#i had to draw miss beloved no matter what

[breathinginsulfur]

today i give you a slightly oversaturated miss beloved fanart. enjoy!

(scurries away mischievously)

[ambrosiagourmet]

Rin Masterpost

Rin! Rinsha Fana! Beloved side character I think about far too much (or maybe not enough?)

I decided that it might be nice to put together an informational post about Rin, since she has some of my favorite background details of any character in Dungeon Meshi. This is partly as reference for myself, and partly for anyone else who might be interested in her but not know where to chase down the tidbits we we get of her, both in canon & extra materials. There’s also a little bit of theorizing and analysis sprinkled in for fun.

If anyone spots something I missed, please let me know and I will add it in!

Alright. Time for ultimate #rinposting

History and Timeline:

We don't have an official timeline for Rin (even in the expanded Adventurer's Bible, sadly), but we can put a lot of pieces together based on Kabru's timeline & their respective ages.

Rin is 2 years older than Kabru, and they met when he was 9. Assuming that he met her soon after she was taken to the elven capital, that means that the elves took her when she was 11.

Before that, she lived on the Northern Continent. Interestingly, when Mickbell asks about Shuro, Rin says she was born "here."

Since "here" doesn't mean the actual Island itself, it must mean simply "not the east." She is described in the Adventurer's Bible as having "no real knowledge of or attachment to the East," so maybe that's why she draws a "there" verses "here" line.

I'd also like to add a note here that the elves don't seem uh... they don't seem great about respecting the value of other cultures, especially those of short-life species. Milsiril seems to have discouraged Kabru from eating or remembering food from his hometown, at least, and that's even as an adoptive parent who cares (at least in some way) for her child. As I will touch on later, the "care" that Rin was under probably had even less respect for her history or ties to either Eastern or Northern culture.

That is all to say, considering that Rin spent many years with the elves, I'd take her having "[no] attachment to the East" as more of a comment on how she feels now, and less as a definite choice she made. She may genuinely have chosen that approach and opinion for herself, she may have been pushed towards it by the elves, and she may have had little choice at all in the matter - all are valid interpretations, though I personally lean towards the thought that it's unlikely the elves didn't have at least some hand in it.

Anyway, Rin does seem to know at least a bit about her heritage - she can presumably name and identify the specific island her parents are from, and she recognizes that "Shuro" isn't a name used there. She also knows that different places from the Eastern archipelago speak different languages, so she knows at least a little about the other islands as well.

Some additional extrapolations I'll make based on these facts: she never mentions, and probably isn't in contact with, any family from her island. This may be because her extended family died, because her parents didn't (or weren't able to) maintain contact, or because she lost contact when she was taken by the elves. Somewhat relatedly, she also prooobably doesn't speak the language, at least not fluently, though her being able to comment on the state of language in the archipelago makes me think that she at least learned a little as a kid.

Anyway, Rin's parents were refugees from the archipelago, though we don't know what specifically caused them to leave. There is this little tidbit of info we get (from the cover of chapter 48, of all places), though:

So yeah, that seems like it would be the backdrop of Rin's parents fleeing. As I said earlier, it's unclear if Rin might have any living family left back on her island. The listing she has for “family” in the Adventurer's Bible is just a dash, but so is Izutsumi's, for instance, and we know that she was taken from her family with no knowledge of who might still be out there. It's possible everyone else was killed, it's possible they were separated... it's possible that Rin's parents didn't even know.

As an additional note, and this is speculation on my part, but I think there is an argument to be made, with this tidbit from the cover as well as the Nakamoto clan's specialty in espionage and use of ninjas, that the politics of the archipelago are partially based on Sengoku era Japan. Not necessarily super relevant here, but I think it's interesting context for all... of the archipelago characters, honestly.

(Especially considering it seems like the Nakamoto clan is in a relatively comfortable position, and yet clearly are involved, or at least prepared to be involved in larger conflict. How stable is their position, really? How is Shuro's father viewed by the wider region and archipelago as a whole? What about his lord? NOT THE POINT THIS IS A POST ABOUT RIN. BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT.)

Okay, back to Rin's parents.

Whatever caused them to leave, they made their way to the north, where they made their living with their magic for a time. There are no specifics about what kind of magic they used, but we know at least some examples of jobs that magic can get you, based on the flashback to Laios and Falin's childhood in chapter 26. Laios proposes that Fain could use her magic to be a priest, gravekeeper, or wandering exorcist. Though these are specific to Falin's affinity with spirits, they give some idea of the shape of the work that might be available. It's important, but it is also on the outskirts of society - not necessarily admired or appreciated by the average person.

And Rin’s parents were killed by vigilantes for that magic. It's not entirely news that superstitious villages in the area would sometimes kill magic users - we see a small drawing of people being burned at the stake in a panel towards the end of the manga:

Nonetheless, Rin is the only person in the main cast who has experienced this brutality firsthand. And she did experience it firsthand, having been found by the elves as the sole survivor within the burnt ruins of her home.

It is unknown exactly how she survived, or what happened to her parents before and during the fire. Rin lived, and they did not.

The elves came some time after the fire, intending to investigate reports of ancient magic. They (and we) don't know if Rin's parents actually did use ancient magic, or if the reports and murders were simply spurred by general fear and superstition. Rin was the only piece of "evidence" that remained, and so she was taken back to the west with the elves when they left.

We don't know much about her time on the Northern Central Continent (where the elves/Canaries are based), but it doesn't seem like she was adopted or taken in by anyone the way that Kabru was. According to the Adventurer's Bible, after being taken into custody, "under their care she was treated as a captive animal would be." I would guess that means very basic food and shelter, little to no education. Probably the most social contact she got was from Kabru, as well as maybe, occasionally, from elves treating her as a curiosity, such as in this bit in the Adventurer’s Bible:

Assuming she left with Kabru (which seems like it is the case, there's no info about them having separated during that time), she spent 9 years with the elves, and has been with Kabru on the Island in the 4 years since then.

She also stays in the Golden Country after the end of the story, apparently working as an alchemist.

Additional Details (& Speculation):

What does she remember of her family and home?

I'd like to take a moment here to explore a little of what Rin might remember of her parents and home.

For reference, we can look at Kabru. The canaries came to Utaya when Kabru was 6, and he arrived in the capital when he was 7. He remembers the events of the tragedy in his home, and has some memories of his mother and life in Utaya, including memories of local dishes.

Rin lost her parents and home at 11, so she presumably has much clearer memories of the events that lead to her being taken by the elves... or she might, assuming that they haven't been completely blocked by her trauma from the event.

Yeah, I am fairly damn sure that she's got some memory issues from trauma and PTSD. For one, this is the state she was found in:

As already mentioned, she was also treated like something of an animal by the elves. She probably didn't have a lot of contact with other people, which would further perpetuate that sense of isolation and dehumanization. What I'm getting at here is that Rin probably didn't have much to help pull her out of this place, or heal these wounds. She had Kabru, who was also a kid and even younger than her, and she had herself.

Obviously trauma leaves different scars on everyone, and everyone responds and copes in different ways. But I do think it is interesting that we never hear anything about Rin's parents or life before the elves, and there are no real details about it given in the Adventurer's Bible the way we have for Kabru. What's presented is more surface level facts: they were refugees, they made a living with magic, they were killed.

I'm inclined to believe that things are laid out this way because that's how Rin holds on to these things. She knows things about them, but possibly remembers them more as things she was told/knows to be true, rather than actual memories she can picture herself experiencing.

Rin's Magic

In an interesting counterpoint to her potentially spotty memory, I do actually think Rin may have learned magic from her parents (or started learning, and was self-taught from there). She never attended a magic academy, and actually has a bit of grudge against people who did - owing to the social protection afforded to "upper-class mages," which her parents did not have. She also almost certainly wouldn't have been taught by the elves, who not only treated her as an animal but also knew her parents may have been involved with ancient magic.

Falin began to show signs of magical talent at 8, and was sent to the Magic Academy at 10, and that was as someone who had absolutely no guidance about or exposure to magic in her home town. Raised by two mage parents, I think Rin absolutely could have been learning some things by the time she was 11.

In terms of continued learning, I'll add that Rin is able to identify Marcille's magic as being A) from an Academy student, and B) cast by an elf:

This makes me think that she continued to study magic on her own while held by the elves, and probably even more so after leaving with Kabru. They didn't form the party until two years after they left the elves, which would give Rin plenty of time to try and learn from other adventurers on the Island, or to study up on her own. She'd probably be able to pick up some dungeon-crawling basics (like the water walk spell), as well as become familiar with the skill level and expression of skill common in different people with different backgrounds (hence why she is able to comment on the "textbook" academy wards).

Much like Marcille, Rin also seems to rely on a 'one size fits all' Big Boom method of dealing with monsters: lightning. We see the best example of its power in the fight with Chimera Falin:

But we also see her cast it pretty recklessly in a few other places, including the end credits of the new anime ED, which I think provides a good example of the downsides to such an approach...

Yeah, it is very much a 'get out of the way or get zapped' spell.

Especially since Marcille's offensive magic is self-taught and works very similarly, this definitely reinforces the idea that Rin figured most of this stuff out herself.

Outfit and Character Design

Dear sweet Rin of the Red And Black... how I love her design.

First of all, her clothes are damaged. Despite the fact that Rin looks relatively well put together overall, her outfit is worn out. I have some theories on why this is that I'll get to in a bit, but for now I'll just touch on what this design communicates in general about it.

I think, just like with Kabru's horribly messy room, it creates a sense that there is something more complicated underneath the surface. Something that isn't being addressed or seen to, just as the dress hasn't been mended or replaced.

It also reflects her not caring a ton about her appearance. She's neat, but she's not concerned about being pretty, so she doesn't bother with fixing up her outfit after her dungeon crawls. This also fits with her perpetual scowl (which I will talk more about in a bit), and slightly disheveled hair.

Next: the gloves. At first I thought they might be a sort of uncomfortable-with-touch thing, but after skimming through the manga and some bonus content, I have another theory. Rin takes the gloves off to eat, as well as a few other instances, such as when working on a spell with Holm and Marcille in chapter 36

This one is especially interesting because she has them on in the next chapter, during the fight with Falin. Since she also isn't wearing gloves during some of the Daydream Hour art of her outside of the dungeon, that leads me to believe that they are specifically for combat.

What does she need them for, though? Most other casters we see don't wear gloves. Well... just look at the other half of the page where she attacks Falin with lightning:

She is enveloped by this spell. I said it before was pretty reckless magic, but maybe its not just a problem for her teammates, but for her as well.

So here's my theory: maybe the gloves are rubber, or some other electricity-resistant material? They might help protect her from her own magic. I don't know why a caster would need gloves for combat otherwise.

I also think this might be why her dress is tattered at the bottom, by the way. Especially since the Daydream Hour genderswap design doesn't have a similar problem with his outfit, since the tunic isn't as long.

I will admit this is a bit of stretch/guess, but I think it's a fun one, and I wanted to share. I do think I'm right about the gloves being for dungeons/fighting specifically, at least. That seems pretty consistent throughout all of her appearances.

I also mentioned her scowl, so I'll touch on that briefly as well. The (fairly confirmed) explanation for Rin's expression is that she intentionally wears a frown to prevent her other expressions from showing through. I think it's important to emphasize that it's not just smiling that she is trying to suppress here - it's any strong emotion:

Anyway, because I can, here is the art of Rin smiling.

Rin and Kabru

I have talked a bit about Rin and Kabru's history, but I think it deserves its own section.

I think it's very interesting that Rin is pretty much the ONLY character in all of Dungeon Meshi that has explicit canonical romantic interesting in someone. It's literally part of the main summary sentence in her character profile.

This could be sort of reductive as a way to describe a female character (and in some ways it still is), but I think in part the simplicity and directness of it actually is part of what makes it so interesting. Especially when on the very next page we see the comic about her backstory. "This mage is in love with Kabru" -> one page of a horribly traumatic event and a child frozen in shock with no one to comfort her. What does that do?

Well, in my opinion, it shows how much Rin focuses on Kabru as something to keep her in the present. In contrast with the immense loss she has experienced, her love for Kabru is current and alive. He has presumably been her anchor for years, and I think that her love is part of that anchor.

Adding to this, in contrast with how explicit her feelings are, she never seems to actively pursue Kabru. She complains about his potential interest in other women, but she doesn't really flirt. She doesn't let herself smile around him any more than anyone else, and she doesn't hide her bitterness or anger from him to present a more appealing persona.

As much as she craves Kabru's attention, and has stayed by his side for years, I don't know that she really wants to possess him. He seems to know about her feelings, more or less, and she seems to know that he knows. Maybe she believes he doesn't reciprocate and is respecting that, maybe she's afraid of what she could lose if she tried to change things, or maybe the change itself frightens her. In any case, though she's not exactly happy with the way things are between them, she doesn't seem to be trying to change that status quo.

A specific thing I'd also like to talk about with their relationship, beyond Rin's love for him, is her fear for him. As the Adventurer's Bible puts it, "she worries that his knack for dealing with whatever life throws at him might lead him to get too full of himself and end up in serious trouble."

Rin is an interesting mix of restrained and explosive, herself. Her magic is destructive, her temper seems to run hot (she gets annoyed easily, at least), and her feelings for Kabru are apparent. At the same time, she doesn't let her emotions show on her face, she is the one who bluntly states that the group has hit the limit of their abilities, and she doesn't act on those obvious feelings for Kabru. It's interesting, then, that what she fears for Kabru is that he won't restrain himself.

And a small personal idea about that as well: I wonder if she somewhat blames her parents for getting killed. Again, this is very speculative, but I think it's interesting that her fear for Kabru is that he will get too full of himself. Take up too much space. It's never really stated what Rin thinks of her parents, but it can be easy in grief to search for control, and control often means blame. If they hadn't been so confident, so flashy, would they still be alive...?

I don't know if she's ever thought like that, and it could well be that her fears for Kabru come from a totally different place. But it's an interesting connective thread between her past and present - the idea of "getting in trouble" for taking up too much space and being too confident in one's own abilities.

Miscellaneous Tidbits:

On that note, I'd like to wrap up the main part of this post, and move on to a few extra things that I couldn't find another place for.

Rin plays with her hair when she's stressed

Using stressed as a pretty big umbrella here, because I think it's hard to perfectly pin down all the emotions at play, but it is a habit of hers. Best displayed in chapter 32, but it shows up in other places, too.

Her design contrasts with Marcille

This is a small thing, but I just love how much they are visual opposites.

Rin wears red and black and has dark hair, Marcille wears blue and white and has light hair. Marcille cares a great deal for her hair and puts it up in elaborate hairstyles, and Rin's is mostly loose and a bit messy. Marcille was even educated at the Magic Academy, which Rin dislikes. They both have little capelets. Also they both look very cute in each other's clothes.

Rin knows Flamela (and they meet again in canon)

Nothing much is done with this in canon, but I think it’s super interesting that Flamela's squad are the ones that find Rin as a child and take her away to the west, and then they end up stuck in the dungeon together for a bit.

Two days??? I'm so very curious what things were like between these three.

Aaaand I think that's all I have to say about Rin! For the time being at least. There's a lot more analysis that could be done about her and Kabru especially, but for this post I wanted to keep things at least somewhat anchored to canon facts, with only a layer or two of speculation on top.

If it isn't already obvious, I think Rin is a super interesting character with a ton of potential depth to explore. She mostly interacts with Kabru in canon, but has ties to a bunch of other characters: she and Marcille fill similar roles in their parties but have differing personalities and histories, she and Falin (and Laios) have been tremendously shaped by xenophobia and fear of magic common in the Northern Continent, her parents fled from conflict in the same region Shuro and his retainers are from, and she has history with Flamela and some of the second canary squad.

Her temper, her fear, her love... her repression and passion - they all inform her character, even in small ways, even with as little time as she spends on the page.

[ponderingmoonlight]

Sharing a bed with Levi for the first time after he came back

Just a little aftercare for this fic (click to read)

You still can’t believe your own luck. After all those years you endured this merciless war underneath the surface, all those years you prayed for your beloved husband to come back. And now he’s sitting next to you in the dim candle light far past midnight while reading through a tower of papers. And you simply cannot bring yourself to let go of him.

How are you supposed to ever let him go again when last time, you didn’t see him for years after?

“You should go to sleep, love. It was a long day”, he gently murmurs into your hair.

Looking up at him through sleep-deprived wet lashes still seems like a dream. Just the feeling of his warmth pressed against yours, his tight biceps between your eager arms, his minty smell you remember oh so well. It really seems like nothing changed.

But the look on his face tells you otherwise. Those dark circles that get enhanced by the dim moonlight don’t lie as well as the worry lines that now decorate his face. There is absolutely no doubt in the fact that Levi went through a lot without you. Your heart clenches uncomfortably inside your chest, arms holding onto him even tighter.

“I was wondering…If you’d mind sharing a bed with me…”, you mutter.

Why on earth are you acting so shy right now? The man sitting next to you is your husband, after all.

Levi lays the paper he just read through aside, hand lifting your chin up ever so gently.

“I don’t remember when I last slept a night, (y/n)”, he admits while putting strands of hair behind your ear mindlessly.

"It seems like I forgot how it works the day I lost you."

Your heart drops to the floor, eyes wavering in nothing but grief. What did he go through without you by his side, what horror did his grey eyes see? Out of instinct, you put your hand into his nape, draw his lips even closer to yours until they finally meet in a tender kiss.

“Let me show you how it’s done, then”, you whisper against his softness before you lift yourself up.

The air in the room around you seems to sparkle while your hand guides him to the plain single bed standing in the middle of the room. Countless nights, you imagined the love of your life back by your side. Countless nights, you tried to remember what his body feels like pressed against yours, his soft breath caressing your cheek every morning.

You let yourself fall onto the hard mattress, the bed not giving in an inch by your weight. Levi soon follows behind, his now dark eyes glued to your face.

“You can’t imagine how much I missed this. Since the day I had to leave you behind, I didn’t allow myself to fall asleep without holding you between my arms when I wake up.”

You feel like crying and giggling at the same time, a sad smile decorating your lips. Oh, how much you missed your husband, how much you longed for sharing a bed with him again.

“But now you can. Trust me when I say I’ll never leave your side again. No matter what. Even if you push me away.”

Oh, how good it feels to press your head against his firm chest, his steady heartbeat making you feel like home.

“I would never push you away, (y/n).”

He wraps his arms around your shoulders and waist gently, pushes you even closer against his inviting body. For the first time since you finally got your husband back, you allow your eyes to rest, to take a break from constantly gazing at him.

Slowly but surely, you feel his steady breath against your forehead, how his firm muscles relax around you just before you yourself get consumed by darkness.

What a bittersweet and tender night it is, finally sharing the same bed with your husband after longing for him countless nights.

[kasagia]

Familiar flame

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova/General Kirigan/The Darkling x fem!Grisha! reader Summary: Aleksander lost his Y/N the day he created the fold. The king's soldiers killed his one true love in front of his eyes. His despair and anger led to the creation of a dark fold. After centuries, Aleksander meets a girl identical to his beloved… her reincarnation. Will he be able to restore your memories? Could he get you back after centuries of mourning you? Or maybe Aleksander finally lost his mind... Nonsense from me: This is request from @morrigan-crowmwell I hope that you like it! ♡♡ And I'm veeeery excited to write your next request! (and to publish it soon ♡♡) P.S. I'm sorry it took me ages again, luckily I'll have a lot more free time now, so I promise it'll get better. 😅 Warning(s): references to reincarnation; Aleksander misses the reader and can't resist her (even if she doesn't remember him); the reader is a bit hysterical; the reader behaves like a little child spoiled by Aleksander; the reader has Aleksander wrapped around her little finger, but he doesn't care; the reader has a panic attack and hyperventilation; de@th mentions; NOT CHECKED grammatically and so on - I wanted to publish it as soon as possible Word count: 9,4k Taglist: @aoi-targaryen @morrigan-crowmwell

"So many centuries on this earth, and you're still a naive, hopeless romantic. Tell me how do you do it, boy?"

