#i mean how were we supposed to know she was lying she broke her contract ALL to make the game flop

[eliseliedl]

my disappointment is immeasureable

[wesimpforxiao]

Say My Name and I’ll Be There: 9.1

Author’s Note:  Short chapter.  My anxiety has gotten really bad and I’m busy so I could use some virtual hugs haha

"You dared to deceive an archon?"

The bellow hung heavy in the morning air, but Childe didn't flinch.  "Oh?  If my memory serves me correctly, you were all for my plan."  A slight excitement rushed within his chest at the thought of the possibility of fighting an archon today.  The joy he would feel! To have the privilege of testing his strength against a former god--

"Don't play games with me," Zhongli growled, his infuriated gaze sliding to the brat that was more than amused at his ill-composed state.  Archons, the consultant was trying so hard not to summon a meteor this instant--something his past self would've done without a moment of hesitation.  "You nearly--"

"I never claimed to be one of the good guys, sensei."  

Zhongli bit the inside of his lip until he drew blood and his eyes glowed a threatening yellow that was far too similar to the Exuvia.  He so desperately wanted to run Childe into the ground, to pummel him with the same spears that defeated Osial himself.  To do so would mean the complete and utter destruction of the harbor that sat below them, as they were on the hill behind the Liyue Qixing's headquarters.  The sun beat down on them harshly as if to mirror Zhongli's rage.

"I have my own agenda to fulfill, in the end."  Something somewhat apologetic flashed in the harbinger's eyes before he looked out to the vast sea, still unflinching from Zhongli's threatening aura.

"You have broken a contract.  A breach in trust.  Do you know what this means for you?"  I'll end him right here.  As a cost for the Tsaritsa to pay for breaching--No.  Zhongli took a deep breath to quell the raging tides of fury that swirled in his being.  No.  The Tsaritsa broke no contract.  I willingly gave Xiao after being played like a fool by Childe.  That's right.  Anger consumes all rational thought; Zhongli could not allow himself to make the same mistakes.  To do so would surely destroy any concept of safety for you and Xiao.

"I will fight to the death if you see it fit, Mr. Zhongli."  The corner of his lips curled slightly upwards after hearing the anger in the consultant's voice, but they downturned again as he turned to face the man.  "But, as I see it, I have learned from that...experience in Fontaine."

Zhongli's hard gaze remained unwavering as stone.

"Mezzetin..."  Childe returned to his view of the ocean.  "...has been in too dark of a place as of late.  I had deceived you in an effort to protect her from your yaksha; his presence seemed to have too negative of an impact on her.  So I thought, for her benefit, I would recruit her into the Fatui for her own safety.  From Xiao, and from the unrelenting forces of Snezhnaya.  She wouldn't have to live in fear of us as long as she was with us.

"But then another side effect showed up and I realized I had made a mistake for deceiving you, Mr. Zhongli.  I was mistaken to think that the yaksha was the problem instead of the distance between the pair.  That, dear sensei, is why I brought her here for the Lantern Rite."

While he's speaking from the heart, he is still being untruthful.  The archon stood unmoving, rage reigniting a little until a memory of Guizhong flashed in his mind.  He wouldn't bring her to Liyue without another motive.

"I'm speaking honestly, Mr. Zhongli."  Childe didn't even hold his signature smile across his lips; he was dead serious.  "While this excursion most definitely benefits the Tsaritsa, I only brought Mezzetin for her own wellbeing."

Zhongli still wasn't buying it, and he approached Childe until he was at his ear.  His low voice had to have dropped an octave lower while he maintained his composed but threatening demeanor.  "The next time you cross me or seek to harm those in our group, you will join Osial below Guyun Stone Forest."

The threat was enough to send a slight chill down Childe's spine, as reluctant as he would admit it, but the harbinger grinned darkly nonetheless.  After all, how could a measly chill overpower the thrill of battle he always got?  It egged him on, but...he did consider Zhongli a comrade more than a means to an end for the Tsaritsa.  One that he didn't want to lose, even if he was still pissed that the consultant had deceived him for being a human and not the Lord of Geo.

The archon began to brush past Childe, when the harbinger gripped his shoulder to keep him in place.  "Mark my words, Mr. Zhongli.  When the time comes, you will be relying on me once more."

What?  Zhongli rotated his head, but Childe had already let go of his shoulder and started to walk off.  He would've perceived the statement as the threat that it was, if it weren't for the different fluctuations in Childe's voice.  Was that melancholy he sensed?  Guilt?  Uncertainty?  Zhongli narrowed his eyes as he watched the harbinger scale off the mountain with his glider.

Perhaps that was enough to get through to him, Childe thought to himself without peering over his shoulder.  He didn't dare say too much.  The Tsaritsa will get what she needs for her war; what's it to her if he moves a few chess pieces across the board himself?  This is the only time he would ever allow to make such a daring exception.  As long as you and Aether didn't try to intervene down the line, then maybe he could bring you freedom...

That was a cry for help, Zhongli found himself dumb-founded. Childe's figure was now a spec in the distance and near touchdown in the plaza.

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

"Will you two cut it out already?!" You had thought that the subject had long passed, but apparently Aether had no mercy teasing you as he had always teased Paimon.  "We didn't do anything! How many times do I have to say that?"  You drew a deep breath to keep up with your mouth.  "Or do I have to whack it into you?!"

"Hm, dunno, Paimon thinks denial is even more suspicious than silence!"

"Ugh, why did you have to go and say we 'slept together...'"  Your head dropped into your hands in an exasperated manner, eyebrows furrowing together with the threat of an impending headache.

"Mortals make too large of a fuss over such trivial matters.  It was really nothing," Xiao scoffed at the traveler and the weird floating thing he still couldn't figure out.  It was then that he remembered your odd behavior in bed this morning, and how you were exhibiting the same redness now.  "Though...I do have a few questions.  Why do humans flush red at the most random of times?"

"EH?!"  Your hand instinctually flew to his mouth, nearly covering up--except the yaksha caught your wrist before you had the chance to prevent him from saying anything else that could be perceived the wrong way.  "What are you--?!  Just stop talking!"

"Like now," Xiao noted aloud, completely oblivious to the dumb-founded shock--or what could've been exasperated horror--on Aether's and Paimon's faces.

"Think of it as a defense mechanism," Childe approached the group, completely lacking the tension from earlier.  "Or as an indicator for lying."

"'Lying?'"  Xiao looked unconvinced as his eyes met yours.  You definitely didn't flush red when lying.

"Well, in some settings," Childe let out a chuckle before plopping his hand atop your head.  It wouldn't be inaccurate to think that Xiao nearly summoned his weapon and thought of slicing his hand off right then and there.  "Are you ready to go?"

"Go?  But you said tomorrow."  Lips pursed into an irritated pout as you turned to face him, nonchalantly pushing his hand off of you in the process.  "And Zhongli said something about a possible del-"

"The matter is settled."  Was it just you, or was his smile a little strained?

"And if we don't let you take her back?"  Aether stepped forward.  A few pedestrians glanced his way while passing the group.

"Oh? Is this your way of asking me for a fight? I'd be happy to humor you."

"You can't take all three of us at once," the boy took another step forward, this time lowering his stance as if he were ready to lunge at the harbinger.  Paimon egged him on.  

"Will you two stop with this macho contest?"  Your growl seemed to snap them out of it.  "No one is fighting.  I left with the harbingers to prevent that from happening."

"If the lady insists." Child winked at Aether, who scoffed in turn.  Then he faced you once more.  "As for the sudden change in our depart, I simply changed my mind.  Meet at the Northland Bank.  You have one hour."

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

"One hour?!?!" You were still fuming over the smug smile that had tugged at the corner of Childe's lips after the three of you parted from him.  "What...What am I supposed to do in an hour?!  I swear I'm gonna--"

"Paimon thinks we should take him out now!"  

"Why are you so bloodthirsty when it comes to Childe?"  Aether reminded her to keep her voice down, suddenly conscious of the stares you were all getting.

"Why aren't you?  He's lied to us, hurt us, and now he's hurting our friends!  Paimon simply can't accept that!"

Aether had long since tuned Paimon's voice out and was focused on you and Xiao instead.  The lack of eye contact between the two of you made it blatantly obvious there were some things to discuss privately. "We'll let you have some alone time."

"Huh?  Why're you leaving?" You spun on your heel with a confused expression, whirling to a stop once you faced the boy.  "Shouldn't we all be together before I--"

"You'd rather not be alone with your boyfriend before you leave?"  A confused, innocent tilt of the head sent you into another wave of embarrassment.

"B-boyfriend?!"

"Hold up!  You're telling Paimon you're embarrassed by THAT even though you two--"

"Boy...friend...?" Xiao's face twisted in clear disgust as if he had eaten something sour, the words being carefully sounded out. You were his companion.  What is this 'boy friend' term being flung around all of a sudden?  "I've lived for a millennia and you dare refer to me as a child?  Have you no respect for the adepti?"

"U-um!"  Your stammer caught the attention of his narrowed eyes, and his gaze softened slightly.  "Just ignore them.  It's not a bad term or anything of the sort," you sent a pleading glance Aether's way so he wouldn't reveal the meaning of the word.  Boyfriend...ah, I guess he is now...!  Despite your heated cheeks, a flutter of excitement pressed against your chest at the thought and you broke eye contact with the yaksha.

"Yeah, you two need to talk about that," Aether laughed before turning serious.  "Be careful.  If you need help, Xiao can hear you, right?  You just need to pray to him and--"

You nodded, "I know," and gifted him with a grim smile.  "Don't worry about me.  Focus on finding your sister.  I'll figure out a way to deal with the Tsaritsa sooner or later."  You pulled him into a tight hug, yanking Paimon out of the air to envelope her in one too.  "I'll come back."

"That better be a promise you won't break."

"I swear it on my Granny's grave."  The three of you released one another and stepped back.  You waved them goodbye as they ran in the direction of the funeral parlor before turning to Xiao.  "So..."

Xiao crossed his arms and shifted his weight onto his other foot, closing his eyes in a somewhat pensive manner.  "Is there anything you wanted to do before you leave?"

[asweetprologue]

me lámh le do lámh - Part VIII

First | Previous | Next | Masterpost

They left the next day just after the sunrise broke watery through the clouds still lingering overhead, not wanting to overstay their welcome. The walk back to the nearby village was an easy one, the air still cool from the recent rain. The innkeeper hadn’t given their pre-paid room away to other guests despite the fact that they hadn’t used it for anything more than storage, which was a surprise. It was noon by the time they made it back, and they were easily able to secure the room for another evening so early in the day. Jaskier agreed to play at dinner, so they even managed to get a slightly reduced rate.

When they made it up to the room, Jaskier flopped immediately down on the bed, throwing an arm over his face. “Melitele, I could sleep for a week,” he groaned, slightly muffled. “I haven’t been this sore in years.”

“Good for you to finally get some exercise,” Geralt smirked as he checked on their belongings. Everything was where they’d left it, luckily. Geralt let out a breath of relief to see his potions all secure in their bag, the oathstone nestled amongst them.

Jaskier lifted his arm enough to glare at him. “As if walking day in and day out at your side isn’t work enough.”

“You’ve ridden Roach more than I have over the last week,” Geralt pointed out.

Jaskier put his arm down, head tilted to the side to look in Geralt’s direction. His hair spilled messily across the pale sheets. “I suppose I have,” he said, a small furrow appearing in his brow. The easy energy he’d had since they’d woken this morning was gone; now he seemed tense. His eyes lost their focus, his mind clearly going elsewhere.

Geralt didn’t know what to make of it. Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m going to go and see if they have any contracts for me. We won’t be stopping much over the next few weeks.”

At this Jaskier refocused, curious. “Where are we going next? We have all the pieces for the ritual, right?”

Geralt nodded. “The last piece is a location. We’re going back to Posada.”

*

The journey from the Brokilon to the Blue Mountains was one of weeks, rather than days. At this time of year the River Sodden and her many roads were wide open, and they were able to easily pass south under the Mohakams. This far south, spring was already giving way to summer, the warm vestiges of the Nilfgaardian desert winds finding their way to the pockets and hills of Angren and Rivia.

It should have been a pleasant journey. It was one they’d taken many times before, once Nilfgaard was no longer an issue, and they were both well familiar with the area. They kept the river to their south and traveled during the cooler parts of the day, stopping often. The wide river offered a constant source of beauty and convenience, and they were able to wash and fish regularly. Rivia, though not Geralt’s home by any stretch of the imagination, was friendly and offered plenty of places for them to stop and rest at the halfway point.

It should have been downright delightful, but instead it was… tense. Jaskier was quiet and contemplative much of the time, reserved in a way Geralt had rarely known him to be. He barely touched his lute, to the point where Geralt asked after it, only receiving a vague and unconvincing answer about saving the strings from the humidity. He spent the evening hours scribbling away in his journal, or simply lying and staring up at the stars. Sometimes, disconcertingly, he watched Geralt, especially when he seemed to think Geralt wasn’t paying attention. The furrow between his brow had grown to be near constant, and his shoulders had lost their easy swoop. When they spoke, something about Jaskier’s words felt needling, as if he was testing the waters for something. What, Geralt couldn’t even begin to guess.

He wanted to ask about it, but he found himself unable to find the words to do so. Jaskier didn’t seem mad at him—he knew what that looked like well enough, and this wasn’t it. He wanted to ask, but if he did it seemed possible, probably even likely, that Jaskier would admit that he’d figured out that Geralt was hiding something from him. He might even have realized the extent of Geralt’s feelings, or what the ritual really meant. Maybe Silvandrel had said too much, or Geralt had been too expressive, or too generous. Whatever it was, Jaskier was smart, maybe the smartest man Geralt had ever known; it wouldn’t take much for him to put two and two together. As he found Jaskier’s eyes lingering on him more and more frequently, it seemed also more and more likely that Jaskier was just trying to find a way to let him down easily.

Still, it wasn’t unbearable. Traveling with Jaskier in a mood was still better than traveling alone, and as always Geralt relished the chance to spend such uninterrupted time together. It was the best in the evenings, when their camp was already set up and the heat of the day had dispersed, and they had nothing better to do than sit and talk before both of them grew too tired to stay awake.

“What’s it like?” Jaskier asked one evening, lying on his bedroll with his ankle propped up on one raised knee. His lute was in his hands, a rare thing nowadays, but he wasn’t really playing it, just plucking a tune here or there. Testing the waters, it seemed.

Geralt was sitting with his back propped against a ragged tree stump, charred at the top where lightning had once struck. He looked up from where he was examining Roach’s tack, taking too long to reply as he was caught up in the image of Jaskier in the firelight. “What?”

Jaskier swiveled his head to look over at him, looking uncharacteristically pensive. “Being immortal. Or—not mortal. What do you even call a witcher, anyways. Semi-mortal? How long do you usually live? I’ve never gotten a straight answer about it.”

Geralt shrugged, the bridle dangling between his knees as he set his elbows to rest on them. “No one really knows,” he admitted. “Vesemir is… three hundred? We’re not sure, that’s based on references he makes, but Lambert swears sometimes he says things just to throw us off. Witchers don’t really… die of old age.”

“Surely some of you must retire,” Jaskier insisted. “Maybe not lately, but in years past…”

Geralt shook his head. “If they did, I haven’t heard of them. The Path is our life; we meet our end while on it. I know we can live for several human lifetimes, at least. I was older than you are now when we met.”

Jaskier’s mouth twisted in a smile that ached with bitter nostalgia. “I must have looked like a child to you.”

“You were a child,” Geralt laughed.

Jaskier threw something at him, and it bounced harmlessly off his knee. An acorn; the entire area was thick with oak trees. Clearing the ground beneath their bedrolls had been a pain. “Ass,” Jaskier chidded, but he was chuckling too. “I suppose we must all seem rather young to people like you though. Yennefer is the worst, she shouldn’t be allowed to poke fun at my very dignified salt and pepper and then turn around and call me an infant the next moment.”

Young man, Silvandrel had said, with that odd patronization that came only to those who would outlive most people they met. “It’s… not exactly like that,” Geralt allowed, studying Jaskier’s profile painted in orange and gold and dark dusky blue shadows. “Age isn’t the same as experience. There are eighty year olds who have done less in their lives than you had at twenty-three.” Jaskier looked over at him again, with a distinct expression of surprise and awe that Geralt was beginning to recognize as his reaction to Geralt giving him a compliment. He pushed on, turning his own gaze back to the tack in his hands. “I just mean, you don’t seem young, or inexperienced—at least not anymore,” he added, unable to resist throwing Jaskier a quick smirk.

“So Yennefer just calls me a toddler for her own enjoyment,” Jaskier said, squinting at him.

“Well, yes,” Geralt snorted. “But, it’s—you’ll understand. After. It’s not that you all seem young, necessarily, it’s just that you all seem sort of… I don’t know.” He shrugged. It was difficult to articulate the strange sense of fragility and youth that he associated with all humans, no matter their age.

“Temporary?” Jaskier offered, and Geralt grunted an affirmation. Of course Jaskier would be able to identify the feeling without ever experiencing it himself. Jaskier hummed in acknowledgement, and was quiet for a few moments, as if mulling that over. His fingers played over his lute strings, picking out a melancholy tune. After a while, he said, “It sounds a bit lonely. Knowing that almost everyone you meet will die a hundred years before you do. That they’ll never understand the way you view the world.” His eyebrows were knotted together as he contemplated the night sky.

Geralt bit his lip. “It… can be. Even amongst ourselves, we never know who’ll make it back after a year on the Path.”

Jaskier’s foot tapped the empty air where it hung over his knee. “Everyone I know, went to school with, taught with in Oxenfurt. They’ll all be gone before I will, if this works.”

Geralt felt dread unfurl within him, but this wasn’t something that he could deny Jaskier. This was the reality of Geralt’s offer, of what he was asking Jaskier to do. “Yes,” he said. But you’ll have me, he didn’t say, even though it burned at the tip of his tongue. You’ll have my brothers, and Ciri, and even Yennefer, and you’ll have me, always. That’s the point.

Jaskier looked over at him, eyes bright. He looked like he could hear Geralt’s thoughts, like maybe he was thinking the same thing. And then he grinned brightly and said, “I’ll outlast Valdo Marx by a century.”

Geralt couldn’t help the startled bark of laughter that left his throat. Jaskier launched into an excited diatribe against Valdo Marx, something about destroying his legacy after death, and Geralt allowed the babble to wash over him as he went back to fixing Roach’s tack.

After a while the conversation turned to other things, and they spent the rest of the evening in relative quiet. Eventually it was time to bed down for the night, and they banked the fire and crawled into their respective bedrolls. Just as Geralt was on the edge of sleep, Jaskier’s voice slipped through the quiet darkness around them.

“I don’t think I’m going to be.”

Geralt shook himself, turning to squint at Jaskier’s grey form, two aching feet away from him. His entire body itched to roll closer, but he focused instead on Jaskier’s words. “Hmm? You won’t be what?”

Jaskier let out a deep breath into the night air, soft like a secret. “Lonely.”

*

Posada was much the same.

Geralt didn’t know how long it had been since he’d been back. He knew he had been here post-Filavandrel incident, and he suspected Jaskier had as well, but they’d not returned together to the little valley at the edge of the world since the beginning. It had to have been at least ten years since he’d last been here on his own, but the small town was relatively familiar looking still. It had grown a bit since the war, likely as refugees from the south settled in the area, and there were new houses clustered around the outskirts. Still, the bones of it remained unchanged, and the inn was right where they’d left it.

They said nothing as they made their way into the town and headed in that direction. There was, so far as Geralt knew, no other place to find rooms for the night, so they didn’t have much of a choice. Stepping inside the small downstairs tavern should have been just like stepping into any other of the thousands like it that he’d been in, but it wasn’t. Things had been rearranged, of course; the furniture had been shuffled, and now a long table sat on the far side of the room before the fire. The small, cleared out space that Jaskier had stood in to sing was gone, filled with a cluster of tables and chairs. But the lone table in the back corner was, somehow, unmoved.

Geralt turned to Jaskier and found him staring at the spot as if entranced. He brushed his fingers against Jaskier’s forearm, and the bard blinked at him, startled back into the moment. “We should get a room,” Geralt said by way of explanation, and Jaskier nodded.

The man who arranged for their stay was not the one who had done so the first time, or the time after that, but his features were similar, so perhaps this was a son. He was amiable enough, and though Jaskier didn’t make any commitment to playing he offered them a fair rate.

Jaskier did end up playing, after they’d sat and eaten a quiet meal, avoiding the table in the corner in silent agreement. His fingers had worried at the edge of his lute case for a long moment, his eyes unfocused, and then something determined had steeled over his face and he’d stood.

There was a decent crowd this time around, bigger than the last time—the first time—that Jaskier had played here. Geralt remembered the stumbling notes, the ridiculous stories that spilled from the bard’s lips, unrefined. The way that the patrons of the bar had heckled him until he dipped sheepishly off the stage. He could understand why Jaskier might be nervous about playing here; even if no one remembered him, this had obviously been one of Jaskier’s first real performances for an honest audience.

It was like night and day. Jaskier had the entire room eating out of the palm of his hand in moments, as he always did, and his voice was clear and strong. Geralt recognized most of the songs, and almost all of them were about him, though he didn’t think any of the patrons put two and two together. Whereas Jaskier normally poked and prodded at Geralt throughout a performance to let everyone know that his muse was present, tonight he was subdued, letting Geralt watch quietly from a side table without dragging him into the proceedings. He might have thought that Jaskier had forgotten his presence entirely, if not for the occasional glance he caught Jaskier throwing his way, stealing his breath each time.

When he was finally done with his set and bowed his way out to the cheers of the audience, he made his way back to Geralt with his lute tucked under his arm. Jaskier leaned against the table in the space next to him, their knees just barely touching where Geralt’s was thrust out away from the chair. Jaskier looked down at him with almost a sheepish expression, giving him a quirked smile. “So. Three words or less?”

There were so many things he could say to that. So many things he wanted to say. You’re so beautiful, he thought, his eyes catching on the way Jaskier’s fingers wrapped around the neck of the lute, how his eyes shone in the low light of the inn. I loved it. Don’t leave me. I love you.

Instead, he said, a bit hoarsely, “Definitely more accurate.”

Jaskier laughed, some of that tension he’d been carrying for weeks breaking, and Geralt felt sweet relief at the sound. “Well I’d certainly hope so, after nearly thirty years of tailing you. At the very least I know my drowners from my nekkers.”

“At least there’s that,” Geralt chuckled, passing Jaskier a tankard of ale as he sat. “Glad to see you got something out of it.”

Jaskier took a sip of his drink, leaning his cheek on his fist. His eyes were bright when he looked at Geralt, and his expression was one Geralt recognized—he was bothered about something, but trying to keep his demeanor jovial. On anyone else, Geralt expected it would be an immaculate deception, but Geralt knew him. He wasn’t fooled by Jaskier’s court masks.

