and Erza.

“Is Natsu ready? I came to escort her to dinner.”

“She’s still getting dressed,” Lucy informed him, “She should be out any minute.”

“Already? Isn’t it still early?”

“I, uh, wanted to speak to her before she met Fader.”

Gray wanted to talk to him? Natsu supposed that made sense. He still hadn’t told him what it was he wanted from him. Natsu hoped Lucy had just been reading into the situation like she sometimes did, because if not, passing himself off as a girl would be child’s play compared to what awaited him. What would he do then?

“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be with Lyon.”

“Lyon was... busy, so I figured I’d bring Natsu some clothes she could borrow.”

“Busy?” There was a momentary pause, followed by a muffled, “Oh.”

“Is something wrong?” Natsu heard the concern in Lucy’s voice and wondered what Erza and Gray’s expressions looked like to merit it.

“Nothing for you to worry about. Lyon and I were chasing a suspect today, and we lost him,” Erza explained, “The Chief isn’t happy with us.”

Natsu listened with interest, recognizing they were talking about him. Had Erza been one of the hirdmen chasing after him? He’d only seen Lyon before he took off, and it had taken all of his energy to stay ahead of him.

“I’m sorry,” Gray replied, and there was something in his voice that confused Natsu.

What did Gray have to do with any of that? Natsu had a vague recollection of having seen another guy before running into the building. Could that have been Gray? Well, even if it had been, he’d obviously not recognized him in his disguise, which meant nothing had changed.

Natsu continued to listen to them talk about how the Chief had yelled at Lyon and how Erza felt guilty because she hadn’t received the same treatment. As soon as they moved on to a different topic, he tuned them out, examining the dresses Erza had brought him with distaste and a little trepidation. Unlike his regular clothes, these weren’t fireproof.

All he could do was hope for the best and remind himself it wouldn't be forever. He selected a white gown and put it on with a dispirited sigh, covering it with a heavier crimson apron dress and opening the door to join the others.

They all looked up at his entrance, with Erza unfastening brooches she had attached to the inside of her hangerok. She approached him and fussed over him while he tried his best to stand still as she pushed the pins through both layers of fabric.

“There you go,” Erza made some adjustments before straightening up and evaluating her efforts. “That color looks lovely on you. You should keep it.”

“Oh, no, that’s not necessary,” Natsu was quick to protest, even though he appreciated her gesture.

“Nonsense, we’re friends now, aren’t we? Besides, it looks better on you than on me.”

Natsu guessed she wouldn’t feel the same way if she knew who he really was. This was a dangerous game he was playing, and he could only trust that he’d be able to find Igneel before this farce blew up in his face.

“Something’s missing, though,” Erza studied him with a thoughtful expression before removing some of her beads and attaching them to the brooches on Natsu’s dress with a satisfied smile. “Perfect! Don’t you think so, Gray?”

Gray muttered a response that even Natsu’s enhanced senses couldn’t make heads or tails out of, turning a moment later to bow to Erza. “Thank you for thinking of Natsu, I appreciate it.”

Erza nodded, her expression turning thoughtful as she peered at Gray, her eyes lingering on his hair. On his braid, to be exact.

Had Gray had that before? Natsu couldn’t recall.

“You should get going,” she said, clapping Gray on the shoulder so hard he barely missed slamming into him. “I’m sure you two have lots to talk about. Lucy and I can wait for Lyon together.”

Erza sounded almost giddy, but Natsu had no clue what had set her off. He peered at Lucy to make sure she didn’t have any objections before agreeing.

Gray finally glanced at Natsu, although he looked away the moment their eyes met. “I’ll have Ur talk to our seamstress about making you some suitable clothes.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Lucy said, coming to his rescue, “I brought plenty of clothes, she can just wear some of mine.”

“I feel we might need to get some made for you as well. You’re going to freeze to death wearing dresses like that around here,” Gray laughed, and Natsu and Erza joined in.

“Shall we?” Gray gestured to the door, his eyes still crinkling at the corners. “There’s something I’d like to show you.”

Natsu nodded, following him out but feeling a little awkward now that he knew they’d be alone together.

0-0

Gray had been looking forward to this moment for hours, but now that it was here, he didn’t know what to do. How should he treat Natsu? Did he already know what Gray was going to ask of him? How did people do this so easily?