Baghra taunted him without even looking up from her dinner. Aleksander growled, irritated by her lack of interest. He slammed his fist on the table, drawing the unfazed woman's attention to him.

"It's true, I saw her! It was her!"

"Aleksander... you must move on." Darkling snorted, jumping up as if burned from his chair. Baghra followed her son as he ran out of her hut, not giving up. If they both had something in common, it was their great stubbornness. "How many times have you seen this girl? You have to realize that she's not coming back. Y/N is dead, Aleksander. For hundreds of years."

"She is here! I danced with her month ago at the ball, you can't tell me I didn't because I remember her face perfectly. It is etched in my mind more permanently than any other memory."

"You wanted an answer to your question. Here it is. There is no such thing as reincarnation, the reappearance of someone on this world. We die once, Aleksander. Once and successfully. So whoever you met yesterday, even with a face that looks like her, is not Y/N. So you'd better leave the innocent girl alone."

The Darkling laughed bitterly, shaking his head. His mother would never see him as more than a small, quick-tempered, silly boy. He should get used to it after all these years.

"You think I'd come to you with this if she was just one of the faces like her? Me and my people have been watching her for a month now, ever since some snobbish nobleman's daughter came back to the palace and turned out to be the only woman I ever cared about in this saint-damn world. It must be her. I don't know how, why, and honestly, I don't care as long as it's really her. Neither should you - as far as I remember you cared for her more than for me."

"Aleksander. I know you loved her, but you have to let her go. People just don't rise from the grave." she tried to reason with him. But he knew better.

It must be you. Somehow the Saints took pity on his tortured soul and returned you to him, and he wasn't going to stay further away from you than necessary.

He will have you again in his life, arms, and bed.

No matter what he has to sacrifice to restore your memories.

"Just as they don't live forever, and yet we do." he growled as he mounted his horse and galloped back towards the Little Palace. He was in for a long night spent in his library, poring over books. If Baghra didn't want to help him, he would find the answer himself.

"You stupid boy..." Baghra snorted, shaking her head in disappointment.

Your death was both the worst and best thing for her son. You would never live as long as they did - your death would have come anyway, just in a less bloody way. Ordinary people were fragile, and their lives were shorter—one breath of Baghra or Aleksander equaled thousands of them. She had no idea why her son was so stubborn about getting you back, even though you were truly reborn. Aleksander would lose you again. Even he couldn't fight death itself and go against nature in such a matter... or so Baghra hoped.

The boundaries that Aleksander wouldn't cross in your name were practically nonexistent.

And she would be afraid of him more with you by his side - the most powerful Etherealki woman this earth has ever seen… a tribrid with the powers of Squaller, Inferni and Tidemaker.

~•♤♤♤•~

It all started a month ago.

Aleksander was at another of the king's balls, circulating among the generals of the First Army, trying to win their favor and consent to a slight modification of their plans. For his and Grishas' benefit, of course.

He would never have guessed that a conversation with General Petrova, the king's irritating, faithful soldier, would bring him more than a headache. It was usually with him that the Darkling had his greatest disputes during war councils.

However, while the general caused him the most trouble of all in the king's court, he was one of the few who respected the Darkling not for his powers, which instilled fear among other soldiers, but for the sake of his tactical, sound thinking.

Never in his life would Aleksander have thought that General Petrova's daughter would be a faithful doppelgänger of his long-dead beloved.

He was stunned as soon as he saw you enter the room.

Anywhere, even on his deathbed, he would have recognised that mischievous twinkle in your eyes whenever you were given full attention. You were a vision. Apparition. A fairy tale that was etched forever in his memory.

And he may have lived many lives, met millions of ordinary people and thousands of Grishas, but this face, the face of his loved one, whom he only met in his sweet dreams and darkest nightmares, had never ever flashed a second of his hundreds-year life. There were no humans even close to your beauty...

And then, after hundreds of years of sorrow, pain, and grief, he saw you again. He was again enchanted by your mesmerising eyes, your sweet, mischievous smile, your tempting lips... He let himself be lost for a while in the view of his beloved before questions started to cross his mind.

How? When? Who is she? From where? Could it really be you? Hundreds of years in pain, only for you to walk casually one day to one of the balls of a king whose ancestor killed you?

Aleksander didn't even notice when you approached him and General Petrova. But YOUR voice, his Y/N's voice, definitely brought him back into the world. Like a strong, vicious slap.

"Father. It was definitely too long." Aleksander almost broke down there. Being so close to someone who looked like you, hearing your voice again in REALITY, smelling the perfume so damn well know to him - the same one which made him lose his mind ages ago for you...

"General Kirigan. My daughter, Y/N. Y/N. General Kirigan, commander of the Second Army." your careful gaze finally met his. And Aleksander was gone.

Saints save him… even those bloody, fucking eyes he would die for were the same….

"It's a pleasure to meet you, General Kirigan." Aleksander couldn't do anything else but reach for your hand and kiss it—something he'd also dreamed of a thousand times, but in his dreams you only used his true, real name. "Your fame extends to the farthest reaches of Ravka. I am glad to see the legendary Darkling with my own eyes." Aleksander shivered as his title spilled out of your mouth. Not with mockery or insult or fear, but flatteringly, strongly… He had to control himself. It wasn't his Y/N… unless…

"I think these aren't very… flattering stories."

"You'd be surprised, General…" Aleksander could feel himself melting under her attentive gaze. The number of long-buried emotions overwhelmed him. And he himself felt his long-forgotten, dead, cold heart come to life again under each of your charming smiles, warm tone of voice, and enticing looks.

Now that he had had the opportunity to look at her more closely, he noticed all the (perfectly familiar) small details.

The way your hair was styled—so that a few strands stand out from your perfectly styled hairstyle, no long earrings, only small pearls that your hair would be harder to get into, delicate jewellery, not flashy like most women's, jewellery that instead of testifying to your wealth emphasised your beauty.

You seemed so familiar to him…

"Do you dance, General?" your question snapped him out of his mind about HIS Y/N.

He didn't dance on such occasions. Never. But he would be damned if he didn't try to find out how far your resemblance to his Y/N goes.

"If you wish, Lady Petrova." he replied with a charming smile, reverting to his image of a confident general of the Second Army.

"Please..." she grabbed his hand. The touch of her delicate skin against his rough made him shiver uncontrollably. He was putty in your hands... but he would be cursed if he let go, if he loses again the one thing that holds him firmly in this world. "Call me Y/N."

"Y/N." he mumbled, leading her to the dance floor. He gripped her securely around the waist, pulling her close enough to be considered appropriate. "I'm dying to see how this one's ends."

"Not only you… general." you peeked at him over those beautifully painted eyelids, biting your lips lightly. Reincarnation, doppelgänger, or real you, you always had to tease him, you always challenged him. And he was more than willing to play that game with you again… even if he wasn't holding his Y/N in his arms.

"Please..." he turned you around to pull you back to his chest. He smiled, remembering how those Y/E/C irises were the only thing that mattered to him hundreds of years ago… he marveled at how they still enchanted him. And having you in his arms again, so close he could smell your scent again… it made him dizzy. "Call me Aleksander." he whispered into your ear, getting close enough not to touch you but to feel the warmth of your cheek against his.

Was it wise to tell you his name? Absolutely not. Did he regret giving himself up to this moment? The answer came to him after a few seconds.

"Aleksander..." your soft whisper made him shiver. The old memories, the ones he tried to bury in his mind, the ones that were both sweetly blissful and devastating, came back to him. Foolish hope rose in him the moment your brow furrowed as if you, too, recognized the significance of what had just happened.

If he'd had any doubts before, he definitely knew now... he was cursed. And he didn't care enough to break this spell you put on him.

~•♤♤♤•~

"Y/N! Rise and shine, you lazy ass!" you groaned, covering your head with a pillow.

"Go away demon. It's too early for anything." you mumbled, snuggling into my comfy bed. You snorted in surprise when suddenly your friend threw herself on your bed and brutally tore the pillow off your head, laughing like a madwoman. "Y/F/N!"

"What have you been dreaming about?" she asked with a sly smile.

"About nothing." you muttered as you got out of bed and walked over to your closet to pick out your outfit for today.

"Yes? Is that why I found you grinning like a psychopath in love and mumbling someone's name? Is there some poor guy you finally like? Who could it be? A soldier? Maybe a nobleman?" you huffed in amusement as you walked out from the wardrobe.

"I haven't gone crazy yet. The world will burn before I voluntarily muzzle myself with marriage."

"Doesn't change the fact that someone caught your eye, does it?" she inquired with a curious smirk.

"Let's go, you hopeless romantic. I believe you dragged me out of bed over that very exciting tea time with the queen." you sighed, knowing full well that this meeting would give you a terrible headache.

"We're going to suffer together, sweetie. But cheer up. Genya will be there. You've liked her company lately, haven't you?"

"She's too good for these royal assholes." you replied, taking her arm and walking out of your room towards the palace gardens.

During that month, you quickly fit into the role you had to play at court. And thanks to your numerous travels, you managed to win enough favour with the queen to become a permanent member of her "group of snobbish noblewomen". You also met Genya, Grisha, an angel among the palace demons who was rather unpopular at court… well, at least not when the queen didn't need her Grisha's skills.

The meeting with the queen dragged on as usual, you couldn't help but wander your mind to your today's dream interrupted by Y/F/N.

"Aleksander!" you laughed, punching him lightly in the chest. "Stop teasing me."

"I don't do anything, milaya." he replied smiling innocently which made you snort. You crossed your arms and gave him a meaningful look.

You were in the little library at his house. (By the way, it's a miracle that he and Baghra found a place for their books in such a tiny hut.) You tried to get to one of the books on the upper shelves, but Aleks had other plans. He stood in front of you, and every time you stood on tiptoe to reach the book, he took the opportunity to grab your waist and pull you into a kiss.

"You do not?" you asked, trying to get to the book, but Aleksander caught your lips in a kiss again. "Aleksander!" you huffed, punching him in the chest with a laugh. "Your mother will kill me if I don't at least start reading this book." you complained, laughing at the smug man. He was so childish sometimes... You squealed as Aleksander suddenly grabbed your waist and pulled you close, burying his nose in your hair.

"I am more than strong enough to protect moya milaya from my bloodthirsty mother." he whispered, placing a tender kiss on your temple.

"Aleksander." you moaned as he moved his lips to your neck. You ran your hand through his hair, giving in to the feeling for a moment, until you remembered what you were supposed to do today. "How about a compromise?"you asked, taking his attention away from your neck for a moment.

"A compromise? And how do you want to negotiate your freedom, lapushka?"

"I'm not blind. I see you're clingier than usual today. Of course you won't let me out of your arms, which I can't really say I'm complaining about… But since I'm about to spend the rest of the day on your lap or in your arms, then you could at least read me the book Baghra told me to learn by heart." he was thinking, rubbing his nose against yours.

"I think I can accept it." you squealed in surprise as he picked you up bridal style, lifting you up so you could reach the book you needed. "But I reserve the right to give you some breaks. As your beloved I've got to make sure my little tribrid doesn't overwork herself." you giggled, making his smile of satisfaction only grow wider.

"What a good and caring lover you are, Aleksander." you teased, knowing full well what the study breaks were for… or rather, for whom.

"Have you ever doubted it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, the sparkle of amusement in his dark eyes only made your mood more up. You loved seeing him so happy, carefree.

"No. Never." you whispered, kissing him with all your love and tenderness…

Such nonsense dreams have plagued you almost every time since you met the general. Visions of his younger self and yours, as if the two of you lived together hundreds of years ago. It also didn't help your plan that, for some strange reason, you felt this... attraction, this desire to be close to him.

You didn't know where your sudden fondness for the Darkling came from, but one thing was certain. You had to get rid of it. And that's before your father presents the king with plans to permanently disband the Second Army and return all the Grishas to the slave system. You couldn't give in to some stupid feeling towards their general... not when everything you and your father had worked for was coming to an end.

"Lady Petrova. You're surprisingly quiet today." the queen has distracted you from the thoughts that have plagued you for weeks. You put on your learned, polite smile.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I'm not feeling well today. I think I have a slight migraine, but it should pass soon, Your Highness."

"You look paler than usual… Genya, lady Y/F/N. Take lady Y/N to the healers." you had to do your best to keep the frown from appearing on your face. This old witch…

"Your Grace." instead, you bowed to the queen and walked away with the two women at your side. You didn't speak to Genya until you were sure you were out of earshot of anyone other than the three of you. "I'm fine, Genya. I just had to get out of there."

"Then I should thank you for saving me from there too." she replied with a smile as tired as yours. "But the queen was right. You looked a little pale earlier. Are you sure everything's okay? I can improve your appearance and cover up those little dark circles under your eyes if you want."

"No need, sweetheart. But if you somehow have power over dreams, it would be really helpful." you joked, knowing full well that Grisha are incapable of entering other people's dreams… though you doubted it after the general's face haunted you at night in those strange dreams.

"It would be great to be able to do that."

"Anyway, thank you, Genya. You can hide somewhere in the palace. You deserve some time off." the woman nodded to you and headed towards the Grand Palace, leaving you and Y/F/N alone in the gardens.

"Okay, what's the matter? What are you dreaming about that you can't sleep? And why are you hanging around Grishas and Darkling lately? You want to settle him down or something?" your friend asked annoyed. You looked around, making sure you two were still alone.

"I'm not going to settle him down. My father wanted me to take care of our strong, dark general. After all, what's the best way to steer a man who doesn't care about anyone but his people, than an affair with a pretty, nobel woman?" you asked with a cunning smile.

You preferred to keep your strange dreams to yourself… at least until you were sure it was just a stupid figment of your imagination and growing teenage crush on a dark general.

"I don't quite understand… so what exactly are you doing with him?" she asked, growing suspicious as you headed towards the Little Palace.

"It's just a game. I charm him with my beauty, spend time with him, and so on, which makes him less interested in the war, and I don't have to put up with my father's complaining about me finally getting married. I serve both Ravka and my own interests. Isn't it wonderful?"

"You'll get burned. Be careful with him. He's a Darkling. If he finds out…" she warned you, slightly scared. You snorted, shaking your head. You looked around one more time before whispering conspiratorially to her.

"Then what will he do to me? It's in his interest to keep our little affair as a secret, the dignity of a man and all that crap won't let him seek revenge openly - he'll only embarrass himself even more. I'm perfectly safe." you replied confidently as you left the gardens. You smiled. According to your plan, the general should leave his palace right now to meet the council. It was your job to make sure he didn't get there… well, at least not for the most part.

"If you say so… But you have to admit, even you, that he's hot."

"That's true... which only makes it more interesting..." you saw Kirigan coming out of the Little Palace with one of his loyal dogs by his side... Ivan or the other, you couldn't remember. You smiled slyly, sensing a good opportunity. "Excuse me."

You didn't waste any time. You immediately approached the general, inwardly triumphant with the smile he sent you as soon as he saw you… the grimace on his companion's face was also the reason for your good mood.

"Lady Petrova."

"General Kirigan. So you do occasionally leave the Little Palace."

"Indeed it happens sometimes." he smiles back at your teasing, keeping his distracting dark eyes on you.

"Then I can't pass up this opportunity to take you anywhere other than the path leading to the Grand Palace or the gardens. It's a beautiful day for a ride, don't you think? Perhaps you could accompany me?"

"Actually…"

"It's a wonderful idea. Ivan, could you get our horses ready?" the general interrupted his Girsha. You lowered your head, biting the inside of your cheek to keep from smiling victoriously. As Ivan passed you, you stepped closer to the general and turned your careful gaze back to him.

"He doesn't like me very much, does he?" you asked, catching the arm he offered you as you two walked to the stables together. "Your gruff companion." you added seeing his confused look.

The general snorted, placing his hand over yours, which made you shiver uncontrollably. You internally chastised yourself for such a… pathetic reaction to his little touch.

"Ivan is… specific." he finally replied making you chuckle.

"I saw the look he gave me when I took you away from him, like I was stealing his favorite cuddly toy." Kirigan snorted, which made you smile. You felt how your cheeks redden involuntarily at the sound of his laughter. "You don't have to always defend your people at all costs, General. Well, at least not in such a case." you replied with a smirk.

"Ivan is a good soldier and comrade… he can be funny once you get to know him."

"Then I guess you find volcra hilarious too."

"And maybe one or two of the queen's nobles." you gave him an offended look, placing your hand over your heart in a hurt gesture.

"Ouch. That's good that my company at least gives you some fun. It must be really hard to always be that grave, grumpy, dark general."

"Surely it can be lonely sometimes." his thoughtful, sombre statement ruined the fun atmosphere between you two.

For a brief moment, you could see the familiar twinkle of grief in his eyes before he hid it behind his mask of indifference. You knew that feeling. Especially after being transferred to different courts so many times. You had to master your emotions to perfection… especially the feeling of loneliness that was getting worse every day.

"Well, that's good that I have enough time to play a foolish, wayward, snobbish noble around you… maybe you won't feel so lonely, anymore." you joked, not knowing if you were saying it out of a duty to get close to him or from the depths of your completely lost and confused heart, which always acted like that near him.

"You're not the worst noblewoman I've ever met." the amused note returned to his voice, as did the twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

"Maybe you just didn't know me good enough?" you asked, stopping by the stables and letting go of his arm.

"Maybe..." he replied thoughtfully, not letting go of your hand.

You turned back to him. Your gaze lingered on your joined hands for a moment, until you shifted your confused gaze to him.

The moment your eyes met his, any questions you wanted to ask him escaped your mind. You could only stare blankly into his eyes. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you flashed an image of the younger Aleksander you dreamed of... the exact same one who was giving you an affectionate look like the general was doing now.

"Aleksander." you whispered, not even realising when the idea of saying his name popped into your head.

You were besotted, too mesmerised by the dark irises that stared at you like some saint, like you were all he ever wanted to look at for the rest of his life, to think of anything other than getting closer to him.

And the worst of it all was that you had no idea how you knew the smell of his cologne and why it reminded you of home, of safety. Or why he seemed so familiar to you…

"Yes, milaya?" you trembled. You knew he felt it; you knew he saw how you reacted to the nickname his younger version gives you every night in your dreams… and although it reminded you of something only a close person could say to their beloved, for the hell you didn't know what it meant or how he knew about it. But before you could answer something (or take the one little step that lasted between you and him to feel his lips on yours), Ivan arrived with your horses. "Thank you, Ivan." the general cleared his throat. You could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't happy about being interrupted either.

"General. Let me remind you that in two hours…"

"Postpone all my appointments. I'll be unavailable." you couldn't help but send Ivan a victorious smile from behind Kirigan's shoulder, which made heartrender wince. Aleksander turned to glance at you, and you gave him a nice, polite smile, making sure the flash of malice disappeared from your eyes. The man shifted his confused looks to Ivan. "I'll be back tonight. Lady Petrova needs an escort."

"Of course, General, have a nice trip."

"Thank you, Ivan."

You gave Grisha a fleeting glance and malicious smile before you and Aleksander left the palace grounds. Ivan has tried to stop the general from joining you more than once this month... he has failed miserably each time. Seeing Grisha grumpier than usual was another advantage of your quest... besides being with Aleksander.

"Wanna race?!" you shouted, not giving him time to answer as you galloped your horse along, laughing as the general chased after you.

~•♤♤♤•~

"Forgotten fountain in the middle of the forest? I didn't think you knew such romantic places, general." you said with a teasing smile as you dismounted from your horses.

"You find it romantic?" he asked, throwing an amused glance over his shoulder as he tossed out the branches in the fountain. You smiled, internally laughing at how the great general commanding the entire Second Army was preparing the atmosphere for your pseudo date.

