#i went out with him and his daughter to try and see the northern lights but it was too cloudy

[desire-mona]

can someone please come over and braid my hair and talk about fnaf like im 9 again thanks. can someone please come over and pretend like its all ok thanks.

[silvervioletvalentine]

🎱🖤!The boyfriend experience!🖤🎱

Pairing : Quinn Hughes x Cherrie!

Word count : 10k

Summary: in which he’s bad with words so Trevor comes up with plan ‘the boyfriend experience’ . Aka- show her what’s it’s like to have a man that’s in love with her In hopes that she sees what was right there waiting for her all along.

Warnings: fluff. Tiny bit of angst? Dickhead ex’s and Cherrie and Q snap like little angtsy bitches at each other like once or twice. That’s it? I think. Idek. I’m not sure I like this one but have it anyways! Xoxo

Quinn felt like their weekends were repeating itself as they heard the slamming of their front door, high heels being thrown angrily to the floor before she let out a strangled scream of heartbreak , frustration and hurt .

Not looking in either of their directions as she stomped through the apartment with tears in her eyes , pretty dress all rumpled and lips trembling again .

Quinn shared a familiar look with Trevor as they both watched their friend sniffle and cry over yet another guy that wasn't worth a single tear of hers , feeling his own heart squeeze painfully in his chest for her, the same way he did every time this happened.

He oftened wondered why such a beautiful and golden hearted woman like Cherrie kept letting these stupid , heartless assholes break her down like this.

De ja vu became the same old song , the same tune, the same lyrics but with a different man each time. All of them causing her nothing but heartbreak and pain, yet she never stopped or gave in.

Trevor told him it was because she had watched her mother do the same thing , going through guy after guy her whole life. Screaming , crying and going through the same endless cycle of toxicity and drama until she finally found the one.

Like Mother , like daughter . All she wanted was to find her one, her person ..her best friend. So she looked and she searched , she laughed prettily at date nights , she let them touch her skin and kiss her blue but each time she came back home alone. Each time yet another attempt at love needed , Quinn could see the light slowly fading from her pretty eyes , could see the strain in her sweet smile . Could see the toll the heartbreak was taking on her body as she grew more tense , more on edge and more argumentative .

Refusing to listen to any of them, refusing to believe that her friends advice was right . That love would find her when she was ready , that she needed to stop looking for love in dirty bars and sleezy clubs, that she wasn't going to meet the one past midnight.

But Cherrie was stubborn , and she was a hopeless romantic . A hot mess. So she went on every date , accepted every touch and every empty kiss in hopes that it would make her feel something .

Longing to feel that spark , to feel her heart come alive again , to just feel something other than pain, other than disappointment and guilt when yet another attempt at love blew up in her face.

Trying to push down the tears as the disgust and self doubt set in, wondering why they didn't want her like she wanted them too. Wondering why she wasn't enough to keep them loyal, wondering why every man she tried to love always turned out to be the same .

Liars with pretty faces and the charm of a two faced snake .

Another notch added to her pain as she saw her boyfriend leave a party with someone that wasn't her. Watched him smile like he had never smiled at her , kissing this beautiful girl like she was the star in his sky.

Her boyfriend found the one. And it wasn't her. It never was. She was always the stepping stone for them to find someone better. Every ex boyfriend had found the one after ruining her , after ripping her apart and  tearing her heart to pieces .

They got their happily ever after . They got their happy story. They got their one. Their northern star.

Cherrie got Empty apology's , the 'it's not you it's me.' She got the slammed doors and pitying looks from her friends as yet another man didn't want her.

She could feel the hollowness spreading across her chest as she sniffled and roughly wiped at her eyes, glaring over at a grimacing Trevor , who was shaking his head quietly at her. Looking like he was going to say something

So she snapped "I don't want to fucking hear it right now alright? I know. I fucking know!" Daring them to say a single word about it.

She didn't give them a chance to reply, didn't even spare them a second glance before she was stomping off to her bedroom , the door slamming shut loudly behind her as she threw her tired body down onto her bed . Burying her burning face into her pillow as she screamed into it, cursing out his name.

Just like with everything else . She never learned.

It was tensely silent between then for a while before Trevor finally scoffed and muttered sadly "I wish she would stop doing this to herself." Hating seeing his friend in so much pain. Hated that she couldn't just see what was right in front of her.

Every day he had watched them dance around each other , his friends hurting each other without even realising it.

For so long now , He had watched Quinn quietly watch her from afar as she laughed at another mans jokes, watched Quinn swallow painfully and force himself to look away each time she cried to them about yet another love gone bad.

He had watched Quinn silently love her for the past three years while Cherrie wondered why no one could ever do so, oblivious to the longing glances and heartache that she was causing the quiet hockey player who wasn't brave enough to say a thing.

So they both hurt , and they both wished for it to be different.

Trevor was so fucking sick of it.

He said so , looking at a frowning Quinn on the couch opposite him , still staring silently at the space where she had been stood.

"You're losing out ya know? Wasting time because Some day she won't come home crying because she's got her heart broken again." He told him straight up , fed up with the both of them acting like this.

Quinn didn't answer. He never did.

Simply rolled his eyes and crossed his arms defensively over his chest , refusing to look up from his feet. Heart sinking deeper in his stomach as he heard her cry from her room, inhaling a little shakily as he told himself that she wouldn't want him anyway . She just didn't look at him as someone that could make her happy in a way that ‘just friends’ didn’t.

Not that he blamed her. He hasn't actively tried to either. Had never done or said a single thing that could make her aware to his feelings . Had never so much as touched her softly like he wanted to , they only ever bickered and shoved at each other as friends. No matter how much he wished it was different , he didn’t have to guts to put his heart on the line like that .

So instead He held her hair when she was throwing up after drinking with her friends.

He silently passed her tissues when she cried quietly during a sad movie. He pulled her away from fights that started just because she was drunk and bored, hauling her home before she could cause anymore trouble.

He was the one that she played video games with. The one she bickered with over what they would eat each night . He was the one who drove her to her dates, the one that had her location on his phone to make sure that she was safe. The one to pick her up the following morning , same dress and walk of shame.

They never spoke about it, he just brought her back home and they ignored the quiver to her voice and the tightness of his fists around the wheel as he drove them home at sunrise .

He was never an option for her. He knew that but it didn't mean that it hurt any less to watch her get her heart broken all over again. To watch her be used and thrown away like she wasn't something special , as though her very being didn't make him feel complete . As though the simple Brush of her fingers never sparked his fuse.

But he never said a thing. He was too damn scared of what could happen if he did.

"You should try man. What have you got to lose?" Trevor said.

Hearing enough, Quinn shoved to his feet and shook his head at him in annoyance.

“Shut up." He muttered underneath his breath , not sparing him another glance before he made his way down the hallway.

Taking a deep breath as he hovered outside of her bedroom door for a moment , hesitating , before finally knocking softly and stepping inside her room.

Cherrie, now wrapped in a oversized hoodie , eyes rimmed red and scowl plastered to her pretty face. Glared at him tiredly "come to tell me 'I told you so?'" She muttered , angry with herself for letting this happen again. Ashamed that she was so weak for each and every lie they gave her.

She just wanted somebody to love her. Just her. Was that so much to ask for?

Quinn felt a pinch in his chest at how she thought he would throw her pain straight in her face , shaking his head at her. Feelings Hurt .

But he didn't let his feeling show. He never did.

Instead he simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders casually before asking "no. Wanna  make some cookies? I want something sugary." Picking it out from the top of his head.

He just wanted her to stop looking so fucking sad over some asshole that didn't even deserve to breathe the same air as she did.

Cherries lips parted a little as she frowned, looking over at him in disbelief . She watched him shuffle on his feet, not meeting her eyes. Instead he fiddled with the soft dressing gown on the back of her door and she found her glare softening immediately .

Sniffling quietly , she shuffled off the bed and pulled her sweater further down her thighs . Shoving her feet into the fluffy cow face slippers , she missed the way Quinn looked down at the ridiculous googley eyed slippers with a small quirk of his lips. Fondness covering his face.

So She sighed "chocolate?" She muttered. Peering up at him through wet lashes , sniffling again as she wiped at her face tiredly. Just wanting this awful day to be over.

Quinn hummed a little as he opened her door, nudging her through it first gently first before he followed her out.

"Obviously." He replied quietly , ignoring the raised eyebrow Trevor shot them from the couch as he played video games.

He wasn't doing anything, wasn't going to try anything . No matter what Trevor thought he knew.

He just wanted her to stop fucking crying all alone In her bedroom like a saddo. That's all. and cookies always made her feel better before. He had once watched her eat an entire plate full after watching the notebook.

Cookies were always the best option to go with.

Cherrie pulled her herself up on the countertop next to him , watching quietly as he pulled out all the ingredients and got to work. She held the mixing bowl while he measured out the sugar. Silence lasting between them for a while, neither knowing just what to say.

Legs swinging , she placed her foot on his hip as he leaned over to pour the dry ingredients into the bowl. Cherrie stirring it as she neaded her toes into his hip absentmindedly .

Quinn's lips quirked at her actions but he didn't move away, he just pinched her ankle and muttered casually "the moron kind of remembered me of megamind with that big ass forhead of his."

The casualness of his comment made her snort , both amused and startled.

Then She laughed . Hollowly. Taking her foot back as she placed the bowl onto the counter and reached beside her to grab a glass of much needed wine.

Quinn watched from the corner of his eye as she poured the red wine until the glass was almost full, sighing quietly to himself as she gulped it down without any hesitation . Knowing what was going to happen. They had this routine pinned down by now.

"Only megamind turned out to be a good guy in the end. This one turned out to be a fucking liar and a cheat." She grumbled upset .

Exhaling loudly as she shook her head in disbelief at herself , wondering when her luck in love would change. Or if it ever even would.

Quinn didn't know what to say. So it went quiet between them again, Cherrie sipping on her wine while he put the cookies on the tray with a icecream scoop.

Eyes down to the tray, he muttered "but he was also blue so.."

Cherrie grumbled "maybe I like them blue. Matches my fucking mood eh?" She laughed amusedly , eyes down to her glass missing the way Quinn frowned sadly at her.

Stupidly , she added without thinking "I'm gonna have to redownload tinder again. That'll be fun."

Quinn slammed the oven door shut a little too hard, making her look over at him, startled by the sound.

She found his eyes already on her, face hard and lips pursed as he struggled to push down the rush of anger and sadness he felt . Shaking his head at her in disbelief .

"Isn't that what started this mess in the first place?" He remarked , unimpressed by how she was already planning on her next heartbreak when it had only been hours since her last one.

She was a fucking glutine for punishment. He wished it didn't hurt to know why she did it. Wish it didn't hurt so much to see her to find love in every single guy that wasn't him. In all the wrong places and wrong people.

He wasn't even an option in her mind , and it stung.

"Why not take a break from it?" He added hopefully. It would lessen both of their heartbreak, at least for a little while.

Cherrie, tipsy and pissed off with the whole male species in general. Scoffed cruelly "and be forever single like you are? I don't think so. I actually want somebody to come home to." She muttered coldly.

Quinn paused.

Gripping the towel tightly in his hand, felt the blow of her words. Then Turned them straight back at her like an arrow because arguing was familiar .

Feelings just hurt.

It was easier to be angry than to be sad.

"Better to be single then getting constantly cheated on by guys that don't even see you as a fucking human being. You're just a stepping stone for them to use until they find the next best thing." He snapped back.

Wincing as soon as the cruel words had left his mouth , knowing that he had gone too far. That she was still too vulnerable, her heart still too sore with heartache to hear it.

Wounded , she jumped down from the counter and glared over at him angrily.

Slamming her empty glass down onto counter, she felt her lip quiver , another arrow to her chest .

She looked into Quinn's hardened face, then saw his eyes shift uneasily , saw the remorse come a little too late.

"Fuck you!" She shouted at him hatefully .

Head spinning and heart hurting like a bitch because she knew that he was right. And that's what hurt the most.

“At least I can get someone! You're single because no one fucking wants you! Not even for night! At least I have someone to cry over! What do you have? Hockey! That's it!" She was hurting him and she knew it but she couldn't shut her mouth. She never could. They never could.

Months of hurting and months of men invalidating her feelings, and treating her like shit.

She was enough for men to fuck but that was it and it fucking hurt so bad. It hurt to see her friends roll their eyes when it happened to her again and again and again. Like she wanted it to happen. Like she asked to be used and thrown away like a dirty rag when they were done with her.

It hurt to see Quinn not a say a thing when it did. To have him so close , yet he didn't hold ber. Didn't wipe away her tears. He always stayed away.

He didn't look at her when she got ready for her dates, didn't say a word when she brought them back home. But she saw the judgment all over his face when they would still be there in the morning , saw the way he would scoff beneath his breath and leave as soon as he saw her in their T-shirt , not returning until they were gone again.

It was like he didn't give a single shit and it fucking stung because that was all she wanted him to do. But he never did. He treat her like a friend he barely tolerated. 

He would make her food but he would never sit down to eat with her. He would hand her a drink on a night out but leave as soon as she got up to dance. He never stayed around to hear her reply, never stayed long enough for her to ask him to dance with her . Never looked at her long enough for her to catch his eye and smile his way.

And it hurt and it made her angry that it did because she didn't understand why she felt that way. Why she wanted Quinn to look at her , why she wanted him to listen to her stupid jokes and go crazy Golfing with her. Why she saw something at some stupid store and immediately wondered what he would think about it. Why she always looked for him in each crowded room even when she knew he wouldn't be there , preferring to stay home and out of the way.

She didn't get it. Because Quinn wasn't her type. She usually went for tall, tanned , six packed guys with more ego than brains . The kind that looked so good that it made her brain halt all together , the guys so hot that she forgot what assholes they were as soon as they took off their shirts and flashed their white grins at her. That was what she usually went for and it always ended up in tears, for her at least.

Quinn was ...Quinn wasn't them. At all. And maybe ..maybe that was why it stung so much to hear the words come out from his mouth.

When all she wanted to do was talk to him and tell him that she was sorry , that she didn't mean it. That any girl would be lucky to have him.

Because he was, he was a good guy. Beneath the grumbles and the mumbles, he was good.

She felt like a evil cunt stood next to him. Both of them glaring at each other, too tired and too worked up. Both should have known better than to do this then.

"Fuck you!" Quinn shouted back at her, so hurt and so fucking angry.

Trevor , quickly hauled his ass up off the couch as soon as he heard them screaming at each other nastily . Running into the kitchen , wide eyes darting between the two of them in shock.

"What the hell is going on?!" He exclaimed while pulling a seething Cherrie away from Quinn before she could hit him. Or do something just as stupid.

She choked on a sob "he's a fucking dick! He Can dish out the truth but can't handle it himself!" She snapped out .

Quinn scoffed coldly at her in return "truth? The truth is that you're so fucking desperate for attention that you get with these stupid assjole and then-" he ignored Trevor rapidly shaking his head in warning to him, Quinn only seeing red after being bathed in green jealously for so long .

“-Then You expect us to be all sympathetic when it ends in you getting fucked over again! You cause your own bullshit Cherrie !" He shouted at her furiously .

Trevor winced in shock "shit- man- come on-"

Cherrie snatched her arm from his grip before laughing humourlessly "fine! If that's how you feel then I won't fucking tell you anything anymore! I'll deal with my bullshit on my own! Since I'm such a fucking attention seeking bitch-!" She shoved past the both of them in a rage . Just wanting to go to sleep and forget that she even existed.

Quinn groaned loudly , hands rubbing over his face in frustration . Because that wasn't what he wanted to say or what he meant at all. But he had never been very good at words. Just like she wasn't with her own either.

"I didn't say that-I didn't call you a bitch-"

"You might as well have! But trust me, I don't think of you very highly right now either!" She screamed while pushing open her bedroom door "so fuck you and your cookies you asshole!" She screamed over her shoulder , then the door slammed shut behind her.

Leaving both Trevor and Quinn in a tense silence in the kitchen . Trevor looking at him in disbelief as he ran his hand through his hair stressfully.

Disappointment quickly filled his gaze as he looked at Quinn. "dude-what was that?  Screaming at her isn't going to get her to-"

Quinn scoffed angrily , cutting him off. "god just shut up! I don't care alright? She's just acting like she always does. Blames everybody but herself!" He snapped. Pulling the cookies out of the oven before they burned.

The anger making him practically throw them down onto the plate, the hotness of them not even registering with him. Too busy with his head full of her tearful eyes and razor blade tongue.

Trevor rolled his eyes at them behind his back. "just like you then. You like to blame her and the guys but I don't see you stepping up and doing what you want to." He said blandly. Sick of them both .

Quinn swallowed, eyes still down to his hands putting away the cookies. "you don't know what I want to do. I don't know why I even fucking bother." He muttered upset. Grabbing a smaller plate and placing two of the bigger cookies on it.

Trevor smiled a little in amusement as he watched his actions.

"cause you love her." He simply responded. 

Quinn shook his head in denial but his down turned eyes were glossy as he grabbed a glass and filled it with cold water .

“I don't. She just-" he inhaled sharply in frustration "she's so fucking stubborn. She doesn’t listen. She looks right through me-"

Trevor groaned again in annoyance. "man. She's not psychic . And shes obviously not smart with love. She's not gonna know if you don't tell her. You haven't even tried!" He wanted to shake him until he realised that she was right there.

All he had to do was reach out for her and never let her go.

Quinn scoffed lowly at him "she doesn't feel that way about me. The new guy every week tells me that. I can't tell her-" the thought made him want to be sick.

What would he even say? He always fucked it up when it came to speaking . Just now proved it to him.

Trevor just shrugged and said "so show her then. Show her what a good boyfriend you could be. Show her how a man in love is supposed to treat his girl. Show her what it feels like when you're the one." He felt like a love guru . Maybe reading all those trashy magazines in airports about love had finally payed off.

He couldn't wait to rub it in all of their friends faces that he was right , that he was their Cupid’s Angel . He just needed it to work.

Both so he could be brag to everyone about him being right ,but mostly so his friends would stop pouting and just be happy together . It seemed so simple in his mind.

Quinn paused and frowned a little at him "show her? How?" His curiosity was peaked because he didn't know how much longer he could go on seeing her with everyone but him.

It hurt too much now.

Trevor grinned smugly at him "give her the boyfriend experience. You can't tell her how you feel? Show her then . Do what you want to. Do everything that you stop yourself from doing because you're too scared she won't feel the same way. Then see how she reacts." He told him confident that his plan would work.

And Quinn, well, Quinn felt like he had everything and yet nothing left to lose.

All he wanted was Cherrie but he needed to show her just how much he cared and shouting at her wasn't the way to go about it.

The next morning Cherrie slugged herself into the kitchen to find a plate already set in front of her usual seat, brows furrowing as she watched Quinn scrape scrambled eggs , bacon and scraps onto the plate . Even greeting her with a small smile as he placed a glass of orange juice beside her plate too.

She slowly took her seat, warily glancing over to Trevor to see if he was finding this as weird as she was.

Having expected Quinn to still be pissed off after their fight last night , he usually stayed on the couch with his bowl of cereal. Refusing to talk to anyone until it was past twelve.

But it was half nine in the morning and he was cooking her breakfast and smiling at her, Cherrie felt on edge . Carefully poking at the food on her plate , eyeing it suspiciously.

"Have you put laxatives in this?" She blurted out, still half asleep and wondering if she was dreaming . Because in what world did Quinn smile and make her breakfast for no reason?

Quinn looked over at her with a offended frown, ignoring Trevor snickering at the look on her face.

When he glanced at him, he just gave him a encouraging thumbs up. The plan to treat her like he was her boyfriend, without actually being it , already set in motion.

He felt awkward as he tried to explain "you usually forgot to eat in the mornings and well...that's stupid and I don't want you to be hungry until lunch so.." he shrugged it off, making his own bowl of cereal. Taking the seat opposite her at the table instead of heading off to the couch like he usually did.

Cherrie was looking at him like he was going to shoot her right there and then.

"Quinn..." she didn't know what to say. But hunger got the better of her, so she shovelled the food into her mouth and decided to shut up and not complain. Humming happily at the taste.

"Thanks." She muttered around her fork , digging in. Missing the way his eyes lit up as he watched her enjoy the food he had made her. The first three attempts burnt and chucked at the bottom of the trash can.

But attempt four was a success.

He hid his grin behind his spoon , swallowing his mouthful as he eyed her then, in a large shirt , sleep in her eyes and hair a wild mess. Curls going off in every direction . He loved seeing her like this, to him , this was when she was most beautiful. Just being herself.

Remembering the way Trevor had told him to compliment her and tell her just what he thought , he tried to give it a go.

Tried to.

Clearing his throat a little he gathered his courage then "I like your hair." He blurted out. Grimacing a little at how strange he sounded , as though he too couldn't believe what he was saying.