He offered Natsu his arm when they reached the top of the stairs, only to have him descend the stairs on his own, yanking his skirts up above his slippers and claiming he didn’t need his help. Gray could only smile at the defiant glare he’d glimpsed in his eyes. He liked Natsu’s independent spirit, especially given he was in a strange place and in the middle of what had to be a nerve-wracking situation.

He followed Natsu down the stairs, not sure what to do with his hands, which were becoming sweaty in anticipation of being alone with his crush. It made him wish he’d paid more attention to Lyon when he was first trying to gain Erza’s favor.

Gray had never given much thought to his looks before, but given the reactions of girls like Juvia, he figured he wasn’t hard to look at. That was to girls, though. How did he make himself attractive to another man?

He’d done his best, changing into his finest set of clothes and taming his hair with a comb. After some consideration, he’d worked in the traditional engagement braid that announced his courtship status, embellishing it with beads to make it stand out more against his dark hair. Hoping to make a good impression on Natsu and to send a message to his father that he was taking this courtship seriously. But maybe he’d just made himself look like he was trying too hard. Natsu certainly hadn’t given him a second look.

Gray led him out the front door, walking toward the ice sculptures that decorated their front yard, figuring it was far enough from the house to give them some privacy. Plus, it couldn’t hurt to show himself in a positive light. Maybe he could even impress Natsu with his molding.

It was only when Natsu shivered next to him that Gray realized he hadn’t had him grab a cloak.

“I’m doing a terrible job as your host. First, I forgot about your clothes, and now I didn’t think to make sure you had a cloak before I brought you outside. I’m so sorry, please take mine.”

Gray removed his woolen cloak, draping it over Natsu’s shoulders and pinning it with his brooch to keep it in place. “There you go, that should keep you warm.”

“Thank you,” Natsu bowed his head, “Won’t you be cold, though?”

“Nah,” Gray waved away his concern. “I’m an ice mage, it needs to get much colder than this for it to bother me.”

Natsu appeared skeptical, but his expression softened when Gray showed no signs of discomfort. “You know, it’s strange. I shouldn’t even be able to feel the cold.”

“At all?” That surprised him. Gray was a powerful ice mage, but even he felt cold sometimes.

“Yeah, my magic causes my body temperature to run hotter than other people’s. It usually heats the air around me to a comfortable temperature.”

“I didn’t know that, you’re the first fire mage I’ve ever met.”

“I can’t imagine too many of them would want to travel here,” Natsu said, plastering a smile on his face, but not soon enough for Gray to miss the tinge of sadness it replaced. “Even though it is quite beautiful in its own way.”

Natsu’s sudden change of mood puzzled Gray. He knew there was something to it, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t get an answer if he asked, so he changed the subject.

“I wanted to show you this,” Gray drew Natsu’s attention to the grouping of sculptures that he and his family had made during the Winter Solstice.

Natsu gasped, allowing Gray to take his arm and help him maneuver through the deeper snowdrifts until they stood in front of the first sculpture, a snow tiger Lyon had made. Next to it was a large trellis covered in roses which Ur had made. An enormous wolf, Silver’s contribution, towered over the others.

“How did I not see this when we arrived?” Natsu wondered aloud.

“In the sorry state you were in?” Gray teased, “That wolf could have come to life and attacked the carriage and you wouldn't have noticed.”

“Did you make all of these?” Natsu moved from one statue to the next, his hand extending out but stopping shy of actually touching. “They all look so real.”

“I made that one,” Gray pointed to his creation, a sculpture of the thunder god Thor holding his hammer, Mjolnir, in mid-swing. “This is my magic. I can make just about anything out of ice, so long as I can visualize it in my mind. Most of the time I make weapons I can use to fight, but I enjoy doing stuff like this too. It helps to hone my control.”

It pleased him to see Natsu admiring his sculpture, even walking around to examine the back of it. “Your magic is beautiful,” he complimented with a smile which stretched into a grin as he added, “but I bet you I could melt it without too much trouble.”

Gods, that grin. Gray was learning he was weak to it. And Natsu’s words felt like an invitation to a game, one he was desperate to play despite not understanding any of the rules.

“Is that so?” Gray raised an eyebrow at the taunt, “Those are some mighty big words coming from someone who could barely hold on to her magic at the Auction.”

He could have kicked himself when Natsu’s smile wilted in front of his eyes. He’d made his first move and failed miserably.

“I didn’t mean- uhm, I just wanted to-,” Gray struggled to explain that he’d only been trying to flirt, but he was a clueless pathetic mess. He was glad Lyon hadn’t seen that, he would’ve never lived it down.