"Oh, don't tease me. You know what I meant. It's amazing that with your work schedule you have time to wander around and find places like this."

"You do realize I have free time sometimes, right?"

"Rearranging figures on a war table is no leisure time, General." Kirigan snorted, shaking his head in amusement. You smiled as you walked over to the fountain to stand next to him. Only then did you see what was so amazing about her that the general brought you here. It was dedicated to the Black Heretic. "Wait… that's your ancestor's story, isn't it?"

"You know it just from those old pictures?" he asked, apparently impressed with your knowledge, to which you snorted indignantly.

"Of course. Every child in Ravka know his story... well, or at least they should. To be honest, I'm not sure how ignorant the other nobles are, but I hope they're not that bad after all. But I'm guessing you didn't bring me here for a history lesson, did you?"

"When I was a boy, I used to run away and hide here once I realised I was the descendant of the most hated Grisha in Ravka. I've come here to throw a coin and make a wish in the fountain that I could be anyone else."

"A dangerous wish." I murmured as I looked at the pictures on the fountain to avoid his scrutinising gaze. "You never know what fate may befall you. It may turn out that things weren't so bad after all." I replied, remembering all the stories of noblewomen I had the opportunity to know... not all of them lived wonderful, fairy-tale lives. At least not the ones with powdered bruises.

"I devoted my life to undoing the greatest sin of my forbear. But I never seen this as a solution. Only as a reminder of the problem. They always need someone to blame."

"Every story needs a villain." you replied, sitting on the edge of the fountain, facing the general. "Sometimes it happens that there are several of them in one, if we look at the matter from the perspective of someone else. So forgive me if I say that I don't consider your ancestor to be evil incarnate."

"Why wouldn't you?" he asked curiously, walking over to you and sitting across from you.

"Every coin has two sides. Maybe he created a fold; maybe he wanted more power, but no one ever told it from his side. Maybe he wasn't the only villain in this story. Also, I don't believe in a golden hero and a vicious villain fighting doggedly against each other. There are no pure black or white people; we are all grey in our own way." you said, dipping your hand in the water, playing with it, and making small waves with your hand movements.

You glanced at the general, noticing that he was closely watching as you played with the water. You furrowed your brow, not knowing what so interesting he sees in this childish behaviour.

"And how gray are you?" his question snapped you out of your thoughts. You shrugged, still running your fingers through the water.

"I think I still have a long way to go to find out."

"What if I already know?" you frowned as you looked at him, which turned out to be your worst mistake. His dark eyes were to be your undoing…

You felt it again. This need to be close to him, this bond between you and him that was formed from the moment your eyes met in the ballroom a month ago. You were supposed to be his undoing, the downfall of the great, black general... so far, he's been the one who's been messing with your mind effectively, making you doubt everything your father ever taught you about your superiority over the Grishas. And you played the role Kirigan expected of you, like a foolish, naive girl.

"And how would you know that?" you whispered, cursing yourself for the obvious weakness in your voice.

Kirigan placed his hand on yours, the one you used to lean on at the fountain. His touch sent that weird feeling into your chest and made you shiver uncontrollably again. You were losing control… and the worst part was that you didn't mind at all.

"I feel like I've known you and waited for you my whole life. As if you were long lost part of me, which finally came back." you couldn't get rid of that terrible feeling of déjà vu that came over you after his words.

Somewhere in the back of your mind and deep in your heart, you had the feeling—no, you were SURE—that you had been in this situation before. That he once held your hand, telling you that you were destined to be together and that the stars, fate, destiny, saints, gods, or whoever was watching over you were responsible for bringing your souls together.

But it was impossible. You didn't know him before, you couldn't. You've never been to the king's palace until now…

However, everything ceased to matter the moment he leaned in, crossing the short distance between you and catching your lips in a kiss.

You gasped in surprise, your only warning being his tighter grip on your hand, which you only noticed after his soft lips gently pressed against yours. However, you had the sense to return his kiss, deepening it just as you felt Aleksander about to pull away from you.

He grabbed your waist tightly with one arm, pulling you to him, but he never let go of his firm grip on your hand.

You groaned, sinking into the so damn familiar closeness of his body against yours, taking in every ounce of his warmth and scent. But it was his gentle biting on your bottom lip that made you forget anything other than his lips on yours and let yourself get completely lost in the moment. You took your hand out of the water, grabbing the back of his head to get as close to him as possible, when suddenly a huge wave of cold, chilly water splashed you.

You gasped, breaking away from Kirigan. You sighed as cool water dripped from your hair onto your already-soaked dress that was sticking to your skin. You shifted your confused gaze to the equally wet man in front of you, who stared at you with an incomprehensible, fascinated twinkle in his eye.

"What have just happened?" you gasped, glancing at the now empty fountain.

"Are you asking about our kiss or the fact that you just demonstrated tidemaker's abilities?"

"What? No. I can't be Grisha. I…"

"Have you ever been tested, milaya?" he asked softly, so calmly he almost managed to calm your frantically beating heart. But you couldn't shake the feeling of panic rising within you. All plans would go to hell if you turned out to be… one of THEM.

"You know perfectly well what it is like among the nobles. They would rather kill or throw away a child with such powers." you replied, marvelling at how you managed to sound cold and emotionless despite your growing fear.

Kirigan frowned, obviously dissatisfied with your ability to cover up your emotions. What you didn't know was that your eyes betrayed all your emotions to him. He'd stared at them for so long that it would be impossible for him now not to be able to read your emotions.

"Well… it's always better to know, isn't it?" you stared at him for a moment before you nodded uncertainly, swallowing nervously. You couldn't be Grisha. That… whatever happened, it couldn't be it. "May I?" he made sure, pointing to the sleeve of your dress. You nodded silently.

For a moment, the world stops. It's just you and the general, who, with unusual delicacy for him, rolls up the sleeve of your wet dress and uses his sharp-pointed ring to cut your skin.

You're both shocked and oddly excited to see the water gushing out and the hot fire coming from where he cut your skin. Suddenly, a wind rises around you, drying you both and blowing some of the leaves off the trees into the empty fountain. You freeze, feeling the dormant power coursing through your veins, which the general's touch awakens with incredible ease.

It's like he's bringing to life a version of yourself you don't know...

"You are a Grisha. Etherealki Tribrid to be precise." he says, breaking the silence between you. You raise your confused gaze back to him, noticing that he's still studying your face. Weighing, evaluating, expecting something, and having hope so clearly written in his dark eyes that for a moment you are at a loss for words.

"You… you don't seem surprised." you manage to get out of you. You are terrified of your weakness right now. But with the general staring at you with such... tenderness and longing, you're not sure which of you has put your heart in more danger. You just don't know what caused this sudden, overt display of affection for you.

"I felt your power. Only someone special could carry such a huge amount of energy. You and I are going to change the world, Y/N."

"But… I can't… no one can know about this. Please, Aleksander." you pleaded in a panic, gripping his hand tightly. "Promise me that this will stay between us. If my father finds out about this… if the court finds out… Please, Aleksander." the man was staring at you. Apparently, the prospect of having a tribrid in his army was too tempting for him to just forget what had happened here. You had to convince him otherwise. "Wouldn't it be better if it stayed between us? You could train me yourself. Secretly teach me how to use… this. Wouldn't it be better to have a secret weapon? Someone who can be summoned to the battlefield if needed and used as an element of surprise?"

"I don't want to use you." he growled, wrinkling his nose as he realized how sharp his words had come out. "I want you to be my equal, Y/N. But fine. We'll keep everything that happened here to ourselves. You'll come to my office every night so we can train."

"Every night? You want to cause a scandal, General?" you ask, regaining your ability to joke and banter.

For now, you hide all your doubts, fear and greyness that your life will change irreversibly in the back of your head. You allow yourself to get lost in the general's eyes for a while before returning to real life… before you have to decide what to do about the "Grishas case", knowing your newfound abilities now.

"Do you care?" you know what he's asking you, but he doesn't know how many different meanings his question has for you. And you're afraid that once he finds out about your plan against him and against his people, he'll stop looking at you with that... adoration in his eyes. Because, for some strange reason, you want him to look at you like that.

"No…" you replied, moving your gaze between his mouth and eyes. "I guess not."

~•♤♤♤•~

"I can't believe it! How did you know that was my favorite dish?!" I ask him after another grueling session of our training as he returns with a dinner brought to his door by servants.

"I have my ways." he responds, laughing as you practically pounce on the food ravenously. You didn't realize that using Grisha's powers was so… exhausting.

"Just like my allergy to the awful pollen that's out now, what particular, specific type of tea do I like, and what books do I prefer to read? What's next? Just hand me my favourite flowers and tell me it's pure case?" you laugh over your plate, glancing at him briefly. The general blushes slightly and clears his throat awkwardly. "Oh, Saints, you do have flowers for me, don't you?" you asked as a little smirk started to form on your face.

"It seems to you, vain little tribrid." you tremble at his words, and that sick feeling of deja vu follows you every time his damn dark irises pierce your soul. If he wanted you to go crazy, you're sure he was well on his way to making it happen.

Aleksander, on the other hand, stared longingly at you, searching for any trace of recognition in your eyes. How many times in those training sessions has he wished your memories of living with him would come back to you? He didn't know. Ever since he made sure you displayed the powers of virtually all ethereals, he's spent countless sleepless nights in his bed dreaming of the moment you'll whisper that damn nickname you love for him.

But nothing like that was coming.

Instead, he had to fight this urge to kiss you to death, to hold you forever in his safe arms where nothing could hurt you. He had to fight his longing for your slightest touch, your tender gaze, and the unconditional love you had. And with each passing day, he cursed himself for his inability to remember the life you two had spent together.

He was desperate enough to talk to his mother about it. He went to her as soon as he was sure it was really you to brag about his hunch and victory over her judgement. And complain about your innate ability to spite him and not remember him when he worked so hard to make it happen.

"If it's not her, then explain to me how she's already ruining all my plans and is getting on my nerves?" he asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow at Baghra.

"Just because you have a natural bad luck with women doesn't mean Y/N is back from the dead." she replied ironically, not even looking up at him.

"It is her. And when I prove it, forget about seeing her, because I won't let you."

"I'm not a spoiled child, General." you laugh back, snapping him out of his thoughts as cool water hits his chest. He raises an eyebrow at you, failing to keep an amused smile from spreading across his lips.

Saints, how he wants to kiss that malicious smirk off your alluring lips. But he has to be careful with you. He has to control himself. He can't lose you or scare you away now, not when he's so close to getting HIS Y/N back.

"You're definitely acting like one." he replies teasingly as he takes out the flowers hidden behind his back and hands them to you.

You sigh in shock before another heart-melting smile appears on your lips. You dip your nose in the flowers, and Aleksander tries to remember this moment forever. The silent hope that you will remember one of the many times he gave you those special flowers you loved bursts into unwillingness in his chest.

"Please, as if you don't like to spoil me…" you just reply teasingly, reminding him how fate was never on his side. It would be impossible for him to just get you back like that.

"I'd throw all the jewels in the world at your feet just to see that beautiful, wide smile spread across your lips." you tremble under his heavy, intent gaze, feeling him ignite that familiar, strange fire inside you, calling for him.

The answer to his confession just slipped out of your mouth as a whisper.

"You don't need jewels to make me smile like a fool in love."

Aleksander flinched as he recognised the words you said to him—the exact same words you used in response to his confession hundreds of years ago. You liked torturing him with it. Remind him of stolen moments with you in the woods, away from the king's men, his mother, and other envious people too scared of your abilities to see you as anything more than a dangerous monster. You loved throwing him into the past, while you stuck hard to what was happening now. At times like this, he promised himself that once he had you back, he would never let you go. He won't be that weak to let someone take you from him again.

You, in turn, watched him bewildered as another vision/memory flashed before your eyes. His warm lips on your wind-cold skin, his whispered promises in your ear as he held you close to him, his shadows dancing around you, shielding anyone from seeing you two.

That memory revived in your mind as the general's lips met yours.

Kissing him, enjoying the firm grip around your waist, you had those strange visions again. You were beginning to wonder if the general had seen through your cunning plan and decided to punish you by driving you crazy with these supposed memories.

But you didn't want to do anything about it. Not when he felt so good against you.

You kiss him greedily, tangling your hands in his hair and pulling him closer to you. He picks you up, placing you on his war table. Your hands travel up his shoulders to the buttons of his kefta and his to the strings of your corset at the back of your dress...

Just then, a loud knock interrupts you.

You laugh in disbelief that they're bothering you again. Aleksander smiles, biting his lip as he looks at you with amusement in his eyes. How he missed your sincere, carefree laugh.

"Go see what it is." you whisper to him as you slide off the table to stand on your own feet. Aleksander smirks mischievously and leans in to steal a kiss from you. You giggle as you push him away and whisper a softly "go".

You blush, feeling like a teenager caught kissing a boy. And you have a very strange feeling that this has happened before...

"Aleksander!" you squeal, laughing as quietly as you can. "Someone will see us!" you reprimand him by tapping him lightly in the chest.

"Only if you keep being so loud. Besides, how can you blame me for wanting to kiss my beautiful beloved after weeks apart?"

"Your secret beloved I would like to point out. Baghra and my parents will kill us if they find us here." you remind him, only smiling wider as his grip tightens around your waist.

"They'll have to go through my shadows first… that gives us enough time to escape."

"Well, well, what a cunning boyfriend I have. I like that plan of yours." I whisper into his lips, teasing him, as I move away each time he wants to kiss me.

"Y/N?" Aleksander's whisper and his gentle grip on my shoulder pulls me out of my memories. "Everything's all right?" he looks at you with concern in his eyes and something else, something like longing mixed with hope. You have no idea what it could be.

NO. I have strange visions of you where you love and need me more than anything in this world. I have dreams of a reality where it's just us, too busy loving ourselves to see anything else or care about all the problems in the world. And I have a feeling that I'm going to go crazy if you once again arouse in me that feeling of familiarity and fire that for some unknown reason cries out desperately for your slightest touch and affection. - you think.

"I'm fine, just thought of something. What did Ivan want from you?" I ask with a gentle smile.

"I have to go now. The First Army soldiers and my Grishas have reportedly gotten into some kind of fight. I need to investigate it."

You freeze, knowing full well what's going on. Your and your father's plan. Kirigan is about to get into the middle of a fight caused by the people of the first army (actually hired by your father's thugs). A fight with a general defending his people in the main role will start, which your father and the king are supposed to come across by "pure accident". You were supposed to let him get into your trap.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't worry, it's probably some stupid skirmish." he assures you, but you know better. You know that once he goes there, he will be banished at best for suspicion of treason and wanting to start a rebellion - rumours your father is now spreading to the king.

Your brain screams for you to let it go. You were Grisha, but people like you would never accept you; you knew that. And the nobles would kick you out if they found out about your powers; it was safer for you to get rid of the general, the only person who knew about your abilities.

But your stupid heart already bled at the thought of putting Aleksander in danger and being the cause of his downfall—the thing you were supposed to be so proud of only a few months ago.

"Wait!" you scream, reaching for his hand before he steps away from you. You lost. You lost the war with the devil and sold him your heart and the soul he had anyway, since he kissed you at the fountain, since he started appearing in your dreams as a strange vision of an alternate world where you live with him as his. A vision you desperately wanted to come true. "Please don't go."

"Why?" he asks, placing his hands gently on your shoulders.

"I... you can't... trap... my father... and king... they..." you hyperventilate, tears welling up in your eyes uncontrollably, and an indescribably great feeling of unease seizes you, making it a huge challenge to take even the slightest breath.

Suddenly, all you hear is a buzzing in your ears. Slowly, your knees weaken, and you fall straight into the waiting arms of Aleksander, who looks like he's screaming something. You are enveloped in blissful darkness.

But before you lose your consciousness one thought runs through your mind.

What the hell did I did?

~•♤♤♤•~

You opened your eyes. It was dawn. You were in a clearing near some castle ruins. There were a lot of soldiers around you.

You slowly got up on your elbows and lifted yourself off the ground. You tried to push your way through the crowd of soldiers, but as soon as your arm was about to touch one of them, you felt yourself walking through it. You froze in place.

The sound of Aleksander's voice snapped you out of your daze. You walked forward, passing through the soldiers as you reached the stairs of the palace ruins.

It was a younger version of him, exactly the one you saw in your dreams. But this time it wasn't a pleasant dream. The love in his eyes was replaced by pure fear and fury.

You turned to where he was staring and gasped as you spotted a beaten, bloodied version of yourself held by one of the king's soldiers.

"Surrender. Or your girl will die." Aleksander stared at the younger version of you, trying to make eye contact with you, making sure you were still holding on to your life for him, despite the gruesome state you were in. "This one was brave. She was willing to die than reveal your hiding place. Fortunately, we got another, weaker one. Now, you better hurry before that bitch bleeds to death."

Tears began to form in Aleksander's eyes. He raised his trembling hands in surrender. You lifted your head with difficulty, watching him.

Then all hell broke loose. You set a soldier on fire and started a great fire. You tried to approach Aleksander and he came to you, but the soldiers around you were faster. One of them caught you; the rest kept Aleksander, who was struggling with all his strength, from rushing to your rescue and summoning his shadows. The soldier drew his dagger.

Your eyes and Aleksander's did not separate for a moment. Desperation and fear were reflected in his eyes, which met your gaze full of sadness and fear for his life.

"Aleksander, I love you-AGH!" you tell him when a soldier pierces your heart with a dagger in front of your beloved.

"Y/N!" Aleksander screams, tears in his eyes obscuring his vision at your last breath and your last look at him. He is overcome with rage, grief, and frustration so great that he can do nothing but scream.

His scream proves deadly. Deadly for his enemies.

His grief, desperation, and tremendous pain piercing his heart and seeing his beloved Y/N die raised within him a power so great that it covered the world in the darkness of his shadow.

And so the fold is born.

And Aleksander remains utterly alone in his darkness.

~•♤♤♤•~

You jump out of bed, screaming. You just saw yourself die... but it wasn't you, was it? It's just your twisted imagination. Aleksander couldn't... couldn't create the fold. The Black Heretic lived hundreds of years before you; it couldn't be true. It's just your sick imagination. You kept telling yourself.

You looked around the room, recognising that you were in the general's bedroom. You changed out of his black shirt, which you don't know who put you in, and left the bedroom in a hurry. You didn't know how Aleksander would treat you after he found out about your father's plan, and he certainly did after your panic attack in his war room. You also didn't want to risk getting caught in the general's chamber.

You were about to leave Aleksander's chamber, but someone's hand grabbed your arm tightly and covered your mouth. You tried to wriggle out of his attacker's grip, but in vain. Fortunately, the stranger let you go as soon as you entered one of the secret passages of the Little Palace.

You turned around, freezing as you came face to face with the woman haunting your dreams…

"Who are you?" you whispered in horror, recognizing the woman as the light from her torch illuminated her face.

"It doesn't matter. You need to get out of here as soon as possible." she grabbed your hand again in a strong, bruising grip, but this time you managed to pull away from her.

"Who the hell are you?! Why am I dreaming about you and some Aleksander?! How do I know you, Baghra?!"

"Hush for the saints! We're not far from his room." she tried to silence you, fearing that at any moment you would bring Aleksander back to his chambers here.

"Whose room? General's? What does he have to do with it? What the hell is going on here?!"

"Shut up you stupid girl before he comes here. I'm trying to save you."

"Saved me from what? I don't need a hero, thank you very much. All I want to know is why I'm having these fucking visions about you. Who are you? Why am I having some weird flashbacks about you from hundreds of years ago?" you ask, tired of it all, trying to finally get to the truth, whatever it may be.

"Aleksander was right… it's true. It's really you." she says in shock, eyeing you closely as you use all your powers in anger, summoning both fire, water and a light breeze in the deserted secret passage.