“Was it worth it?” Jaskier asked, taking another sip of his ale. His eyes left Geralt’s, flitting around the room.

Geralt frowned at him. “Was what worth it?”

Jaskier looked back at him, expression unreadable. “Letting an ambitious and no doubt obnoxious bard leave this tavern with you all those years ago.”

Geralt couldn’t help it; before he could think to stop himself, he had reached out to set his hand over Jaskier’s where it still held the handle of his cup. Jaskier jerked a bit at the touch, a drop of ale sliding down over their layered hands. “Of course it was,” Geralt said vehemently, not bothering to keep the earnestness out of his tone. Jaskier had to know. Even if he already suspected that something was afoot, even if this was some sort of test, Geralt couldn’t risk letting Jaskier think that he regretted a single moment of it. “You’re… Jask, you’re one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

Geralt could hear the sharp intake of breath at that, could see the way Jaskier looked down at their overlapped fingers and blinked rapidly. A small smile stole across his face, though there was a twist to it that seemed almost sad. “I’m glad, Geralt. Truly.”

Geralt wanted to ask, And for you? Was it worth it? But the tavern goers were quickly heading out now that Jaskier’s set was finished, and it was obvious that they would soon be the last ones remaining. And he found himself afraid, as he so often was nowadays, of the possibility that Jaskier would say no, that he should have spent the last thirty years playing in noble houses and courting beautiful women, rather than trekking endlessly after a surly witcher. He knew that it would make sense for Jaskier to have regrets, but he found that he didn’t think he was strong enough to hear them spoken aloud.

So instead he transferred his touch to Jaskier’s wrist, giving it a light tug. “We should head up,” he said, and Jaskier nodded. They pulled apart, and Jaskier finished his drink, and collected his lute. As they both turned to walk up the stairs, Geralt found his eyes catching once again on the little table in the corner. It had sat empty the entire night, as if waiting for something—or someone—to fill its seats once again.

~

Almost done folks! Just two more parts, and tomorrow’s includes the last piece of art for this story! 

tags: @whereismymonsterlover 

[sorry-i-ship-drarry]

15. Nobody can ever be you

No warning implied| unedited | Draco returns after rehab and therapy

" harry relax, he must've got out late alright. He might be here any second " Hermione comforted harry

" here breathe with me " Hermione encouraged him. Harry copied her breathing exercise, breathing on and exhaling out quite rapidly than her. Draco was late, he was supposed to come back 15 minutes ago but he wasn't yet here. It was not a big deal but harry was beyond worried.

" what if he doesn't like all of this ?" Harry asked biting his fingernails.

" I'm sure he'll love it harry. Stress isn't good for your health " Luna gave him a charming smile rubbing her palm on his back and just then they heart the lock twisting.

" hide " Hermione immediately whispered and everyone got in position, including harry.

The door finally opened and they heard someone walk in with some stuff.

" welcome back " everyone cheered as soon as they saw Draco turning on the lights. He immediately hit the back wall, all of his thing's dropping in the ground and splattered across. His face looked like he had seen a ghost.

" Merlin's fuck, you all scared the living death out of me " draco put a hand over his heart, his erratic breathing coming back to normal.

" we didn't mean to do that but surprise are supposed to give you tiny bit of a shock " pansy chuckled as they all gathered around draco who gave them a warm smile and started hugging everyone. When he came to harry, he hugged him the longest " glad to have you back " harry mumbled in the hug.

" we didn't mean to do that but surprise are supposed to give you tiny bit of a shock " pansy chuckled as they all gathered around draco who gave them a warm smile and started hugging everyone. When he came to harry, he hugged him the longest " glad to have you back " harry mumbled in the hug" we didn't mean to do that but surprise are supposed to give you tiny bit of a shock " pansy chuckled as they all gathered around draco who gave them a warm smile and started hugging everyone. When he came to harry, he hugged him the longest " glad to have you back " harry mumbled in the hug

" I'm glad to be back too " draco had replied and soon they both seperated.

" this is amazing " draco grinned.

" why thank you " Hermione smiled and they all soon broke into chatter about everything about the surprise come back party. Draco had been gone for 2 months for rehab and therapy. He assumed that after war things would slightly fall to normal but it went further downhill than it went during the war. His father was sent to azkaban, his mother put under probation for 2 year, he had to present for trials and testify only resulting in him under probation for 4 months but it came with so many problems, he had lost not only his manor but his family, respect and reputation. Wherever he went he was given so much hate that it took a toll on his conditions that draco turned to excessive drinking after recurring nightmares. It was about 6 months into his addiction when he met harry and 4 months of being friends with him when harry and everyone else insisting him to go to rehab and therapy. Wanting to get rid of his addictive habits, he did. The only problem was during his 2 months of rehab and therapy, he had met with nobody and seeing everyone here just made him well up.

Somebody must've helped draco put his stuff back into the room since harry got busy in the kitchen with Hermione and Luna for the food of the party while everyone outside just had their gala time outside, who weren't much people but a couple of their common friends, none out of the group.

" what's the conversation here about ?" Hermione asked as she happily put the trays down along with Luna and harry.

" everything really. I can't believe how much had changed in 2 months, I mean pansy in a serious relationship. My, my " draco laughed.

" think I liked you better in the rehab" pansy rolled off her eyes. Laughing with everyone harry plopped down in front of the sofa while Hermione and Luna sat down on the bean bag.

" she's not the only one " Luna gave a suggestive smile

" Ginny ?" Draco asked almost shocked

" uh huh " Luna grinned as she sipped on her drink.

" wow. This feels great you know. Everything. I am so thankful for everything you guys and for filling me in " draco smiled fondly at everyone.

" to us " Ron raised his glass, other's joining along echoing " to us"

The party faded into music and talking and watching movie when everyone grew tired and just laid there in the living room laughing about something every once in a while.

" now that you're out of rehab, do you think you will get back into the whole dating thing ?" Blaise curiously asked, his legs sprawled across over Ron's.

" actually " draco suddenly sat stiff, everyone looking at him attentively " in the last week of rehab somebody asked me out and I said yes so I think I'm already in the dating thing "

Everyone's eyes widened with surprise and suddenly pansy hooted " my boy is back in the game " they all fell into laughter. However suddenly harry was crouching further into himself, his legs pressed against his chest as he heard everyone talking about draco and the guy he had apparently agreed to go out with, which is in fact the reason why he was late, he had to drop him off at his place as a nice gesture. He felt the strange contraction pulling his Insides.

" mate, you good ?" Ron asked. Harry raised his eyebrows as if he was suddenly bought back into the moment.

" oh yeah, I'm good. Bit tired that's all" harry replied and gulped his drink and got up to go into the kitchen.

He was running his hands through his hair breathing shallow when Luna has joined him.

" I'm sorry harry" she gave him a sympathetic smile and rubbed his back slightly.

" what's going on ?" Draco had suddenly entered the Kitchen with empty trays

" oh nothing. We were just talking " harry replied. Luna immediately retracted her hands from Harry's back and gave draco a firm smile and offering harry a sweet smile before she exited.

" you don't sem so fine" it more of a statement than anything else

" just a little bit tired. Fresh air " harry curtly said before exiting the kitchen too, earning a frown from draco.

That night harry had abandoned his plans he spent the last one month planning on about staying longer than usual and finally confessing how he felt about draco but it struck harry that draco had never felt the same way harry did. Disappointed and embarrassed in himself he decided to never bring it up.

What harry hadn't expected was that he'd ignore draco so much that it was very noticeable. He didn't wanted to do it but it was Hermione's suggestion that if he might maintain distance, his feelings would soon fade away, which he desperately wanted but instead of fading, it was starting to make him more angry, jealous even Because apparently that guy was somehow the only thing he talked about. Harry would get the strong urge to roll his eyes and make Draco shut up about the guy but out of decency he never did. It was maybe him deciding a better option for moving on.

But as said, it was inevitable that draco didn't notice Harry's strange behaviour. They had barely talked ever since he had came back from the rehab and it was slowly killing draco because they used to be so close and now they didn't spent more than 30 minutes in the entire week, he even spent more time with Ron than harry. And to make it worse after draco had introduced everyone to Damian, harry was the one who took it the worst, he barely even conversed with the man he liked and it seemed as if so harry wasn't happy that draco had started dating. Angry with both the situation and harry, he barged into his flat one evening while harry was watching tv lazily.

" draco " harry stood up confused, turning off the television

" we need to talk " draco said sternly.

" I - I have somewhere to be in - well 20 minutes " harry said looking at the clock on the wall

" don't you dare lie to me harry potter " draco firmly pointed his forefinger at harry

Taken a back harry tried again " but I'm not lying "

" you are. That's all you've been doing since the time I've came back. Ginny ratted you out" draco threw his hands in the air. Harry could've said anything but caught in the lie he remained shut

" I need to know harry, what's wrong ?" Draco desperately said.

" nothing's wrong-"

" yeah if nothing's wrong then why have you been avoiding me all this time ? Is it because you're not happy I returned because if you are I'd cut -"

" Merlin no, fuck I'm so glad you're back. Why would you even think that " Harry's voice laced with concern as he eliminated some distance between them.

" then what is wrong? I deserve to know it. From the day I've returned you've barely spoken to me about anything and I can't stand that. We were so good before I went away but 2 months is all it took for you to forget what's it's like being friends with me-"

" what- no -"

" then what is it ? Please tell me, so I can fix it" draco desperately said.

Harry was crushed to hear the desperation in his voice, he was hurt, he looked like he was hurt by it more than he could've ever imagined it and it killed harry to know that he was the one hurting him " i- there's nothing to fix draco -"

"oh " draco whispered

" what no. No not in that way. Fuck I've made it worse. There's nothing like what you're imagining. I've- I've Just maintained some distance to figure things out alright. I wanted to talk to you after the party but I couldn't okay "

" why? What sort of things ?" Draco asked as he stepped closer

Harry's heart suddenly beat much faster than it had before. He wondered if Draco could hear it because he definitely could his heart frantic heart beat but seeing draco's expression he knew he didn't. How could he not, it was beating so loudly ?

" i- look- I don't when or how I started but i- I've been having sort of feelings for you. Maybe it was more because you were away and I didn't see you at all but when you came in and told about the guy from rehab, I figured you never felt that way and I just needed some time to let it die out you know. I swear these feelings will surely go away but I would just need some time and I wanted to talk to you about this the night you returned but you see I couldn't. I - I just, it's just a smal crush I'm sure. I hope it doesn't make anything awkward " harry explained feeling extremely out of control and stressed. Was it even possible for Harry's heart to beat this loud ?

" oh " draco's voice came out to small that it almost crushed harry. Maybe draco was disappointed or he didn't see it coming or that he definitely feel that way about him.

" I've screwed this up, haven't I. gosh I'm an arse-"

" no harry. It's fine. Just I never knew that.. I'm sorry- I should've just never barged in and everything- if I had only known " draco opened his mouth, maybe to say something but he closed it again.

" I'm sorry too. Hope this doesn't make things awkward for us. I know it'll all eventually go away, you're with Damian and everything so " harry rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

" oh- no no. I'm- yeah- I think I'll go " draco suddenly said

" what ?"

" I think I need a little bit of time to process all of it you know but I'm sure we'll be fine, right ?" Draco asked

" of course "

" do you mind then ? I'll- maybe we can talk later. This is just a little overwhelming you know " draco explained as he took a few steps back.

Harry was concerned but much more confused. He had no idea what he should've said or done but before he could've even acted upon, draco had already bid his goodbyes and ran, literally ran leaving a confused harry.. if not confused, he was sure he had screwed up so bad that draco wouldn't wanna see him for a while now.

Harry was still beyond concerned with draco's behaviour that he had called him almost 13 times, only to cut it within a few seconds and sitting down and standing up every five seconds. He was anything but fine and draco's absence didn't help at all. Ever since draco left his place hours ago, he was nowhere to be seen and nobody knew it and it didn't help Harry's worries at all.

Losing all hopes by 10 in the night, harry decided he'd go back to his place tomorrow and talk it out, possibly figure out a way to be together with each other without making it awkward but suddenly then his bell rang.

" draco " harry said confused for the second time in the day. But before he could've even allowed him in, he had barged in, shut the door behind him and immediately pressed his lips against harry's. At first harry was taken a back by the sudden kiss but soon dissolved in the moment, tip toeing to get more closer and wrapping his hands around Draco's neck. Harry had spent month's imagining how draco would taste like or how he would feel if he ever kissed him but it was all far from anything he had ever expected to feel like. He felt like he was on cloud nine, and how could someone taste so good and above all how Could someone kiss so passionately yet so tenderly. There was depth, something so addictive about the way draco kissed harry like he was conveying a message in that kiss which only fueled everything but they had both ran out of breath and unfortunately had to separate for air.

" wow "

" yeah " draco mumbled against his lips..

" took you 3 weeks after my come back to finally confess " draco mumbled again, not dropping his hands from Harry's waist and his forehead still pressed against harry's.

" actually months " harry whispered

" I'm finally glad you did " draco replied

" what about Damian ?" He asked

" I broke up with him. He could never be you, Nobody can " draco smirked

Biting his bottom lip, harry said " kiss me you fool "

" gladly " and draco kissed the boy he had been in love with since he was 18.

To be edited

Requests open

Day 14- a promise of forever | Day 16- sinful dreams

[littlemrcaprisun]

TW: brief mentions of miscarriage

(This is a rewrite of an old fic from a previous ship and I just changed the names and POV so if there are errors in that... well sorry.)

Despite all of the odds and challenges that face you, you both decide to go through with having a baby. It takes months to see results, whether it be the it just not working or it working and ending in heartbreak. You’re about to give up on the dream when the fifth pregnancy makes it past the first trimester and halfway through the second. You decide to tell your family and friends, well Alcina does. You only tell your parents and it goes over just as well as expected: poorly. Your parents still aren’t happy with the fact that their child left their husband, the rich doctor with the hefty salary, for another woman twice their age. While they have grown to love and accept Alcina, and your newfound sexuality, a baby announcement was the last thing they wanted to hear out of your mouth. You don't tell Alcina about their reaction for a long time, after all stress is the last thing she needs right now considering how this whole process has gone so far. What you can’t afford is stress risking this precious thing they’ve fought so hard to build. However, Alcina catches on quickly and confronts you about why you’ve been so quiet and reserved lately, especially where the baby is concerned.

“I’m just… I’m… processing.” You shrug after dinner one evening as Alcina helps you get ready for bed. Alcina furrows her brow and stops to turn to you.

“A-are you having regrets?” Alcina asks quietly, her hand flying to your belly immediately. You are barely showing but still enough to be noticeably pregnant and the palm of her hand wraps perfectly around the swell of your bump.

“Oh, no. God, no.” You look up to Alcina , fervently shaking your head. “Never.” You pull Alcina’s chin down to look into your eyes and you make sure Alcina can feel the sincerity burn through her eyes

“Then, please, tell me what’s really wrong.” Alcina carefully lowers both of you onto the bed, just to be precautious. Your belly barely protrudes through your hoodie as you lay back against the pillows, but it’s enough that Alcina can see it and she can’t help the smile that tugs at the corners of her lips.

“It’s just my parents… they aren’t very supportive yet… of the baby, I mean.” You admit and sit up on the edge of the bed. You lean back and brace yourself on your hands and try to focus your energy into not crying. Alcina pulls you toward her until you are comfortable and she is lying between her legs, ear pressed to belly. You feel yourself relax almost instantly as she feels the warmth coming from you and the life growing inside you.

“I know your parents’ opinion means the entire world to you, but… I don’t know.” Alcina sighs. “I don’t think there’s anything I can say to make you feel better about it. We’ve just fought so hard to get to where we are now and I hate the thought that you might… that you might regret it.”

You lift your head and place a hand on Alcina’s cheek and another on your belly. “I don’t regret anything… I just wish this were easier.”

“So do I. I am terrified I am gonna wake up and this is all going to be over. I couldn’t take it if… if…” Alcina chokes on her words before she can finish her sentence. You try to comfort Alcina and tell her everything is going to be okay but she shakes her head, recomposes herself, and speaks again. “You are six months pregnant. You’re in the ‘safe zone,’ but I can’t let myself believe it’s real. I don’t want to know if it’s a boy or a girl, I don’t want to name it, I don’t want to build a nursery. I don’t want to accept that we’re going to have a baby because I don’t believe that we’re going to have a baby… I’m sorry this isn’t even relevant. It just kind of came out. I’m just so scared of losing this one too.”

———

“Cina... I’m having some regrets.” You whisper, your voice seeming to go on forever in the cool dark room. Alcina shifts next to you in bed and opens an eye.

“What’s wrong?” She asks and when she rolls over she feels the cool damp surface beneath her hip. Immediately, she jumps out of bed and flips on the light. You both cringe at the brightness but quickly adjust and the sight before you comes into focus. You are lying on your back, clutching your belly and your hip, the white sheet around you has turned grey from the water surrounding your bottom. “I-is it time?”

“I think so.” You nod, smiling widely. You’ve had a few contractions since your water broke and you didn’t find them to be that painful, however the ones that follow aren’t such a breeze. As Alcina is helping you out of the bed, so she can change the sheets, you have another contraction. You let out a quiet cry and lean over the side of the bed. “Time it, time it!” You yelp between heavy breaths. Alcina is quick to start counting before she can get your phone out to use the app the midwife recommended to both of you. Within a few minutes, you are back to normal and standing up right.

Alcina sets to work “birth-proofing” the bed by taking off the wet sheets, putting down new ones, placing waterproof shower curtains, then places not so new sheets over top of that. You, meanwhile, make your way out of the bedroom, down the hall, and to the guest room, where your mother, who had finally started to come around, has been camping out for the past four weeks in anticipation for the arrival of her first grandchild.

“Mom…” You whisper hesitantly, anxious about waking your mother up in the middle of the night despite the situation at hand. “Mama, my water broke.”

She doesn’t move and you panic for a moment, unsure of what to do, when you hear her mother’s voice. “Are you in labor?”

“I’m having contractions.” You bite your lip. “They’re about 30 minutes apart.” And with that your mother sits up and switches her bedside lamp on. She climbs out of bed and rushes over to you, wrapping an arm around your waist.

“What can I do for you, sunshine?”

“I’m okay for now, I just want to get back to bed before I have another contraction.” She helps you back down the hall towards the bedroom but before you can make it, you have to stop and brace yourself against the wall. “Fuck.” You curse as this contraction takes hold and all you can think about is counting how long it lasts. Your mother stands behind you and gently massages your upper back in an attempt to calm you. Alcina hurries out of your bedroom to your aide.

“Don’t worry I started the timer for this one.” Alcina leans against the wall next to you and runs her hand through your hair, but you stop her by grabbing her hand and squeezing. “You’re at 17 seconds, darling. You can do this.” Alcina assures you. 25 more seconds pass before you are able to relax again.

���When are we supposed to call the midwife?” Your mother asks.

“They told us when the contractions are about 5 minutes apart, so I think we have awhile.” Alcina explains and you huff.

“This is going to be a long night.” You murmur as you check the time on the wall clock. “It’s 2:10 am and this has already been going on for about 2 hours since my water first broke.”

“It took you a whole hour to wake me up?” Alcina furrows her brow.

“I didn’t want to wake you up. I wanted you to get as much sleep as possible before the chaos.” You shrug and Alcina kisses your forehead. “And I wanted to be sure too.”

Six hours pass and your contractions are still about 25-30 minutes apart but increasing in discomfort. You don't know if they’re actually increasing in pain or if you’re just getting worn down at this point. At 9:02am, they run a hot bath for you to soak in, to try to ease some of the discomfort. It only helps a little bit. You try sitting normally in the tub, then kneeling against the wall of it, then sitting on all fours, before ending up back in a normal sitting position.

Despite the amount of pain and stress you’re in, you remain fairly positive and bubbly, and even joke around with Alcina. Your mother decided to go back to sleep around 3:45, with some convincing from you, so she’d be ready when the baby actually decided to make an appearance. But at around 10:23 she knocks on the bathroom door and is let in by Alcina. She kisses the top of your head and hands Alcina a light breakfast for both of you.

“You gotta keep your strength up.” She smiles at both of you. “How are you doing, my sweet?”

You, resting her head against the side of the tub look up at her mother and smile weakly. “I’d be doing a lot better if this baby would come.” Just as you finish your sentence another contraction, one of the worst yet, comes on and you start to weep.

“I’m going to call Dani.”Alcina murmurs. The daughter of your girlfriend who had become more like a sister to you.

“Please!” You gasp, your voice a mixture of exhaustion and pain, tears rolling freely down your cheeks. Alcina sits behind you and wraps her arms around your shoulders, whispering words of encouragement into your ear. After about a minute and a half the contraction passes and you sigh. “I need to get out of here. I’m getting pruny and I’m tired. I want to rest.”

You get in a rough nap before the contractions interrupt your sleeping too much. When you wake though, you’re pleasantly surprised to see Dani sitting at the foot of her bed.

“Hey, Tiny.” Dani smiles. You smile softly and reach out for Dani’s hand. “How’s it going?”

“Oh you know, I’ve been in labor for…” You pause to check the clock and calculate the time. “13 hours with no pain medicine. I’m surviving.”

Alcina wants to give you and Dani some time together but when you have another contraction, once again, that’s seemingly worse than the last, she can’t help but run to your side. “Talk to me, darling. What’s going on?”

“They’re barely 10 minutes apart. I think this one is 7 minutes after the last one.” You spit out the words and cling to Alcina, digging your nails into her arm.

“I’m going to call the midwife as soon as this one passes.”

It takes the midwife, Janet, over 30 minutes to get to the castle from outside the village . It’s exactly 2:00 pm when Janet walks through the door. By that time, your contractions are less than 5 minutes apart and so intense you have to hold onto both Alcina and Dani. You’re sweating, crying a little bit, not nearly as bubbly as before, completely drained, but focused and still positive.

“Hey, sweetstuff.” Janet hums and she greets you, and you give her a soft smile. “I know you’re miserable so I’m gonna save the ‘how are you doing’ speech and get to it. First things first, can I check to see how dilated you are?”

Janet determines you are about 6 centimeters dilated and you arebeyond thrilled to be over halfway to the end. “So now we wait and we breathe and try to relax and keep drinking water. You are a trooper. I know I couldn’t do what you’re doing, but it is so worth it and so wonderful for you and your baby.” Janet’s warm and assuring tone makes you feel like maybe you didn’t make the wrong choice by going with a natural home birth and some of your regret fades.

You eventually go back to the tub, where you find kneeling against the side of it helps to relieve some of the pressure this time. Your contractions are closer together and they’re shorter, but they are worse than any pain that you’ve ever felt before. Each one makes you feel like you’re going to fall apart at the joints.

