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t-a-a-1 · 6 months ago

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Counting Stars

TFP Optimus x Female Reader

Summary: After a dangerous mission where you almost die, Optimus breaks up with you without knowing you are carrying his sparkling. It's not until seven months later that the universe allows you both to meet once again.

A/N: Lots of yearning, jealousy, delusions, craving, fluff. All that good stuff.

Counting Stars

...

He almost lost you.

And yet he had to act like he didn't care.

It was to everyone's surprise when he announced that you will no longer be living at the base. It was simple. Due to inner conflicts, you won't be a part of Team Prime any longer.

No one believed it until you came to pick up your things and said your last goodbyes.

Optimus was nowhere to be found.

And no one dared to ask him why.

Only Optimus knows the reason.

He was well aware of his limits. Knowing that the moment he sees you, he would break down. Throw away his pride and ask you to stay forever with him. That he was a complete idiot to believe he could live a single day without you.

What an idiot he indeed is.

It's been a week and he can't do it. Primus, give him strength. He sees you everywhere. He smells you in the flowers, feels your touch in the wind, hears your voice in nature and sees you in the stars. How much he misses to taste your lips once more.

"One more day and I think you will go offline, old friend."

Out of embarrassment, Optimus tries to close the windows in the data-pad screen, he was too focused on looking at pictures of you to notice Ratchet walking close to him.

“What, um-” He keeps closing tabs, each one having a different picture of you. From different angles and expressions. Blurry and not. “What are you referring to, old friend?”

Ratchet doesn't know how to react to this. He has always been aware of Optimus' massive love for you. Of course he knew. Even more now that the bearer of the Matrix can’t seem to function properly without your presence.

Optimus keeps closing taps and Ratchet gets a glimpse of Orion Pax. Trying his best to hide the fact that he messed up.

From innocent pictures, more intimate ones appeared.

“Would you please close your optics?” There is some panic and concern in his voice. But also an authoritative tone to it. “I do not wish for you to see her the way I used to.”

Ratchet just turns around, giving Optimus enough privacy to conclude his activity.

“I had just wanted to check up on your well-being due to recent events. But I am afraid that you are in a worse state than I thought possible.”

He hears more clicking and typing before hearing a heavy ex-vent coming from the Autobot leader.

“You can turn around now.”

“Optimus, you can’t continue like this,” the robot medic takes a look at the screen again. It’s empty but the blue blush on Optimus’ face is still evident. “It’s only been a week. But have you truthly imagined what your life will be after living an eternity without (y/n)?”

Of course he doesn’t think about it. He might be an idiot but not entirely stupid. If he spirals and thinks too much about it he’ll probably lose all sense of responsibility and sanity. He can’t think about no longer being able to see the stars in your eyes. Of not longer hearing the sweetness of your voice or caressing the softness of your skin–

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Optimus quickly stops thinking. “My fate is sealed and so is hers. Our paths shall never meet again.”

Knowing Optimus for such a long time, Ratchet knows when he is lying. Even he should be aware of how full of scrap that lie is. Still, he wishes to push it further and see for how long Optimus will keep it up.

“If you truthly think that way then delete all of those frames and we shall never speak of her again.”

Their optics met for a few seconds and the gentle look in Optimus’ optics let Ratchet know everything he needed. However, he wanted his friend to be the one to realize it. Some things have to be lived and pain is the best teacher.

“I … I-”

Looking back at the screen, there are no pictures of you. The thought of never seeing you again crosses his mind. He doesn’t have much to remember you by. You had taken all of your things. No longer can he phantom words to deny the truth.

“Why are you putting yourself through all of this pain, old friend? When you and I are aware that you cannot pass a second without thinking of her?”

It was late night at the hangar and all other Autobots had gone to recharge. It was only the two of them and no one dared to ask Optimus about past occurrences that included you.

“I told her … I wish I had never met her.”

Ratchet slowly opens his intake the moment the words slips Optimus’ glossa.

“Even if my spark wishes nothing more but to see her again … I am afraid I have severed the relationship beyond repay.”

There is a pause in which Ratchet wanted to comfort his friend, to say some words of encouragement but he doesn’t know if it will be good enough.

“If only you had seen her face, Ratchet … You would know. I have no right to ask for forgiveness.”

You are the strongest person he knows. He has yet to see you shed a tear, no amount of injuries have made you do so. But that night, between discussions and arguments, he saw your eyes become crystal. The only thing he could do was to look away. He knew he would break as well if he ever became the reason for your suffering.

Seven months passed.

Not a single word from you.

Sometimes, however, Optimus would hear Fowler speak about you. A simple ‘She’s doing fine’ and ‘She has made new friends.’

But that was enough to make him wonder about you. Your new life, friends, if you had found anyone who was of your interest.

“We need the Autobot assistance in transporting a highly classified product across the state.”

He finds himself enjoying putting his life in danger. To take on difficult missions so his mind can be occupied. For those moments he is free from the thoughts of you. Any other second he is busy indulging in his torment from your parting.

Apparently, MECH was extremely interested in this product and had plans to steal it from the CIA. It was the Autobots’ job to prevent that from happening.

The bots surrounded a black bulletproof truck. They weren’t allowed to look at what was inside which did not please them. If they were to protect something, they wanted to know what it was. However, Optimus gave it a one time pass. After all, Fowler has proved himself to be a trusted ally.

The first couple of miles went by easily. With no interruptions.

It wasn’t until it started to go dark that trouble appeared.

MECH had interjected the mission. Using every single gun, missile and bombs at their dispossession. Whatever that black truck was carrying, they wanted it no matter what.

“At this rate we are going to lose the target!”

Arcee screamed through her comm-link as she tried her best to take down as many helicopters as possible without hurting any human in the process. Pretty much against her will but orders were orders.

“These guys are really fighting it out!” Bulkhead was against a few tanks, he had stayed behind to keep them busy while the truck made an attempt to go out of sight. “Are we even sure this thing we are protecting is worth our lives?!”

Optimus was the one closest to the truck, keeping direct contact in case of a disaster.

“Optimus! We won’t be able to keep them away for long!”

Bumblebee chirped in morse code and the Autobot leader knew he had to do something.

He drives faster, facing the two officers that were driving the truck. Side to side, they look at the driverless vehicle.

“Open the trunk and I’ll take the cargo. We won’t be able to hold them for long. I’ll take the cargo somewhere safe while you serve as a distraction. If we don’t do this, you’ll lose it all.”

The military officers look at each other for a small second. Giving a knowing look, they knew what they had to do. They open up the trunk and Optimus slows his driving, taking a look, finally, at what’s inside.

The cargo is you.

He quickly transforms back to his robot mode. Running towards you. He extended a sevo, he wanted you to jump.

You were holding onto the walls of the truck as if your life depended on it. And it did. This was definitely not the encounter you were expecting after not seeing him for seven months. But now it wasn’t the moment to think about that. What happened between the two of you was over. But you still trusted Optimus Prime, the leader he has always been.

“Quickly!”

You run towards him and jump as the trunk is in fast motion. Your feet land on his servo and in less than a second, he transforms back to his vehicle mode. Now you sat safely in the passenger seat. Optimus moves out of the road and drives off into the forest. Getting lost into the massiveness of nature and tall pine trees.

No longer being able to hear chaos, Optimus assumed it was safe to talk.

“Would you care to explain your status and the reasoning to why you are being transported by the American military?”

You weren’t fond of his voice, much less how this conversation started.

“Not even a ‘how are you’ first? You really haven’t changed at all, Prime.”

You say as you cross your arms in front of your chest. Looking outside the window, you wished you were being chased again by MECH.

“Do not dare to call me by titles.”

There were times you called him by his last name. When you were angry and when the two of you were yet to form a relationship. He doesn’t like to reminisce about those times.

“Just let me out. I’ll walk.”

“But–”

“I said … I’ll walk.”

Optimus stops and opens the door for you. You hop out of his vehicle mode and start walking without anywhere in mind.

You put your hands in your oversize hoodie. The last thing you wanted was for him to take a deep look at you. Much less if he starts analyzing your body with stats.

“I don’t think you know where you are supposed to be located,” he says as he transforms back to his regular robot mode.

“I’ll figure it out.”

Optimus begins to panic as you start to walk away. This wasn’t how the reunion was supposed to be. He had dreamt of the next time he saw you. Maybe on a field of flowers and running towards each other. Ending it with an embrace and a passionate kiss.

“Would you listen to reason for once?”

He tries again to engage but he only makes himself sound rude without having those intentions.

“No.”

Would please look at him? It’s been seven months since he last saw you. He’s only seen your eyes through the pictures of his data-pad but they didn’t compare to seeing them in person–

“Why are you following me? I thought you didn’t care.”

You finally turn to look at him.

He can’t control his processor at your sight. Your hair was a nice mess, you were wearing clothes too big for you, maybe to hide the few pounds you gained during this time. Your cheeks were pinker and plumber. Dark circles under your eyes but skin glowing and those beautiful eyes that could put any star in the universe to shame.

Optimus stumbles on his pedes and almost falls on his knees, your beauty too distracting for any living being to be witness of.

“I .. I –”

He can’t believe you are talking to him. This was too soon and no words could leave his voice box as if had forgotten how to speak entirely.

He wanted to say it all. How much he missed you, how desperately he needed you. How there hasn’t been a single day he didn’t think about you. How everything reminded him of you. And how painful has it been every second you are not with him.

But before he could rant about his undying love for you, he sees a painful expression on your face. Followed by you, placing your arms around your belly and bending as if the cause of your physical pain was located in your stomach.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“Just,” you take a moment to breathe as you slowly make your way towards a tree. “Just leave me alone.”

With sad and curious optics, he sees you put a hand on your stomach. Whispering comforting words. ‘It’s alright’ and ‘It’s ok’ you kept talking to yourself to make you believe those words.

“We’ll be safe.”

“I am going to run a quick analysis–”

“No,” you interrupt him again. “You know I hate it when you do that.”

Optimus dislikes going against your wishes. But the way you are breathing heavily, your sweating and trembling doesn’t look like a good sign. He can manage to live without you if it guarantees that you can live a long happy life. But not the same can be said if your life is cut short for whatever reason.

“My apologies but my mission is to keep you safe and that’s exactly what I tend to do.”

“I am pregnant,” you had no other choice. “Thankfully, you are not the father.”

That was a lie but at least the shock will prevent and confuse him enough. If Optimus were to do an analysis on your body, he would find anomalies only a Cybertronian would know.

Finally getting the strength you need, you stand up and walk past Optimus whose face you did not dare to look. Your swollen belly still hurts but you didn’t want to worry him. The reason why you are not with him in the first place is because he thought of you as a liability. You no longer want to be seen as such.

“Who’s the father of the child?”

The question infuriated you. Of all the things he could have asked, he asks such a selfish question. He shouldn’t care and certainly you are tired of Optimus pretending he does.

“You know, on Earth, is customary to say ‘congratulations,” you turn to look at him.

A fatal mistake.

His optics reflected a grief unknown to you. The type you do not know nor wish to ever experience. Then there is a pain you recognize, that of a broken heart. You knew that feeling very well. He had been the one responsible for it after all. A part of you is happy to know that he is experiencing karma, that he is hopefully experiencing a fraction of the pain he made you go through.

But that wasn’t you. You didn’t want to inflect any type of suffering in him. Not now. Not ever.

“I am sorry.”

There wasn’t anything else you could say. You look down, disappointed at your own feelings.

“No. My apologies,” Optimus noticed your sudden change and he too feels unworthy to be of your presence. Having his ill feelings and jealousy overtake his processor instead of worrying about your well being. “I did not think it was possible for you to find a suitable partner with whom … to mate with … and so soon.”

“Well, humans do not live for long and we only have a few years until we are no longer able to ‘mate’”

You didn’t like using the word ‘mate’ . It made humans sound like animals but you used it so Optimus could be spoken to in terms he could understand.

“But do you have … feelings for this individual?”

“Yes,” you lied again, trying to see what you can get away with. “He is just and kind. Tall and handsome.”

Optimus puts a servo on his hip and looks to the other side. Not looking at anything in particular rather he didn’t want to show his evident discomfort.

“Yet it seems he is unable to do the most important duty … to protect you.”

“He is quite adequate, actually,” you tease him again. The Autobot leader might be a smart war tactician but is terrible at understanding hints. “He is the strongest and fierce when needed.”

“Well, I’ll have you know that I have as well found someone else to keep my time occupied,” he stutters, unable to lie. “She’s strong, a good talker and a listener. Kind and has the most beautiful eyes in the entire universe.”

Now he was being too specific for your liking. What if he was telling the truth and he had indeed found someone else? You didn't know how not. After all, Optimus Prime was the most extraordinary being on Earth and probably in the entire universe.

All of your doubts and insecurities began to fill your heart. You were just a human, easily replaceable. But Optimus? There’s only one of him. You were insignificant compared to him. It has always been this way.

“Then I hope she is better than I ever was.”

You turn to keep walking into the woods with no destination whatsoever but you didn’t care.

“It seems we made the right choice to part ways.”

Optimus wouldn’t have it. He can’t phantom it and it’s probably selfish thinking. But he can’t understand how easily you can say that while there hasn’t been a single day he is not tormented by your absence. When every second of his life has been torture without you.

“Is that really how you feel?” His voice is indignant. Every circuit in his processor, begged him to hold you. To tell you how much he craves you and how unfair has life been. Taking you away only when you have become the most beautiful of beings. “After everything?”

“You have someone and I have someone,” you don’t turn around, putting a hand again on your stomach. Giving it a small rub and looking down at it. “And I am with a child as you can see and very happy.”

“A child that should have been born from our bond. I should have been the father of that sparkling, I-”

“You wished we had never met,” you whisper quietly but you know he can hear you. He always listened. “So please, stop talking like you care.”

“(Y/N)?”

He looks at you and notices your distraught. Your breathing has become slower.

“Are you alright?”

You fall but before your body could touch the ground, Optimus catches you on his servo. He studies you for a second. You have pink cheeks and breathing seems difficult. He doesn’t hesitate to use his comm-link.

“Ratchet, I request an immediate groundbridge.”

“Vitals are stable but I’ll stay alert tonight to watch over her.”

Ratchet was glad to have you back at the base although he wished it was in different circumstances. After a couple of hours, everyone went back to their private quarters. The only ones left were the medic and the leader of the autobots.

They watched over you as you slept soundly in the medical berth. Your vital signs displayed on the data-screen. Although everything seems fine, the two of them were known to overthink and worry.

“I waited for everyone to leave to tell you something of an extremely important matter.”

“What is it, old friend?”

“While doing some analyses in (Y/N)’s body, I distinguished an anomaly,” Ratchet clicks on keys and rapidly two sound frames appear. There are many lines, short and big, all close together. Together they create a different pattern from each other.

“(Y/N) appears to have two different heart beats. But, of course, that goes against human biology. So I did further testing.”

“I made a discovery. The second beat has a different frequency of that of a human heart,” the medic played the sound, Optimus recognized this as your heartbeat. “But this other one has the same frequency and energy as a spark.”

“I do not understand.”

Trying to be tactful was hard for Ratchet as it is. He didn’t want to downplay the situation either. It was a serious matter but he has to admit that not even himself can’t contain his exhilaration.

“Cybertron hasn’t had a single sparkling in centuries so coming to this conclusion took some time”

The medic ex-vents, somehow it helped with his tension. He has been alive for quite some time and yet he can’t remember the last time he helped bring a new life to Cybertron. It was all the culmination of his studies and practices. Maybe finally he will have a chance to create life instead of just curing it.

“After all, I had to look through some old archives and Human-Cybertronian hybrids is a first. But seeing that humans have the ability to create life and combining that with Cybertronian transmission genes … I believe I have a definite conclusion.”

Ratchet presses a key, making the data-screen play a distinct sound. A sound similar to static but a distinct rhythm could be heard. Gentle and soft. Pure.

“(Y/N) is carrying a sparkling.”

“By the AllSpark,” Optimus blinks multiple times as he always does when he is excited or perplexed about something. He looks at you. Your small fragile body. “How?”

“How are humans able to create life with a soul, conscious mind and a body?” Ratchet doesn’t know how to explain it, because even he can't fully understand how. “Primus may have heard our prayers and has blessed us with an opportunity to welcome a new life to our race.”

“Agent Fowler must have known this and MECH as well. That’s why they were so precautious when transporting her from one place to the other.”

Optimus made a mental note to ask Fowler about this and his reasoning as to why he wasn’t informed of such an important matter.

“If MECH lay hands on (Y/N) they would experiment on her and the sparkling as soon as it’s born,” Ratchet says as he walks towards you with a tender expression in his faceplace. “Half Human, half Cybertronian. This child will change everything.”

“Conceived from a son of Primus and a daughter of Unicron.”

The situation was out of legends and myths. The kind of thing that sounds impossible but maybe this little hope inside of you is what is needed to light up their darkest hour.

“And this may also explain your sudden urge to nest,” the medic’s voice is more light-hearted now. Having flashbacks of Optimus picking up random flowers, pretty rocks and good-looking metal to bring back to the base. When questioned about it, the leader of the Autobots simply responded that he had an urge to do so.

“I thought you were going crazy when you started to bring earthly materials to the base.”

“I thought so too.”

Optimus sees you sleep. He has the need to touch your swollen belly, to feel the growing spark within you. You have always been amazing, he knew that much. But he never thought you were capable of conceiving life like their own. What a beautiful sight. One he never thought possible. Now, it’s right in front of him. Hope. The complete personification of it, staring right at him.

“Will she be alright?”

“She’s stable but she definitely needs to be watched over. Her weakened state is due to the fact that the sparkling is taking too much of her energy,” Ratchet also has his optics on you. The happiest Optimus has ever seen. Knowing that there is hope for their race to continue to grow must be the first real sign of hope Ratchet has had since eons ago.

“Energon is mostly toxic to humans but the sparkling has created anti-mechs for (y/n)’s immune system to withstand it. We are going to have to start supplying her with energon if we wish for the sparkling to be born healthy.”

“And most importantly,” he takes a moment to look at his old friend. His optics now showed a more hostile gaze. “A sparkling needs the electromagnetic waves of a caregiver to copy growing behaviors.”

“She needs you, Optimus.”

It was the middle of the night when you woke up. You feel thirsty but need more than water. Your body has had strange cravings lately but you were not about to randomly drink energon just because the baby wanted to.

You knew this place too well. The smell of metal and bots was everywhere. The soft vans of the air conditioner are comforting. The orange light coming from Ratchet’s data screen illuminated the room enough for you not to be scared. Although you didn’t want to admit it, you missed this place. Even when you much preferred to be sleeping in the coach instead of the medical berth.

“Do you need something?”

Optimus came back from behind you. You shake your body and back away a few centimeters.

“My apologies, I did not want to scare you.”

He had mass-displaced. Still over 10 feet and really tall compared to any regular human. He tries to be delicate even when you know he is not fond of this form. Optimus had told you before that it was a bit uncomfortable for him. Of course, he never seemed to complain whenever he mass shifted to lay on your bed.

You look down and caress your stomach. It would be stupid to believe that Ratchet did not find out about your little secret and told Optimus about it.

“It’s alright.”

Awkwardly, he sits next to you. You thought he might be furious with you. For lying to him in the first place. But now you feel ashamed for a reason you can’t understand. The mere fact of deceiving Optimus Prime is an unpleasant experience.

“(Y/N) …”

“I am sorry I didn’t tell you,” you don’t look at him. Instead, you look down at your feet and how they hang from the medical berth. “Don’t get angry at Fowler, please. I was the one who told him not to tell you.”

“Why didn’t you want to share such important information?”

“Because you said … You wished you had never met me,” you feel a knot forming on your throat. It hurts to speak, to even form thoughts and remember what happened seven months ago. His voice is still very present in your memories. The pain is still in your heart. “So I thought, you wouldn’t want our child either.”

Clenching his servo into a fist, Optimus fights the urge to hold you. You were so close, yet the only thing he can indulge himself with is your scent. It's different now. It was your smell combined with a new aroma. That of his sparkling.

“I have made many hard decisions in my life,” it was difficult for him to look at you. Now, he feels indignant to stand before you. You were to him what the gods were to their subjects. Devotion is not enough for him to satisfy his service to you.

“But the hardest decision was to let you go and I did it because I was scared. Even now, I doubt myself. Maybe you’ll be safer somewhere else. Away from me, away from all of this,”

Reminiscing about the past is painful to him. Most memories of you are lovely, unforgettable. But that time seven months ago when the Decepticons had captured you. The screams, the terror in your face, Megatron ordering you to tell him how scared you were. How he couldn’t do anything. Helpless. Pathetic.

And for a small second. For a fraction he really believed he had lost you. That was enough for him to know he won’t function without you.

“If something were to happen to you … I won’t be able to … I can’t-”

He feels his entire core shake. His servos trembling as they remember holding your almost lifeless body.

“I am sorry,” his voice glitches. “I said unforgivable things with hopes that they would push you away. To protect you. I can live with you hating me but I cannot envision the day the universe takes your soul from me.”

May Primus have mercy on his spark. May he forgive him but Optimus would throw everything away just to hold you. Just for his words to reach your heart. To feel your touch once again.

“But I was a fool to believe I could stay away from you. To think that my restraint was as strong as my morals.”

There is silence and although he doesn’t dare to look at you, he can feel your presence. For now it was enough to have you next to him.

“You may not believe in my words but believe this; the only good thing this fool has ever done is love you. It's the only thing … the only decision I have no doubts about.”

Suddenly, softness meets his faceplate. Immediately, his optics were on the blink of releasing energon. With a simple touch, you had healed him. A part of his spark that felt empty was full again. The meaning to his life was restored.

“Do you even know how much I missed you?”

You ask him with a gentle voice. Caressing every sense of his audials, engraving them in his processor. To forever remain in the deepest part of his mind.

He can’t even begin to tell you what he truly feels. He had given up. Come to realize that no words, no language in the present, past nor future could ever be vast enough to express the love he has for you.

Optimus could try with his actions. That may not be enough either. But he will have all of eternity to make for it.

“Everyday after you left, I would go to the rooftop on the base and I would count each star in the sky,” he puts a servo on top of your hand and his dermas brush against your skin, a small kiss. “To try and relieve the nights I would count the stars in your eyes.”

You didn’t say anything. Whenever it came to talking, Optimus was always more proficient. You never felt the need to say something either, he always knew what you meant. What you were feeling. Words were not necessary. Not when he can read your eyes so easily.

“And not even the timeless company of the entire universe could compare to one second with you.”

That night, you rested in his chassis. Missing your warmth, he embraced you. Your stomach pressed lightly against him. This experience was something new to him and he was terrified of it. Afraid he won’t be good enough to be a partner or a father. But as long as you were with him, the impossible became possible. So maybe becoming someone worthy of a sparkling could also be feasible.

Optimus will try his very best. For you, for the sparkling. For himself. Failing it's not an option and being a father was a greater honor than being a Prime. A title he would give up if only you would ask him. Of course, you will never ask him such a thing. He knew you better than that.

Optimus believes in Primus, fully. But he is thankful to whatever gods created you. If he could and knew how, he would pray and thank them.

He now has another chance. Another opportunity. To give you what he has been collecting.

Maybe tomorrow he will give you all the dandelions he found for you.