"Aleksander? Which one? Kirigan or some other? Answer me for the love of saints!" you scream at her, feeling like you're about to lose your mind at any moment.

"Child, there is only one Aleksander. My son. Aleksander Morozova. Black Heretic. General Kirigan and many other names he's taken since you died."

"What? What are you talking about? It's impossible, a Black Heretic lived hundreds of years ago… wait. Since I died? What do you mean by since I die?" the vision you just had haunts you again. Your blood, Alexander's screams. Screams of people turned by his grief, anger and rage into volcra as he creates a fold...

"You real name is Y/N…"

"BAGHRA!" Aleksander's furious scream echoes through the deserted corridor. He walks over to me faster than I can blink and stands between me and his supposed mother. "Go away."

"Aleksander..." she begins in a serious tone, but one dark look from the general keeps her silent. Never, not even during their worst quarrels, had he dared to oppose her so openly, so hostilely.

"I said... Go. Away." Baghra looks at you. Half in disappointment, half in fear, knowing full well the reason why her son is ready to use his shadows on her.

She lets go. This time. She knows full well he can't bring back your memories anyway. Or at least she hopes so.

Shee leaves you alone in a dark corridor. Aleksander slowly turns to you and reaches for you, but you pull away before his fingertips even try to touch you. He freezes. He watches you fearfully, afraid of what Baghra might have told you to make you so disgusted by his small touch.

"Don't take a step further. Why do I know you? Why did YOU know me before anything started between us? What the hell is this all about?!"

"Y/N... you need to calm down." he tries to calm you down as he sees you gasping for breath again. He reaches out to touch your cheek tenderly but you jump away from him. The fire begins to slowly circulate around your hands as you unknowingly summon it.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME! Who are you? Who are you to me? That's true? Are you a Black Heretic? What is going on here?!" you scream, you feel an indescribable power flowing through you that you are unable to control, a flood of emotions floods your mind, and your powers go out of control as a great wind rises and the corridor begins to slowly fill with water. The fire in your hands grows bigger, more alive, more uncontrollable.

"My milaya, please... try to calm down for me." he says, taking a step towards you with his hands up so you can see his every little move, every attempt to touch you.

"What am I?" you whisper, your tears flow freely, the water begins to rise faster and faster, the wind is so great that it blows both his and your hair and his black kefta in all directions, and the living fire from your hands prevents him from approaching you without risk of burning himself. But Aleksander doesn't care.

He wades towards you through the water that comes up to his hips and cups your face with both hands, forcing you to look him in the eyes. As soon as his skin touches yours, everything stops. The wind stops blowing, the fire disappears, and the water stops at a constant level. It is quiet. Eerily silent as you stare at him in a daze, tears dripping from your eyes into the makeshift river you created in the hallway.

"You know who you are. Just reach for it. Please, come back to me, Y/N Y/L/N. Moya milaya, moya lapushka..." he pleads, resting his forehead against yours.

You close your eyes. The flood of vivid memories makes your head hurt, but as soon as all the images are gone from your eyes, you open them to look into those familiar dark irises that pierce through you. And you cry with relief, finally knowing perfectly well how you know him, why you associate him with home, peace, love, unconditional devotion.

"Sasha?" you whisper, afraid you've gone completely insane, that it's all a nasty, twisted figment of your imagination.

And Aleksander sighs with relief hearing that damn diminutive he missed so much.

"It's me. My beloved Y/N. My life. My Light. My tribrid. You are finally here." he takes you in his arms as tears flow freely down your cheeks. You snuggle into him, your nose brushing his neck as you inhale the damn good smell of his perfume. Aleksander buries his nose in your hair, trying to hold back tears as he trembles uncontrollably. He finally had you. After hundreds of years, months of torture where he had you at his fingertips but couldn't touch you properly, you were finally with him. "Eya fyela chi." he whispers in old Ravkan, making you laugh in relief.

"I love you too, Sasha. I promise I'm not going anywhere anymore. Nobody and nothing will take me away from you."

"Brave of you to think I'd let you go anywhere. You stay by my side. Forever. I won't waste such a wonderful gift from the saints, my little flame." he says, kissing your temple.

You shiver for the first time enjoying the familiar feeling of love and warmth that comes with this tender gesture, often repeated by him in the past.

He leaned in, catching your lips in a passionate, long-awaited kiss. And you couldn't do anything other than enjoy the taste of his lips on yours and how you could create new memories with him without the old ones attacking you with every touch he made. You are no longer an intruder in your own body. And the unknown fire calling for him turned into the familiar flame of love.

[writingforatwistedworld]

Another bread era?

Otome au

I do not take any responsibility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, obsession, possessiveness, stalking, threats, death, murder

Malleus Draconia/Lilia Vanrouge-“I’m gonna take your bread sir… let me take your bread SIR SIR STOP WALKING AWAY FROM ME SIR!!!??”

Malleus Draconia, the hidden king behind the roses, a legend who even the highest of kings and queens whisper in fear about... is holding back a laugh from watching you

Ok, to be fair, you can only do so much as a ruler of a Kingdom which has been isolated from the others for so long which probably also resulted him in being a bit (or maybe a lot more than a bit) for social interactions

Malleus adores you to a level which is incomprehensible for the ordinary human mind. Heck, most likely for any mind

Yet his most beloved is at the moment pretty much the opposite of him. Most unelegant they screamed at the poor bakers of the Queendom of Roses for their bread

Not like those humans, pardon, NPCs could hear you but it was a rather silly sight to see you sprinting up to the next person like you were possessed and demanding their bread

Could it be that there was a famine that led to you now demanding the food of others? But why especially bread? (I am not joking he is seriously asking himself that)

After sending Lilia out to check, just to be sure, he finally found out that no, you are not on the path of starvation, you are just silly

Might as well enjoy the show then. It's not every day that you see an otherworldly bring controlling a body being this interesting... not like he had seen another bodysnatcher like you before

When he noticed the havoc you caused in your wake he could not hold it back anymore, bursting into laughter he swiped tears of joy from his cheeks

Why this moment was so funny to him was beyond him. Perhaps it was that small memory of another place far in the past, a human from another world, a room filled with all kinds of individuals enjoying their rather mediocre meal together

Perhaps he should humor you

Sending out Lilia yet again (the poor bas-) he ordered that you were brought a basket filled with the finest sentiment of breads

Soft bread, hard bread, bread with seeds, bread with a crunchy crust, bread that tasted spicy and much, much more

When that NPC tried to trade all that bread for a meager price which could barely feed a person for a day the oh-so-lighthearted atmosphere shifted immediately into something that can only be described by “Oh f, he did it”

“Lilia, when was the last time you sharpened your blade?” “Pardon?”

But hey, at e end off the day you had still your bread and everything was great and fine and dandy and yay and oh my god someone just got killed in a PG-13 game what the heck is going on??!

Lilia is someone who takes his duties very seriously

Be it conveying messages to all those that have paid the price of his ruler's benevolence or monitoring the one who connects the one controlling them and this world

At first, Lilia assumed that the one controlling the puppet wearing white and blue would be a cold-hearted tyrant who loved to watch an entire world being nothing more than a game to them

But then...

“SIR GIMME UR BREAAAAAD!” A most frightening battle cry, Lilia nearly fell off from the tree branch he was dangling from when he first heard it

Were you finally setting out to conquer this world? Was it finally time to draw his sword and- uh... huh? *Insert confused expression*

Instead of attacking a defenseless person you sprinted to the next one, repeating the same actions you did just a second ago

The general had expected something of a crueler nature, just how the Gods were at the dawn, not someone jumping up and down whilst demanding bread

But perhaps, this could be used to his benefit?

The next day you found a new NPC. How strange, haven't you walked down this path in the game many times before? His did you miss him?

Interacting with the young man you found out that he was a baker who specialised in bread

How funny! You made a show of wanting bread just yesterday

It was almost like the game was interacting with your real-life self... Nah. Must be your imagination

To your delight, the dialogue seemed to change every single day, ending with the baker telling you stories far too dangerous for a normal person like him to experience

Every following day the interactions with the young man became more and more interesting, and by interesting I mean they went more and more off the grid

Lilia had to tell you more stories from the past he could still remember. This started with him investigating by talking to you but after time, he got attached. What if you were to move on and leave him behind from boredom? After some time his filter started to stop much less from his past than before. Things that he would have sugar-coated before we're now on full display.

Just don't turn your affection to somebody else. You were such a refreshing new sight that he simply had to own your attention

Now now, play nice and do what he says. Otherwise you might find a few NPCs missing

[kykyonthemoon]

Lady Cat

Returning from his long trip, Rafayel found his lady cat waiting at home.

ಇ. Rafayel x Reader/MC

ಇ. Tags: 16+, MDNI, suggestive themes, touching, biting, marking, fluff, domestic fluff, teasing, established relatioship, MC being dominant

ಇ. Word count: ~1k4

ಇ. Requested by Nguyễn Nguyệt

Inspired by the Toodles Galore makeup trend on Tik Tok.

ಇ. Masterlist

When Rafayel arrived home, it was dusk. The long, boring flight made him tired. But the first thing he looked for when walking through the door was you.

He could feel your presence in the studio. Maybe it was the result of your profound connection, or maybe he just happened to see your shoes on the rack. He chose not to call you immediately away in order to surprise you with something pleasant.

Rafayel searched all around the studio but could not find you. He entered the living room and then the kitchen. Even in the garden and yard, where the aroma of the sea lingered, there was no trace of you. Then he heard a loud "meow" coming from his bedroom.

Rafayel's heart began to pound as if an electric charge had run through his body, and he became highly conscious of everything that could go wrong in his home. A creature named cat must have infiltrated his home! It must be in the bedroom that very moment, and it had already harmed his beloved with its sharp claws and innocent face! Just thinking about it made Rafayel uneasy. He raced to the bedroom, determined to get that monster out, no matter how terrified he was of it.

“Don't worry, Miss Bodyguard! I'm here to save you!”

Rafayel used his foot to kick open the door. His eyes darted about in search of the meowing creature, but what drew his full attention was the figure of a girl seated on the bench at the end of the bed.

Your body was draped in a light purple velvet cloak that was purposefully dropping onto the bench, displaying your lovely face. You wore makeup, which was distinct from your usual basic look. Your hair was tied up high and arranged into a bow on your head, with a few curls obscuring your face. Another actual bow hung around your neck, this one made of silk in the same color as the cloak. A thin white dress embraced your body and honored all of your features. You also donned chiffon gloves and rested your hands on your crossed bare legs. Your crimson lips smiled when you saw him.

"Hello, Rafayel~" Your fingers were lifted, as if to draw him towards you. Rafayel became astonished and stunned. He stood petrified at the door, unable to comprehend what was happening in front of him.

"Rafayel?"

You called his name again. The truth was that recently, there had been a trend online of dressing up as a famous animated cat, Toodles Galore. You were going to give Rafayel a surprise after his two-week business trip abroad. Seeing you again in this style, looking like the animal which he feared the most, you were so nervous waiting for his reaction.

However, as you noticed him stiffen there, you wondered if this was too much.

You began to feel a little humiliated. Rafayel clearly did not like you in this way. The dress was too short? Too thin? The makeup was too flashy? You were not sure which one, but you definitely gave him a shock.

In a haste you stood up and pulled down your dress in the hope that it would cover your exposed thighs, but it did not do much. Rafayel continued to gaze at you without a word. You went slowly towards the door, wanting nothing more but to disregard the embarrassed feeling and change back to your casual attire.

Seeing your movement, Rafayel quickly blocked the door.

“Where are you going?”

With one hand behind his back, Rafayel quickly slammed the bedroom door shut. You even heard a light "click" sound. His eyes looked at you, dark, as if he was displeased.

"You must not go. I have to check carefully if you've been turned into one of those monsters..." He said while staring at you.

“Monsters?” You laughed. “You mean the cats? Actually… I dressed like this to surprise you…”

Rafayel looked at you with great concern. For a long moment. Eventually, he asked:

“So that meow just now was yours?”

You gave a modest nod. Your face was ruby, and the blush only made it more obvious.

“Do that again.”

You rolled your eyes and looked at Rafayel. He repeated: “Meow again. For me."

You cleared your throat. You barely dared to look at him once before lifting one hand to mimic the cat's move.

“M-Meooow?…”

Immediately, Rafayel took a step back. He clutched his face with his hands. You caught his ears turning crimson, his voice trembling:

“Enough… That's enough…”

A smug, somewhat devilish appeared on your lips. A reaction like that was worth the few hours you had spent applying cosmetics!

"Rafayel." You called his name in such a vicious manner. "Meow. Meoooooow!!!" You continued to move towards him barefoot, while he backed away in panic, until he was cornered and could only collapse into the bench at the end of the bed where you were sitting just a moment ago.

"If I were a real cat, would you fear or despise me? Would you not look at me again?"

Rafayel's fingers separated slightly, revealing two perplexed eyes. You laughed and were ready to pull his hand down to look at his gorgeous blushing face when he took a step faster.

He took your wrist and brought you into his arms. Cradling. His hand tightened around your back, beginning with a soft touch and growing more intense. Warm fingers stroked your bare back, searing. Then they gradually slid down the spine to the waist, where he clutched and pressed your body  a little closer to his. He gave you no choice but to sit entirely on his lap.

"Rafayel…" You called for him in surprise. "Don't you resent cats the most? "Why are you holding me so tightly now?"

Rafayel did not respond. His expression was one of discomfort and sulking. He pressed his face into your neck, inhaled your scent. A little second later, you felt his sharp fangs softly biting into your neck.

He bit the light violet bow you were wearing, gnawed it for a while and made it come off completely. Freed from the silk fabric, your neck was exposed to him, and without waiting for an invitation, he immediately devoured it with long, wet kisses.

“R-Rafayel!” You were caught off guard by this attack; it was both tickled and embarrassed. With your hands on his chest, you attempted to push him away but were helpless.

Rafayel's lips left you with brilliant traces on the neck.

“I hate cats…” Rafayel said, his breathing somewhat rough. “But this beautiful lady cat in front of me... I couldn’t help it…”

“Hmm…” Your eyes blinked. “You couldn’t help it... Then you shall become a fish offered to a cat's mouth!”

You saw it clearly, his face was as fiery as the setting sun outside the window. Rafayel bowed slightly. You followed his gaze and noticed the violet silk that he had just removed from your neck, now trapped between the two of you.

You grasped it, delicately wrapping it around your fingers. Rafayel raised your chin, forcing you to stare directly into his eyes, while his other hand rested on your hip, holding you in a sitting posture on top of him. He frowned:

“So what do you think, my lovely lady cat? Do you want to try the taste of this fishie?"

Your face burnt. You leaned near Rafayel and tied the violet fabric across his eyes.

"Of course I... do."

Not being able to see you, Rafayel seemed upset. He kept touching you, and you joyfully clutched his chin, which astonished him. You gently bit his lip.

"Ouch." Rafayel growled, but his split lips inclined farther towards you, indicating that he was enjoying this little game.

“Be still.” You spoke quietly. “Now you are a fish in my hand.”

Rafayel breathed heavily as you leaned down to bite his neck. This bite was revenge for the marks he had left on you earlier.

You caught Rafayel grunting as his body fought beneath yours, then you stopped him with a deep kiss.

It was about time for you to taste the sweetness this fish had to offer.

[kamisatomay018]

Office Break

Neuvillette x female reader

Smut, 18+, minors dni!

This is my first attempt of writing smut so I hope you enjoy! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated<3

Hearing the door to his office room open, the Iudex of Fontaine looked up, a smile erasing the usually stoic expression on his face as he watched his beloved enter through the doors. He kept his quill down, giving her all his attention. “Sweetheart? I wasn’t expecting to see you today- well, at least not here.”

You looked at him with a small pout, thinking you’d disturbed him. But what could you do, you were missing him so much that you just had to come and see him. “Are you busy?” Neuvillette felt his heart melt seeing you like that, Archons he was so soft for you. He noticed that something was wrong and smiled as he shook his head. “Not at the moment, no. But baby, what’s wrong? Did I not give you enough kisses when I left the bed this morning?” You blushed a little at the nickname he used for you, shaking your head with that same pout. Oh you knew exactly how to melt him. Who knew that the Chief Justice of Fontaine was such a softie for his beloved?

He chuckled at your expression, his tone soft. “Oh? Well then, close the door behind you.” Your eyes lit up in happiness as you closed the door. “And the blinds?” He nodded at your words. “Oh yes, draw the blinds.” He smiles at your figure approaching him, “Yes, come here baby.” “I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you..”

He shook his head reassuringly, “No of course it’s fine, come here, sit in my lap. Baby, what’s wrong?” You snuggled in his arms, your frame fitting perfectly in his embrace. You cling onto him, talking softly. “I just missed you a lot, I wanted to see you..” Neuvillette chuckles softly, his heart melting into a puddle because of how precious you were. He caresses your hair, his soothing deep voice responding. “Oh you poor thing…well of course I miss you too. I take my duties very seriously but I…find myself wishing I could come home sooner, to see you again.” You looked up at him, smiling softly while caressing his jaw with your thumb. “It’s alright, I know you’re very busy..” He holds your hand softly, placing a sweet kiss on the palm of your hand- an endearing habit he’s had ever since you started dating. “baby, I am never too busy for you, not ever.”

You blush at his words, feeling so special from within and cuddled him close, basking in his warmth. Neuvillette knew that it must be difficult to be with someone as busy as him, as he held you dear to him. “Oh my sweet love..you’ve been so patient, haven’t you? I know what you want my sweetheart…you just want to be comforted, and cared for..and to me, that’s not asking too much.” You giggled softly, kissing his cheek “you know me too well Neuvi..” He smiles at you, gently cupping you cheeks as he looked into your beautiful eyes, talking softly. “Baby, I love you..and I will do anything in my power to make sure that you’re happy..”

Oh this immaculate man, how effortlessly he managed to make your heart flutter. You kissed his forehead softly. “Oh Neuvi..I love you so much too, and you don’t have to worry, just being with you makes me the happiest girl ever.” He smiles at your words, holding you close. “Yes…you picked a..difficult man for someone with your needs..But that doesn’t matter. We were meant to be together, and we will make it work. Come..” you felt breathless because of his words already, as he pulled you close, placing a soft peck on your waiting lips. “Come close..” he whispers softly, sending chills down your spine. Archons, his kisses are so addicting that they make you crave for him more and more..

He pulls apart with a soft smile, letting you snuggle in his embrace again. “Let me hold you for a while.” “But what about your work Neuvi?” He kisses your forehead softly, ridding you of your worries. “Don’t you worry, no one’s supposed to come in. At least not for..hmm..a little over 15 minutes or so.” You ended up pouting all over again. 15 minutes? That was too less, you needed to be with him more. “But..that’s..” He understood immediately what was happening, smiling. “Oh Shh..I know, I know..but let’s just enjoy the time we have, okay?” To lighten your mood, he decided to tease you, his tone turning deeper as it gave you chills. “And you know that when we’re both home alone, later-“ “Neuvi! Hush! Besides-you’ll be tired..” He laughs softly, shaking his head. “No no, I won’t be too tired. I’m never too tired for..a piece of you.”

You bit your lip softly, the need you had been feeling for so long just getting more intensified because of his words. Neuvillette chuckled deeply at your reaction. “You must know that…Sometimes I come home, practically ravenous. I just..can’t get enough of you…Especially when you…have to be in a stuffy courtroom all day.” Oh archons, how the sweet conversation had taken a complete turn. You could feel the tension between you both rising, as you squirmed a little on his lap. He didn’t stop though, his thoughts being spoken out loud. “Often I find myself..daydreaming of that..thing you do that I like.” You looked up at him, noticing those beautiful siren eyes of his getting clouded with lust, just like yours.