Cherrie carefully eyed him over her plate , self consciously running a hand through her hair in attempts to get it to stick down.

“It's a mess. I haven't even brushed it yet." She said, wondering if he was messing with her.

Quinn let out a awkward laugh , shaking his head slowly as he motioned towards her hair like an idiot .

"no. I mean it always is-" seeing the offended look on her face he quickly added "I mean. I like it how it always is. Even when it is messy!" He wanted to die.

Trevor was face palming , eyes closing in disbelief as he watched Quinn fuck up something as simple as complimenting her . But to his defence , they had spent the last few years only ever insulting each other and every honest compliment came wrapped up in sarcasm and jokes.

So he was...new to this.

Cherrie frowned "geez thanks Quinn. I know it's a mess , you don't have to rub it in!" She snapped, still tired and still upset from last night.

She quickly finished off her breakfast and stood up, Downing the orange juice all the while glaring at him.

Quinn spluttered while trying to fix his mistake , hands waving about in front of him "I'm not! I don't mean it badly! I love your hair!" He tried to assure her.

She clearly didn’t believe him , scoffing "you've just called is messy!" She exclaimed.

He huffed in frustration wondering why he was so bad at this. "It is! But that's because you've just woken up! And it still looks good! That's all I'm trying to say." He almost shouted , annoyed that he couldn't even compliment her right.

Unfortunately Cherrie thought that he was annoyed at her .

So she glared, looked at his own messy hair and scoffed again "well. Whatever Quinn! When was the last time you even washed yours?!" She threw at him before stomping off to her room again.

Leaving Quinn to Gape at where she had just been stood in disbelief . Trevor sighing long and hard at him, patting his shoulder in pity.

"Not your best effort. Could use a little more work on that." He winced . Having forgotten that quinn lacked any charm at all. He had the grace of a drunk elephant .

It was going to be long time until their plan worked.

It got even stranger after that and Cherrie felt like she was living in a alternate world where Quinn Hughes actually put in effort to being around her, always making up some excuses to help her and just be there by her side.

Like now, after hearing her tell Trevor that she was heading out to get some drinks with her friends, Quinn hadn’t hesitated before offering to drive her there , despite the fact that he has been in the middle of playing video games with his own friends.

He had hauled his ass off the couch, grabbed his car Keys and practically ran to catch up with her speedy steps.

Eyeing him warily as he Unlocked his car , then held open her door and stepped back, waving his hand at her to get inside.

"You don't have to . I could have gotten the bus." She muttered utterly confused to why he was suddenly offering his services like this.

He didn't like driving anyone anywhere and she knew it. That's why she had never asked for a ride.

Quinn got into the drivers seat, started the car before simply shrugging his shoulders casually as though his cheeks weren’t a bright pink.

"it's not big deal. I wasn't doing anything anyways ." He lied.

Cherrie played with the ends of her hair , side eyeing him as she watched him place his hand at the back of her head rest , looking between their seats as he backed out of the car park.

Making her Inhale a little too sharply as she eyed his tense bicep and focused face, sinking further down on her seat. Wondering how he could look so good in a matching sweatshirt and sweatpants , scruff and all.

She wondered if she was having some sort of crisis because now all she could think about was how hot Quinn really was. A thought that she had desperately tried to never remind herself of.

But it was hard to do when he was suddenly being so nice to her , cooking her food and driving her places just because he wanted to.

She felt her heart soften. And hated it. Because what the actual fuck?

"You were playing games with your friends ." She tried to argue . Feeling a little bad that he had jumped up after her, not even giving any excuses to them. Something he would no doubt be getting rinsed about later.

Quinn looked over at her briefly , admiring the glitter around her eyes , before looking back at the road with a heavy exhale .

“Yeah well. That can wait. I like your dress." He suddenly told her. Changing the subject abruptly.

She glanced down at her little black dress and smiled a little , feeling her cheeks flush . Not used to Quinn complimenting her like this.

It felt nice. The giddy feeling in her stomach Letting know that she wasn't as immune to Quinn as she likes to make herself believe.

"Thanks. I'm er-I'll try to be quieter coming in tonight. I probably won't get back till after midnight." She told him quietly.

Recalling how pissed off he had been the last time that she had woken him up after one of her nights out , drunkenly crashing into the coat stand and managing to knock everything over in the process.

This time, Quinn just shook his head with a soft hum.

Hesitating for a moment before mumbling "I can pick you up too. I don't want you taking the bus home while drunk." As he pulled up outside the bar that she always went to with her friends.

Warily eyeing a group of young guys laughing outside of it, hoping that none of them caught her eye. His heart couldn’t take much more.

Unbuckling herself , she shook her head quickly "oh no. I'll just get an Uber-"

Rolling his eyes at her stubbornness to accept his help , he sighed loudly . Looking at her with a raised brow "Cherrie. Please just let me pick you up? I won't sleep knowing you’re out anyways." He said Honestly .

He never did. His body only ever relaxed when he knew she was safe and at home with him.

Surprised , she slowly nodded her head in acceptance . Smiling a little unsurely at him "okay. If you're sure.."

He smiled back at her gently , exhaling a light laugh at how out of place she looked then. Looking at him like she had never even met him before. He winced to himself and wondered guilty just how much of a jackass he had accidentally been to her lately out of his own jealousy. Realising that in an effort to not let her know just what she meant to him, he had pushed her away. Something he had never wanted to do.

But he was trying now. This was him trying. He was going to make up for it all. He swore.

"I am. Text me when you're ready to come home alright?" He said lowly . Reaching over to fix the strap of her dress back into place gently before moving back again before she could even blink .

Cherrie exhaled shakily , nodded her head and pulled open the door. Slowly getting out "alright." She agreed . Still in shock by how nice he was being towards her now.

All she could think was as she walked to the bar door, glancing ober her shoulder to see Quinn still waiting to see her though the door, only pulling off when she was safe inside. Was.

She could get used to this.

It was nearly two in the morning by the time he picked her back up from the bar, chuckling a little to himself at how drunk she was . Practically throwing herself into her seat, heels quickly disregarded as she grinned over at him happily.

Quinn laughing quietly as she suddenly reached over to squeeze his cheeks between her hand, squishing his lips together as she giggled at him. Pinching his pink cheeks gently .

“I was thinking about you." She blurted out , leaning forward to slap a kiss to the end of his nose before pulling away.

Casually leaning back into her seat like she hadn't just flipped his heart around, Quinn flushing red as he buckled her in. Laughing a little shyly , skin tingly from her fingertips. Shocked by the sudden touch.

"Yeah?" He turned on the car , then reached back with one hand to hand her his sweatshirt, a bottle of water and then a McDonald box. Grinning at the look on her pretty face.

Cherrie gasped loudly , beaming at him as she threw on his sweatshirt without a single complaint. Digging straight into the fries , looking over at him with wide eyes. Glossy and dazed. Like he was her saviour.

"Dude..." she breathed out in amazement "I can't believe you got me McDonalds. That's so nice." She spoke around a mouthful of fries. Never taking her eyes off him.

“And you look so pretty. Why?" She spoke her mind. Drunk and not having a filter at all.

Quinn laughed bashfully , stomach fluttering from her sweet words. He scratched at his jaw awkwardly "I knew you'd be hungry. And I don't.. look pretty." He mumbled shyly .

Heart pounding in his chest as he briefly glanced over at her at the stop light, taken by the sight of her drunk, in his sweatshirt and smiling at him like he had made her whole night.

She had made his. He smiled to himself , chewing on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from giggling like a lovesick idiot at how soft she made him feel.

She giggled and offered him a fry, holding it in front of his mouth as he quickly leaned forward and took it from her fingers with his teeth. Muttering a small thanks as he did so.

"You do." She insisted , leaning over to feed him another one.

Tapping her finger up against his pouty lip after she did , eyes locked on his mouth as he swallowed. Nervously side eyeing her , his cheeks a pretty red.

"Do you remember what you told me the first time that frat bro broke my heart?" She suddenly asked him, finally pulling her hand away.

Crossing her legs beneath her, Quinn reached over and gently tugged down her dress as soon as he caught sight of a peek of lace. Letting out a light laugh as he tapped her thigh for a moment, squinting his eyes as he thought that far back.

"That was three years ago Cherrie. You've had like a gazillion other douchbag boyfriends since then." He commented teasingly , fingers clenching around the wheel as he forced himself to keep his hands to himself .

No matter how adorable he y she looked in his sweatshirt , dress peeking out the bottom, hair a mess and mascara smudged beneath her eyes as she gobbled down her burger like a little gremlin.

Mouth full of burger , she grumbled "not that many." Swallowing her bite, she looked at the raised judgmental brow her gave her and sighed loudly "fine that many. But the first time I cried in front of you.."

Quinn groaned at the bittersweet memory , heart clenching as he remembered the way her big eyes had filled with tears as she sobbed into his chest after finding her boyfriend fucking another girl at a party .

Quinn remembered her crying , reminded talking her to sleep. He also remembered hauling his ass over to the party to beat the guys face in. His knuckles had aches for a week after that.

Not that she knew about it. That was something he swore his brother and friends to keep hush about .

"I told you that he wasn't worth your tears and that you deserved someone that made you happy." He remembered then, softly repeating the words that still stood true now.

Cherrie hummed quietly .

Nodding her head as she glanced over at him, yawning as she finished her burger. Gaze lingering on the healing scab on his nose from his last injury , she sighed quietly.

"This has made me happy." She told him softly , tugging her hands into the sleeve of his sweatshirt , watching the colour bloom across his face at her words.

He chuckled a little , heart beating a little faster as he spared her a quick glance. "Yeah? Which part? McDonald's or the sweatshirt that I'm never getting back now?" He teased lightly.  Pride filling him that he had put that smile on her face.

Just Him. Nobody else. It felt nice.

Cherrie just shrugged lightly as they pulled back up to their apartment block "all of it. Thanks Q."

Not even ten minutes later , a drunk and confused Cherrie was bursting into Trevors bedroom , startling him awake with a scared gasp. Eyes going wide as he gaped up at her, watching her pace in front of his bed with a strange look on her face.

"What the fuck? Are you on drugs?!" He exclaimed quietly , mindful of the fact that it was three o'clock in the fucking morning .

He sent her a tired glare. Hand over his racing heart as he cursed her out.

She just sighed dramatically and placed her hands on her flaming cheeks , concerned with how she suddenly felt .

“Somethings wrong." She said worriedly "Quinn is being nice to me all the time. Why is he being so nice?" She demanded to know.

Trevor just snorted a little in amusement , before yawning.

“He's always been a little extra nice to you." He replied. Cause it was true.

Cherrie wasn't having it. Shaking her head with a deep frown on her face "not like this!" She denied quickly .

"he's-hes like doing everything for me and-he keeps making me breakfast and driving me everywhere. And he keeps smiling at me and complimenting me and-"

Trevor cut her off with a small smirk , smugness filling him as he realised that his plan was actually working. She was noticing Quinn's efforts.

Plan 'boyfriend' was a total success.

He knew it. Call him love guru now.

"Why do you think he is?" He asked her , trying to work reverse psychology on her. But he forgot who he was dealing with here.

Haunted by a long list of asshole ex boyfriends , she grimaced worriedly "is he mad at me or something?" She wondered out loud "like is he trying to lure me into a false sense of security before he gets his revenge?"

Trevor was horrified, gaping up at his poor friend in disbelief. Genuinely concerned .

“Jesus Cherrie! You need to stop dating these psychos! Holy shit!" He exclaimed shocked , rubbing at his face stressfully.

“So what if he's being nice? You like it right?" He said.

Cherrie slowly nodded her head, looking off to the side as a grin slowly pulled at her lips without her even realising it.

"yeah I mean-" she trailed off with a little sigh, picturing the way he had whispered goodnight to her as he dropped her off to her room. Kissing her cheek and promising to get her a really greasy breakfast for her hangover in the morning.

What a turn on.

"He's got a nice smile hasn't he?" She mumbled , fiddling with the ends of her hair as she pictured it. Crooked and uneven .

So cute. She sighed dreamily without even realising it.

Trevor smirked to himself and tried not to fist bump the air in front of him. Fighting back a smug giggle.

I'm a fucking Cupid’s angel . He thought proudly . Quinn better make me best man at their wedding . Cause otherwise he would still be pining from afar  while she got her heartbroken every other month.

It became a pattern after that. Cherrie arriving home after work to find a new vase of flowers on her bedside table every Friday , alongside some candy or some of her favourite food whenever he knew she needed the extra kick me up.

She started going to more of his games, wearing his jersey and cheering him on. Waiting for him by his car, getting dinner together each time they won. Or just lazying out on the couch playing some rather violent video games if they didn't. But Quinn still wanted to be by her side.

He texted her in the mornings. He checked in on her during the day, making sure that she was okay. Sending her stupid jokes and memes that he knew she would like, sending her cat videos that he found (spent hours collecting for times like these) . FaceTiming her when he was at away games and missing her. Which was always.

Then he started travelling home with her, then met her father and started going golfing with him while her mother fussed over him and kept giving her daughter knowing looks .

Cherrie just looking amusedly confused as she watched him easily fit into her crazy family , so much so that he went out to guys night with her brothers who had hated every other guy that she had brought home.

But they loved Quinn. They all did and she was filled with a strange , overwhelming feeling in her chest when she came into the front room one morning to see Quinn laughing over the phone with her dad, both of them talking shit about some Golfing enemies they had thrashed that weekend .

Her father had once hit an ex boyfriend of hers with a golf club. Ran over another one with the wheel of a golf buggy. So this was rather shocking sight for her to see him being so friendly with Quinn.

But it was different this time she guessed. Because Quinn wasn't her boyfriend. But sometimes  it felt like he was. And recognising the butterflies making house in her stomach , she recognised the racing of her heart whenever he nudged her shoulder and whispered some lame joke in her ear just to see her smile.

She finally saw the signs.

She noticed the way Quinn always looked for her first in every room, the way he would keep looking over at her when they held party's to make sure that she was still okay.

She noticed the way he smiled when she did, the way he went out of his way to be near her. Even coming along to the dentist with her, claiming that he was 'bored'. But she knew that he just wanted to take care of her .

It was the way he automatically reached for her hand when they went to cross a road , the way he refused to let anyone else buy her drinks at the bar. guarding her drink with his life when she went to dance or to the toilet. Glaring down any guy that even so much as looked at it or her wrongly.

She saw it now and she felt it right through. And she felt so fucking stupid that it had taken her this long to see what was right in front of her the whole damn time.

So when they sat in their favourite bar, watching a game on the tv while they waited for their friends to arrive .

And then when a cute guy, usually her type, walked over and asked her if she wanted to join him and if he could buy her a drink or get her number . For the first time in her life she turned the guy down politely , and didn't feel any regret.

Glancing over at Quinn to see his eyes down to the wooden bar top, his brows furrowed as he fiddled with the label on his beer , no longer focused on her. No longer smiling.

She walked away from the guy and sat down beside him again, nudging Quinn arm gently when he still didn't look up.

“You okay?" She asked him softly , concerned by the sudden change in his demeanour .

Quinn just mumbled something she couldn't hear, making her frown. "Huh?" She leant her head down , trying to catch his gaze.

He gave her it for a split second , catching her eye before looking away just as quick.

“I'm fine." He mumbled , "I just -you haven't been on a date in a while. I think this might have been the longest you've been single." He muttered .

Refusing to look at her. Heart squeezing in his chest as he glanced across the bar to see the guy she had been talking to occasionally glancing over at her, exactly the type of guy she went for.

Everything he wasn't.

Cherrie laughed a little, swallowing thickly as she realised that he was right . Knowing exactly why she hadn't even thought of moving on to another guy too.

"yeah. I mean-" she inhaled trying to find the right words to say and failing "I don't want to go through any of that shit again anyway. No more wasting time with the wrong guy." She looked at him , hoping he'd understand.

Quinn slowly turned his hand , brows furrowing in confusion .

“You didn't-" he glanced back over at the guy before looking back at her "you didn't give him your number?" He breathed out, shoulders tense with fear.

Cherrie shook her head and watched the way he exhaled , his shoulders relaxing again. Finally looking her in the eye, relief flowing from his body.

He wasn't exactly subtle. She wondered how she had missed the signs for so long.

But she had never been very smart when it came to love. A little stupid, a little naive. But she got it now.

And hopefully it wasn't too late.

"I didn't." She said and watched him smile a little to himself "no more tears for you to wipe away ." She joked lamely .

Quinn just laughed in relief "yeah. Yeah. I never did like to see you cry."

And that was how Cherrie found herself , the following night , standing in front of Quinn's room with flowers in her hand , knocking on his door gently . Taking in a deep breath to gather her courage , telling herself that she could do this.

When Quinn opened his door, he froze.

Eyes darting down to the flowers in her hand , then back up to her, taking in her pretty dress and perfect makeup. Her red lips and hopeful eyes.

He didn't dare to breath , hope was a dangerous thing after all.

"What-" he hesitated for a moment too long , shocked at the sight in front of him. He swallowed thickly .

"are you going on a date?" He fucking hoped not. He would cry.

If she had come to his door to show off her flowers and let him see how beautiful she looked for another man, Quinn didn't think his heart could take it. Not anymore.

Cherrie gently shook her head , laughing a little

Nervously as she shuffled awkwardly on feet. "

“Can I come in?" She asked him quietly , knowing for a fact that Trevor was somewhere listening in. He had been smirking at her since the moment she came home with flowers and found her nervously mutttering to herself around the apartment.

He knew. She knew. Quinn was the only one that didn't. But he was about to.

He pulled open his door and let her in, gently closing it behind her as he warily watched her stand in front of his bed , his eyes widening in disbelief when she suddenly thrust out the flowers to him, laughing nervously. Flushed.

"There for you." She told him quietly , watching him carefully take the flowers from her hands.

Looking down at them with parted lips, his breath hitching as he dared to peer back over at her. Chewing on his bottom lip. Heart racing in his chest.

"Cherrie-is this-" he looked at her hopefully "what's going on?" He wanted to know. Didn't want to get his hopes up. But he didn't have to worry about his heart breaking because she was about to make it all better .

Finally.

Taking a deep breath , she spoke calmly "Quinn?"

He exhaled just as nervously , gently setting aside the flowers on his bed as he slowly moved closer to her. "Yeah?"

"Can I date you?" She bluntly asked him. Deciding not to beat around the bush. She just wanted him

Now. Sick of wasting so much time. Three, nearly four fucking years of hurt, of pining , of disappointment and pain. And it had finally come down to this.

And all Cherrie could realise then was as she looked a blushing , wide eyed Quinn hesitantly standing in front of , sweet and kind and so fucking pretty , was that it should have been him all along.

It had been really . She was just so fucking stupid for chasing fake love in strangers when she had the real thing right here in front of her all along.

Quinn felt his ears ring , heartbeat in his mouth as he gaped at her in disbelief .

“What?" He choked out a nervous laugh. Swallowing thickly . "are you serious or are you fucking with me?" He Honeslty felt a little like he could faint then. Breaking out in a anxious sweat as he gaped down at her.

Cherrie just giggled and placed her hand on his bicep , squeezing gently as she moved closer to him, peering up at him through her lashes deliberately .

"I'm not fucking with you, I want to fuck you but thats different." She slyly muttered. Taking the chance now that she finally knew she had it.

Quinn gently placed his hands on her hips , inhaling deeply through his nose as he tried to push away his shock to speak clearly .

Cheeks on fire as he mumbled "you can. Do that." Hardly able to meet her eye. Feeling like he was dreaming.

Cherrie beamed up at him , cupping his cheeks in her hands firmly . Giving them a little loving squeeze as she tried not to squeal in excitement .

"you'll be my boyfriend ? Seriously?" She double checked .

Biting down on her bottom lip to try and contain her happiness. But it shone through. It was unstoppable . Just like his love for her.

Quinn laughed sheepishly , gently nudging her nose with his own as he admitted to her shyly "I've er-kind of been acting like your boyfriend all along Cherrie. I was trying to get you to notice.. giving you the boyfriend experience I guess..”

Cherrie eyes widened , both embarrassed that she was so fucking oblivious and just overwhelmed with love that she felt for him.

Because he had never given up on her. Not once.

He had waited. And she had never felt happier than she did in that moment . And she knew that this was it.

So she kissed him.

Hands cupping his jaw as she tugged him close , free hand tangling in his hair as she gently tugged at the strands until he was moaning lowly against her mouth. Kissing her back just as firmly , just as relieved as he tasted the taste of her mouth on his tongue .

Titling his head to deepen the kiss, his nose nudging against her own, he laughed breathlessly against her mouth.

Pulling away just enough to let her know "I love you." Before Kissing the sides of her mouth too, then her chin. And then all across her beautiful face , grinning widely against her cheekbone as she giggled and embraced him, arms sliding sound his neck to hold him there.