A/N: Sorry for the late Christmas post. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years I hope y’all enjoyed this. As always, for any questions, comments, concerns or prompt ideas you can send me an inbox. For all the love and support … Thank you! See you next year!

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rosabell14 · 1 year ago

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The hunters of Artemis, Reyna, and Asexuality in Riordan's writing

I kinda started thinking about this since Reyna became a hunter. I could never articulate why I hated this Choice. I was asexual after all. Shouldn't I be happy about this rep? We Ace people barely get any after all. Then I realized that it's because I just didn't like the hunters as ace representation. And I didn't need to be grateful for mediocrity.

You want to know why the hunters of Artemis suck in general? And as Ace rep specifically? Because Riordan did not write them with that mindset.

Like people are so busy hailing this man as the king of representation in literature(blegh) that they forgot how heteronormative and white(sometimes racist) the original series was. Y'all really think this man was thinking about writing asexuals in the year 2007? Get real. What Riordan was doing was a white man trying to write feminism and failing (there's a reason most of his female characterization of female characters boils down to tough "not like other girls" characters who are dicks to the boys around them yet also to the girls around them if they're jealous)

Now onto the hunters.

The hunters when first presented in TTC are not a group of asexuals but rather religious celibates. Fantasy Pegan nuns if you may. The first problem arises when their ages are brought up.

"Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen..."

Remember, before ToA gave us Emmie and Jo, the hunters WERE all young girls. Now why in the world are they so young? Especially when in the actual myths, the hunters could come from any age whatsoever? Well the reason is a doozy.

"Are you surprised by my age?" she asked.

"Uh… a little."

"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."

"Go astray?" I asked.

"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."

Hooo boy. What a way to phrase it. Going astray. Losing themselves. This kinda confirms that the reason why Artemis goes after young girls specifically is because she only wants girls who have yet to finish puberty. Girls have yet to discover their own sexuality. Now I'm not a representative of Asexuals everywhere, but I'm pretty sure most of us don't discover our sexuality at the age of ten. Let alone have the maturity to decide to become celibates about it. And let me reiterate: celibacy is not sexuality. Sure asexual people CAN choose to be celibates but it's not the same thing at all. In fact Zoe and Thalia are big cases for this. Both of them had liked men before(herakles and luke) but joined for their own reasons. Thalia to escape the prophecy and Zoe out of heartbreak. Hell, Bianca herself is mostly swayed by the idea of having no responsibility and a new family.

Now Rick does another thing that goes against the myths. The exclusion of make hunters. Artemis frequently hung around or taught male hunters who respected her. Daphnis, Scamandrius, freaking Hippolytus whom Artemis greatly cared about. Oh but we need to come up with bullshit reasons why Nico can't just join the hunt with his sisters so the hunters of Artemis are all: Ewww men. Also note how at no point does Riordan mention people who fall in love with women.

Now the next point is the oath itself. Artemis says this:

"What oath?" I said.

"To forswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."

When I tell you that Emmy and Joe were retcons . Rick was freaking INSISTENT on the hunters being kids. Also note the three points: to never fall in love, to never get married, to stay a maiden.

I mean I think I don't need to explain why obsessing over the virginity of young girls is creepy. Does Riordan think girls older than fourteen can't keep it in their pants? And let me be adamant here Riordan only cares about the virginity Clause here. He mentions falling in love and marriage because he sees them inherently intertwined with sex.

Now onto the wording of the oath itself:

'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.'

I mean you might be able to interpret men here as mankind and therefore excluding women as well. But I have many reasons to believe that Riordan didn't even CONSIDER women as a possibility(someone inform this man that lesbians existed smh 😞). Also note that falling in love is not mentioned in the actual oath but maidenhood is.

Now onto the next big issue. Percy Jackson's Greek gods and its chapter on Artemis. It basically confirms all of my problems.

"IT’S NOT THAT ARTEMIS HATED ALL MEN, just most of them. From the moment she was born, she knew one critical fact: Guys are kinda gross."

No mention of girls. In this chapter Percy(Rick) brings up Artemis' disdain for dudes over and over again.

“Let me be a maiden forever, Father,” Artemis said, twirling her finger in Zeus’s beard. “I never want to get married.---- But you can grant me a bunch of followers: ocean nymphs, river nymphs, wood nymphs—what the heck, how about mortal girls, too? Any girls who want to join me can become my followers, as long as they remain maidens like me. They should probably make the decision when they’re about nine years old, before they get interested in boys, because after that, they’ll be all distracted and of no use to me.”

Yikes yikes yikes. Ladies and gentlemen the age has been lowered to 9. Freaking 9. Also I guess girls older than that don't need Artemis' protection then? (the real problem is that older/married girls should be out of Artemis's jurisdiction and under the protection of other gods like Hera, Hestia, and Ares. But Hestia is barely there. Hera is terrible and the Amazons also suck)

Now when I tell you that Artemis' big point was about virginity, I mean it. This actually has mythological evidence.

The myths actually DO mention what happens when female hunters fall in love. Rhodopis and Euthynicus were two hunters who offended Aphrodite by choosing a chaste life so she had Eros make them fall in love. However note that they weren't booted out of the hunters for falling in love, but rather after having sex in a cave. THAT was what Artemis took offense to.

Another myth is the story of Aura. A huntress who offended Artemis by comparing their breasts(Greek mythology am I right?). Saying that her breast were better than Artemis' because they were smaller and hey maybe that means that Artemis isn't actually a maiden. Artemis punishes her by making her lose her VIRGINITY. She goes to nemesis for revenge. Nemesis goes to Eros who makes Dionysus fall in love with Aura and when Aura refuses his advances he ties her up and... Yeah you can guess where I'm going with this.

But hey! Those myths aren't in the Greek gods book. You know which myth is? The myth of C(K)allisto. And this one angers me so much I want to chew on the drywall.

The way Riordan writes it. Zeus turns himself into Artemis, brings Kallisto's guards down with the disguise, gets close to her and then when Kallisto REJECTS Artemis' supposed advances, forces himself on her. I need to say this again. Kallisto does not fall in love, she isn't seduced, she does not break her oath. But we still need a reason for her to be yeeted out of the hunters so her lack of maidenhood it is

“You were my favorite,” Artemis said. “If you had come to me immediately, I could have helped you. I would have found you a rich, handsome husband and let you settle into a new life in the city of your choice. I would have allowed you to retire from the Hunt with honor. You could have gone in peace. Zeus’s assault was not your fault.”

Kallisto sobbed. “But I didn’t want to lose you! I wanted to stay!”

Artemis felt like her heart was breaking, but she couldn’t show it. She had rules about her followers. She couldn’t allow those rules to be broken, not even by her best friend. “Kallisto, your crime was keeping the secret from me. You dishonored me, and your sisters of the Hunt, by not being honest. You defiled our company of maidens when you were not a maiden yourself. That I cannot forgive.”

I want to slap this man so hard he flies to the opposite side of the universe. We are not here to blame victims of assault guys! Except we are! But with extra steps. If you get attacked, it's not your fault, but If you are too scared to admit the truth then you deserve to lose your only safe space and turn into a bear. Oh nooooo Kallisto DEFILED Artemis' company by being an icky non virgin. The moment you lose your virginity even if it's not your fault you get punished. But not because I'm gross but because YOU lied. How terrible! And he expects us to feel for ARTEMIS???

But rosabell! This is how things go in the myths. What was uncle Rick (bleghhhh) supposed to do? I don't know... Choose a different version of the story? There are versions were Zeus/Hera are the ones who transform Kallisto into a bear. There are versions where Kallisto actively CHOOSES to sleep with Artemis. Granted it's still assault because she's being lied to but at least then, she'd have a degree of autonomy in the events. At least Artemis could rightfully accuse her of breaking her oath. But noooo, Riordan doesn't know lesbians exist. He actively makes Zeus into a canonical Ra*ist. Why is he on the throne again?

(the fact that this book came out AFTER HoH y'all 😭)

Once again, Riordan sees maidenhood(virginity)/love/marriage as intertwined. This is NOT what being on the aroace spectrum means. You can fall in love but not have sex. You can have sex but not fall in love. You can have sex AND still be an asexual. You can be married and still be a "maiden". Riordan doesn't get to claim to be such a progressive ally for retconning the hunters in 2017, TEN years after he first introduced the hunters because he suddenly remembered that lesbians exist.

Or more like because he doesn't know what to do with his female characters. The hunters more than anything are Riordan's heroine dumping ground. If you don't want it put them in relationships, either kill them(Bianca whose main purpose is to die) or make them eternal virgins(the hunters, Rachel). The fact that some people genuinely think that Calypso should have joined the hunters astound me. Girl suffered for years because of the gods and you all think that the best thing outside of Leo for her(not that I like Caleo) is to become a servant to the gods? Because you can't perceive a female character doing anything else if she's not in a relationship. Like with Thalia, this at least made sense on a strategic level because she didn't want to reach sixteen. Oh but we also don't know what else to do with her so she needs to want to be a hunter after the war is over so we give her a half-assed argument with Luke and now she can be all: wah wah Zoe you were totally right about boys. And the cherry on the cake is that she doesn't even get to be in the final confrontation with Luke or say goodbye to him because of a freaking STATUE. And after pjo her personality becomes Zoe 2.0 and her and Jason get ONE measly meeting.

When I first spoke of not liking Renya joining the hunters this is what I mean. Riordan had so many options with Reyna. Why did she have to leave her esteemed position which she worked so hard for? Two boys rejected her? Why couldn't she go reconnect with her sister more then? She could have joined the Amazons. But nooo Riordan was so allergic to the fans asking him wether she could be Bi or a lesbian. For the stupidest reasons too? Oh Reyna being a lesbian would come off as stereotypical because she got rejected by two guys beforehand! My dude, do you think people don't say the same thing about us who are on the aroace spectrum? That we say we are aro/ace because we got rejected before? Come up with a better excuse next time.

My brother in Christ couldn't even allow Reyna to talk about her sexuality and whatnot. It couldn't even be fully about her. No. He had to turn Reyna into his own mouthpiece admonishing the EVILLLL fans who may have shipped Thalia and Renya. He literally had her say the word "shipping". How cringe can you get? And then he had the audacity to admonish the fans by saying: Why does a strong friendship always have to progress to romance?

It's a sentiment I agree with but coming from this man, it's extremely hypocritical? I don't know Richard maybe because YOU are obsessed with shipping? No character can escape your shipping hands unless they're eternal virgins or dead. You literally turned the Argo2 into Noah's ark2. So much attention focused on shipping that the seven barely felt like friends.

Why does Reyna need to join the hunters? She can choose to not relationship without having to become a servant to female Peter pan.

This is actually a really adequate metaphor when you consider that Emmie and Jo say that they have not met Artemis in YEARS and Apollo mentions that the two of them were lucky she let them LIVE. god can you imagine joining Artemis when you are 9? At an age when you have still not finished maturimg cognitively and therefore shouldn't be trusted on taking a freaking celibacy vow(were you even given the talk yet that age) and after 70 years you decide you want to leave? If you're lucky Artemis will part with you on good terms but SIKES every person you probably knew before joining is now dead. Where is THAT angsty Bianca fic?

Speaking of Bianca. How she was handled also angers me. In another post, I've already talked about how the hunters barely gave her adequate information before letting her join.

How Zoe was the main reason for her death. Zoe KNEW that at least 2 people might die in the quest she was given and yet she decided to bring the least experienced girl to the quest and couldn't even watch her properly.

But you know what else pisses me off? The fact that THEY should have been the one to tell Nico about his sister's death. I've always hated how Chiron made Percy the CHILD tell Nico the other CHILD about his sister dying. But more than anyone, it should have been the hunters' responsibility. Bianca was THEIR responsibility. She died in a quest to save Artemis. The least they could do was tell her remaining family of her fate. The Doylist reason of course is that we need to kickstart Nico and Percy's complicated relationship and have Percy discover that Nico is a son of Hades. But in universe, the fact that they immediately fuck off from the camp upon regrouping makes them come off as extremely selfish. We don't even know if Bianca was given a funeral by them or not. We see Artemis being upset about Zoe but we never see her react to the news of losing Bianca.

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heartysworld · 1 year ago

Text

A Champion's Proposal | Lando Norris x Reader

W.C.: 2.5k

Reblogs and feedback are very much appreciated! Feel free to send requests! 🧡

Masterlist

"Lando Norris rounds the final corner in Monaco, the roar of the crowd almost deafening. It's been a long and arduous journey for the young Brit, facing countless challenges and setbacks. But today, all the hard work, all the perseverance, has finally paid off.

The checkered flag waves as Norris crosses the finish line, and the realization hits – Lando Norris has won the Monaco Grand Prix! What a moment, what a triumph!

This isn't just a win; it's a testament to Lando's incredible spirit and determination. From his karting days to this very moment, every lap, every turn, every sacrifice has led to this unforgettable victory. He's conquered the streets of Monaco, a feat that many drivers dream of but few achieve!"

The atmosphere at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi was electric. The crowd erupted into cheers as Lando Norris crossed the finish line, securing his first Formula 1 World Championship. The roar of the engines mixed with the jubilant cries of fans and team members, creating a symphony of victory. Lando could hardly believe it. He had finally achieved his lifelong dream.

You stood in the McLaren garage, your heart pounding with excitement and pride. The energy around you was palpable, and you could barely contain your joy as you watched Lando bring his car to a stop. This was the moment he had worked so hard for, and you felt incredibly proud of him. You've spent over a decade supporting him in every step towards this exact moments. All the sad and happy tears the two of you had shed over the years were finally worth it.

As Lando climbed out of his car, he wasted no time and ran straight towards his team, and you watched as they congratulated him with high-fives and hugs. Soon, he was hoisted onto someone's shoulders, a huge grin on his face. You couldn't help but smile, your heart swelling with love for your boyfriend who had just achieved his life-long dream.

Lando was then ushered towards the podium for the trophy ceremony. The crowd roared as he took his place on the top step, the gold medal around his neck.

Your teary eyes met his as he searched the crowd of the McLaren team. You mouthed an "I love you" which he seemed to understand quite well as he mouthed back to you "I love you too". You watched with tears in your eyes as the British national anthem played, your heart bursting with pride.

After the anthem, the champagne celebration began. Lando, along with the second and third-place finishers, shook their bottles and sprayed the fizzy liquid everywhere. The sight of Lando, drenched and laughing, made you laugh too. It was a moment of pure joy and triumph.

Once the celebrations on the podium were over, Lando was whisked away for interviews. You watched from the sidelines as he spoke to the media, his face glowing with happiness. His words were full of gratitude for his team, his fans, and for you. He mentioned you several times, and each time, your heart skipped a beat.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Lando made his way back to the garage. He looked at you with that signature smile, the one that always made your heart flutter. Seconds later your body crashed against his as you two finally let it all out. Wrapped around each other's arms you kissed passionately, smiling against Lando's lips as your tears mixed in the kiss. His hands were gripping your waist as if there's no tomorrow, holding his favorite person in the whole entire universe and not wanting to ever let go.

After the high emotions worse off you separated your body from his, finally looking at his teary eyes that sparkled with a type of emotion you've never seen before from him.

"Congratulations, world champion. I am so proud of you." You said as you reached for his cheek, laying s gentle peck on the warm skin of his face.

His bright smile appeared second later as he kissed your forehead. Even though Lando was feeling emotional there was still something very important that he had to do. And that made him nervous, so nervous he barely found words to speak.

"Thank you baby. I love you so much, I couldn't have done it without your support. Thank you thank you thank you." Lando said, burying his head between your neck and collarbone, breathing in the nice floral smell of your perfume that made him go crazy every time his nose caught it in the air around.

You stood there, one of your hands buried in his messy curls that you adored so much while the other hugged Lando around his waist.

A few moments later you boyfriend spoke again, his voice quiet, coming from his hiding spot next to your neck.

"Y/N, there's something I want to show you," Lando said, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he looked at you. "Come, sit in the car."

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but you complied, taking his hand as he helped you slide into the driver's seat of his race car. This was something unusual as he'd never done this before or even suggested it. You even though it was forbidden as it might seem as tampering with the car in the steward's eyes.

The seat felt surprisingly comfortable, yet alien. You had always admired the car from a distance, never imagining yourself inside it. Around you, the mechanics and team members exchanged knowing smiles.

"What's going on, Lando?" you asked, your heart pounding. You looked around both confused and worried. Being the center of attention wasn't exactly your favorite thing.

Lando stepped back, when suddenly, Max appeared out of nowhere holding the large sign which they use to announce their driver's finish positions. You squinted,trying to read it as Max slowly lifted it above his head so that the halo wouldn't be in your line of sight. The sign read, in bold letters: "WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

Your breath caught in your throat, your shaking hands flying to your mouth as tears welled up in your eyes. You looked back at Lando, who was now kneeling beside the car, a small red,velvet box in his hand.

"Baby, you are my rock, my best friend, and my greatest love and supprter," Lando said, his voice trembling with emotion as his own eyes got teary. "winning the championship means the world to me, but none of it compares to how much I love you. Will you marry me?"

Tears were streaming down your face by the time he finished talking as you nodded vigorously. "Yes! Yes, Lando, of course, I will!"

Everyone around started clapping and congratulating the newly engaged couple.

The crowd, having caught on to what was happening thanks to the live broadcast, erupted into cheers once more. The commentators, caught up in the moment, couldn't contain their excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, not only has Lando Norris won his first World Championship today, but he's also just proposed to his girlfriend! And she said yes! What a moment!"

Lando stood up, pulling you out of the car and straight into his arms. He slipped the ring onto your finger, and you shared a kiss that was broadcasted to millions of viewers around the world. The world seemed to fade away as you lost yourself in the moment, feeling the warmth of his embrace and the softness of his lips.

Max, still holding the sign, laughed and joined in the celebrations. "Congratulations, you two! Looks like we have a double win today!"

The entire McLaren team gathered around, clapping and cheering for you and Lando. Surrounded by friends and teammates, you felt the warmth of their love and the joy of your shared moment. The ring on your finger sparkled under the bright lights of the garage, a perfect symbol of the new chapter you were about to begin together.

As the celebrations continued, Lando looked deeply into your eyes, waiting for your reaction to the stunt he just pulled, his heart full.

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Y/N."

"And I can't wait to spend mine with you, Lando," you replied, your smile brighter than ever. "It is very much your style, this whole thing. But that's one of the many reasons I love you." You said as you pecked his cheek once again.

In the midst of victory and love, Lando Norris's proposal had become a moment that neither you nor the world would ever forget. The memories of this day would be etched into your hearts forever, a beautiful beginning to your life together.

#formula 1 fic #formula 1 masterlist #formula 1 imagine #formula 1 fanfic #fomrula 1 #lando norris fic #lando norris fanfic #lando norris x reader #lando norris #lando norris x female reader #lando norris fluff #lando norris x you #lando norris x y/n

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elltheenergetic · 4 months ago

Text

“I am still in control.”

[OPEN ROLEPLAY

(trigger warning right here because holy shit it is descriptive. gore and some other good stuff. if you got tagged especially fox just know that this is in her dreams and nothing he says is real in this. anyway don’t worry guys she will be A-OKAY AFTER THIS! probably.) @rosedawolf

Ell returned to the forest, her scythe perched against what was left of a tree stump. She exhaustedly picked it up, her fingers tightening around it so it wouldn’t slip out of her grasp.

As she began to make her way back, she began to feel off. Her steps began heavier, more frantic. Her heart pounded against her chest insistently. Where was it. Where was the path? She tried to retrace her steps, but to no avail, no avail at all. I need to get out of here. Even though there was none, she felt a silhouette behind her.

Ellenor’s head began to spin, causing her to loose track of her trail. She began to violently cough, collapsing to the tall grass as blood trickled down her clothing. An aggressive yell echoed through the forest, not realizing it came from her own throat. Ell clenched at her scythe desperately, dragging it towards her side. Fighting to stay awake, she tried to push herself up with her weapon, but accidentally made a clean chop off a part of her horn.

“Fuck!” Her eyes widened in pain, writhing on the ground until she had tired herself out. With the strength she could muster, Ell pushed her back against a tree and began to doze off.

Everything went to black.

@soriyafuq

As Ell blinked her eyes open, there she was. Artemis stood there, that poor smile moments before the incident.

“WAIT!” She had tried to exclaim, but nothing came out of her mouth. The bombs went off, the gasps and screams emerging from the crowd around. Blood splattered around the premises that was once Artemis.

nononononononotagainplease

As the others ran up to the injured goddess, she stood there, frozen, preoccupied in her own horror. Then she sprinted down the steps, eventually tumbling down, the guilt overwhelming her mind.

Why couldn’t I do anything to save her? Why?

Embodying the beauty of fallen dreams.

Her consciousness blinked, again.

This time there was black. All black. Nothingness for miles and eternity.

Ell began to walk forward, still captivated by the relapse of the final trial. She began to lament, before stopping dead in her tracks like a deer in headlights.

Fog scattered around the area, Selene standing in the middle of the madness. Petrified for a moment, Ell then sprinted forward with open arms, wanting to pull her into an embrace. But, no matter how much she ran, she couldn’t reach her. Her sister only seemed to appear farther away each time she got even remotely close.

Once she had finally reached her, pulling her into her arms, she realized that Selene was gone.

She had been gone.

Blinding eyes appears everywhere she looked, staring at her menacingly.

I’m not good enough. I will never be good enough.

Lay your head down to rest.

Ellenor wrapped her arms over her own eyesight, shielding her from the intense stares.

As she slowly removed them, she found herself elsewhere.

@foxthewall

A familiar friend. A feel of safety. She found herself in a coffee shop with Fox Wallis. They sat at a table together. Ellenor examined his friendly demeanor and expression, but something felt off. She took a swig of her coffee and glanced around at the eerily quiet cafe.

“I-… I should go.”

He didn’t respond. He just kept… looking.

Ell pushed herself to her feet, removing eye contact as she edged toward the door.

She paused.

“…Hello? Fox?”

No response.

Just as Ell opened the door, that was when he stood up, slowly inching closer.

He mumbled something she couldn’t quite comprehend:

“Blfi hgfyylim mzgfiv droo gzpv blf mldsviv yfg blfi wvnrhv.”

“What?”

“Gsviv droo yv mlmv gl yoznv yfg blfihvou.”

“I don’t understand.”

She backed up and ran out of the door, leading her back to there.

Ambition. Allow it to lead you foward.

Her tense mind wrapped around the various smiling faces of chattering people. She walked forward in a daze, the target standing out like an eyesore.

“Hello?” She said, that menacing but welcoming expression only serving as a factor to Pheonix’s motive.

She tried to hold back, but the words slipped off her tongue. Phoenix remembered every little detail. “You must be Erica? Erica Wilm?” Her faced flooded with anxiety, eyes darting frantically around. There was no exit. The event was too crowded with people.

“Yes, that’s me.”

Pheonix smirked. “Ah, well, may I ask you to come with me? I’d like to know some more about you. We’ll share a drink. It’s on me.” The target hesitantly agreed, following her steps. The plan should role out perfectly, and, if not, she had other ideas, too. Pheonix brought the two of them to a private table. The event seemed to be serving food and drinks as well.

“So, anything you wanted to speak with me specifically about?”

Pheonix began to fabricate lies on the spot. “Oh, not much.. you are quite the pretentious person. I’m surprised there’s not that many fawning back there.”