At around 4:30, the contractions are enough to make you cry and moan in pain constantly, and it is almost too much to bear for everyone witnessing their sweet little Tiny suffer so much. You’ve moved from kneeling against the tub to your bed. Your knees are planted on the floor, your chest is resting against the side of the mattress, your shoulders are curled in on yourself, and your head is pressed into the bed. You want to push so bad and every passing second the pressure continues to build. You feels like if you don’t push immediately you’re going to explode

“Alright, baby, you’re 8 centimeters dilated. We’re almost there.” Janet isn’t so calming anymore when she doesn’t say what you want to hear.

“How much longer?” You whimper.

Janet sighs. “I wish I could give you an answer. It could be 30 minutes, or it could be three hours. There’s no way to tell.”

You curse Janet for even mentioning three hours because sure enough with your luck it is another five hours before you’re fully dilated. By this point, you don't even know how you’re going to find the strength to push. It’s been almost 24 hours since your labor began and now you’re just getting to the point where you can start pushing. You’re still squatting next to the bed when Janet gives you the first instruction to push. You thought for hours that pushing would provide some kind of relief, but when the pressure worsens as you push you want to stop more than any other moment of the process.

An hour passes with barely any luck or movement from the baby and both you and Alcina start to get worried. Janet assures them that it’s normal and the delivery itself can take two to three hours, especially without any medication. You move to the bed and lay on your side with your leg towards your chest as far as they’ll go. This seems to do the trick and soon Janet is exclaiming that she feels a head.

The final, and 25th, hour of labor passes and soon the house fills with the most beautiful sound you've ever heard: the sound of your baby crying. Janet lays your baby in your arms and that first moment of skin-to-skin contact feels like heaven. You look down and the little face in your arms and start to openly sob, as does everyone else in the room.

“It’s a girl.” Janet smiles. You can’t pry her eyes away from her, from your daughters.

“Cina… we have a baby. We have a daughter.” You whisper. Alcina is a mess, with tears streaming down her face and trembling with soft sobs. After feeding her, Janet wants to give Alcina the skin-to-skin contact as well and kicks Dani and your mother out so the new mothers can have some privacy. Alcina holds him against her chest while you lie in bed next to her, resting and recovering. “What’re we going to name her?”

“Slowpoke because it took her so long to get here.” Alcina teases in a soft voice directed towards the now sleeping baby.

You smile and reach over to touch the baby’s cheek. “Honestly, not to be one of those moms, but what if we just named her what she is?”

“What’s that?” Alcina asks, raising a brow at you.

“A bearer of good news and hope..”

“My dear, I don’t think that’s a name.” Alcina chuckles a little.

“No, but Evangeline is.”

Alcina’s face twists into one of pure joy. “Evangeline Dimitrescu.” She nods. “That’ll do just fine.”

[angelic-kisses13]

Haven’t Forgotten You

Warnings: Angst, Assumed Cheating, Swearing, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Happy Ending

Authors Note: Sorry it took me so long @beyond-antares​, its been a very very bad couple of weeks. Hopefully this is what you wanted, if it isn’t let me know and I will write you another. Much love!!!

‘Hey.’  You frowned as you looked at the text you had sent Henry early this morning. It wasn’t often that you got jealous or insecure but it had been two weeks since you last had a conversation with him. It was beginning to eat at you and you weren’t sure what you should do to remedy it. 

Two weeks was a long time for both of you, especially when you knew he was only an hour away shooting. He was supposed to come home for the weekends, had made the plans and everything, but when the weekend finally came around, you were disappointed. 

He had his secretary email you, saying he couldn’t make it because of some issues with the contract. It wouldn’t have bothered you if he had sent that email that morning. But instead, you had gotten up, went and got your hair and nails done. You had bought a brand new set of lingerie and you had even gone out of your way and watched a youtube video on how to do a bold look with your makeup. All to have yourself sit in your living for two hours, the special dinner you had cooked for Henry went cold on the dining room table. The fact he hadn’t bothered to contact you was the icing on the cake. 

You knew he loved you, but it was times like these that you questioned just how much. He could get so carried away with his characters and his fans and you loved that about him. But you were here too, you wanted to at least be in his top five list of important things. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. You bit your lip as you threw your phone onto the couch, not even caring where it landed. If he didn’t want to talk to you then that was fine. There was plenty here for you to do. 

Two hours later and you found yourself curled up in your bed, a batch of cookie dough in your lap and a tv show playing in the background. You had been scrolling through your Instagram when you saw it. Your throat tightened and you struggled to hold back the fierce stab of pain and betrayal. Henry was stood in front of a restaurant, his arms around a tall beauty, his award-winning smile on display. The other woman was in heaven, her head was turned up towards him, a smitten smile on her lips, her arms wrapped around his back, and one hand resting on his chest in an intimate caress. Looking up at the name that had posted it you saw that it was the same girl in the photo. Apparently, she had a friend hide and take the picture as they were leaving. 

She had the gal to mention you and Henry both in the post, claiming how happy she was to finally go on the date with him. You could feel your chest tighten and your breaths started coming in shallow pants. 

Your eyes filled with tears as you set the bowl of cookie dough aside, your hands shaking in fear. Was she why he hadn’t been messaging you the last two weeks. Had he finally realized that he deserved better? He had hadn’t he? It all made so much sense. He was done with you and knowing the heart of Henry he couldn’t handle telling you face to face. You must have been missing the subtle clues the whole damn time. 

‘God, how stupid could you get?’  

It wasn’t long before your phone started lighting up with messages from friends and family. All wondering why you weren’t with Henry. All asking who the other woman was. You didn’t have answers, you were in the dark just as much as they were. What you did have the answers to though, was the fact that Henry was with another girl and you weren’t going to stay and find out why. 

Just as you were grabbing your clothes from the closet your phone rang. It was Henry’s ringtone, it was the first song you two ever slow danced to. In fact, it happened downstairs, Henry had made you dinner and had found an old swing record, turned out the swing record was a slow instrumental. He had been so disappointed but you had loved it, you had grabbed his hands and pulled him to you, just barely managing to not trip over Kal who had run between the two of you. Henry’s arms wrapped around you, encasing you in his warmth. 

Blinking, you were brought back to the present when the phone stopped ringing. You bite your lip as you try to decide if you should call him back or not. The decision was made for you when it started ringing again. Taking a deep breath, you grabbed the phone and answered the call. 

“H-Hello?” You answered, your voice shaking. 

“Babe? Oh thank God, I wanted to talk to you before you went to bed.” 

“Oh, what about?” Your response was nonchalant and straight to the point. There was a moment of hesitation before Henry’s voice picked back up. It was slightly deeper than his usual timber and your eyes narrowed. He only got that tone when he was feeling guilty for something or he was lying. 

“There was a photo that got shared on Instagram. I wanted to clear things up before you jumped to conclusions.” Your jaw clenched and the muscles in your neck tightened. Your whole body was wound tight, it would only take a few words or actions to get you to snap. 

“You mean the one with Shelby?” A wince was heard on the other line and your lips pulled up into a malicious smirk. 

“Listen, babe, it really isn’t what it looks like. I had no-,” 

“That’s the oldest line in the book, Henry. Were you there with her for dinner?” 

“Yes, but baby-,” 

“Then it is what it looks like Henry. I don’t see why you have to explain yourself to me. Clearly you would rather spend your time with her and not me. I got the message loud and clear. Don’t worry about me, go back to Shelby and have a wonderful night. In fact, don’t bother coming home at all, I won’t be here. Goodbye!” You were positively seething by the time you managed to get your little speech finished. 

You hung up the phone and for the first time, wished that you could slam it as you hung up, really sending the point across. Instead, you threw the phone and grabbed a pillow, before burying your head in it and screaming yourself raw. 

Your eyes were flooded with tears and your mouth wouldn’t stop quivering as your nose runs. You hadn’t cried this much since you were sixteen and your first boyfriend broke up with you. 

______________________________________________________________

“Babe. I’m home.” Henry called out as he sat his luggage by the door. Kal was sniffing around the house, his tail wagging when he came across a scent he recognized. Henry frowned, he wasn’t expecting you to come racing down the steps and into his arms, just like you always did, especially after the argument the two of you had but the house was too quiet and he was beginning to become concerned. 

“Sweetheart, are you here?” He asked as he pushed open the bedroom door, but his suspicions were confirmed when he was met by the dark silence. Not a single sign of you. He pulled his phone out and dialed your number, it went straight to voicemail. Putting his phone back into his pocket he switched the light on and he looked around. 

There, sitting on his pillow was an innocent purple paper, folded in half. He walked over to the bed and picked it up, his heart was racing and his palms were sweaty. Taking a deep breath he opened the letter and began to read. 

Dearest Henry, 

I know it was sudden and I know I owe you more of an explanation on why I left but frankly, I don’t want to. You did the one thing that you promised you would never do. I don’t know what I did to make you forget about me and stop loving me, and whatever it was I hope I can do better with the next man. 

This letter isn’t meant to make you feel bad, I never want you to hurt. But I need you to know that seeing that other woman replace me hurt more than you can imagine. I thought what we had was good, I know it wasn’t perfect and I never wanted perfect, what I wanted was you. All of you, not just random parts, but everything. 

I guess I never shared that information with you, maybe if I had you would have stayed longer. Maybe you would have seen how much I really love you and just want to be your everything. God knows you were my world, everything revolved around you. You were my sun and my moon and I never wanted to go a day without seeing your smile or hearing your voice call my name. 

But like all love stories, I guess ours had to end too. Its a shame it ended the way it did. I hope you find peace and happiness Henry. I will always love you. Remember that for the rainy days. 

Sincerely, 

Yours. 

P.S. I don’t want you to ever blame yourself for what happened Henry, I know you were trying to tell me you weren’t happy anymore. But we both know how dense I can be at times. I have one request though, Find happiness in everything you do. I don’t want you to ever stop smiling. 

Henry felt the air leave his lungs in a choked gasp, quickly he got up and headed to the closet, hoping beyond hope that her clothes were still there. What awaited him was naked hangers and a coldness that seeped into his bones. She had really left, he should have gotten here faster. No, he should have been here from the beginning. He should have told Shelby that he wasn’t interested and left. His choice had cost him the one good thing in his life. His girl was no longer here and was ignoring him to top it off. 

He sat on the bed, head in his hands as he tried to come up with a plan to get her back. He had, no he needed, to get her back, and soon. 

He felt Kal nuzzle at his hands, his wet nose cold against his skin. A low whine was heard and he looked down at Kal, trying to blink the tears away before they could fall. 

“We are going  to get her back, buddy, I promise.” 

______________________________________________________________

It had been two weeks since you had left Henry and you looked and felt awful. You had bags beneath your eyes, your hair was a rat’s nest and you couldn’t remember the last time you had eaten a meal that wasn’t chinese noodles and ice cream. 

The thing that had gotten to you the most was the fact that Henry had fallen off the face of the Earth. He hadn’t contacted you and the media had no idea where he was. His fans were worried about him and so were you, much to your annoyance. The man could probably stab you and you would be more concerned about him than you. 

Sighing, you grabbed your coffee cup and made your way outside to sit on the porch swing. You had rented a cabin from an old friend, it was in the middle of the woods, a meadow and a dirt road stretched out in front you, keeping you isolated from the media and your troubles. 

You had just settled down when you noticed a dust cloud in the distance, not thinking much of it, you turned your gaze away to the pond beside the porch. A family of deer had made it their watering hole and you smiled as the fawn pranced around in the water, splashing its mother every couple of seconds. 

Turning your attention away from the cute sight you cocked your head to the side when you noticed that the dust cloud was getting closer. You frowned and watched it, trying to decide if it was freak weather. No-one but your friend knew you were up here, and she wasn’t planning on visiting or she would have called. 

Fear churned in your stomach as a black car came into view, spooking the dee family. Your fingers clutched the cup tightly, your knuckles turning white. You stood up and quickly moved back into the house, closing and locking all the doors and windows and pulling the shades down tight. 

Grabbing your phone, you quickly pulled up the keypad and typed in a number. You waited as you heard the car pull up, tires crunching on the dirt and rock. The engine cut off and you moved further from the door, a car door opened and shut and footsteps moved closer to the cabin. 

Your breathing was heavy and you clapped a hand over your mouth, trying to keep yourself as quiet as possible. Thuds echoed on the wooden porch and your thumb hovered the call button. Silence greeted your ears and you peered around you, trying to figure out what the next move would be. 

You jumped when the front door was knocked on, your thumb accidentally hitting the call button. Your face paled when you realized just who it was you were calling. 

Air left your body when you heard a familiar ringtone from the porch and you stood in the middle of the living room, waiting to hear the voice that belonged to the phone. 

“Y/N.” The one word response held such relief and joy that your body trembled. Even from the other side of the door, you could make out the unmistakable tenor of Henry. 

You quickly marched forward and wrenched open the door, phone falling to the ground as you launched yourself at the man. He stumbled back, not expecting you to come at him this way. 

“You scared the shit out of me!” You breathed as you clutched at the back of his neck, your hands tangling in his dark curls. You could feel his beard scratch at your neck as he hugged you tightly to him. His face nuzzling against you, trying to inhale your familiar scent that he had missed. 

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” he chanted over and over. His frame shaking as he kept you pulled against him. 

“I missed you so much, and I swear nothing happened with Shelby, it was just a dinner to get some more information about a new movie.” You pushed away from him, or at least tried, Henry seemed keen on making you apart of his body. 

“Henry, I can’t talk to you this way, let me see your face.” You said as he finally released you. You took a few steps back, taking him in. He was wearing an old t-shirt that you bought him and some jeans, sneakers on his feet, his eyes were bloodshot and he appeared to have permanent bags under his eyes, his skin a pale white. 

Your heart broke at the sight, but you also felt elated that he looked just as affected by you leaving, as you did. 

You hesitated before asking, “You wanna come inside? I can make some tea or coffee?” Your fingers picked at the hem of your shirt as you awaited his reply. 

“Yes, please.” His response was just as quiet as your question and you gave a weak smile. He was just as scared as you. Reaching out, you grabbed his hand and guided him into the cabin, he stood by the door as you walked around and opened the shades, letting in the natural light. 

He followed as you moved towards the kitchen and got the kettle ready. You dug through a couple of cabinets before coming across some tea leaves. It was quiet, to quiet, and it unnerved you. Your hands fumbled as you measured out the tea into mugs. Your hands were halted by his as he grabbed the spoon from you and set it down on the counter.

You tensed as his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling your back against his chest. 

“You need to breathe, slow deep breaths and then exhale.” His chest rumbled as he spoke, his fingers linking with yours as he placed your hands onto your chest, allowing you to feel each breath. 

“Good girl, I have you now. Not letting you go.” The weight of his words hit you hard and tears blurred your vision. 

“But you did let me go. You just left me, for her.” Your voice broke and every bad thought and insecurity hit you at once. Your knees buckled and Henry caught you as you fell. He guided the two of you to the floor, his legs criss crossed as he settled you into his lap. 

“I never left you, you left me. You didn’t even give me the chance to explain.” Your head shook vigorously, hair getting caught in your tears, sticking to your face as you sobbed. 

“You forgot me, replaced me with her. I was never good enough for you or the media.” You were silenced by Henry’s hands coming up and covering your mouth, not caring about the snot that was staining your face. 

“I haven’t forgotten you, and I sure as hell did not replace you. Do you hear me?” He gently but firmly turned you around to face him. His blue eyes were shiny and he blinked a couple of times, willing the tears to go away. 

“I took you for granted, thought you would always be there for me, even though I wasn’t for you. I am so sorry, sweetheart. I never meant to hurt you, ever.” 

“Nothing happened?” You asked as you reached out and wiped a stray tear from his cheek. 

“No, I was there with Shelby, yes, but there was also someone else I was having dinner with. Her name is Avery, she is producing a new movie that I have been trying to get in for a couple of months. Shelby is best friends with Avery, she was there to put a good word in. I tried to call you and let you know but I wasn’t able to get through to you. I had Liam email you the details, I didn’t think to check it before it was sent. I swear it wasn’t a date, I would never cheat on you.” 

“It was for a movie? Why didn’t you tell me about this before? I had no idea you were trying to get an audition.” You could feel anger and guilt build up in you but also confusion. Why wouldn’t he tell you something like this. His eyes softened and his fingers reached up and rubbed your frown away. 

“I wanted it to be a surprise, it's based off of your favorite book. I wanted to tell you when I was sure I had the part and I could come home in costume, make it really special.” A new sob tore from your throat and you crushed your lips against his. He was taken by surprise but quickly recovered, fingers tangling in your hair as he pushed you closer to him. 

“I’m sorry I left and overreacted…” You winced as you pulled away, your fingers twirling a piece of hair, “also for leaving you a goodbye letter.” Henry breathed deeply as he licked his lips, his eyes searching yours. 

“I’m sorry for keeping secrets and making you feel like you weren’t important and replaceable. I hated that I couldn’t be here with you, time always passes slower without you, even more so when I’m the one that made you leave.” A rueful smile touched his lips. You both sat in comfortable silence, your head resting on his chest as you listened to the beat of his heart. 

  “I discovered something else when you left.” He murmured, his lips pressed to the top of your head.

You grinned softly, “I did too.” 

“Say it together on 3?” He asked as his hands rubbed up and down your sides. You smiled and titled your head up, lips brushing, you whispered, “1...2...3!”

“I love you.” 

Tag List:  @agniavateira​​ @cavillanche​​ @cavillunraveled​​ @dancingwendigo​​ @dreamwritesimagines​​ @ficsandcatsandficsandcats​​ @hlkwrites​​ @hnryycvll​​ @honeychicanawrites​​ @iloveyouyen​@johnmotherfuckingshelby​​ @ladyreapermc​​ @laketaj24​​ @littlefreya​​ @ly--canthrope​ @mrsaugustwalker​​ @ohvalleyofplentyyy​​ @sciapod​​ @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan​​ @supersweetstache​​ @thethirstyarchive​​ @the-winter-witcher​​ @viking-raider​​ @white-wolf-of-rivia​​ @witcherwritings​​

[imherongraystairstrash]

Gift of The Angel

I’m finally done with this fic!! Thank you to all of you who were so patient while I was taking my exams <3. And thank you to everybody who sent requests! I’m super excited to get around to them after Wednesday, when I finally finish all of my tests. You’re all incredible and all of you reading this is my gift of the angel. Enjoy!

Cecily was reluctant to detach herself from Gabriel’s embrace, but she felt as though she was holding in enough water to fill a dam. She peeled herself away and awkwardly moved to the edge of the bed. She hissed when her feet touched the cold floor and threw a longing glance at Gabriel, who was so nice to sleep against. By the angel, she thought as she crossed her legs, she was about to explode. She walked quickly across the room towards the bathroom. The moment she sat down, Cecily swore she gave birth to a waterfall, which confused her greatly, for it was a strange sensation. How peculiar.

Oh.

Oh.

Cecily put a hand to her swollen belly. 

Her water must have broken. Cecily sat there for a minute, pondering, before shrugging and saying to herself: “Well, that was convenient.”

No clean up required.

Cecily almost laughed as she got up and padded over to Gabriel. She was ecstatic; her pregnancy had felt so long, she’d forgotten what it was like to not be pregnant. And Gabriel will be so excited! Stressed, but excited. Cecily couldn’t contain her smile. She was about to place a hand on his shoulder and shake him awake, until she looked at his face. 

He seldom slept so well; like everything was all right. She had the full intentions of waking him, but he was so peaceful at the moment, that to wake him felt like a crime.

No, he did not need to be woken up immediately and besides, she hadn't started having contractions yet. Letting him sleep outweighed waking him up. Knowing Gabriel, he would stress throughout the entire process, which will not be good for his health or youth. Yes, he should sleep. Cecily kissed his brow lightly, picked up her book and went into the drawing room. She had debated going back to bed herself, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep; not after her feet had become so accustomed to the floor. She also had no desire of being awoken by contractions. So, she got as comfortable as she could, and read her book.  

…

A while later, Cecily put a hand to her belly. Goodness, she should probably wake Gabriel. Though she wanted him to sleep, she couldn’t imagine him being too happy if he slept through the birth of his first child simply because Cecily had wanted him to rest. She struggled for a while before she was able to get on her feet. Oh, she cannot wait to not be pregnant anymore and be able to do things easily. She braced a hand on her lower back as she sat down on the bed, next to where Gabriel was sleeping. She sat down the only way she could: with her legs spread wide open. She smirked at the way her mother would react, seeing her in such an unladylike position. 

“Gabriel,” she said, nudging him half-heartedly. She wasn’t really in a hurry. 

His brows furrowed in a semiconscious state. Cecily smiled down at him. He was so very adorable. She took his warm hand into her cooler one. 

Cecily pressed a kiss to his soft cheek, and felt his eyelashes flutter against her skin. He turned over and looked into her eyes with that beautiful shade of green she loved so dearly. He smiled sleepy at her, massaging small circles into her palm. All she really wanted to do was climb into his arms and fall asleep beside him. What a shame she was in labour.

Gabriel suddenly opened his eyes wide, as he realized that if Cecily was waking him in the middle of the night, there was probably a reason behind it.

“Are you alright? Is the baby all right?” He sat up and put one hand to her belly and another to the side of her face

“Yes, Annwyl, everybody is fine.” She said, combing his hair with her fingers. “It’s only my water. It broke.” 

She said it with such casualty that Gabriel sighed in relief, before opening his eyes wide open once more.

“Did you just say your water broke?!”

“Yes,” Cecily said, looking down. Oh dear, a thread in her nightgown is loose. Now she’ll have to sew it back. How unfortunate. She really did despise sewing. 

Gabriel threw his legs over the edge of the bed. “When?” he asked.

“What?” Cecily said, before remembering what they were talking about, “Oh, right. Just about an hour ago.”

“An hour?!”

“That is what I said, wasn’t it?”

“Cecy,” he said.

“Gabriel,” she said, matching his tone of voice and proceeded to laugh at its accuracy.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Gabriel said, clearly not pleased. 

“You were sleeping.”

“Really? I had no idea.”

“You know what I mean, Gabriel.”

Gabriel paused and looked away from her. Even after all of this time, Gabriel still had trouble sleeping most of the time. Cecily, being a light sleeper, would wake up upon hearing his panting and thrashing while he slept. Sometimes, he even cried in his sleep and mumbled how he was sorry for what he had done over and over again.

“Gabriel, it’s all right,” Cecily would say, kissing away his tears and wrapping her arms around him. He would hold on tightly to her and bury his face in her neck. 

Now, Gabriel was standing up and walking away.

“Where in the world are you going?”

“To call the Silent Brothers,” 

“Gabriel, stop being dramatic. You know we’re only supposed to call when I start getting contractions.” Cecily was already having contractions, but Gabriel was going to have a heart attack if she told him. One thing at a time. 