“I don’t need your apology. Not when it’s the truth.”

Natsu turned away from the sculptures, avoiding Gray’s eyes as he asked, “So are you ever going to tell me what it is you want from me in exchange for helping me get my magic under control?”

Could there possibly be a worse time to ask him that? Still, Gray had put himself in this mess, he’d just have to crawl his way back out.

“I- uhm, I’m not sure how to start. I suppose short is best, since they’ll be expecting us for dinner soon.”

Natsu slipped him a curious glance, “I don’t understand what you’re acting so nervous about, I already said I’d do whatever it was.”

Gray was fairly certain that would change as soon as he heard what it was.

“Okay then, I’d like you to pretend to be my fiancée.”

“Except for that.”

“I know how this sounds, but at least hear me out?”

“Gray, it wouldn’t be right for me to-”

“Please hear me out?”

“This is insane,” Natsu frowned, but gestured for him to continue.

“Thank you,” Gray wrapped his arms around himself, feeling a tad shaky now that the time had come to explain what he wanted. “My father is the Chief of Isvan, and someday I will take his place. Because of that, there’s this stupid law that says I have to get married on my next birthday, which is in October. I tried to get out of it by running out the clock, rejecting every girl my father brought to my attention.”

“Is that what happened with Lucy?”

“Yeah, I thought my plan was working, but it backfired. When I rejected the last girl this morning, my father told me if I didn’t find someone I could accept as a wife then I’d have to marry her, and she’s the worst one of the lot. I can’t spend the rest of my life with her, Natsu. To me, that would be a fate worse than death.”

“Now you’re just being dramatic,” Natsu’s mouth twitched into a smile at his declaration. “She can’t possibly be that bad.”

“No, I’m not,” Gray objected, “I can promise you I wouldn’t be going to all this trouble if that were the case.”

“You’re still better off asking Lucy for help,” Natsu argued, “I’m sure she’d agree. She knows all about this stuff, whereas I don’t even know which fork to use or-”

Gray cut off Natsu’s protest, “You don’t understand, it has to be you. My father already approved of Lucy. If I chose her as my fiancée, I’d have to marry her. But he doesn’t know you. If you agreed to marry me, he’d have to find your family, and enter negotiations with them.”

“Hold up. Let me get this straight,” Natsu peered into his eyes, “You’re saying if I agree to do this your father would have to find my family?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry about that,” Gray assured him, not wanting it to be a sticking point, “We can think of ways to keep him from doing that. Maybe I could hire some actors or-”

“Are you crazy?” Natsu cut him off, his excitement such that he was almost bouncing on his feet, “I want him to.”

Natsu’s reaction left Gray dumbfounded. “I don’t understand. Are you saying you want to marry me?”

“No, you idiot!” Natsu grinned, punching Gray none too gently on the shoulder. “I came to Isvan looking for my father. He came here a few months ago, and I haven’t heard from him since. If you can help me find him, I’ll pretend to be anything you want.”

Gray bristled at being called an idiot, and the playful punch had shocked him, although he had to admit it was also a little refreshing. For most of his life, everyone had tiptoed around him. Natsu was apparently not planning on doing any such thing, and it exhilarated Gray.

He was eager to get to know the real man hiding behind the dress, the one he’d glimpsed outrunning Lyon with ease and who was bold or insane enough to pull off this disguise in plain view of his pursuers.

“It’s a deal then,” Gray said, “We’ll start working on your magic tomorrow morning.”

He was pleased that Natsu had agreed, although he was a little worried about what would happen once they found his father. But that was a worry for another day. They had to get through dinner first.

His excitement ebbed as he thought of what awaited them. “I have to warn you, my father won’t approve at first. It might get unpleasant. I’m sorry for that.”

Natsu shrugged, his hands moving up to his waist. “It’s okay. I’m more worried about my magic flaring up than anything he could say to me.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

He felt the urge to give Natsu a hug, but instinctively knew it was a bad idea. It would only end up being awkward. So he crossed his arms over his chest to keep himself from doing anything stupid, offering him an earnest smile instead.

Natsu returned his smile, and suddenly they were staring into each other’s eyes with neither of them looking away. Natsu’s smile grew even wider and Gray could feel the blood rushing to his ears, which were thankfully hidden by his hair.

“We- uhm, we need to come up with a story so that we don't mess each other up when we get in there,” Gray said, trying his best to hide how flustered he felt by the moment they’d just shared. “Something simple that’s mostly true is probably best.”