“I’m flattered.”

A waiter came nearby, the light illuminating his occupied manners.

“Can I get you anything else?” He asked, his rushed eyes scanning the table for any refills of their waters.

“No, thank you.” Pheonix dissmissively shooed him away, not allowing the target to even make eye contact with him. Her eyes turned to her, “Erica, why don’t you grab us some menus? She nodded with a gentle smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, but it was fine. It would be over soon. Meanwhile, she edged over to the target’s side of the table and began to stir the poison in stealthily, quickly rushing back over as she saw her begin to approach. The target passed Pheonix one of the menus. She began to raise her glass of water. “Cheers?”

“Cheers.” The two of their glasses met in a clinking embrace. She took a sip of her water and watched the dehydrated target take a swig of hers.

It wasn’t long before the target began to cough and sputter. “Erica? Are you alright?” She edged forward in her chair, trying to hide the pleasure of success flowing through her mind. She didn’t respond. She kept coughing. Just as her poor body had gone limp, Ellenor heard frightening words emerge from her dying mouth.

“Are you sorry? Will you ever face the consequences?”

And then it was gone.

Ell groggily awoke, blood rushing to her head. She felt a throbbing pain in her chest. Looking down, she had seen the clear stab wound created from her scythe. Ell leaned her head black, slamming it against the oak, grunting. She was too tired to take care of it. Blood pooled in a circle around her. Her eyes burned with a fierce tolerance of her current state. I’m not going to let up.

“Damn it..” she muttered, harshly.

It wasn’t long before she heard footsteps near. She grabbed her scythe, laboriously pulling herself to her feet as her organs churned within her. It was pathetic to be seen like this. She glanced around and hid behind it, her eyes relentlessly scanning the area for passerby’s.

(SORRY IF THAT WAS A LOT TO READ.. HEH. IF YOU READ ALLAT I CONGRATULATE YOU)

#author 1 #burn.

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callmemonster68 · 3 months ago

Text

the mirror of pleasures - sunghoon

Y/N finds an ancient mirror that allows them to summon Sunghoon, a demon of irresistible beauty. In exchange for his help in winning over anyone she desires, he demands to be the only one she desires at night.

paring: !sunghoon x fem!reader 18+ | masterlist

wc: 1,059

warnings: nsfw content, unprotected sex

Y/N has always been fascinated by ancient objects. In a hidden antique shop, amidst dust and time, she found a mirror shrouded in an aura of mystery. Its silver frame seemed to shine with its own light, almost as if calling to her.

Y/N: It’s a rare mirror, (said the antique shop owner, with an enigmatic smile) They say it can grant wishes, but there’s a price…

Y/N, skeptical, didn’t think much of the old man’s words. She bought the mirror and took it to her house, where she placed it in her room, finding it more beautiful than mystical.

That night, something inexplicable happened.

The mirror began to shine, reflecting an imposing figure that emerged from within it. Sunghoon, the demon of irresistible beauty, appeared before Y/N. His eyes were a dark and hypnotic shade, and his body seemed sculpted in divine perfection.

Sunghoon: You summoned me, (with a soft and penetrating voice) And with that, you belong to me.

Y/N felt overwhelmed by a wave of desire, an instant and overwhelming attraction. But he smiled, as if he could foresee what was going on in her mind.

Sunghoon: I can give you the power to conquer anyone you desire. Everyone around you will fall at your feet. But there is a condition: at night, only I will be able to satisfy your desires. Only I.

Y/N’s body trembled with the words, the temptation was strong. She thought for a moment before giving in. Control over others was something she had never imagined having, and Sunghoon’s presence was… irresistible. She accepted.

In the following days, things changed. Y/N became a desired woman, with everyone falling in love with her, just as Sunghoon promised. But, every time night fell, her body and mind cried out for him. The pleasure she experienced when being with other people was no longer enough. She longed only for Sunghoon, and soon he became the only thing that made her feel something.

Sunghoon: You have something that many desire, Y/N, (Sunghoon said one night, caressing your bare skin) But the real question is: do you still desire something more, or am I already everything you need?

Y/N looked into Sunghoon’s eyes and saw not just a demon, but something deeper – a total control over her.

Y/N: I… need you. (whispered, defeated)

He smiled, and his touch became more intense, more consumed by desire. Every night, he used her, not only to satisfy his own desires but also to spread his influence, his presence, his essence, everywhere. Y/N knew that he possessed her, and she no longer cared. She was willing to give up everything for him, for without him, there was no pleasure, there was no life.

Sunghoon: You will be mine, Y/N. Forever. And I will be the mirror through which you will see the world.

And so, she became part of his game. And he, her eternal reflection.

The days went by, and Y/N found herself increasingly captivated by Sunghoon’s power. Her eyes shone with desire and something more, an almost desperate need to feel his presence, to be touched by him. The others who used to admire her were just shadows compared to him, and she knew there was no turning back.

One night, the mirror began to shine more intensely, reflecting a perfectly sculpted figure, his pale skin almost shimmering in the soft light of the room. Sunghoon appeared before her, more majestic than ever, with a smile that was both inviting and enigmatic.

He watched her from afar, his eyes scanning every inch of her body as if he knew it better than she did herself. She felt exposed and, at the same time, loved the sensation.

Sunghoon: You want me, Y/N, (a soft voice, but laden with authority) And I… I want you too. But remember, my pleasure comes before everything.

Y/N felt her heart race. Those words, though harsh, only fueled the fire burning inside her. She wanted nothing more than Sunghoon. He approached slowly, his fingers gently touching her face, before moving down to her neck, then her chest, until finally reaching her waist.

The heat between them was unbearable. Y/N couldn’t think of anything else, her eyes fixed on Sunghoon’s, hypnotized by his beauty and the intensity of his touch. He wasn’t in a hurry, but his body called to her as if it were the only thing that mattered.

Sunghoon: Let yourself go, Y/N, (whispered, his voice a soft command that made her obey without question)

She surrendered completely, her lips meeting his in a deep and desire-laden kiss. The sensation was as if her body were consumed by a flame, and at the same time, a peace she never knew existed.

Sunghoon guided Y/N to the bed with a calmness that contrasted with the urgency of their bodies. His touches were gentle, yet firm, each movement carrying a promise of deep pleasure. He made her lose herself in every caress, every kiss, until she no longer knew where her body began and where his ended.

When they finally came together, it was like an explosion of sensations, a mix of pleasure and surrender that left her breathless. She surrendered completely to him, feeling submissive to his power, to his control. Sunghoon possessed her not only physically but in a deeper way, as if he were touching her soul. She wanted nothing more than him, and that scared her.

He guided her through a sea of pleasure, each of his movements taking her deeper into a state of ecstasy. Y/N felt carried away, as if she were floating, with no control over her own body, just living for the moment, for that intense pleasure that only Sunghoon could give her.

When they finally pulled away, their bodies sweaty and intertwined, Y/N remained silent, lost in her own thoughts. She knew she was irreparably bound to him, that there was no longer a “before” without Sunghoon.

Sunghoon: You are mine, Y/N, (his deep and confident voice) And I will be the only source of pleasure you will know from now on.

She didn’t answer. She simply closed her eyes, accepting her truth, knowing there was no turning back. She was his, now and forever.

✿ If you don't reblog and comment, you can be sure I'll be showing up in your dreams tonight... and I won’t be as sweet as in the story ✿

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sxcret-garden · 1 year ago

Text

Chenle ღ Greedy [M]

ღ NCT Dream Chenle x fem!reader ღ words: ~3k ღ genre: smut (hard dom!Chenle, sub!reader, reader is handcuffed to the bed, spanking, finger sucking, fingering, nipple play, he’s a tease, begging, degradation/degrading nicknames for reader, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, dacryphilia, unprotected sex, some aftercare) ღ warnings: heavy dom-sub dynamic

Desc.: You’re feeling greedy today and your boyfriend is absolutely here for it.

Author's note: So I wasn't planning on posting this today but I know it'll take me an eternity to do it if I don't do it right away so.... here you go aksdjföklsdf do with it what you want asjdkfjdlösakfa bYE jdkfjlas

He sits down on the bed next to you, supporting himself on one arm as he leans in, coming just a bit closer so as to get a good look at your face. The deep mischief reflecting in his eyes and the amused smile that just won’t fade tell you he’s ready to play with you, tease you until you can’t take it anymore, like he has done so many times before.

“What do you want, my pretty girl?” Chenle asks, the soft tone in his voice almost making you think he’ll be nice for a change. Your lips part, but you’re unsure what to say, so after a while they close again and you swallow thickly, causing him to let out a soft laugh. Even something so small will amuse your boyfriend when you’re spread out for him on his bed, stripped of all clothes, the thick leader band of the cuffs used to tie you to the bed fitting perfectly around your wrists. He picked them out just for you, made you come along to the shop where he bought them to have you try them on, despite your initial embarrassment about it, but ever since then he’s proven to you more than once that it paid off.

It’s about to pay off again, you know that. The only question is - how much will you have to endure in the process?

“Sweet little kitten, doesn’t know what to say,” he mutters as he pouts at you, reaching out to run the back of his hand against your cheek. “Don’t pretend you’re all innocent now.”

“I-...” you say, but you find yourself hesitating all over again. Hot blood rushes through your veins when his voice drops, barely noticeable, and yet the tension in the air around you rises.

“What?” He withdraws his hand. “Don’t want me to do anything? We can do that too. You just lie there and I watch.” He gets up, and you immediately refute,

“No, I-!”

“You what?” He turns on his heels to look at you, cocking his head to the side just a bit. A smile appears on his lips, one that you know not to trust, and then he crawls onto the bed, hovering above you. His hand grabbing your chin, he makes it so you’re unable to look away when he continues, “Say it, or we’re not getting anywhere.”

“T-touch me…”

“Louder.”

“Want you to touch me.” You furrow your eyebrows as you speak the request out loud, but it wouldn’t be your boyfriend if he didn’t use this as an opportunity to tease.

“But I am touching you,” he says, his fingers still holding your chin in place.

“I mean-... more…elsewhere,” you stammer, being vague in your follow-up, because you crave his touch everywhere. But he isn’t satisfied with that, so he gets up on his knees.

“Elsewhere?” he asks, mockingly. “Sweetheart, don’t you wanna get more specific?” The cocky look on his face and the way it’s clear as day who’s in charge here makes heat rush to your core and you gulp.

“Everywhere…” you say, earning yourself a smirk from him. He kneels between your legs, your knees up, and you feel him rubbing his palm against the underside of one of your thighs. Watching each other closely, you suck in a sharp breath as if you knew what was coming, and when you feel the impact against your soft flesh, you mewl from the pain turning into pleasure.

“I give you the option to choose and you immediately become greedy…” Chenle comments. “See? This is why you’re tied up.” He rubs a few soothing circles onto the spot where he spanked you, before lifting his hand up and doing it again. This time as well, a moan falls from your lips, and you roll your eyes back. “But you’re even enjoying it when I put you in your place, hm?” he mutters darkly, and as you glance at him you can see the bulge forming in his pants.

“Y-yes…” you admit, to his delight.

“Even saying yes… you really want me to know what a little perv you are, huh?” You furrow your eyebrows at his words, an involuntary pout gracing your lips. “Well…” Chenle crawls on top of you again, placing a kiss onto your sternum. “Where should I start then… with touching you everywhere?”

“K-kiss… want a kiss…” you mewl, and you quickly add clarification, “On the mouth.”

“A kiss?” he repeats, before he lets one hand wander to the back of your neck. “I can give you that.” He leans in, lips brushing against yours, and the chaste touch only leaves you wanting more, both frustration and heat bubbling up deep inside you.

“M-more…” you slur as he’s parting from you.

“More? Like that?” He leans in again, this time kissing you properly and you moan into the kiss when he parts your lips with his tongue to slip it inside. He kisses you feverishly, teeth nibbling on your lower lip before deepening the kiss further, and when he suddenly rolls his hips against yours once, his clothed length grazing your folds, you gasp, resulting in you breaking the kiss. “Liked that?” he asks, provocatively. As if the answer wasn’t clear.

“Y-yeah…”

“Perv,” he says, before pulling away. “Open up,” he adds, thumb brushing against your lips and you do. Opening your mouth for him, you watch as he puts a finger inside, and you immediately swirl the tip of your tongue around it. “How many do you want?” he keeps going, adding one more. “Two? Three?” He puts inside another one, lustful sparks flaring up in his eyes as he watches your lips closing around them. You begin to suck on them, and again he merely smirks.

“Three? Is that it?” You nod, and your pussy clenches around nothing at the thought of having them inside you elsewhere soon. Coating them in your own spit, you make sure to run your tongue along his digits thoroughly, and when he pulls out there’s a string of your saliva connecting them to your lips, which snaps apart eventually. He smears the liquid across your chest as he draws an imaginary line from your throat through the valley of your breasts and down to your stomach.

“But can you take them?” he questions. “All at once?” When he runs his fingertips through your folds, you gasp in surprise, and you whine when he prods at your entrance, unable to shove all three of them inside you just yet. “Gotta start small… you’re too greedy for your own good.” His words sound almost endearing now, and you bite your lower lip when he slips a single finger inside you. He pumps it in and out of you slowly, his gaze fixated on your face the entire time, and the exact moment he can see you starting to lose patience, he grins at you, and before you can ask for more, he says, “Patience, baby.” Your words get stuck in your throat, and when he takes his finger out only to drag it all the way back up to your belly button, it’s hard to suppress the curse wanting to escape you. He leans in as he removes his hand, licking up a clean stripe where he spread your juices that he had gathered on his digit, and he hums at your taste. For a split second you dare to hope he would let you feel his tongue against your cunt, but when he instead kisses his way up, you immediately let go of that thought. Instead, he wraps his lips around one of your nipples, making you whine as he begins to gently suck on it, only to reach for the other with his hand in order to not so gently squeeze it between his fingers. You moan unexpectedly, the sensation of him tending to your nipples making you become dizzy.

“So fucking cute,” he whispers, licking the sensitive bud once, before sinking his teeth into your flesh right next to it. You whimper at the impact, and the urge to run your fingers through his hair makes you tear at the handcuffs. “Relax, baby,” Chenle mutters in between nibbling and biting until the skin begins to bruise. “We have all night.” And he’s right, you could keep going for however long he pleases - and you know he would never finish a session leaving you unsatisfied. And so his words alleviate the impatience for a little while, as he finishes placing his mark on you, next to the ones he’s left the days before, which are already starting to fade. He brushes his thumb against each one of them, as if marvelling at his artwork, and when he’s satisfied with looking, he continues kissing his way up, this time halting once he’s reached your neck. He licks up a stripe until just below your earlobe, making you shiver underneath him, and then you can hear him whisper,

“Three fingers, huh…” You suck in a sharp breath when you feel him returning his hand to your core, running his digits up and down your folds before burying a finger inside you again. “Beg for it, my pretty girl.” And you do, a string of pleas falling from your lips as you find yourself tearing at the handcuffs some more.

“P-please… gimme your fingers… want them to fill me up… wanna be s-stuffed,” you hickup in desperation, and he doesn’t miss the chance to mock you for it.

“Stuffed with my fingers? Like the little cumslut you are?”

“P-please…!” You cry out, and he brings some distance between your faces in order to take in your pained expression. And then he finally gives you at least a second finger, and the glee behind his gaze is obvious when you let out a broken moan and you clench around his digits. “F-feels good… but… not enough…”

“No, of course it’s not enough for my greedy girl,” he mutters, curling them inside you and pressing his thumb against your clit, drawing slow circles onto it. You know if he keeps this up you won’t last long, so you beg some more.

“M-more… please… w-wanna be stuffed…”

“I know… can’t get enough of them, hm? My fingers in your cute little cunt.”

“N-no…” you mewl weakly, feeling your high building up in the pits of your stomach. And yet you keep begging, you keep asking for more, because maybe he is right - maybe you are a little greedy after all, but so be it. You can’t get enough of all the ways in which your boyfriend pleases you, inflicts pain on you, only to please you even more at the end of it all.

“Fuck you’re so cute,” he praises as he watches, not even thinking about giving you what you’re begging for so prettily.

“P-please… please… before I cum…”

“Gonna cum on just two?” he asks and you nod, eyes shut tightly now as you’re trying - but ultimately failing - to suppress your orgasm that’s about to wash over you. “You want three but are gonna cum on just two… such a greedy whore.” The second you hear his last word, something snaps inside of you and you cry out. Your walls convulse around him, and as your body is shaken, you can only moan incoherently. But to your surprise he doesn’t stop as you’re coming down from your high. Because now he adds a third finger, making the overstimulation even harder to bear as he isn’t even thinking about giving you a break. And you’re squirming underneath him, whining and whimpering and unable to articulate yourself as he keeps working his fingers inside your twitching cunt.

“F-fuck… shit…” you sputter. “T-too much… too much…!” Tears well up in your eyes as the pleasure burns itself into your bones, and yet you’re not even thinking about calling the safe word. No, you want him to ruin you, want him to see you like this, see what effect only he has on you and no other, want him to get off on your pain.

But he doesn’t touch himself, he’s focused on you and only you, even the strain on his pants must be beyond uncomfortable by now.

“Fuck, you’re so pretty like this,” he hisses through gritted teeth as he keeps going, and you’re about to lose your mind. And then another high takes you by surprise, pain shoots through your wrists and into your arms as you tear at the handcuffs while your whole body shakes under the waves of intense pleasure, and this time when you’re coming down from it, he at least stops his movements to let you rest. “You okay?” he asks, his tone serious and different from how he’s spoken to you ever since tying you up.

“Yes…” you respond weakly, trying to catch your breath. And then you add, “...more.” Chenle huffs at you, the state you’re in, and how you’re asking for him to ruin you further. But you know it’s a request he wouldn’t deny.

“More what? You’re still not satisfied?”

“F-fingers… want… more… be filled up… completely…” you babble, the blissful afterglow of the orgasm combined with the power he has over you making it hard to speak. He lets out a laugh now.

“A fourth one? You think we can fit four into your tight little cunt?”

“T-try… please…”

“You just can’t get enough, huh?” He leans in, almost whispering in your ear now, “What are you? Are you my greedy little cumslut?”

“Y-yes… am your… greedy cumslut…” you merely repeat his words, as forming any clear thoughts becomes harder. And just as you finish speaking, he adds a fourth finger into your hole, just like you wanted. And it slips in a lot more easily than you had imagined, and that makes him chuckle too.

“You’re taking them so well,” he says as he begins curling them against your walls once again. “Too well, almost.” You squirm a bit as he starts pleasuring you again, but this time the overstimulation is bearable, and is sure to make way for pure bliss soon enough.

“Ch-chenle…!” you cry out his name. “‘M gonna… cum again…”

“Again? This fast?” he mocks you, and you feel yourself clenching around him at the degradation. “Didn’t think you’d be that horny.” And as much as you want to answer, tell him how good he makes you feel, prove to him that you really deserve having him pleasing you like this, all that comes out when your lips part are broken moans and curses. And while he keeps telling you how cute you are, and how dirty you are too, your next high is already approaching at light speed, until…

He pulls out. The deprivation of his touch is sudden, and it makes you gasp at how empty it leaves you feeling. You look at him, only to see him fondling with the zip of his pants, and you hold your breath as him taking them off along with the rest of his clothing feels like an eternity to you.

“Get on your knees,” he says, helping you turn around, and when your rear is facing him, your front pressed against the sheets, you perk up your ass for him a little higher. “Such a good girl,” you earn yourself a praise accompanied by his hand flying to your behind, and the impact makes you cry out, eyes watering. And this time the tears fall, right when he pushes up into you, and he doesn’t hesitate to go hard. “Fuck…” Pounding into you from behind, strings of curses make their way past his lips, and you keep whining at every single time he pulls almost all the way out, only to slam back inside a second later. Your head is spinning as you cry and you whine and you dig your fingernails into your palms, and you clench around your boyfriend’s twitching cock, wishing for nothing but to cum just as he fills you up.

“Cum for me…” he hisses, nearing his own high. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Cum on my cock, greedy little whore…” His words sting, and they make you dizzy, and as you’re trying to say something that comes out as nothing but incoherent sounds, another orgasm washes over you. Even your moans are slurred now, as he keeps thrusting into you throughout your high, and then finally, he releases inside you, and you almost choke on your spit when his cum fills you up.

He comes to a halt, allowing for you both to rest for just a tiny bit in this position, before he pulls out of you and immediately makes sure to turn you back around, guiding your tired body into a comfortable position. He reaches for the bottle of water he had prepared beforehand, making you take a few sips, and then he cleans you both up with a tissue, careful not to accidentally overstimulate you again with his touches.

“How was that?” he asks, bringing his hand up to your face to brush his thumb against your cheek.

“...good…” you mumble, unable to muster the strength to say anything else, and it makes him chuckle.

“Good? Is that all I get?” he asks in pretended offense, and you give him a weak smile before he leans in to place a kiss onto your forehead. “Want me to undo them for you?” he then asks, pointing at the handcuffs with his chin. You nod, but he hesitates in order to offer you a second option. “Are you sure? Not greedy anymore?” The expression on his face changes as he poses that question, and despite the exhaustion tugging at your limbs, the implication that he’s willing to give you even more tempts you.

“Am always greedy…” you manage to say, and your boyfriend presses a kiss to your mouth, before crawling back on top of you, his lips travelling down your throat and to your chest.

“I figured you’d say that…” he mutters. “Then let’s see if I feel like giving you another treat or not.”

#nct dream smut #nct smut #chenle smut #nct dream x reader #nct dream x fem reader #nct dream x you #nct x you #nct x fem reader #chenle x reader #chenle x you #nct imagines #nct dream imagines #nct dream drabbles #nct dream oneshot #nct dream scenarios #nct scenarios #chenle imagines #smut

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sobbing2sapphic · 6 months ago

Note

skye riley x reader who isn’t popular

The Art of Small Talk

a/n: by “not popular” i'm assuming you meant not famous and also not many friends. also in hindsight this is more of a headcanon sort of request but… it’s okay. I suck at titles. there are 3 unfortunate uses of y/n. so sorry. and I need to rewatch smile 2 so I can remember how she speaks...

word count: 2.5k

Sitting in an inconspicuous cafe, you drum your fingers along the tabletop while staring blankly at your empty Google Docs page.

You’re sitting in a corner by yourself. You are totally alone, except for the few girls behind the counter chatting away. The lights were dimmed, and candles were lit at the counter and on a few other tables. The warm environment mixed with the hot chocolate you were drinking and the smell of food, you were getting sleepy. You slouch against the plush chair you were sitting in and let out a sigh. You were meant to be writing.

Here you were, lazily nodding your head along to Eternal Life blasting through your earbuds, tapping away at your table instead of working. At least I’m having a good time, you think to yourself.

You wonder about your best friends, across the country. Feels like they’re across the world. Ever since you moved to New York to pursue your dreams of becoming a writer, you’ve been so lonely. So damn lonely.

Your train of thought is interrupted when you feel a tap on your shoulder. You turn to this person, removing an earbud at the same time.

You take in the woman’s appearance. Bleached blonde hair in a pixie cut, messy, but in a cute way. She was wearing a navy blue hoodie with an oversized jacket that was just too oversized. Her hood was on, leaving her face shadowy.