“Your brother calls them when he gets a paper cut, I think we can call them now.”

“We don’t need them now. Besides, I would like to reduce the amount of time anybody spends looking down my you-know-what, thank you very much.”

Gabriel threw up his hands in a gesture that meant he gave up.

“Then I’m going to get changed.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to be in my nightclothes when Will comes in to ‘murder me’ like he said he would.”

“Gabriel, just relax.”

“Relax? That baby may pop out at any minute!”

Cecily scrunched up her face and walked over to where Gabriel was buttoning on his shirt.

“Do you know nothing of childbirth?”

Gabriel jumped and turned around.

“Cecy! Go lay down!”

“Why? I feel wonderful.” Cecily gave a little twirl to empathize her point. 

“Because you are in labor.” Gabriel sounded exasperated.

“I hardly see why that is relevant. It’s not like I’ve gotten sic—BLOODY HELL!” She cursed, bracing an arm against the wall. Instantly she felt Gabriel beside her, holding her upright. 

Pain shot through her body as she struggled to take deep breaths. Labour must be kicking in. She screwed her face until the pain subsided. 

“Would you like to go lie down now?”

Cecily rolled her eyes. “If you insist.”

...

Gabriel hung up the phone and looked over at Cecily. He opened his mouth to talk but Cecily held up a hand.

“If you ask me if I am alright one more time, I’m divorcing you.”

Gabriel kneeled down in front of her and put his ear to her belly. “I’m just worried.”

Cecily brushed his hair to one side. “You needn’t worry for me, Gabriel.”

“I know,” Gabriel smiled, “I just love you so much, I cannot help it.”

“I love you too, but I’m not annoying about it.” Cecily said gently.

She felt Gabriel shake from laughing silently before he stood up and offered his hands to Cecy. She took them and he hoisted her up. 

She instinctively put her head on his chest and hugged him tight. 

His arms went around her, too. They couldn’t get too close, since Cecily’s pregnant belly seemed to make it's mission to separate them as much as possible, but they managed. Gabriel leaned down so that his forehead and Cecily’s were touching. One of his hands found her belly while the other stroked her cheek.

“Are you relishing your last moments of freedom?” Cecy asked, referring to that fact that they’ll have an infant to take care of soon.

Gabriel opened his eyes, stealing her breath with his bright green eyes. “No. I’m anticipating the start for something new.”

Cecily felt her insides melt, which was something no person, other than Gabriel, could do. However strange it may be, Cecily was excited to give birth. She wouldn’t be pregnant anymore (which had been a torturous experience) and she would finally get to meet the baby she had been carrying for nine months. There was a small nagging in the back of her head that said the baby might be born sickly which Cecily tried to dismiss. Worrying is the root of everybody’s problems, and Cecily had sworn she would do everything in her power to avoid partaking in it. Now that she was almost a mother, however, she worried. She worried more these past months than she had her entire life for now she was responsible for a new life, and she couldn’t imagine anything terrible happening to it.

“Cecy?” Gabriel said.

“Yes?”

Gabriel looked at her.

“Are you all right?”

“Just a little bit nervous.”

She got on her tiptoes, in hopes of receiving a kiss on the lips. Gabriel lowered his chin, and Cecily closed her eyes. She felt his lips on her forehead and they shot back open. Gabriel laughed at her expression of pure betrayal. 

“You have to lie down before you get another contraction.”

“That won’t happen for ages.” she protested.

“You’re like a child sometimes, do you know that?”

“Hm. Would a child do this?” Cecily said, doing something scandalous to Gabriel.

Gabriel’s eyes widened. “You’re in labor, and you do that?”

Cecily smirked. “What can I say? You are irresistible.” 

“Do you need a cold bath?”

“Will you be assisting me?”

“Well, that defeats the whole purpose of taking a cold bath,” Gabriel said, walking her over to the bed. 

“Pity.”

…

“How big is this baby?!” Cecily gasped. 

Normal sized, for an infant.

“Stop lying, Enoch.” 

“I’m sorry to say, but the Silent Brothers don’t lie, Cecy.”

Push.

Cecily pushed until her legs started to shake.

“Bloody hell, I intended to blame Gabriel’s height for my torture.”

“I’m so relieved it’s normal sized.” Gabriel said.

Push.

“I’m trying to!” Cecily snapped at Brother Enoch. She was definitely not in a good mood. 

“We can see the head, Cecy!” Sophie said, who was assisting in the birth, due to her previous experience. 

“The head?! What about the body?”

“The body slides out,” Sophie explained, “the hard part is the head.”

“And you are just seeing it? Wonderful.”

Push.

Cecily pushed. It wasn’t so much that she was tired, but the pain was unbearable. Nephilim do not have numbing runes or medication to help with birthing, much to Cecily’s dismay. Somebody should really get to inventing that; perhaps she could get Henry to look into it, if she survived this torturous birth.   

“She’s almost out! You’re so close,” Sophie exclaimed, smiling widely.

Cecily felt tears pricking her eyes. Her baby. She was so close to holding it.

Push once more, Cecily Lightwood. It’ll be the last one.

Cecily took a deep breath. She felt Gabriel’s hand on her back tense; he could feel it too. One more. She pushed with all of the strength she could muster. 

Seconds later, Brother Enoch held up their crying daughter for the new parents to see. An “oh” escaped from Cecily’s lips as she watched Brother Enoch clean the baby, wrap her in a blanket and place her in her mother’s arms. No wonder she suffered so much during the pregnancy; it would have been unfair to all of the mothers in the world if she did not suffer and still ended up with the most beautiful baby to ever be born. Cecily had looked through a multitude of names and their meanings in preparation for the birth, so she knew what name she wanted as soon as she laid eyes on her daughter:

“Anna.”

For the Angel has favored them.

She looked up at Gabriel in question. 

But he was looking at their daughter in wonder. She found his hand with her own and gave it a squeeze. They had created something and the feelings they were feeling were unfathomable. 

…

Cecily lay on her side with a pillow in between her knees as a means of easing the pain birth had left her in. Apparently, childbirth can tear your lady parts, something Cecily would have liked to have known, so that she would have been giving time to mentally prepare. Her eyes drifted to Anna, who was sleeping next her. Cecily wished to pick her up and cuddle her, but did not wish to wake her from her slumbers. So, she just watched affectionately. 

 She heard footsteps coming in and soon Gabriel laid down next to her, wrapping her in an embrace.

“My baby pouch is still trying to get back to normal.” Cecily said. 

“I like it.” Gabriel said, patting her belly.

Cecily smirked and tilted her head backward to kiss the bottom on his jaw. “Well, it’s uncomfortable. And I want to patrol again. Though I do appreciate the fact that you’re trying to make me feel better.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel better. I love you for who you are, not what you look like.” he said, nestling closer.

Cecily closed her eyes. If only her young self could hear those words. It would have caused her 

so much less pain. 

She opened her eyes again, just barely, and caught a look at her daughter. Cecily vowed that she would support her in every way she possibly could. Anna will never hide in the shadows. 

Gabriel kissed her shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”

“I can’t believe we have a child.”

“Neither can I,” Gabriel said, shivering. “It’s very strange.”

“A good strange.”

“Yes. Definitely a good strange.”

“I’d say a seven.”

“For the feeling, or Anna?”

“The feeling, of course. Anna’s score is immeasurable.”

She felt Gabriel nod against her.

“The birth was a negative 10.”

Gabriel chuckled, “you made that very clear throughout the process, love.”

“I want to see you give birth.”

Gabriel kissed her, “thank you.”

Cecily was taken aback. “For what?”

“For suffering through those nine months so that we can be parents. For enabling me to be a father.”

“I would do it again. I want to do it again. In the future.” Cecily added quickly.

Gabriel chuckled, “For now, Anna is all we need.”

Tagging: @celias @hitheresomeoneusingthus @tsccreatorsnet

[prettyyyboyluke]

The Dark Room

you guys asked what the dark room is all about, so, here it is 

~ 

i was coming back from helping my brother move into his new house. he has horrible taste in furniture, so i was helping him pick out new pieces that compliment the modern home he just bought. once i walked in the door, i expected to see at least calum and michael sitting on the couch playing video games, but no one was in the den. the whole house stood silent. i checked the kitchen, the gym, every room we had on the main floor was empty. i opened the door to the basement, which i wasn’t allowed down there, but i felt like they could be there, since the upstairs was just all of our rooms and the light room. the basement was where the dark room was, and no one except ashton and luke had a key to it. i’ve never even seen what it looks like, i have only passed by it when ashton was having a very interesting conversation to luke and they immediately shut the door, leaving me with questions.

when i came to face the black door, i turned the knob, and to my surprise, it opened. i was met with luke’s dark eyes, clearly watching something very intense on the computer. i heard footsteps in the back of the room, but couldn’t exactly make out who else was in here. i’m assuming it’s ashton, since the other two don’t have access to this room. “what do you think you’re doing down here, angel?” luke asks, getting up from his seat on the bed and walking over to me. “i-i didn’t know where anyone was, so i figured you all might be down here. i’m sorry, i’ll go back upstairs.” i said, a little scared and intimidated to see what punishment could come from this.

i never heard luke’s voice like that before, it was weird, and the amount of dominance and darkness that came from it made me sink immediately. i walked back up the stairs to see who i wanted to see in the first place, calum and michael. “where were you two? i just almost got smacked down there!” i exclaimed running into calum’s arms. “we were in the studio, we just got back. what happened down there?” calum asked, running a hand through my hair. “i didn’t know where anyone was when i got home, so i decided to go look in the basement, and the dark room was open, so like any curious person, i opened it, and luke and ashton were down there. and then luke asked me what i was doing and i was so scared. his voice was so deep, i felt like i was gonna get locked up or something.” i explained, my voice shaking a little bit.

we were all sitting on the couch now, and i was ready to jump out of my skin with every movement i heard. they both just sighed, “you know you’re not suppose to be down there. hell, we don’t even have a key to that room.” michael said, pulling me into his lap. “i know, but, where else was i suppose to look? i know they wouldn’t be in the light room, since we only go in there for pleasure. what even is that room? i never got to ask either of you.” i said, putting my head onto michael’s chest. “when we all decided to be in this relationship, ashton and luke had this idea to build the dark room and the light room. you remember when you had to be out of the house really early in the morning and couldn’t come back until one of them texted you? and how we had that fancy dinner with that contract?” calum began to explain, ���yeah, what does that have to do with anything?” i answered. “that’s when they were building the rooms. but then, when you saw them two talking that one day, that’s when they got very protective of it. all four of us have a key to the light room, which is where we do most of our pleasure. and only luke and ashton have a key to the dark room.” he said, michael beginning to speak.

my head lifted from his chest, wanting to know more about this whole thing. “ashton has rules, sweetheart. and we all have to follow them, and if we don’t, we get punished. you’ve been very well behaved these past few weeks, we haven’t needed to punish you.” michael explained. “is that why we always go to the light room when i get a reward?” i asked. “exactly, pretty girl. but, since you broke a rule, a big one too, you might be seeing the dark room sooner than we expected you to.” calum said. “does this mean i have to start calling all of you daddy again? not that i mind, but, now i’m scared.” i whispered to michael. “probably, baby. how about tonight, you sleep with me, that way you’re not too scared to see what happens in the morning.”

~

the next day, i was completely on edge. luke and ashton had come upstairs for a short period of time, but they did not acknowledge me once. it made my stomach churn and my palms sweat. i had no idea what was coming, if i were to be punished tonight. calum came and knocked on my door telling me that dinner was ready. “i don’t wanna go down there, daddy.” i whispered. “you’ll be fine, pretty girl. i’m not going anywhere, i’ll be with you the whole time. so will michael.” calum reassured me.

when we got downstairs, my eyes looked down to the floor in an instant. “that’s no way to greet us, angel. head up.” luke said sternly. “sorry, daddy.” i muttered. the whole dinner was silent and filled with tension with the only conversation being carried by calum and michael. luke and ashton kept their responses very short, or didn’t say anything at all. as soon as dinner was finished, i stayed back and cleaned up, taking a bit of stress away. “you were a good girl tonight, sweetheart, don’t worry about what luke and ashton are gonna do.” michael came up and whispered, kissing the side of my head.

once everything was cleaned, i headed back up to my room and started getting ready for bed. as soon as i put on a pair of shorts and a bralette, there was a knock on my door. and when i opened it, luke and ashton were standing outside. i didn’t know what to do or say, my mouth opened, but closed immediately. “angel, you’re gonna have to come with us. we all need to talk.” luke said, grabbing my hand and leading me out of my room. i looked back to see if michael or calum was there, but nope, it was just ashton. my heart started pounding so hard i was certain you would be able to hear it.

“you’re about to see what happens to little girls who disobey orders.” ashton finally spoke. we were finally standing in the dark room. calum and michael were sitting on the bed, both with ties in their hands. i looked around, seeing every type of torture device that was available. “you’ve been very curious to see this place, baby doll. and after yesterday, we decided you should finally find out what goes on down here.” ashton said, ushering me further into the room. “this isn’t something we were ready to show you, but after calum and michael told you about it, we figured your pretty mind was racing.” luke said. i didn’t know where to look, this was something i was not ready for in the slightest.

the dark room was red and black. multiple floggers, whips, and riding crops filled up two walls. another had different chains, rope, and tape. there was a big red and black bed in the middle of the room, gold hoops on each of the four bed posts. the ceiling had holes in it so one could be hung from it with special hand cuffs. there was a red latex couch that had candles lit around it, some sort of melting wax for the skin. there was a giant X opposite of the bed that had ties hung from each corner. there were multiple dressers in the room, each filled with different toys. there was another door that lead to another room. “w-what’s in that room?” i asked, pointing to the closed door. “you wanna find out?” ashton asked. i nodded my head and made my way to the door.

this had more whips, more ties, and just more, torture. there was no bed, no couch, but there was some sort of chair that was slouched and had arm rests with cuffs attached to them. and then what really caught my attention was a chair that had a vibrator going through it and black ties attached to all four legs of the chair. across the chair was a one way mirror, i couldn’t see out of it from this end, but on the other end you were able to see a clear view of the chair. the walls were decorated with red lights with sayings on them, along with pictures of all of us. one with calum’s hand around my throat, another with luke pulling my hair up towards his back, michael sucking on my neck, and me lying across ashton’s lap, all in black and white.

YOUR PAIN IS OUR PLEASURE

YOU ASK BEFORE SPEAKING

YOU WILL BE TREATED LIKE A SLUT

IF YOU ACT LIKE A SLUT

i had no idea that when i agreed to this relationship, this is what i would be getting myself into after breaking the big rules. i backed out of the room and closed the door behind me. “enjoy that?” luke asked. “what is all this for?” i asked. “ash, luke, go easy on her, she’s already terrified.” calum said. “you see angel, we have rules for you and we expect you to follow them at all times. the first time you got a glance at this room, ash and i both knew that you wanted to get a closer look. but all of us explicitly agreed that we wouldn’t bring you in here, unless you broke a very big rule. that’s why we always use the light room, it’s much more your speed, and we didn’t wanna corrupt our little girl just yet.” luke said. oh how i wish to be in the light room right now.

“when luke and i were down here yesterday, we never expected to see our little girl walk through those doors.” ashton said. “then, why didn’t you just show me this place the first time i walked by?” i asked. “you weren’t ready, baby doll. but you came in here yesterday, and you broke mine and luke’s number one rule.” ashton replied. “so, am i getting punished now, daddy?” i asked to all four of them. “you have to learn your lesson, angel. and if it ever gets too much, just use our safe word.” luke said. i nodded to his words. “tell us you understand, sweetheart. we need to hear you say it.” michael finally spoke. “i understand, daddy. punish me.”

i have never been punished like this. the only punishment i ever got was a few spankings from ashton, and that was because we were in the heat of the moment. “where should we start?” calum asked. “i think we hang her to the ceiling first, just give her a little taste of being whipped.” luke said. “c’mere pretty girl.” calum beckoned me over. i walked over to him, putting my hands on his shoulders. his hands dipped into the waist band of my shorts, sliding them down my legs, my panties coming with them. they then went to lift up the bra i was wearing. he ran his hand through my hair a few times, making it look a little messier than it was.

my wrists were put through two thick handcuffs, with cushioning on the inside. they were secured against the ceiling and with any movement, they just moved in a jagged motion. ashton came up to me with one of the floggers, “i am going to hit you with this until you ask me to stop, do you understand, doll?” “yes daddy, i understand.” “good girl.” he grabbed the ends of the flogger and hit it against the skin of my back. my body jolted forwards making the handcuffs move with me. i felt this motion for a while until my back was burning. “how does it feel, angel?” luke asked, tilting my chin up so i was looking him in the eyes. it definitely wasn’t as painful as i expected it to be, but they trained me to have a high pain tolerance. “g-good. it’s not as bad as i thought.” i answered. “would you rather have something more painful?” “i-i don’t know. what would it be?” i asked, wanting to know what else they would do.

luke turned to one of the walls and grabbed a thick riding crop. “how about you try this ash, don’t think she looks phased by that flogger.” luke said, handing off the crop to ashton. ashton gladly took it in his hands, coming to face me now. “same rules apply, baby doll.” he said. first, he dragged it around my body, stopping at the insides of my thighs. he slapped the insides of my thighs causing me to moan. “doesn’t feel so good now, does it?” “please, daddy, do it again.” i asked, the pain making me want more. “oh, you want more? do we have a little pain slut we never knew about?” ashton said, repeating his motions. he slip the crop up, resting it against my heat. my hips instinctively bucked upwards.

ashton quickly slapped it against my clit, my legs closing around one another. “ah ah, open up those legs.” calum said, pointing to where my thighs met. i listened to his command, opening my legs again. ashton slapped me once again. my head was thrown back in pleasure, “please, daddy.” “please, daddy what? does it feel good baby?” ashton asked, hitting me for the third time. “yes! it feels so good, fuck.” i cursed. michael came around with nipple clamps. his tongue ran along one, then the other, making them pebble to their full potential. he placed each of them between the silicon covered clams, the chain hanging beneath them. michael then began to tug on the chain while ashton continued hitting my heat with the crop.

“daddy, i-i can’t take it.” i finally admitted. my body was burning with pain and pleasure, my arms were giving out from having them held up for so long, and my legs weak from standing. “wanna get taken down?” luke asked. “yes, please.” i answered. calum came up behind me, unclipping the cuffs from the ceiling. my arms fell to my side quickly, the nipple clams still holding on. luke was tugging on the chain, making me follow him to the couch. “bend over.” ashton whispered in my ear. i placed my hands on the back of the couch, my back arching like i was taught, and legs spread. calum came back with a bottle of lube and a small butt plug. i felt the cold liquid on my second hold, my skin getting goosebumps as it trickled down to my heat. “take a deep breath for me,” calum said, spreading my flesh. i took a deep breath, feeling to cold metal slowly sink into me. a small moan left my lips when it was fully in. “how does that feel, sweetheart?” michael asked. “different, but good.” i said.

i was flipped over, my legs spread with my arms spread as well. “now, we’re going to drip some of this wax on you, and while that’s being done, luke is gonna be holding this vibrator against your clit.” calum said. luke came between my legs, letting the vibrator hit each spot on my thighs, but avoiding where he was going to put it. “daddy please, i want it.” i whined. “you want it, angel? well, bad girls don’t get what they want, they get what daddy gives them.” he said, taking the vibrator away. when luke finally placed the toy on my clit, the wax hit my chest, making me yell. the wax was hardening quickly making calum pour more across my body. my stomach began to tighten and legs were shaking around luke. “is someone gonna cum? is someone gonna ask to cum?” luke asked, holding vibrator against me harder. “yes! please daddy, can i cum? it feels so good, fuck.” i moaned. my hips were riding into the toy, the inside of my walls began clenching down on instinct.

“luke, let her cum, look at her.” michael said from behind him. my head was thrown back, eyes screwed shut, legs shaking, hips rolling, everything that i was being given was making it harder not to orgasm. luke then added two of fingers into my dripping heat, curling them upwards. “oh fuck! daddy, daddy, please, that feels so good!” “you look so pretty angel, go ahead, cum all over my fingers.” luke said, moving his hand faster. my back arched high off the couch, with the plug still inside me and with me clenching around luke’s fingers, it made everything much more pleasurable. “oh my god, fuck! don’t stop, don’t stop!” i moaned, one of my hands now tugging on the chain connected to the clamps.

“that’s a good girl, let it all out for us.” ashton said. i saw stars, my body clearly taking over with the amount of pleasure it was given. once my high came down, luke took the vibrator and fingers off of me. i sat up, taking his hand and bringing them to my lips. i sucked on the juices that were collected by his fingers, swirling my tongue around them. “that’s so fucking hot, angel.” luke moaned. “can i have a kiss, daddy?” i asked, still sucking on his fingers. luke leaned up to me, his lips connecting with mine beautifully. i moaned into the kiss, not having any contact from any of them had me aching for some. i brought my hands up to his hair, my hands getting tangled in his curls. his tongue made its way into my mouth, exploring it like it never has before. i pulled back, taking his bottom lip with me.

“don’t hog her now, luke.” calum spoke from the back. luke finally pulled back, smiling at me. “you’re being such a good girl, doll, what do you want?” ashton asked. “i want your cock daddy, please! i want you to fill me up.” i was begging now for the attention of ashton. “think you deserve it? haven’t even gotten to the fun stuff, doll.” ashton chuckled at my request. “please daddy? i just want your cock, i promise you can do whatever you want to me after.” i said, batting my eyes at him. i’ve noticed that i can easily get what i want with each of them by simply batting my eyes and asking nicely. ashton, of course, being a little harder to convince, but once i pouted my bottom lip, he easily let me have what i want.

“on the bed, doll.” ashton sighed. i had a bit of a skip in my step, finally excited to get attention from him. “someone’s eager, aren’t you?” michael said, coming up to the other end of the bed. he had a blindfold and a cup of ice in his hand. “what’s that for, daddy?” “my little pillow princess* is gonna get a little sensory overload. while ashton fucks you, i’ll be dragging this ice across your body and maybe drip some more wax on you, we won’t tell you when and you won’t be able to see it coming.” he explained. i closed my eyes and let michael put the red fabric around my head. “daddy?” i called out for ashton. ��yes, pillow princess?” “am i gonna be tied up?” i asked. “do you want to be tied up?” he asked back. “please?” i said.

now, my hands were being pulled back, i’m assuming to where the gold rings were on the edge of the bed. the rope was definitely softer than i expected it to be. once they were secured, i tugged on them just to see if i would be able to break out of them, but of course, they were stuck. “our little innocent girl doesn’t look so innocent anymore, does she?” calum said. “not at all, first she could take the flogger, next thing we know she’s asking to be tied up.” luke responded. i could hear ashton’s belt buckle come loose making me smile. “haven’t fuck you in so long, baby doll, you gonna be good and take all of daddy’s cock?” “yes daddy, i’ll be a good girl.” i answered back.

ashton tapped the head of cock against me, teasing me just the slightest bit. once he was fully inside me, i could feel the burn of my walls being stretched. he started off slow, his hands grabbing onto my hips, and thrusting in and out. once ashton found his pace, michael placed an ice cube on my collar bone making me gasp. since i was blindfolded, my other senses were heightened. my body shivered once it began to melt, letting the water trickle down my skin. my legs were bent making my thighs touch my stomach, since only my arms were tied up. the new angle making ashton hit deeper inside me. “right there, daddy! oh god please, don’t stop.” i whined. more wax and ice was being dripped onto my body, making everything spin. ashton dipped his head down to my lips, letting an ice cube pass into my mouth.