They discussed a few ideas until finding one they both agreed on.

“We should go inside.”

“Yeah.”

They walked back to the house’s entrance, Gray’s stomach tying itself up in ever more complicated knots at the thought of facing his father.

Natsu stopped just shy of the front door, pumping his fists in the air and crying out, “We’re gonna do great!”

Gray was so enraptured by the display he let himself believe it. He grabbed Natsu’s hand in his and led him inside towards the dining room.

Notes

Farfar is the name for a paternal grandfather

The hangerok (sometimes spelled hangerock or hangeroc) was a type of dress worn by Viking women and some other early medieval northern European cultures. The garment was shaped somewhat like a pinafore, with two straps over the shoulders secured by brooches.

A/N: I'm happy to finally bring you this chapter. It will be the last one for a bit as I will be working on the next chapter of The Red Dragon and those tend to take a while, along with some collabs that have been waiting for a bit.

@ft-ez-bb

#fairy tail #gratsu #update #gray x natsu #ftezbb2021 #MOB #chapter 3 #fanfic

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doctorwhoandfairytaillover · 4 years

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Part 6A: Vikings - Kissed by Fire

Summary: On the celebration of (Y/N)’s name day, her brothers come with an old flame from her past. But is he truly an old flame?

Pairings: Ragnarssons x Stepmom reader (platonic), Ragnar x reader (romantic), OC x reader (romantic?)

A/N: I really hope y’all like this part, it is merely the beginning of the drama that is to come.

As her father’s only daughter, the celebrations done in honor of her name day were usually grand events that lasted several days and went well into the night even if she had already gone to sleep for the night. It was not strange for her then, when her dear husband Ragnar decided to hold grand festivities for her name day as well.

For many, it was simply an excuse to drink and feast to their hearts content but for Ragnar it was a display of the love and affection that he held for his second wife. There was no question that the man favored his second wife, (Y/N). When he returned from his raids; it was her that he gave the finest of dresses, it was her that he gave rare jewels, and it was her that he greeted first. So for the man to throw a feast of this magnitude, it was no surprise that he would do so for his favored wife and told her to dress elegantly for the celebration.

Without question; she dressed in a finely made gown of blue, the golden necklace she wore her first day in Kattegat, and had lined her eyes with kohl to make the (e/c) hues stand out. It was when she looked down to sift through her box of accessories that she jumped in surprise to feel the prickle of Ragnar’s beard when he kissed her neck.

“How is it that you only become more beautiful?” he said lovingly.

“Flatterer” she giggled. “I won’t lay with you tonight that easily.”

“Can a husband not worship the ground his wife walks on merely because he remains as infatuated with her as the day he met her?” he asked as he continued to pepper her with kisses.

She turned around and wrapped her arms around him, bringing him into a soft and tender kiss. A short lived moment, when giggles caught their attention to spot the majority of the children at the door.

“Perhaps I should be selfish and keep you solely to myself” Ragnar teased.

“There is enough of me to be shared, now move” she said with a playful shove as she reached into her box and pulled out a delicate anklet.

Gently, Ragnar took the anklet from her hand and kneeled in front of her as the children impatiently jumped on their bed. He clasped the anklet onto her ankle with care, holding onto her foot in thought as he let go and turned his bright blue eyes to her.

“When we first met, you wore this every day and never took it off. On our journey, you wore it frequently but not as often as you did before. The last time that I ever saw you wear this was the day before our wedding and that night saw you put it away” he said. “Does this hold any meaning to you?”

(Y/N) nodded, “It was given to me by someone I held dear. It was a gift that I may always remember them and the time we spent together fondly.”

“After the celebration, would you mind telling me the story behind it?”

“I would love nothing more.”

---------------

The men and women cheered in excitement upon the arrival of their king and his favored wife, closely followed by the older children as they carried the younger ones in their arms.

When he was handed a horn of ale, Ragnar lifted it up for a toast.

“Let us feast and be merry, to celebrate the name day of my beloved wife (Y/N). A woman kissed by fire, who caught my eye so many years ago in the land of Iberia. The woman that is now mother of my children and companion in life. For (Y/N)! Skol!”

“Skol!” everyone cheered.

“Salud!” cried out several others voices.

To the utter surprise and glee of (Y/N), her nine brothers along with their entourage had entered into the hall with casks of wine under their arms. Setting the casks down, all of the men did not hesitate to smother their sister with affection.