“Excuse me. Hi. Uh… do you have a charging port here? My phone’s about to die and… My table over there didn’t have one. So. Yeah.” She looked at you, and then to your laptop. The sweet smell of her enveloped you, but you couldn’t quite place what perfume she used. Or if that’s just how she smells.

“Yeah. Think so,” you say, a little too coolly. She probably thinks you’re rude, you thought, while looking underneath your table for a charging port beside. “Yeah, there’s one below the table.”

“Okay, great! Do you mind if I—“ she smiles, almost sheepishly, “— if I sit with you? I won’t bother you.” She fidgets with the sleeve of her jacket.

“No problem.” You could feel her looking at you from your peripherals, and though it was unfocused, you could’ve sworn she was looking at you oddly.

She sits down opposite of you, leaning over to get the charger in the port. You don’t watch her, but you can hear the inevitable struggle of the metal connectors hitting everywhere except the port. You fail to stifle your smile.

When she finally plugs it in, she sits back up and looks at you. You avoid looking at her. Because you’re afraid you’ll end up giggling at her. She lets out a little huff at that, and does exactly what she says. She doesn’t bother you.

For a little while. She’s scribbling something in her notebook, or maybe drawing? You’re working away at your laptop. But you keep feeling her looking at you. It’s very off putting. Eventually, you look back at her and maintain this weird eye contact.

“Do I have something on my face?” you say, half-jokingly because you were getting a little scared you did have something on your face.

She shakes her head no. With a subtle tilt of her head, she says “I’ve came here a couple times, but I’ve never seen you. What’s your name?” She speaks with an air of casualness, but you felt that there was something about her that was intrigued by you. Or maybe she was being polite and your ego is playing into it.

“Yeah, this cafe is so hidden, I didn’t notice it until last week.” You played with the rings on your index finger absently-mindedly. “My name’s (y/n).”

She nods. “That’s a pretty name.” You note that she doesn’t mention her name.

After a brief pause you muster up the courage to ask. “So, what am I supposed to call you?”

She takes a sip of her coffee, and looks out the window on the opposite side of the cafe. It’s starting to drizzle outside.

“Skye,” she says softly.

“Hm?”

“My name’s Skye.”

“Oh. Cool.” You raise your brows a bit to acknowledge her, and go back to work.

You can still feel her looking.

She takes her hood off. You don’t want to stare like a freak, so you continue to aimlessly type words just to look busy. As if Skye could see what you’re doing.

She lets out a breathy laugh after a few moments, smiling out of disbelief. “Do you.. not know me?”

Your brows furrow. “No?”

“Skye. Skye Riley. Does that name not ring a bell?” she laughs incredulously.

Holy shit. You’ve heard about her everywhere. The scandal of her and her drug problems. The car accident, where her boyfriend died. And she's just… sitting in front of you. Holy crap. She looks different.

“Oh. I thought—“you inhale sharply before saying this, “— she was in a— I mean, I thought you were in an accident. I thought your hair was long.. and dark too. Probably why I didn’t recognize you.”

Her smile falls. She swallows the imaginary lump in her throat, “Yeah. I was. And after it happened, after rehab, I changed my look.” While speaking her eyes were averted, and she wrapped a small strand of hair around her finger. Tugging it once. She looks back at you, with a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

Awkward. So awkward. Why the hell would you mention the car accident? How insensitive could a person be?! You cringe internally, hoping this was all a weird dream and you’d wake up dazed but relieved. There’s a silence that smothers the both of you, and you try to quickly change the subject. Should you apologize and end up dragging it out, or just… Compliment her? You could say something about her hair.

“Hmm. I like the short hair.” You gesture to her head, “Think it suits you.”

She rolls her eyes, “You’re just saying that because you know who I am now.” She doesn't look quite as upset anymore.

You laughed, “Seriously! You look great. I’m not the type of person to flatter others.”

She smiles gently, her eyes wandering through your features. You can’t stand when people look at your face for too long. It doesn’t matter if you took your time getting ready in the morning, you felt that she could see the modest asymmetry of your brows, the blemishes on your face. She looked.. perfect. Perfect skin, teeth, brows. Perfect everything.

You look away from her. “I’ve heard a couple of your songs. Like, on the radio,” you mention.

You didn’t notice the admiring look in her eyes.

“Oh, yeah? What do you think?” She leaned forward, her elbows on the table as her hands supported her head. A smile plays on her lips. Your eyes lingered on them, and the brown mole just above her lip. God, you thought, she’s so beautiful. You felt heat rush to your ears.

“Makes the other songs sound like shit.” You hide a shy smile behind your cup of hot chocolate, taking a sip and feeling a slight burning sensation on the tip of your tongue.

She snorts, “Okay, now you’re just flattering me.” But, she was smiling too. “Anyway, why were you just sitting here alone?”

“Because I wanted to write and focus,” you deadpan. “And.. because I don’t have any friends here in New York.”

“Oh. Dumb question. So, where are your friends?”

“They’re studying in different places. I have two in Seattle, and another friend in Vancouver.”

She nods slowly, like she’s deep in thought. “That sucks. I don’t have many friends either.”

You laugh a little at that. How could Skye Riley not have many friends? “Is that why you sat with me? There’s literally nobody here, you could’ve tried another table.”

“I did check… one table..” she trails off. “Is it a crime to sit with another human being and have a nice conversation?” Skye asks, very defensively.

“Woah there, I didn’t say anything,” you raise your hands in a “settle down” gesture, “What if I ended up being a super fan of you or something?”

“I’d get the fuck out of here.”

“Aw man.”

She lets out a giggle from your childish response, and the conversation slowly dies out.

This is weird. You, talking to Skye. Like she’s your friend!

You then notice how it’s begun to rain heavily. How were you meant to get home? This is what you get for taking a walk and helping the planet a little. The rain lashes at the windows, spooking you a little.

“Shit, I have to walk in that rain.”

She perks up all of a sudden. “No you don’t, I can get my assistant to get us home.”

“Uh oh, you’re gonna know where I live.”

She raises her brows, “Yeah, as if I have the time to stalk you.”

You roll your eyes. “Okay, can I have that ride home? Please?”

“Sure, since you said the magic word without me asking,” she teases. Skye goes through her phone and dials someone’s number.

You don’t pay much attention to what she says, instead packing up your stuff in your grey backpack. You pull it on, and practically feel the weight of the world on your back and shoulders. You put your earbuds away too.

About ten minutes later, you see a black car waiting outside the cafe.

“Damn, that was quick.”

She shrugs in response, and gestures for the both of you to get up.

You leave the wondrously cozy cafe and the harsh wind and rain whip your face and ruin your hair. Damn it.

A man steps out of the driver's seat and opens the door for Skye, giving her a questioning look. Was it about you?

“She’s with me.” Skye doesn’t even look at him, and mumbles a “Thanks,” as she gets into the backseat of the car.

You, hesitantly, get in beside her. She’s sitting in the middle of the three seats, and there’s another guy sitting on the opposite side of her, so you have to sit directly next to her. Great.

The seats of the car are leather, and so comfortable. In front of you, there’s a compartment with bottles and bottles of Voss water and, below it, some snacks.

Skye sees you looking at them, “Do you want something to eat?” She’s drowned out by the revving of the car.

You lean closer to her, your ear facing her mouth to hear her better. You hear her say “something to eat” and shake your head no.

When you move away, you catch her smiling at you. The sweetest smile.

“You smell good,” she says. Your heart starts chugging like a train. You smile awkwardly, “Thanks. You too.” You look out the window beside you, and cover your mouth in a casual way so she doesn’t see that the smile didn’t leave your face.

As the car pulls off the curb, the man beside her starts speaking to you. “So, you’re a friend of Skye’s?” The man asks, leaning forward to look past Skye and look at you, “I’m Joshua, and this is Elizabeth, Skye’s manager and mother.” He motions towards the woman sitting in front of you. That lady and Skye do not look alike.

“Oh, cool. Nice to meet you guys. My name is (y/n).”

“Sweet. How’d you guys meet?” Only Joshua is making conversation with you, and Elizabeth is on her phone, looking vaguely frustrated. He looks happy and refreshed, like he got a full eight hours of sleep. Lucky him.

“Oh we.. uh.. just..” You look over to Skye for some help.

“We met at that fundraiser a couple weeks ago, don’t you remember?” The lie came quite easily to her. “Stop interrogating her.”

“Sorry Skye, I didn’t mean to question you guys so much. Also sorry about getting this car instead of the limo. It would’ve dragged too much attention over here.” Joshua says, almost in a panicked way.

“It’s fine.” She’s very curt with Joshua, you wonder why she was so amiable with you.

A silence settles over the car. You clear your throat before telling Joshua your address, so he would tell the driver and they could drop you off.

“That’s not a good area to live in.” Elizabeth says. She turns around to look at you and Skye. She already rubs you the wrong way. “Is it safe?”

“Ehh. As long as it’s daytime it’s fine.”

As she turns back to face the front, she scrunches her nose up slightly, as if smelling something rotten.

You smooth down your hair after the wind dishevelled it. When your hands come down to rest on your lap, you feel another hand on top of yours. It’s soft and warm.

You look down at the hand, and then back up to look at Skye. She mouths “Ignore her.”

Oh. She thought you were upset about what her mom said. You mouth back “It’s okay.” Sweet of her to care.

The weird thing was how her hand didn’t move off yours. It was like you two were in your own warm little bubble. You leaned against her, and she laid her head on your shoulder. When you looked down at her, she didn’t meet your eyes. You hoped she couldn’t hear your heart drumming away.

You could feel Joshua looking, but he didn’t say anything at all. It would be pretty embarrassing if you were already disliked by Elizabeth in the first 10 minutes of knowing her.

When you finally got to the parking lot of your apartment complex, you sighed with relief. You gently got Skye off your shoulder, and opening the door for yourself, you step out and put your hoodie on.

“Okay, thanks for the ride, Skye.” You turn to quickly dash into your apartment.

“Wait, (y/n)!” Skye says.

You turn around, and stick your head into the car, “Yeah?”

“Can I have your number?”

You were taken aback. Why did she want your number? I mean… You and her basically cuddled but still. It’s Skye friggin Riley. “Okay, sure. Give me your phone, I’ll put it in for you.”

“Okay. I’ll put mine into yours,” she says.

You exchange phones and put your phone number as a contact. After, you snoop a little and see that she has Beyoncé and Adele in her contacts. Dang, you thought. You’re technically connected to them now.

You hand her back her phone, and she gives yours back to you.

“I’ll text you. Or call, ” she says.

You smile at her. “Sure thing. Later!”

You’re already half drenched from standing in the rain, and you waste no time jogging to the front door where there’s cover. You unlock the door with your key, and wave at the car before heading inside.

As you walk to the elevator, your mind is totally overwhelmed by this experience. Skye completely consumes you, without even being there. You wonder why she even talked to you. You wonder why she gave you a ride home, why she held your hand and asked for your number. Is she just as lonely as you are?

➽──────────────❥

After a few days, you wake up from a nap and see 2 new messages from Skye.

“heyyy how are you”

“are you free next week haha”

#skye riley #skye riley x reader #smile 2 #naomi scott #naomi scott x reader #smile #fanfic #x reader

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lostiolite · 8 months ago

Note

Saw you liked dangerous fellows and are accepting requests, I was wondering if you could write headcannons for all the characters? Maybe include how they act the first time you meet in comparison to how they are after getting close with them. What they're like with physical affection, holding hands, kissing cuddling etc. Whatever you can think of about a headcannon basically. You don't have to but I'd also love if you could include other characters like Judy, Sue, Jae and Scarlett! (If you think she's redeemable 💀) Thank you so much! <3

so i didnt due jay or hailely but anyways yeah! sorry for taking FOREVR

and its not proof read because i am not proof reading 3.0k words on a laggy laptop

LAWRENCE

He's interesting, a knight in shinnng armor with some… things going on. I don't think he’d change much over the course of your relationship. He is down for anything because it's you.

He's kind, calm, and very attentive. He notices things about you that you don't even realize. He always seems to pop in at the most convenient moments. This has to do with the fact that he's extremely over protective and territorial of you. He doesn’t let it show early on though.

After you get close and kind of stuck with him is when he shows his much more overbearing side. Hes like a sick guard dog that scares anyone away. Anyone who steals your attention, female or male, platonic. especially romantic he doesn’t like. He gets jealous, like crazy jealous. Hes insane, he holds your worth over his own family (cannon), but that doesn’t mean he isnt above hurting you. Thank god it wont ever come to that though. Both in cannon, because its too dangerous and the lack of profesionall medical tools could mean the msallest injury could be fatal. And in a no zombie au because, well the law. Korea is the land of cctv afterall, his ass would get caught.

Overall, hes very helpful. Hes always down to listen to you. To him, your voice and love is a cure to even his darkest thoughts. Hes very genuine in his love with you too. He wont hesitate to compliment you or give you a little kiss here or there or everywhere. He loves holding hands, kissing and cuddling. He wants to be with you, be you and be your savior. He loves you genuinely with all his heart. He could be stuck an eternity with you and you alone and he would be happy for said eternity. To him, you made all the wrong in life right, and the once dull colors vibrant. He actually enjoys waking up now. He’s a very complex man. I dont think he cares about pda, or public appearances much when you’re inloved. He couldn’t give less of a fuck what everyone else thinks, (he does actually). I dont think he has much self worth. Its hard to explain. Hes smart, pretty and (probrably) athletic, or physically capible. He knows he the guy girls and even guys swoon over, but he doesn’t really have a personality. His only sense of self worth comes from his academics and what others think of him. Hes begun to find life dull, even so he doesn’t know what else to do. Everyone is snakes so when he meets someone (you) whos genuine he latches on with every bit of his being. You gave him the ability to find his self worth as a human and outside of academics, which also means you hold alot of power against him, even if you dont know yourself. I think he really just needs to learn that you love him for him no matter what. Then his extreme tendencies will lessen abit. As for love language i think he exceeds in all of them, though he may lack in quality time for his busy schedule. Study with him, he would really enjoy it. Even if you aren’t talking, just cuddling or embracing as you do your studies is something really intimate that makes every part of him warm. He could genuielnty get lost in thought looking at you. Will do your hair, doesn’t matter what kind of hair you’ve got. He will research and learn how to take care of it. Again, to him intimate moments like freshly showering and in pj’s is something that makes him so happy he could die. He’s also fine with matching outfits. But I think he likes matching stationary and studying tools more. It makes him smile. Back on the topic of studying, he LOVEs when you ask him questions, it could be a simple “9x9 is 81 RIGHT???” and he’ll smile as he nods. I think once he learns some genuelen self love and respect, he will be awesome. Tbh, i dont think he’d raise his voice in arguments, I think he’d be somewhat condescending. “Oh dont you get it?” “this is for the better”. Lowkey i feel like he’d deflate imeediatley after out of fear that you’d leave. When you move in together i think the highlight of his day will be waking up next to you. Wakes up an extra hour early jsut to cuddle you.

As for children, i could see 2 paths. Genuine love after he learns self respect. Or the Aishi route where he only loves them for being the actual embondiment of the love between you and him. But i like the first idea more so- he does everything his parents couldn't. Tries his best to promote their studies while also giving them love.

EUGENE

Standoffish, and tsundere. Hes very cautious of people. He has firm boundaries of who he considers friend or foe. That being said he becomes much more attentive and protective (different than Lawrence) to you. He wont let anyone defame you and acts like a worried mother, telling you to dress up for the cold and chastises you for forgetting sick. Kind of like a worried mother. Hes very blunt and sometimes comes off as rude but he genuinely doesn't mean to.

As for physical affection i feel like hes playfully aggressive. Big fan of hand holding in public. I think he likes to hold your head close to him. Hes a big fan of arcade dates, especially the rhythm game ones. He loves playing crane games even if they are rugged. Will do the cliche thing of winning a gift for you at a carnival / fair but its the cutest thing ever. Forehead kisser 100%. Composes music for you, its a huge way of showing his love for you. Makes playlists and burns cd’s for you and to listen to together. Would love it of you were to return the act. If you play an instrument or sing he would 100% wanna duet. Omg imagine starting a band with him. You don't even have to make the music, you could literally be the artist or music video maker. WOuldn't that be so cute (i cant help but think of niigo)

Much more understanding of fandom culture and things of the like, so yapping about your fav artists or even characters would be nice because he actually understands most of the internet lingo. Likes all your social media posts and makes stupid silly comments. All your moots/oomfies know who he is because wherever you are, he is aswell.

When hes comforting you, he will usually bash the other party for being the cause of your sadness. He usually insults them and their viewpoints while rubbing your hair. Hes really stubborn, so please be patient with him. Hes trying to get better, because he doesnt want to hurt the person he loves.

ETHAN

Unioricnly, a nice bonding time would be sleeping lolololo. Hes extremely standoffish at the beginning, like usual. But once you get his socials, he becomes much more understandable since hes able to communicate better online through sms. Even though hes a rather dry texter, you slowly learn to understand him more. I dont think he would go out of his way to participate in cheesy coupley stuff. BUt, if you asked him to then he would. I dont think his personality toward you would change much and most people woudnt be able to tell that you are dating but thats honestly for the better because hes generally a more private person. However, just because its not visible doesnt mean that he doesnt love you. WIll put his life on the line for you in a heart beat. And considering his physical strength he will not hesitate to put someone in their place if they tried something on you.

Despite his muscular figure, hes very cuddly and cozy. I feel like hes a crazy sleeper who sleeps in the wackiest positions. But, he always manages to wrap his arms around you. I feel like he would kiss you on the nose or lips. Please help him study for all the classes hes slept thoruhg. In return he will do something like “this is for you ___” while hes playing baseball or something. Wether or not he misses it still enamores the people viewing because its so weirdw watching ethan, the usually cool and quiet one proclaim his love for you. On that note his teammates find his subtle change in behaboir cute. Like the way he starts constantly checking his phone during practice to see if he got a text from you. Or the small smile that tugs on his lips informing them that he got a text from you.

I just know he would be horrible at comforting you. Probably just stands there confused. He puts his hand on your shoulder then hugs you because thats all he can do. He will text you later, when his thoughts are much more composed. These messages are heartfelt because you can tell he put effort into it.

ZION

He teases you with malice at first, like he does with everybody. But once he gets a soft spot the teasing become more endearing and he becomes much more protective of you. If you don't like the teasing he will (try) to stop. Only he can tease you and will get one anyone for teasing you (if it makes you uncomfortable). I dont think hes the biggest fan of PDA, more just things like hand holding and thats it. The nail in the coffin for your relationship is when he becomes vulnurbale and opens up about his past. Hes a big and small spoon tbh. As much as he portrays himself as rash, he is ultimately a big teddy bear. He definitely gives big bear hugs. Definetly just a straight up mouth kisser. Oh yeah he would square up with anyone who tries anything on you. Not to mention hes really rich so he would blacklist them from the neverland parks. Spoils you rotten, makes a while fiasco out of any achievement and throws a big fat fucking party, or if your not a party person just buys something really expensive and makes a big deal out of it. Takes you shopping for clothes and anything you like (like… figurines). I don't think he would be opposed to the idea of ordering custom plushies/figures of the two of you. As for his rich family, they obviously wouldn't be fond of him dating a commoner but he can always marry someone for political gain and just spend his time with his actual partner.

HARRY

Self-depricating and too kind for his good. Hes extremely nice to you as he is everyone at the start so you dont really feel special. Hes the type to be straightforward and as you out. Hes very old fashioned, or tries to be considering his lack of money. Im going to be honest i dont think hes in the best mental state. He would jump off the roof if you asked him too. He feels like a burden to his mother just for existing and will take along time to open up to you. Hes also very manipulatable, due to his lack of selfworth. Hes much more willing to indulge in pda. Afterall why woulnt he showcase his love for you? Doesnt have mch money so his dates usually consist of cheap convenience store runs or hanging out at his work. As self-loathing as he is, would probrabbly be the best partner. He will very much communicate his feelings. Hes very patient with you despite all your flaws. He loves you from the earth and back and would do anything to make you happy. Please get him a violin (im pretty sure he sold it in cannon to pay for bills?). Will play you dozens of love songs and your favoirtes. Shows up with flowers and chocolates on valentines because thats how he is. The very supportive golden retriever boyfriend who will cheer you on no matter what. Hes your best friend and number one fan.

JUDY

Happy trooper! Shes super jolly and just like Harry overly nice to everyone so its hard to tell how much you mean to her specifically. I think she would also be straight forward about confessing but much more nervous and blushing. She starts jumping with joy when you accept. Huge pda fan, will give the biggest fattest fucking smooch to you whereever whenever. Loves cuddling, doesnt care about big or small spoon. Just holding you close is enough for her. Super smily and her demeanor can lift you up in a ,matter of seconds. After getting into a relationship, not much changes other than the blatant kissing. sHe is more real with you and will voice her doubts about things that scare her. shes really good at keeping herself grounded and helping others. Posts you for national bf/gf day and says endearing cheesy things. I cant help but feel like shes silly with text but also unirronicly uses smily faces like an old grandma.

SUE

Shes similar to lawrence, but like not batshit crazy. She also isnt as playful, espcially when you first meet her. Her treatment towards you will be either one, you dont really care about your studies and act stupid and she kind of just shoves you aside or you are her study buddy or someone she deems respectable. Shes also kind of like a nagging mother but not too a harsh degree. She always takes note of your state and brings you snacks/gifts because they reminded her of you even if she doesnt realize it. She kind of quiet and introverted but i dont really think she minds pda. She doesnt see why she should chare about what others think about her relationship afterall. Though, i dont think she goes out of her way to kiss you in public, she saves it for more intimate or important times.

If i can recall correctly she was part of student council so trust she will be using that to her advantage if anyone tries to bother you. I think spending time with her is fun especially because she probably helps with school events so you two always have something fun to do. Afterall whats better than helping out at a fair and also getting to go on a date at the same time. Dating Sue has a ton of perks because (especailly if you were already a goodie-two shoes thats liked by teachers) teachers will be way more lenient of you. Practically letting you guys do things that the other kids cant do. Shes definitely big spoon and is surprising really cozy. I think fur coats would look nice on her so hugging her in the winter is definitely a plus.

SCARLETT

Shes a hard one to get along with. Her abrasive attitude doesnt really change much and its really hard for you to tell when she starts to like you because again, her attitude doesnt change. Its smaller things like her worrying about you under the gaze of simply being curious. If your oblivious or just dont catch on to her, it will just eventually get to a point where she aporaches you, asks you out and demands an answer. Definitely a big pda person, and flaunts you around like “heh! Yea this is MY partner. Goes or drags you on shopping dates. Not only does she dress up but she dresses you up and she has a really great eye for fashion. Its very clear that shes the “bratty princess” characatchure.

Anyways i think she would have a fun time setting up a home date for the two of you, like doing your nails as you two listen to a tv drama channel or just gossip. Very iconic couple and gf 10/10. I think she would switch between big and little spoon, she doesnt have a solid preference, its more of a spur of the moment feeling for her. Kisses you with lipstick and takes photos.

#dangerous fellows #dfell #dangerous fellows x reader #otome game

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oldiesstationlover11607 · 11 months ago

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The Darkroom - Peter Parker x Reader

Pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

Warnings: None! Super fluffy <3

Word Count: 911

A/N: This is something I wrote a while ago but thought I'd bring it back out and post it. Can't believe what they announced at Comic Con today!! I imagined this as either Tom's Peter or Andrew's Peter when writing this but it doesn't matter when reading.