“look at you, haven’t even fucked you very long and you already look destroyed. what was it baby? the flogger? no, you liked that. bet it was when luke was holding that vibrator to your pretty pussy, wasn’t it?” ashton spoke through grunts. whines were the only thing i could muster while the ice cube was melting in my mouth, water and drool saturating the sheets below my head. when ashton’s hand came to rub my clit, my back arched towards the ceiling. “are you gonna cum, doll? wanna cum all over daddy’s cock?” ashton grunted. i nodded my head and let moans escape my mouth. my legs were threatening to close around ashton’s waist, wanting to cancel out the pleasure. “if you wanna cum, you need to ask, pretty girl.” calum said, removing my blindfold.

i looked at ashton’s eyes, a darker shade of green were met with mine. i sat up as much as i could to watch the euphoric scene happening below my waist. “please, daddy, can i cum?” i asked. “show me what a good girl you are.” ashton said. he held my legs open, and began to pound ruthlessly into me. the room was filled with both of our moans and curses, along with the sound of fluids being exchanged. “oh god, daddy, thank you!” i could feel myself floating. ashton put his thumb in my mouth, making my jaw slack open. my hips were bucking up to his, his thrusts becoming sloppy once he was closer to his high. “atta girl, c’mon, scream for us.” luke praised.

i felt a tingle in every part of my body, letting nothing but pleasure run through me. i could feel ashton’s cock twitch inside me, wanting to keep going, but ultimately couldn’t. “god, you feel so fucking good, princess. fuck, do that again.” ashton moaned. when ashton’s high was at his peak, he pulled himself out of me and let his load loose across my body. both of us caught our breath, eyes closed, chests heaving. his lips gave a long kiss before pulling back. the ties on my wrists were loosed, and there was a mark where i was tugging on them. “such a good girl, you want more?” michael asked. “please, daddy. i want your mouth.” i said.

michael wasted no time in pulling my hips down to his lips. his tongue made one long stride up my heat. still sensitive from my last orgasm, my legs closed around his head. one of his arms held one of my legs open, while the other one was pushing down on my stomach. his tongue repeatedly licked my clit. with the pressure on my stomach and his tongue enclosing around the bundle of nerves, my breath hitched in my throat. my hands were twisting the sheets below us, making more of a mess than i already have. michael snuck one of his down to push the plug further into me. “oh god! daddy, do that again!” i moaned. michael repeated his actions, pushing and pulling the plug in and out of my second hole, while his tongue continued to lick my clit. “yes, yes, please. god, i wanna-” my words were cut short when michael wrapped his whole lips around my clit.

i felt the same tightening in my stomach for the third time. my legs were spazzing around michael’s head, my knuckles turning white from twisting the sheets, my back arched higher than it ever has been before. i could feel something in my stomach threatening to spill out of me. michael rode me through my third orgasm of the night, and when he came up from my legs, his chin was soaked. “made you squirt, baby.” he said, wiping his chin. my cheeks were already hot, but now they were burning. “i-i didn’t even know i could do that.” i whispered.

i could feel my body get tired, and luke and calum hadn’t even had their turn with me. i sat up from the bed, and calum came up to me. “what do you say we take that plug out of you, and replace it with something bigger.” he said. “can you take off the clamps first, daddy? they’re starting to hurt.” i pouted. “that’s the point angel, but i guess we’ll take em off.” luke said. once the clamps were finally removed from my nipples, i could tell they were sensitive. calum had me laid back on the bed again, and was kissing down my body. stopping at my breasts, and taking each nipple into his mouth. his tongue soothing the pain over them. he gingerly let his tongue roll over them, letting my body gain some consciousness to it.

he then slowly took the plug out of me. he grabbed the bottle of lube again, giving both of us a generous layer before he slid his cock into me. “oh, shit. w-wait, daddy.” i breathed. “you alright, pretty girl?” he asked. “yes, just go slow.” i whispered. calum met my request and slowly moved in and out of me. he was holding one of my legs against him, the other bent on the bed. “that’s it, pretty girl, you’re doing so well for me.” calum moaned. this was such a new feeling, i had no idea what to expect. but, it felt good nonetheless. one of hands began to rub my clit, making the pleasure intensify more. “swallowing my cock so well, look at that.” he moaned. it was a very lazy and slow pace, but i was happy with it.

“daddy, i’m almost there.” i moaned. “don’t worry, ‘m gonna get you there pretty girl.” both of my legs were now around calum’s shoulders. i felt myself start to unravel again, my hand becoming lazy and let calum take over. just small moans were now leaving my lips, i could barely muster a sentence together. “daddy, please,” i whispered. “almost there, pretty girl, c’mon you can do it.” calum encouraged. my whole body was tired, with the slightest rush of energy going through it. “oh god, yes daddy,” i finally felt the intense pleasure point that i was craving. “there she is, c’mon pretty girl, let daddy have it.” calum moaned, his own high hitting him as well. calum’s entire body shudders, back muscles flexing and biceps growing taut. he collapses on top of me, face tucking into the crook of my neck, pulling me close as he bottoms out. “fuck me.” he groggily moans.

my body was exhausted, i was sure i wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow. calum gets off of me, leaving me on the bed. “angel, look at me.” luke whispers, running a hand through my hair. my eyes lazily open to him, seeing him smile down at me. “you okay? we took a lot out of you.” he said. “i’m good, didn’t use the safe word, did i?” i giggled. “no angel, you didn’t. i bet you’re extra sensitive right now, gonna let daddy have a look?” he asked. as much as i wanted to have luke fuck me into next week, i don’t think my body could take a fifth orgasm.

but, i opened my legs always for him. he was now laying on his stomach, arms wrapped around my legs, and pulling me closer to him. “it’s so pink, bet your legs will shake if i touch you, hmm?” he whispered, prepping kisses along my thighs. and he was right, when his thumb lazily started rubbing my folds, my legs shook and closed around his hand. “can you give daddy one more, angel? we’ll be done after this, and then we can take care of you.” he said, fingers already pushing my folds apart. “okay daddy, one more.” i mumbled.

he brought his fingers up to his lips, letting his saliva coat them before bringing back down to my heat. he slowly moved them against my walls with his head resting against the insides of one of my thighs. “does it feel nice, angel?” “mmhm.” “you know, you look so pretty like this.” he prepped kisses on my thighs. i was biting down on one of my fingers, just letting luke do everything to me. “daddy, i wanna cum, please, make me cum.” i begged. “don’t worry angel, daddy’ll get you what you need.” he said. his lips pecked at my clit making my hips buck towards him. “not so fast angel, let daddy do all the work.” he said. “i’m sensitive daddy, please, i’m so close.” i whimpered.

luke’s pace was only quickened the slightest bit, his fingers curling upwards again. i let a long moan out, having nothing more in me to beg. “there you are, angel, give me this last one.” he moaned with me. my walls clenched around his fingers again, my stomach now tightening up for a fifth time with the tingling sensation that i got earlier. “daddy, daddy, yes, god, please.” i moaned very quietly. once i finally released for the last time tonight, i wanted to fall asleep right on that bed.

“you are such a good girl, baby. might be a little bit of a pillow princess, but such a good girl.” ashton praised, picking me up from the bed.

so that’s the dark room.

---

tag list: @calum-uncrowned​ @wildflowerirwin​ @haikucal​ @calumftduke​ @bettermcn​

also thank you @floral-suits​ for originally helping me come up with this idea, and talking about it with harry 

[extremelyblackandwhite]

handmaid - 33

PAIRING: mob!sebastian stan x ingenue!reader

WARNINGS: age gap, guns

A/N: we’re a few chapters away from the end and i’m much too emotional. hope you enjoy this chapter x

NEXT CHAPTER

Her reflection in the mirror was quite clear: the handmaid was dressed like a bridesmaid. She observed the tiny details of the dress which reached all the way to the ground, the same tiny details reproduced on every single dress any of her bridesmaids were wearing and in that exact moment, Y/N never felt more hypocritical than ever before wearing a celebration dress for a celebration she didn’t want to celebrate. She really wanted to be happy for her and if she were marrying anyone else, she would’ve been so excited, but she wasn’t. Gwen was marrying Sebastian, she was marrying the man she was in love with and the man who was unknowingly the father of her baby. 

Everything just seemed to happen in slow motion and she felt herself leave more and more from the scene as she stood there in her bridesmaid dress and berry coloured lipstick with no one talking or even noticing she was there. For the first time in her life she realised how invisible she was to everyone in that room. Every single person in that room had once asked for her help being with homework or lying and she was still as invisible as ever. As the bridal party exchanged various gifts to be used on her “first night” along with unholy amounts of champagne and expensive gourmet canapés, Y/N took away from the bedroom, slowly and quietly closing the door. The halls of the Ritz were filled with several guests from mob families’ heads to their friends, celebrities, public personalities and rich people waiting for the time to get a peek the blushing bride. Y/N would have easily swayed through the crowd and returned to her bedroom had it not been for a few flower girls running around in their puffy taffeta baby pink dresses with their hair up in silky ribbons with some flowers peppered around. 

She didn’t know if it was her hormones playing tricks on her or if the lack of sleep had finally caught up to her but she couldn’t help but stare at them with an inherent sadness as her hand rested against her stomach. Was she gonna even have enough to provide for her child? The pay checks coming from being in Sebastian’s employment wouldn’t be enough for more than the first year and with the economy, Y/N didn’t think someone would be looking for an English Literature major. She had never even had experience in the field, being forbidden to do a internship year at the British Museum with the excuse that it would be much too dangerous. How was she gonna provide for the baby? Maybe she could get a job as a waitress in Paris, the city was filled with cafés and restaurants. 

Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but feel worry as her thumb caressed her stomach. Turning her head away from the playing children she continued her way down the hall until the lift that would take her to her bedroom. Y/N watched the numbers of the doors go down until she noticed Sebastian’s door. Unlike Gwen’s door, there was no one awaiting outside, it was void of any seemingly curious people about the groom. She should really keep walking and not get in, yet she felt pity for him not having his mother or his father on his wedding day and so she knocked softly on his door, opening it to see Sebastian walking from side to side, a condensed glass of orange coloured whiskey on his left hand and a untied tie hanging from his neck.

     - Liquid courage? - she walked into his room. He looked at her for a few seconds before gulping the rest of his beverage, cleaning his lips with the back of his hand afterwards. - Where are your groomsmen? 

     - In the same place where non-existent things belong. - he replied, turning to his floor length mirror to try and tie his tie to no avail. Y/N sighed, placing her hands in his shoulders and turning him to face her before her hands moved to his tie to tie it into a Windsor not. 

     - You surely must have someone close enough to be your groomsman or best man. - she straightened his crisp cotton dress shirt before sliding her hands back to his shoulders. She let out a sigh, looking to the other side and contemplating what she was about to ask him. - Let’s run away.

     - What?

     - Let’s go to France. There’s a place I know which would definitely take us in until we found a place since I’m sure Mr. Forrest wouldn’t allow me to keep the house. Let’s just go, please.

     - What? Angel, we can’t just run away, my whole money is dependent on this marriage. How am I supposed to take care of you? Do you know how many enemies I have? I couldn’t possibly hire enough security for you. - he cupped her face, trying to make her understand her point. - I will never have enough to give you if we leave.

     - As long as you’re with me, that would be enough. Am I not enough? 

     - Angel, there is a legally binding contract between me and Genevieve. I can’t just ... I promised my father. - Y/N took a step back, hitting the door while her hand held the knob. - We can’t rush in, we need to have a pla ...

     - Why do you care so much about what your father made you promise when you were a child. The same child whose mother he forbad you from seeing ... you know Sebastian, just because your father was a great man, doesn’t mean he was a good one. 

Before he could reply to her, she opened the door and exited, rushing through the hall and punching the button of the lift so she could return to her bedroom before she completely broke down. She could feel her chest clenched and the warmness of her tears which almost burned the brim of her eyes. All she could hear was her heart pounding in her ear mixed with the soft music of the lift and nothing made her want to break down more in tears than she should.

As she rushed into her bedroom she collapsed on her bed, the tears finally rolling down. Mr. Williams was right, she was a mistress and a innocent mistress at that. Why would she believe he would run away? Why would he gave up on what he knew for her? But will all of that, what would she do with the baby? She clearly couldn’t stay, Gwen and Dan would be quick to notice her growing bump along with other pregnancy symptoms? No, she had to leave. Start again, start again Y/N. She can’t spend her whole life dreaming despite it being all she seemed inclined to do. She was about to be a mother and needed a brand new start. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she opened the bedside drawer to pull out the key to her apartment in France but instead of it she found a blanket. Her eyes couldn’t believe the picture they saw as she realised it was the same blanket she had left back in Sebastian’s penthouse. 

     - My, my, there must be quite a story to go with that blanket. - her blood froze as she turned her face towards one corner of the bedroom to see Mr. Williams sat on her arm chair. - Won’t you tell me? 

     - Get out. - she held tightly onto her pillow, fear installing itself in her whole being?

     - No? Alright then. - he grinned darkly. - I will tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a man who was deeply in love with a beautiful young woman. He used to sit in the box of her operas every single night just to hear her sing and all was well ... But, one day, the beautiful woman shows up engaged to a mob boss. He quickly understood that in this world love is meaningless and all that matters is power so, he decided that he was gonna get as much as he could and maybe win the woman as a treat too. He planned everything, he had her unborn daughter’s safety put in risk knowing the young woman would rush to his employer for help. He thought that surely offering his employer the only family that stood in his way would make him overcome with joy and he would finally promote the man to the type of power he wanted. However, the employer instead decided to make sure that family would never stand in his way by ensuring his son would marry the young woman’s precious daughter. The man knew his only way to power was if that daughter disappeared so he decided he would kill her yet when he tried the beautiful young woman stood in the way and he couldn’t finish the job. 

      - Why are you telling me this? 

      - The father of the young woman’s daughter grew worried that his precious little daughter would be harmed again so he made an orphan baby pass out as his daughter to ensure she would never be harmed. However, the father was much too weak to completely give the baby up and instead kept her around as a handmaid. The man thought power was just on the horizon but then at a masquerade he saw the eyes of the same woman he loved controlling the man who held the power he deserved. And so, I lived unhappily ever after. 

     - You’re lying. - she could feel her heart pound harder as she felt into an abyss of existentialism. What do you do when you see that who you think you are isn’t what you think you are. 

     - I knew I would have to get some concrete proof so I asked a few favours. I knew Michael Forrest wouldn’t leave his only child, his only daughter completely penniless and so when I saw your name as the sole benefactor of his will I had my proof. 

     - But Dan ...

     - Daniel Forrest is nothing but an affair gone wrong whom he took pity on but you ... you were born more powerful than I have ever been. Not only are you the sole benefactor of a whole entire family’s work and prestige, you also were born rich enough to never work a single day on your life. Everything was given to you and you didn’t even know it while I paid and I suffered only to see that petulant man child grab the spot that I rightfully deserved. - Y/N looked at her door hoping Elias would be there to help her out, she really hoped someone would pass be. He had to be lying, he had to be lying. - Here is how you’re gonna pay me if you were to have what you so want. No one will believe you, a pregnant mistress who isn’t even smart enough to dispose of her own pregnancy test and your daddy would never allow you to be married to someone from the Stan family, but with me on your side, with my evidence, they will listen. When you are married, you will make me a personal adviser and you will put forward my good name and I shall manage that clueless little man child who should’ve never been born in the first place.

      - He’s not clueless. - her voice was low but full of intention.

      - And who are you? How are you gonna rule two mob families if you can’t even piece together who your parents were even with me giving you clues. Best give it to me, that way both of us will have exactly what we want. 

      - No. - she stood up from her bed, looking him down from where he was standing much to his surprise. - I couldn’t defend my mother from you but I will protect Sebastian.

      - Well, birdie ... - his hand grabbed something from his side and as it hit the light, Y/N realised her was holding a gun in her direction. - Who will protect you? 

      - Please, don’t do this. - she pleaded. - I ... I told Sebastian not to be harsh with you, I helped you, I was kind to you. 

      - Kindness doesn’t get you anywhere in this business. - he noticed her eyes on the door and chuckled. - Your bodyguard thinks you’re in the bridal suit, no one is gonna come looking for you. Now, you’re gonna be a good girl to me and go with me to the car or I’ll make sure they find your bodyguard in a pool of his own blood.

He got up from his seat and rushed to her, putting her in front of him, one hand gripping her arm while the other one held the gun against her spine. She could feel her heart beat and flashes of everything she had done since she remembered living. Was she gonna die? Was this how she ended? Nevertheless, there was nowhere she could go as he led her drown the stairs and onto the lobby, stopping as he noticed the telephone on the entrance table. He turned her harshly towards the desk until her ribs hit the edge and before the assistant could say anything, he pointed his gun at her. 

     - Sebastian always thinks he has everything under control, I’m about to show him just how wrong he is. - he ordered the woman to type in a number on the hotel’s phone before grabbing it himself. - If you want this lovely lady not to have a bullet in the middle of her eyes you are gonna tell him you’re pregnant and how scared you are. 

He shoved the phone against her ear, hurting her in the process and she could feel her tears burn the brim of her eyes yet again as the loud beeping played around and around before he picked it up, a rather upsetting hello coming through. She, however, couldn’t say anything which quickly changed as he pressed the gun against her back rather forcefully. 

     - Go on. - he whispered against her ear as Sebastian said another hello on the phone. 

     - S...Sebastian, it’s Y/N ... - the gun pressed harder on her back. - I’m scared, Sebastian. I’m scared.

     - Are you alright? 

     - Now, don’t play games with me Y/N. Go on ... tell him

     - I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to, I’m so sorry. 

     - Angel, whatever it is, you can tell me. 

     - I’m pregnant. 

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[raendown]

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 4879 Soulmate au: The one where every pair of soulmates finds each other in different ways or through different soulmate tropes

Follow the link or read it under the cut! 

KO-FI and commission info in the header! 

Chapter 221

Watching the client who had come begging them for assistance with a typically ridiculous problem, Tobirama wondered what it would be like to have such an obvious connection to his soulmate as this man did. His already short sleeves were tied back even further as though to purposefully display as much as possible of the golden words flowing down the back of one arm, a greeting that must have been the first words his other half spoke to him. To have such easy proof of one’s connection, to know from the earliest ages that there was someone out there and how to find them, Tobirama could only wonder at the security this man must have felt in his bond from the moment he understood that it was waiting for him. It must have been nice. 

It was also quite the pity for whoever had been the one to speak those words. 

Privately Tobirama could admit that a small bit of the attitude he could feel bubbling to the surface was motivated by jealousy, petty retribution against someone who had something he wanted for himself. Out loud, of course, he wouldn’t be caught dead even hinting at such an admission. 

“This is all very fascinating, Kirimoto-san, but I can’t help noting you have yet to explain what any of it has to do with Konohagakure. Were you perchance hoping to commission someone to record your story? Contracting a scribe would only be a D-rank mission, not the A-rank you proposed.” Lifting one eyebrow in judgement was probably going a little too far. If only he could bring himself to care.

“I was only just getting to that, Senju-sama,” their client spluttered. Anger flashed across his face but luckily for his continued health he was smart enough not to say anything. “The mission I came to contract your shinobi for is of vital importance! My son is a diamond among chaff; he deserves only the best! If the woman pressing suit upon him is truly so weak-hearted as to look at other men then she must be chased away!”

Tobirama blinked slowly. “And you wish us to…?”

“Why, to bring proof of her infidelity of course! I will pay the full price of an A-rank mission for two of your finest shinobi to approach her in disguise and seduce her away from my son! If her heart is as impure as I think it is then she will no doubt fall for such base tricks.”

He puffed himself up with the same false importance bred in to every idiot that had ever been born in the capital city, entirely ignorant of how little effect that would have on the one he was speaking to. When Tobirama got ahold of his brother he was going to throttle the man for taking today of all days off and leaving his duties to the next in command. Technically Madara would have been the next in command if he weren’t currently at home recovering from pushing himself too hard during training. No doubt that was exactly why Hashirama had taken the day off. Tobirama hoped the two idiots drowned in a teapot for making him deal with this particular client. 

Despite his petty irritation he didn’t actually want to offend the man. Or at least not badly enough for the idiot to file a complaint that would bring another lecture down on his head about playing nice with their patrons. Several slow deep breaths helped bolster his patience until he could be certain none of the contempt he felt for this utter waste of time might show on his face; only then did he speak again.

“If you wish to pay for an A-rank mission then we will gladly accept your commission. Do you have any other information that might help us choose the two best people to accept this task?” 

“You! I want one of them to be you!” For some reason Kirimoto-san felt the need to rise from his chair and point like there could be any mistaking who he was speaking to. They were, after all, the only people in the room. “I’ve heard all the rumors! Women from here to the capitol cry themselves to sleep every night over the hearts you break!”

Tobirama could feel one of his eyes twitching. He’d heard a lot of rumors about himself before but this one was new. Him? A country-wide heartbreaker? That went beyond laughable in to the territory of utterly absurd. If anything most rumors called him uptight and cold. Which, in all honesty, was certainly more true than the opposite. The last heart he broke was probably well back in his adolescence when one of his clanmates had taken some unnatural interest in him and refused to be turned aside with any gentler tactics than a flat out shredding of her ego. 

Clinging hard to his temper, Tobirama bit down savagely on his own tongue before asking, “I don’t suppose I could change your mind on that? My duties here are many and rumors are easily blown out of proportion. Seduction is… not one of my strengths, shall we say.” 

“Do...I want to know?” Hashirama’s voice asked in the same moment the door swung open. Their illustrious Hokage recoiled almost as soon as he stepped in to the room, eyes wide and confused upon being met with Tobirama’s acidic glare. Behind him trundled Madraa who looked a hell of a lot more put together than he had when Tobirama bullied him in to going home the night before with instructions to recuperate before he passed out over his own paperwork. 

“Ah Hokage-sama!” their client bowed hastily. 

“Hello! Um, honeypot mission?” The cringe in Hashirama’s voice was as obvious as the pain it caused him to think of his sibling in any sort of intimate context. 