“It is so good to see all of you, especially you Bjarke. Your name day is tomorrow” she said. “Perhaps you can all go on a hunt with the other men and I can cook your favorites.”

“Can you?!” all her brothers gasped.

“No one else’s cooking can compare to Nana’s and yours” said Antonius.

“Our wives can cook well enough and the servants are alright, it is your cooking that has always been the best” said Cole.

“That’s right!” said Hvisterk. “Mama makes everything tasty.”

“Even the things that are yucky taste good when Mama cooks” said Sigurd with a lisp.

“I already said that I would, there is no need for sweet words when I have offered” (Y/N) giggled.

“Surely we can give you a gift in return” said Athel.

“Your presence is enough, I can ask for no greater gift than to be with my loved ones on my name day” she said.

“What if we were to tell you that our gift is exactly that?” said Endre.

“Did father come along as well?” (Y/N) asked, looking around the room in hopes of spotting the man.

“Not father, but someone that you certainly remember fondly” said Gunnar.

The tallest of her brother’s smirked as he stepped aside; revealing a man around the same age as (Y/N). He was of lithe build, messy brown hair fell onto his forehead, his blue green eyes gleamed, and scruff lined his jaw.

“Tristan?” she gasped.

He smiled in a manner that made the green of his eyes seem brighter.

“Is it really you? My goodness, I haven’t seen you in years Tris” (Y/N) said as she pulled him into a tight hug.

“(Y/N)! It seems that the years have been good to you, more beautiful than the last day that I saw you” he chuckled, taking her hand to bring her into a spin. “You have blossomed into the woman that I knew you would.”

She laughed, “I was a girl of seventeen last you saw me. In that time I have married and become a mother, Tris. I would imagine that I am not the girl that you knew.”

“That is true. Your brother’s didn’t tell me on the journey, but tell me do you have a son or daughter?”

“Both. I have a daughter and five sons.”

His eyes widened, “Did you truly have that many?”

“I birthed one son and a daughter, but in marrying now have an additional four sons.”

His features softened as he held onto her hands, “I had known you to be a kind and loving person but to take on the care of children not of your womb. I can tell those boys will be well loved.”

“Oh,” she gasped in realization. “I was so caught up that I didn’t introduce you to the rest of my family.”

Leading him by the hand, she stepped to stand by a disgruntled looking Ragnar and pouty children beside them.

“My love and stars of my life, this is my good friend Tristan. His father was a merchant very close to my father and we grew up together” (Y/N) said. “Tris, this is my husband Ragnar the man that took me away and stole my heart in the process. These are my children; Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, Agnar, Ivar, and Kari.”

Ragnar scoffed when Tristan went to shake his hand, ignoring the man in favor of drinking his ale. The boys pouted but conceded in giving the man a swift handshake, as they knew that (Y/N) would scold them later if they did not greet her friend.

A slight glimmer caught his eye and Tristan spotted the anklet on (Y/N).

“You still kept it after all these years?” he asked softly.

(Y/N) smiled sadly, “It was the last gift that you gave me. I hold it quite dear.”

At her words, Ragnar’s jaw clenched but stayed quiet as Tristan practically leaped to embrace her tightly.

“Oh!” Tristan gasped, knocking his hand against his head. “I almost forgot, my brother Matteo also came along and should be here.”

Looking around the room, he brought his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle. “Matteo! Get over here!”

Almost like a shadow, Tristan turned to spot his older brother Matteo beside him.

“Teo, introduce yourself. We haven’t seen (Y/N) in a number of years and it would be impolite.”

(Y/N) held back a grimace when Matteo’s blue eyes raked down her figure. He bowed at the waist and smirked, “I am Matteo Federico De Valle Aldrete an old friend of (Y/N) and older brother to Tristan but you may all call me Teo.”

“I thought your father left you in charge of trading with the Franks” (Y/N) stated plainly.

“He did, but called me back as he felt my talents were needed elsewhere” Matteo chuckled.

(Y/N) took two horns of ale from a passing thrall and handed them to the two men.

“Have a drink, I am sure that you have yet to partake in the festivities” she said.

“Thank you, that is very kind of you Conejito” Matteo chuckled.

“I will do my best to drink with all of you, but I cannot hold my drink very well” said Tristan nervously.

“That is alright” (Y/N) said as she sipped from her own drink. “It is a time to make merry. To old times!”

“To old times!” the two men cheered.

Drinking heavily from their horns, unaware of the (e/c) eyes that peered at them as they drank.

____________________________

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