Peter had been my best friend since we were five. We grew up together, laughed together, cried together and worked together. Every year since middle school, we’d been biology partners, chemistry partners and PE buddies. We knew everything about each other, like how Peter was infamously bad at keeping secrets. Over the years, Peter had developed an interest in photography, and he would carry his film camera everywhere he went, taking photos of just about everything. We were in the darkroom when it happened; I remember it as if it were yesterday. Scarlet red LEDs lined the walls, the air conditioner buzzing filled the room, and we were busy hanging up each of Peter’s photos to develop.

“How can you tell which ones come out right?” I asked him, careful not to touch the front of the photos.

“You don’t; that’s the whole point” he smiled at me, but not just a regular smile, a Peter smile. His Peter smile was enough to make butterflies appear in my stomach; it was a loving and confident smile.

“Besides, most of these photos are of you, and I’ve yet to see a bad photo of you” there was that smile again, or maybe it was a smirk; I never really could tell. I literally had to bite my tongue not to smile back, for, you see, I had developed a little, teensy, almost non-existent crush on Peter when we were thirteen.

“Haha, very funny.” I sat down on the floor, and he quickly followed suit.

“No, I’m serious.”

“How serious?” I smirked. We both knew what we were doing.

“Dead.” After that, it went quiet; this never happened between us. He took hold of my hand and traced my palm lines, something he did when he was apprehensive but also bored.

I looked up at him suspiciously, “what?” he asked.

“You’re nervous… or worried, or something,” I dragged it out, trying to get him to tell me what was up with him.

Peter chokes on air.

“Huh? Me? Nooo,” he chuckled, incredulous.

“Peter, if you’re keeping secrets from me again, don’t. I think we both know-” I was cut off by Peter’s lips on mine. At first, I couldn’t stop smiling into the kiss. I mean, I did have a massive crush on the guy, but I quickly settled. It felt like a movie, one of our favorite movies. When we were fourteen, he told me that my first kiss should be memorable, one that is so special that you don’t know how long it lasts. This was that kiss. I pulled away after what seemed like an eternity. Covering my face with my hand not only in embarrassment but also to hide the ear-to-ear grin I had.

“Are you ok?” he chuckled, slowly reaching up to peel my hand away and reveal my blushed smile. My cheeks were red like a tomato, and my grin was from ear to ear. It was the type of smile only Peter could bring out in me. Once my parents split, Peter was the only one who could cheer me up enough to properly smile and feel something again: pure joy.

“I thought you were going to tell me some terrible secret like you were a murderer, do not do that!” I hit his chest and stood up. The second my hands left his chest, my mind started to race. What did this mean? Was this going to ruin our friendship? Was it a mistake? My mind used to race a mile a minute back then, thinking of all the bad and none of the good.

He laughed. “I mean… I know you love me.” There he went again, making cheeky remarks deliberately made to make me blush and beam.

“What?” I question, trying to laugh it off. I totally didn’t have a crush on him.

“You’ve had a crush on me since we were thirteen. Like it or not, you’re no better than I am at keeping secrets. I’ve been trying to hint that I like you too all year!” You had got to be kidding me. Peter, my Peter, liked me back. And not just as a joke, either. He really, really, liked me, for me.

“I think we could hang out at the skate park later this week. Talk a bit more about this. Us?” his face softened, clearly trying to keep calm.

“Is that your way of saying, ‘same time tomorrow? Because if so, then yes, I’d love to hang out with you more.” I said quickly. I tended to talk so fast that no one could understand me when I was excited. No one but Peter.

“Fantastic. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this to happen.”

I looked down at my watch only to realize it was half past seven and well past my curfew. “I better head off. My mom is going to kill me. But I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” I grabbed my backpack and tousled his caramel locks.

“As always”, he blushed. The next day I went to the skate park and every other day after that. Peter taught me how to use his skateboard, which took me weeks to master; we have the photos to prove it. The photos from the darkroom are now hanging on our wall; no surprise, they were all of him and me. Who would’ve thought that the two outcasts would end up together? I know I never did.

Please submit any requests y'all have! I love to write so let me know if you've got any!

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bagel-of-decay · 4 months ago

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OC!!!! i maked it :3

no art because i cant draw sorry

Deep in a mountain in the snowy north lays a cave, the entrance appearing to be sealed by a wispy, blue, wall. However, pushing through it you feel the warmth of whatever lays beyond it on your skin, well warm in comparison to the snowy cold.

As you step inside you feel ground beneath you, but you’re not in that cave anymore, you don’t know where you are. The floor is covered in white marble tiles, rugs all along it but the walls are dark slate. There are bookshelves everywhere you look, a few nooks with chairs and the like, but mostly bookcases. Each of these cases is filled with wispy, blue, books. You reach to touch one and pull it off the shelf, despite it’s appearance it feels solid. You flip through the pages and you recognize this story being told, a Shakespearean work you read in school. You grab another book and flip through it, the hobbit. You do this for a few more minutes, some you can recognize, but most you flip through seem to be small notes, or diary entries, or other seemingly unimportant words. You decide to step further into this library of sorts, as you walk there is seemingly no end to this library as you walk. Ethereal hands reach out of seemingly nowhere and move the books around. Every chamber you step into is different, but similar. A different layout but still the dark slate walls, marble tiles, bookcases, and reading nooks.

It had been a few hours at this point as you read through different books in this library, you were enjoying your time in here, it was peaceful, although a little lonely. As you finish up a short book you picked up you hear footsteps, they were slow and accompanied by the dragging of a cloak on the ground. You look up, startled and see what seems to be a man, but its not human. Its was a tall and thin humanoid, a black cloak draped around its blue ethereal body. It was entirely transparent and glowing a light blue. It had no defined face and no other clothes on it other than the long, flowy, cloak. The cloak had a silver clasp around the being’s neck. It was the shape of an open book.

The being spoke.

“Who are you? And why are you here?” it said calmly, it’s voice rather hollow sounding and smooth. You stammer a bit as this 7 foot tall being walked towards you and answer honestly, saying that you randomly stumbled upon this place.

“I am, The Keeper.” it responds calmly again, its entirely smooth head glowing a bit brighter whenever it spoke. As it spoke you noticed the small glittery flecks all over its body, glowing faintly with the same light of distant stars, a swirl of clouds or other cosmic matter in its head in place of any organs. The keeper faces you, you feel it stare at you despite its lack of eyes.

“You must leave.” he says, it’s tone stern as it begins to guide you back to that same wispy door you entered through, it stands behind you as you cautiously step back through it, returning to the snow you had left a mere few hours before.

The Keeper is an immortal being, and similar to death, it has a job to do. It keeps watch over the eternal library. An ever expanding library that is not its own dimension, but seems to be slightly separated from the rest of the world. The library is home to any words written by a person ever. Any note, any diary entry, any reminder, any book, or even a play. Every single thing written is transcribed by one of the ethereal hands from in the library as it’s written, and placed on a shelf with other works. The Keeper’s job is to watch over this place.

It enjoys it’s job, and spends it’s days reading the various works that cross his library. It’s attitude is calm, but he takes his job very seriously, any being it determines a potential threat to the library he will ask to leave. He’s seen millions and millions of people in his many, many years. He doesn’t wish to harm, but anyone who seems to be a threat to the library, and has refused to leave, never returned to that mountain where they discovered his library.

Finally, The Keeper is a very tall being, its body thin and its arms about knee length, its fingers defined and sharp. It has a smooth face, no defined features except for a small swirl that appears like a storm within its head. It’s entire body a light blue color and transparent, speckled with small silver stars that emit a dull glow in addition to the dim blue emitted from The Keeper. It wears only the long, flowy, black cloak with the silver–book-shaped–clasp.

Name: The Keeper

Pronouns: It/He

Age: ancient and immortal. It was created the moment the first word was written down

Alignment: True neutral

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glitchy1938 · 1 month ago

Text

✯The Last Hope [CRK AU]✯

Chapter 2 : The wakening Of The Justice.... [CRK AU]

As slowly, Louna open her eyes as she felt a lot of pain on her chest.... she then look around her... And see the others on their own cells... Eternal Sugar looked at her direction and got up seeing her friend morally alive ! "LOUNA !! YOU'RE ALIVE !!? I'M SO HAPPY !!" Then the other beasts turned to looked at her with shock expression...! She was still a little fuzzy but didn't understand what happend, "The last thing I remember is.... Fighting you all to help- Wait- Where are we ?..!" She asked to them, they all looked away from her "The... Witches trapped us all.... As we tried and save you from our actions..." Trapped ?... WHAT DO THEY MEAN TRAPPED ?!? ALL SHE TRY TO DO IS DOING HER JOB AND SAVE HER FRIENDS FROM THE DARKNESS !!

"We too were shocked to see you here with us...!! But we don't know why they did this..." "No matter ! The only thing that's important is that YOU'RE here and alive !!" Shadow Mill cookie exclaimed as he smile at her, but his friend looked... In pain ?.. "Are you alright sugar ?... Does the chain hurt you ?!..." Eternal Sugar asked, worried.. Louna looked at her chest to see a chain remained in.... She then looked and saw that it was connected to the fork. "WHAT ON THE WORLD IS THIS ?!? IS THIS A CURSE OR SOMETHING ?!" She yelled as she tried to break the chain to make herself free, but it was useless... "The more you'll try to break it the more stronger it'll remaind... I've tried...." Burning Spice cookie confessed, she then looked to the void... Then sit back on the floor, her fellow cookies looked at her with sorry eyes... As they know it was not only their faults... But also the Witche's...

"Even if we're stuck in those 'prisons', they will not endur. One day, someone will break the tree, or the tree will rot with time." Mystic Flour said still remain calm, Louna didn't look at her... She couldn't believe that she got stuck, after all she did for the Witches.... She couldn't think other then her Kingdom and her little sister..! Would she be okay without her ?! And even if they get out, they make a carnage everywhere, specially her kingdom... "Guys... You all better promise me ONE thing...." They all looked at her, listening carefully. "I have a little sister named Sweet Bleu Chocola (Zakia), she's the future queen of my Kingdom so, you all better not to go near her or attack her or hurt her..." She gave them a death glare as they were all supriced of.

"Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear ?"

A thousand years later, they all still in this tree, shadow milk and Burning spice were easily bored by their journey of their prisons... The others remain calm and patient.... But one day... One particular day, one the chains of Louna was cracking..!! Silent Salt immediately saw it as he alert her of it, as she take a look at it and start to try to break it again but with more force, and if was like something or Someone was helping to get her free. As the other Beasts cheer for her to break it she finally managed to broke the chains.... Outside the tree, the Silver Tree was not broken but Louna managed to get out !.... As she take a look at it she then meet a cookie who was probably waiting for her... As she smiled evily when she appeared.

"Ahhh~ Red Fire Chocola Cookie~ ! It's an honour to finally meet you face to face~!" Louna look at her, not knowing what to do at the moment, "Who are you..?" She asked, not having any care of what she is. "I am Dark Enchantress Cookie, the one who helped you get free from your prison !" Louna still in her guards, not knowing if she should trust that cookie or not... "You see, I was betrayed by the Witches when I only wanted to seek the truth. But I now, want to build a new world ! And if you join me, I'll help you get revenge to ANY cookies who dare hurt you !" She exclaimed as she give her her hand. Louna looked at it, then think about her proposition... Yes, get revenge of HIM will get her pleasure by making him suffer just like she had..! "I'm telling you this. I'll KNOW if you're using me for my powers. And I'm allow to quite anytime I WANT. Are we clear ?" "My dear, you have my words. I only wish to make this world better !" As she took her hand Dark Enchantress cookie g guide her to her new home... Where she'll work as her right hand from now on....

In the same time, At the Deliciousland Kingdom....

All the cookies were infront of the giant castle who was standing there their king with a priest who was holding a diadem on her hand, then, Sweet Bleu Chocola Cookie arrived and all cookies started to cheer for her as it was her coronation. "I it I, your king, will now give to my niece, who will give her the sword of light so that she can reign over her kingdom in my place. I leave him my place as queen and Ancient. CHEER YOUR NEW QUEEN!!" He exclaimed as all cookies cheer more louder then before, as he turn to her and nod to the priest to give her the sword. She then took it and the sword stated to glow a bride bleu when she touched it

Then her uncle placed an hand to her shoulder as he was holding his tears for her, "Just know, that I'm proud of you....!! *snif* And you'll rule this Kingdom like no queen or king have it ruled before...!!" She didn't hesitate to give him a hug to comfort him, "I'll stay by your side and do everything to keep this Kingdom well, and everyone happy no matter what !" She then walk to the place to face all cookies, then lift her sword as all cookies cheerfully exclaimed "long live our queen" or "long live the queen Sweet Bleu Chocola Cookie".

But as she was looking to her cookies, she was looking to a particular one, then frowd a little but didn't show it as she continue to smile... She was hoping her sister would have come to see her, even if she's hiding from everyone... But haven't have a sigh of her.... As the coronation continue, she was walking peacefully in her garden, but then an servant came to her "Your majesty ! The Ancients came and desire your attention !" She looked supriced, but follow the maid to where they were. As she came, all her friends were waiting for her, "Guys ! I so glad you all came !" "Why of course, wouldn't miss this for anything !" "Congratulations for your coronation ! I'm sure you'll be a great queen to this Kingdom, just like your uncle !" Hollyberry then bring some Berry juices ans she lift her glasse "Let's celebrate this moment ! Sweet Bleu Chocola ! Come drink some with me !!" "I don't think that would be a good idea, Hollyberry...." Dark Cacao glare at her as she pull her next to her seat and gives her a glass of Berry juice. "Aww, come on now you big grumpy ! Have some fun in your life !"

The night continues with laugh and jokes from the six friends... unaware that shadows are looking at them....

Years later...

"My Lady, you've been more quiet lately, is something bothering you ?" Pomegranate cookie asked, as she looked at her, conserne. Louna turn to look at her, it's been years since she joined the Darkness, she got new alies with her, but three of them seem to have big admiration for her, who blame them ? She IS the general and right hand's Dark Enchantress cookie's side after all. "Ah, don't worry, it's nothing. Is Licorice and Mushroom cookie back ?" She ask as she walk to see if the others came back from their mission. "Yes my Lady, and suprisetly Licorice fulfill his job, but Dark Choco still wondering off.." she said as she got angry at Dark Choco for not listening being to her orders.

"Don't be harsh at them. I know we're to find him, but I'll go alone. Go give to Dark Enchantress cookie these, it's from one of my missions with Red Velvet." She then give to her some purple crystals to her, Pomegranate cookie bend over then go to her master. Louna sight a little tired from all this.... But then saw in her magic, one Kingdom started to slowly fall apart by dark monsters... Good. He only deserve to suffer for what he has done. "My Lady ? Are you alright ?" She jumped a little by surprise to see Licorice next to her, she sight relieved it was only him... "It's nothing.... Just the usual. How are you doing ?" "Hehe, I fulfill your mission ! The seed are well placed and where you asked !" He exclaimed, proud of himself, as Mushroom cookie come after him with some shroomies to her master "Louunnaa Cookiiee... Play with meee..!!" She just smile as she picked him up, Licorice follow behind them as she asked him to stick with her a little to help her with something.

In the same moment, far away from there....

"Your Highness ! Wait for me !!" A guard exclaimed as they run to the women they were trying to keep up, "Y/n cookie ! Come on !! We can't wait for this occasion ! Those stars aren't going to wait !!" Sweet Bleu Chocola had grown up pretty well after these years, her oncle had finally foud THE bodyguard to be perfect for her. Y/n Cookie has been the best of the choose, but they didn't expect to be treated like a best friend by her highness, they thought that she'll be like all of them, but he quickly took these thoughts in trash after meeting her and being by her side.

As they both run into the prairies, they finally managed to get to the top of it, and as they sit down, the Stars rain was beginning, that was such an amazing show ! "Y/n Cookie ! Look at all those stars !! It's so beautiful !!" "I agree, your highness ! Such an amazing show..!" They both then lie down to the grass, they admire the beauty of the night sky. They Sweet Bleu saw two wishes stars, she point at them, "y/n Cookie ! Quick quick ! Make a wish !!" She exclaim as she formally close her eyes to wish something deep in her heart. "But why exactly ?" They asked as they look at her curious, "legends says that, if you make a wish that is DEEP in your heart, one day it'll come true !" "Well my wish is to-" "DON'T SAID IT LOUDE ! It won't come true if you say it like that !!" She immediately shush them as they were about to confess their wishes. They just smile as they look back to the stars.. Then, after what feel like hours, Sweet Bleu felt asleep, her Knight pick her up in bride style as they walk back to the castle. She was very special to them and they'll do everything to keep them safe.

Not matter how far they'll go, no matter how dangerous their adventures will get. They'll stay by her side, as the only friend they had in a long time.

"I wish to protect you and keep you safe, good night... My friend.."

To be... Continue~...

33 notes · View notes

deedah · 8 months ago

Note

hey me! Wouldn’t it be cool if the abstracted characters of TADC were sent to another land or area of the map where they were half-abstracted??

(Abstracted characters btw)

“New, New Home..”

[FnFcLOAD//: Pomni_POV ]

⚠️⚠️Warning⚠️⚠️

Swearing (it is bleeped)

Very long

D E P R E S S I O N

((PS: this AU is called the ‘Khlash AU’))

WORD COUNT- 4674

Pomni reached out her hands as she scrambled to open a drawer as she pulled out the drawer and fell on her knees. She scrambled to pick up a red marker as she started to write all along the walls ‘EXIT’. Her room was a mess, she had completely destroyed it. It looked like a rabid beast had been in it.

Over and over along the walls of her room the word ‘EXIT’ eventually infiltrated her mind, and made questions from the back of her brain come into full clearness of her eyes.

‘Did it even matter?’

“Why do I even exist?’

‘Why didn’t the circus pick someone else?’

‘Do the others even like me?’

‘What’s the point if I’m going to expire and be replaced?’

‘Should I be dead?’

“STOP!” Pomni yelled at the top of her lungs as she slammed her red and blue fists against her wall.

Tears rolled down her face as she turned around and slumped against her wall.

She looked around her room to see Exit Doors appear from thin air. All around her, they demanded attention from her.

She felt a jab of pain in her hand as more tears rolled down her face, and even more doors appeared along her walls.

A rainbow light emitted from her hand as she looked down at it to see..

Her arm breaking and bending as a thick spiky goo with rainbow eyes appear over her arm.

The glitching goo took over her body as she felt the worst pain she had felt in her whole life, before and during the circus.

It had already taken her whole body, all that was left was her mouth and one eye.

“..I’m sorry….” She whispered as the spiky goo took her over, and plunged her into complete darkness.

A few seconds later, she kept feeling jabs of pain everywhere as she started to experience.. strange ‘visions’.

(To get the best visual explanation, please refer to the KAUFMO animated fan-prequel on YouTube. Time stamp- 8:40 to 9:40)

Pomni reached out with her hands as she fell near multiple shapes as she tried to grab something, anything.

She did eventually flip herself over to where she was falling face first into the abstracted void she was in.

She fell and fell, until she came up to a multicolored portal looking thing as covered her eyes and plunged right through it.

Pomni grunted as she lifted herself up off the ground and looked around. She was on a floating dark purple circle as the ‘sky’ had multicolored little stars that spun around in circles.

Mirrors floated around the area and little squares floating in space that lead to more and more floating purple circle area’s.

Pomni slowly got up as she walked up to a mirror.

Everything hurt.

She felt like she was on fire, eternally..

When she eventually got up to one of the gold lined mirrors, she looked into the peering glass to see her jester avatar on the other side.. but.. instead of her normal red, blue, and gold colors, in some areas of her body she still had the black ink with rainbow eyes on some parts of her jester hat, her left arm, and part of her right leg.

Her left eye was neon red with a yellow pupil while the right one was a neon teal with a purple pupil.

“Wha..” she mumbled as she touched her face like she did when she first saw her avatar back in the circus.

“Where am I..?” She asked herself as she stepped back from the mirror.

“I thought I…” she looked at her left black hand, “I did.. so why am I not.. dead..?” She didn't even know the answer to her own question.

As she calmed down, she took a closer look at the scenery around her. The sky was like a purple night sky with the multicolored ‘stars’ that pop like the sun off the purple sky. The circle bases that floated in the air like nothing were dark, dark purple that looked to have a carpet texture on them.

Colorful wooden blocks or spheres floated like jumping blocks in between each circle island. The ‘spawn’ island was just filled with mirrors that made a dome around the island.

“M-maybe I can find someone else right..?” Pomni asked herself as she walked up to the first jump from the island to the first block.

“I can’t be the only one here..” she told herself as she looked down below the black and island.

Her eyes were met with a void of pitch black that seemed to never end.

Her eyes became scribbles as she looked back up and backed away from the edge. “Don’t fall, Pomni.. you’ve already gone through enough..” she told herself as she thought about the others.

She prayed to god that Ragatha wasn’t the one to find her after she abstracted. She couldn’t imagine Ragatha going through that pain again like that.. ‘Kofmau’ did to her the first day Pomni appeared in the circus.

Pomni was about to jump, when a migraine hit her like a bullet. She gripped her head as she closed her eyes and started to cry out in pain.

Pomni felt her vision glitch out as she was taken away from that strange land, and was put into some dark area that had rainbow lights in it that kept changing.

Pomni looked around to see she was backstage where they got ready for their song performance for Caine.

Pomni also noticed that she heard cries and pleas from beneath her. When she looked down, she saw an awe to familiar face..

Ragatha.

“Please.. Pomni…” Ragatha said as she lifted an arm in front of her face to try and protect her.

Pomni immediately backed away and crouched as she looked away from the rag doll.

She’s always been so nice to me.. Pomni thought, and this is how I repay her..?

“P-Pomni..?” Ragatha said as she sat up. Pomni, in the abracted form she was in with eyes that pleaded for the rag doll to accept her apology.

“Are.. are you in there..?” Ragatha asked as she stood up and took a step closer to Pomni.

Pomni started to freak out and make out desperate calls as she tried to use her body language to make Ragatha back away.

“Hey hey! It’s ok Pomni!” Ragatha said as she held out her hands.

Pomni used her head to push Ragatha farther away from her.

“P-Pomni! It’s me!” Ragatha said as she held onto Pomni’s head as she looked the beast into its many eyes.

“Pomni! Calm down!” Ragatha yelled. Ragatha barely ever yelled. She only did when Jax was acting like an a(boink!)hole.

Pomni immediately focused all her eyes onto the rag doll as the monster layed down.

“Hey.. Pomni.. if you're still in there” Ragatha started as the curtains started to slowly lift up.

Pomni turned away from the light as she felt herself slipping as the enraged monster came back out.

“Pomni, listen! I don’t have much time so I’ll say this last thing..!” Ragatha said as she turned Pomni away from the light,

“I forgive you..”

Ragatha and Pomni leaned in for a hug the best they could..

Then light then poured in and caused the abstracted Pomni to become feral again.

Pomni was able to throw Ragatha far away off the stage as the abstracted monster faced Caine and the burning light.

The light ripped Pomni away from reality.