You smirked softly, tracing his lower lip with your thumb. “Well, would you like me to do it for you right here, Monsieur Neuvillette?” He bit his lip, shaking his head at your mischief. “Shh..stop” he said as he laughed, although you both knew very well that the need you had kept hidden for one another for so long was resurfacing. “But why? You’re afraid someone will hear?” You questioned, making him stutter a little. “No, I don’t think anyone will hear its just- I…no, nothing..” you smirked even more, knowing fully well that your dragon was getting needy. “Oh? Then why the stutter? I can feel you’re getting needy..”

Oh gosh he was so weak for you, especially when you were all needy and confident like this. “I- well- you..you have to be able to tell already..Right? I mean- you..well you’re..sitting on it after all..” Oh you definitely could tell. you could feel his boner right against you, you saw how the tips of his ears had turned slightly red, his breathing becoming deeper. These were all signs that he needed you. “Well…I can always help solve this big problem of yours Neuvi..” He gets a little flustered, the thought of you both doing something like this in his office was so tempting, but all the more very risky. “No..no it’s fine..” You looked up at him naughtily, squirming around in his lap more.

“Are you really sure? Because your body is telling me otherwise..” Neuvillette bites his lip again, talking in that irresistible deep voice of his. “Is..is that how it is..I..uhm..” he ends up groaning softly feeling you squirm. “I..fuck- give me a moment I..” “what’s wrong? Do you not want to?” He shook his head, breathing deeply. “No it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just..these walls are not that thick..it is an old building after all.” He then looked at you, seeing the clear lust and need written crystal clear on your expression, chuckling deeply. “Gosh you really are going to get me into trouble, aren’t you..” You giggled like the mischievous girl you are “Well do you want me to stop?” He shook his head, smiling as he pulls you closer. “No, because nothing makes me happier than being close to you..truly.” You smiled at his words, looking at him “It’s the same for me Neuvi.” “And..judging by the way you’re squirming around in my lap right now it’s…making it a little difficult to..focus.”

You laugh softly, looking at him mischievously. “Oh yeah? Well focus on what?” You saw as he too gets puzzled by his own words. “Focus on what? I- I suppose you’re right..” he sighs a little, needing you too much now, glancing at the grandfather clock in his office. “I don’t know how much time I have..” you wait for him to think everything through, after all; he was a very calculative man. He looks at you again; biting his lip as lust now completely clouds his senses. “You..really think it’ll be okay if we..” You nod immediately, your own desires getting the better of you. Getting dirty in his office? Archons forgive you, but that was your fantasy. Seeing your eagerness, Neuvillette’s resolve weakened.

“Okay..I’ll tell you what..just be very, very quiet okay? Be extremely quiet..If I have to put a hand over your mouth, I will, you got that?” Only you knew how much you felt yourself wetten because of those words. You nodded at his words, getting very excited. He then pulls you closer, his hands working on getting rid of your panties which were so soaked, as you worked on unbuttoning his pants.

Both of you gasped softly as you grind against his big shaft, coating him with your arousal. Archons, it had been such a long time since you both had been intimate. Neuvillette was so big, so hard, his tip leaking with precum making you realise just how much he needed you too. You were in the same predicament as him, soaking wet and aching for him, just wanting him to fuck you like he’s in heat. But that would have to wait for now.

Neuvillette groaned ever so softly, trying not to lose himself in the pleasure already. “Fuck, spread your legs a little sweetheart..There you go..” And just like that, you felt his big shaft fill you up completely, stretching you out so perfectly making you moan out. “Shh..quiet, quiet” you heard his deep voice whisper, strained due to how good he was feeling. He pulled you closer, kissing you as he lets you take your time to adjust around him. Oh Archons, he felt so good, touching the deepest spots in you, filling you up to the brim. He was so big that you could feel his dick if you kept your hand on your abdomen, and you absolutely loved it.

Eventually you started riding him, biting your lip to conceal your moans. The way he felt deep inside your walls was amazing, but the sight in front of you was perhaps even better. You saw how neuvillette gasped, leaning his head back against the chair, relishing the feeling of your wet cunt. Fuck, only he knew how touch-starved he had felt due to the amount of work piled up on him. One thing you absolutely loved about Neuvillette was how vocal he was in bed, his deep moans and groans were such a turn on for you. And although he was the one who had asked you to be quiet, here he was, so lost in pleasure, tiny moans escaping past his sweet lips.

“Oh sweetheart..fuck.” Neuvillette groaned as he grabs onto your ass gently, feeling you fasten your pace making his breath hitch, whispering deeply. “Shit..s..slow down honey..not too much..not too much, I won’t be able to control myself.” You chuckled breathlessly, riding him slower, but he made sure to give you all the pleasure you needed. He pulls his glove off with his teeth, sneaking his hand down to play with your clit, making you arch your back. He knew exactly how to touch you, exactly how to make you feel so good. You buried your face in his neck, soft mewls and whimpers being muffled in his skin. Neuvillette on the other hand, had a very hard time being quiet.

“Gosh if anyone walks in, I’m so screwed..”

“Oh sweetheart…why do you feel so fucking good?”

“That’s it, good girl, taking me so well, you’re so perfect for me..”

It didn’t take long for both you and Neuvillette to reach your orgasms. You saw as he started panting and gasping softly, moaning a little as he twitches inside you desperately. You clenched around him even more, both of you holding each other so close as you came together, the pleasure reaching its peak. Both of you breathed heavily, hearts beating in sync as Neuvillette held you so close to him, caressing your thighs soothingly. He chuckles breathlessly while panting “seems like I was the one who needed to be quiet..”

You laughed softly, kissing his lips sweetly as you raised your hips, letting him slide out of you, knowing your time was almost up and he had work to do. He pulled apart from your lips, still so dazed from the intense climax he had, but like a gentleman helped you get dressed, as he too got back into his clothes, with your help of course. You stood up, making him hold your hand. “You’re going?” You giggled softly, nodding. “Yes, our time is up, I’ll see you at home hm?” Neuvillette wanted nothing more than to just leave all his work and go home with you, but you both knew it wasn’t possible. “Alright, give me a kiss before you go.” You smiled and leaned down, kissing him passionately. Archons, you loved him so much.

“I’ll try to come home early, and once I’m home, oh you better prepare yourself darling, I’m not through with you yet..” his husky voice spoke against your lips, sending chills down your spine. Tonight was going to be amazing. You smiled mischievously, kissing his cheek as you stood up. “Alright then, I’ll be waiting for you, Monsieur~” He laughs softly at your teasing, shaking his head watching you with affectionate eyes as you left his office. Well, he’s gonna finish his work as soon as possible. After all, he’s got a promise to fulfil.

[grumpykento]

Dad!Nanami

Here is a little story/headcanon I cooked up for dad!Nanami, I hope you guys like it.

Warnings: none, sorry for the format though it looks a little crowded

Let me know how I did! I love any feedback or requests! I want to be more active on this page hopefully this February!

<3

He’s on the phone with another client, trying to tie up loose ends from home, while still having to bring work home with him; 

He promised to spend more time with you and the baby not long ago, making sure he didn’t miss the opportunities to make memories with you and his daughter. 

It wasn’t a hard decision to make, telling the higher-ups to deal with it, knowing that he was needed to keep this company alive and thriving. 

Even though he hated this job and the people who made it successful. But he didn’t need money for just himself anymore. He needed to provide for you and his beloved daughter. 

Sometimes he did have to make calls from home, hiding his work self away from you as he grumbled and huffed as he heard the specific phone ring from his office. 

Both of you had breakfast before, cutting up her food and while you talked to him about the day

It was the only time he truly felt peace. You tried to keep him comfortable and keep him talking since you knew that he loved to talk about anything other than his feelings. 

Hearing the phone ring brought a frown to his face, handing the spoon to you while kissing your daughter’s head and your cheek, as he walked slowly to the annoying ringing noise.  

You loved to watch him be so dramatic. It was the only time he really showed other emotions, rather than his work embodiment (strict and composed) that his coworkers see. 

You and your daughter love to sneak in during his phone calls, trying not to distract him (that's a complete lie) and mess with his desk that's too clean and organized. He gives you an annoyed look, one that doesn’t reflect how he feels for you, that look is only for his job. His eyes roll with a comedic slowness. “Only a few more hours,” you mouth to him. 

Kissing his frowning lips with the loudest smack to make his cheeks blush just a little before you leave. You knew his coworkers heard him, he knew it too. Did he care? Absolutely not. 

Your daughter would linger; her finished coloring page in her hand, as she stood by his chair, his attention to the phone was completely forgotten as his eyes would match her glowing ones. His smile beaming as she whispers about what she colored, explaining the whole story she made up in her head, obviously one of the squiggles in the drawing is him and she's so proud of it. He puts it up next to all the other drawings she’s made for him, hung up on the windows to his office to show everyone in the entire world that she’s the best artist. 

You’d feel his hands stir you awake as your head jumps from the couch suddenly. His hand running down your back gently pulling you from sleep as he told you dinner was almost ready. You beamed and almost cried at the gesture. He knew that working from home was easier for both of you but that wasn’t enough for him. 

All his time was catered towards taking care of his family, nothing else mattered. He wouldn’t even take calls from work (or Gojo) after 7, and they all knew that. 

He loved to see your sweet smile pull gently towards your cheeks, pulling your daughter closer to your chest as she slept soundly from the busy day of coloring. It was a hard job. And she took it very seriously. 

He loved his family, and choosing to be with you and finding something to create his life around was something he’ll never regret or give up and he’s never shown you anything that could make you doubt. All his love is for you and his family, and he’ll never let go and neither will you.

[mj-ackerman]

SxF Light Novel: Family Portrait Translation Mission 4: Portrait of the Forger Family!? (Part 1)

Read Mission 3: Franky's New Love!? Here. DO NOT REPOST

PART 2>>

“Go fetch it, Bond!”

“Borf!”

“Anya, Bond, don’t go off too far!

“Don’t worry, Yor. I’m also watching them”

Under the clear blue sky, a large picnic sheet was laid out on the park lawn, homemade sandwiches, fruit salad, baked goods for dessert were laid out, and a friendly couple watched their beloved daughter play with their dog with a frisbee. 

This is perfect.

Loid Forger, a.k.a “Twilight”, was extremely satisfied with their appearance, as if they were a model of a happy family. 

With this, no matter how you look at it, it won’t look like a fake family to anyone. 

Spies are easily tripped up by the slightest suspicion or distrust of those around them. Therefore, Loid regularly showed off his family’s harmonious relationship to those around him. Since this morning, they’ve run into several families who live in the same apartment building, and they have exchanged greetings and small conversations. 

It was worth taking a time out of his busy mission schedules. 

“I’m glad it’s sunny, but the wind is a little cold, isn’t it?”

“I thought something like this might happen, so I brought you a blanket, please use it if you’d like.”

As Loid and Yor were talking harmoniously, Anya, who had been running around the lawn, returned with Bond.

“Papa!”

“What’s wrong, Anya?”

Loid, in the manner of a loving father, held his child in his arms as she came running towards him with great vigor. 

“Are you hungry? We have sandwiches here.”

When he said that, Anya answered, “No, I’m not hungry yet,” and pointed to her back.

“That person said he wanted to talk to you, Papa.”

“That person?”

Loid raised his eyebrows and looked up to see a young man standing a short distance away, dressed in worn-out trainers, faded denim, and tattered sneakers. Overall, he’s a long, thin man. With a huge cloth bag hanging from his shoulder and a folding easel in his left hand, Loid saw that his trainers, denim, and even his sneakers were all covered in colorful paints.

He is too young to be a painter. Judging from his appearance, Loid guessed that he was an art student. 

I’m sure the organization’s contact person did not give any indication of a contact request…

In the first place, even if it’s a disguise, contacting the agent in front of his family directly, is such a careless act for a contact person. He’s sure it has nothing to do with the organization. However, he must remain vigilant. Although he doesn’t feel any murderous intent, it still could be an enemy agent. 

As he was quickly thinking about this, the young man approached him. Loid stood up, smiled a harmless smile and asked the young man,

“Can I help you? Was my daughter bothering you, by any chance?”

“No, nothing like that. Um, I’m painting something.”

Although the way the young man spoke sounded somewhat flat, his voice was pleasant to listen to.

“But lately, I have been having a hard time figuring out what to draw or what I want to draw….something is missing in my drawings, but I couldn’t figure it out…. So I was in what I call a slump. Today, too, I couldn’t come up with anything at all, so I was about to go home because I had no other choice when I finally thought, “This is it.”.”

After saying that, the young man bowed his head in a perked up manner. 

“Please, please be a model for my painting. Please.”

“Huh? A model?”

Loid made a surprised expression, but inwardly raised an eyebrow. 

What’s this guy talking about? 

Could it be that he’s really an agent of an enemy organization and he’s after something? However, there is not the slightest indication that the young man was lying. Due to his occupation, Loid is good at seeing through people’s lies. The young man in front of him had none of the characteristics of a liar. 

“You will be famous, Papa?”

Anya, who clasped her hands to her chest, suddenly got excited. 

At that, the young man shook his head, saying, “No.”. At that moment, a strong turpentine smell came out of his matte black hair. Looking closely, there was oil paint stuck in his hair as well.

“Not only your father, I want to draw your whole family.”

“Bond too?”

“Yes, the doggy too, of course.”

“Borf!”

“Oh, this one is very polite, isn’t he? Nice to meet you.”

The young man bowed his head to Bond as if he were a human, and reverently held his proffered paw.

Apparently, he’s really just a good painter in origin. However, it’s still a troublesome offer. Loid hesitated, wondering what to do now. 

As a spy, it would be a bad idea to leave traces of “Loid Forger” carelessly, even as a model for a painting…..

Loid did not show it in his expression, but he casually explored his surroundings with just a glance. Just as he thought, the curious eyes of people around them were focused on them. A couple relaxing on a picnic sheet nearby are watching them with amusement.

“What was that?”

“Something about being a model for a painting. Isn’t that some kind of art student assignment?”

In order to complete the mission without a delay, he cannot afford to be the center of attention here. On the other hand, it would also be outwardly offensive to refuse a diligent student’s request without any hesitation. 

I don’t know where or who is watching us. If the gossipy housewife across the apartment saw this, I'd be in trouble….

“Hey, listen. Mr. Forger was asked by an art student to be a model for a painting and he refused without any hesitation.”

“Oh my, that family was surprisingly cold.”

“They could’ve at least let him paint them. It’s not like they’ll die from it.”

“Oh, maybe there is something wrong with being drawn?”

Loid could easily imagine such a conversation happening. 

As an ordinary and good family, should we do our part in nurturing the young man with a bright future? No, today is a holiday, after all. It would be reasonable to refuse, I could say that we want to cherish our family time alone. 

Loid, who quickly concluded, said, 

“I’m terribly sorry, but I’ve been working a lot these days, and today is the only time I finally got to spend time with my family so….”

When he tried to softly refused the offer, Anya suddenly shouted in a strange voice,

“EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

“What’s wrong? You suddenly just…”

“Th-That patch..”

Anya pointed to the back of the young man’s cloth bag with a trembling hand. 

“Oh, this?”

When the young man flipped the bag over, there was a glittering round patch on the bottom left corner, and in the center, Anya’s beloved cartoon character “Bondman” was drawn. 

“It was a bonus for a Bondman chocolate. I thought it would be a nice marker for my bag.”

“It’s super rare, the mythical bonus.”

Anya muttered in a shaky voice. 

For Anya, who loves bonuses and Bondman, it must be a very coveted item. 

Loid had a bad feeling about this, and said,

“If it’s Bondman Chocolate, I’ll buy you one on our way home.”

He put his hand on Anya’s small shoulder to calm her down as she stared at the patch, the young man then said nonchalantly, 

“If you don’t mind, can I give it to you?”

“Really!?”

Anya’s face shone brightly.

“I glued it on, so I'll give you the whole bag instead. I can’t give you the things inside of it, so I’ll find a garbage bag somewhere and put it in.”

Loid then hurriedly stopped the young man who was about to go looking for a garbage bag as he said,

“No, there’s no reason for you to do such a thing…”

“But she seems to like this very much. I would be very happy if she keeps it.”

After saying it as a matter-of-factly, the young man went to a mobile van parked nearby and returned with a black garbage bag. 

Without any hesitation, he put what’s inside the cloth bag into the garbage bag and said,

“Here you go.”

“Fank you very much.”

Anya was so pleased that she was almost jumping for joy when she was handed the bag with a rare Bondman patch. 

Ugh….what’s with this guy? 

It’s very difficult to deal with someone who doesn’t offer exchange conditions, such as accepting being a model for the painting in exchange for the patch. If that’s the case, then Loid can just do whatever he wants, but people with nothing but best intentions at heart are the most difficult to deal with. 

It can’t be helped…

With that, Loid made up his mind. 

It was not that he was going to be painted by a famous painter. He told himself that there would be no problem as long as he was painted by an art student. 

“Thank you for doing that for my daughter’s sake. If it’s okay with my wife, we’ll be happy to be a model. Is that okay, Yor?”

When he asked Yor, who was sitting on a picnic sheet watching them, for her consent, his good-natured wife gave him a flustered smile. 

“Yes, Anya was very happy too, so it would be nice if we could at least help him.”

She responded with a soft smile. 

The young man was puzzled and asked, 

“Um, did I do something to be thanked like that…?”

He was honestly very happy to have them model for his painting as he said, “Thank you.”. He bent down deeply and bowed his head and held out his right hand, which was stained with paint, to Loid.

“My name is Felix Curtis.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m….”

Loid, who reflexively grabbed the right hand of the young man named Felix, almost introduced himself briefly and then he stopped. 

Felix Curtis? 

Felix Curtis is one of the most popular painters of their time. He is a rather eccentric artist who rarely appears on the stage, so his face is almost unknown to most people, but Loid just read a newspaper article of him recently that his painting was sold for an amazing price. 

Don’t tell me it’s him? No, I believe Felix was in his mid-thirties…

However, the man in front of him looked like a teenager, no matter how he looked at him. 

Even though he thought that the man in front of him was completely different from what he had read in the article, Loid regained his composure and continued to speak. 

“Pardon me, I’m Loid Forger. I was a bit surprised, you share the same name as Felix, the painter?”

“Yes. I’m the person himself.”

Loid was absolutely at loss for words by the matter-of-fact response. 

….Oh my god.

His expression was almost tense, as expected, but he quickly changed it to a surprised one and said,

“I didn’t expect it to be you.”

“Do you know him, Papa?”

Anya tugged on Loid’s jacket. 

“No, but he’s a very famous painter.”

As Loid hid his inner turmoil and answered Anya’s question, Felix began to set up his easel on the lawn and said,

“Well then, I will start the preparations, you guys are free to do whatever you want.”

Anya peered at Felix and asked, 

“This frail and slender guy is very famous?”

She even gave him a rude nickname without permission. 

“Nothing like that, just a normal one.”

“Are you a billionaire?”

“No. Most of the money I receive is donated to art schools and other organizations. Painting costs money after all. I want many young people to paint freely without worrying about money.”

Felix answered each of Anya’s questions in a very serious manner. 

He was a wonderful spirit. If that is true, then this man named Felix is a man of considerable virtue. Moreover, If Loid refuses the offer he once accepted, the Forger family could quickly gain a bad reputation. 

As Loid was thinking that his retreat was even more cut off, Yor spoke to him in a whisper,

“......Um, Loid, is Mr.Felix really that famous? I thought he was just a student.”

“......Yes.”

Loid also responded in a whisper. 

“He is what you might call a man of the moment. He is a rare artist known for his use of transparent paints to create photorealistic paintings that look like photographs. I’ve seen his works in museums, and they are astonishingly elaborate. A certain art critic once said in admiration, “He turns every canvas into a camera lens.”.”