Unfortunately Kirimoto-san managed to speak first. “Senju-sama here has agreed to assist me in the matter I wrote to you about! All we need is one mo- ah! Perfect! You’re perfect! Pray tell, what is your name, miss?”

If nothing else. Tobirama decided while he was busily choking on his own tongue, that right there was worth the shame of having to take part in this ridiculous farce. Madara, to no one’s surprise, didn’t seem inclined to agree. His expression was particularly thunderous when he crossed his arms and leveled their client with a deadly stare. 

“Uchiha Madara,” he growled. To Kirimoto-san’s credit he didn’t so much as flinch before breaking in to a massive grin. 

“Even more perfect! A man! And here I thought I would have to pay extra for you to dress as one. Most excellent. It absolutely must be the two of you!”

Madara sneered. “I don’t think s-”

“Well now!” Hashirama spoke over him. “I’m sure you understand, my dear sir, that these two are my most valuable shinobi both administratively and in battle prowess. To allow both of them to be deployed on the same mission would be a serious detriment to our productivity - not to mention our security in the event of an attack.”

“But I must have them! Only them!” 

“It simply doesn’t seem feasible. To fill the large spaces they would leave empty would mean keeping several extra people on active duty and I’m afraid the cost…” With a face of carefully constructed regret Hashirama sighed and Tobirama took a moment to reluctantly admire his brother’s ingenuity. People could say what they wanted about his overly active emotions. Very few ever realized how easily he manipulated them entirely because of that same buffoonery veiling their eyes to the wily genius underneath. 

Kami forbid the idiot ever realize Tobirama admired that quality in him, though. 

“Can I not convince you?” Kirimoto-san begged. “If it is a matter of cost I can of course make it worth your while to send them with me! Name your price, Hokage-sama, and I will pay it! Anything to ensure that my precious son lives his life only with a woman who will never betray him!” 

The poor sod didn’t even seem to realize the mistake he’d just made as Hashirama turned to him with a beatific smile on his face and dollar signs in his eyes. 

When he finally managed to leave the office Kirimoto-san’s face was as pained as his poor wallet was empty. Tobirama couldn’t find it in himself to even pity the man. Not when his own fate had been sealed with more than twenty thousand ryō above the typical asking price of an A-ranked mission. Regrettably, he hadn’t actually been lying when he said that seduction was not one of his strengths but apparently he would have to at least make an effort. It was hard to choose whether he regretted more that it would be a woman several years after he had finally accepted his preferences in the opposite direction or that, of all people, Madara would be there to watch him make such an utter fool out of himself. 

“How exactly”-he demanded the moment their client was far enough down the hall not to overhear them-”do you propose I disguise myself? At the risk of showing my own ego, I’ll remind you that I do have rather distinctive looks.” 

“You’re not the only one,” Madara growled with both hands going almost protectively to his extraordinary mane of hair.

Hashirama boomed a laugh that lacked even a shred of sympathy. “Oh I’m sure you two will figure something out! You could always wear a henge!” 

“And if she’s chakra-sensitive? I notice you failed to even ask about that!” Madara reached out to smack his best friend across the back of the head for such an oversight. Familial bonds dictated that Tobirama should defend his sibling but, as he rather wished he was close enough to do that himself, he opted to pretend he’d seen nothing.

“Sorry! Sorry! I’m sure we can work out something that will hide your hair. Like a big scarf or a hood or something you could tuck it in to!” Hashirama drooped and clasped both hands under his chin. “Please don’t be mad at me!” 

“That still leaves me,” Tobirama pointed out. 

Both of the squabbling friends turned to him in consideration for several long heartbeats. Hashirama spoke up first with a bright smile. “I know! We can cover your tattoos with makeup! Geisha use white makeup all the time, I’m sure we can procure you some in a discreet manner!”

“Covering my face won’t do much good if my hair is just going to stick out like a fox in a henhouse. The only bloodlines left that produce hair this color are all shinobi clans and as much as I would consider it a complement to be mistaken for a Hatake, that wouldn’t exactly help me fly under the radar now would it?” he didn’t bother to list all of the other shinobi clans he would likely take insult at being mistaken for but his brother, thankfully, had enough tact to skirt that entirely. 

Instead he went even deeper in to stupid territory because of course he did. 

“You could dye your hair!” he crowed as if with the triumph of a great idea. 

“I hate you,” Tobirama told him. 

Without another word he swept out of the office, calling over his brother’s whining protests that since he was here anyway he might as well finish his own duties for the day. More than anything he was angered that Hashirama’s suggestion had actually been a logical solution and in the depths of his private heart he admitted that his irritation stemmed entirely from self-image. He didn’t want to dye his hair. He liked his hair. Call him an egomaniac but he rather enjoyed standing out from the masses. 

Sending a clone to go pick out some dye from the infiltration core’s private storage room felt somehow less painful than doing it himself. At least when he received the memories of it the deed would already be done. Tobirama completed the handful of duties left unfinished at the tower and then left to wait at home for his clone to return. The first thing he did upon dispelling his copy was sit in his living room to study the instructions on the back of the dreaded box in excruciating detail. The only thing worse than going through with this idiocy would be somehow doing it wrong; this was already going to end in mockery one way or another, he didn’t need to give anyone more ammo than necessary. After making sure he understood exactly how to use the stuff Tobirama spun the box around again to study the color. 

Maybe he wouldn’t look entirely terrible with red hair. If the stars aligned in just the right way he might be able to convince himself he looked a bit like his sister in law. The Uzumaki, now there was a clan he would feel no shame for having a connection to and it would certainly be a logical assumption. They did have a rather sizable civilian population. 

Turning the box side to side in an effort to determine whether he thought the color looked like a natural one, he couldn’t help but let his eyes be drawn to the golden letters embossed near the very top, an elegant curling script that greatly resembled the letters Kirimoto-san bore along one arm. What would he do, Tobirama wondered, if at last he managed to discover his own soulmate and he wasn’t able to reach out because of this? He’d never been all that fond of undercover missions for just this reason. To meet his soulmate while he didn’t even look like himself, to risk that they might fall in love with a falsity. A deep sigh escaped him and Tobirama spun the box around so he wouldn’t have to look at the letters anymore. Everything about this mission was stupid - including the emotions he was letting it drag out of him. Best to just get this over with before he got too maudlin about things so far out of his control. 

All told, including the time he took to pause and investigate the chemical compounds, the dying process took just over an hour and Tobirama refused to look at himself in the mirror until he had thoroughly rinsed the mixture out of his hair and let the whole thing dry completely. Only then did he finally approach the bathroom vanity with trepidation and lift his eyes to take in the horror of what he’d done. He had just enough time to cringe in distaste before the front door of his home slammed open with a bang that ricocheted down the hall. 

“Tobi?” Hashirama’s voice called out to him in an oddly strangled tone. “You here?” 

“Unfortunately.” At his reply footsteps hurried closer. 

“We may have to apply a slight change of plaaaa-....ns...oh my.” 

“Anija I swear if you finish that sentence after I only just finished this nonsense”-Tobirama jerked an angry thumb at his own mangled hair-“I will make you regret ever being born.” 

His brother stared at him. Stared some more. Blinked several times and then continued to stare, all while Tobirama’s ire grew closer and closer to the boiling point. Finally he drew in a breath that rattled ominously. 

“Come with me,” he murmured shortly before spinning on one heel and marching back towards the front door. 

“Now hold on! Anija, what the hell?”

Annoyingly, Hashirama did not stop. His only concession was to pause long enough for Tobirama to tear an old jacket out of his front closet and pull the hood up tightly. Just because lots of other strangers were going to see him in this state didn’t mean he had to let all of Konoha in on his shame. Vanity, apparently, would need to be added on to the list of character flaws he hadn’t even known afflicted him until this thrice blasted village was built. 

Where the hell they were going he couldn’t tell since the hood of his jacket was pulled so tight around his head that it obscured most of the world around him. On sense alone he guessed they were bound in a general southern direction but for the life of him he couldn’t imagine what existed to the south that had to do with his disguise or suddenly needed to be attended to the moment his brother saw him. Tobirama did try to ask, of course, but for once in his life Hashirama seemed to have lost his capacity for words. If only he could be like that more often. Well, if only he could be like that any other time but for now when Tobirama needed answers that none of his increasingly irritated questions were getting him. He did recognize right away when they entered the Uchiha district. Walking past the uchiwa-embossed gates always felt much like stepping in from the cold to a place with a thousand warm fires all around him. It was, he hated to admit, a very comforting place to be for a sensor like him. 

It was also a great relief at the moment; Hashirama might profess to love the whole world but there were very few people he was actually close with and only one of them lived within the Uchiha compound. Tobirama frowned at the inside of his hood. It would make sense for them to go see Madara right now, he was the other half of this utterly ridiculous undercover mission, but it made no sense at all for Hashirama to be in this much of a tither over his best friend unless something had gone terribly wrong in the past hour since they had all been together. 

How much trouble could one man get in to within the confines of their own village? 

Despite how close the two of them were it was still a mild surprise when Hashirama let them both in to Madara’s house without so much as knocking. Tobirama wracked his brain trying to remember whether Izuna still lived with his brother while the two of them made their way down the hall. Since they were inside now, safe from the judging eyes of the general public, Tobirama allowed his fingers to loosen their hold on the material of his hood until he had enough vision to take in the home of the Uchiha clan head. Much more spartan than he had expected. If he were taking this first look a handful of years ago he would have expected bloodied weapons to line the walls and plaques bearing the heads of notable kills. He’d long grown past such childish assumptions but if he were honest he still would have expected this place to be a little more plush, a little more befitting the head of such a large and lucrative clan.

“Mads? Mads I’m back. Are you...okay if we come in?” Hashirama paused at the beginning of the hallway to gently wrap his knuckles against a plain shoji screen. 

“End me now,” Madara’s miserable voice drifted out. “If a single person in my clan sees this I will never hear the end of it.” 

“We’re coming in, okay?”

Hashirama waited just a moment longer to give his friend time for yelling if he was truly so opposed to them entering. When no protests came he nodded once and then opened the door, pulling Tobirama behind him as he walked forward in to the room.

Strange as it was to find himself in Uchiha Madara’s bedroom of all places Tobirama didn’t have time to even look around to see if the decor here was as barren as the rest of the house. He didn’t even have the time to ruminate on the odd places life had taken him just today. The moment he stepped inside the room all of his attention was riveted to the figure huddled on the bed with face in hands. Logic told him that was Madara. It sounded like him. Felt like him. His eyes, however, must have been playing tricks on him. 

“The...hell...is going on?” Tobirama pulled his free arm away from Hashirama’s grasp to poke at him with confusion. “I thought you said he was going with the scarf idea? How the hell did you get a dye that color to saturate this much hair in such a short time? And for that matter, why on earth did you give him the same color as me?”

“Oh I didn’t do this,” Hashirama said. 

“So he did it to himself?”

“No, I think you did it.”

Tobirama blinked slowly, one eyebrow rising. “I most certainly did not. You saw me when you came to get me, you know exactly what I’ve been doing since I left the tower.” 

In his indignation at being accused he missed the sharp movement of Madara’s head snapping up to look at him for the first time since he entered the home. Busy as he was jamming a finger in to his brother’s side, he didn’t see those eyes zero in on him like a kunai finding its target but he sure did feel the weight of them. At first he ignored it - this was hardly the first time he’d been stared at - but when Hashirama managed to bat his finger away and pointedly indicated the man whose house they had just invaded he finally looked over. 

“Can I help you?” he muttered, instinctively defensive under that much scrutiny. 

“What do you mean the same color as you?” 

His first reflex was to pull the hood tighter around his head. Then he realized how stupid that was. If the two of them were going on the same mission then obviously Madara would have to see him in this state at some point - and if anyone was going to understand the pain of having to dye his hair such a wildly unsuitable shade it would be the man whose head currently matched his own. A heavy sigh of defeat escaped him before, with great effort, he finally allowed his fingers to unclench so the hood of his jacket could fall back to reveal that his hair indeed was a perfect match for the ridiculous color of Madara’s. He expected the man to stare, of course. What he didn’t expect was for his jaw to drop and one hand to reach out blindly for Hashirama.

“You,” Madara croaked. “Go away. Now. I...I need to talk to...just go away!” 

“Okay.” In a move possibly more surprising than anything else that had happened so far, Hashirama turned to leave the room as easily as that, not a word of protest. Tobirama watched him go with both eyes wide and blinking. 

“I...how did you do that? I’ve never seen him leave so easily in my life. How did you make him do that!?”

Bed springs creaked and groaned like a symphony to announce Madara’s rise from the bed, eyes still locked on to Tobirama with all the intensity of the hawks he so enjoyed flying. He looked just as silly with the wrong hair color as Tobirama felt he himself did but something told him that mockery would not go over very well just now no matter that Madara was one of the few who could give as good as he got. The arguments they got in to were usually some of the highest points of Tobirama’s week. 

“You dyed your hair.” Unfortunately his intelligence didn’t always shine through quite as obviously, such as moments like now when he felt compelled to state the very obvious. 

“So did you,” Tobirama said with one eyebrow raised in judgment. 

“No I didn’t.”

After a pause Tobirama canted his head to one side and lifted the other brow. “Well then I suppose I’ll need to get my eyes checked very soon.”

“No! Shut up, you don’t get it! I didn’t do this!” 

“You’re claiming...what? Some kind of hair dye bandit snuck in and colored your hair when you weren’t looking?”

“I think it means we’re soulmates, you absolute fuck!” 

“Oh.” 

There were dozens of responses he could pretend he’d been expecting and that one would not have been even close to getting on the list. Tobirama opened his mouth only to close it, thoughts racing over each other in a jumbled heap because he knew exactly what Madara was getting at. Of course he did. 

And of course the universe would be so petty as to give them a way to find each other only through humiliating themselves. Sometimes he really did hate other people for how easily they discovered their bonds. Not him, though, oh no. He couldn’t have a red string tied to his pinkie, he couldn’t have been born with the first words his soulmate would say to him imprinted on his skin, he couldn’t even have the moment of unquestionable knowing when he heard his partner’s voice for the first time. Because it was him and because it was Madara they just had to do things the hard way, waiting until one of them dyed their hair so the change of color could be reflected on their other half. 

“That color looks awful on you,” was all he could think to say; perhaps a little too honest but from the very start of peace the two of them had silently agreed to never pull their punches with each other. Madara stared at him in disbelief for a half dozen heartbeats until without warning he burst in to raucous laughter. 

“Seriously?” he demanded. “That’s all you have to say?” 

Tobirama threw both of his hands in the air. “Well what do you want me to say? It’s not like I have some big speech prepared just in case I find out the other half of my soul has been riding around in you this whole time!” 

“No? That’s almost surprising. You’re usually prepared for pretty much anything.” The smile on Madara’s face gentled his words from insults to fond teasing and Tobirama wondered how long the possibilities of this had been hiding right under his nose. 

“I didn’t really want to go on this mission in the first place,” he mused. “Now I really don’t want to.”

“Because we match and it’s incredibly obvious that we shouldn’t?”

“No, dumb ass, because I just discovered my soulmate and I’d rather like some time to process that.” Tobirama rolled his eyes but there was a very telling hint of a smile on his own face as well. How could there not be? 

Madara hummed and shifted his weight, coincidentally ending up just a little bit closer when he settled, though Tobirama chose not to point that out. “How much do you think it would take to convince your brother not to send us out?” 

“Oh probably about a thousand yen more than whatever Kirimoto-san paid him.” 

“Hn. I’d have to dip in to the clan coffers. And then I’d have to listen to the elders bitch about squandering clan funds. Ugh.” Madara’s nose wrinkled. Tobirama mirrored him if for no other reason than annoyance that he’d never really noticed how adorable that was. If he looked back on all the past interactions they’d had he would probably be able to drum up a thousand different clues that they were meant to be together. 

Good thing he wasn’t the type to look back. Self reflection was so boring. 

The problem of his brother forcing them to go through with this mission still was just something they would have to figure out later. Probably a very quick later since they were still expected to leave some time later that same day but still, certainly a problem Tobirama was willing to put off solving until he absolutely had to. If Hashirama was really so dead set on making them do this when he very clearly understood what situation was happening then he could come get them himself. 

“Spot of tea?” Tobirama looked around as though he might spot a kitchen through the bedroom walls. 

“Ah, yeah, I guess it would be polite of me to get you some, huh?” 

Madara rocked back on to his heels and looked towards the door as well, the perfect opportunity for Tobirama to really look at him and take in all the little details he normally wouldn’t in another person, the shape of his jawline and the tiny amounts of baby fat that had never fully left his cheeks. 

“It isn’t like you to be concerned about being polite,” he pointed out. 

When his soulmate turned back to reveal an openly amused grin he thought maybe the universe did know what it was doing - but he was still a little annoyed that it had made things so difficult for him. Also quite annoyed that they were likely going to have to see this ridiculous mission through. What an absolute shame that he finally discovered his soulmate only for the poor man to bear witness to his complete lack of seduction skills all in the same day. He hoped Hashirama had already started running because he was going to murder his own brother for this. 

[btsslowburnfic]

Chthonic Love Chapter 7

Series Summary:  A Greek Mythology AU featuring Yoongi/Suga as Hades and reader as Persephone. Olympian ruler Namjoon has delivered you, Persephone, as a gift for his brother, lord of Death, Yoongi

Previous Chapter here

The hours passed quietly. You had sketched out both the garden and the shore. Occasionally you walked over to the window and looked out for reference.

You heard Yoongi scoot his chair back and you looked up. He was stretching his arms. His gravelly voice broke the silence, “You can stay here if you like. It's almost time for the next reaping.”

You found yourself yawning, “Actually, I think I'll go and find Lethe.” You said as you got up from your comfortable pile. “Thanks for the day.”

“Of course.” he said, looking down at your drawings as he walked over. “Those are really good.”

“Thanks.” you smiled, proud of your artwork. “Where should I put them?” you asked, picking the papers up.

“Here. For now...” he took the sketches from your hands and placed them in one of the chests.

“Great. Thank you.” you said. “Oh. Hold on.” You removed the cloak you were still wearing and fastened it around his neck. Yoongi momentarily forgot how to breathe. “There.” You looked up at him and smiled.

He felt a blush creep across his face. What the hell is this? he wondered while he reached to open the door for you.

You walked past him, keeping your own head down as you suddenly felt very shy. You immediately ran into Penthos. “Ahhh!” you shrieked out a bit. “Sorry, you surprised me.”

“I work here,” he said bluntly.

Behind you, you heard Yoongi clear his throat. “What was that Penthos?”

“Pardon me Lady Persephone. I was just coming to give Lord Yoongi a daily report.” You saw the barely noticeable eye twitch that occurred as he answered.

You tried your best to maintain your pleasant demeanor. Honorifics were never really your thing, but it seemed as though Penthos was usually all about them; just not with you.

“Well then, I shall leave you to it. Good evening gentleman.” you awkwardly maneuvered around Penthos and went down the stairs. Your mood was slightly soured by the interruption. You weren’t quite done saying goodnight to Yoongi. You pouted as you traveled through the great hall and kitchen looking for Lethe. You realized that you didn’t really know that much about the Obsidian Palace. You decided to ask Yoongi for a tour tomorrow. You looked in your room. No Lethe. Garden? Nope. You sigh. Was there anyone else around here?

You go back to the Great Hall and find one of the random servants dusting something. “Excuse me. Have you seen Lethe?”

The woman looked at you like you are the most terrifying thing ever. “Ok. Sorry I asked. I’ll just go.” you backed away slowly. Another servant came over, “Sorry milady, Aida is new here. She’s still adjusting to being dead.”

“Oh,” you put your hand over your mouth. “I’m so sorry I had no idea. This must be very hard for you Aida.” She nodded her head slowly and resumed her semi-dusting activity.

“Is there something I can help you with?” the other woman asked.

“Yes. I’m looking for Lethe.”

“I think she is in the laundry room. Let me fetch her for you.” she started to leave.

“Please take me with you. I would be very interested to see where the laundry room is.”

“You can’t be serious milady. It’s a laundry room.”

“Well you see I have never seen a laundry room before. Ever.”

The woman laughed, “Alright, come along then.”

You followed her through several hallways and arrived at a small door.

“Lethe?” she yelled as she opened it. “Lady Persephone is looking for you.”

“Alright I’ll be right there.” you heard Lethe shout.

You walked through the door. “No need Lethe, I came to find you.”

“Did you need something?”

You turned to the woman who had brought you here, “Thank you so much.” She curtsied and left. “No. I’m just bored.” you admitted.

She laughed. “Well I suppose compared to the mortal realm there isn’t a lot to do here.” she stirred a large cauldron full of clothing.

“May I ask you something highly inappropriate?” you said, completely catching Lethe off guard causing her to stop stirring the clothing.

“Umm...I suppose but if it’s about Lord Yoongi I feel like I shouldn’t say anything given that he’s so powerful and in charge of my contract and…”

“It’s not about Yoongi.” you quickly cut her off.

“Oh. Ok. Then what? Is it about being dead?”

“No.” you took a deep breath, “Why doesn't Penthos like me?”

Lethe resumed stirring the clothes. “Who says he doesn’t like you?”

“Goddesses can tell when people are lying.” you bluffed. “One of our lesser known abilities.”

She sighed, “Penthos is one of the few people who chooses to be here. He's not just a dead human like most of us. He’s a demi-god who cares deeply for Lord Yoongi. He’s been here for centuries.”

You cocked your head to the side, “I still don't understand. I've been nothing but kind to Yoongi. I mean, I screamed a lot at first but I feel all things considered I’ve taken this kidnapping pretty well. “

“Maybe that's part of it. In a few days or weeks or months at the most, you'll be leaving here. Lord Yoongi will still be here. Forever. He can't even leave the underworld for more than a day or so or else there would be chaos in the mortal realm.”

“Pshh even when I leave I would still come back and visit if Yoongi wanted me to.” You said as you folded some random clothing.

Lethe raised her eyebrows in surprise, “You would? Stop doing that.” She scolded you.

“I can’t just stand here and do nothing.” you responded.

“Fine. Fine. I suppose I shouldn’t argue with you.” she finished stirring the laundry and started pulling the pieces out. “I don’t suppose you have any magic for lifting things or drying laundry?” she asked.

You created a flower in your hands, “Nope, life magic only.” You smiled. “It’s been useful at times, but there are definitely more practical abilities that the Pantheon possesses. What powers does Penthos have?”

Lethe paused and thought, “I’m not entirely sure. I know he has the ability to move objects without touching them. And he can combine solid matter, like the orb you arrived in and a large portion of the Obsidian Palace was crafted by him.”

“Interesting,” you mused. Demigods were always a question mark when it came to their abilities. Some were immensely powerful and others barely registered any abilities. Regardless, it was good information to have. You picked at your flower petals. “Soooo anything else interesting? Cursed rooms? Labyrinths? Secret mistresses?”