"Fuck me. I love you." She said it like it was something she had always said. And maybe it should have been. Because Quinn had always been right there. Waiting for her to notice him.

And she did now. She noticed the way his cheeks flushed red as he traced soft circles into her cheekbone with his thumbs , gazing down at her like she was his god.

She noticed the way his kiss lingered on her lips , the way he sighed so softly and sagged against her in relief , letting her hold him. Trusting her with himself . Letting her pull him close and whisper how much she needed him, how she was never going to look away from him ever again.

And Quinn. Wrapped up in her love , lips swollen from her kisses. Realised that for the first time ever , Trevor was actually right.

His plan had worked.

He got the girl.

God. He thought with a dazed grin against her neck as she pulled him down to the bed , losing his breath as he looked down at her beneath him. Still in disbelief that this was real. That this was actually happening.

Trevor was never going to let this go. He was going to be even more insufferable than he already was when he found out .

But it was totally worth it, he thought with a dazed grin as she roughly tugged his shirt off , tearing it off impatiently when it didn’t come off quick enough. kissing every inch of his skin that she could reach with her mouth , sucking and biting her name into his skin until he was a panting mess beneath her .

Until they are both naked and both together , till she was taking control and pinning his hands above his head as she slipped her tongue into his mouth confidently . Riding him like she was his cowboy , his head thrown back in bliss as he moaned so loudly , so shamelessly as she fucked him like she was in love. Like she knew she had all of him. Like she knew that this was the rest of their lives.

And between the pants, the moans and the shrill screams of pleasure. Quinn just knew that there would be no keeping their love a secret. Because Trevor and their poor neighbours definitely heard him scream her name as she made him see heaven.

It was never subtle at all. Never had been and never would be. But he didn’t have it in him to care at all because he had wanted this for so long .

All it took was for him to give her a bit of the boyfriend experience for her to realise that he was the one. That he had been there waiting for her all along.

And if this , he is he’s breathlessly up at the ceiling in a daze as she buried her face into his neck with a low moan, biting underneath his jaw until he was groaning her neck , his cock buried deep inside her as she rocked his world. If this was the just the beginning of her girlfriend experience, then he couldn’t wait for the rest of his life with her. Excitement , desire and love filling him , mind , body and pure fucking soul.

And It only took forever. But That wasn't long at all.

[creativepawsworld]

Silence - Chapter 55

Pairing = Thomas Shelby x OC

Summary = Tommy and Ana's baby is born with the help of Polly and Esme. Will Tommy return to witness the birth?

Warnings = Language...Grammar...Child Birth... Breast Feeding...Bad words...Blood mentioned...FLUFF...Cuteness

Word Count = 1,671

Note = I was supposed to update over the weekend but any in the UK or Ireland will know we were hit with a storm and for me a pretty scary one. I never saw one like that before. Even were put on a tornado watch like what? In northern Ireland didn't even know we got them. Anyway, fluffy and light chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy💙

Holding my baby girl for the first time was surreal. Words couldn’t describe it. Polly had placed this tiny, little person on my chest. A person I was now responsible for. She has a perfect head of black hair and the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen. The same eyes as Tommy’s if not brighter.

I felt a tear sliding down my cheek as I held her, the pain I once felt – was gone. Replaced with nothing but hope and overwhelming love for this little life in my arms. I didn’t think it was possible to fall in love so quickly. But here I was.

“Hi my baby” I whispered stroking my daughter's little cheek. Her tiny mouth was opening and closing as if she was searching for something. Her little pink tongue darted out as if she had no control over it. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen.

“She wants some food Mama” Esme peered over my legs as she and Polly did whatever they could until the doctor arrived. The two of them cleaned me up as best they could with warm water and towels.

“What do I do?” I asked them cluelessly. I had seen Esme do it with her son when he was born but I didn’t know if there was some kind of technique or special way of doing it.

“Here let me show you” Esme came over moving my daughter slightly so she could lower my dress to expose my breasts. “Now we move her down here, putting her mouth near your nipple and if she is a good girl, she will latch” Esme smiled peering down at her niece, her smile growing at the sight.

“And if she doesn’t?” I asked nervously.

“Then we keep trying dear, don’t worry she will latch if she is hungry enough” Polly grinned stepping up and walking towards me to see her great niece. “She is beautiful..” She muttered as she watched her little mouth trying to find a food source.

“She’s not latching” I look up at the two more experienced women with an uncertain glance. Was I doing something wrong? Why wasn’t she latching? I couldn’t understand. Was I missing a trick to this?

“She can sense your worry, relax…breathe” Esme inhaled deeply with me before letting it out. “God she is Tommy’s double look at those eyes”

“She certainly is. Where is he?” Polly asked looking around at Esme. Pieces started to fall around her and into place when she realised he wasn’t there when she walked past the Shelby brothers on her way in.

“I have no idea. I left the races with you. Waited for him at the betting shop as we arranged, but only Arthur and John returned with a few men.” I explained looking up at Polly concerned. “They sent Scudboat and a few others out to find him, haven’t they returned?”

“Esme go check” Polly ordered, forcing a smile on her face. I knew it was so she didn’t worry me but I couldn’t help it. I felt my heart rate quicken while giving birth I was so focused on delivering my baby I didn’t factor in Tommy. As much as I loved him he was the furthest thing from my mind.

Until now.

“Why didn’t he return? Do you think something went wrong? You don’t think he’s dead do you?” I asked in a panic. I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest, I wanted to try and move but was only too aware of the small life in my hands. He should be here. He had to be here. He should meet his daughter.

“Ana, Ana, breathe. It’s Tommy we are talking about” Polly tried to soothe, swiping away some loose hair from my face. “Focus on this little girl in your arms, he will be home soon. You wait and see. Now look, look” She smiled pointing down to my daughter.

During my worry and concern for Tommy, she had latched herself to my breast, guzzling down the milk as fast as her little mouth could take it. It was a truly mesmerising sight to behold.

“Where is she?” I heard a voice, a male voice. His voice. I didn’t have to wait long when I heard the heavy, thundering footsteps of his boots storming up the stairs towards his former bedroom, busting through the door.

The smile dropped from my face as I noticed his dishevelled look. The muddy stains all over his clothes. He was bleeding from the forehead, dirt covered his face as he approached the bed slowly.

“They're here?” He asked so quietly. It was like he believed they would disappear and spook them away if he spoke too loud.

“She is” I nodded with a small smile, my eyes still fixed on the blood on his head. “What happened to you?”

“Not important right now” Tommy shook his head, Polly had slipped from the room leaving the three of us alone together. “Look at that hair, did you say she?”

“Yes, it's a girl Tommy and she’s so small” I gushed dropping the conversation about his whereabouts almost instantly. Our daughter was here. We now had our family. We were parents. That's all that mattered.

"A girl…"Tommy whispered looking down at the baby in my arms, she was truly, tiny in comparison to us. “And she’s eating alright?” He asked sitting down next to me on the bed. Looking down at his daughter with a smile.

“Just latched before you came in” I nodded looking down at her once more. “It feels so weird, I…I can’t describe it” I tried to explain but words failed me. I didn’t know how to say what I wanted or how I felt as I wasn’t sure what it was, not completely.

“Has the doctor been yet?” Tommy asked, his index finger slowly coming over to touch her hand.

“Ah you wash those hands first Mr Shelby” I warned, with a hint of amusement but I was deadly serious. Thankfully Tommy just chuckled, leaving the room for a brief second to clean up.

Tommy returned to the bedroom moments later, he had gotten rid of his coat and jacket, and his shirt sleeves were now pushed up to his elbows. The dirt and blood that was around his face was gone, he had certainly cleaned himself up.

Retaking his position next to me on the bed, our daughter had stopped eating. Her blue eyes looked around her new surroundings as milk dripped down her chin and into her neck.

I lifted her slowly, careful of her fragile neck. She was still naked, apart from a small blanket. I hoped Polly or Esme would return with an outfit for her soon. I placed her carefully on my shoulder rubbing her back in case she had any wind.

Tommy reached out slowly caressing her back, an almost angelic look upon his face. It was the only way I could describe it. Once I felt she had brought up enough wind I smiled at Tommy.

“Do you want to hold her?” I asked softly taking her gently from my shoulder. Tommy at first seemed to be taken by surprise, his eyes widened and he looked unsure. Almost frightened.

Once he collected his thoughts and emotions, he held out his hands taking our little girl into his hands. She looked so tiny compared to his bulkier but muscular frame. In comparison to his hands, I felt like he could hold her with one. But if I ever saw him even attempt such a thing, I’d kill him.

Just as I handed her off to her father, the doctor knocked on the door quickly entering the room.

“Miss Alder, I’m Doctor Figure. You just had a baby yes?” Doctor Figure asked with a small as he looked at the newborn in Tommy’s hands. “May I, may I check the baby, Mr Shelby?”

Tommy instantly nodded handing her off to the doctor, standing next to him as he checked over his daughter. Doctor Figure rested her back on the bed as he went through all his checks. Checking her heartbeat, her movements, her vision, everything. Tommy watched him like a hawk, making sure he didn’t hurt her in any way. He was already so protective.

“Is she eating?” Doctor Figure asked trying to ignore the looming presence that was Thomas Shelby but I could tell he was struggling. A bead of sweat lingered on his right temple, next to his eyebrow.

“Yes, she has. I believe a good amount as well” I nodded covering my breasts that I had forgotten to cover after she finished eating.

“I’m happy with her, I’ll just check over yourself Miss Alder and allow you to get back to this celebration” Doctor Figure smiled giving the baby back to Tommy.

“Take her down to meet her uncles, I bet they can’t wait to meet her” I smiled at Tommy as I got comfortable on the bed. It was only now that my worry and fear for his safety and the unexpected birth of my daughter had started to settle, did I realise, I was exhausted.

“Are you sure?” Tommy asked eyeing the doctor once more.

“I’m sure Tommy, go introduce her and when I’m done here we can discuss some names for her. Maybe. If you wanted…” I trail off, biting my lip slightly waiting for his response.

“Absolutely” Tommy nodded, taking our daughter from the room to go and meet the rest of the family.

This was going to be a new start for us. Campbell was dead. We no longer had his threat looming over us. Yes, we still had the Italians to contend with but nothing more had come from it for months. I was starting to fall into a false sense of security but I couldn’t help it.

I had my own family now. I wanted to believe this was it. My happiness was finally starting.

Taglist

@shelbyteller @seleneshelby @forgottenpeakywriter @babayaga67 @sweetmilkshakeluminary @slutforcoffein @sydneyyyya @happysparklingshadows @margew76   @midnightmagpiemama  @pierre-gasssllyy  @duckybird101 @muhahaha303 @thenattitude  @dolllol2405

Anyone wanting on or off the tag list please just let me know💙

[beautifulbluejay]

Fate

Theon Greyjoy x Fem!Reader

Summary: After Robert’s rebellion and the extinction of the Targaryen house, House Stark decides it shall take part in one of its oldest traditions in which, on the eighteenth name day of the the eldest daughter of the Lord of Winterfell, a tournament shall be hell for her hand. Noble men from all corners of the seven kingdoms travel to Winterfell to compete, including your childhood friend Theon Greyjoy. However, anyone who believes that you are to let yourself be married off without a fight is in for a rude awakening. Loosely based off of the Disney animated movie ‘Brave.’

Warnings: Smut, MDNI (18+)

Part One

Word Count: 1,461

“In accordance with one of the eldest traditions of House Stark, from the days of its sovereignty over the North of Westeros, on the eighteenth nameday of the eldest daughter of the Lord of Winterfell, a tournament shall be held. Any heir of nobility, affluence, and honor set to inherit their lord father’s seat is permitted to compete in the event for the daughter of Winterfell’s hand, of which shall be determined by she.”

The words of your father echoing out through the great hall made your heart drop into your stomach. In air in your chest escaped you, a tight pain replacing it, squeezing at your throat. Your lips parted as your law slacked in astonishment, eyes wide as all of the rest in the hall turned to you.

You wanted to scream, cry, argue, anything, but you found your tongue dry and your throat unable to utter a word. Your older brother, Robb, however, spoke for you.

“You cannot be serious, father? You wish to marry her to a random stranger!” He argued, shaking his head.

Sansa smiled at you, attempting to calm your nerves. “I find it terribly romantic,” she spoke.

“Then you do it!” You yelled out at her, finally finding your words. If you were able to think straight, you may feel guilty for yelling at your younger sister who was only trying to lighten your suddenly dark mood. You turned to your father, glaring and squeezing your fists. “I am not a prize to be won! I am the eldest daughter of Winterfell and I wish to choose who I marry.”

Eddard Stark looked at his daughter a bit solemnly, feeling a tad bit of guilt for allowing Catelyn to talk him into adhering to this ancient Northern tradition. It had not been utilized for decades, so he did not know why they needed to start it again now.

Except, deep down, he did. The North had given many men and resources to the rebellion that Eddard had decided to back. The rebellion had divided the seven kingdoms. Eddard knew that this competition would not only bring the noble houses together, but it would promote trade and investments in the North and House Stark.

Eddard didn’t want to use his daughter as a pawn, but he thought this could also be an opportunity for her. You had always loved Winterfell and the North, but you wanted to explore and see the rest of the seven kingdoms. You wanted to fall in love and live somewhere new, have a life of your own separate from your family and the North. This competition was the best way to explore all of your options.

“You will choose the tournament in which the men compete,” Eddard spoke, hoping that it would satisfy his daughter even if only the tiniest bit. He was very wrong, however, as your face grew more red.

“You wish for me to sit obediently and choose a game for stubborn, stupid men to play? A game that will determine the course of the rest of my life?” You yelled at him, even shocking your mother with your blind rage. You let out a huff, calming yourself to a light seething. “I will find a way out of this,” you promised, stomping out of the great hall.

You raced to the stables, grabbing hold of your bow and quiver that you had stashed outside of your horse’s stall from the day before. You saddled your stallion as quickly as you could, muttering angrily to yourself as you went. You then mounted the beast, patting his side with urgency to let him know you needed him to run as fast as he could, the two of you racing into the forests of Winterfell. You knocked an arrow on your bow, drawing back the string and aiming at your first target.

Theon treaded quietly through the tall grass, his fingertips brushing the green weeds. You knew it was him coming up behind you without even turning. He was, in fact, the only person that knew of this spot. Your little clearing at the edge of the woods that looked out over a meadow which expanded for miles.

It had been only your spot for a long time, until one day you had been so upset that you had stayed there for a full day, sunrise to sunset. Your family had been so worried that they all went looking for you themselves. Theon had found you first, following your archery targets that trailed through the forest on its trees.

“I won’t do it, Theon,” you spoke, biting back the new round of tears that threatened to spill. You had just managed to stop crying. “I won’t let some pompous, shrewd, half wit marry me. I will find a way out of this.”

Theon sat down beside you in the grass, letting out all of his worries and stress out in a long breath as you leaned your head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his chest and leaving a soft kiss on the top of your head.

Your relationship with Theon had always been a complicated one, from the moment he was brought home as a ward-slash-prisoner by your father. You had never treated him as anything less than family, though, which created a very close and unbreakable bond between the two of you.

Sometimes you would fantasize about your father and mother marrying you off to him, becoming the Princess of Pyke and living on the sea. However, your mother made it very clear that Theon would not be marrying any Stark daughter. Catelyn barely tolerated him being your friend, she would die if she found out there was a hidden romance.

You knew that she had nothing to be worried about, though. Theon Greyjoy would never see you as anything other than a slightly younger sister. And you would never see him as anything more than a slightly older brother-slash-hostage, of a sort. Or so Theon told himself.

“Who knows, princess, you could meet the love of your life through this tournament,” he spoke, his voice sounding more sad than he meant it too. You did not notice, though. “All of the young, noble men of the seven kingdoms competing for your hand could bring you a bit of fun.”

You scrunched up your nose, looking at him. He hated how adorable he found your expression. You shook your head, pressing your cheek to his arm and staring up at him with wide eyes, lashes fluttering sweetly. He would die for you if you demanded it while looking at him like that.

“You know I hate it when you call me that,” you spoke.

“I know-” he smirked amusingly before leaning in to you closer, lowering his voice. “-princess.”

You rolled your eyes, pushing off of him with a scoff. Allowing your shoulders to rest against one another’s comfortably as you fiddled with the long grass.

A calm moment of silence passed between you two, the breeze dancing through grass, kicking up the sweet smell of spring Earth that you loved about the North so much. The South smelled much too floral for your liking. The North smelled like the real outdoors, the land you loved so much.

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” you spoke sadly, staring at your hands as they fiddled with a stem, frowning.

Theon looked over at you, watching as the wind blew around the wisps of hair that had escaped your messy braid, making you look exactly how you were always meant to: wild and free. He admired it, admired you.

“Me too,” he breathed out. “That place doesn’t really feel like my home anymore.”

“Don’t say that,” you frowned even more, feeling guilty for ripping this boy away from his home and his family, a thing in which of course had no hand. “Pyke will always be your home.”

Theon shook his head, picking a flower from nearby and tucking it behind your ear, smiling as you turned to look at him. “My home is right here,” he spoke, so softly that you wondered if you had imagined it.

Your breath caught in your chest and, for a moment, you could have sworn that Theon looked down at your lips.

“I will be back with you in a fortnight,” his voice seemingly cementing the statement in stone. “I promise, princess.”

Theon Greyjoy left for his home of the Iron Isles the next day. A fortnight passed and you waited at the gates for him, but he did not come. You waited each day for a week, asking your father about when he would return. However, you were met with silence every time.

Part two coming soon!!

[the-firebird69]

Tropical Storm Philippe Public Advisory

This storm is predicted to start a northerly direction and north northwest tomorrow and we don't see it a lot of people don't see it it doesn't make sense you know it does the weather near Florida is kind of stagnant but that Northern stream has moved over to the east and it's a different ship it's the one in Greenland and it will attract attention the one that's up in Canada is cycling down for one last cycle up and that will be coming up probably Monday and both of those will drive that thing North

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera

I told him it'll do it probably tonight and Monday both will be doing that and it's an incredible amount of thrust and the one in Greenland is going to be ready

Tommy f

And it's going to happen that the cycle is going to continue for other ships everyone hates it and they're just going to kill the clones because it's nonsense and the guys are more antibody he is a moron okay it should use what's going on now but you can't really no you could he didn't want to as he's stupid and he wants to stick it in his face he's getting killed. Hey I thought the clones ate his family so he's doing it to them. There's also a note we don't want our son to live here with these imbeciles and we have a different plan we want people on board we want to do the plan it's an awesome plan and it's to treat him well and to treat him right to let him know who we are and have him try and figure it out so he's not the strange person to us and we need to do it he's going to be growing too and needs food and he's planning on holding it out on him I want some action on this today I want people to sign on for the duty or accepting applications for top level positions and all positions I will note that most people will be accepted well really and did he wants you to sign on even if you're a clerk who's worked two days at your job if you want to sign on for this you'd appreciate it because it is about our people and it is not about judging someone from past experience and things like that it's about seeing who they are and we're going to go ahead and do that right now and put it out like that too it's our motto and it's our way I know a lot of stuff about everything and I know that other people are just as strong as I am and can do things it's from watching my son and daughter they're amazing people and they're very young we do need the help

Thor Freya

Olympus

All right so are I doing a little but not much there's a lot of stuff going on and I want to say that we have to get really going on a lot of projects Meghan Markle and the other companies are doing great one of them dropped out and it's getting gobbled up by the mall and he's going off to do his light cycle finally he didn't want to do the other stuff and he is trying to get more prestigious and he needs it and can't handle it but he needs it which is terrific other people are doing stuff they like I took people there is one who loves doing it and he's not admitting it it's BG and my husband went to him this morning and said you must face your fears your inner demons and make your trip took and get away from me and he said shut up so my husband left he said I'll do it I'll see you must be in ceremony like mortal Kombat but a lot less crazy and real and we can do it at Chinese food place I'm going to ask the Chinese to help us out with it he said we're going to do that and it'll be us so it'll be okay. That's how it is with them there into fooling people to do things and BG thinks he can fool him and it's going on there's tons of stuff going on and people want to work and they want to work and they want to do the job and Garth is saying he wants to do something, and my husband says the obvious Chinese dirt bikes are fine the motives are too small you buy a motor and you pass them down the line so he's going to start that it's an easy thing to do you just order a bunch of bikes and you change the motors out they're practically in the right spot and he's going to go set it up and he's going to have factories doing it and he knows where he can get the first motors to drop the motors down the 125 is smaller and you put a 250 in it and it goes like the wind you change the sprockets and you make the tires a little bigger and they're moving on it right now. It's going to be a different day but I just wanted to say that some of these things

Hera

He wants to have an income of some kind in a small business doesn't really care what it is if something he can do though renovation work is difficult and requires teamwork and he doesn't have anybody helping and they kind of pooped out on it and they don't want to do stuff even stuff that would be evil like the cartoon balloons it's crazy everything they have a problem with so it started over again at the list and they keep barking and don't want to get him anything and BG said I do and the rest of them might get on board it's a good idea he wants them to distribute stuff flyers and things like that and Ken would be into it and probably get a knee bike so we're going to work on it

Frank Castle hardcastle

Is the location we can put a flea market in and sell some of our stuff and you have ideas too and can put something together with Ken some of it's pretty good.