And when she went back into her half-abstracted body in the weird dimension, Pomni fainted and fell back.

Though the last thing she felt was two hands catching her from underneath her arms.

“Poor girl.. all alone. And abstracted for god's sake.” A deep, male voice said in the distance as a female voice responded to him.

“I know.. thank the lord I was able to catch her before she fell down and hurt herself more.” The female voice said as she kept on talking, “must have had that ‘return-memory’ that I got after I abstracted and somehow got into the pillow fort with Kinger. You know what I’m talking about, right Rett?”

“Yeah I do..” ‘Rett’ replied, “and that’s the only explanation we have so that’s what I’m going for at least.”

Pomni groaned and lifted her head as she sat up on what felt like an actually comfortable pillow and a blanket that fell off her.

“Huh..?” She groaned as her eyes adjusted and she noticed that she was in a large tent that had many sleeping bags and pillows scattered about inside of it.

She also noticed that there was a mirror in the tent as well. The mirror was like the ones that were on the first island that Pomni teleported into through that rainbow portal she fell through.

Pomni slowly got up and walked to the mirror quietly as she gazed at herself one more time.

Still was half-abstracted..

“Great..” she accidentally said out loud. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands as she slowly turned to the opening of the tent, which was thankfully closed.

She gave a relieved sigh.. until a little orange and green worm smuggled its way in. Pomni noticed that the worm was also half abstracted as well. They had one teal eye with a yellow pupil, while its right eye was pink with a green pupil. And it just had a random placement of the abstract eyes and black goo over its body. And shockingly, it looked to be half Pomni’s size.

“She’s awake!” It called out with what sounded to be a stuffy voice, like they were sick. Pomni stared at the worm with hollow eyes as it kept yelling out that she was awake.

“Queenie! She’s awake!” It yelled out again.

“All right! I hear you Wriggle! You don’t have to shout! We are not deaf..” the female voice answered.

Pomni heard footsteps getting closer and closer to the opening of the tent. The jester started to back away as two white gloves hands opened the dull pink curtains that closed off the tent.

Pomni thought it was Kinger for a second, then she noticed that this chess piece looked to be the queen one. Plus, this person had a red coat and brown wood skin..? Was it skin..?

Who knows.. Pomni answered in her mind.

“Hello sweetie..” the queen chess piece said. She walked in the tent as she let go of the curtain. Pomni saw that one of her eyes was yellow with a teal pupil while her other is pink with a yellow pupil. She had the black goo-like-ink around her head and behind one of her eyes. And for some reason, she had no other places with the goo and the abstracted eyes.

“I know..” she said calmly as she shuffled a little closer to Pomni.

“It’s very confusing, the predicament you're in right now.. trust me.” She promised Pomni. Pomni looked down at her hand that had the goo over it along with the eyes.

When the jester looked up, the chess piece had already walked up close to Pomni as they held their white hand out to Pomni.

“Wanna meet everyone else?” She asked the jester, “it’ll help explain what’s going on..”

The chess piece put a hand behind Pomni’s back as she slowly pushed her forward.

“My name is Queenie, dear..” ‘Queenie’ said as she looked down at the jester, “What’s yours?”

“P..” Pomni started, then cut herself off.

“It’s ok dear,” Queenie started, “I may be half abstracted, but I assure you I am not aggressive, no one here is.” The Queen explained as Pomni got the guts to quickly say her name.

“Pomni..”

Queenie looked down at the jester, “What was that dear..?” She asked.

“My.. my name’s Pomni..”

Queenie’s multicolored eyes lit up as she crossed her fingers over one another, held her own hands, and lifted them up to where her cheek would be. “That’s a beautiful name, Pomni!”

“Yeah..” Pomni said as Queenie used her non connected hands to open the curtains of the tent.

Outside was barely any brighter as it was in the tent. The dark purple sky was still spinning as the rainbow stars followed it along like the game, follow-the-leader.

“Everyone..!” Queenie started as Pomni faced 6.. no, 7 people. And they all were half abstracted like her.

“This is Pomni..! Our newest member of the Khlash!” Queenie explained as Pomni smiled awkwardly and waved to the others. She looked back to Pomni with sorrowful eyes, “Welcome to your new, new home..!”

Pomni wrapped her head around what she said, “New, new home..

“How long did you last?” A huge pink giant with one red and blue eye. He also had the extra eyes and black goo on his back, right arm, and along his left foot.

“Blonk!!” Queenie yelled as her eyes and body language looked like she was mad. “You know that’s so rude to say! Poor girl probably went through so much!”

Queenie put her hands on Pomni’s shoulders and pulled her in closer. “For that f(boink!)n comment, you can go get Able..” she demanded while Blonk’s eyes widened.

“Queenie! He’s like 8 islands away from us!” Blonk tried to use excuses.

“I don’t care! You did this when Kaufmo showed up as well, same idiotic comment, same consequence. Better get a move on..”

Blonk grumbled as he muttered words under his breath, and walked towards more jumping blocks that lead to another island. Blonk had pink fuzzy skin while his thin legs were a teal color. Of course he had extra eyes and the black goo as well as everyone else in this strange place.

Pomni noticed that this island also had pillars that had silk fabric hanging down from it, then all the silk met in the mills as it just hung above the middle of the island as a chandelier hung from the middle where the silk met. As well as Utah Teapots floating in the air, like when her and Gummigoo glitched out of bounds back in the Candy Kingdom.

Then, something clicked in her mind as she replayed what Queenie said to Blonk.

“Kaufmo..?” Pomni said as she looked around for the red, white, blue, and gold clown that she saw abstracted on the first spray she arrived at the circus.

Everyone looked at Pomni as she stepped forward and as Queenie let go of her.

“Kaufmo..?” She asked again as she tried to look through the people. Eventually, they split apart, leaving the clown avatar right in front of Pomni.

“H-how do you know me..?” Kaufmo asked as he stepped closer. He started to walk in circles around Pomni as he must have tried to figure out if he knew her.

“You don’t know me.. you had Abstracted the first day I arrived at the circus.” Pomni explained, “Me, Jax, and R..” she remembered her ‘Return-memory’. “Ragatha, had gone to check on you after I received my name.

“Then we found you abstracted, you attacked Ragatha, Jax and I ran away, I distracted you with monkeys, then Caine put you into the cellar.” Once Pomni finished, Kaufmo knelt down on his knees as Pomni got a good look at him.

He had the black goo around almost half of his body, but his right hand was the only exception to the goo. His stick eyes were still black, but he had around 5 extra eyes on the goo.

“I.. am so sorry for what I caused on your first day..” he apologized. Pomni wrapped her head around what he said, and slowly nodded.

Kaufmo put a hand on Pomni’s shoulder. “Just, tell me. How is Jax doing..?” He asked

Pomni gave him a discombobulated look,

“W h a t ?”

Kaufmo laughed. “How’s Jax doing?” He asked again, “Me and him were best friends, I helped him when he first arrived at the circus. And even helped him find new ways to cope.. until he found a new his own way and started to act like a jerk..” Kaufmo looked down at the ground as he sniffled and looked back up, “so? Is he any better?”

Pomni looked at the other abstracted members, she wouldn’t be shocked if they didn’t even know who Jax was.

“Well.. he is still a jerk. He messed with me a lot when I first arrived. And he pushed Gangle around, shoves centipedes into Ragtha’s room, call’s Kinger names, and yanks Zooble pieces out of her body to use as a back scratcher.

Kaufmo’s face changed from happy, to looking in disbelief.

He sighed, “I knew he’d get worse.” He muttered as he pulled away from Pomni and sat on his knees, “what did he say at my funeral…? If I even got one..”

“Oh! You did! But.. he didn’t show up.” Kaufmo slumped after Pomni said that, “But! The others said beautiful things about you at your funeral. I have wanted to meet you for a long time!” She said as she laid her hands on his, “now I have..” she smiled as he returned it with a heartwarming smile.

“That’s nice Pomni..” he said as he stood up straight.

‘Thump!’

Pomni and the other members look to their right to see Blonk be teleported out of thin air as he landed on the ground with a loud boom.

Then right beside him appeared a knock-off Caine that wore a blue tuxedo instead of the red one, and had a white, gloved hand for a head with two eyes on the palm and a floating black and blue hat above the thumb. One eye color was pink while the other was gold.

“Alright,” the knock-off Caine said, “who abstracted?” He said as he dusted himself off and summoned his white and blue caine.

Queenie stepped up, “Able, this is Pomni. She just abstracted earlier today, meaning..”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it toots!” He said snappy as he floated right in front of Pomni as he grabbed her face by her cheeks and chin.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head as blue code started to appear around Pomni and Abel.

Abel eventually let go of Pomni as he floated right beside Queenie.

“25 years old, worked for the company, and doesn't have a great mental state.” Abel said.

“Wha..?” Pomni said as she stepped forward a bit, “How do you know that?!” She said a little loudly.

“Easy f(splat!)er” he said as a bar appeared beneath his eyes, but this time, instead of Caine’s head on it, it was Abel's. “I just looked through your memories.. aannndd I’m already bored!” He yelled, “you get a request, or you could call it a wish I guess, when a person first arrives in Khlash. Here are the rules, I cannot make you not half abstracted, I cannot bring you back to the circus, and I cannot bring a friend here from the circus.”

“Take as long as you need..” Queenie said calmly.

“Don’t do that.” Abel said snarky as Queenie gave him the death stare, “I have a date with my bed and sleep, so hurry up.”

“Oh.. ok..?” Pomni said as she thought long and hard.

Then something popped in her mind.

“So, Abel, right?” She asked as he nodded, “ok, you said you can’t bring a ‘friend’ from the circus in this ‘Khlash’..”

“Yes..?” He said in annoyance.

“But what about an.. NPC..?” She asked as she shrugged and a wobbly smile appeared on her face.

Abel’s eyes widened as he sat up straight in the air and tapped his nonexistent chin with his white, gloved finger. “I actually have no clue. Most people just ask to see their circus friends one last time, I’ve actually never had any other request..” he thought on the subject as Pomni and the other’s awaited his answer.

“I can try, I guess.” He said as he shrugged and lifted his hands as blue code made a dome around Pomni and Abel. The dome seemed to push everyone else out so it was only the jester and the ringmaster of this land.

He turned to a blue keyboard with a search engine above it. He tilted his head to look at Pomni.

“Imma need a name of this NPC, and what adventure you met them on.” He said as he kept looking at Pomni.

“Oh.. um.. His name is Gummigoo, and he was on the Candy Carrier Chaos adventure.” Pomni gave Abel the information that he needed as he typed it up like she was checking a bill at the bank.

“Is he a gummy crocodile that is yellow and green with white eyes and a cowboy hat?” Abel asked Pomni as he turned the search engine to Pomni’s eyes.

“Yes! That’s him!” Pomni said eagerly.

“Alright,” Abel said as he looked around the area on the screen. “Looks like I can bring him back, do you want him with memories or not?”

“With!” Pomni yelled, when Abel gave her a funny look, she apologized, “Sorry.. just, excited…”

Abel sighed and muttered, “I’ll never get these stupid humans..” under his breath.

Pomni rolled her eyes as Abel made all the code disappear.

“Al right! Everyone back away!” Abel commanded as he lifted his hands and blue pixels appeared and orbited his hands.

“You sure this is what you want?” Abel turned his hand head to Pomni to get one final consent.

“Yes,” she said plainly.

“All right, one gummy alligator coming right up.” Abel waved his hands around as the blue code went far away from him and started to form Gummigoo from the legs up. Once the code finished, Gummigoo was in his A-pose like when him and Pomni glitched through the map and he found out he wasn’t real.

Be ready Pomni.. She thought, you're about to see the first person who understood you in this.. circus..

Abel snapped his fingers and Gummigoo fell down on the ground in a lying position.

Gummigoo grumbled as he grabbed his head.

“Gummigoo..?” Pomni said quietly.

He grumbled again, “Lad’s I told ya’ not to wake me up-“ he stopped when he opened his white eyes, and saw Pomni’s legs.

He immediately shot up off the ground as he caught his hat from falling off. He stared at Pomni with hollow, wide eyes.

“P-Pom Pom..?” He finally said.

“Unfortunately..!” she said as she opened her arms as she awaited the hug.

“POMNI!” Gummigoo yelled at the top of his nonexistent lungs and grabbed Pomni from underneath her arms as he slung her around in the air. He did eventually pull her into a tight bear hug.

“Missed you too..!” Pomni said as she struggled to breath.

“Oh, sorry Pom Pom.. I kindaa forgot how strong I was..” Gummigoo said as they just smiled at each other.

But then, suddenly, Gummigoo’s eyes went hollow as he looked at Pomni’s state.

“What happened to you Pom Pom..?” He said as he kept turning her around as he saw her extra abstracted eyes and the black ink-like-goo around parts of her body.

Then Gummigoo looked around at where they were, “Crikey.. where even are we Pomni..?”

“Heh..” she laughed as she tried to keep it in, “it’s a lot to explain.. but I promise, nothing can take us apart now..”

[ ERROR//: ERROR ]

[ CLASSIFIEDINFO//: DO_NOT_CONTINUE ]

[EXTRALOAD//: Ragatha_POV ]

Ragatha looked where the cellar hole was. She kept staring at the floor as she hugged her knees up to her chest. It was night time.. the night after Pomni abstracted. They had already had her funeral, but Ragatha left early and went to where the cellar was in the circus.

Ragatha had found abtracted Pomni in her room. She had gone to check on the jester due to the screaming that she heard.. but, she was too late..

Pomni turned into a raging beast already..

Ragatha had that little moment with Pomni when she got her mind back for a minute.

She kept replaying those moments in her head.

Ragatha ran from Pomni in the hallway, then chased her until they both got behind the stage where Pomni had pinned Ragatha to the ground. Then, Pomni got her mind back and they had their little moment of clarity before the curtains opened and Pomni threw Ragatha off the stage.

While Caine faced Pomni, Zooble, Gangle, and Kinger helped Ragtha up with Jax watching from behind them.

Pomni, now with no mind, rushed towards Caine, but the ringmaster easily picked the abstraction up, opened the cellar, and dropped Pomni in.

“NO!” Ragtha yelled as she ran to the cellar hole and reached her hand down in the hole for Pomni to grab ahold of.

“Ragtha!” Zooble yelled as Ragatha felt ribbons and hands pull her back so Caine could close the hole.

Now, ever since lunchtime, Ragtha has been staring at where the cellar opening was.

She wished it could have been her..

Why Pomni of anyone?!

SHE WAS BRAND NEW!

SHE HAD A WHOLE F(boink!)N LIFE AHEAD OF HER!

WHY COULD IT HAVE BEEN ME-

“Dolly..?” A voice said from behind Ragatha. When the rag doll looked back, she saw a familiar purple rabbit with yellow hands and eyes, and a pink overalls.

“Go away..” Ragatha mumbled as she turned back to where the cellar opening was and buried her face in her arms. “I don’t want to hear your sh(splat!)t jokes..”

Jax was taken back by Ragtha’s swearing. The sweet and optimistic girl barely ever swore.

“No.. your obviously depressed by Pomni..” Jax said as he slowly got down beside Ragatha and criss-crossed closely, but not too close, to her.

“I know how it feels.. Rags..” he said quietly. Ragatha turned her one eye to look at him.

“After Kaufmo abstracted.. that night of the funeral, I couldn’t stop crying in my room.. he had helped me when I first appeared in the circus.. and I just turned my back on him and acted like a jerk to him..

“Now he’s gone.. and I’ll never get to say the most important words I wished I had said to him..” Jax sniffled and wiped away one tear, “I’m sorry…” his voice started to break.

Jax sucked it in a bit and turned to Ragatha, who was now looking at the ground again.

“Listen.. I didn’t expect it either. She seemed to be adjusting, but I guess it got too much for her” Jax said as Ragatha hugged herself tighter.

“I know this is out of character for me not to be a jerk.. and I have no clue where Pom is now.. but I’m sure she’s still thinking about you. She pushed you away to protect you from Caine… and herself..”

Jax scooted closer to Ragatha, “I’m sure she’s thinking about you right now.. and how she wishes she can be with you again..”

Ragatha had been quiet for a while, so Jax peaked at her face to see her crying.

Jax sighed “Come’ere” he said as he stretched his arms out wide.

“What..?” Ragatha said as her voice kept breaking.

“Listen, I’m giving you comfort right now. I will be changing my mind in 3.. 2- AAÆÆH OK!” Jax yelled as Ragtha pretty much fell right on Jax’s chest.

He slowly wrapped his long arms around the rag doll as he began to rub her head.

He hummed a song someone used to sing to him in the real world before the circus, if only he knew their name..

“What’cha singin..?” Ragatha asked sleepily.

Jax chuckled. “It’s called Rag Dolly. Thought it fitted perfectly with your avatar..”

Ragatha laughed as she fought to keep her eyes open, “yeah.. it.. doess…” and Ragatha was out.

Jax smiled and laughed a bit as he gently picked the rag doll up and carried her to her room.

Once he laid her on her red and blue quilted bed, he turned to walk away when a soft hand grabbed his wrist lightly.

He looked down to see Ragatha, still asleep, smiling as she slowly breathed in and out.

“…Stayy…..” Ragatha slurred.

“Heh, all right Doll Face, but just this once..” Jax whispered as he sat down beside Ragatha’s bed, and fell asleep while holding the rag doll's hand in his own..

#tadc pomni #tadc gummigoo #tadc gangle #tadc caine #tadc jax #tadc ragatha #tadc kinger #digital circus #tadc #tadc episode 3 #tadc fanfiction #Tadc khlash au #Tadc zooble #ITS FUCKEN FINISHED AHHHHHHHHHHHH #tadc queenie #tadc abstraction

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wherethefireliliesgrow · 2 years ago

Text

Clerestory Rendezvous

Yoo Jimin x Reader

GENRE: bittersweet, fluff

TYPE: One Shot

Karina, her collar pulled up to shield herself from the chilly November air, hastened her steps along the stony road toward the cathedral. The drizzling rain intensified the coldness, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms beneath her thin sweater. She inwardly cursed for forgetting to bring an umbrella, but quickly adjusted her golden locks under her baseball cap and ascended the final set of stairs with determination.

Karina was in France for the week, as part of AESPA's world tour for the European leg. With Gislle's help, she managed to slip away from her manager's watchful eyes and embarked on a solo train journey from Paris to Lyon. While Karina had a genuine love for Paris, she had grown weary of the constant red carpets and the intrusive camera flashes that followed her everywhere she went. Above all, she needed some space away from Winter, her bandmate and former lover. All she longed for was a peaceful escape, where she could remain anonymous for a few days. That was why she found herself shivering in the rain, making her way towards another captivating cathedral that had caught her attention.

Standing in front of the towering wooden doors of the cathedral, Karina drew in a breath in awe.Despite the early hour, the darkness of the approaching night seemed to envelop the limestone structure, enhancing its celestial beauty. The warm glow of candlelight danced on the reflective stone walls, while hushed prayers reverberated throughout the sacred space.

Karina settled onto the smooth wooden bench at the front of the cathedral, her hands instinctively finding their place on her chest as she prepared to immerse herself in a sincere prayer. Her gaze wandered upward, drawn to the mesmerizing play of muted colors that scattered through the clerestory windows above. The ethereal light painted the stone walls, infusing the space with a captivating warmth that seemed to beckon her deeper into the sacred embrace of the cathedral.

With every ounce of her being, Karina hoped and prayed for the solace she so desperately sought, yearning to escape the clutches of heartbreak that had plagued her for far too long. As tears traced their path down her cheeks, each droplet carrying the weight of her emotions, Karina tenderly wiped them away, her touch gentle against her dampened skin. It felt as though an eternity had passed, time distorted in the depths of her inner turmoil. Gradually, she allowed her eyes to flutter open, and in that moment, she found herself captivated by a pair of soft brown eyes, gleaming with a mix of curiosity and understanding, on the bench next to hers.

Startled, the owner of those eyes quickly averted their gaze, fumbling with the contents of their backpack in a flurry of nervousness. Karina's pulse quickened, uncertainty washing over her. “Does she know who I am?” She muttered in panic.

But before Karina could rise from the bench, the girl timidly approached her, clutching something in her hand.

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding. It's just that you seemed like you needed this," the girl said softly, placing a packet of tissues in Karina's hands.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Karina scrutinized the unfamiliar girl before her. She appeared to be around the same age, her eyes wide and brown, adorned with delicate dimples that graced the corners of her mouth. Dressed in a cozy white fur coat and jeans, she had an undeniable cuteness about her. Karina couldn't help but be momentarily captivated, momentarily forgetting that she may be unintentionally staring at the stranger like a creep.

You faltered under the intense gaze of the mystery blonde, whom you happened to spot crying during your weekly visits to the town cathedral. As an art student studying in France, you often frequented this particular cathedral to capture the enchanting play of light on its walls.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable," you apologized again, breaking Karina out of her trance.

"No, it's fine. Thank you for the tissues," Karina responded with a warm smile, causing your heart to skip a beat at her effortless beauty.

With her finely sculpted features, luminous eyes, and cupid's bow lips, Karina seemed like the most magnificent sight to behold in the Musée du Louvre. She appeared almost too perfect to be human, but her gentle smile and tear-stained face served as a reminder of her humanity.

You bit your tongue, feeling slightly self-conscious, and shifted your gaze to the marble floors, averting your eyes from the angelic figure before you. After a brief moment of contemplation, you reached into your pocket and pulled out a small folded piece of paper, placing it in Karina's hands. Confusion flickered across Karina's face as she gingerly unfolded the paper.

To her surprise, it revealed a sketch of her side profile, captured in the act of gazing at the clerestory windows through the lens of her film camera. Though rendered solely in pencil, the drawing was truly captivating. It skillfully portrayed the melancholic expression on Karina's face, capturing her soft features and the essence of her being. The picture seemed to convey a thousand words, telling Karina's story.

"I'm an art major," You explained awkwardly, attempting to justify yourself and prove that you weren’t just a creep but rather someone with an obsession for capturing the beauty of art.

"Usually, I focus on architectural design. Figure drawing isn't really my forte, but you are perfect for it."

Karina raised an eyebrow and playfully smiled, "I'm perfect, huh?"

Blushing, you stumbled over your words, "I m-mean, perfect for capturing in artworks. You look like you have thousands of stories to tell."

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss..." Karina trailed off, expecting you to fill in the blank.

"Y/N. My name is Y/N," you replied.

Karina found the way you said your name so effortlessly comforting. Unlike her stage name, which felt like a heavy burden, the way your name rolled off your tongue seemed light and carefree. It made her realize how much she longed for that kind of simplicity.

"Well, Miss Y/N, can you sign the picture? I'd like to brag in the future that I met one of the most famous artists in the world," Karina grinned, although her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

You laughed and signed your name on the back of the paper. "What's your name?"

Karina hesitated, unsure whether to reveal her true identity. Even though you seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't be affected by her fame, she still wanted to keep it hidden.

"Jimin," she said, opting to give her Korean name.

"Jimin," you repeated with a smile. "I like your name."

Karina had never been particularly fond of her name, considering it too ordinary. But hearing you say it, with a hint of an accent, made it sound more intimate and endearing.

Before Karina could respond, a soft buzz from your phone interrupted the comfortable silence. You checked the message, grabbed your bag, and turned your attention back to Karina.