Lethe laughed, “Nope. The catacombs are a bit treacherous but Lord Yoongi keeps those locked up. Like I said, life here is quiet but boring. It’s one of the reasons we are sent here: quiet time to reflect on our poor choices.” She sighed sadly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up.” you quickly felt bad.

“Oh no, you didn’t. It’s just one of those thoughts that’s always on my mind. I can relate almost anything to it, to be honest. But let’s see. What’s something interesting…? Hmm...I mean seriously you are the first guest we’ve had in the fifty years here so there’s just not a lot to say.”

“Really? That’s sad.” You remade your flower again with a different color.

“Well, the trip is a little dangerous.” She said as she hung the clothing on a line in front of the fire.

“Not for Olympians. Please. That’s just an excuse. They travel to Olympus all the time for parties ands stupid stuff. It’s just rude.” you scoffed.

She paused thoughtfully, “Well milady, forgive me for pointing it out, but you never visited either until you were brought here.”

You mused for a minute, “I suppose that’s true. But I don’t go to Olympus either. I have a general distrust of other Gods. Clearly I was right seeing as how I was transferred like chattel. Anyways. I have visited the ocean realm because of the animals there. Are there any animals in the Underworld?”

Lethe shook her head, “Monsters. And some are nice, but most aren’t. It’s not really safe to leave the palace.”

You walked over and started hanging up clothes alongside her, “Ah that’s too bad. I was hoping there were secretly Stygian Sharks or something.”

Lethe had given up on scolding you for helping. “Can’t you create some?”

“No, I can sustain animal life and create plants. I could create an animal but it would die before it could live a real life, my powers are technically life magic, not creation magic; that’s Gaia.” you smiled, “I wish I could create some Stygian Sharks. I’d totally do it. And some Sorrow Scorpions for the desert. Moonlit foothill fainting goats.”

Lethe started to laugh, the kind of laugh that comes from the stomach and makes the sides hurt. This caused you to laugh even more, imagining your strange animal creations. It continued for a while with the two of you making up absurd animal creations. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed like that,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Me either, my throat hurts a little.” you said as you hung the last sock.

“Let’s get you some tea then.”

“I won’t argue with that,” you replied as the two of you left the laundry room.

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

“Sir have you received any word from Hoseok?” Penthos asked as he followed Yoongi down the stairs.

“No. But it’s only been a day. It takes time for things to reach the mortal realm.” he responded nonchalantly. “I need to go speak with Arachne before the reaping. Is there anything else for this evening?”

Penthos was taken aback slightly, “Sir, you just saw Arachne yesterday. Is everything alright in the catacombs? I can investigate if there’s been any trouble.”

“No. No trouble. Persephone needs a warmer cloak.” Yoongi said as though it was the most obvious thing ever.

Penthos tried to hide his confusion. “Will she be staying long enough to need one?”

Yoongi involuntarily flinched and stopped walking. He looked over at Penthos, truly assessing him for the first time in years. “I don’t care if she’s staying for one night or forever. I don’t want her to be cold while she’s here.” he said tightly.

“Yes sir.”

“Another thing?” Yoongi asked.

“Yes?”

“Go check on the golems. Just make sure they’re in working order.”

“Sir?”

Yoongi looked down and walked closer to Penthos, resuming eye contact once he was within inches of his face. “I’m getting tired of your questions this evening Penthos. I have indulged several based on our years together. Check the Golems.” he put his hands in his pockets and turned back towards the catacombs.

“Yes, sir.” NEXT CHAPTER

[clan-sayeed-fic]

Business (Kamilah Sayeed & MC)

Previous chapter: 1

Book: Bloodbound (property of Pixelberry Studios)

Pairing: Kamilah Sayeed & MC: Amy (I do not own those characters, they’re the property of Pixelberry Studios as well)

Warnings: a little bit of angst (I think) 

Rating: Mature

Author’s note:  I’m not a native English speaker, I’m sorry for any mistakes (feel free to correct me).

I know it took me some time. But believe me, this chapter started with 1300 words, then I extended it to 2000, and then I rewrote it a few times, so we ended up here 😂

~ 1700 words

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Chapter 2

A bolt of lightning cut across the starry sky.

Centuries ago, somewhere in the middle of the forest, loud screams came from the old tavern. The gleam of the night peeked inside the building, seducing men to go outside to face the threat which came upon them. To fight what made them go through the days in constant fear, depriving them of their peaceful life.

Every single day, sunset meant for humans the beginning of the nightmare. As long as the sun was high in the sky, brightening the landscape around, locals remained safe. As if the danger was waiting in the shadows, afraid to step into the light, not having enough courage to show itself.

That day, a mutual threat brought them, leaders of all clans, together in the tavern.

The group of animals attacking their villages under cover of the night forced them to take the final steps. Their last hope was buried in the best hunters of this land. But even they ended up being captured by the darkness, disappearing without a sign.

The pattern repeated itself as bloodsucking creatures left death behind.

Suddenly, lightning hit the ground once again, causing the earth to tremble under its power. At the same time, doors were opened by the wind, revealing the shape of the man barely standing on his legs.

Leaders run toward the only survivor without double thinking, bringing him closer to the light.

"They... are not..." the man managed to mutter, "are not... animals."

Another thunder brightened the inside of the tavern. Silence fell between men as unsureness sneaked into their minds.

"Who are they then?" one of the leaders dared to ask.

The hunter lifted his head slowly at those words, putting enough effort to open his swollen eyes. His face appeared in the faint light of the torch for the first time, revealing scars on his face.

And two dots on the side of his neck with the path of blood flowing out of them.

"Humans," his voice broke when red liquid showed itself in the corner of his mouth. "Only one..."

The man's body moved in convulsions as the coughing took over him entirely. He was spitting out blood in agony until his eyes went blank, and heart stopped beating.

"How can one man lead to such bloodshed?" one of the leaders spoke as the rest lifted the corpse. "It's witchcraft."

Their eyes moved on the body of the dead hunter lying on the table with hands resting on his chest. Words kept echoing in their heads as the realization hit them one by one, making those powerful men feel the fear of the enemy they were not prepared for.

Because what chance did they have in fighting something so inhuman?

Was there even a weapon out there that would be strong enough to restore peace?

And what if coming into possession of it meant sacrificing humanity on their own...

***

The air was thick with anticipation.

Half of the security crew was gathered around the conference table, the rest of them waited outside right by the doors.

It was perfectly quiet inside the room. No one even dared to breathe louder, afraid to distract Paine's daughter. Kamilah and Adrian just watched the girl, trying to examine her reactions while she was studying the documents.

But Amy's face was unreadable for most of the time. She focused all her attention on the words before her, reading paragraphs of the contract carefully. Only from time to time, she had a habit of looking through the window to collect her thoughts or let her eyes rest.

But even then, her expression was impossible to read.

She almost got to the end of the files when her left eyebrow raised slightly for a second as she read the most significant part of the deal. Kamilah squinted her eyes at this, wondering what was going on in this pretty head.

Finally, Amy put the documents aside and looked directly at both CEOs as if she was waiting for them to say something. As if they were supposed to react in a certain way before her final decision.

But nothing happened.

Such a shame, Amy thought, sighing lightly.

Adrian stopped the awkward silence, grunting meaningfully. He stood up, buttoning his suit, just to offer the girl a pen to sign the contract.

But at that exact same moment, Amy got up out of the chair. She turned around without a single word, letting her blonde hair fly in the air with the movement.

"We're done here," she spoke to security guards with the audacity.

The girl intended to put her glasses on when Adrian spoke aloud, confused.

"I don't understand..." his voice showed pure astonishment. "Was there a problem?"

Amy turned around with surprise written on her face as if she just reminded herself about their presence.

The familiar feeling of victory filled her chest.

"Well, if we are talking about those documents, then yes, it was," she kept his gaze confidently.

"It can't be, we've already discussed the details with your parents," Adrian stepped forward, lifting the papers. "This meeting was supposed to be just a formality."

"And it would've been," Amy spoke, lifting her chin a little bit more, "if the details that you discussed together were included in the official version of this contract."

Adrian went through the papers in a hurry, searching for any mistakes. He put all his hopes in this deal, he wasn't ready to give up on it so quickly.

While he was searching through the files, Amy looked behind him, meeting with Kamilah's chestnut eyes. To her surprise, the woman kept her silence this entire time, standing there with the corners of her mouth slightly curled up.

"I'm sure you are aware of what trust means to this family," Amy's eyes challenging, voice sharp, "Mrs. Sayeed."

Adrian followed her gaze, quickly recognizing the look on his best friend's face. Realizing that the woman must have had this planned all along.

"I am absolutely aware of that," Kamilah wasn't smiling anymore. "Mr. and Mrs. Paine need to understand what kind of situation they've put us in," she knew what exactly needed to be said to get to this girl. "We were discussing details with them, not their young daughter."

The tone of her voice provoked Amy immediately, causing her stubbornness to show off.

"Unfortunately, now I'm the one who you need to convince, not them," she said, raising her left eyebrow, challenging.

"I'm sure we can reach an agreement," Adrian tried to ease the tension in the room, standing between two women.

Amy kept her arms crossed as a way to exaggerate her impatience. At that moment, she indeed looked like the stereotypical only child, raised in a wealthy family.

"Of course, we can always come back to the original version of the contract," Kamilah said with a smirk, making her way to the desk where she had everything prepared.

And by doing so, she caused the family pride to burn inside Amy.

She might have been young, but smart enough to know what was happening there. Kamilah was making Paines look bad in this situation, showing the dominance of her own company.

"That won't be necessary," the girl's mind worked fast. "I've already lost more than enough time for this nonsense," she was done playing nice. "Under those circumstances, the last version will not cover the damage to this meeting. I would like to discuss the details again."

Kamilah opened her eyes wide for a second, impressed with this attitude. The harsh tone of Amy's voice made her feel both: bitter and fascinated.

"Fair enough," she held back a smile, getting what she wanted from the start. "We can arrange a personal meeting tomorrow if there are no contraindications," she sensed Adrian's mood changing.

"Amelia, we..." a bodyguard stepped forward, speaking in a muted voice.

"Nothing stands in the way," Amy interrupted, sending him a meaningful look.

Both CEOs shared a quick glance, wondering what that was about. But the girl's tone didn't leave much space for discussion.

"It's decided then," Kamilah nodded to herself, keeping in mind this situation.

She looked at the girl's eyes once again, finding herself drawn to this intense shade of green.

The color annoyed her memory as the long-forgotten past was asking for her attention.

***

"Why, Kamilah... why?"

They came back to her office right after the meeting.

"I don't see the reason to panic," Kamilah's voice remained calm as she got behind the desk, already occupied with work.

"You almost ruined our chance for this collaboration," Adrian couldn't believe that it was the same woman standing in front of him.

The same one who would kill for the deal, push all the buttons to get what she wanted. And at that moment, they both wanted to get this contract signed with Paine's surname.

Or at least, he thought so.

"I needed to make sure what we are walking into," she leaned back in the chair, relaxed. "Besides, I will meet this girl, and everything will be exactly the same."

"Oh, you will?" Adrian's eyebrows lifted, he didn't like the sound of those words. "I thought that we were going to meet her," that's when it hit him. "No, no, Kamilah, leave her out of it."

"Don't be such a baby," the woman frowned at him, slowly losing her patience.

Adrian looked at her closely, noticing something that he assumed faded away a long time ago. This characteristical glow on her skin. Corners of her lips barely curled up as she was holding back a grin. And what was betraying her the most:

eyes of the hunter.

"I know that look on your face," Adrian cheered up, forgetting about the contract. "I haven't seen it for a while, but I would recognize it anywhere."

"Stop this nonsense," Kamilah said with a smile, turning toward the window, away from his gaze.

What Adrian said was true.

She was in the mood to play.

And Amy seemed to be the perfect match for this game.

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

Next chapter: 3

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

tag list: @cheeto-choices @kamilah-is-queen @ariaminsinclair @helpconfusedpersonhere @ayushixo @nydeiri

[bleachanimefan1]

Oblitus Part 30

True Colors

36 Days Left Until Extermination...

Anna groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Her head was pounding like someone was taking a hammer and whacking on her brain. How much did she drink last night? She slowly sat up in the bed. She immediately regretted it as she felt a dull ache on her lower body between her legs. Anna confused as to why she was naked. She pulled the sheets back and her eyes widened seeing the dried blood between her legs as well as numerous bits marks all over her body. She shuddered seeing it also staining the sheets and bed as well. The sheets on her bed had claw marks streaked across them and the mattress. Feathers from her pillows, that were ripped to shreds, were scattered all over the room. She leaned back only to feel that the bed frame was missing and saw that it had been split in half, destroyed.

"What happened last night?" She murmured.

Anna hugged the sheets to her chest, covering herself. "Oh god, please tell me I didn't..." Anna heard the sound of static followed by someone snoring to the left of her. Anna turned her head and her eyes widened in shock to see Alastor. He was naked as well. He had scratches and bite marks all over him as well. She was surprised to see his that his legs were shaped like a deer's bent at an awkward angle, covered in red and white fur. Anna looked down further and she nearly squeaked seeing Alastor's tail slowly waving from side to side while he slept. He's definitely not going to like this but the sooner he finds out the better. Plus, a little payback.

Anna reached out and have a hard pull on Alastor's tail. Alastor's eyes immediately popped open. He froze when he saw Anna next to him covering herself with the blanket.

"Please tell me that we didn't..."

"We did." Anna said. Alastor turned facing his back at Anna. He groaned as he held his head, looking down. Then it really wasn't a dream. The two of them actually did...Alastor wanted to scream but he hit his lip. His hands dug into his hair, gripping it tightly. Oh no....no, no, no, no! This was not supposed happen! Alastor sighed. He had to end this. Even if this was going to hurt her, he had to do it. There was far too much at stake. He can't afford an distraction, right now.

Anna sat silently as she watched Alastor. She felt her heart was about to beat out of her chest. Waiting for him to do or say something, anything. Anything, but silence. This was torture.

"This was a mistake." Anna's eyes widened hearing Alastor spoke. Her breath caught in her chest like she had been punched.

"It doesn't has to be..." She said, quietly. "I mean, we can still make this work."

"What happened last night, didn't happen." Alastor replied. Anna felt like her heart was being crushed. Suddenly, the bed felt it was the right time to give away as one of the legs broke. Alastor and Anna yelled as it fell lopsided.

"So you mean to tell me that you feel nothing for me?" She asked.

"No-" Anna cut him off. She glared at him, furiously. "Then look at me right in the eye and tell me and tell me to my face. That I mean nothing to you."

"Stop it!" Alastor snapped. Anna's eyes widened. "Just stop..." Alastor turned to Anna. He has to end this now. "Give me your hand."

"Why?" Anna asked. Alastor ignored her, and grabbed her hand. A light green glow emitted from their hands and Alastor let go.

"I release you from my contract." Alastor said. "It is over." Anna's eyes widened in shock. She was free? She should be feeling ecstatic but she wasn't. She didn't want it to end. She didn't want to...

"Alastor, you can't really mean that-" Anna stammered. "I love you." That was all she could manage to get out. Alastor's eyes widened as he stared at her with a strained smile. He gripped the sheets tightly with his hand almost tearing more holes into it with his claws. Anna's eyes widened in shock as well at her words. She had finally said it, after wanting to get it out for so long! Then she heard Alastor laugh, like it was funny joke...

"I hate to tell you this, darling." Alastor growled. "But, I don't love you."

He had to leave now. He couldn't stand being in this room any longer. Not with her. Anna eyes widened. Why did this always happen to her? Why does everyone always leave her? She felt her heart growing tighter and tighter. Anna felt her eyes began to sting as tears began to form.

"Get out..." Alastor's eyes widened when he saw Anna get up and grabbed a chair, tossing it at him. Then she started grabbing other various items that she could get a hold of, like books, a hair brush, and his clothes. "Get the hell out of my room!" Quickly, while dodging other flying projectiles being thrown at him, Alastor left not saying another word.

As everyone slept, quietly, Alastor had retreated to Rosie's emporium. He knocked on the door and it opened revealing Rosie who was still up.

"Alastor? It's the middle of the night. Why are you here?" She asked. Alastor let himself in as he walked past her. He slumped into a chair, sitting down.

"Rosie, I don't know what to do. I'm so confused. I've never felt this way before."

Rosie magically fixed some coffee and set a cup on a table in front of Alastor. He took it, drinking it. Rosie took a seat in a chair across from Alastor, sipping on her cup as well.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Alastor growled, setting his cup down, and stood up. He paced across the room. "It's that woman!" Rosie grinned widely.

"The human? What does she have to do with it?"

"Yes! It's her! She's making me feel things that I've never felt for anyone before! Not even in my past life! It's driving me mad everytime I try to think of an answer!" Alastor shouted, frustrated. He looked like a lost fawn. Rosie watched with amusement at his antics then set down her cup. She crossed her arms, with a smug grin on her face. She laughed. Alastor stopped. He turned to her with a strained smile frozen in place.

"You think that this is funny?!" He snapped. Rosie stood up, still with a smug grin on her face, pointing her finger Alastor.

"Why I never thought I'd live to see the day. Hell's radio demon is in love!" Alastor's eyes widened. Rosie smile twisted more. She sighed. "It really is the end of everything."

"What are you talking about, Rosie?" Alastor scoffed. "That's preposterous!"

"Why are you lying to yourself? You can deny it all you want, but you have to come to terms with it eventually. You are in love." Rosie said. "Don't even bother arguing. I'm always right." Alastor sighed. She was. Rosie was always right about everything. Perfect in every way.

"Fine, it's true. I am in love with her." Alastor said.

"There you go! That wasn't so bad was it!" Rosie smiled.

"Isn't there a spell or something that you can make this feeling to away?" Rosie sighed and walked over towards Alastor and hugged him.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid not." Rosie replied. Suddenly, there was loud knock at the door. Rosie and Alastor looked at each other.

"Are expecting anyone else this late?" Alastor asked.

"No." The knocking continued. Rosie walked over towards the door and opened it, standing outside was Lucifer.

"I hope that I'm not interrupting anything?" He said with a wide grin on his face.

"No, I was just about to leave." Alastor said, grinning as he stepped up, walking out of Rosie's home.

"Great! Then we can have a talk along the way!" The king answered, shutting the door on Rosie's face. He and Alastor walked side by side quietly for a while. Lucifer spoke.

"I hope that you're not reconsidering abandoning the plan are you?"

"No, I'm still working on it." Alastor said.

"That's good to hear. However, it is surprising that it's taking a long time for you to do so." Lucifer said. "It wouldn't have to do with that human woman, would it?" He finished now with a scarier grin. Alastor stopped in his place.

"No, you are wrong." Alastor said. "I plan to stop Charlie's redemption plan and you agreed that the hotel will go to me. That is our agreement, is it not?"

"Yes, it is. I'm glad that you haven't changed your mind." Lucifer said, walking away. He laughed evilly. "Otherwise, I would have to declare open season for a couple of deers."

Alastor growled clenching his fists, at the kings threat, watching him walk away.

After a long shower, and cleaning up. Anna wrapped her arms around herself, walking down the hallways, approaching the lobby. She had to get out! Angel was at the bar flirting at Husk when he heard Anna coming closer. He turned around to greet her, only to stop.

"Why to I smell shame and disappointment?" Angel asked. Anna narrowed her eyes at the spider demon, glaring at him. She ignored him, and headed towards the door.

"I'm going out for a bit." Anna murmured.

"Now, hold on. That's not such a good idea." Husk called out, stopping her. Angel and him left the bar, walking towards Anna. "Did something happen? Is it about last night? Did Al do something to ya?" Anna gripped the door handle, tightly. Angel looked at Husk, confused.

"What do you mean by that?" Angel asked. "And what happened to your pretty boyfriend?"

"Chris wasn't what we all expected. It was his fault that Anna's here. Al took care of him. Then her and Al had a little too much to drink last night, so he offered to take Anna back to her room." Husk explained. Angel turned back towards Anna.

"I can tell something's bothering ya, doll face." Angel said. "Turn around and tell us what happened."

Charlie and Vaggie had now walked into the lobby, seeing Anna about to leave.

"Where are you going?" Vaggie questioned.

"I'm going out." Anna replied.

"Why?" Charlie questioned.

"Its none of your business." Anna replied. Charlie frowned, looking at Anna. Why was so angry? What happened? "It is My business. I promised to keep you safe. Now, tell me why are you leaving?"

"BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE SICK IF I STAY A SINGLE MINUTE HERE!" Anna screamed out loud. Everyone in the room stared at her with wide eyes in shock. Anna turned and opened the door, slamming behind her as she left the group, dumbfounded.

"Anna!?" Charlie called out.

"What the hell?!" Angel shouted.

"Can anyone tell me what the fuck just happened?!" Vaggie growled.

In Pentagram City, the usually crowded streets were now empty as there was no one around. The sounds of Anna's footsteps clacked on the pavement as she walked. Anna looked around seeing not a soul in sight. Anna was knocked back as she had bumped into someone. She frowned and looked up, glaring at whoever it was.

"Can't you watch where you are going?!" She shouted. Her eyes widened in terror and she closed her mouth. Large wings towered over her. She backed away as she felt a cold air brush against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Standing in front of her was a strange being that looked like an angel. The strange horned being turned to her as it glared at Anna through his LED mask with a scary grin.

An exterminator.

"I finally found you..."

[trickster-4]

Chapter 4 snippet..

“So Eda’s ancestor met me in Atlantis…” Luz sat down on a nearby stump. She felt herself struggling to smile.. It was a small light in comparison to the destruction that happened.. Yet, Eda the second closest thing she had to a mother and the most wonderful person she had met was born because of those past actions.. Who knows maybe there were other small lights? “She ended up becoming a witch.. “

“You know the Clawthorne Family has been a very prominent family.. History changing in fact…”

“Really?”

“Yup.. They were responsible for a lot of reformations..” Amity had a look of pride in her eyes.. Her eye’s grew a little sad as nostalgia grew in her thoughts.. She used to consider it an honor to study under Lilith.. “They broke down a lot of caste systems.. Put an end to a lot of insane laws.. People called them Heroes… Sadly much of their changes were undone by the rise of Emperor Bellows.. But, when people think powerful witches from ancient history they tend to think Lina Inverse-Clawthorne..”

“I think I remember her..” Luz blushed at the memory of the most tsundere witch she could remember. “She and Gourry were so in love, but he was so dumb..” She laughed at the memory of their arguments, chases, and how they fought over food.. “It took a long time for him to actually realize that much, less confess it..”

“Reaally?”

“Yeah it took end of the world nonsense..” Luz shook her head in utter disappointment at that kind of boneheaded ignorance. “You know.. I originally thought the reason I was.. punished was darker.. That I tried to destroy the world for laughs...”