Bg

We're going to start this idea we need it and we need people to have stuff in this hell hidden idea to start a smacks down here and do train extras and things like that and they have them their odd lots and really we could open it up down here as a branch of the other one he just thought that and it's a good idea and we can get odd lots and sell them I can have them down there just moving stuff around and it's a good idea to start on what BG was thinking it's very advanced for what people are letting him do to have him have his own products or be part of it but it was a makes sense for him to just scoot around probably on the scooter or something and move odd lot stuff since it's his idea and I can pay him cash and be a scam against the nonsense people who are running social security

Mac

That's a terrific idea I'm in too I'll do the trash

Ken

I do understand you did that before and talk to my grand nephew and he didn't like it so I want Ken to do stuff with our grand nephew he thought he'd have to humble himself but we get it you might be having doing the trash but it's more fun doing the items

Mac Daddy

And I get it I'm looking down the barrel and he's saying there's nothing in there and I look again and he says there's nothing in there and again and again and he says nothing nothing of value so I look up Adam and I have to look down in the barrel again. So I'm going to try and do the other thing and I'm going to try and get in on setting it up they have went down at the entertainment center but we have trouble getting there it's small and not many people go to it and we know why it's indoors kind of in this weird it's like this concrete building and people people are just not going I guess things cost too much and they're telling me it's not season or something but Max says they just don't sell things it's something the same stuff it's store bought or they make it here and it's not what we're talking about we're talking about Job lots or odd lots and it's freight trains that sit around and trucks and they sell them off for very little money and $500 and it's $20,000 worth of stuff for $200,000 and you take the whole thing and you sell it off and you keep doing it the people coming in and they see the daily sale and they tell people and they all start pouring in it's really a weird process but it works I want to do that that's how I started smacks and this place needs something like spags need somewhere you can go and you can get all the hardware and tools you can and it's not a mix like hardware stores have some tools car places have others I want you to be able to go in and get everything you need eventually I'll put listing you can buy them right there it's a great idea and I think I'll call it Spanish and have the big hat and it might start off the dukes of Hazzard but that's how it goes

Mac

We're going to go ahead and help is a great idea and it's probably what starts to show and he opens one in Florida we think but he also opens one where the show is made and it's in the south it's not Georgia it is Alabama and yeah haw

You know where the general Lee is and the others and we go collect them now

Bow and Luke Duke and his idea is great our friend wants you to put one at each location and up on stands and you bring it in every night and it's a show car and you put it up on stands like angled and stuff or up on the platform and it'll be the Hallmark for the store it's from the south you see and we get that and it's a rebel symbol

[morganaofcamelot]

I Could Never Give You Peace

BEOWULF x GUINEVERE crossover fic

Beowulf from Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands and Guinevere from Starz Camelot

DISCLAIMER/NOTES: The characters don't belong to me, I'm just having fun. This fic is going to be six parts, I'll tag them as #katerinacrossovers and #katerinabeowulfxguinevere. The title comes from the TS song "peace". References to TESV: Skyrim.

PART III

Nightfall was upon them and the funeral pyre would soon be lit. The peasantry had gathered, eager to hail their Thane for the last time, and help him reach the Hall of Warriors by praising his name while the flames would engulf him.

Beowulf was never much of a believer; the world was a vast place - he traveled a good deal of it, and saw that every region and every race believed in different gods that the one he was raised to. But Hrothgar wholeheartedly believed in his gods.

"Tonight," Thane Rita spoke loudly, so everybody in the crowd could hear her. "We bid our last goodbye to Hrothgar, Thane of Heorot. He was a brave and honorable man. A great warrior and a strong leader."

"Hail Hrothgar!" The crowd said in unison.

Rita went on. "Tonight, he enters the Warrior's Hall! Tonight, he shall feast with the gods!"

"Hail Hrothgar!" Once more,

"Tonight, the flames of his fire shall reach for the sky! Hail Hrothgar! Hail Hrothgar! Hail Hrothgar!"

It was almost too much to bear for Beowulf; to be absent all these years, only to return and see that the man who took him under his wing was already dead. "Damn Rita and her schemes," he thought.

Slean, as Hrothgar's true born son would be the one to light the pyre. Guinevere stood by her mother, solemn looking. The headpiece that crowned her hair gleamed in the light of the torches, but shadows concealed her face.

That's when Beowulf noticed the man that stood next to her; he looked to be around Beowulf's age, if not older, and he was tall and lean with a stern expression on his face. He carried a sword in a sheath on his side. The silver-white handle of it resembled that of a southern knight. It was very uncommon that one of their kind would be so far up north.

Curious, he made his way to them. Hopefully, Guinevere would explain to him.

"Guinevere," he said, lowering his head in respect. "Are you alright?" He offered his hand to her.

She hesitated. Glancing at the knight and back to him, she eventually refused his hand. "Beowulf," she said with a nervous smile. "I am quite well, thank you."

The man looked at her expectantly, raising one eyebrow at her. Guinevere stumbled over her words.

"Is he intimidating her somehow?" The thought crossed him mind, unbidden. Beowulf reached for his dagger, not pulling it out yet.

She seemed to notice it and hasten to explain.

"Let me introduce you to my husband, Ser Leontes of Camelot." She said, leaving Beowulf starstruck - a husband she hasn't mentioned at all to him. "And this is Beowulf, once my father's ward."

The knight inclined his head in acknowledgement with a smirk on his face.

Beowulf snapped out of his shock. "You are a long way from Camelot, my friend," he said, gathering his wits.

"Indeed I am. I do not yet quite understand why my lady wife insists on living here instead of the south, but I hope in time she changes her mind." Ser Leontes said. Guinevere gave him a dark look he didn't notice.

Beowulf chuckled. "Good luck trying to convince a daughter of the True North to live anywhere but there," he said. "Auroras aren't visible south of Whiterun, and a true northerner cannot live away from their light for long."

"And have you reached that conclusion yourself? Are you well traveled?" He asked, half amused.

Resisting the urge to punch him, Beowulf gave his reply. "Aye. I have been as far north as Icewind Dale and Solitude, and as far east as the Iron Mountains. I have also passed by Camelot, but the southernmost place I have been to is the Shores of Old Gondor and as for the east, I have traveled to the elven forests and beyond them, to the bountiful Reach and the Citadel."

The knight's lips became a thin line. "You lead quite an adventurous life, Beowulf. What is it you do?"

Guinevere watched them in silence.

"I hunt monsters of all kinds," he simply said.

This time the knight laughed. "And which is the most evil of the monsters that you've slain?"He asked mockingly.

Beowulf narrowed his eyes - the bastard deserved to be stabbed. He tightened the grip on his dagger contemplating if the knight was worth the trouble, but Guinevere caught his eye: she was silent still, but with her eyes she implored him not to do it, not give in to the worst instincts.

He let the dagger be.

"Humans," he said and walked away, but not before giving Guinevere a last look. She looked relieved and thankful.

[lolita-lollipop]

Royal siren erasermic family? They like adopt you after you hatch from an egg bc they found you or something idk and take you back to the castle and make you their little princess or something cute and fluffy like that.

YANDERE SIREN ERASERMIC FAMILY X BABY PRINCESS READER

Shinso was just out and about, swimming through some forbidden areas he wasn’t supposed to be in, avoiding sharks, when he found an iridescent little ball under some rubble of a shipwreck, it made his gills tingle at the sweet aura that it emmited, he knew, that this creature, was something to protect. It was up until he saw something moving inside that he thought it was just some ancient treasure that would’ve died with this ship, he examined it closer, squinting his eyes, that’s when he realized, it was a Siren. A baby one at that, usually they hatched out of boring white eggs, the royal family’s were gold, but a shiny color changing white that combated the finest of jewels? Never, this little pip was special, he could feel it.

So he brought it back home, through his “balcony window”, debating wether or not he should tell his parents. As you know, he was somewhere where he was not supposed to be, and they would throw a fit. Then again, whatever this thing was, he couldn’t just keep it to himself, something was living inside it, and he wouldn’t know if something was wrong, so he has too. When he did, it came as a suprise that his parents weren’t mad, they jsut kindof stared at the orb, inhaling the addictive scent it gave off, the three huddled around it, aizawa carefully picking the Small thing up, it was only about the size of a pumpkin, extremely easy to pick up, yet he could still feel the heartbeat of a creature inside, it just had to be one of the sirenfolk , there isn’t any other explanation. He stared at it in confusion, noticing the small cracks staring to form.

Then a little hand popped through, and scared the shit out of all of them.

———

As it turned out, you were in fact a siren, a rare subtype of them, thought to have gone extinct long, long ago. The opal-looking scales that littered your arms and tail showed proof of it, this species were intensely more fragile, and weaker, that’s why they went extinct, as they couldn’t hear, and a small crabs pinch could cause major bone breaks, they were just too weak, yet so beautiful. That’s why they were coveted among the royal family. It only helped their growing obsession taht you were so cute.

It might’ve been an act of I’mpulse, but they just needed to have you as their own, of course, their word is law, so they could’ve just kept you, but they felt the need to make it official, they’d already had two pips, you’re just their third! It was simple, of course, you specific species could be born into sirenfolk families, it was just so rare that it had only happened once. You were just so cute, so fragile, just something so breakable, they just

H a d

To protect this tiny lil thing, it was instinctual to feel a protective pull over their little pups, and boy were they feeling that right now, you were special, not just any baby, but you were theirs. Their special little pup, nothing would ever lay a hand on you, ever. It had only be a few days, and word spreads through the underwater kingdom like a wave, from the servant maid who showed them how to take care of you, to the head maid, to a citizen, to the fisher, and eventually, by the end of the week, the whole kingdom was eagerly waiting to get a glimpse of their new princess.

And boy were they shocked to find out it was an opalite, the most rare of rare sirens in the world. Immediately after they had shown you to the world, sitting in a large clam as it was pulled by sharks, the citizens fell in love with you, maybe it was the fact that you were related to their beloved royals, maybe because the royal family would intensely glare at anyone who made negative comments, maybe it was the fact that a few of those people went missing, but who knows right?

You still hadn’t been able to open your eyes yet, and you won’t be able to hear them for a very long time, your hands were about the size of aizawas eye, and you looked closer to a fish than a human, as you hadn’t even developed your face yet, another plus to being the endangered species, note the sarcasm. And guess what? They found it so adorable, just their cute little baby, their little pup who can’t even protect themselves from the water around them. They just loved every part of your little body, from your tails, to your tiny little hands, to your shiny gills. It was all just so perfect- you were so perfect, and you were theirs, they were gonna protect you at all costs.

So of course they did, you were just so tiny right now, they knows practically anything could hurt you, so they opted to be around you all the time, only leaving to hunt for humans that would suffice for their tastes, drawling them in, determined because of that little smile of yours. You motivated them to do it, they were doing this for you. It have them all a sense of pride to have you feel safe with them, to rite them you. On their own terms.

Eri was constantly around you, being that she was a young one just like you, and you were her little sister! So she wanted to always be around while you made those echoing gurgling noises, or flapped your hands around in the water, she didn’t have responsibility in the kingdom yet, unless being cute is a job, so she can be with you jsut as much as she wants. Always sitting with you while you played with the floating pearls that they had arranged over your play area, watching you feel new things, holding you while you dozed off with adorable little bubbles, she always was with you.

Like now, she’s been with you all day, giving you little snacks, glaring at the guards at the door who always had their eyes on you… creeps. The sun was almost setting, and when you’re low down in the ocean it goes pitch black after a little while, and that’s when the jellyfish come out, tonight was one of the most special days out of the year in the northern oceans, the jellyfish festival, the one night a year when the rare white jellyfish would come out to say hi, leaving trails of shimmering sparkle behind them, painting the upper levels of the ocean a shiny silver. It just so happened that it occurred on your first birthday, a very small increment to sirens, as they live almost a billion years, but still a big accomplishment in their eyes. Look! Their little baby girl is turning one! How amazing!

“Do you see them hon? Look, they’re just starting to appear” Aizawa asked both you and eri calmly, swishing his hand through the salty water to pint at the new appearance of white and purple blobs, slowly flouncing their way overhead. Eri smiled up at it, her pointed teeth displayed in full view, her eyes shined at the view, not only of the huge jellyfish, but also at you, who was placed delicately in mics lap, sat up against his chest. Little bubbles escaped your mouth as you blew raspberries into the water, just making the family laugh.

“Mm-hmmm! Look! Look! How pretty! I wanna touch em! Can I touch em!” She yelled at her parents, excitedly pointing towards the jelly’s floating towards the surface, her hair floated behind her as she swished around, shinsho just chuckled, knowing that she eventually would try to touch them, and get zapped, again, like last year, and the year before, and the year before.

“No hon. Don’t do that to us again, you wanna wish your sister a happy birthday? She’s probably really exited!” Mic cheered, distracting his daughter from touching the jellyfish, yet again, meanwhile, you were happily bouncing up and down on his lap, enjoying the freedom of your arms, swishing them all over the place, grabbing the beads around your neck, jsut anything.

“But dad! Why not! It’s not like it’s hurt me or anything I’ll be fi-“ she begged, throwing her hands up in a small tempter tantrum, clearly forgetting her previous events of pain, and idiocy.

“No- nope no no, we aren’t doing this again, please honey, just please, remember last time, we had to clean up your wounds OUTSIDE-of water, you hate going to the surface remember? “

“Yeah but-“ she started speaking, but was soon cut off with a loud giggle, resonating through your lips, kindof rare for you, you hadn’t been very vocal outside of a few gurgles here and there, so it had each and every ones heads turning. That’s when they saw it, your beautiful eyes, shin sing in reflection to the jellyfish. Those beautiful little eyes of yours mesmerized all of them, a pitch black (for protection from the salt), with a shiny silver-like pupal, immediately after they opened, a burst of color filled your vision. You giggled and clapped your hands together with a small toothless smile, watching as the floaty creates went overhead, glittering with the light.

The absolutely gorgeous splash above was admired by the family form their own viewing post, the blues and whites combined to make a heavenly display. You could feel the cool sprinkles of light they emmited hitting your skin, smiling at the feeling, you splayed your hands out and flailed them against the water.

“Ohhhhhh- oh wow. Honey! Honey look! Her eyes opened! Look at taht! Aren’t you just so magical! Look at you, my little pup.” Mic smacked Aizawa over the chest multiple times, pointing at your clearly opened eyes, you just remained oblivious, staring up at all the new things around you, like.. everything! He turned you around to face him, letting you actually see his face for the first time, taking in the long yellow hair, the (also) black eyes, the ethereal face dotted with shiny yellow gills, him, you could see him!

“She’s developing smoothly, I’m glad. Awww, that’s pretty cute.” Aizawa replied to him, holding in his emotions, as soon as he met those new eyes of yours it’s like everything else disappeared, like the world itself didn’t exist, outside of him, and his fmaily. You took his breath away, or what you could call breath, so cute and innocent, such a small thing, that brings so much joy. Your little tail swished back and forth as you stared up at them happily, taking in the features of the people you’d learned to recognize by touch. Blowing raspberries out of your lips with a stream of bubbles.

“Awwwww! I’m gonna cry, she’s growing so fast! Soon she’ll be swimming in her own! In like 200 years! Too soon, way too soon. Comers baby- mm hmmm” mic spoke, knowing full well that even if he did cry, his tears would get sucked in by the ocean. He pulled you close, moving your head I’ve this shoulde is it would rest in the crook of his neck while he hugged you, eventually, the others joined in, eri practically flopping ontop (with careful regard for you of course).

They all stared at you, while you stared up at the “sky”, oblivious to their stares, to the ways they would growl at anyone who came close, to how they kept you from seeing anyone other than what they personally approve. After all, you are jsut their little pup, of course you wouldn’t notice! Their little pup… feels right to say that, it isn’t like you have any family waiting, they aren’t ever gonna come here.

And if they ever did?

Then, well, a few mermaids are going missing

———————————————————————————————————

Thanks for requesting, this was fun to write!

Have a great day today! Goodbye.

[bloodycassian]

A MOMENT’S SILENCE (DEVOTION AND DESIRE PART NINE) PART EIGHT HERE

The wall comes crashing down. 

You spent the night in Helion’s manor, in a room between Feyre’s and Azriels. It was lonely, and you hardly slept. The next morning Helion tried to persuade your group into staying for breakfast, but Azriel insisted on leaving, thankfully. He kissed Feyre on the cheek before she summoned darkness, and winnowed.

+

“Lucien was livid with Tamlin, if it makes this any better.” Azriel said softly while Feyre winnowed you back to Velaris. Helion had proven to be quite helpful, devastatingly so. He had insisted on you keep the book with your mother’s portrait. 

It felt heavy, and seemed to land with a loud thump when you dropped it on the sofa at the townhome. Feyre had insisted upon the townhome, seeing the fear in your eyes - she promised that there would always be someone familiar around. Her and Azriel shared an intense look at those words. You knew what a look like that meant. A warning, and not a request. 

“I think I always had a suspicion that he was… more to me.” You swallowed hard, still trying to wrap your head around Helion’s story. High lady of Spring, and high Lord of Winter - creating a daughter that was now helping a northern court alongside her shadow singer Illyrian mate. 

The Mother must have had a sick game planned for your era in this world.

Azriel sat at a chair that seemed to be made for him near the fire. He rubbed his hands over his face, as if he could wipe the worry away. Hoping that he could get the thought of your mother’s limp body from his mind. It haunted him, even before he knew who she was. Now, he saw the resemblance in you and her. Stunning, the same eyes, and the same shape. Something that he’d admired about Raava the few times he met her while she was with Tamlin.

The door opened, and he couldn’t help the tension that nearly made him rush to your side. Somehow, he stayed back. Somehow he planted himself in that chair and put his faith into his shadows that it wasn’t an intruder.

Only Elain, her golden hair flowing down her back, pinned up as usual when she planned to get messy. She stopped mid step when she saw Azirel’s dark gaze assessing her. Her hands fisted the cloth of her thick pants she used while gardening. “I didn’t expect you here.” She said with a small smile, unsure if she should leave or not. 

“I didn’t expect me here either.” He snorted, shaking his head. 

The floors creaked warmly as you explored, peeking into the well used kitchen and out the back door, into a massive greenspace with several trellis and labels for different plants set up.

It was alive, even though it had none of the foliage that was meant to be there. It was clear form the soil’s color and well tended borders that it would be flourishing soon, as soon as spring began.

Spring. Fendyrie- Tamlin, Raava. 

You went back to the living area where Azriel sat in his worn chair, speaking with Elain. “More baking?” You asked, hoping to lighten the mood. The dark oak and leather furniture already darkened the house enough, a low conversation would not help. 

“Gardening, actually. You’re welcome to join.” She practically beamed at you. You guessed not many people ever helped her garden, that or none were interested as much as she was. You nodded, considering. 

“You’d have to teach me, I’m not sure how things are sowed here.” 

“Ah - winter court.” She nodded. “Come out any time, if you cant find me ask Nuala.” 

A door shut rather loudly at the front, ending the conversation. The offer warmed you, Elain seemed like the most genuine person in this court. She was light, and warmth and brightness among the midnight sky of Night. 

Maybe that was what your mother had been like. Unable to find her place in Spring and resorted to wandering. Azriel had said he was there after…. Maybe he knew anything about her to give you closure. Your mother seemed to linger, creeping in the background of your thoughts as you checked who had arrived. Feyre was tense, jogging from the back room, and from Azriel’s stare...something was wrong.

You turned the corner, slowly. Waiting for whatever the hell they were so afraid of. 

But it was Rhys. Rhys with a limp, enormous Illyrian hanging from his shoulder. He groaned, and Emrie appeared in the door. Her jaw was set, dark eyes darting from the back of Rhys’s head to the three of you. The body groaned. He was alive.

Feyre rushed to her mate, and you realized.. That it was no Illyrian, but the prince of Night - Nyx. 

His lips were blue, skin a deep pale that was starkly different than his usual bronze skin tone. “It was worse before.” Emrie muttered, glaring at you. 

“Upstairs- Emrie, get Madja.” 

The Valkyrie nodded once and strode quickly out the door. 

Azriel was on his feet, tense and ready for anything when you turned back to him. Nyx was muttering something - it sounded much like Rhys’s usual downplaying tone. “I’m fine-” Rhys growled at him before his son could continue. 