As he was explaining to Yor, Loid also chewed over the details himself. 

That��s right. That’s the problem.

What if the painting of their family, which at first glance looked exactly like a photograph, were to be mistakenly displayed in an art museum? 

This is a worst-case scenario….

As Loid was thinking that he had to avoid that at all cost, he heard Yor said,

“It’s amazing, he looks like he’s the same age as Yuri.”

She was smiling and admiring him, but then she suddenly frowned. She then asked nervously, 

“Um…..no matter how famous of an artist he is, it’s not ….likely that a painting of us as models will be displayed in an art museum, is it?”

“If he was an average painter…then no?”

Loid responded cautiously.

“In his case, there are a lot of people who want even a rough sketch from him. And when it comes to full-scale work…”

As he told her this, the blood drained from Yor’s face. Because, as you know, Loid has no way of knowing--- that she is an assassin with the code name of “Thorn Princess”. 

So far, no one has ever seen the face of the Thorn Princess and survived. ----But, there can be one in a million.

If there was someone who she failed to kill and by mistake sees Felix’s painting in an art museum and finds out that the Thorn Princess has a husband and a daughter, there is no guarantee that Loid or Anya will not be in danger. 

Thinking that, she turned pale. 

Wh-What should I do? But, it’s unnatural to refuse an offer that we have once accepted unless I can tell them the real reason… You must avoid having your face painted at all cost, Yor!

After desperately squeezing out all the wisdom that she had, Yor came to this conclusion….

“Yor? Is something wrong?”

Loid, unaware of Yor’s situation, was worried about her, who had suddenly gone pale and silent. He called out to her in a concerned manner. 

“Are you feeling sick?”

“No, I’m quite full of energy!”

Yor’s smile was clearly strained as she answered him with a smile.

“But aren’t you sweating a lot?”

“Uh…u-um..because it’s really hot.”

Saying that, Yor took off the blanket she was wearing. But unfortunately, under it was a thin sleeveless shirt. The wind that blew on her was unexpectedly cold, and Yor sneezed loudly. 

“If anything, the wind feels chilly… you also expected it, so I brought you a blanket, right, Yor?”

“No, I was wrong. It’s actually very hot today!”

He was afraid to pursue the matter any further with Yor, who was still shaking stiffly as she responded with a firm smile. 

“What’s wrong with you, Yor?”

Loid was puzzled by his wife’s sudden suspicious behavior. 

“Based on the conversation earlier, I guess she was okay to be a model for a student’s painting, but perhaps she doesn’t want it to be displayed in an art museum.” 

If that’s the case, then it’s the same with Loid but….

“Unlike me, who’s a spy, there should be no reason for Yor to be so reluctant about it. No, wait. Yor work at a tight-knit city hall.”

Certainly, it would be troublesome for her if she became a model for a famous painter and had her face to be known. It’s possible that some people might even say absurd things like she is paid by the taxpayers and she’s being frivolous.

At the very least, it will draw unwanted scorn from her co-workers. Maybe she was worried about that. 

“Yor’s relationship with her co-workers are like that after all…. I see, so that’s how it is.”

Loid found himself nodding as he realized the reason for Yor’s inexplicable behavior, and Anya, who had been looking up at him for some time, blurted out before she even knew it,

“You’re way off, Papa.”

“?” 

As usual, she suddenly said something he didn't understand.

Loid raised an eyebrow and asked, 

“What’s wrong? What’s I’m way off about?”

Saying that, Anya responded somewhat flustered, 

“It’s nothing.”

As Loid tilted his head at his daughter, inexplicable as usual, Felix finished setting up his easel and said, 

“Well then, let’s start soon.”

At that, Yor timidly raised her hand and asked, 

“Would it be alright if I go to the restroom over there for a bit?”

“Of course, please go ahead.”

As soon as Felix gave his approval, Yor rushed to the restroom at a tremendous speed. 

Overwhelmed by her momentum, the three of them looked off in stunned disbelief at Yor’s back.

“Is your mother an athlete or something?”

“My mama is an..as..as…a someone who works in the public sector.”

“Works in the public sector? You sure know difficult words. Smart kid.”

“E..ehehe.”

“Borf!”

Loid was distracted listening to Anya’s conversation out of the corner of his ear.

“Oh, so she was just holding herself up for the restroom..”

Maybe the comment about not wanting to be painted was simple my own overthinking, and Yor was just cold because she was out here for a long time. 

As Loid was thinking about whether he should casually put a jacket on Yor once she gets back, or if a blanket would be better, Anya was looking at him again. Moreover, her eyes seemed to be warm and somewhat compassionate, and when Loid turned to look at her, she was already working with Felix trimming Bond’s fur. 

-------------

[meimi-haneoka]

Clear Card Trivia 2 ~ Alice in Clockland and its meaning inside Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card

"But in the end...what the heck was that 'Clockland' ?"

Raise your hand if you have thought so at least once! If you did, then welcome to one of the posts of my Clear Card trivia series, an unexpected one I have to say, because I had scheduled to write other posts before tackling this one, but today I suddenly realized, thanks to a conversation in a community, that probably this aspect of the series takes precedence over other things.

I've seen countless of people confused over this matter ever since the play started in the plot, and everybody knows that usually when things get unexpectedly complex, they are quick to be labeled as "useless" and "nonsense".

No, Alice in Clockland isn't just a flex on CLAMP's outstanding drawing skills, it isn't useless, it is very much connected to the plot and DOES have a meaning.

Now that the main story is over, I would like to tackle this issue. I don't presume to have the Big Truth in my pocket, especially cause Ohkawa-sensei was quite eloquent in her recent public speeches: a motto she's going by is "If you think so, then it's surely true....for you", but I feel like the way I understood and reconnected the whole play and the consequent events inside Momo's book do work out pretty well, so I'll just do what I usually do: I'll write my own interpretation out here, hoping that people reading it will find it useful, will find the right angle to look at all this part of the story, and have some of their frustrations with this arc sedated. And maybe share it around to help other people too.

I just want to get my voice out there so that no one can say "no one understood it".

Of course the text below is full of spoilers if you haven't read the chapters from 64-ish / volume 13, also I will talk assuming you know what is Kaito's plan and what feelings moved him to think such plan.

Then, if you're ready, let's proceed to see in details what this is all about, starting from the play.

The Alice In Clockland Play

Let's start from the fact that the play is based on Alice Through The Looking Glass, and that is because….well, Alice in Wonderland is Ohkawa's most beloved book, so she really feels connected to it (and as you might know, this isn't CLAMP's first title inspired in Alice in Wonderland). It's just a preference, but for example many other books are referenced in this arc (as you might know from my other post in the Clear Card Trivia series) particularly "Momo" by Michael Ende (yeah, Akiho chose Momo's name from that book!).

The play (first called "The Two Alice" and then at last minute "Alice in Clockland") is undoubtedly the focal point of the second half of Clear Card. It's during the play that Kaito starts the final stage of his plan (and succeeds). But not only that, the plot of the play itself offers a good foreshadowing to what's going to happen to a certain someone later on. CLAMP used the "parallels" structure a lot in this arc, because it enhances the feeling of interconnection between the characters. "I understand what you're going through because the same happened to me". Sakura is an extremely empathetic character so that fits her and her world perfectly.

So the plot of the play Naoko wrote is quite simple: there are these two twin sisters who get separated by supernatural reasons and one of them ends up lost in another world, becoming Queen of it and forgetting completely about her family of origin. In the play they're both called Alice because of the imagery that twins are initially one same being that gets divided in two… Even the family of origin forgets about the lost daughter, but somehow their feelings for her never get erased, and they keep a chair (which stays empty) at their table. It's like they're feeling that someone is missing and are waiting for her to return, even if they don't really know it. One day, a magical black cat gets to meet the Alice who stayed in her world and ends up guiding her to a magical land: his goal is to lead her to meet her lost sister and reunite them. After wandering for a while. Alice finds her sister/Queen of that land, and touching her hands she suddenly remembers who she is, and what she herself came here for, which is to bring her back home. The two go back home together and we reach the happy ending of the play (which we could only see in the rewritten world, but surely followed the scenario Naoko had written). The most important message of the play is that even if we forget about someone, feelings cannot be erased and those will lead us back to the person we forgot and to remember about them. (Does this ring a bell..?)

The Actual Clockland

It might be useful to remind you that we're currently dealing with two major magical tools shaped like books, at this point of the story: one is the Book of Time Momo is guarding (to which Akiho gave the title "Alice in Clockland" and which will inspire the title of the play), a magical book capable of recording someone's life and, activating the so-called "Forbidden Magic", rewrite it completely. Another one is the magical artifact, shaped like a book, that was engraved into Akiho's body by her Clan and the Association of Magicians, where any magical book that Akiho reads gets "written down" , to store its magical power for use and consumption of those criminals. There's just one "tiny" problem: the more magic gets written on it, the more the book consumes and suffocates Akiho's soul, till the point of no return where the soul will get destroyed. The Clan and Association prefer this outcome as it would be easier for them to manipulate Akiho as an artifact, devoid of any conscience.

In the middle of the school play, Kaito brings Sakura and Akiho to Clockland, which is a "dimension" existing inside Momo's book, to prepare them for the rewriting of the world that he's going to perform afterwards. This world is built using Sakura, Akiho and Kaito's memories (you can see many elements that appeared in past chapters and that come from their memories, like the botanical garden where they had a double date, or the rose garden where Kaito met Akiho the first time). Another thing to be noted is that Hitsuzen (the force of inevitability that rules CLAMP's manga) facilitated Kaito enormously, so much that many things went exactly as he wished and how it was convenient for him (which isn't a good thing, since this led to a big big mess). So following the school play's roles, here Akiho is the Queen of this land, she's the most important character and it makes sense seeing who Kaito is doing all of this for. Sakura keeps being Alice, just like in the play.

In Clockland, Kaito removes Sakura and Akiho's memories and stores them in the botanical garden. He needs to do that for two reasons:

‐ just like the play, he hopes that Sakura and Akiho will follow along their roles and recognize eachother as sisters ‐ as such, this Clockland works as some kind of "primer" for their brain; ‐ he needs to change and rewrite those memories to make them become sisters later on, so he needs to have them collected in one place.

It is to be noted that Syaoran here is an intruder, Kaito didn't initially account for him to join in, and wanted to take on the role of the cat himself. In the play the cat is the one who leads one of the Alices to find the other one and make them recognize eachother as sisters, so this is the one thing Kaito wants to do and the role he wants to take on for himself. Kaito also knows that Sakura trusts Syaoran, even at a subconscious level, so he keeps his appearance to ease her in, believing that she'll follow along without making questions (ha, so much for that, Kaito). Not wanting to be hindered in his plan, he uses the Mirror Sakura Card as a red herring for Syaoran. Syaoran, in that regard, even as an intruder ends up achieving a result very in line with his "cat role", which is to make someone remember (Sakura remembers her identity when he shouts her name). The Clear Cards are inside Clockland because Kaito soon will need to use them to power the forbidden spell. As we know from later events, not all of them are there, and some follow his orders (like Shade), some don't (like all the Cards with appearances of Sakura's loved ones, which are trying to give her hints along the way to wake her subconscious up ‐ this is exactly their role and it worked well because Sakura starts to free herself from the spell Kaito casted to keep her subconscious dormant and to keep her in her "in role", symbolized in the manga by a change of fonts used in the dialogues, a thing that those who have read it in English couldn't recognize because they didn't respect that aspect in the translation).

Another thing that Kaito hopes for, while the two girls interact in this "fairytale" (it is very much considered a fairytale by Kaito, since he calls all of them "characters"), is that Sakura will end up creating the Card he needs to operate the exchange of artifacts between him and Akiho (exchanging his pocket watch for the artifact book inside of her). As we said above, Hitsuzen shamelessly favors him and Sakura does end up creating Exchange at the last minute. Once that is done, Kaito doesn't need to keep them in this Clockland anymore, and by the contract they have, Momo starts to activate the forbidden spell on his request, rewriting everyone's memories to satisfy Kaito's wish to turn Akiho into Sakura's sister after he removed the artifact from her with Exchange.

Now, we know what happened after Kaito activated the forbidden spell. Everyone's memories were rewritten following his wish, and he was turned into a dragon and imprisoned by effect of the Seal of D., which was imposed on him by the Association like some sort of "trap", should he ever mess with Akiho's artifact.

But it's here that the play from above comes back in from the "backdoor", to bring the unexpected parallel: Kaito ends up being the character who's lost in another world and whose existence is totally forgotten by a loved one.

But that loved one got a "memento" of him (the pocket watch, which parallels the role of the chair in the play) and that object causes Akiho to feel strange, to feel like she has to fix it, she's extremely attracted to this pocket watch even if she doesn't know why. In the end, just like in the play, Akiho and Kaito reunite and despite not remembering anything about him, and not even having his true appearance in front of her (cause she meets him as a dragon first), Akiho knows perfectly well that that is the person she loves the most, because her feelings weren't erased (just like in the play).

Sakura's role in the finale ends up being similar to the one of the black cat, making everyone remember who they really are and their connections.

So this is roughly the "significance" of both the play and Clockland in this story. It is to be noted that what happens in Clockland is extremely abstract and full of riddles because Alice in Wonderland + Through The Looking Glass are exactly like that. Have you tried to read the originals by Lewis Carrol? It's quite difficult to follow along and nothing seems to make sense….when actually, with a different reading key, it does. I've had to pause my reading of Through The Looking Glass (that I had started in hope to understand the Clear Card story better) multiple times because it's quite difficult for me to stay focused and understand what's going on. I guess Ohkawa‐sensei wanted to go all out on the references to this story, and give the same narrative vibe. The references of course don't stop at the narrative structure, you can read the others in my post about the literary references that I had linked at the beginning of this post, in the section about Alice in Wonderland.

Kaito's True Feelings

Another thing to be noted about Clockland is that since it's playing a lot with the subconscious of the characters, Kaito's true feelings end up appearing here and there. The Queen's Castle, the most important place, is built on crystals, a reference to his true name (something that Sakura points out immediately and Kaito doesn't reply to, while showing a pensive face). Their memories together are protected and stored inside the botanical garden, once again made of crystals. Sakura hits the bull's eye particularly when she says that the rose garden (where Kaito met Akiho for the first time) feels extremely important to someone (that someone is Kaito, of course), and Kaito (disguised as Syaoran) looks away and urges her to move forward. The "someone" could be interpreted as Akiho too, of course, but the Cat/Kaito's reaction and the fact that the Cards told Sakura that this place is strictly interconnected with someone's "wish", makes me lean more toward Kaito. The garden pavillion appearing with the Repair card is another important place because it's where Lilie told him "you'll find something/someone you'll like, one day". It's quite telling that Sakura, despite not even remembering who she is, is guided by her infinite empathy and recognizes immediately those parts of this land that reveal Kaito's true heart and the core of this whole matter, through the continuous questions she keeps posing to everyone, in a desperate attempt to make sense of what's happening and subconsciously fight the spell that's keeping her in her "role" (she'll do that with Akiho too, later).

It's interesting to note also just how much Hitsuzen played on Kaito's side, guiding Tomoyo's instinct to re-do the outfits for the two Alices and ending up giving to Akiho a serious, dark outfit with a black veil. I remember how me and some friends commented that more than a queen, she looked like a mourning bride. Considering what happened afterwards, the imagery CLAMP chose was pretty spot on. Not only that, but the black veil also served as a metaphor for Kaito keeping Akiho's subconscious dormant, making her act like the role of the play required her to. Needless to say, Akiho was able to slip away from the grasp of that spell basically on her own, without even needing magic, only relying on her strong feelings for Kaito (she didn't even remember her name, but lifting the veil up - a very powerful imagery - she remembered that she had someone she loved, and also Sakura's name. This gets once again conveyed in the Japanese version by the change of fonts in the script). The rose headpiece is also another quite interesting part of the outfit, as Sakura asks to the Cat/Kaito why the roses in the garden are all white, despite being this the Red Queen's land... For sure, that place was referencing the real rose garden where Kaito and Akiho met the first time, where the roses were all white, but that also means that the only Red Rose in that land is....Akiho. I also remind you that the rose headpiece was featured in the color page of chapter 69, with Kaito cradling it in his arms with a sweet smile, as if he were holding something very precious....we could read the color illustration as "that's the only thing he got left of Akiho".

This is the reason why Momo, in a moment where the Alices are on their own, tells Kaito that no matter how much he tries to hide himself behind the Syaoran disguise, his true nature shows up anyway. The whole place is full of elements making reference to very important things in his heart, and his true wish. That is only normal because the whole place is made up of their memories. This is also why Momo says that Kaito gave "all of himself" for the activation of the spell.

Another very interesting part is when Sakura, before meeting the Cat/Kaito, meets her friends Rika, Chiharu, Yamazaki and Naoko in the shape of the corresponding Cards (Appear, Synchronize and True & False). The Cards tell her that what appears in this world depends on what Sakura wishes, but her reply is "This is the Red Queen's land. Shouldn't she be the one to decide what appears here in this world?" which works wonderfully on a metaphorical level to point at how Akiho should be the one deciding what happens from now on, since this place is hers and was built for her alone. Seeing how mad Akiho got at Kaito afterwards for deciding her happiness on her behalf, yes, Sakura's question was pretty legit.

In Clockland we have also lots of meaningful interactions between Sakura and Akiho and words said in conversation that will become absolutely essential to help Sakura reaching the truth in the rewritten world (especially the whole discussion about "memories" and "records"), since they stayed in her heart even with the activation of the forbidden spell.

And I believe this is everything regarding these two parts of the Clear Card plot, a way for CLAMP to undoubtedly experiment with a different kind of storytelling, and to ask their readers to dedicate a little bit more of attention to the story, trying to get out of the logical approach to things, and thinking on a more abstract and metaphorical level.

[simpforthedead]

How genshin characters would react at a Y/n crying

⁠☆Characters⁠☆

-Venti

-Diluc

-Scaramouche

-Chongyun

-Klee (Platonic)

ฅ⁠^How they will react to their beloved (not for Klee)crying alone⁠^⁠ฅ

Maybe i will do more....Maybe..

⁠☆——————————————————☆

✯Venti⁠✯

He was coming out of Diluc's tavern and heard sobs.

He was looking for you all over Mondstadt and ended up finding you sitting against a tree crying.

He felt his heart break at the sight of his sobbing girlfriend.

He then took you in his arms standing next to you.

He whispered sweet words to you to calm you down.

When he sees that you are not crying anymore he will ask you if you want to talk about it.

"You don't have to tell me what's wrong if you don't want to. But know that I'm still here!"

He will sing you after a song until you fall asleep on his shoulder.

If the reason you're crying is because of someone, that person would have been reported missing the next day.

If he can't do anything about it he will play the lyre more often as if to remind you that he is always there if you need help.

You were naturally happy so if you were to be sad it would be the end of the world for him.

After that he will follow you everywhere you go for 2 months.

✯Diluc✯

After a long day of work he decided to visit you.

However when he entered he only saw his beloved curled up crying.

He wasn't sure how to take it but tried his best.

He will embrace you, rubbing his hand on your head to comfort you.

After a while he will ask you why you were crying.

If it's because of someone, believe me that person will apologize the next day.

If he can't do anything about it he will hold you in his arms and won't let go until you have completely stopped crying.

"Please, don't cry, it doesn't fit you."

✯Scaramouche✯

He was looking for you to tell you about a project that seemed important to him.

However, he couldn't find you anywhere and was beginning to worry.

He finds you eventually, but doesn't notice the tears on your cheeks until he asks you a question and you don't answer.

Noticing that you were crying he couldn't help but feel guilty.

But he took that feeling away and he's sitting next to you looking into your eyes.

He patted your head lightly then took his hat and put it on your head before giving you a hug.

He let you cry for a moment before asking the reason for your crying.