“Yeah I heard..” Amity gazed at Luz with concern and worry.. “Don’t forget we just saw that your soul was literally ripped apart seven ways.. Soul fragmentation can make people unstable.. Memories can get jumbled up even when the pieces go back when they’re supposed to be.. My guess is the memories of your punishment got mixed with the memories of your later fragments.”

“I hope there’s not gonna be anymore problems..”Luz turned away from Amity. This had been a harrowing experience and Eda had pushed Amity to go through it with her.. Letting her see all these issues.. It grated on certain learned instincts.

“Hey don’t worry Luz.. We’re with you.. Okay?”

“Okay..” Luz lit up again. She hugged Amity tightly before reaching into her pocket and pulled out the bell. “Let’s go..” She rang it twice..

Seconds later…

Luz woke up to see Lilith chained with her staff currently lying in Eda’s grip. Amity got up not too soon after and a sour frown grew on her face..

“Lilith..”

“Amity..”

“You wanna run it by me how Luz was a threat to you and how that justified lethal force?”

“She’s the lord of darkness! Literally the source of all dark magic..”

“She was a fourteen year-old girl barely my age struggling with magic. No offense..”

“None taken..”

“And you had to the gall to kidnap her, to threaten her, just to get an advantage over Eda. How is that civilized? How is that any better than how you say the wild witches were.. If her powers hadn’t woke up..”

“But, she didn’t die… Frankly I’m not certain anything could kill her..”

“You did all this to secure your place with a tyrant..”

“Those are treasonous words..”

“Is it really treason if the civilization he sustains isn’t worth preserving? … eight hundred thousand people…”

“..Excuse me?” Lilith’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Amity with growing fear and desperation. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her apprentice couldn’t possibly know, could she? “What are you talking about?”

“What does she mean Amity?”

“… Our population is dwindling Luz.. There are witches disappearing from time to time..” Amity pinned Lilith with a glare.. “Their palismans are taken, artifacts destroyed, and research burned.. He’s feeding on us isn’t he?”

“…..I won’t say another word..”

“Right because of your little collar..”

Everyone turned to look at Luz who was startled before rubbing the back of her head with an embarrassed smile.. “Ooh right sorry about that still have Atlantis on the brain.. The contract in her wrist reminds me of the sigil contracts the nobles used to use for their slaves… I mean the spell work is almost exactly alike… This is reaally uncomfortably for me now..”

“Wait you’re saying the coven system is based on Atlantean Slavery?”

“Basically? I mean think about it you can control all potential avenues for the lower class mages.. And keep them from being a potential threat by making them weaker..”

“In that case were would Lilith have been?” Eda grinned towards her sister eyes filled mischievous mirth.

“A highly valued tutor or courtesan. Based on her abilities, limiters, and tracking glyphs..”

“Courtesan?!” An infuriated Lilith growled.

“Limiter?!”

“Ha that’s rich imagine conservative Lilith as a courtesan..” Eda grinned as Lilith began to blush and fume.. She decided against pushing it any further given there kids in the room. “So not a noble?”

“I can’t really say Atlantean Witches were really weird about family lineage…” Luz had to resist the urge to facepalm. That ideology was so stupid.. Ceifeed had originally noticed a number of genetic illness arising from harmful genes.. He had repaired the damage, but complained about having to do it so often.. So he taught his priests how to fix the problems… Some people heard his words and went completely off the wall and started obsessing over linage and blood.. “If they knew about your ancestor originally being a human slave girl.. They’d get all twitchy.. That said no Nobles ever had them.. They were the only free mages who never wore such degrading things..”

“Ha looks like between you and me I’m the only nobility..” Eda laughed to herself.. “That said human ancestor?”

“Indeed please explain.” Lilith’s eyes narrowed as she put aside her sister’s comments for now...

“Edalin Clawthorne, she was a first generation witch a real prodigy.. She was born human and entered Atlantis as a slave after an attack on her village.. And she acquired magic later in life..” Luz smiled as she thought fondly of the child. “Good kid I’m glad she got to become a witch.”

“Wait Edalin the unifier was a human slave girl?!” Lilith shouted with shock she suddenly felt lightheaded… And fainted..

“Uh Lilith?”

“Is she gonna be okay?”

“That used to happen a lot to her as a kid..”

[adarlingwrites]

Absolution

Summary:

noun: formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment

The Capital Wasteland lauded the Lone Wanderer as a hero, a Messiah, a savior who's willing to give her life for the Good Fight. Beyond the legends, the propaganda, and the mythification that surrounded her legacy, there is only one person who knew her bare soul. She gave him his absolution, and now he will fight for hers.

V

February 5, 2278.

The doctor’s words sank in. No. It’s the other way around. I have no one else but her.

After that first incident with the Brotherhood, I had been more vigilant in protecting Percy more than ever. Dr. Li and the few scribes she had authorized are the only people allowed inside Percy’s room, and the scribes who are allowed in need to be accompanied by the doctor at all times, never unsupervised. There were people all over the wasteland whose lives she touched that wanted to see her. Some of the teenagers she helped in Big Town came by yesterday but they were turned away. Moira Brown, the annoying scientist who runs Craterside Supply in Megaton, came by too. She wasn’t allowed inside. Less work for me.

Dr. Li was in the middle of taking Percy’s blood pressure when the intercom crackled. “Dr. Li, there’s some kid insisting that they see Percy Zhou. I’m telling him to leave but he’s persistent.”

“Not another wastelander wanting to see her. It’s the fourth time today,” Dr. Li sighs, walking towards the intercom. “I thought I made myself clear the first time. No visitors.”

Then, the boy’s voice comes in, accompanied with a dog’s bark. “Hey! Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Butch DeLoria! Percy and I grew up together in the Vault! We’re even in a gang together! Let me i-”

“Get off that! Dr. Li should I-”

“He’s being truthful,” I finally say when the doctor starts massaging her temples.

“You know who he is? Can he be trusted?”

I weigh my options. On one hand, he can be, and he brought Percy’s dog with him. On the other hand, I would have to put up with that obnoxious piece of shit again.

“Yes.”

The doctor leans into the intercom. “Send him in.”

The door swings open and the Brotherhood grunts shove the guest in. He looks exactly the same as the first time I saw him, save for the wasteland grime and the white shirt and jeans he had in place of his vault suit underneath his leather jacket, identical to the one Percy wears when she’s not in her armor. Comb in hand, the pretty boy greaser fixed up his stupid pompadour. Percy’s dog bounds towards me, panting and wagging his tail.

Maybe this visit wouldn’t be so unpleasant after all.

“I said watch the hair, goddammit,” he snarls at the tin cans. They just shrugged and left.

“And who are you?” Dr. Li cuts in, holding a medical clipboard with a stern expression on her face. It resembles Percy’s, at times. Honestly, it’s weird.

“Butch DeLoria, y’know, the new barber in Rivet City? Percy’s gang leader? Anyway, where’s Percy? I brought Dogmeat with me, I thought that he’d- oh. Damn.”

DeLoria shut his damn mouth up when he saw Percy lying unconscious on the gurney, tubes attached to her body and living on life support. Her skin, though now free of burns, is still ghostly pale, and her lips still tinged blue. Her hair stopped falling off, but she still lost clumps. Breathing faint, still bleeding in some places, but alive.

“Perce, what happened to you?” he mumbles, walking over to her. His face sags and so does his shoulders. Pretty boy reached out to touch her, but I placed an arm to hold him back, and shook my head. Dogmeat sniffs his mistress' hand and I hold him off as well, which earned me a whine.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?”

“Her immune system is still compromised,” Dr. Li speaks up, wedging herself between Percy and us, and she puts her gloves on.

“Whaddaya mean, doc?”

“Persephone is suffering from aplastic anemia due to the radiation exposure damaging her bone marrow. It means her red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelet count are plummeting. Her body is too weak to ward off even the most benign infections. Platelet transfusions and antibiotics keep her protected but we can never be too careful. It’s miraculous she’s still alive and recovering well for someone who was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation.”

“Damn, doc, English please.” The greaser is starting to get on my nerves, and the doctor’s too. Secretly, I had hoped she would throw him out.

“She is vulnerable and you can kill her with your germs. Now please, one of the scribes will come in soon to clean and disinfect her bedpan and I need to administer some medication. Privacy would be appreciated.”

“Oh. Um. Okay. I’ll just hang with Charon here,” Butch replies. His shoulders sag even further.

“Charon, if you could please ensure that our guest behaves himself so I can tend to Persephone, it would be appreciated,” Dr. Li tells me.

Dammit.

For the first time since she was admitted, I left Percy’s room. Usually, I’d just turn around when the scribes come to clean up after her. Now, I’m stuck with this ass. I’m not sure if I should be relieved that he’s not being himself. The two of us sat in silence on a bench nearby, a seat apart, where Dogmeat sat down. The dog’s resting his head on my lap, and I pet his scarred face, remembering how Percy cried when we almost lost him to a deathclaw in Olney. I settled in my seat. Greaser boy didn’t.

“Hey,” he finally breaks the silence, much to my dismay. I’m not in a conversational mood. I just want to watch over my partner.

“Look man, I know you’re not much of a talker, but I need to get this out,” Butch speaks up, staring at his feet. “I don’t know if Percy ever talked about me, but, I’ve been an ass to her. I hurt her when we were kids, and I hurt her a lot.”

Pretty boy sniffs, lights a cigarette, and offers one to me as well. I take it, and he lights it for me. “Somehow she still had it in her to forgive me for being an ass and we became partners in crime. Then she loved me, trusted me, and I threw that away. Fuck, I’m surprised she still let me back into her life as a friend.”

“Where are you going with this?”

Silence.

DeLoria glares at me, a look of regret and envy in his eyes. What the hell?

“I saw how you look at her.”

“What.” I didn’t mean to say it out loud.

“I had a hunch her joke about you being her new boyfriend wasn’t one. I should be insulted that Percy would rather be with a ghoul than me, but hey, as long as she’s happy huh?”

“What the fuck are you talking about.” The words were bitter and flat, coming from my mouth.

“Wait, I thought you two were together together.”

“What.”

DeLoria groans and palms at the back of the nape. “Man, Perce almost broke my jaw when I called you a zombie in the vault, remember? You two are obviously tight, then some of those Brotherhood assholes were talking about how she’s riding ghoul dick. I thought I put two and two together.”

I couldn’t help myself. I stood up and grabbed him by the collar, fuming. The cigarette falls from his mouth as I push him against the wall. “My partner is unconscious, barely alive, and a distasteful comment about her is the last thing I want to hear.”

I wanted to break his jaw for real. The kid smells like aftershave, cigarette smoke, and fresh, adrenalized sweat. All of the false bravado he had drained from his face.

“Whoa, calm down! Don’t shoot the messenger, geez. I’m an ass, but I’d be the last to talk shit about Percy. Not after what she’s been through. Take it out on the Brotherhood, not me!”

“What else are they saying?”

“Well, one of them called you a freak, a zombie, a cradle-robbing corpse, a-”

“I do not concern myself with what they say about me. What did they say about my partner?”

“They called her a bleeding heart, a ghoul fucker and a mutant lover, I don’t know, dammit. I just got here, remember?”

I let him go before I hurt him with my misplaced anger. We pick up our fallen cigarettes. DeLoria straightens his jacket.

“Man, you’re too intense. Chill, won’t you?” He tosses a stick of bubblegum to me and I catch it with one hand. “Here. I was supposed to bring ‘em for Percy but, yeah. I didn’t know she ain’t awake. Guy on the radio just said that she’s alive thanks to you.”

I grunted in acknowledgement, and unwrapped the bubblegum. Damn sugar is going to rot my teeth, and I’m fortunate enough to still have most of them, but I couldn’t help it. It’s a habit I picked up from travelling with my partner. I pop it in my mouth and sit back down on the bench, contemplating.

What DeLoria told me explains the weight behind Li’s words when she said that she didn’t care what the nature of my relationship with my partner was. Percy cleaned up the wasteland, started the damn purifier, and almost died as a result, and she receives not a single ounce of respect. Just because she chose to be associated with me.

I can’t help but resent the Brotherhood even more. Ungrateful bastards.

“Dammit, I’m not good with this heart-to-heart bullshit. I don’t care, just… never stop taking care of Percy, okay?”

I nod at him. He's resting his head on his hands. “Screw it, I’m off. I’ll try to visit again soon. I’ll leave the dog here. If- when she wakes up, tell her I’ll do her hair for her. It’s a mess.”

DeLoria finally stands up and dusts his jacket. He walks away wordlessly, head hung low on his shoulders.

Once again, I’m left with my thoughts.

I pondered on the rumors about our relationship.

Percy is the first friend I made in a long time. My condition did not bother her. She went out of her way to put any bigot in their place, even when their words had no effect on me. She shared with me her bubblegum, Nuka-Cola, her books, the roof over her head, and a whole lot more. She’s my first employer who treated me as an equal, and the only to grant me freedom from my contract.

Percy cannot be harboring feelings for an old, damaged ghoul like me. Hell, her ex-boyfriend is a pretty boy. I can’t fucking compete with that. She, as Carol said, is a pretty, young smoothskin. A happy future with a smoothskin spouse is what she deserves. A liaison with me would be terrible for her. Ghouls already face enough bigotry on a daily basis. Merely being accused of fucking one can have dire consequences for a smoothskin. Bigots will lynch her, whether I did touch her or not.

She doesn’t deserve that.

She deserves better than me.

I crushed the cigarette under my heel and grimaced. I went back inside Percy’s room after Dr. Li gave me the all-clear, Dogmeat following close behind. At the foot of her bed, I sat once more, this time with a mutt on my lap. I look at Percy’s sleeping form, the tubes, and the medical equipment.

I need to hear her laugh again. I need to touch her. I need to hold her hand, and close it around mine. I need to feel her warmth pressed against my chest. I need to feel her lips against my ruined mouth again, just like in the rotunda.

In the five months I knew her, Percy stirred something in me, and I did my best to hold it in. I was scared; it’s unfamiliar.

The kiss she gave me before she went in the purifier forced me to confront the truth. Everything I had suppressed rushed to the surface.

Is it love?

Whatever it is, it gave me hope.

It ruined me.

[kob131]

https://itsclydebitches.tumblr.com/post/613974327525883904/one-of-the-worst-parts-of-the-entire-volume-7

One of the worst parts of the entire Volume 7 clusterfuck is that by not saying any of the truth about Salem team RWBY has actively helped Salem more than any other person or group in the entirety of the show through a single action and even with the Ace Ops and Ironwood "turning" on them there really is no acknowledgement of the sheer horror that should be had at what they did. They chose to let an entire nation of people blindly march off to their deaths and they have the moral high ground?

Because they didn’t, seeing as they told the truth later on. And wouldn’t Ironwood turning on them BE the sheer horror after how much we got to know him?

It really does confuse me. So many people are insisting that Ironwood is the one causing division because:

Oh this should be good.

He’s taking resources from Mantle… to build a means of uniting the whole world, an action that he believes will eliminate the Salem problem completely.

And Ozpin lied to try and unite the world and give it hope: he still lied and shouldn’t have done that because he never considered how damaging that would be to his cause. Just like Ironwood not helping Mantle wouldn’t work if Mantle’s a god damn ghost town.

He refuses to work with Robyn… even though he doesn’t refuse, merely points out that they both need to find common ground for an alliance to work, while she’s the one proving that he was right to mistrust her (stealing supplies, spying on his projects, trying to use her semblance in front of Jacques, immediately abandoning Ironwood the moment he makes a decision she doesn’t like).  

They HAD common ground: Help the people. You even admit she worked with the man the moment he proved he was trying to help. And guess what caused her to side against him? Him trying to arrest Qrow (in her eyes, an innocent man) and DITCHING MANTLE. 

He arrests Team RWBY… because they made it clear they wouldn’t support him first. They’re the ones who broke this alliance, telling him in no uncertain terms that if he didn’t do things their way they would stand against him. More importantly, they broke that alliance weeks ago by lying to him and keeping secrets right at the start. If RWBYJNR doesn’t trust Ozpin because of those lies why in the world would they expect Ironwood to trust them? Throw in Blake and Yang betraying him again and it’s clear that they were never willing to work with him. They’re only willing to use him as a resource that follows their orders, free of compromise.

... You wanna know what kills your argument before you even make it?

Being biased.

‘he didn’t do things their way’ = ‘Leaving Mantle to die to save Atlas’

‘keeping secrets right at the start’ = ‘Ironwood did the same thing with Amity’

‘��They’re only willing to use him as a resource’ = ‘Ironwood is making a decision that fundamentally goes against Team RWBY’s and his own principles.’

This whole post so far has been blaming other people or making excuses for Ironwood’s own decisions and their consequences. For people who bitch at the ones defending Team RWBY for doing, you sure are comfortable doing it yourself.

The only thing Ironwood has done to arguably divide people is decide to leave with Atlas and, as I’ve pointed out extensively elsewhere, that’s a matter of trying to save some in the face of inevitable destruction.

An ‘inevitable destruction’ they don’t know is ‘inevitable’.

What does it matter if the Kingdom is divided if the entire Kingdom is dead

Because he’s been preaching ‘save everyone’ for the whole Volume, it’s his duty as a public servant and leaving people to die will just make everyone angry and distrustful of him...which will lead them to die ANYWAY.

That’s the same issue we’ve seen in regards to his supposed dictator choices, like having a curfew and letting his robots roam the streets. Does that feel like an unpleasant thing that may infringe on people’s individual rights? Yep. Is that helping to ensure that people don’t get eaten by grimm? Yep.

Because authoritarian dictators have never used a crisis to seize power and not like America, the country PRODUCING RWBY, is fundamentally against this shit.

If you want a current semi-comparative example, look to the regulations in place due to Corvid-19. There are people going, “You can’t make me stay home. It’s my right to go wherever I please. It’s not right to demand that I stay indoors/give up my vacation/not leave the state/etc. because I am entitled to those freedoms.” But of course the obvious push-back to that is, "These rules are in place to help keep everyone alive.

At the cost of making them miserable and distrusting in the government, which leads to people ignoring ALL Covid regulations, even the non-invasive ones, and then people start dying again but no one cares at that point because they feel the government has ignored and abused them. Kind of like what happened with Ironwood and Mantle, as Mantle became hostile towards him as he never tried to understand or compromise with them.

Sometimes people in power claim that there are justified reasons for their infringements on peoples’ rights when in fact those reasons are total BS, but I don’t think Ironwood is one of those cases.

You’re so biased for the guy I doubt you would admit it even if you though Ironwood was like that. And even then, so called ‘justified reasons’ still aren’t reasons to infringe on people’s rights. 

It’s a matter of, “You might not like having robots in the street but they’re there so they can at best take out grimm and worst buy you time to run away,” which is precisely what we saw when the group first arrived.

And then they all got fucked when said regulations caused such a volatile state that when Jacques took advantage, it began a chain reaction that caused the Grimm to attack and everything in the climax to happen.

If Ironwood wanted to be a dictator he would have declared martial law ages ago. Instead his thinking has always been balanced between what is right and what is practical: what do I need to do to keep my people alive? They can be pissed at me all they want, but at least they exist to be pissed.

You don’t need a want to make mistakes and do bad shit: all it takes is being misguided. Ironwood never shows he considers what is right, only what is practical within the boundaries he thinks is right. He never listened to others until before Salem and it continuously costed him. 

You know, for as much flak he got, Ozpin shows why his way worked better than Ironwood. Yeah he lied to but he also considered the feelings of others, he listened to them, he accepted their arguments and went out of his way to try and accommodate them. Because of this, even now, everyone is still loyal to him in some way. They’re all chasing flawed versions of Ozpin’s way, because the man lived long enough to see the path that was best.

Like we’re going, “Yes, we will fine you for leaving your house without a permit so you don’t contract and spread this deadly disease.” Ironwood is going, "Yes, I will require that you keep the streets clear so that you don’t draw in and get eaten by these deadly creatures.”

And then the people said “We don’t care anymore, you have shown us no reason to trust you.”

You cannot ignore the people’s wishes forever without consequence.

The blurry line between protection and infringement will always be debated, but to my mind Team RWBY’s perspective is far too much on the other side of things.

Cool, you’ve proceeded to understand HALF the conflict. 50% is still a failing grade though.

It’s dangerously naive.

Same with you. Meanwhile, Ironwood is dangerously pessimistic, disregarding others viewpoints and feelings to march ahead, never realizing he’ll never reach his goal because his methods destroyed any chance at it. Down to even ignoring a fundamental aspect of human nature.

They want to win this war without anyone going through any hardship and, while noble, that’s just not possible.

... Yang lost an arm and they’ve watched people DIE.

That is HIGHLY reductionist of their view. 

hey can wish and strive for that all they want, but so long as that keeps them from making logical decisions—like saving at least some of the Kingdom when you have no plan to avoid total annihilation—then they’re hurting more than they’re helping.

Meanwhile, Ironwood can make all the ‘practical’ decisions he wants, but as long as he continues to ignore fundamental aspects of human nature, like opposing oppression even if it means mutual destruction, he can’t save anyone.

Ironwood, like Ozpin, understands that winning any war, let alone a war against an enemy like Salem, is going to be rife with hard and messy choices. Which means that there will always be division.

And Ozpin went out of his way to ensure UNITY. He tried to be as honest as he could be with people, consider their feelings, stand by his principles.

Let me ask you: Why doesn’t Ozpin just take away four baby girls from their parents and raise them to be the Maidens as his undeniably loyal underlings? Lock the Maidens away so no one can ever get to them, thus preventing their power from falling into the wrong hands? Why doesn’t he just declare open war on Salem and sacrifice countless lives to forever keep her in check? 

Why doesn’t Ozpin act like a worse version of Ironwood?

Because he knows better than to do this.

here’s literally no choice in existence that keeps everyone happy and safe and never feeling any negative feelings about the shit storm raging around them. Salem wins in that regard simply by virtue of the fact that life is hard and life isn’t fair. Accepting that hardships will exist and trying to mitigate the damage from them doesn’t make Ironwood a villain and it certainly doesn’t make him as bad as Salem.

Yeah, it just makes him as bad as the people he turned against.

The person causing division as an inevitable byproduct of trying to save the entire world is not the same thing as the woman trying to wipe out that world.

It does make him as bad as his predecessor.

Yeah, remember the Great War in RWBY? The one that started because of events in Mantle. Events that infringed on the citizen’s rights for survival’s sake and it did the opposite, causing a fuckton of death and destruction?

Yeah, Ironwood is doing the SAME BASIC THING the King of Mantle did. He’s REPEATING his land’s own mistakes.

When you ask that Ironwood be seen as the good guy here, you ask that people not only ignore events in the show, events in real life, the foundation of the country RWBY is made in, the foundation of the show itself but the foundation of the people he’s trying to save.

That doesn’t work.