+

Prowling outside of the cell made Nesta’s heart lurch into her throat, all nerves and jitters. In one hand she held a dull dagger she’d taken from a guardsman, the other helped guide her along the castle walls until she came upon a door.

An enormous, heavy, intricately carved wooden door the color of sandalwood. She stopped breathing. She could only hear the blood in her ears, even when she leaned her head against the surface of the rippled wood. Complete silence. Not even any warding along the archway. 

Nesta gulped in a breath, and slid into the room, feeling the most nervous she had in a very long time. 

+

The townhome was buzzing in a matter of a few minutes. Elain was bringing buckets of water and rags up the stairs while Madja was summoned. Emrie’s pale face when she exited Nyx’s room told you all you needed. Whatever had happened was bad, bad enough to make a Valkyrie pale. 

Azriel led you out quickly when the high lord’s dark magic rumbled through the building, shaking the teapcups at the dining table. He led you up, to the flat roof of the building. Gray snowbirds scattered at your presence. “What happened?” You asked, voice quiet. Afraid of Rhys’s gifts finding you. 

He ran a hand through his hair, one hand on his hip. The pose suited him in a way you didn’t expect. The Illyrian, the angel of death, the spymaster, shadowsinger…. Looking like a worried mother. “He’ll be fine. He’s fine-” He sighed, and went to the small bar that seemed so at place on the roof that it blended in with the rest of the wrought iron décor. 

He pulled out a bottle, letting the glass hit the table sharply. “He just needs some rest.” He stared at the amber liquid blankly, eyes dull yet something burned behind them. His jaw remained tight, along with his shoulders. “But what happened?” You insisted, going to the other side of the bar with him and pulling out two glasses. 

If he was going to drink, you would as well. He wouldn’t be getting messy alone. He watched you for a moment, eyes scanning each movement you made. He ignored the way your curves made him feel when you leaned against the iron and oak tabletop. “He was out… when your storm hit.” He said it slowly, waiting for your reaction. “Emrie found him buried in the snow, half alive. He’s frostbitten, but he will be fine. Rhys taught him well.” 

Guilt. Complete guilt and embarrassment, shame and anger flowed through you like a swift river. A flash flood of emotion took you for only a moment, then it was gone. Like he hadn’t said anything at all, there was no guilt or shame about it. You were a high lady. He had been in the path of your power. There were hundreds dead, families reported to. Nyx had been one of the lucky ones. 

“Is it awful I dont feel that bad?” You muttered quietly, hoping to the mother he wouldn’t mention it to anyone. You trusted him enough, but it was all still...new. 

He shrugged, and ran his long finger over the lid of the sealed bottle. Filthy thoughts of that finger sprang up in your mind. His long, full hands cupping you, filling you, making you squirm under him - you cleared your throat. The dark sky above shimmered.

“I suppose not, he could die at any moment. He should be prepared, and he was. Barely. It’s a good lesson.”

“We could die at any moment…” You repeated, rolling it out of your mind. It stuck. Along with the idea of Azriel ‘barely surviving’ as a lesson. 

He nodded at your words, and the silence seemed to scream at you. The ringing of those words, like a prayer set something alight inside you. Anyone could die. At any moment. And you’d never get to tell him how you wanted that bond, how you admired him. How you appreciated every moment with him. 

“Some of us had lessons worse than freezing. Cassian was nearly killed as a child for crying when it was too cold out. A camp mother was kind enough to spare him a deerskin hide. I think he still has it.” He huffed a laugh and shook his head. 

“And what about you?”

His eyes flicked from your lips to your eyes at that question. He tilted his head, then rolled up the sleeves of his tunic. The strangely colored skin peppered halfway up his forearm. Long, uneven scars that he wore like gloves. Some areas of it were still puckered, as if it was recent. “This wasn’t close to killing me. It was terrible, but it was a lesson. A painful one, just as this will be for Nyx.” You went to touch his hand, to comfort him, but the shadows were a cold armor above it. “ I had to be strong, stronger than my brothers, stronger than the rock walls and iron bars that held me in that cell. I had to learn, to use my wit and...gifts- to win my right to live.” He coiled a shadow along one of his forearms, lacing it between his fingers like string. 

“What almost killed you?” You breathed, goosebumps scattering over your arms and neck at his words. Brothers… ones that had been cruel and abused him. Parents who didn’t care if he lived or died. Suddenly your problems became more like blessings in comparison. 

He took a shuddering breath, and placed his hand atop yours. Your heart felt as if it would leap out of your chest. Tears threatened to spill, but you blinked them away. The shadows disappeared, leaving your cool hand pinned between his two irresistibly hot ones. He pressed his lips together - “The day we took you back to Kai...That almost killed me.”

+

The room was bland in comparison to the doors. A simple driftwood desk sat in the middle, facing the entrance. The enormous single pane window behind it overlooked the city’s lights dotted all over the coast and up the hills. It watched out over the bay and it’s roiling tide, painted a light blue on the surface  by the moon that hung low in the sky. It was gorgeous. If one wished to marvel over all their kingdom. 

Cassian watched Nesta enter that office, heart racing. He tapped along that wall she’d put up, hoping for some kind of affirmation, anything to make sure she felt okay - that she wasn’t hurt by the guards that took her. His muscles coiled, filled with heat and fire waiting to tear into any that would lay a hand on his mate. 

A soft caress was the minimal response he got. A soothing, cool hand that brought his temper down. He knew she could handle herself. He knew that better than anyone. That didn’t stop his instincts though. It didn’t keep the sweat from his brow, or his fists from clenching, waiting to grab his blade and fly straight to any threat posed to her. 

She took long, slow steps around the office. She scanned each bookshelf, every small ornamental table scattered along the walls before heading to the desk. Her back turned to Cassian, she stood there for a moment. “What - what what is it?!” Cassian’s eager thoughts raced down the bond. They were swatted away.

Nesta read the letter as best she could. The messy scrawl was unfamiliar to her. The tattered paper it was written on did not help. Shadowed in stains and years of age, she made out the words slowly. She didn’t dare touch it. 

“Deep among frozen 

Roots from tree and ocean 

Lies death awaiting”

It said no more than that. Those simple, three lines. Nesta pulled out a drawer and searched for anything else the desk held. Papers, letters, wax seals and candles. Nothing to further explain the words. They’d done all this, she’d gotten captured for what - a poem? Fury licked down her spine, pushing her to move faster looking through drawer after drawer. 

“I thought I may find you here, Nesta Archeron.” Kai’s cool tone crossed the room like a low rumble of thunder. “I thought you’d die tomorrow, but it seems it will be tonight instead.”

+

“Where have you been?!” Feyre’s tone cracked across Rhys’s mental wall. He scowled, but continued watching their son as Madja healed his frostbitten limbs. He’d been lucky to survive. If he weren’t a high lord’s son, there was no doubt that he would have died. 

“Finding out whatever was in that box they brought back.” He shot a hazy thought of the box you had recovered from the warden back to his mate.

“And?” She placed a hand on the high lord’s shoulder, and tried her best to seem calm while staring at her son’s blue lips. 

“We have a laundry list of problems.” 

+

Nesta backed as far away as she could. Kai stalked forward, a predator sizing up its game. Cassian was moving before he could think of the repercussions of intervening. He would kill Kai himself. He’d end it all now. 

“Why did you kill your father?” Nesta stalled, waiting for Cassian to break through that giant window and fly her out. She had all she needed from the High lord. She’d gathered what she could, and it was time to leave. 

“What kind of question is that? I knew the night court was rude, stealing my wife… but this is just disrespectful” He summoned something then, a bright light that made Nesta wince and hold up a hand to block it. 

Then, he was on her. He winnowed directly in front of her and grabbed that arm, twisting it behind her back. Something cold pressed to her throat. Something she knew he would use if he deemed it necessary. Her heart thundered, she knew she could break out of his grasp with ease. But with the ability to Winnow… they’d end up in the same situation again. He turned her toward the window, pushed her cheek against the cold glass. 

“How about I show whoever’s out there watching you….” He dug the knife in enough just to draw blood. Nesta felt the warmth stick to her neck, and press against the glass. “what happens to intruders in Summer Court… Doesn't that sound fair?” More blood. He was going to kill her. She knew it, as soon as he’d drawn blood. 

So she wrenched backwards, knocked into his head with hers - making him double over in pain. She wrestled the knife from his grasp, hoping to the mother he didn’t have another somewhere. They rolled, blood spilling on the floor as he grunted and attempted to knee her. She was fast though, Nesta was a trained Valkyrie and strong. So strong. 

Cassian watched his mate struggle on the floor with Kai. He saw the blood and it had fueled him to fly faster. The wind against his skin bit and whipped, stinging wherever it touched. A light began to grow in the room, so bright that it washed out everything, so much that he couldn’t see Nesta or the blood anymore. 

Then, the window exploded. Shards flew outward, sparkling in the light like millions of tiny diamonds. His heart nearly stopped. Nesta was there, among the glittering diamonds- she was falling. Thrown out of the destruction like nothing more than trash. Her body twisted at odd angles, and her hands clawed for any purchase. But she fell, and fell. Cassian’s roar of defiance somehow pumped his wings faster. The tears from his eyes were no longer form the wind.

+

Your stomach floated, and fluttered at his words. His eyes searched yours, observed your reaction to what he’d said. “I almost killed him there, you know. I nearly risked all out war, everyone’s lives -  just to have you back.”

Your lip quivered. You entire body quivered, from your shoulders to you knees, your body grew weak. He looked at you with those hazel eyes and you saw it there - the longing, the desire and unfolding love that prowled along the edges of his words. Everything changed with that look. Your eyes widened, and your mind seemed to spiral.

“W-why?” it was all you could muster for a response. He’d never let on that he’d do so much, he’d kept it hidden, deep inside himself for so long now it had reached its breaking point. He couldn’t hold back, couldn’t keep lying to you. He knew it wasn’t lying, but when his heart sang so true in your presence it felt like it. 

“What do you mean why?” He smiled, his white teeth gleaming in contrast to his skin. “You’re my mate. I accept that, and I embrace it. I..” He sighed, and shook his head. For a moment you thought it was a dream. That he wasn’t real, that this day wasn’t real and you weren’t you. You felt like you were floating. “I do… I want you. If you’d have me. I didn’t know how to approach it and I-” 

You wrapped him in a hug, wanting him to stop talking and just do. Do, do whatever he wanted, whatever he was going to explain to you. He didn’t respond immediately. Shocked, and weary he first put his hands to your head, caressing your hair as you rested on his chest. His heart hammered, and he was sure you could hear it. 

Then, you felt his warm hands spread across your mid back, pulling you harder against him. He felt like he was practically vibrating, radiating nerves and shock and excitement. And you realized he wasn’t vibrating, he was shadowstepping with you. 

+

Nesta fell, and fell, and fell. She brought down that barrier between her and her mate, and before she could scream for help, she saw herself in his eye. She was tumbling through the air down the side of the castle wall, her hair whipping all over. It wasn’t like the way Cassian or the other Illyrians sometimes made themselves dive through the air with grace. This was… violent, and gut wrenching to watch. Cassian’s eyes stung with tears, He grew closer, and closer with each second. The rooftops below grew closer as well. 

His grunt was like a song to her. Even though her back and arms screamed in pain from the way he caught her. He’d done his best to be gentle, but with her so close to the surfaces below he wasn’t risking a thing. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her to his chest as he flew away, gaining altitude only when they’d reached the safety of the mountains to the north.

+

Nyx was his normal pallor by dawn. Feyre hadn’t left his side the entire time Majda had worked on him. “The box was a gift. The Warden said so, at least. When I saw the Reader, he said it would unlock something never seen before. And that only darkness can read darkness. Whatever that means. He said it held the answer though.”

“Cryptic, isnt he?” Feyre smiled softly, exhaustion beginning to take over. 

“Very. So the question now, is do we open it?”

“How would we even do that?”

“With three high lords-high fae I mean… we should be able to figure it out.” He left it at that. Feyre was silent, her thoughts going dormant. “You should sleep, darling.” He said softly. She sighed and allowed her mate to guide her to the couch for rest.

+

His presence was everywhere, darting over your body, throughout your mind. His eagerness was well met. You answered without speaking. You let go of the last bit of will going into keeping that wall up in your mind, and allowed him to engulf you. And you did the same to him. Darkness and light, cold and pitch black midnight. Clouds and stars and smoke rising high in cold morning air. You could taste it, could feel it all as if you were living it. 

You crashed together at the same time, holding each other, feeling - gods - feeling his body as yours. The bond cracked and snapped like a cliffside falling into the ocean. The moon and stars could have collapsed right on top of you and it wouldn’t have mattered. Kai could have a sword to your neck, it didn’t matter. His wings curled around around you, pulling you closer as he adjusted himself to pull you on to his chest.

The kiss was slow, tender. The ones after that weren’t. They were teeth, and tongue and heat and nothing more. The clouds of him in your head filled you, pulsed with arousal, need and utter male thoughts of taking, of making you his.

You fired back with an image of how you’d imagined his hands on you, what you’d touched yourself to at night sometimes. His growl nearly undid you. His wings curved around you, and his leg went between yours, pushing upward against your pelvis. You groaned into his mouth, grinding down on his leg. A lick of pleasure whipped down the bond, hot like liquid fire. Your hands went to his tunic, popping off the buttons there - exposing his sculpted chest. He pulled your shirt over your head, hands going to cup your breasts. Yet he hesitated. His hands went to your face instead, his deep hazel eyes searching yours, glassiness overtaking them. “Are- is this okay?”

The question brought even more emotion to the moment. The tenderness he showed with those words alone made your stomach do flips. Butterflies raced in your stomach. You nodded, and he took his time kissing his way from your lips, down your neck and shoulders and collarbone before softly squeezing your breasts. He took a deep breath, scenting you and the arousal. He swore under his breath, and took a long lick over one nipple. You arched to him, begging for more.

You hadn’t understood where you were until you saw the paintings all around. It was unmistakably Feyre’s art. All along the wooden walls, were rich colors that blended together into different shapes that resembled the Illyrian wings you’d grown so used to. You brought yourself back down to face Azriel, “Where are we?” You managed through your breathy pants. He was going to lose his mind if he didnt taste you - now.

“A cabin - take off your shoes.” He crouched over and began unlacing them for you, along with his own after. 

“Who’s cabin?” You asked, toeing off your boots as he’d ordered. He untied his pants, and left them folded open, exposing the trail that led down to his… holy mother.. He was huge. 

“All of ours. We come here every winter solstice. It was Rhys’s mothers.” He slipped your pants off with ease, quick and efficient. They landed on the floor across the room with a soft thud. He brought your legs from under you and forced you back onto the couch, your legs wrapped around his shoulders. “Az-” You whined, as he kissed his way from your knees to your thighs, and lingered on the edge of your most sensitive areas. 

You attempted to push yourself up, insisting to have him, all of him inside you. Wanting to make both of you one. You didn’t just want him - you needed it. You needed to feel his pleasure inside of you. With that thick member it would take a few moments to get adjusted, but you needed him. More than anything. That thought fired down the bond, and he shuddered in response. Some kind of longing emotion crossed his features for a second before turning back to wild lust.

He pushed you back, holding you down, pinned to the couch. “I am going to devour you.” He promised, voice gruff. You could have come just from those words. Your head fell back against the cushions, and he took a long, slow lap up your slit. You squirmed under him, needing more. “You taste so..” He huffed a curse and lapped at you, again and again. “So fucking good.” He rumbled. You could hear his other hand working his pants down, further and further. 

You desperately tried to crane your neck to see his cock. It was an aching curiosity. A quick flick of his tongue over your clit had you reeling, legs pulling his face further into you. He licked greedily, drinking you in. He was teasing you, bringing you closer and closer to the edge of climaxing before pulling away, and dipping his tongue back into your entrance. “Please-” You panted, hips bucking up into him. 

His eyes flared, pupils blown wide and dark. He placed one last, slow kiss to your sex and climbed up to you, kicking his pants off with ease. You kissed him, tasted yourself on his lips. Tongues met and lapped at each other, teasing and chasing while he pulled you up, and brought you to the floor in front of the fire. He laid beside you, his hands going between your legs once again to tease you, flicking his expert fingers over you clit and forcing animalistic sounds from you. 

You traced a hand down his strong, toned body, then finally.. Finally rested a hand on his cock. Gods, he was wet - coated in precome and twitching, waiting for release. Him lapping you up had done that to him. “Fuck-” He hissed. 

 From one stroke of your soft hand he was almost coming undone. His fingers dug into your back, and he rutted into your hand. His powerful body thrust into you, over and over with enough skill that he had you somehow even more turned on than before. You could feel how bad your body need him, how your insides awaited something - someone to fill you. You let go of his hard member, to his disappointment. “Fuck me-” You demanded. 

In an instant he had rolled over, pulled you on top of him - his wings surrounding you. They were warm, so warm and soft. They pulled you down, softly. Guiding you over him until his tip slid in, then slowly… patiently, the rest of him. 

Your body adjusted with ease, the stretch he presented was a challenge. But gods, he felt so right. It felt like you’d never had anyone before him, and he would be the only one you ever needed. 

You brought yourself down on him, inch by inch until you were fully seated on him. His hands caressed your sides, your ass. His face was something of amazement, and wonder. His eyes glazed over every part of your body with adoration. You brought yourself up, easily sliding along his cock, then back down again. His head fell back, and his toes popped from curling so hard. “Ride me - fuck..” His cock surged inside you, pushing hard into that perfect sensitive spot that many had never reached. You shuddered a breath, and obliged him. You raised and lowered yourself over and over, slowly, deliberately. Wanting this moment to last for a lifetime. This was beyond sex, beyond anything you’d ever known possible.

This was marking each other, branding one another with scent and marks and - the bond surged when you lowered yourself a bit faster. His fingers dug into your hips, and pulled you down hard, pushing and pushing into you farther than what you’d done before. You collapsed on to him, and let him do the work. 

He pulled you forward, and pushed back in, slowly. His hips trembled, needing more. Wanting to take all of you and make you his - and his alone. “Fuck me-” You panted into his ear, your voice strained and almost not your own. His cock surged again, pressing hard into that spot. Your walls clamped down hard, and he found he lacked the restraint to keep going slow. He spanked you, lightly. But enough to feel. You bit your lip and hummed approvingly.

He wrapped his forearms around your back, and held you in place while he thrusted up into you, over and over again, each time hitting that spot and causing that fire inside you to grow closer and closer to your climax. 

He was swearing, and saying something that you couldn’t hear over the crack of his hand against your backside. Then, he was rolling with you, never coming out of you. He towered over you like a god, all sculpted male and brutal pleasure written on his face. He was what statues wished they looked like. Even with his mussed hair and red cheeks, it made him all the more appealing. 

The angle was different, in so many ways. It felt like he was stretching you even further than before.. And gods- he pulled back and brought your legs around his hips.. Then ran a hand over your stomach, and lower. 

 His thumb pressed on your clit expertly, and began circling back and forth while he re gained his rhythm. Each stroke of his cock had you growing closer and closer to climax, every time he circled your clit he nearly brought you over the edge. He knew that. And pressed down slightly harder while he worked himself closer as well. 

“I’m-” You squirmed under him legs tightening around his back. You were so close, so ready to release yourself upon him and collapse with exhaustion. His hand did not stop, and his thrusts became deeper, faster. 

He growled, and bit his lip, his finger slipping over you only a few more times - “Come for me baby-” He ground out.

It had you undone. Your back arched, body trembled and shook while your inside clamped down on his cock, milking it for every drop of come he had. One, two more thrusts into your wetness had him spilling inside you, groaning the entire time. The spurting of his cock tightened you further, making you jut your hips up more, wanting more of him. Whatever he had to offer you’d take it. His hands shook as he began rubbing you again.

The second climax came with ease, and left you both trembling by the end of it. He pulled out slowly, the hot juices of your combined lovemaking spilling out along with him. He panted a laugh, and grabbed his shirt from where it had been discarded on the floor. He dabbed you gently, his fingers grazing over your thighs, causing delicious goosebumps to appear when he was done. 

 Azriel’s wings folded down over you like a blanket, as he collapsed beside you. His massive arm draped over your chest. He eyed you sleepily. “You..are amazing.” He muttered. You turned to him, and he folded the wings in. He flipped to his side facing you and held an arm out. You turned, letting him be your big spoon.

His scarred hands wrapped around both of yours, still warm and soft. “I plan to taste you again soon.” He rumbled in your ear. You squirmed, hips arching back to him. His member strained, ready for more as it poked into your thigh. But Azriel only smiled, you could feel it against your back. He pulled you in tight against his chest, his body keeping you warm all night. 