If it's someone who hurt you mentally or physically ,oh boi that person is already in their grave.

If he can't do anything about it he will feel guilty but will stay next to you putting his pride aside.

"Stop crying you are more beautiful when you're smiling "

✯Chongyun✯

He wanted to see you so that you would accompany him to hunt spirits.

However he couldn't find you and asked Xingqiu and Xiangling if they knew.

Xiangling claimed to have seen you not far from his restaurant.

He rushed to see you.

When he found you he felt his heart skip a beat.

He saw you crying and he hated to see you cry even if he thought you were beautiful (Like what the heck).

He threw himself on you from behind to give you one of the biggest hugs of your life.

Usually it was you who invited him to cuddle.

You try for 5 minutes to escape from his grip of not wanting to waste his time.

However, he wouldn't let go and instead turned you around so that you were facing him.

He now saw your face that was still crying.

He lightly kissed your tears and then your forehead.

Then you let yourself cry over him.

"Shhh..It's ok. I'm here to help you. What's the matter?"

His voice comforted you somehow.

If someone had put you in this state they will laugh at this person telling you that you are much better anyway.

If it was just an event or yourself he will give you far too many popsicles.

He will keep you in his arms for a while longer enjoying the moment.

✿Klee✿

She was drawing when she heard a sniffle.

She then saw you crying in your blanket.

You were like a big sister to her ,so she is slowly getting closer to you.

"Y/n are you crying?"

You turned to look at her.

You didn't want her to see you in this state ,but at the point where you were you didn't really have a choice.

She then pinched your cheeks and parted them forming a smile.

"Look how beautiful you are with a smile!!"

She released your cheeks and took her drawing to show it to you.

On the drawing there was Klee holding your hand and Albedo's.

"Here I made this for you!"

The girl's innocence finally got you, and you were laughing with her now.

Later Albedo will come to speak with you. (Yes there is Albedo)

Guess she talked about it with the scientist.

The next few days Klee will ask you to play with her.

"That way I'm sure Y/n won't cry anymore!!"

⁠☆——————————————————☆

I hope you liked it!(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

Ask me if you want more!

♡Have a great day/afternoon/night!♡

[gretavanlace]

Poppins (part 3)

Jake Kiszka x reader

18+ only! Minors do not interact!

Warnings: language, angst, dirty talk, fingering (fem rec) umm, I think that’s about it…for now

A week later, after a beer with Josh on the porch in the dark that should’ve felt more awkward than it did, you find yourself at Karen and Kelly’s, enjoying a get together. A last laugh before Jake heads back out on whatever road he plans on wandering down next.

You’ll miss him painfully, though you’d rather die than readily admit it.

You���ve ducked away to slip into the bathroom, but instead, have landed in Jake and Josh’s childhood bedroom.

It’s a cluttered mess, but it draws you in…a curious moth to a time capsule flame. Standing silently, shoes sinking into the carpet, a thought crosses your mind…I could stay here forever. In this little room that was once their world. Forever.

Thoughts like these come far too often. They make you uneasy…it’s as if they occupy your heart equally, and that makes no sense.

A voice, quiet and inquisitive, invades your reverie “Lost, poppins?”

Jake. Of course he would find you. Josh leaves well enough alone. Jake doesn’t care for being left behind, no matter how trivial the circumstances.

He meanders through the room silently as you soak in your surroundings. Band and movie posters litter the walls, corners sagging lazily over the thumbtacks pinning them in place. Gold plated trophies bearing faceless figures kicking soccer balls scatter across shelves and dressers, an old pair of converse wait patiently in the corner, never to be worn again. They make you feel sad for some inexplicable reason.

The space smells of lemon pledge and them. They’re so alike that way…the way they smell. It makes you wonder, is that just because they’re brothers? Raised together under the same roof, slumbering beneath the same ceiling night after night, scraping their dinner plates clean of matching meals, trudging identically across the lawn each morning to catch the school bus? growing and changing together? Together, together, together…always together? Or more so because they’re twins…split from one egg, nestled, tangled up tight in the womb, until their mother labored them into the harsh light of the world?

You look right, and you’re surrounded by Josh. Left, Jake. Perhaps if you spun in circles long enough, they might merge into one…wouldn’t that solve all of your problems?

“It’s like a shrine.” You murmur, wonderstruck by the way their parents have left the room intact and untouched aside from Karen’s dusting and swapping clean linens for their counterparts to keep them fresh.

“Yeah, well, we’re the twins. The beloved gruesome twosome.” Jake is only teasing, but he’s right. “They turned Ron’s room into a gym almost right away. My mother thought she needed one one night after too many daiquiris. It’s Costco storage now.”

He’s perched on what you assume was once his bed, a prince returned to the throne of his kingdom. You switch your focus from the various objects dotting the shelves, to his flawless face, and find him watching you carefully.

“I like having you in here.” He muses softly. “Makes me feel like I’m young again.”

You fight a smile, but it comes anyway. “You’re still young, Jake.”

He leans back with his elbows digging into an ancient quilt, legs splayed wide. “Makes me feel like I’m really young though. Like I’m back in high school with a pretty girl in my room who won’t sit down because she’s nervous I might try and put my hand up her skirt.”

Leaning back against a desk you assume to be Josh’s (Jake, having never been studious from the stories you’ve heard) you attempt to adopt his casual air. “My guess is that Josh had more girls in this room than you ever did. Theater girls are crazy…or so I’ve been told.”

He laughs loudly, head tipped back to expose the perfect column of his throat. When he refocuses on your face, the look in his eyes nearly steals your breath. It’s beautiful, and predatory. “So you’ve been told, or do you know that first hand?”

“Are you asking if I was a crazy theater girl,” You feign confusion “Or if I’ve let theater girls go crazy on me?”

He hums as if amused, “I know what you’re doing.”

Running from the room seems like an excellent plan. Instead, you stay in place, gaze lingering everywhere but upon him. “And what am I doing, Jake? Because I just happened to find my way in here, you’re the one who…”

“You’re avoiding me.” He interrupts.

“Avoiding you?” You scoff, stunned by how far off it is from what you had expected him to say. “We’re in the same room, bud…I’m failing to see how…”

“You always do this,” he has risen gracefully to his feet, closing in on you step by step. “You push me away with stupid jokes, or flippant comments…and I know why. Do you?”

“Do I what?” You whisper as he nears.

“Do you know why you do that?” He’s in front of you now, so close you feel warm in his radiant heat.

A small shake of your head is your offering, cornered like a quivering rodent with a sleek, ravenous, alley cat bearing down upon it.

“It’s because you want me,” he moves nearer, hands circling your waist as though he owns your body…and perhaps he does. “Maybe not as badly as I want you, but you want me. Tell me you don’t.”

“Jake…”

His grip tightens. “Go on. Tell me.”

The silence is deafening, until he breaks it softly. “Stop. That’s all you have to say.”

“Stop.” It hushes out of you, hardly a whisper, but he releases you and steps away as if you’ve shouted.

A quiet apology is offered, but you shake your head. He wasn’t wrong, and he needn’t be sorry.

“So, who is this?” You ask, scrambling to return to innocent ground. “Her face is everywhere.”

You scan the snapshots littering the wall, waiting for his reply. It doesn’t come, so you offer an apology of your own.

“No, you’re good.” He assures, brushing off his silence for something less than it feels like it was. “Just someone who used to matter.”

“Pretty.”

“Yeah.” He grins, gaze flitting over your features. “I have a type, I suppose.”

“Did you love her?” The question comes from nowhere, and you long to take it back. What business is it of yours?

“Yes.”

“Did the road drag you away, free bird?” You joke, hiding your unease with his candor as you settle down on the bed opposite his. Josh’s bed.

“No.” He sounds offhanded, but the moment feels heavier. “My brother fucked her. He was drunk and she was somethin’ else, and I couldn’t blame him.”

“So you blamed her.” You ask, after a stretch of shocked silence.

“So I blamed her.” He confirms with a gentle nod of his head.

“I’m sorry.” It comes as a whisper. You feel badly for him, and worse for bringing her up, for causing the dull flash of pain in his eyes.

He shakes it off as quickly as it came. “I’m not. Better to see the truth of someone’s heart before they get their hands on yours.”

“That explains the girl in every port.” You ponder aloud, mostly to yourself.

The aged mattress creaks under his weight as he sinks down beside you. “A girl in every port?” His fingers begin toying tenderly with your own. “That sounds suspiciously like Josh. Did he put that idea in your pretty head?”

“Is it not the truth?” You wrap your fingers up with his, though it’s the last thing you should do.

“He tells you those things because he knows there’s something here.” He points to you, and then to himself. “He’s in love with you. Can’t say I can fault him for that.”

Though stunned, in love with you?, you march right by it like it hasn’t been said. “Doesn’t automatically make it a lie. Is it? True, I mean? Girl in every port?”

“I like sex, poppins.” He shrugs casually, like he’s just confessed his favorite flavor of ice cream. “So, I indulge as often as possible…that’s all.”

“Well,” you pull your hand away as if stung. “I’m not an indulgence, Jake.”

“Ah,” the sexiest of smiles graces his sinful mouth. “That’s where you’re wrong, babe. You’re the sweetest indulgence of all. You’d be like grapes, warmed under the sun, ready to burst on the tongue, fed by angels.”

He’s close now…so fucking close. Leaned in, stealing all the air from the room while humming poetic nonsense into your ear, breath tickling along your throat as his lips tease, barely there and feathering over your thrumming jugular.

“What if I stand up and close the door? Turn the lock and spread these gorgeous legs? Will you feed it to me?”

“Jake…” You loathe the way it moans softly out of you, but it’s too late to right that wrong.

“Oh, that was nice, poppins…” his teeth have found your earlobe, drawing forth a shiver you can’t conceal. “Say my name like that one more time for me, all soft and sweet. You sound like you’re begging.”

Now those nimble fingers of his are popping the buttons on the fly of your jeans one by one, allowing for the protest you can’t seem to muster.

“Jake, everyone’s downstairs and…”

“We’ll hear them.” He promises quietly, nuzzling at your temple as his mouth kisses the apple of your cheek sweetly. “Are you wet? Have you soaked through your little panties? Trembling for my fingers, or my mouth, or my cock?”

You're lost now. Completely…and you couldn’t give less of a shit if you actively tried. And, when his hand slips inside your panties, you forget to stifle the moan of surprised relief that gasps out of you.

“Yeah?” He teases, circling the pads of his fingers over your wet clit delicately. “Does that feel good?”

Hands in his tangled hair, you turn in close, lips resting against his mouth, breathing in his ragged breaths. “Jake, please…”

“Please what?” He coaxes, still loving on your cunt like he’s never been more devoted to anything in his life.

“I…” he chooses that exact moment to bury a finger inside you, huffing a breath of a laugh when you lurch forward, further into his arms. “Fuck…more.”

“Poppins wants more…” he sighs, slipping a second finger in to join the first.

He curls into that special little place that makes your muscles turn weak just as the sound of footsteps begin to ascend the stairs.

Moving to push him away, he tugs you in tighter, “It’s him, can’t you tell by the walk? Let him see. You’re mine. C’mon, let him see.”

“Oh my god, Jake…stop!” you shove at him again and he backs off.

Josh appears in the doorway seconds after you’ve finished yanking your shirt down to cover the buttons you haven’t had time to fasten. Jake looks casual, running his still slick fingers over his lips, but you’re flushed with shame and adrenaline.

“Mom’s looking for you.” He informs his twin with a hard edge to his tone. “Says you promised to man the grill.”

“That I did, brother…” Jake rises, taking no concern to hide his very obvious erection as he ambles out of the room. “That I did.”

Josh waits until you’re alone in the suffocating quiet.

“Interrupted again,” he tilts his head with a somber, inquisitive stare. “I seem to be making a habit of this.”

“No,” you reach out to smooth his curls, but then retreat, worried he might smell his other half all over you. “We were just…”

“Please don’t lie to me, sweetheart.” He manages a sorrowful smile. “That makes this so much worse.”

You're left with that, in a room surrounded by the relics of the boys they once were, with a heart stuffed full of the men they have become.

Taglist: @gretasintrees @greta-van-chaos @paleshadow-ofadragon @celestialfauna @s0livagant @groggyvanfleet @kiszkathecook @brokenbellz @llightmyllovee @doodle417 @seventieswhore @jake-kiszkas-smirk @weightofdreams-gvf @imdepressedaf1996 @alisonwonderland29 @gretavanfleas @gretavangroove @sparrowofthedawn @xserenax-13 @tbagggvf @obetrolncocktails @tripthelightjaketastic @jakeslovehandles @poofyloofy @70sgroupielovr @heatmyfleet @age-of-nyahh @sammiboo162 @spicedandicedtea @jakekiszkasleftnutsack @saoirsemaeve @mywickeddivinity @dvrkblooms @paintmyhouse @tripthelightfandomtastic @tripthelight-fanfic @mckenna4 @sarakay-gvf @theweightofjake @joshsmama @sammysvanfeet @rhythm-of-space @highladyofasgard @jordierama @calumspretty

[stromuprisahat]

Why don't you like Genyalina nor Zenya? Just curious,I don't like those ships either.

Genyalina suffers the same issue Darklina does- for it to work, Alina would need to drastically change. While Alina never sees the Darkling as a human being, Genya has it arguably better- she's the kind of friend that makes Alina feel good about herself.

I'll talk about Genya from the first book, because I don't consider what the author turned her into a character at all, merely a convenient punching bag, perpetual victim and occasional mouthpiece.

Genya's job was to introduce Alina to life of Little Palace and keep an eye on her. Genya's JOB. What she didn't have to do, was becoming Alina's friend. She's constantly trying to cheer her up, bringing her little gifts and latest gossip, drawing her out of her shell, even sneaking her into Grand Palace to try on the Queen's dresses- and let's not forget the Queen would certainly NOT be pleased about that.

She's the giving kind of person, while Alina mostly mopes around, still in denial about who she is, constantly whining about Mal and lack of letters from him. During her stay in Little Palace, she does exactly one (1) nice thing for Genya only, then promptly proceeds to disregard her experience with the Royals and upsets her, because Genya doesn't buy her apocalyptic vision of the Darkling's plans.

I've seen people arguing Genya was the one, who betrayed Alina first, because THOSE FUCKING LETTERS... I have three points to this:

Genya's a soldier at this point. Her personal feelings shouldn't influence her service. She's already possibly overstepping by pleading with the Darkling for Alina's sake. She's also a spy- a person, whose job description includes lying to people, whether she likes them or not.

Like it or not, Mal (and Alina's idealized past) are the reason she kept supressing her powers even after her discovery. Not only it rendered her useless for Ravka, her health kept suffering, so yes, I actually think cutting her off Mal was good for her. (I know it's an ugly concept, but what we want and what we need are often two diametrically different matters.)

Least but not last, Alina's dumb as a plum, writing about things that shouldn't make it out of Little Palace anyway. Censorship is a tool armies use to protect both their soldiers and their moves against their enemy.

To get back to your question, I don't ship Genya with Alina, because I think one of them gives as much as she can, while the other isn't really interested in reciprocity.

I've had this sort of friends. It sucks. It drains you. And once they dump you, you find yourself missing them anyway.

Zenya... well, if we're talking my beloved Genya from the first book again, she and Zoya didn't like each other. It's not hard to figure out why.

Zoya's hung up on the Darkling, while Genya truly has some sort of closeness with him. Zoya's needy to be the centre of all attention, while Genya's naturally captivating. Zoya's striving to be the best of the best, while Genya doesn't really do "anything useful", but still she's at court (and again, appreciated by the Darkling). Judging by the way Genya was delighted to see Zoya taken down a notch, I wouldn't be surprised if she were a part of anti-Safin slut-shaming club.

Although I prefer to ignore the post-character assassination "Genya" from later books, even their later friendship seemed to be working largely because Zoya can easily typecast the Tailor as another of the Darkling's victims.

[eveningstxrr]

✮ ˛˚ 𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 ✮ ˛˚

𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: kissing headcannons with ludociel!!

content warning: fluff, slightly suggestive, body worship, ludociel is whipped but he’s also a tease, purely self-indulgent, (also for my beloved moots).

notes: i’m very normal about him guys, i promise.

tags: @cherished-eclair @grace-of-flash @hihopelessromantics @animunee-ee

✮ ˛˚ 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ✮ ˛˚

i fully believe that ludociel is a very passionate lover. he’s sweet, gentle and incredibly touch starved. as someone who has trouble expressing himself properly with words, what better way to convey his love to you than with kisses?

ludociel’s normal way of kissing is soft, but passionate. his kisses are featherlight; he kisses you delicately but with an intensity that leaves you both warm and covered in a thin layer of sweat. he sees you as a work of art, one that chaos themself took the proper time and materials to sculpt you and bring you to life, and he kisses you accordingly.

“ludo, that tickles,” you let out a small giggle, looking down at the archangel who’s busied himself with littering your body kisses.

he’s been at it for over an hour, gently kissing down your body. currently, his lips are pressed against your right foot.

“does it?”, he muses, moving back up your leg with a small grin, taking pleasure in the little noises you’ve been making in response to him. he admires the little dark splotches on the expanse of your skin, evidence of his work.

“yes—“

you cut yourself off with a yelp when he bites into your calf then licks over it to soothe the sting. your thigh twitches.

“my darling is always so responsive to my kisses,” he chuckled. “i wonder what other sounds i can draw out of you.”

your head turns away in embarrassment as he repeats the pattern he’s been going by. kiss, bite, lick, kiss. a never ending cycle.

“ah, ah, don’t hide from me, my love. i want you to watch me,” he looks up at you as he kisses up to your thigh.

“you can’t get embarrassed now, you should be used to this already. keep your eyes on me while i worship you, okay?”

ludociel’s farewell kisses hold a lot of longing within them; longing to come back to you and spend his time wrapped up in bed with you, holding you close to his chest while you take your fifth nap of the day. he hates leaving for missions that will take him far away from you, but it must be done.

“i’m gonna miss you,” you pout, your hands idly playing with the white fabric draped on ludociel’s armour.

ludociel sighs, rubbing your waist. “i know dear, i’ll miss you too.”

the supreme deity had yet again sent him on another mission, this one farther away from home than all the others. and to make it worse, it should take at least a month or two to complete. you don’t want to let him go, but you know just how important his position is to him.

“can i get a kiss before you leave, ludo?”, your head falls into the crook of his neck, trying to engrain the scent of him into your nose.

“you know you don’t have to ask, love. I would kiss you regardless,” he cups your cheek, his armoured hand feeling cool against your skin.

you tilt your head back to allow him a proper angle for a kiss. he leans down and captures your lips with his, pressing a long, soft kiss against it.

he would definitely miss you and his kiss conveyed that. his hand on your waist squeezed tightly, but not enough to hurt you.

“i love you. wait for me, okay?”

“always.”

ludociel is a tease, in every aspect of the word. although he loves the feel of your lips on his, he also loves making you squirm or work for a kiss. he’s a cocky little shit, but you’ve made your bed, so you have no choice but to lie in it.

ludociel lets out a low chuckle seeing your cheeks puffed out with an equally amusing pout on your plump lips.

“is something the matter, my darling?”

you grumble, feeling yourself tittering on the edge of wiping off that shit-eating grin on his face. you’d been feeling needy for kisses and came to him in hopes of getting what you desired. but, you should’ve known better than to think he would kiss you without his usual teasing.

“what do you think?”, you huff, turning away from him. he grasps your chin, turning your head back to face him.

“you haven’t told me what you want. i’m no mind reader, darling.”

liar. he knows exactly what you want, he knows you better than you know yourself! he just wants to hear you say it out loud, knowing fully well how fidgety you get when you want to ask for his affection. he finds it cute.

you pout even more and grumble out something, he leans down closer to you.

“speak up, love, i can’t hear you.”