"I have to go. It's been very nice meeting you, Jimin," you said, extending your hand.

"You too, Y/N," Karina replied, clasping your hand in hers and shaking it gently. "Thank you for the picture. I really like it."

You shyly shrugged and began to walk away. However, after a few steps, you suddenly stopped and looked back at Karina.

"I hope you find your happiness," you said sincerely. "Whoever or whatever is making you cry alone in a foreign cathedral, it will pass."

Karina sat there in silence for an hour, pondering over the words you had spoken. She knew she deserved happiness, and she understood that her journey with Winter had come to an end. The fame that came with being an idol often left her feeling isolated and detached from the world. She was unhappy and lonely, but she had to conceal her emotions behind a mask of makeup and smiles.

It was pouring by the time Karina decided to leave the cathedral. The rain fell relentlessly from the night sky, as if the heavens themselves were shedding tears for her misfortunes. She stood in front of the towering wooden doors, feeling a mix of annoyance and despair.

Finding a place to stay without ending up drenched seemed like an impossible task. Frustrated, she paced back and forth for a few minutes, attempting to call an Uber but to no avail. Just as she was about to give up, a beaten-up faded blue truck pulled up, its headlights illuminating the church courtyard like a guiding light.

You swung open the truck door, umbrella in hand, and rushed towards Karina. She was pleasantly surprised, thinking that their brief encounter earlier in the day would be the last time she would see you.

"I noticed you didn't have an umbrella with you today," you panted, brushing raindrops off your jacket as you shielded Karina from the downpour.

"The rain can get pretty heavy towards the end of the year, so it's always a good idea to have one handy."

"Thank you," Karina murmured gratefully. She was taken aback by the kindness you were showing a stranger you had just met.

"Do you need a ride?" you asked, noticing that she had the Uber app open on her phone.

"It's okay," Karina shook her head, not wanting to impose any further. "I'm trying to catch an Uber."

"Getting an Uber here can be quite difficult. It's quite far from downtown Lyon," you explained, patting her shoulder to ease her nerves.

"Come on, I'll drive you to your hotel."

"I actually haven't booked one yet," Karina admitted, shivering from the rain.

Her clothes were soaked, and water dripped from her golden locks.

"It's fine. I can lend you some dry clothes first," you said, tugging the taller girl towards your truck, hoping silently that you weren't making a terrible mistake.

"Please don't be a serial killer. Please don't be a serial killer," you prayed in your mind.

It was unlike you to offer a ride to a stranger, let alone invite them into your home. But Jimin seemed like a nice girl, albeit a sad one.

You turned up the heat in your truck and reached under the car seat for a blanket to cover Karina.

"So..." you began, trying to break the silence as you carefully maneuvered through the dark, winding country roads. The rain continued to pour relentlessly.

"What brings you to Lyon?"

"Just to rest for a few days," Karina replied vaguely.

"How many days are you planning to stay? I can recommend a few places," you offered.

"I'll be here until Saturday, then I leave for Paris," Karina replied.

"Ah, the day after tomorrow," you nodded, squinting your eyes to see the road better. "Are you traveling alone?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Karina turned her body to face you. "Are you planning on abducting me?"

"What?" you spluttered, taken aback by the unexpected remark. "No! I just wanted to make sure you'll be fine."

Karina's laughter tinkled like music, her head thrown back in a melancholic yet beautiful display. She seemed like a damsel in distress, but you knew deep down that she was not someone who needed saving.

After half an hour of driving, you finally arrived at your flat in the city. It was a small two-bedroom apartment near your university, where you spent most of your days drawing until the sun rose, often with a glass of wine in hand as you raced against deadlines.

Karina followed you as you climbed a short flight of stairs to the second floor of the building. Your flat, although small, felt cozy and inviting. Art pieces adorned the walls, and various art supplies were scattered across the kitchen island. A small TV and a gray cushioned couch were positioned near the balcony door, while a large bookshelf filled with books occupied an entire wall.

You led Karina to your room. "You can find some spare clothes in my closet. The bathroom is down the hall."

Karina flashed you a grateful smile and slipped into your room to change into dry clothes.

With a sigh, you shrugged off your jacket and made your way to the kitchen. The exhaustion on Karina's face was evident, with dark circles under her eyes and a melancholic expression whenever she fell silent. Taking a look inside your fridge, you were relieved that you had gone grocery shopping the day before.

You decided to prepare a comforting meal of Bibimbap, guessing from her accent and mannerisms that Karina might also be Korean. Hoping to alleviate any homesickness she might be feeling, you set about making a traditional Korean dinner, accompanied by a bottle of French wine for a unique experience.

"It smells really good," Karina's soft voice echoed from behind you.

Turning around, you saw the taller girl wearing your thick university hoodie and sweatpants. She had removed her makeup, and the tips of her hair were slightly damp from the shower. You couldn't help but stare, finding her adorable and warm in your clothes, creating a sense of home.

"Thanks, I thought you might appreciate something familiar," you replied with a smile. Despite her towering height, she seemed small and vulnerable. The sadness in her eyes never seemed to fade, even when she laughed.

"Feel free to look around. The food will be ready in ten minutes."

Karina nodded and squeezed your arm in gratitude before wandering off to explore the living room. Being an avid reader, she perused your extensive bookshelves until she stopped at the end.

"You listen to Taeyeon?" she exclaimed, holding up an album by Taeyeon. "I thought you'd only listen to classical music or something."

"That's a bit stereotypical," you chuckled. "I actually stumbled upon her singing on the streets of Berlin during a show a few years ago and was immediately captivated by her talent. That girl can sing."

"Yeah, she's really talented," Karina agreed, gazing at the album cover of Taeyeon's album.

It felt surreal to her that she had lunch with Taeyeon just a few days ago, and now she was on the other side of the world conversing with one of her fans.

"And pretty too, just like you," you added. "You both have a similar aura."

Karina felt her face grow warm, quickly diverting her attention back to the bookshelf.

"Yeah, our company has a particular taste," she mumbled.

"Huh? What?" you asked, not catching her words clearly.

Shaking her head dismissively, Karina replied, "Oh, it's nothing."

It was a close call for Karina. She mentally scolded herself for almost revealing her connection with Taeyeon. You seemed observant, likely due to your artistic skills, and she didn't want to inadvertently disclose too much information.

Karina helped you bring the food out to the balcony, where a wooden table and chairs were set in the middle, along with a cozy bean bag chair in the corner and string lights adding a touch of charm.

The food you had prepared was delicious, and it made Karina long for home even more. Despite being extroverted, she rarely felt comfortable opening up to people so quickly. However, in your presence, she felt a calming effect, as if you made her forget the painful things that often plagued her thoughts.

Before she knew it, after three glasses of wine, Karina found herself pouring out her troubles to you. She rambled about a failed relationship, her head resting on your shoulder as you sat together on the bean bag. She waved her glass of wine emphatically as she spoke.

"How could she leave me for someone else when I gave her everything?" Karina slurred, sniffling from both tears and the cold.

You hummed in agreement before getting up to fetch a blanket for the drunken blonde.

"No, don't leave me!" Karina pouted. "Everybody leaves me."

Chuckling, you assured her, "I'm just getting a blanket for you." Her adorableness touched your heart, and the sight of her feeling so insecure and hurt awakened your protective instincts. You couldn't fathom why anyone would intentionally break her heart.

"If you come back safely, I'll give you a kiss," she declared, nodding to herself.

"It's best to save your kisses for someone you genuinely like," you laughed nervously, your heart fluttering at her words.

"I like you. You're so pretty and nice," Karina slurred, tilting sideways and giggling at you. "I'm a very good kisser, so it's a win-win situation."

Laughing again, you bent down to gently tuck her hair behind her ears. "You will find your happiness. If someone makes you break down in front of a stranger, seeking affirmation, then they're not worth your tears."

After rummaging for a spare blanket, you returned to the balcony only to find Karina fast asleep. Her head drooped with a half-empty glass cradled in her chest, her tears glistened on her pale cheeks under the now clear night sky, and the moonlight reflected on her halo of blonde hair.

"It's unfair how someone can be this beautiful even when they're drunk," you whispered to yourself, approaching the sleeping girl and carefully carrying her to your spare room.

Karina felt the sunlight on her face when she woke up. She kept her eyes closed and hummed in satisfaction at how comfortable she felt. It had been a while since she had slept so well. As she lay there for a few seconds, she suddenly realized that this wasn't her bed, and she couldn't recall going to a hotel. Panic set in, and she sat up quickly, scanning the room for any signs of danger.

The room she found herself in was cozy, with clean white sheets on a soft bed and a fluffy pillow that bore the imprint of her drool (she was a messy sleeper). Despite its small size, the room was meticulously decorated, with a polished desk and mahogany wooden closet doors. The scent of soft flowers and oil paint lingered in the air, a scent that reminded her of you.

You.

Groaning, she buried her face in the bed at the thought of you.

Yesterday, she had lost control and unloaded all her troubles onto you. She couldn't remember much, except for the way your eyes softened and how you wiped away her tears with your warm hands. She recalled feeling a tingly sensation when your eyes met, and she couldn't shake off the memory of wanting to lean over and kiss you. Being drunk was definitely a wrong move, and now she was experiencing a pounding headache from the hangover.

A soft knock came from the door, accompanied by your gentle voice, "Jimin? Are you awake? Can I come in?"

Karina quickly composed herself, sitting up straight and fixing her hair.

"Yeah, come in," she replied, clearing her throat a few times to dispel the sleepiness in her voice.

You entered the room with a plate of food in your hands and placed it gently on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" you asked, your eyebrows furrowed with concern. "I got you some medicine for the headache."

Karina squeezed your hand gratefully as she swallowed the aspirin with the water on the tray.

"Sorry for making you uncomfortable yesterday," she fidgeted, picking at the blueberry muffin you had prepared for her. "I'm normally not such a lightweight."

"You didn't," you assured her with a smile, sitting down next to her on the bed.

"I actually quite enjoyed your impromptu performance of Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance.'"

She groaned in embarrassment, and you couldn't help but laugh at how she could look so much like a little girl at times, especially when her playful side emerged.

Karina was captivated by your laughter, with your head thrown back and the silver frames of your glasses slipping down your nose. She thought you looked incredibly beautiful with your hair tied up in a bun and wearing an oversized sweater with shorts. She enjoyed the way you treated her, so gentle and kind, without a care in the world. She knew it was likely because you didn't know who she was, and she wanted to preserve this simplicity a little longer. Her heart unexpectedly yearned for you, and it left her both confused and happy.

"Spend the day with me," Karina blurted out.

"I mean, could you take me to some good places in Lyon? I could use a tour guide."

You raised an eyebrow at her sudden invitation. "Where did the mysterious brooding stranger from yesterday go?"

She gasped playfully, feigning offense. "Excuse you, I was not brooding. And I actually just wanted you to be my Uber driver."

You pushed her playfully, causing her to fall back onto the bed.

"Finish your breakfast and get changed. Your bags are in the closet."

The two of you headed to Parc de la Tête d'Or, your first stop—a beautiful garden with a lake and a small zoo. Karina had expressed her desire to go somewhere she could practice her photography, so you thought this would be the perfect place. It was one of your favorite spots, as you had spent countless hours there during your first year of college for one of your classes.

Karina was like a kid in a candy store, excitedly exploring and jumping around, eager to see everything. She took so many photos that you worried she would use up all her film before noon. It brought you joy to see her mood lifted, no longer carrying that haunting look in her eyes. She looked even more beautiful like this, if that was even possible—carefree and happy. You knew that your friendship was temporary, as Karina would be leaving for Paris early the next morning, but you were glad that you could bring a genuine smile to her face, even if only for a little while. You cared for her, perhaps even more than you should.

"Hey Y/N!" Karina called out from behind you, her voice filled with excitement.

Turning around with a smile, you were met with the sight of Karina snapping a photo of you.

"Hey!" you protested, realizing she had been capturing moments of you throughout the morning.

"What? I like to take photos of pretty things," she replied smoothly, taking your hand in hers and tugging you toward the lake.

You couldn't help but feel your ears heat up at her comment and the sensation of her warm hand interlocked with yours. She definitely wasn't making it easy for you.

After some persistent begging, Karina managed to convince you to go on a paddle boat with her. You had always been hesitant because of your limited swimming abilities, but her pouty face was impossible to resist.

"If you fall into the water, I'll save you," she said with a wink, exuding confidence in her flirting. "You could be my Lois Lane."

Her words sent your heart racing, and you knew you had to get used to her flirty manner. True to her word, when the boat nearly tipped after hitting a rock, her arms instinctively wrapped tightly around your waist, pulling you close. The combination of her breath on your neck and her ear-piercing screams sent goosebumps down your arms. You convinced yourself it was the latter that caused the reaction.

The next stop was Croix-Rousse. Karina spent nearly two hours tasting everything the market had to offer. It amazed you how someone so slim could consume so much food. You loved the way her eyes lit up with excitement when she discovered a new dish, so you ended up buying even more just to see her happy.

"Look!" Karina called out joyfully, running toward you with two bracelets in her hand. "I got one for each of us."

The bracelets were made of two threads of dark blue string, each adorned with a small silver charm. The charms had the words Le destin décide qui entre dans votre vie, mais vous décidez qui y reste engraved on them.

"Do you know what it says?" you asked, a bit confused about her choice.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "The old lady said it was perfect for us and gave it to me for free."

"What old lady?" you inquired, puzzled, as you hadn't seen any elderly women as you walked through the market.

Karina seemed equally perplexed.

"That... one," she trailed off. "Weird, she was just there."

Shrugging again, she dismissed the thought. "Never mind. Can you put this on? I want to take a picture."

You nodded and helped her put hers on before tying yours around your wrist. Karina happily snapped a photo with her phone, making it her home screen.

"I'm glad I met you," she said, her lips gently brushing against your cheek before pulling you toward the next destination. "I'll never forget this trip."

As the day progressed, you couldn't help but realize that you felt the same way. This encounter with Karina had touched your heart in ways you couldn't explain, and you knew this day would be etched in your memory forever.

After climbing the hills to see the beautiful sunset, you took Karina to one of your favorite restaurants in Lyon. As you ordered fluently in French, Karina stared at you, captivated by your presence. She couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of freedom and joy when she was with you. The pressures of being an idol and the pain of her past relationship faded away, replaced by the warmth and happiness that radiated from your companionship. She knew deep down that you were never meant to be together, but she couldn't help falling for you.

"What are you planning to do when you graduate?" Karina asked, taking a sip of wine.

"Hmm... I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking of visiting my parents back in Korea before finding a job here," you replied.

"You should! I could be your Uber driver when you visit," she suggested playfully.

"Whoa, I didn't know Yoo Jimin could drive," you teased, earning a light slap on your arm.

Unbeknownst to you, calling her by her real name caused a pang in Karina's heart. She hadn't revealed her career as an idol to you yet, and she wasn't sure if she ever could.

Throughout the dinner, Karina couldn't take her eyes off you. She wanted to capture every moment, every detail of your presence in her memory. While she knew that life would go on after she left, she cherished the time she had with you and wanted to etch those memories deep within her heart. You had unknowingly become a source of hope and positivity in her life, changing her perspective on things and erasing her negative thoughts. Above all, she didn't want to forget the warmth and reassurance she felt when your eyes met, yearning to have you in her arms every morning.

The ambiance under the lamp posts as the evening progressed created an enchanting atmosphere.

Karina's eyes sparkled as she leaned in and whispered, "I really want to kiss you."

Your heart pounded in your chest, and the intensity of Karina's gaze slowly chipped away at your self-control.

"What's stopping you?" you replied, unable to resist the magnetic pull between the two of you.

In that moment, Karina leaned over the table, her lips meeting yours. The connection was electrifying, and a surge of emotions overwhelmed both of you. It was as if fireworks erupted, and the scent of her perfume intoxicated your senses. Karina deepened the kiss, pouring all her adoration for you into that single moment, fearing it might be her last chance to express her feelings.

Briefly pulling back to catch your breath, you couldn't help but let out a laugh as Karina whined and tried to pull you back for more.

"Whoa," she breathed, her voice filled with exhilaration.

"It's way better than yesterday," you said.

Confused, Karina looked at you and asked, "Yesterday?"

"Yeah," you replied with a laugh, "You actually drunkenly kissed me yesterday before throwing up. Can't believe I'm that bad at kissing."

Embarrassed, Karina hid her face in your neck, unaware of her actions from the previous night. "You're a really good kisser," she said dejectedly, feeling apologetic. “I’m so sorry.”

"I liked it," you reassured her, pressing a gentle kiss on her temple. "I'd gladly accept any kiss from you."

Karina pulled away from your embrace and looked at you with a serious expression. Her thoughts raced in her mind as she struggled to articulate them into coherent sentences

"I think I’m falling for you," Karina whispered, her voice filled with vulnerability.

You nodded, your eyes reflecting the same sentiment. "As I am for you."

"But..." Karina exhaled, struggling to find the right words.

"But we can't be together," you finished her sentence, understanding the unspoken obstacles that stood between you. A bittersweet understanding passed between the two of you.

Karina's gaze fell to the ground, her heart already aching at the thought of leaving you tomorrow.

"We can't be together," she repeated, trying to convince herself as well. "At least for now."

"It's okay," you reassured her, gently taking her hands in yours. "Even if we have to part ways here, I hope that I've made your little getaway to Lyon worthwhile."

Karina traced the bracelet on your wrist, feeling the engraved letters on the charm beneath her fingertips.

"You make me feel happy again."

"I'm glad," you whispered, your heart heavy with longing. "You deserve the world."

The drive home was filled with silence. Karina held your hand on her lap as you drove, lost in her thoughts. The idea of being separated from you, even for a short while, felt unbearable. After bidding each other goodnight, she wordlessly knocked on the door to your bedroom. Without hesitation, you let her in, holding her close in your arms until sleep eventually claimed her.

The next morning was tinged with melancholy and tearful kisses. Karina didn't want to leave, but she had a performance that night. On the platform, she pulled you into a tight embrace, closing her eyes and inhaling your scent. It was likely the last time she could hold you like this, but she hoped against hope that it wasn't.

"I know this is selfish of me, but will you meet me again?" she asked, cupping your cheek with her hands.

"What do you mean?" you inquired, your heart skipping a beat.

"I'll come back next year, to Lyon." Karina had made a promise to herself last night before drifting off to sleep. She would come back to you, no matter what.

"If you want me to."

"Of course I want you to," you replied, a flicker of hope lighting up your heart. The fact that she wanted to see you in the future lifted a weight off your shoulders.

"Promise me you'll wait for me at the cathedral where we first met," Karina requested, her gaze determined.

You nodded, your commitment unwavering. To be honest, you would gladly follow her anywhere.

"Under the clerestory windows?"

"Under the clerestory windows," she confirmed, her resolve unwavering.

With that, she pulled you in for one last kiss, savoring the taste and memorizing the shape of your mouth before boarding the train.

As Karina rummaged through her bag to find tissues to dry her tear-stricken face, her hand brushed against a rolled-up piece of paper. She unrolled it, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight. It was a drawing of her leaning on the rails, gazing at the sunset atop the Croix-Rousse hill. The beauty of the sunset was perfectly captured with oil paint, the orange streaks scattered across the paper. You had even added jewel-like flecks of gold and yellow on her face, capturing her childlike glow of joy and carefreeness. Was this how you saw her?

Her heart swelled with the feelings she had for you, her heartbeat quickening. She knew deep down that you would be waiting for her, no matter what.

Flipping the paper over, she saw your neat handwriting in the bottom left corner. It was addressed to her.

Jimin,

I hope that when life becomes overwhelming for you, you'll hold onto the memories of the sunset on your face, the echoes of the cathedral bells in Lyon's streets, and the moments we shared to bring you comfort.

You deserve boundless happiness, never doubt that. I'll immortalize you in my art, and perhaps one day you'll come across one of my works when you're feeling down. I'll paint your silhouette everywhere until you no longer feel pain or loneliness.

Le destin décide qui entre dans votre vie, mais vous décidez qui y reste.

Fate decides who enters your life, but you decide who stays.

I hope you choose to stay, Jimin.

P.S. Good luck at your concert. Spicy is my favorite song to work out to at the gym.

Karina dropped the paper in shock upon reading the last sentence. You knew who she was all along, and yet you didn't let it affect your feelings for her.

She grabbed her phone and quickly typed a message to you:

"I'll stay. Wait for me."

"See you during our rendezvous under the clerestory windows."

Jimin was finally happy.

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stardustandash · 4 days ago

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Homegoing

For Lace Harding Week 2025 (Yes I know I am so very late with this)

Day 1: Ferelden - Travelling.

Read on Ao3

Lace can’t help the fond smile that spreads across her face. Despite the greys and the lines in her face, her Ma is still her Ma. “I’m not here to be the hero or tell stories.” “Not even if they come with free drinks from cute people at the tavern?” asks Ma with a wink. “Or did the mysterious Rook you write so much about finally catch your heart completely?” “Ma!” says Lace, indignant. Ma just laughs, the sound merry and ringing. More of the tension Lace has been holding onto for so long leaves her as her Ma laughs. A few heads turn in their direction, but they quickly return to their work. “I was actually thinking, now that the fight is over, all I want to do is go home,” says Lace.

With a deep breath Lace takes the step through the eluvian. The sensation is odd, as it always is. Like stepping through cool water without getting wet. It’s been a month since they defeated the last of the Evanuris, two weeks since Rook recovered enough to get out of bed, and one week since the others began to think about visiting home. Lace had spent that week gathering her courage and stepping through the eluvian now uses all of it.

Lace comes out on the other side in a familiar stone room. Torches light the wall in the small windowless room, yet it doesn’t feel unwelcoming. The floor has a carpet spread across it that she doesn’t remember, and there are vases of dried flowers on small tables. It’s meant to look welcoming. No doubt to ease the minds of those who fled here through the eluvians during the god’s reign of terror and blight.

When Lace opens the door crisp mountain air greets her. It’s been a long time since she was last in these halls, but Skyhold was her home for so long. Part of her heart eases just being here, even if it’s not quite the same as she remembers.

The gardens are packed with people and plants. The Inquisitor always kept up a small garden for the apothecaries. Healing herbs and roots had been all it contained. Now it looks like someone set up a small farm in the courtyard. People are tending it, weeding and watering. Most look like farmers with their sun-worn faces and ropy muscle, and Lace can hear both Orlesian and Ferelden accents being thrown about. Though she wants to stay and watch and take in how much Skyhold has changed, she is here for a reason.

The halls of Skyhold are similarly busy, packed more full than even at the height of the Inquisitor’s popularity and strength. Most of the people here are refugees and there are signs of it everywhere, from the bedrolls tucked into corners to the thin, haggard appearance of the people Lace passes. Despite that the mood is cheerful. The gods are gone, the blight has ended, the people can bask in the peace a while before setting to work clearing the remnants of the blight and trying to restore their lands.

Part of it makes Lace proud. These people are rallying together after disaster and never before has she seen so many Orlesians and Fereldens getting along in one place. If they keep this up then maybe the eternal animosity between the two can at last be forgotten. That would make things easier for Josephine, and probably help the rebuilding process on both sides of the border.