+

The scent of sex still lingered in the main room when Azriel woke. He was confused for a moment, wondering how the hell he ended up at the cabin. Then, you shifted under him as he stirred. And his cock twitched as you rubbed against him. The scent of you, mixed with him was enough to get him straining for control on his libido. His stomach growled. 

Food. Food was needed. A good host would make breakfast for their guest. Or… for the mate that they’d just paired with. He tested the bond, shocked at how clear and wide open the bridge was. You end was… soft, not absent but.. Restful. It made sense. 

He started cooking, as quietly as he could before you woke.

+

“Kai is planning something to the south, he’s pulling troops back and re assigning  his commanders.” Nyx said, voice cracking while he ate. The boy was starved, after three days of being lost in the snowy, wrecked woods, Amren was surprised he’d survived at all. 

Mor handed him a cup of warm liquid. He drank it and cringed at the taste. Amren scoffed. Three days of freezing and he thought a warm medicine was bad. She’d almost vomited the first time she really had to eat food. She wondered if he knew just how lucky he’d been. 

“Why would he pull back when he has all the strength to push forward now?” Mor questioned, folding her legs under her as she sat on the carpeted floor. 

There was a crashing sound on the roof, and thuds. Rhys stood, battle ready for whatever came. The others froze. Amren waited, watching that door, wondering if Kai had sent his best to end them all.

Cassian came crashing through, making her jump. Nesta limped at his side. 

“Kai’s found something.” He announced. “Get me a healer.” He looked to Rhys, who was already winnowing at the sight of Feyre’s sister bloodied. 

Feyre and Mor were on their feet in a heartbeat, helping lower Nesta to the floor while Cassian watched.

[bokutoslittlebird]

Family Vacation

Bokuto x reader x Akaashi

Author’s Note : no incest, I promise ; the request included some slight BokuAka interaction, however I made it more than slightly ; the hot springs resort is loosely based on three different locations under the Kinosaki Onsen in northern Hyogo [Mikuniya Ryokan, Yutouya Ryokan, Nishimuraya Ryokan]. Each one offers different things, but they all have some common aspects that I liked: seafood served during winter months [November - March], traditional ryokan, and options for the hot springs [indoor, outdoor, and family] ; holy fuck is this wrong.. but holy hell is it erotic

Warnings: introduction of the Bokuto family, best friends to lovers au, playful teasing [about reader’s virginity], some mlm [Bokuto x Akaashi] interaction, fingering, face-sitting, handjob, blowjob, cum eating, spit exchanges and mentions, no penetrative sex, virgin!reader, virgin!Bokuto

“Oh, [Y/N]! I’m so glad you could make it!”

“Thank you for having me, Bokuto-san,”

“Oh, dear, call me Fuyumi! You’re practically family, anyways,” she smiles, eyes crinkling as she does. Her smile makes you smile, bowing in respect as if you haven’t known her for years.

The Bokuto family always spent their winter vacation before New Years at an Onsen in Hyogo. Yasurai-fukurou was well known for their hot springs throughout the year, but their meals included seafood in the winter. Kōtarō and Shinjiro both love seafood, especially crab, so it made sense the Bokuto family would come to this place specifically. Winter meant snow, and snow meant the garden view from the spring was gorgeous, having the silver lining the green foliage as the pebbles along the ground glistened with melted snow, cold and slippery. It was Kōtarō’s and Machiko’s favorite season, so it was an added bonus. The family had the money to spend, treating the members to a relaxing trip. Even Keiji, Kōtarō’s friend, joined them his first year at Fukurodani.

You didn’t usually attend, yet you always wanted to. Your family celebrated holidays differently, so you often found yourself swamped with family activities around December, only getting free to hang out by the time school started back up. Always wishing to go, you finally got your wish this year. With the stress from school this past semester, your family decided to let you choose what to do, so you declined spending the holidays with your family. Instead, you were free to spend that quality time with the Bokuto family. Fuyumi practically begged Kōtarō to invite you, knowing you’d be alone, so you didn’t have to worry about inviting yourself. There was one problem, however.

“[Y/N] should room with us!” Machiko points out. “She can’t board with boys!”

“What do you take us for? We’re her best friends,” Kōtarō waves off his sister. “I worry Amaya might try to wrestle her,”

“She could use the practice!” She pipes up, only to be shut back down. “I wouldn’t hurt her,”

“Why not let the girl choose herself? It is where she will stay, in the end,” Shinjiro said. Although he was right, you suddenly felt your heart tugging in two different directions. Machiko and Kōtarō gave you the puppy dog eyes, begging to choose them. A heavy sigh came from you as you weigh the options presented in front of you.

“I trust Keiji and Kōtarō, I’ll room with them,”

“No!” The two girls dramatically shout, falling to their knees. Fuyumi laughs, patting your back.

“Good choice, dear,” she compliments. You know why. Her daughters may be considered mature and adults, but they are both hectic and chaotic in their own way. At least with Kōtarō, he has Keiji with him. There’s no reason to mull over the decision, you know full well that Keiji and Kōtarō wouldn’t hurt you.

Once settled into each room, your bedding laid between the two of them, the trip to relax in the ryokan was in order. The two genders were separated, of course, so you sat in the spring with Machiko, Amaya, and Fuyumi. It wasn’t a bad thing, being with the three, but you knew Machiko and Amaya like to tease you.

“Gosh, [Y/N], you’re so innocent! You’ve never done anything?” Amaya’s face made it seem like she was much more malicious than on the surface. “Even I had a couple boyfriends that I had special adventures with before your age,”

“Excuse me? Amaya!” Fuyumi scolds her daughter. “You never told us this,”

“Why would I? You and dad never allowed me to have a boyfriend until I graduated. Kōtarō even had a girlfriend in his second year,” she pouts, puffy cheeks making her less malicious and much more adorable. Though unintentional, her words make your mood sour, Kōtarō’s slipping from her lips. Machiko notices this, however.

“Well, Kōtarō is a boy and I told your father to make sure he doesn’t do any of that dating stuff, but it seems like he did,”

“You know, I’m kind of tired. I’m really relaxed,” you mention, moving to exit the water. “I should lay down and take a nap,”

“Oh, are you sure? Dinner will be served soon,” Machiko holds out her hand, as if to stop you. You’re quick about getting out, rinsing yourself off before wrapping a robe around your naked body.

“I’m sure. Wake me when dinner’s ready,” you cheerfully smile, waving to them as you leave the setting. Your smile falls, an artificial thing as you continue to pad towards the room. Passing the window leading to the garden, you notice the cascading of the white snowflakes, shimmering in the light from the outdoor lamps. It’s peaceful, the way it floats down to the ground until it rapidly melts, joining the slush forming on the pathway. A sigh leaves you, heart aching from the words Amaya let spill.

It wasn’t her fault, you tell yourself that as you continue to the room. Amaya doesn’t know, but Machiko does. Machiko has always had the older sister intuition, knowing when her younger siblings had something to hide or something embarrassing. Whether it was from her years of travel around the world, or just a trait of hers, she could pinpoint things that made you want to crawl in a hole. What does Machiko know, exactly? Your big, fat crush on her little brother.

Kōtarō has been your crush as long as you’ve known him, aka since you guys were waddling around with chubby legs. Your family and his family live near each other, so it made sense for you two to play a lot as children. As the years passed, your admiration for him evolved into a crushing thing, yet your young mind wouldn’t allow such a horrid thing to be spoken. No, it festered until you broke down one day in high school and confessed to the dark of the night, the only witness of your confession was the moon. You confessed that you loved him, you were in love with him, nobody else could compare. It hurt even more now, knowing you were falling in love with him while he was loving someone else. Even Keiji probably loved Kōtarō, knowing how close they were. You wouldn’t put it past them to be in a relationship, either. Each thought accompanied a step you took, each one bringing tears to prickle your eyes as you finally shut the door to the room, and your problems.

With the dark encompassing the room, you found yourself easily situating yourself on the ground to cry, curling up in a ball as you did so. A pathetic scene, you knew it was, yet you couldn’t help yourself.

After you left the ryokan, Shinjiro happened to be talking to the boys in front of him, both of them flushed red from the warmth of the bath and the topic at hand.

“I knew something was off in the way your mother encouraged you to invite her! I never thought it’d be that, however,” his guffaw had Kōtarō sinking into the water, bubbles coming from his nose as he huffs. Keiji looks at him pitifully, but doesn’t do much of anything else.

“She doesn’t even like me like that. This trip was a mistake,” Kōtarō mumbles, his mouth going back under the water. Keiji sighs, looking into the water where his distorted hands lie. Before he can speak, Kōtarō beats him to it. “I have to go to the bathroom. I think I’ll leave early,”

“You sure it’s just that?” Shinjiro teases. “Or are you going to wait for your lovely friend?”

“Okay, maybe it’s a bit of both,” he huffs, cheeks puffed out. Keiji lets the words die on his tongue, letting Kōtarō leave the spring without any reason to look back.

Shinjiro sighs, rubbing the back of his neck as he looks into the water. “Maybe I went too far. I shouldn’t tease him about his crush, it seems like it’s important to him. I don’t think she sees him in that light, anyways,”

“She does, actually. I think she’s been in love with him for a while,” he confesses. Shinjiro’s eyebrows rise as the words sink in. However, he is quick to understand. No longer laughing and joking, his smile is more bitter and sad. A pity smile.

“And you’ve been in love with her, haven’t you?”

Keiji turns his head to the side, yet he nods. The red dusting his cheeks is no longer just the warmth of the water. Shinjiro moves closer to Keiji, putting his hand on the younger man’s back.

“Then tell her. You both need to confess, not let this fester and turn into something ugly. Don’t let this ruin your friendship with Kōtarō, either. It’s not worth it,”

“I know. I know, Bokuto-san,”

“When you gonna call me Shinjiro? Or even dad? You need to let loose, Keiji!” He laughs again, getting Keiji to crack a smile.

While Keiji ponders how he should go about this, Kōtarō trudges up to his room for the week, unaware you’ve also turned in early. His mood has taken a turn for the worse, hair deflating as he pouts. No matter what, he’s always found himself finding your validation to be the most important. Throughout the years, he’s reached out to both you and Keiji for validation, finding them both to be important to him. While he knows Keiji partially does it just to make him happy, which he is thankful for, he knows yours is genuine. Even when he forced himself to move on, knowing you didn’t see him in that light, he found it hard. You followed him into his dreams, gleeful chimes of your laughter as the future he aims for bloomed into an obtainable goal. Yet, he’d wake up to see the empty space beside him, a brutal reminder that his dreamt future would stay in his head, playing on loop until he could do something about it in the real world.

When his door comes into view, he sighs, relief flooding through him. As he gets closer, he hears a soft voice from inside. Leaning his ear against the shut door, he hears you — a squeak of his name, accompanying a soft mewl, most likely held back due to the thin walls. Even he understands what you’re doing, it’s not like he’s never thought of you that way, finding himself wishing you could relieve his stress in the best way possible. As to respect your privacy, and settle his nerves, he quietly creeps away, to his parent’s booked room. He decides to use the toilet in there, giving you a few moments to finish your own business.

Leaning against the door once more, he doesn’t hear your heavy breaths or your moans and mewls, so he slides open the door to see you under the covers, laptop shining in your face as a movie plays. “Hey, what’re you doing here?”

“Huh?” You jump, turning to see Kōtarō’s large frame at the entrance of the room. It’s scary, the way he seems to have popped up after you finished, or attempted, getting off on thinking of him. “Oh, Kō. It’s just you. No more hot springs for you?”

“Oh, no, I found it to be getting too hot,” he lies, rubbing his neck. The robe you’re wearing is the one you put on after exiting the spring, so his perverted little mind knows you’re completely naked underneath. Not only that, you’re probably nice and slick from thinking about him—

He stops himself, hearing your voice. “Did you hear me? I asked if you wanted to watch the movie with me,”

“Oh, sorry, off in my own world. Uh, sure, what is it?”

“Crown for Christmas. A sappy romance Christmas movie, from America. It’s very predictable, but it’s cute. My mom loves it, so I brought it to watch,”

“Oh, that’s interesting,” he hums, lying on his own bedding. He didn’t move closer to you, giving you some space, but he finds himself panicking when you move closer.

“Can’t see if you’re all the way over there, dummy,” you giggle, pressing play. He can’t find it in himself to focus, the movie being background noise to his thoughts. The hot springs help to add a special glow to your skin, making it seem smoother than before, and you smell so nice, not to mention he can feel his cock throbbing at your soft voice calling out his name. What would it be like if he used his own fingers, would you be able to hold back? Or would you come completely undone as you came on his fingers— even better, his cock? Just the thought has him groaning, head shoved into his pillow as you pause the movie, probably confused.

He looks up, seeing your dazed expression — yep, totally confused. He sighs and shrugs, apologizing. “Are you okay? You seem.. tense,”

“Tense?” That’s one way to describe it, he supposes. “I’m just.. dad was teasing me earlier. That’s why I left. I’m.. remembering what he said,”

“Oh, I get that. Amaya kept teasing me about girl stuff, so I left. Machiko tried to stop me, but I was already out of the water,” you admit. It’s not the full truth, but that’s okay.

“Girl stuff? Like what?” Kōtarō never shied from girly stuff, including the weird stuff that happened to girls like puberty and the menstrual cycle. You chalked it up to his older sisters being shameless, never making it seem gross. Even when you started your period in class, Kōtarō was there to help you, a knight in shining armor.

You wish they were less shameless.

“Oh, um, you know, the romantic stuff,”

“Like? Boyfriends?”

“Yeah, I’ve.. never had one. No experience on my end. Amaya was teasing me because she had a couple of boyfriends before my age, so it.. it didn’t hurt my feelings, but it made me feel some kind of way, you know?” Your attempted explanation was kind of butchered, trying to explain it without giving too much detail. Kōtarō wouldn’t judge you, of course not, it wasn’t something to judge you about.

He knows the feeling, being inexperienced.

“W-Well, if you want any experience before going into the dating scene, I could.. always help you,” he whispers. His words hang in the air, settling into both of your minds. He’s berating himself for using such a lame line to try and get in your pants, but you’re trying to find a way to say yes without seeming desperate. However, “I mean! I have experience, so I could help you! I’d say I’m pretty good at doing stuff. Oh! It could be like.. any advice or something.. hands on,” he whispers the last part again, his confidence melting like snow on a summer’s day when your face falls.

It isn’t you don’t want it, you just would prefer him to not word it like that. It reminds you of Amaya’s words and the pain in your chest, the churn in your stomach. “If you’re gonna be like that, maybe I should ask Keiji,” you huff, turning your body away from his. Focusing on forcing your stomach to stop twisting in knots, you don’t even notice when Kōtarō closes the laptop and presses himself against you. Well, not until you feel something pressing into your back. “Kō—”

“Don’t be like that. I’ve never actually gone all the way, I’ve been saving that for someone special. I can help, though, if you’d let me,” his breath fans over your ear, sending shivers down your spine. His arm snakes under you, pulling you into his stomach while he lays on his back.

“Kōtarō!”

“You’re stressed, gotta loosen up a bit. I’m helping,” he just says, making sure your legs are hooked over his. With the lack of clothing under the robe, your nether region is spread open towards the door, sending your adrenaline skyrocketing. Kōtarō is quick to ease that, his thick fingers spreading open your folds while his middle finger rubs against your sensitive clit. “You’re absolutely soaked, do I turn you on that much?” He’s grinning, you know he is. Gritting your teeth, you keep your mouth closed as you focus on the feeling of his fingers, now sliding up and down and collecting your slick.

Kōtarō doesn’t want to tease you for too long, slipping his middle finger into your cunt as you mewl, hand coming to cover your mouth. “What a reaction. I wonder..” he trails off, pulling his finger out, only to add in three fingers. You’re arching, legs tending against his as he fingers you, lips pressing themselves to your hair and ear. When his tongue flicks out against your ear, you squirm and he grunts, his left arm keeping you firm against him. “Sensitive, are you?”

He doesn’t get any vocal confirmation from you, but the way you’re clenching around his fingers tells him all he needs to know. He makes sure to keep his thumb bumping against your clit, adding pressure. You can feel the familiar feeling, the beginning of an orgasm as he pumps his fingers into you. With a squeal of his name, your nails dig into the meat of his arm, liquids spilling out of you and all over Kōtarō’s fingers. The squishing sound enters your ears, legs tensing as you mewl, his fingers rubbing themselves against you some more.

“You’re so wet.. I bet it’d be easy to slip my cock in there, wouldn’t it?” His voice is low, a rumble in his chest as your cunt clenches at the thought, your wildest fantasies so close to coming to fruition when someone clears their throat. You pop up, Kōtarō jolting and keeping you on his chest as he moves.

Keiji is looking at the both of you, a heavy blush adorning his cheeks. The room is dim, only the lights from outside the inn illuminating him. He’s right at the door, right in front of where Kōtarō was just fingering you. Kōtarō’s hand finally leaves from between your legs, glistening wetness shown in the lamplight. “If you want to give her experience, you need to go over everything involved in foreplay, Kōtarō. There’s more to prep,”

“M-More?” your voice is small, barely a whisper as you find more slick oozing from you, Keiji entering the room. He kneels down in front of you, still held against Kōtarō’s chest.

“Has he even kissed you, yet? Or did he go headfirst into fingering you?” When you shake your head, Kōtarō himself sucking in a breath, Keiji knows he was right. With the elegance he always exudes, Keiji tilts your chin up towards him. “Then, allow me,”

The kiss is gentle, yet not simple. His lips are firmly against yours, molding perfectly as he keeps your chin tilted. As he deepens the kiss, you find your hands grasping at his own robe, feeling yourself lighter than you were when you had entered the room. Keiji moves to pull away, a brisk kiss on your lips once more before swiping his tongue over your bottom lip, sending heat all over your body.

“Akaashi..” Kōtarō whines, his grip on you tightening. “This is supposed to be my time with her,”

“Well, you’re going too fast. Why not elongate the time spent together, hm?” His voice sends tingles down your spine, his hands removing you from Kōtarō’s grasp. “Lay back, Bokuto-san. You’ll get your turn,”

Your brain is going haywire as he speaks, undoing Kōtarō’s robe with unconscious grace. He’s not doing it on purpose, you know he isn’t, it’s just how he is. Once Kōtarō has been disrobed, you find more heat springing to your cheeks as his muscles ripple and flex. The lack of light prevents you from seeing everything, but you’ve always found yourself insatiable when thinking of his broad frame and what hides under his clothes.

“Give me your hand, [Y/N],” Keiji’s voice has you coming back down to earth, yet you find yourself once more shy with Kōtarō’s legs spread, his cock heavy and so large in Keiji’s hand. You comply, though, your much smaller hand joining Keiji’s around Kōtarō’s girth. It’s so much, the way it feels and the heat of the skin under your fingertips. A soft groan comes from Kōtarō as Keiji moves his hand, his other hand shuffling you between his legs.

“This is called a handjob, [Y/N],” Keiji says. You nod in understanding, realizing he’s teaching you. “Moving your hand up and down the shaft is the basic function of it, but you can also use your fingers to tease the slit, like so,” he demonstrates, swiping his thumb over the small slit, puffy and red where Kōtarō’s cum is dripping from. The simple act has Kōtarō throwing his head back, moaning as his hand covers his mouth. The walls are thin and if his family is back, they probably have a good idea of what’s going on.

“I see,” you hum, continuing to move your hand up and down the shaft. Keiji nods, seeing you’re understanding.

“Or tease his balls, like cupping them or massaging. Don’t squeeze them hard, though. It won’t feel very nice,” his hand moves to cup and tease Kōtarō’s balls, the man himself laying on his back as his face turns red, the ministrations getting to be too much. “There’s also a blowjob, but we can teach you that next time,”

“N-Next time??” You squeak, jumping a bit. Whether it was a one time thing or the beginning of a relationship didn’t cross your mind. His words, however, seem to please you more than imaginable.

“Of course, darling. We’re not done here, either. Why don’t you let Bokuto-san show you what other kinds of pleasure he can give you?” At Keiji’s words, Kōtarō pops up with a bright smile on his face.

“Sit on my face, baby,”

“Oh, woah, wow, uh..” you stop, unsure how to politely decline. His mouth and nose, down there? Not to mention your weight on his head? You were sure he’d regret his decision. “I don’t think”

“I’ll be fine. C’mon, I gotta show you what else my mouth can do besides dirty talk,” he winks, sending more heat to your cheeks, making you feel rather hot for a winter’s day, clad in only a robe. Keiji seems to read your mind, taking your robe from your shoulders, the belt falling undone easily from the previous activities. Once you’re down to your birthday suit, Keiji presses a kiss to your shoulder blade, a whisper to go that sends you crawling closer to Kōtarō’s face. He grins, eagerly taking your thigh and placing it on the other side, keeping your drenched cunt close to his face. He says something, but only a muffled noise comes out, his tongue swiping along your folds.