“I SAID I WANT A KISS!”, you feel heavily embarrassed, but it’s not your fault! it’s ludociel and his stupidly handsome face and his great kisses. you want to bury yourself in a hole.

“hm, is that so? my beautiful girl wants a kiss? who am i to deny her?”

you glare at him. he’s been denying you for thirty minutes straight! you’re almost tempted to leave and give him a taste of his own medicine, but you really need that kiss.

he kisses you, one hand on your cheek, the other running up and down your spine. his lips eventually stray from your lips to go down your throat to the base of your neck, leaving light nips and pecks along the way.

your fingers thread through his hair, you envy how silky and soft it feels. once he’s done ravaging your neck, ludociel comes back up to kiss you for longer till the nothingness of you are breathless and panting for air. you hide your face in his chest, still feeling a little embarrassed for how desperately you acted.

he rubs your back, laughing softly. “you’re so cute, my love. maybe i should start making you beg more often.”

“do not.”

ludociel’s kisses are sloppy, needy and rushed when you’re both out in public. he wouldn’t kiss you in front of all those important people, he has a reputation to uphold. but the minute he’s not being swarmed by one person or the other, he’s pulling you aside for a quick make out, maybe something more.

“ludociel, someone might see us here,” you mumble between kisses, but your lover is too preoccupied in your taste to actually care.

he has his tongue in your mouth, his hands fiddling with the zipper of your dress. “you worry too much,” he finally speaks, pulling back to let you breathe, but not for long. he’s quick to dive back in, attacking your swollen lips even more. he’s insatiable when he’s like this.

there’s spit dribbling down your chin, you don’t even know if it’s yours or his. the kiss is messy, and you’re worried it might escalate into something that could very well paint the both of you in a bad light.

“seriously, ludo, we could get caught…”

“we won’t if you’re quiet, love. you can do that for me, right?”

you notice him getting on his knees, and the realization dawns upon you that he didn’t pull you aside for just kisses. for someone who cares about his reputation so much, he seems to have no problem in trying to engage in not so family friendly activities in a hallway of all places.

“we are not doing this here.”

“please?”

“no.”

ludociel’s lips taste incredibly sweet, like the tea he normally drinks with his desserts or that one cheesecake you both love. whenever you feel the need for something sugary, you just kiss him instead. a win is a win.

“love, i have to work…” ludociel sighs, one arm wrapped around your torso, the other writing some report.

he didn’t know how this happened or what led to it, but now, your sitting in his lap, kissing his lips fervently. his lips are swollen from the onslaught of kisses that you’re still delivering to them, but he makes no moves to stop you either. maybe he’ll humour you, after all, it’s not everyday this happens. it is.

“your lips taste so sweet, though. like éclairs…”

he chuckles at your antics. “do they now? are you craving sweets?”

“maybe…”

he pats the small of your back when your head dips down to his neck, resting against him. he kisses your temple. “we’ll get some when i finish up this report okay? i have to get it in by the end of the day. once i’m done, we can go to that café you like.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

ludociel’s morning kisses are lazy, just like the both of you when you awaken so early. he wishes he could spend the entire morning just kissing you.

the sun rays peak from in between the gaps of your curtains. ludociel’s arm is thrown over you, holding you to his chest in a protective embrace.

your eyes flutter open and it takes a moment or two for you to blink the sleep out of your eyes. when you do, you look up at your sleeping lover, admiring his features. he looks even more beautiful when the sun hits him from this angle.

when he feels your gaze, ludociel’s eyes open and his white irises peer into your darker ones. you smile at him.

“good morning. how’d you sleep?”

it takes him a while to register your greeting, but he mumbles a small ‘good morning’ back, craning his neck to plant a kiss against your lips.

it lacks the usual firmness ludociel would normally kiss you with, but you can’t blame him. it’s far too early in the morning and he had a long night the day before.

you reciprocate his kiss, letting your eyes close. you’re pretty sure he’s fallen back asleep even though his lips are still pressed against yours.

you pull back and stroke his face, brushing away the little strands that has slipped from the braid you put his hair into last night.

he sleepily chases after your lips, his hands settling onto the dips of your hips, running his thumbs over them in circles. he leans in, pressing his lips to yours again, sighing in content through his nose as your mouths mould together in a familiar rhythm. your hands find their way to his chest and his arms wrap around you firmly. he never wants this moment to end, but you both’ll have to get up eventually. ‘till then, he’ll spend his time kissing you.

@𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐓𝐗𝐑𝐑. 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

𓅨 Shifting Wings: Chapter Eight

Shifting Wings: Before the Raven Matthew, there was Jessamy, and Jessamy came with a little sister by the name of Adrienne. Dream adores his two little Ravens, but after over a hundred years of imprisonment and the death of Jessamy, Dream will find that he has not just lost his companion, but his beloved little Raven Adrienne no longer brightens the halls of his Palace. None of his staff wish to speak of where the Raven has gone, but the silent new resident of the palace is cause for question. After all, she was the one who aided in his release. If none of his subjects would help him find Adrienne, perhaps she could lead him to the whereabouts of the missing Raven. If only the woman wasn’t so flighty and hard to track down.

Warnings: Angst, Foreshadowing.

To Note: Morpheus/Dream x FemaleRaven!Reader, NAMED Reader (I like the name).

Word Count: ~2.3k

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Your fingers were smeared with charcoal as you furiously sculpted Lord Morpheus’s face upon your sketchbook page. With his image and likeness freshly ingrained within you mind, you were fervently drawing him in crystal clear detail with dark strokes of black and a shimmering cobalt blue that made his eyes come to life on your drawings. You didn’t understand why you felt this compulsive need to sketch him, to keep him in your memory. It was like he mattered to you. A silly notion. He mattered to the Dreaming, but to you personally? Surely you had gotten over your silly little crush on him by now.

The charcoal scratched across the page a few more strokes before you drew back your hand and stared at it. It was trembling. You glared at your limb in distaste and tightened your grasp on the charcoal. Surely you had more control over your body than this! You ground your teeth together, focusing on that needless tremble that you should not have. Perhaps it was a residual expression of your once feelings for the Endless being. How irritatingly needless.

“Cease this needless reaction,” You softly growled, clutching the charcoal tighter. It snapped and the two pieces fell to the floor of your tiny room. Staring at the broken charcoal, your eyebrow arched and you looked at your sketch once more. Lord Morpheus was beautifully sketched, his eyes vibrant with the stars that shone within, and Jessamy was perched on his shoulder… infinitely beautiful and stoic. The perfect raven. “You were always the better raven and sister, Jessamy,” You spoke before tearing the sketch from your notebook and setting it down in the pile of your other sketches, ignorant to the charcoal fingerprint you had left behind.

Standing in the middle of your closet turned bedroom, you looked around at the multitude of sketches you had up. It was, perhaps, obsessive of you to have nearly hundreds of sketches of Jessamy… both in her mortal form and raven form— and yet you couldn’t always control the compulsive urge to sketch her. You merely assumed that it was a side effect of your repressed emotions and shrugged it off. As long as you couldn’t feel the agonizing hurt of her death, you didn’t care what you spent your time doing.

You departed your room and crossed the space of your art studio, heading out to find Mervyn and hopefully, have something to do.

Lucienne had been out walking the sand dunes while you and Mervyn worked on clearing up yet another crumbling part of the palace. You and he kept the grounds meticulously clean from dust and debris, but that didn’t the palace looked any better at a glance. It still looked condemned, abandoned, faded with time. At times it became suffocating so she took walks… but this walk was different than the thousands before it. No, Lucienne could have sworn that she saw the familiar form of her lord, laying in a dune but a few hundred yards away.

So she ran. As fast as she could through the blackened sand until she could confirm with her own eyes that Lord Morpheus had indeed returned to the Dreaming.

“Sir! Sir!” She called out, hurrying to his side and crouching down. Lucienne scanned him for injury while rolling him onto his back. “Oh my goodness.” She breathed out, hardly able to comprehend what she was seeing, feeling. “Sir?” She asked as Morpheus stirred. “Sir, it’s me,” Lucienne reached for his hand as he looked at her. “It’s Lucienne.”

Morpheus gasped and coughed, still feeling utterly drained of his power.

“Lucienne,” He rasped weakly, holding onto her hand. He couldn’t hold back the relieving smile of finally being free and home.

“You’re home, my lord.” She said, feeling her own relief washing through her body. Morpheus was home, the Dreaming could finally heal, and you, Morpheus’s beloved raven that had withered to an empty shell, could finally begin to heal.

“I am,” Morpheus spoke as Lucienne helped him to his feet. The Morpheus took stock of his surroundings. He was beyond the ivory gates, beyond the walls of the glimmering city and palace. It was dead and desolate, there, empty. He was eager to open his gates and view his home once more.

Morpheus placed his palm on the Ivory Gates, feeling their warm and comforting hum of magic, his magic. It was nice to feel that touch once more. The gates began to part, rumbling and groaning from disuse.

“Forgive me, sir, but…” Lucienne didn’t know how to tell Morpheus that his kingdom had crumbled to dust and ruin while he was away. Morpheus stared at her with questions in his eyes. “…the palace, the village” Lucienne sighed. “They are not as you left them.” The gate continued to move, revealing the desolation of Morpheus’s kingdom and palace.

All that remained were bare trees, long since dead, and skeletons of what used to be an extraordinary palace. The bridge connecting the town was crumbled and no longer usable, the lake that surrounded the once grandiose building was almost dried up and wind whistled, stirring up dust and sand. Morpheus was overwhelmed at the destruction his home, wondering what could have caused this kind of ruin. Where were his people? Where were his creations? His Dreams? His Nightmares? Where was Adrienne!?

“What happened here?” He asked, his voice strained with barely contained emotional devastation. “Who did this?”

In the distance a tower crumbled and fell to ruins below. More work for Blanche and Mervyn to clean up. Lucienne cleared her throat.

“My lord, you are The Dreaming,” She explained, regretting the knowledge that for Morpheus to know what had caused ruin to reign in his kingdom, was his absence. “The Dreaming is you. With you gone as long as you were, the realm began to… decay and crumble.”

“And the residents?” Morpheus questioned, his very being aching with physical pain. “The palace staff? Adrienne?” Lucienne bit her tongue at the mention of you, for with Morpheus’s return, he was sure to eventually find what you had done. You could change your appearance and name, but you were the beloved of Dream of the Endless, he would find you.

“I’m afraid most have gone.” Lucienne answered, wincing on the inside in fear of her lord’s reaction.

“Gone?” Morpheus repeated in disbelief.

“Some went looking for you…” Lucienne trailed off, dropping her eyes to the rocky ground.

“And the rest? Where did they go? Where did Adrienne go? Where is she?”

“The others thought, perhaps, you’d grown weary of your duties, as for Adrienne, she—” Lucienne cut off, not knowing how to explain you. Morpheus would take nothing but the truth of your whereabouts. “She remains, my lord, but does not spend her time in the company of others. She chooses solitude.”

“So the others think that I chose to abandon them?” Morpheus questioned in disbelief. “Adrienne believes that I willingly abandoned her, broke my promise and left her without word?” Betrayal was flashing across his face as his eyes burned with tears. “Had they so little faith in me? Did Adrienne believe that I would willingly abandon her with so little thought!?”

“Adrienne’s faith in you has not wavered in the one hundred and six years you’ve been gone,” Lucienne corrected Morpheus. “Do not question her loyalty and lo—” Lucienne paused. Yes, you were loyal to Morpheus, but only as a subject and raven now. The love you had for him you exchanged for a mortal body and the ability to search for him. Yes, Morpheus would not take kindly to hearing that you no longer held the capability of loving him. “She is loyal to Dream of the Endless,” Lucienne carefully replied. “And she is dedicated to being your raven, it is perhaps her deepest fault, she will die for you should it come to that.”

Morpheus flinched. Jessamy had already done so, he couldn’t bear the thought that you would make that a repeated event. Jessamy had been a dear friend and loyal subject. Adrienne was the one whom he loved with everything he had. He would not lose both of you.

“Adrienne, under no circumstances,” Morpheus said, his voice darkening with seriousness. “Is to ever risk her life for me. I forbid it.” Once again Lucienne held her tongue, for Morpheus had no idea what you had become. The only way you would ever accept those words is if Morpheus gave you a direct order. But he couldn’t do that if he didn’t even know he was speaking to you. Morpheus turned back to his decimated kingdom. “I made this realm once, Lucienne, I will make it again.” 

Lord Morpheus had returned. You knew that much as you cleaned up the latest rubble pile of the palace. Lucienne had been out on her walk beyond the wall when she had found him. You were pleased that Lord Morpheus had made it back on his own. While you had left the water spicket open, you weren’t entirely sure how long it would take for the magic circle to be broken. Even then you weren’t sure how much power he had left, and didn’t know if he could even get himself back to the Dreaming.

But he had and was now touring the ruin and destruction of his palace while you and Mervyn worked with the Wyvern to clean up what you could. Without his tools and much of his power, Lord Morpheus would not be able to return the realm to its natural beauty. It was merely a waiting game. Sweeping dust and rubble, you glanced up when Mervyn lumbered over to you.

“Just got word, Loosh wants you to pull a few books from what we have, she and Morpheus are working on solving our ruin problem.” You stopped sweeping and raised an eyebrow.

“And how are books to help with that?” You asked cynically. “His power resides within his tools, nothing shall change until he regains them.” Mervyn shrugged at your words.

“Hell if I know, kid, I’ll take over sweeping, run along before Loosh barges over here and starts snapping out orders.” You inclined your head and passed the broom to Mervyn before picking your way across the mostly clear courtyard. Most of the library was already gone, had been for a while, but a few books remained. You weren’t sure what Lucienne wanted from them since it was Lord Morpheus’s tools that he needed, but you knew which books she was going to want.

You fluttered your way to what was left of the library, a mere single bookshelf of only about eight books. You plucked the volume that Lucienne was going to want and held it against your chest. Striding through dilapidated halls, your face remained blank as the subtle and smooth voice of your lord reached your ears. It was as dulcet as you remembered, intense in a way that drew those listening in. You had liked listening to it, had liked it when he read to you. Emerging from a crumbling alcove, you strode over to Lucienne with purpose, ignoring the moping Endless sitting on the ruins of the spiral staircase that once led to his throne and your old perch.

“The book you requested,” You explained, offering Lucienne the heavy leather book while Morpheus stared at you, his eyes focused on the streak of white at your temple. His thoughts of his ruined kingdom shifted to you, the woman who he was certain, had intentionally left the water spicket open just enough to break the binding circle.

 “Ah, thank you, Blanche,” Lucienne said, taking the book and opening it immediately.

“If that is all,” You said, taking a step back to leave.

“Will you not stay?” Lucienne probed you, searching your eyes for some semblance of your old self who would have been all over Morpheus the moment he returned. Nothing. You were about to respond when the sound of another piece of the palace breaking off and hitting the ground echoed throughout the throne room. Your head titled to the side.

“I’m afraid I’ve just become quite busy,” You answered flatly before inclining your head. “My apologies, Lucienne.” You then gave your lord a head bow. “Lord Morpheus.” With that you turned on your heel and strode away, planning on finding another broom to clean up the palace’s latest mess.

The moment Blanche departed the throne room, Morpheus was turning his gaze back to his librarian.

“Lucienne, who was that?” He asked, his sharp blue eyes, still ringed with red, observing her closely. “This is the first time I recall seeing her within my domain.” Lucienne cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses.

“That, sir, is Blanche,” Lucienne explained, feeling troubled about lying by omission to her lord, but wanting to respect your wishes for your previous life and name, to remain dead. “You need not worry about her or her loyalty, she has chosen to remain when others have left.”

Morpheus examined Lucienne, she clearly trusted you… but Morpheus was still wary. Very wary.

“She has no empathy, Lucienne, and yet you say she poses no threat to us or our kingdom.” The Endless pointed out.

“Blanche has remained here faithfully, for the last one hundred and six years, helping Mervyn maintain the palace as best as they could when others have left. Yes, she does not feel, but her loyalty to this realm and to you, is unwavering.” Morpheus took in that information. Surely he would have noticed one so loyal as Blanche, certainly with her hair color so remarkably similar to Jessamy and Adrienne’s feathering.

“She was the one who aided in my escape,” Morpheus commented, thinking Blanche over further. “One who I do not know, aided me when my own people could not.”

Lucienne’s heart was breaking within her chest, for all she wanted was to blurt out who Blanche really was, and how Adrienne had done everything she could to find Morpheus and return him home… and she had. She wanted to tell her lord that the one he loved had been relentless in her search for him, and had not stopped until she found him. But how could Lucienne tell Morpheus that the woman whom he loved, could no longer love him back?

Date Published: 6/21/23

Last Edit: 6/21/23

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[5t4r1uv3r]

˚₊‧꒰ა Cupid ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

☆ Omg first post on my page!! This is inspired by Fifty Fifty's Cupid. Sorry if it's too ooc, but I do appreciate feedback!! I envisioned a teenage Kyle will writing this also GN reader! 657 words ☆

☆ Now I'm so lonely (Lonely) Oh, I wish I'd find a lover that could hold me (Hold me) ☆

Kyle Broflovski has never had the best luck when it comes to love. From one sided relationships, to unrequited crushes, and especially having his relations being interfered with by Cartman. Out of his friend group, he just didn’t seem to be on Cupid’s good side. He would see couples all over South Park. Constantly reminding him of what he could never have. No matter how hard he tried, or how many times he put his feelings on the line, he would never receive the romance he sought after. No matter how many times they broke up, Stan would always have Wendy. Despite their past toxic relationship Cartman and Heidi were still an item, as they grew so did their understanding for each other. The only other single in the group was Kenny, regardless of his lack of a relationship, Kenny was beloved by many of the girls at school. Kenny still had past relationship experiences that overshadowed his, he would always pale in comparison. Kyle’s experiences made him decide to swear off love, his heart could not bare to go through the pain he has experienced. If he was worthy, love would find him one day. He still hoped for his special someone, it was an unconscious thought that always lingered in his mind. Kyle was a hopeless romantic, since his childhood he dreamt of having a love that was straight from a movie screen. Hearing childhood friends talking about their experiences made him realize he was missing out. He lied in bed at night tossing and turning over his conflicting thoughts. The loneliness he constantly felt was a curse, only being increased more and more by those around him. Kyle’s past still haunting him is what made him weary of love. Would he ever find his special someone? Could he give his all to his future partner? These thoughts consumed him yet made him only want to love more and more. Kyle stared at his ceiling as he thought of the past few weeks. The adventures he’s been on with his friends, the few weeks of peace at home, and the past days at school. As the memories raced in his mind there were a few that kept recurring. The new kid at school. South Park doesn’t see many new kids as most of the population doesn’t know of South Park. At first when Kyle’s mind had endless thoughts of you he chalked it up to you being new. After all, you and your family were the talk of the town. His family having had you over for a welcome dinner, him showing you around school, and the competing kids of South Park fighting over which group you’d eventually join. You were the reason his mind was on overtime. Kyle came to the realization that once again, he was in love. He, Kyle Broflovski, was in love with you. For days now his mind was plagued with thoughts of you. From the way your smile lit up a room, the way your voice made math equations sound like honey, your kind and caring demeanor. Kyle could go on and on about your qualities that draw him towards you. He had pushed his thoughts to the side due to fear, love made him feel stupid. Yet he has never felt like this, cheeks flushed so red they rivaled his hair, his heart pounding so hard it felt like a drum solo, a yearning to see you that won’t go away, even if he just saw you. Kyle knew he was showing symptoms of being in love, he decided he would give Cupid another chance. Kyle didn’t know if he was making a mistake, if he was going to make a fool of himself. Because you made it all worth it, Kyle would go to the ends of the Earth for you. He came to the conclusion that he was an utter fool, a fool just for you.