However, part of it makes Lace sad as well. All these people are a reminder of what was lost. Homes, cities, lives. All of it gone because of two ancient elves who believed themselves to be gods. All this destruction, and for what? A world so twisted nothing could live in it. Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain had been so far gone, so twisted by centuries locked in the Fade that they could not see that what they were doing would ruin everything for themselves as well.

That thought accompanies Lace as she makes her way out of the main hall and past the series of tents down towards the stables. She knows that’s where she’ll find what she’s looking for, what she’s desperately missed through the last year fighting the gods.

The stables themselves have transformed since Lace’s last visit as well. There’s more buildings and a few small pens for chickens and goats. Less horses neighing and more cows calling from inside the barns. More for sustenance than war. And yet Lace hardly takes any of it in once she spots the figure in the goat pen, pitchfork in one hand and a wheelbarrow beside her.

“Ma!” cries Lace and she sprints forward without a care.

Ma looks up and it takes her a moment to spot Lace coming towards her but when she does her face splits into a wide grin and she drops the pitchfork to open her arms. Lace vaults the fence and wraps her own arms around her Ma, heedless of the smell of goats and the dirt and manure she’s getting on her. When her Ma envelops her into a hug none of it matters. Not the dirt, not the new Skyhold, not the gods. None of it. Lace feels comfortably small again, wrapped in the same hug from her childhood that told her everything is going to be okay.

“Lace! You’re here at last,” says Ma.

“I finally made it back,” says Lace. There’s a lump in her throat that she has to push the words around. She lifts her head from her Ma’s shoulder and takes her in. There’s more grey in her hair now, and the lines around her eyes and mouth are deeper. She’s still Ma, but the last year has aged her beyond what Lace expected.

“Lets take a look at you,” says Ma. She steps back and holds Lace by the shoulders as she takes her in. Her eyes wander over the new scars on her arms, the cloth at her waist stitched with symbols of her friends, and lastly look into Lace’s eyes as if searching for something.

“I’m alright, Ma. I promise,” says Lace.

“Let me worry, I’m your mother,” says Ma, though the lines around her eyes ease a bit.

“So you’re helping with the livestock here?” Lace begins.

She already knows what her Ma has been doing for the refugees after the Inquisitor rescued her, but she doesn’t know where to pick back up with her Ma. She’s faced down gods and archdemons, but somehow trying to face down her Ma after only being able to exchange little more than worried letters and too-brief visits for a year is worse.

“Yes. It gives me something useful to do. And I miss our farm, this helps a little,” says Ma. “But enough about me, tell me about your friends, your adventures. Everyone will be clamoring for your attention once they know one of the heroes who saved Thedas is here, let me get a little time with my daughter first.”

Lace can’t help the fond smile that spreads across her face. Despite the greys and the lines in her face, her Ma is still her Ma. “I’m not here to be the hero or tell stories.”

“Not even if they come with free drinks from cute people at the tavern?” asks Ma with a wink. “Or did the mysterious Rook you write so much about finally catch your heart completely?”

“Ma!” says Lace, indignant.

Ma just laughs, the sound merry and ringing. More of the tension Lace has been holding onto for so long leaves her as her Ma laughs. A few heads turn in their direction, but they quickly return to their work.

“I was actually thinking, now that the fight is over, all I want to do is go home,” says Lace.

The merriment fades from her Ma until it is replaced by the weight of grief. Home. Lace wants it more than anything. The forests and fields around Redcliff, the scent of horse present in the breeze and apples fresh from the orchard. Ma’s fresh jam on a thick slice of bread. That home has been abandoned for a long while and more than likely destroyed in the spread of blight across southern Thedas. And yet, Lace needs to see it with her own eyes before she can accept that it is gone.

“Lace,” Ma begins. “I know that both I and the Inquisitor wrote to you about the state of home and the south.”

“I know, I know. I just need to see it for myself.”

Ma sighs and pushes a stray strand of hair out of Lace’s face with a careful hand. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“It probably isn’t. But I think I need to do this,” says Lace.

“Then I will come with you. I left everything behind, including that portrait of your Da. My rings. If they’re still there, I’d like to collect them,” says Ma.

It’s more than Lace hoped for and she smiles at her Ma. It’s not going to be a pleasant journey, but it’s one she knows she must take.

A few days of staying out of sight and out of gossip later Lace and her Ma set out on a cart pulled by a strong little pony down the road from Skyhold. They aren’t the only ones leaving, either. People are slowly trickling out of Skyhold with wagons or just packs and a sturdy pair of shoes. Like Lace, others are being called home now that the danger is over. The people they pass wave them on with cheerful greetings and encouragements, but there’s a haunted look they all share.

They follow the road down out of the mountains. The pace is slow even with the pony, as Lace’s Ma hasn’t done as much hard travelling and is unused to the long hours on the road. As they go Lace tells her about the other members of Rook’s team, all the silly details that seemed too insignificant to put in a letter. In return her Ma tells her about life at Skyhold, about how the Inquisitor managed to keep spirits high even in the face of the encroaching blight and the fall of all the major cities in the south, and how the people responded by learning to care for each other in the face of evil.

Slowly the road begins to turn familiar. A broken signpost that should point east to Redcliff, a crumbling watchtower high on a cliff, a waterfall that whispers behind thick foliage. It would be comforting if not for the twisting grey tendrils of the blight that cover nearly everything. Though the blight is still and dead it is present, still a visual reminder of the battle for survival. Lace wants to set it all on fire. Burn it to the ground until the wind can carry the ashes far away and they never have to think of the blight again.

The anger simmers deep in her chest and echoes in the rocks around her. Lace wants the blight gone, wants to find what remains of Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain and use the stone to drag their corpses deep into the earth. A last revenge for the Titans. Let them crush their bodies for a thousand years.

“Lace?” Ma’s voice cuts through the anger.

Lace blinks, no longer echoing with the rage of the Titans. She’s just a dwarf once more. Just a dwarf with a connection deeper to the Stone than any before and no Rook to keep her grounded.

“I’m fine,” Lace says quickly.

“Your eyes were glowing, dear.”

“It’s just seeing the blight here made me angry, and sometimes when I get angry the Stone responds. I’m working on it.”

It comes out a bit harsher than Lace intended and her mother frowns. Guilt bites into Lace with sharp teeth. She didn’t mean to upset her mother, but she doesn’t know what to say to make it better.

The rest of the day passes in silence. Lace tries to keep the anger from bubbling up in her as they pass the blighted remains of farms she once knew. Neighbours she had known since she was a babe had lived here. There is the barn where Lace had her first kiss, now ripped in half by blight bursting through the ceiling. Over there was the farm that had the best pumpkins, its field buried beneath blight so thick she can barely tell it had ever been a farm at all.

At last they turn down the familiar lane towards home. Once their small farm had been home to geese and goats and several work horses, alongside an orchard with the best apples in Ferelden. The barns are gone, blight reducing them to splinters. The orchard still has a few trees left though Lace doesn’t know what effect the blight might have on them. The small farmhouse that sits in the centre of it all remains. One corner has the blight curled around it, but aside from that the house seems like it came through okay.

Next to her, Lace’s Ma lets out a choked sound and buries her face in her hands. Lace reaches out a hand and rubs it up and down her back in what she hopes is a soothing manner. It feels strange, to comfort her mother. Tears prick at Lace’s own eyes, but she can’t identify the emotion in her it as either grief or relief. She’s done it. She’s brought her Ma home. Except it isn’t their home anymore. It’s been taken, twisted and corrupted. Sure, there’s enough to salvage, but it will never be the same again.

With a sigh Lace gives her Ma one last pat on the shoulder and slides off the cart. She can feel the earth beneath her boots more than she ever could in the past and yet she can’t shake the feeling that the ground itself is glad that she’s back.

“Come on, Ma. Let’s see what we can find,” says Lace.

Ma takes a minute to regain her composure but when she does there’s a renewed look of determination on her face. That’s what Lace has always loved about her Ma: that determination to step out of the bad and find the good. It’s what Lace has always tried to learn for herself.

Together they step into the farmhouse. It’s not as bad as it could have been. One corner of the wooden structure has been punched through and dead blight tendrils crawl across the walls and floor around it, but they don’t reach more than a few feet in each direction. The rest of the house is just how Lace remembers it. There’s her Ma’s favourite chair placed just so in front of the fireplace. The portrait of her Pa still hangs on the wall where he can watch over them. Her room is still tidy, bed made with the quilt she and Ma made spread over it. Only a thick layer of dust reveals how long it’s been since anyone last stepped over the threshold.

Lace lets her Ma explore further into the house on her own. Though it’s been Lace’s home as far back as she can remember, sometime in the last decade it’s become more of a memory of home. Home was Skyhold for a time, and now it’s the Lighthouse. She’s always dreamed of one day having her own home, a little cottage somewhere in the Ferelden Hinterlands. Close enough to visit Ma but far enough away to be her own place. This will always be her home, but she has other places to go back to. Her Ma doesn’t.

“It’s not as bad as it could be,” offers Lace.

“No,” says Ma faintly.

“It’s safe to handle the dead blight. I could cut it back and repair the wall, then tomorrow we can get to work on the rest of the farm.”

Ma takes a deep breath in through her nose and lets out a long sigh. Slowly she turns in a circle, eyes taking in everything she can about the farmhouse as if committing it to memory.

“No,” says Ma quietly, eyes at last landing on Lace. “No. While we could carve the blight away, some part of it would always remain as a stain on our memories. I have a place in Skyhold now and a community there. Perhaps one day I’ll come back down into Ferelden proper, but I just can’t see coming back and living here in this house again.”

There are tears in Ma’s eyes and Lace can feel the lump in her throat making it hard to swallow the words. She had been prepared for there to be nothing left, and yet abandoning the farmhouse when it’s still somewhat intact has her all emotional. Not so much for herself, but for the fact that when she pictures her Ma in her mind’s eye it’s in that chair by the fire, or in the kitchen over the stove. This place is so intrinsically tied to her Ma that it hurts to think of her without it. But all Lace can do is nod. She swallows down the threatening tears and puts on the best smile she can summon.

“Okay. What are we bringing back with us then?”

Ma smiles at her. It’s a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. Together they look over the remains of their home and roll up their sleeves. It’s going to be tough, emotional work, but they have to start somewhere.

#lace harding #scout harding #lace harding week #fanfic #fanfiction #dragon age #datv #dav #dragon age veilguard

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dangerousduckcloud · 1 year ago

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Flowerbeds make up for a nice eternal rest

Read it also on AO3

You wouldn’t call yourself amazing at reading people’s faces and expressions, at times misinterpreting them, but the certainty on his voice couldn’t be faked. He was so sure of his words, so convinced, so far up in his delusion he genuinely believed it. Or he’s just the greatest actor of all time. No in between.

Chapter 1 < > Chapter 3

taglist: @kurai-hono-blog

A blur of faces pervades your mind. Memories all being replayed at fast speed, barely able to recognize them. Everything is mingling together, the voices overlapping each other.

Every syllable was like a hammer against your head, increasing in intensity until they died out at once, a faint ringing taking its place and the faces all faded out, leaving behind only a white light.

The light decreased its intensity, but it was still widely covering your sight from whatever was behind it. A blue-ish wall so rough and uneven it looked like stone. From the corner of your eye, you could see a teenager with a domino mask covering his eyes, kneeling next to you with a flashlight on his hand dangling over your face.

The uncovered part of his face was filled with worry, the crease on his brow molding his mask as well.

“Nightwing’s going to kill me.” The teen whispered, more to himself than to you. He bit his lip, a peep escaping him the moment you grabbed his hand to put away the flashlight. A groan left your lips from the pain and your tired eyes were squinting to get used to the light. “Are you alright?”

“Where am I?” Your voice was rugged, and your body was swaying, your trembling hands barely had the strength to turn you around to face the floor. A wave of nausea inundated you, and as much as you wanted to hold it down, your lunch was already on the floor.

The kid groaned, holding a hand over your shoulder. “Oh, that’s not great.” You were still gasping for air, the cold a pain in your burning throat. You fell down on your back again, barely able to miss the puddle next to you.

“Where am I?” You asked again.

“You’re safe. I promise.” You hadn’t noticed the kid leave, but he must’ve done so at some point, cleaning the mess you made with a mope, a poorly hidden wince on his face. His swinging back and forth waving a bright yellow piece of cloth that looked a lot like a cape. “What’s your name?”

“I’m…” You lolled your head towards the voice, your words dying on your throat at properly taking in the kid’s appearance. Despite being still laid down on your back, you did your best to look back, speechless at what you were seeing, googling everywhere and everything that caught your gaze, recognizing a place you knew too well despite never being in there. “I…”

Misunderstanding your silence for confusion, the boy asked again. “Do you remember your name?”

“What?” You sat up the best you could, still needing your hands on the floor to hold you up when a bat flew over your head forcing you to dodge and bringing in another nauseating feeling that you were gladly able to keep inside this time.

The bright blue light coming from all the electronic devices gave the whole place an eerie, otherworldly appearance, the quiet hum of everything a sound you hadn’t picked up on it until this moment and now you weren’t able to ignore it.

The kid, dressed in a familiar red, black, green and yellow suit with a black cape and yellow interior, and a vibrant yellow R on his chest was looking intently at you.

Robin.

Or well, an incredibly good cosplay. Everything from the gauntlets to the chest plate seemed sturdy enough to hold a very strong punch. And you wondered if behind the white lenses of the mask you would find a pair of bright blue eyes.

“Mind if I call you Jane?”

“I’m… I’m not..”

“It’s alright. Just while you remember your name.” Did you pass out and were kidnapped by a weirdo? Was this some prank show? It must be, one with an extremely high budget. The ‘Batcomputer’ alone was the size of a whole wall, several other expensive mechanical gadgets that you couldn’t even understand what they were for surrounding it, and… Was that a giant dinosaur? Is that... the giant coin!? “How are you feeling?”

“Awful.”

“No wonder.” He left the mop on a bucket, holding out his hand and helping you stand up, doing so gradually to avoid another incident. “Jumping from another universe must take a lot on someone. Come, I’ll get you some water.”

Your eyes never left his face, confusion written all over yours. He left your side, and you mouthed the words ‘Jumping? Universe?’ before following him to a small room in the cave you now realized you were in.

Instead of the blue glow the rest of the place had, this area was warmer. A light-yellow shine emanating from the overhead lights. There were two high-end hospital cots beds with infusion pumps next to them, and a wheeled table with medical equipment carefully placed in a metal tray.

Behind you were several cabinets filled to the brim with syringes, gauges, medical tapes, and round vials with unknown liquids. The sterile, clean looks of the place put your hairs stand on end even more than if everything was all gore-y and bloody, the alarms on your brain going on and off for the second time today.

Close to one of the beds was a mini-fridge, where Robin —or what you would call him until he’d tell you his real name— was now leaning over it, taking out a bottle of water and handed it to you.

“Where am I?” You asked for a third time today, carefully eyeing the bottle, only opening once you were sure it didn’t look tampered with. “Who are you?”

“The name’s Red Robin.”

“Your real name.”

“Yeah…” Stopping mid-way while grabbing a bottle for himself, he looked at you over the door of the minifridge, dumbfounded. “I’m not telling a civilian my identity even if you’re from another universe. Probably.”

“I’m not—” Cutting yourself, you examined the boy in front of you. His exposed arms were littered with small scars all over, and the domino mask was covering most of a nasty bruise, only visible now that you were paying attention. A bandaged hand had somehow evaded your notice until now.

Or he’s just the greatest actor of all time. No in between.

The need in you to call of on his bullshit was strong. You didn’t enjoy being taken for a fool, however your survival instincts were finally kicking in, and on the off chance this kid truly was delusional and believed he was Tim Drake, you didn’t want to find out what he would do once he learned you didn’t want to play his game.

So, in lieu of antagonizing him, you opted to focus on the second part of his answer, hoping that showing trust would give you an opportunity to escape whatever this was.

“What do you mean by ‘another universe’?”

Drinking the last drop on his bottle, he threw it to the other side of the room, landing neatly inside a trash can. You’re not surprised to see how much he’s gotten into his character.

“I shouldn’t really discuss this with a civilian, but… Well, you’re involved, might as well fill you in on everything.” He pushed himself from the edge of the minifridge he was leaning on, his hands now on his back, standing straight and walking from one side to the other. He reminded you a lot of a soldier debriefing with a military superior. “Recently, we came in contact with… Foreign technology, nothing we’ve ever seen before. The Justice League captured everyone, of course, but… One of them hit Batman with that thing.”

He led you outside the room to a table next to the Batcomputer, where a gun was resting on it, looking exactly like the guns on sci-fi movies; big, vibrant, and with translucent tubes going in and out the barrel. Several tools laid around in a chaotic mess, and notes hastily scribbled with terminology you couldn’t even enunciate, let alone understand.

“He disappeared.”

His gaze focused on the gun, a soft exhale leaving him. His mask made it difficult to read his expressions, but there was nothing concealing his voice, breaking at the end. Your heart ached for the kid, clearly needing professional attention if he’d convinced himself so strongly of being part of ‘the batfam’ that the mournful display was real. As if he had truly been adopted by the Dark Knight and now was missing.

“And… You think this… ‘Batman’, he might be in my… ‘Universe’?”

“Yes.” The bereft look was replaced by a solemn one, getting back into ‘Red Robin’ mode, taking hold of a screwdriver and dismantling the gun. “So, from what I’ve seen, it utilizes an extremely specific type of energy I haven’t been able to identify, I think it might be a variation of Zeta Beams? But I need to run more tests for that… And this part here, seems to be some kind of a propulsion system, creating an accelerated wormhole of sorts, linking close world lines…”

“You lost me at the beginning.”

“Sorry.” He said sheepishly. “Anyway, about you... I need to make a call.”

Tim, or Robin, or whatever his real name is, left the screwdriver back on the table. With his back turned to you, the temptation of taking the screwdriver and putting it inside your sweatshirt’s pocket was high, but it also was the chances of him noticing it being gone.

Your hand was hovering over the tool, but chose to place it back in your pocket with nothing else, turning around to see where the kid had gone. He grabbed a small plastic thing from the desk of the computer, putting it on his ear. Whatever it was, it apparently allowed him have a hushed conversation with someone else —that is, if he wasn’t pretending to—, listening bits and pieces of it.

Were there more people on this? Was there someone else pretending to be Batman? Nightwing? Oracle?

Red Hood?

“Not sure… She’s a Jane Doe.” You barely heard him say. He noticed you staring, and with a weird smile, he walked away from you. Rude.

Well, it was ruder to listen in a conversation you weren’t a part of. But it did concern you, considering he’s talking about you, while you’re here against your will, with no idea what’s going on, and not knowing if you’re in any immediate danger.

For the moment, you would take the few blessings you were granted, like not being tied up to anything. With no explicit orders to stay where you are, you began exploring the cave, both to be marveled at the intricacy every little thing was made, but also to find a way to escape from this place.

Your plans for an escape route were abandoned when a display caught your attention. Your reflection on the glass became harder to spot the closer you got to the exhibition; several suits inside of it. Pristine, not a single wrinkle in them. All but one.

The snicker you left out at seeing the Discowing suit vanished at seeing one specific uniform that broke your heart.

Burnt and torn, the last Robin suit Jason had worn before his death.

Was it stupid that your mood soured at remembering a fictitious passing of someone that didn’t exist?

You chose to think it was due to the shock you’d felt the first time you found out about it, reading with glee the first comic you’d been able to afford, only to discover the somber fate his character had had due to a simple poll.

“I wish things had ended differently.” The sudden voice surprised you, whipping your head backwards. You hadn’t noticed the moment he’d stopped his call, nor when he’d walked up to the display, standing behind you. “I wouldn’t be here today but… He didn’t deserve it.”

Unsure, you reached your hand towards him in the same way you would do so with a stray cat without wanting to scare him off, but he didn’t cower or tried to stop you, yet your feeble attempt to console the kid wasn’t as warm as you wanted it to, with the coldness of the green shoulder pads keeping you from properly do so.

Your brain was battling your heart over it, one side reminding you that despite being a kid, he still had you kidnapped in who knows where to do who knows what. But it was still pulling strings in your heart how lost and miserable he looked. You wanted to envelop him in the thickest, warmest blanket you could find and keep him safe.

This is it. You’re going to die because you couldn’t stop feeling sorry for your kidnapper. It was like running towards a bear to hug it; being adorable didn’t mean it wasn’t deadly.

What were you supposed to say? Pretend you didn’t know who he was talking about? To reveal you knew he was portraying as a comic book character? Both options felt the right one to you, but neither felt safe at the same time.

However, you were safe from making a decision when a bright, blue-ish light to your left engulfed the cave, blinding you for a second. Where once was a simple, circular metal disk, with a long metal post resembling a giant desk light illuminating it, now a man in a black and blue suit stood there.

And while you were stunned, knowing that there was no one else here, Robin didn’t seemed fazed at all by the sudden appearance of the man, jogging to his side, running his mouth so fast he needed to take a long break.

“Easy, Baby Bird. Is this…?”

“Yeah.”

“Hi.” He faced you. A beaming, calming presence drawing you in with uncertain steps towards them. A dazzling smile that eased all worries and took your focus out of the fact you couldn’t see half of his face, the white lenses more inviting than off-putting. “Name’s Nightwing. You’re Jane, right?”

Your brain was still processing the fact that he seemed to appear out of thin air that you didn’t really register the name “Yeah.. Sure.” There weren’t any hidden doors or latches that you could find to indicate that he’d simply done a magic trick to confuse you. In fact, the crane of the device was too thin to be able to fit someone in there.

“I know all this can be a bit confusing, but I can assure you, we’ll get you back home.”

“How…?” You got closer to the machine, hand idly wandering the cables and buttons lighting up every few seconds. “What is this?”

“A Zeta-Tube.” You vaguely recognized the name from one cartoon you saw a couple years ago. “You don’t have them in your universe?”

“I wish.” You snorted, playing up the game. “Certainly beats using the bus.”

Nightwing chuckled and place a gentle hand on Robin’s shoulder, guiding him towards the computer. He typed in a command that opened up a single file, a photo of Batman taking up most of the screen, along with a text description of what had gone down in their ‘battle’ that had him missing, nothing else of interest to you.

The idea that this was a very lucid dream crossed your mind at one point, yet at seeing the words on screen made you doubt, as you knew that letters should be illegible in your dreams. Still, with a sharp pinch to your arm that didn’t wake you up, you threw the possibility out the window.

“Superman and Cyborg are testing the other guns they secured.” Nightwing spoke, more and more photos of weapons so complex they looked ridiculous and over the top took over the monitor. “But haven’t had any success like you, Little Bird.”

The kid lit up like a Christmas tree, with a small smile on his face and his hair now a mess thanks to Nightwing’s hand messing it up.

It was disconcerting how ingrained the characters personalities had been fused with theirs, how Robin truly acted as if he was the small, abandoned kid the comics depicted; so used to being ignored that the smallest of compliments made his day due to receiving none for most of —if not all— his childhood.

“—Hood’s out of planet.” That name made you pay attention back at them. “He should be back in a few days.”

So far, these people were the exact copy of their characters, and if it was the same with whoever was portraying as Jason… Well, you wouldn’t mind staying here playing pretend.

#jason todd #the red hood #redhood #red hood #x reader #jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #batman #dick grayson #robin #batfam #tim drake #bruce wayne #nightwing #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd x fem!reader

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