With your back to him, Keiji wishes he told you to face him and watch, yet he finds the scene of you erotic. He may have a bit more expertise than you and Kōtarō, it seems that’s all that’s needed. He smiles, gaze catching on the way Kōtarō’s fingers dig into the fat of your thigh, making indents. Completely forgotten, Keiji spits a glob onto Kōtarō’s cock, him jumping at the feeling. With a few more pumps of his hand, he flicks his tongue against the head.

Kōtarō’s moan has you mewling, the sound acting as a vibration as your fingers tug harshly on the silver and black strands. Though not as long as they were in high school, there’s enough to grasp and pull on. The wet sounds from behind you has your head turning, eyes falling on Keiji’s mouth wrapped around Kōtarō’s cock. It’s an erotic scene, his head moving up as more of the length is revealed, his blue eyes settling on your own as you feel a nip down below. So focused on Keiji, Kōtarō wants your attention all on him. Keiji chuckles, almost like a hum, that vibrates around the cock in his mouth that has Kōtarō moaning.

The tongue that flicks against your clit has you squirming, restrained mewls and moans leaving your lips as hands tug on his locks. Kōtarō licks and suckles on your clit occasionally, then moves down to prod and swipe over your entrance. The position makes it easy for him to breathe, but he moves down further. New position has you squealing, hands flying to your mouth as you squeeze your eyes shut to focus on the pleasure. Another moan from Kōtarō that sends shivers down your spine, heat to your core, accompanying the obscene noises of Keiji sucking Kōtarō off.

With Kōtarō’s nose bumping against your clit, his tongue’s only focus is on your pretty little cunt, sucking and swirling his tongue. The sensitivity from earlier makes quick work of you, hunching over as your thighs tighten around Kōtarō’s head, his strong hands keeping you from hurting him as you gush all over his face. A moan comes from him as he laps at your juices spilling over his face, his own orgasm coming as Keiji takes him down as far as he can. Globs of white cum spurt from the side of Keiji’s mouth, a gagging sound as he struggles to swallow it.

A hand on your shoulder has you leaning back, falling against Keiji’s chest with his cheeks puffy. Kōtarō manages to look up at the scene, gaze fuzzy as he watches Keiji kiss you once more, cum seeping from where his lips meet yours. When Keiji pulls away, his tongue is out, pushing the dripping cum into your mouth where the rest lies. It’s enough to have Kōtarō hard once more, a dark and heavy blush settling across his cheeks and nose.

The thick appendage pressing into your back once more has you gasping and jumping, some cum spilling out your mouth and down your chest. As it travels between the valley of your breasts and over the perk nipples, Keiji takes it upon himself to lap at the milky droplets. You gulp down the rest in your mouth, making a show of it by tilting your head up, throat contracting as you swallow it all. Kōtarō finds himself unable to look away from the scene.

“Ah, seems like someone’s still raring to go,” Keiji breaks the silence, eyes glancing back to look at Kōtarō’s cock, once more standing tall and proud. He then looks to you. “Shall I let you handle this one alone?”

[strangedreamings]

knife against the throat - Berena/Maekar, knife against an assassin's throat

Fighting For What's Hers (AO3)

A castle the size of Winterfell truly was an enclosed city – countless people always coming and going, and it was impossible to know all of them by name or even just their face, though Berena Stark did make a point to try.

And a visiting prince means even more strangers, she thought as she discreetly followed one such stranger down the corridor leading to her family’s bedchambers. In accordance with time-honored tradition, her parents had given Prince Maekar their bedchamber while they took her oldest brother Donnor’s bedchamber and he had moved to the Guest House. Berena slipped into a hidden corridor meant for servants’ use then went to her parents’ bedchamber and hid herself behind the carved wooden screen. She only had to wait a moment before the door opened just enough for the catspaw to sneak into the room. He was young, no more than twenty, and nervous. An unsheathed dagger tucked into his belt caught the light.

You’d think he’d know better than to keep a naked blade by his manhood. Berena waited until he hid in the shadows along the far wall before she took a deep breath then she slipped out from behind the screen. The catspaw’s eyes widened when he saw her but she had to respect him for holding his ground.

“You’re from the south, are you not? As well as your employer?” she asked calmly as she approached him. “No man of the North would be so craven as to attack a man in his bedchamber, especially a protected guest. Here, we still hold hospitality sacred.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a Northerner, I serve the Starks...”

“Obviously not or you would recognize Lord Stark’s elder daughter.” The man reached for the dagger but Berena grabbed it first then she pushed him against the wall and held the blade to his neck, pressing just enough to be felt. “My lord father believes a woman should be able to defend herself. He taught my sister and I personally how to fend off any man who might attack us.”

“I’ve done nothing-” he protested, his eyes wide.

Her calmness slipped as the thought of what she could have lost hit her hard. “You came here to assassinate my betrothed, my one chance at marrying a prince. Did you think that I would just let you? No, nothing will stand in the way of my happiness.” She pressed the blade further into his neck until a bead of blood began to form. She was so focused on the catspaw that she didn’t realize they weren’t alone until a man’s hand reached out from behind her to gently wrap around her hand holding the dagger and pull it away from the catspaw’s neck.

The catspaw pushed her away then tried to escape but he ran into two guards who grabbed him and dragged him out of the room. Berena’s heart was racing and she took a deep breath before turning around. Just as she thought, Prince Maekar Targaryen, her betrothed, was standing before her. What she didn’t expect was that his eyes were dancing.

“Going by my first impression,” he said, amused, “I was worried we would bore each other to death but I see now you’re as fierce as your House’s sigil would suggest. I think we’ll get along well, Lady Berena.”

She raised an eyebrow but couldn’t help smiling back. “Northern ladies are as genteel as any southron lady and twice as fierce.”

“I’m willing to bet you are even fiercer and more genteel than most and I am eager to know you better.”

[dragonrajafanfiction]

What is Bondarev (BSB ver) actually like in the novels? In my WIP, I’m trying to be as close to the lore as I can with certain parts, so it’s hard to write in a character that I have no clue what his personality actually is like. Also does he have a full name? Is Bondarev his first or last name? I noticed Herzog has a full name thanks to the Fandom wiki you and Hectab are working on :3

Ask and Ye shall receive. (very long post below with allllllllllll of the stuff you asked for.)

VERY HANDSOME

This was a man who was a sight to behold, handsome and straight, with iron gray hair neatly combed back and styled with hairspray, and a muscular body that was defined and supple. Many would describe him as sexy. The sentry had seen such handsome young officers in Moscow, but this one was too unbelievable. He was actually wearing only military shorts and sleeveless undershirt, sweating in the -10 degree wind. The man fished out a lighter from his shorts and lit it with aplomb, the sterling silver case etched with the words "70th anniversary of the October Revolution".

The sentry could not refuse this kindness and went over to light the cigarette.

"Here you go." The man tossed the lighter to the sentry, "In such a cold place, you need to use aviation kerosene with low freezing point, you should save that for the summer."

The sentry then realized that he still had the unlit lighter in his hand, the man's insight was actually keen to this point. Furthermore, people should be eager to find a warm place to rest at this moment. This also shows that he still has energy left for skiing in such extremely cold weather. The man took out a dark gray officer's uniform from his military duffel bag, and after a few moments, he finished putting it on and solemnly pinned a "Red Flag Medal" on his chest. A minute ago he was a skier, a minute later he had a frown of determination, a young man of power from Moscow.

"KGB Major Bondarev, I'm from Moscow." The man pulled out his papers, "Take me to Dr. Herzog and tell him that this is the moment of survival."

"Yes! Comrade Major!" The sentry saluted.

The man stated his identity in the simplest terms; he was an envoy from Moscow, a key member of the secret intelligence service. In the days of the Tsar, such a man was called a "minister".

********ICE PROOF*************

He pressed the detonator in his hand, after a short dull explosion, the marble base in the snow was blown up, Lenin bronze statue slanted in the snow. The noise of this micro-acoustic thunderstorm was so small that it was muffled by the wind within a few steps. The Black Swan Harbor is notoriously heavily guarded, but the most important aspect is the extreme cold, and standing outside for ten minutes on a night like this can lead to severe frostbite. Because of the blizzard, visibility was less than five meters. The soldiers did not expect anyone else to dare to move outside, and they ignored the fact that Bondarev had an extraordinary tolerance for the cold.

-----

"I sometimes think that people who like to drink can't be bad. So I like you a lot, you know vodka." Dr. Herzog removed the Makolov pistol and handed over a cold glass.

A light struck down from above, enveloping the Doctor and Bondarev. The glass reflected the light, as clear as the most expensive crystal glassware, but it was carved from a whole block of solid ice, pure ice, without any air bubbles, with cornflower patterns carved on the outer wall. The two men gently clinked their glasses and drank the wine in one gulp.

　　Bondarev played with the ice carved glass: "It's wonderful, the spirits wrapped in ice, as moving as a stunning young woman under the appearance of an iceberg. I think my hands will freeze and to it."

　　"Usually people who drink from such an ice glass have to wear leather gloves, and only people like you, Major, who are not afraid of the cold can hold it in their hands. It is carved from old ice in the -30 degree strata and also kept at -30 degrees, making it the coldest drinking vessel for the warmest of wines." The doctor said, He said so, but he was also holding the glass with his empty hand, his slender hand was stable and did not tremble at all because of the low temperature.

****** SUPPOSED ROYAL FAMILY and EXTREMELY RICH ***************

　　"Bondarev, a KGB major, from Moscow, these are the truth. I only concealed from you the name of my great-grandmother, her name was Nastasya Nikolaevna Romanova." Bondarev slowly pronounced this long, awkward name, like a magician reciting a forbidden spell.

　　The doctor was stunned: "Was it the last royal daughter of the Romanov dynasty?"

　　Nastasia was the last princess of the Romanov dynasty, the last dynasty to rule Russia until it was overthrown by the October Revolution in 1917. in 1918, the last Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family were secretly executed by the Red Army. Nastasia was the youngest daughter of Nicholas II, and although she was young, she was given the title of "Grand Duchess", which made her more honored than other royal princesses in Europe at the time, and princesses were required to curtsy and address her as "Your Imperial Highness" during their audiences. It was rumored that she was the only one who escaped execution, and that her name Nastasia meant "resurrection".

　　"Since there is still me, the grandson of the emperor, I can't say that she is the 'last' royal daughter." Bondarev smiled.

　　"How do you prove yourself?" The Doctor asked.

　　"I saw Rasputin's signature at the end of the tunnel, and that heretic who had been canonized had been here before, so I should say he was the one who found this cave, right?"

　　"Yes." The Doctor said, "This cave is his legacy."

　　"Then you must know that Rasputin was a guest of the Tsar and a close friend of Princess Nastasia. The fact that I could find this place means that I have Rasputin's secrets, secrets that he told my great-grandmother. This is the proof of my status as the last royal grandson of the Romanov dynasty." Bondarev held his head up proudly.

　　"So, what were the secrets that Rasputin revealed to Her Imperial Highness?"

　　Bondarev smiled slyly: "I think there are certain things I know that you do not know, and of course there are things you know that I do not, so we might as well exchange information about each other. Then we might be able to sit down and talk about cooperation."

　　"After you." The Doctor raised his muzzle.

　　"This matter begins with my great-grandmother's escape. A Red Army bullet did go through her heart and her body was thrown into an abandoned mine, but three days later she awoke and the wound miraculously healed. It was then that she remembered what Rasputin had told her, that Rasputin said he was willing to share the secrets of the world with his great-grandmother because she, like himself, was God's chosen one. Like Rasputin, she had an unparalleled power of life and could even return from hell. She later married a Red Army officer, and in those days the only way she could gain refuge was to marry a Red Army officer. My great-grandfather, who later stepped into the high ranks of the military, was a very good man and always protected my great-grandmother from revealing her identity. Great-grandmother would sometimes wake up in a dream and shout, 'The Red Army is coming with guns,' and great-grandfather would reassure her, 'I am the Red Army, and as long as I live, the Red Army guns will only protect you.'"

　　"Touching love." The doctor said faintly.

　　"Great-grandmother decided to give up her past identity, so she rarely talked about the past of the Romanov dynasty, with the exception of one thing. She bade her great-grandfather that there were relics of God in the north of Siberia, which the saint Rasputin had told her about. That saint found the cave where God created life on the shore of the icy sea. But he did not announce it to the world, but sealed the miracle with iron water, because the miracle had degenerated into the cradle of the devil, and inside it were hidden fallen angels. Generations of our family descendants have to be on guard against the reopening of that cave, and the day it reopens, the end comes with it."

　　"So you are here to check if we are guarding the miracle properly?"

　　"No, no, my great-grandmother was a good and devout Orthodox Christian, but I am not. I have a great curiosity about everything, and after I inherited the secret, I am bent on finding the miracle. If I were to find it, I would definitely open it and take a look. Not long ago I found an engineering map from the ruined archives." Bondarev drew out the map roll and rolled it along the ice toward the Doctor, "It marks the elevator that leads deep into the tundra."

　　The Doctor scanned the map, "It's not the original map, someone drew it from memory."

　　"It was drawn by a madman who used to be the engineer battalion commander of the 13th Konrad Infantry Division and was ordered to participate in the excavation of the tunnel, after which he was brainwashed by drugs and became a regular in a mental hospital. All he remembered was that he was engaged in a big project on the northern coast of Siberia, and the project was to dig a cave. Suddenly I realized I had found a breakthrough. But as the investigation progressed, I found that the matter was becoming more and more mysterious. Many years ago, the army had built a port in the almost unnavigable northern part of Siberia, about which there was no information, and even the coordinates had been erased. Below that port, sappers had dug through the hard permafrost and opened a long-closed cave. So I decided to come and see for myself. As a KGB officer, I easily applied for a charter to investigate this mysterious port, so that I could drive in as the 'Minister of the Admiralty'. Sure enough, I found Rasputin's signature at the end of the passage, and I finally arrived at the place I had dreamed of since childhood." Bondarev looked around, "But it doesn't look like there's anything interesting here."

　　"I'm sure you noticed when you came here that the closer you got to the door where Rasputin signed, the more bones there were in the tundra, and they all crawled out through a gap in the rock wall. It was those things that Rasputin was talking about when he said this cave would breed demons. But now the cave is dead, and the mysterious forces in the cave have dissipated."

　　"I don't think so. If this cave was no longer valuable, you would have left long ago."

　　"If this cave was really valuable, I should have shot you and monopolized the secrets of this place."

　　"Wait a minute! I have brought you a gift! Won't you take a look at the gift before shooting?'' Bondarev took an envelope from inside his clothes and slid it along the ice toward the Doctor, by which he showed that he had absolutely no intention of resisting.

　　The doctor tore open the envelope, inside was a Swiss bank cashier's check - a cashier's check for $200 million.

　　"This is a rare and large check, what do you want to buy from me with this check?" 'Doc asked.

　　"Not a purchase, just a gift." Bondarev smiled, "We believe this gift will be useful to you. Your research has been going on for decades, consuming huge amounts of state funds every year, and it must not be finished yet, right? But now that the Soviet Union is about to split, your backers have fallen, which means you no longer have access to funding to complete your research, and no one to help you keep it secret."

　　"It does sound like I'm facing a lot of trouble." The doctor said.

　　"Then why not work with my family? We know politics, we know technology, and we know war, and we're willing to invest in this cave as long as its secrets pay off. We can continue to support you in this project and share with you all the benefits it brings. I have already shown my sincerity and told you everything I know. Shouldn't you also tell me what I don't know? After that you will still have time to shoot me."

　　"You are very calm, Comrade Major. You think I won't shoot you if you produce this $200 million cashier's check, don't you?" There was a hint of sarcasm in the Doctor's tone.

　　"There are not many people in the world who can refuse two hundred million dollars." Bondarev smiled, "And killing me wasn't the best option. If I do not return safely to Moscow, the family will know that something has happened to me, and they will not spare you. At that time the secret of Black Swan Harbor will be made known to the world."

　　"Ten times." The doctor threw the cashier's check back to Bondarev.

　　Bondarev froze: "What did you say?"

　　"Your family needs to increase the bid tenfold. I need three years and two billion dollars to complete this research. At that time we will share the whole world."

　　"That amount is beyond my expectations and not easy to raise even for my family."

　　The Doctor laughed coldly: "It seems you really don't know the secret of this cave, in front of which two billion dollars is too small a figure, what is here no one can afford, it is priceless! Your family should be proud to offer this two billion dollars."

　　"Everything has a price, weapons, women, secrets, even souls." Bondarev said.

　　"But who can put a price on God?" The Doctor asked.

-------

The Lenin's mooring is only 40 kilometers from Black Swan Harbor, and they will be here soon. This new flare is so great that American spy satellites will recognize it as an aurora borealis." Bondarev said.

　　"You had said that the Lenin would not come." The doctor said.

　　"Moscow is not prepared to send the Lenin to Black Swan Harbo, but we can, and now the Lenin is at my family's beck and call."

　　Black shadows rose above the sea level, the roar of a giant bee on its wings approaching at high speed, snow dust twisted into a tornado by the helicopter's rotors, red five stars flashing in the white tornado. It was the "MiG 26" heavy helicopter, codenamed "Halo", one of the pride of the Soviet military industry. The helicopter hovered over the cast iron dock, the searchlights broke through the haze of the night, the hatch opened, and five captains lined up, saluting Bondarev. The communication lights below the belly of the plane blinked up, signaling greetings to Bondarev in Morse code.

　　"Glad to see you're safe and sound, Your Imperial Highness!" The doctor read out the greeting.

　　The fact that they called Bondarev "His Imperial Highness" instead of "comrade" meant that the helicopter and the Lenin on the icy sea were no longer loyal to the Soviet Union, but to the heir to the Romanov dynasty. The name Romanov is about to shine again after almost a century of obliteration in history, and with the power of the Dragons, it is not impossible for them to re-establish hegemony on Earth.

　　Bondarev handed a letter to the Doctor: "This is a letter I wrote to the family, please read it."

　　The Doctor scanned it and handed the letter back to Bondarev.

　　"If things go well, we will be able to relocate within a few weeks." Bondarev handed the letter to a captain who descended down the zip line, "We will build you a brand new research base in the warm and pleasant Baltic Sea, along with a vacation villa."

　　The captain placed a mouthful of boxes at the doctor's feet, containing a case of aged Red Label vodka.

　　"A small gift, so you don't have to worry about running out of booze until we leave Black Swan Harbor." Bondarev said.

　　"I guess I picked the right partner." The Doctor smiled.

***** HE VERY STRONG AND CAPABLE ***********

Bondarev looked alert, his muscles bulging under his uniform. He was a highly trained soldier, capable of breaking a wolf's neck with his bare hands, and had no need to fear this delicate boy, but not daring to take it lightly in the presence of something supernatural, he adjusted himself to a state of immediate danger.

------

Bondarev noticed a transparent figure flashed from his side. It was just a short blink of an eye, a fraction of a second, but Bondarev was trained to the rigors of the KGB and he was absolutely certain it was a person!

-------- IS A HYBRID THAT HAS NO ISSUE KILLING PEOPLE, INCLUDING KIDS ------------

The lieutenant on duty in the boiler room collapsed on the duty desk, a bottle of Red Label vodka still in his hand. A steel-core bullet had penetrated his heart, and Bondarev stood behind the lieutenant with his Makolov pistol.

---

At that moment the doctor heard the wind change behind his head, and the beam of the searchlight struck him. He turned sharply and saw huge black shadows hovering in the air, their rotor blades churning the snow into a flurry. It was Halo, the heavy helicopter from the Lenin, which had ventured to Black Swan Harbor in such bad weather.

　　"Didn't you say Halo couldn't fly in a snowstorm of this magnitude?" The Doctor froze. Something hard pressed against his back, it was Bondarev's Makarov pistol. One by one, the steel-core bullets pierced the Doctor's chest, tearing the aging heart into a million pieces. The Doctor spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with fragments of his lungs, which had been destroyed in the process. He braced himself and turned his face to look at Bondarev, his eyes filled with shock.

　　"You can't complete the research without me ......," he hissed.

　　"We didn't even try to finish your research." Bondarev's pupils swirled with a gorgeous gold.

　　"Who the hell ...... are you?"

　　Bondarev held the Doctor in place and injected him with adrenaline using an air needle, "Hold on one more minute for the most magnificent scene."

　　The Black Swan Harbor suddenly trembled up tremendously, the sound of a series of explosions spread upward from the ground, but it was not a vacuum bomb detonated in advance, if it was a vacuum bomb, a square kilometer around would be leveled to the ground. A fire rose, and countless pieces of frozen earth spilled onto the frozen sea.

　　"Engineering explosive mines?" The Doctor asked in a hiss.

　　"The new engineering burst mines, even 10,000 years of permafrost, as long as the right eye is chiseled can be blown up. Now in a place you can't see, there is a huge hole with a depth of 180 meters, leading to Rasputin's cave, where we will use the laser to cut through the ice and take away the precious collection that originally belonged to you." Bondarev said, "You have been isolated from the outside world for too long to know the progress of engineering, it is no longer difficult to cut through the tundra in an instant today, once I probe its location."

　　"You ...... want to take that dragon!" The Doctor understood.

　　"Yes," Bondarev replaced the magazine, walked over to the sled, and fired four bullets into the chests of each of the four children.

　　The children died without a struggle from the potent hypnotic drug. It was pure carnage.

　　"You are not the only one who is willing to sacrifice human lives for a great cause." Bondarev pressed his chest in silence for the children he had just killed, looking reverent.

[thepaperpanda]

Brothers || Ragnarsons x sister!reader

Summary: Your brothers can be a little overprotective towards their little sister

Warnings: None

Words: 3249

Authors: Cass & Rouge

Ragnar's return caused quite a stir among people of Kattegat.

When the news came to your ears, you had been hunting outside but you quickly went back to the settlement.

Mob was chanting Ragnar's name on and on, gathering in the main square.

As you spotted your older brothers lined in one place, you pushed yourself to get to them.

Bjørn wasn't happy with Ragnar's return yet he knew one day this had to happen.

He had so many questions to ask, so much bitterness and spite grew within his soul for the years when his father was gone.

Ubbe grabbed you tightly by the waist as soon as you pushed through them so you won't just run to Ragnar like nothing ever happened. "Slow down, little one," he said, stopping you in the place.

Ragnar smiled at his sons and daughter. "So, this is how it's gonna be? You will just pretend you see someone less important than all?" He frowned looking at you all for a moment longer before pulling out his sword and walking closer to Hvitserk. "So, maybe one of you should kill me to claim the title?!,” Raganr roared and Hvitserk flinched, looking at his siblings.

Bjørn was standing in the crowd, not manifesting his presence yet, it was too early, and on the other hand he was willing to see what would happen.

Ivar, who finally managed to crawl to the place his siblings gathered at, raised his chin up, fixing his blue eyes on his father.

You were tugging onto your loose blouse, a part of your hunting attire. Too many thoughts were spinning around your head at the moment, but you couldn't deny you did miss the father.

Ragnar smiled as he plunged his sword into the ground. "Come on! Who wants to be a king?!," He challenged one more time, waiting for any reaction.

Ivar looked at Hvitserk and Sigurd as he was between them. Then his glance moved back to Ragnar; the young man didn't blink.

You also were paralyzed with fear and anxiety as your father raised his tone.

"Just keep her in place," Ubbe muttered to Hvitserk as he let go of you to walk out to the front, ready to fight his father.

Hvitserk gave you a reassuring smile as he moved a little closer to you.

Ragnar looked at him and smiled, it was brave to stand against your own father. Soon, Ubbe was pulled into a tight hug by his father.

Both of them laughed softly and Ragnar gestured for the rest of you to come closer as well.

You were the first one to jolt towards your father. You simply pushed Ubbe aside and wrapped your arms around Ragnar's neck, climbing on your tiptoes to place a kiss to his cheek. "Dad! I was longing for you!"

Ivar crawled towards his father as well, being left behind Sigurd and Hvitserk. He waited patiently for Ragnar to notice him.

Ragnar chuckled as he hugged you tightly than looked at you and Ivar proudly. "Look at you two, my youngest children. My twins. I missed you all. You look like a princess and you grew up a lot," Ragnar said, placing a hand on Ivar's hair.

"Well he for sure didn't get any taller," Hvitserk muttered to Ubbe and both laughed quietly.

You simply aimed a blow at Hvitserk should. "Quit it, both of you!"

Ivar closed eyes, enjoying the touch of his father's hand. "Been a lot of time, dad," he said finally. "I always knew sooner or later you'll come back to us."

This was the moment Bjørn decided to join. He pushed between two huge men and crossed arms over his chest as his glance met Ragnar's. "Why did you come back?"

"Hey! Don't hit me," Hvitserk muttered, rubbing his shoulder.

"What? Our princess hit you too hard?," Ubbe teased his brother but they both went quiet when they saw Bjørn approaching.

Ragnar patted Ivar's shoulder and got up to look at the oldest son. "I wanted to see my children, I missed you all and I missed our home."

"You went away years ago. You didn't care to let us know whether you were alive and now you suddenly pop up here, expecting everyone to fill into your arms? Everything had changed, father," Bjørn said. "What's your real purpose?"

Ragnar sighed, opening his arms slightly with a little shrug. "No real purpose. I just wanted to see my kids all grown up, strong, beautiful."

"Bjørn, leave him. Maybe he really changed," Ubbe said shortly.

"The truth is we all kinda missed him. No matter what he is still our father," Hvitserk quickly added.

Bjørn scoffed, turned around and left, vanishing in the crowd.

You grabbed your father's hand and squeezed it. "I bet you're tired and hungry. Come with us, you need a meal."

Ragnar cringed a little, he didn't want to go but against himself he nodded, following you. "A good warm meal would be wonderful, my dear," he said.

Ubbe and Hvitserk picked up Ivar.

"Come on, little brother. We don't want you to get lost on the way to the Great hall," Ubbe joked.

Ivar grinned wryly but let his older brothers help him back to their home.

Once you got inside, you immediately shifted a chair for Ragnar. "Ubbe, pass me the chalice with wine," you asked Ragnar's eldest. "Shall I bring mother?"

Ubbe set Ivar in his seat and patted his brother's hair before looking at you. "Since when are you the one giving orders?," He asked with a frown.

Hvitserk rolled his eyes and passed you the chalice. "Here, sister," he said and sat down.

Ragnar licked his lips and shook his head. "No, No... No need to bother your dearest mother. I will find her myself later," he assured.

You simply patted father's head and kissed top of it. "Your wish is my command, dad." You pretended you didn't hear Ubbe's comment aimed at you and thanked Hvitserk politely for complying.

Sigurd brought a spoon and a clean bowl for Ragnar. "Here."

Ragnar nodded his head and took the plate. Soon he started to eat.

Everyone was quiet just looking between each other and their father. No one knew what to say.

"So, dad, where have you been for all this time?," You asked simply, offering chalices with wine to your brothers.

"I traveled and I lived in the mountains. I also had a lot of stuff to rethink, everything that happened in my life so far," Ragnar explained. "I saw many beautiful places."

"What places had you seen, father?," Ivar asked, curiosity in his low tone as he propped head on hands rested on the table counter.

Ragnar was quiet for a moment, chewing on his food. He took a sip of his wine. "I visited a place so high that I could touch the northern lights by my own and lakes so deep that monsters lived in them.”

Ubbe and Hvitserk looked at each other and laughed quietly.

Ivar completely sunk into his father's stories. When his brothers laughed, he grabbed the nearest knife and threw it into Ubbe's direction. "Shut up! I'm listening to dad! If you're not interested then just leave and go fuck your Margareth!"

You blinked, being totally taken aback by your twin's behavior. "I suggest everyone cool down."

Ubbe took the knife that got stuck right next to his head and angrily plunged it into the table.. "I at least can go to her and fuck her, cripple," he snarled and retuened to his seat. "Those wonderful places sound just like a child stories mother told us to make us go to sleep sooner."

"Ubbe!," You raised your tone and got up from your place, narrowing your brows. "It doesn't mean that father is lying to us. We all heard stories told by Harbard as well. They were more impossible yet everyone believed in them."

Ubbe chuckled. "Harbard was just like our father. Coming and leaving as he pleased, filling our heads with stories," eldest Ragnar’s son rolled his eyes. ”But what do we know? All those men cared about was the cripple  and women cunts, Sigurd knew it by himself, Y/N."

Ragnar watched the fighting between his children. "I really don't think it's a right time to fight, children. We should be happy we are back together again."

You looked at your older brother with a sad glance. "Oh, how skilled you are in killing the atmosphere. You got the worst of mother," you grunted and got up. "Stop looking at simple things and at least try to look beyond, Ubbe," you snapped before you left the chamber.

Ivar put his forehead on his hands. "Congratulations, brother, you made her little inner monster going."

"Whatever you say, brother,” Ubbe rolled his eyes. "Do you know where I can find Ole? The boy that is sniffing around Y/N?," Ubbe asked simply, smoothly changing the topic.

"Docks or stable," Ivar replied.

"Why do you want to meet him?," Sigurd asked.

"Well, he is sniffing around our sister. I am going to make sure he doesn't get under her skirt too quickly, I heard he likes to treat girls like toys," Ubbe pointed at Sigurd and Hvitserk. "You two are going to help me. First we will go to docks and to stables later. Move your asses," Ubbe ordered.

"I better go to make sure he won’t kill the poor boy," Hvitserk commented and quickly got up from his seat to follow his brother.

"Wait! Ubbe, wait! What with me?!," Ivar screamed after his brothers.

Ubbe stopped and nodded, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Right, she is your twin after all." Ubbe himself with Sigurd returned for Ivar. "Come on, we are going to scare him a little," he said, picking his brother up.

Ragnar just sat there, enjoying the food and drink. "At least they somehow look for each other," he muttered.

Ivar growled when Ubbe and Sigurd helped him up. I can easily make him cry."

Hvitserk laughed and nodded. "Sure, sure. We will see that soon."

Boys checked the docks first but Ole wasn't there so they went to stables. The boy was there flirting with some stable girl who definitely wasn't you.

".... Your hair, sweetie," Ole said to the girl while playing with the loose strand of her hair. "So pretty. I can have a use for you!"

Boys watched him from far away.

"I told you," Ubbe said pointing at Ole.

After a few more minutes of sweet talk they decided to step in. They sat Ivar on the nearest barrel and walked closer to Ole. Ubbe casually wrapped arm around the boy and smiled at him. "Oh, will you, friend? I wonder what use? The same as for our sister?," He hummed with amusement. "Frida, you can go now. I'll see you later,"

Frida gave all men a sweet smile and quickly ran away.

"So what will we do with him, brother?,” Hvitserk asked, looking at his siblings.

Ole raised his hands up in the air, shaking his head strongly. "It's not like you think. We were speaking of a raid! I wanted to train her for a shield maiden, she's pretty good at stuff!"

Ivar, who still was sitting at the barrel, chuckled darkly and looked around. "You're digging yourself a grave, friend."

"Yes. Frida is not a shield maiden material. Trust me, I deeply checked it many times," Ubbe patted Ole's shoulder. "But she is good at stuff, riding is her best."

Others chuckled.

"Do you think our sister is a toy? That you can play and throw away?," Hvitserk asked with a frown.

"You can do nothing against me. Y/N is madly in love with me. She's silly enough to think she's the number one for me. And oh, she moans my name lovely when I kiss her neck!"

Ivar had enough. He rolled off the barrel and crawled quickly to the other man. He pulled a dagger out of his boot and cut the man's ankle a few times.

Ole fell down on the hey.

Other brothers didn't react much, they just looked at Ole.

"Maybe after ankles we should cut him manhood?," Hvitserk asked with a smile. "Maybe he will learn that playing with few women at the time may be dangerous?"

Ubbe crouched next to the boy and looked at Ivar. "What do you think brother? How does this idea sound?," He asked and then his gaze moved to Ole. "We could easily do that."

"Take his pants off," Ivar said in a low tone. "I'll cut this little thing off."

"What do you say to that idea, Ole?," Hvitserk asked with a nasty smile, crossing arms over his chest.

Ole was already crying. His body trembled with every loud sob.

Suddenly Ragnarssons could hear a loud grunt. As they turned to see the source, they spotted Bjørn, who stood next to them with arms crossed over his chest. "What the fuck, guys?"

"Taking care of the trash,” Ivar shrugged, playing with his dagger.

"We are teaching him a lesson," Hvitserk said proudly.

"He thinks he can tell our little sister that she is his only one. When he is involved with most girls in Kattegat," Ubbe explained quickly. "We decided to show him to not fuck with Ragnar's daughter.”

Bjørn listened to their explanation. "I see. But violence is not a solution to any problem."

Hvitserk raised his eyebrow. "Do you think that asking him nicely to stop cheating on our sister would help, brother?"

Ubbe and Ivar rolled their eyes.

"Whatever, you're the most intelligent one among all of our people," Bjørn scoffed and observed the situation.

"Then what do you suggest, Bjørn Ironside,” Ubbe asked in a mocking tone. "You will just let him play with our little sister? Break her heart, over and over again?”

"No," he replied. "Exile. That's what awaits him now," Bjørn looked down at the man on the hay.

Brothers looked between each other and nodded slowly.

"I like the idea, we will free our little sister and other girls from him. Guess it's your lucky day, Ole! You will keep your sad, little cock."

Bjørn gestured at Hvitserk so his stepbrother picked Ole up. "Lead him outside settlement. Confiscate all of his weapons and let him go."

"With a pleasure brother!," He said and followed the order.

The evening came quickly.

Ragnar was long gone, which didn't surprise boys at all. It only made Ivar kinda disappointed.

Boy sat around the big table just eating supper, drinking while joking and sharing some stories about women and other topics.

All conversations died when you stormed inside crying and yelling at them.

Because of your shaken state no one really understood what you were on about.

"Y/N! What is wrong? Why are you screaming at us suddenly?," Ubbe asked with a frown.

You sat in the corner of the room, grabbing a blanket from the armchair before. You pulled it over your figure and sobbed loudly. "I hate you. All of you! Why did you do this to me?! My Ole! My Ole is gone! It's all your fault! People told me!"

All the boys groaned annoyed with your reaction.

They didn't do it to hurt you in any way, they did it to protect you.

"Y/N. There is a lot you didn't know about Ole. He fucked half of Kattegat behind your back, just to tell you later you are the only one," Ubbe said, looking at you.

"Yes. When we found him in stables he was flirting with other girl and he openly told us that he fuck others behind your back," Hvitserk added quickly to back up his brother.

Ivar was the only one who decided to approach you. With a lot of difficulties he got off his chair and rolled to his stomach so he could crawl towards you.

Once he did, he poked your knee to catch your attention. "He was bad and Gods my witnesses that I'd cut him all open but they stopped me."

You looked down at Ivar and let huge tears still roll down your red cheeks.

Ivar laid on his stomach and reached his hand out, and as gently as possible he wiped the tears off your cheek with the top of his palm. "Don't cry, sister, you're too beautiful to be all sad. He's gone but you deserved far more than that."

Others followed Ivar, they all sat close to you.

"Ivar is right, sister. You are beautiful and you deserved a man that would love only you. No other woman on the side," Hvitserk said softly, giving you a friendly smile. "And Ole wasn't this kind of the man."

"You may think we did this because we are assholes but this is not true, Y/N,” Ubbe said, wrapping arm around you. "You are our little sister and we won't let some idiot to break your heart."

Sigurd crouched next to Ubbe. "Even if I hate to break it to you, sister, that man was not worth anything but exile."

Bjørn, who came to speak with Ubbe, stopped at the threshold of the Great Hall, observing the scene. Even if you weren't his biological sister, he always cared for you just like he cared for his step brothers.

You reached hand to Ivar and placed it to his cheek, gently grazing his skin. "Thank you," you gasped loudly.

They all smiled and hugged you tightly, happy that their little sister wasn't that angry about it all.

"You can be sure we'll scare away anyone who tries to hurt you in any way possible. That's what brothers are for. Even your cripple twin,” Ubbe teased, ruffling Ivar's hair.

Ivar offered his elder brother a smug smirk. "You would not survive without me for a single day."

You couldn't help but chuckled and knelt, trying to hug all of them.

Ivar moved closer and wrapped arm around your leg.

Bjørn who caught your glance nodded at you. "Family reunion."

"Yes, but we are missing one brother. Come here, throwing that trash out was your idea after all. Without you he would be dead now," Ubbe said.

Bjørn smiled and came closer. He shared a hug with everyone except you. When other men shifted aside, including Ivar who also grunted unhappily, Bjørn helped you up and picked you up. "Even if you're only a step sister to me, I want you to be safe and happy."

"How about we eat something now? Eat and drink! The anger and crying had to drain you," Hvitserk offered happily.

"And later we can find her a good man among warriors," Ubbe joked.

You cringed. "No, thank you. I already have a very important man by my side," you claimed and when Bjørn put you down, you knelt and shared a long and string hug with Ivar. "My lovely, handsome twin-brother."

Sigurd chuckled darkly. "What about us, little one?! We're also handsome!"

"And lovely!,” Hvitserk whined.

"And we take care of you," Ubbe added.

Bjørn poked Ubbe's shoulder. "They're twins. They have a stronger relation, it's normal. And, well, Y/N is right, Ivar’s the most handsome of you all."

Ubbe gasped and pushed Bjørn's shoulder. "Shit up, Ironside."

Bjørn only ruffled Ubbe's hair, making it fully messy at the top of man's head. "We're family. Children of legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. This is what counts."

[vivilove-jonsa]

I had me a girl

@jonsaseasonalbash

Day 5 prompt-Songs

Lyrics and title from 'I Had Me a Girl' by The Civil Wars

***

They all think they understand him just because they’ve listened to his music.  They don’t understand though.  They don’t know anything.

They think his muse, the inspiration for all his songs, must be someone from his past, someone who broke his heart once…or maybe he broke hers.

They don’t know the truth and they can’t because they’d never understand.  She’s not part of his past.  She’s not someone he can imagine ever cutting out or leaving behind, not really.

And, Jon Snow would cease to be some rock god in the making if they knew.  No one would even want to admit they’d ever known a single one of his songs or even knew his name if they learned the truth.

Every night, they chat and pretend it’s normal what they do.  Neither one is fooled.  Every night, he sinks deeper into a hell of his own making.  Maybe she burns too though.

He waits with bated breath for the connection to go through.  Wi-Fi is horrible at this hotel chain.  The chat connects and then…

“That’s a lot of pink.  Where the fuck are you, Sansa?”

She giggles, turns the phone around so he can see her face at last, the face that’s always haunting him whenever he’s alone in hotel rooms at night.

“Mama and I went shopping earlier.  I got a new comforter.  You like it?”

“Yeah, it’s, uh…pink.  How’s your mother?”

“Fine,” she says in a tone that tells him the topic isn’t open for further discussion tonight.  "I told her I'm getting my own place next month."

"Did you tell her how you're paying for it?"

"I'm doing alright and they don't need to worry about it.  I'm not a kid anymore."

Her mother’s a touchy subject, one Sansa usually avoids during their chats.  Cat’s no idiot.  She’s not fond of him in general and especially not fond of him being close to her daughter.  At least, she doesn’t know the whole truth.

Moving out is another difficult subject.  He's footing most of the bills but she'll still be in the same town as them and Jon can't just ignore that.

Sansa flops back on the bed, holding her phone up above her, letting that red hair of hers fan out all around her on the new pink comforter.  Those wisps of red hair which seem to outline every note he writes tease him as they fall back on her pillow.  He thinks of them blowing around her pink cheeks on the northern breeze.

She’s got his latest song playing in the background.  He wonders if she always has it cued up and ready for their nightly chat.  Does she know they’re all about her?

‘I had me a girl

who taught me those things

a young man should know…’

He adjusts the angle of his laptop to cut down on the glare from the table lamp.  He likes having her on the bigger screen.

She’s dressed for bed, wearing his old high school jersey.  He can see nearly all of her thighs like this.  She never wears any pajama bottoms, not when they’re talking.

“You look tired,” she comments, frowning.

“Long hours in the studio this week,” he says with a shrug.

“Anyone keeping you up late at night down there in the big city?”

She gets jealous.  She has no reason to be.  Maybe that’s part of the problem.  If he could find some girl around (there’s plenty of them down here who’d hook up with a rock star), if he could take one of them back to his room one night instead of calling her, maybe he’d stop obsessing over this girl.

Yeah, she’d be hurt and he knows he’d hurt too but then maybe they’d get over it and finally move on from this thing they do.

“No one’s keeping me up late ‘cept you.  What color’s your toenail polish tonight?”

She blushes so pretty for him, knowing what’s next.  They do this nearly every night when they chat.

Slowly, she lets her phone drift down those long legs of hers for him, she shows him every creamy inch, until she reaches her perfectly polished toes.

“Blue, huh?”  One hand drops down to adjust himself.  He’s already getting hard.  “That doesn’t match the comforter.”

The phone’s back up to her face.  “I didn’t paint them to match the comforter.  They match something else I bought today.”

“Oh?  Show me, baby.”

She grins, giving him that devilish little look he knows too well, the one he first saw when they were far too young and reckless and lucky not to get caught, the one that tells him Cat’s little angel is about to let her halo slip.

“Just these,” she says casually, pulling up his jersey to reveal a pair of panties, light blue and lacy.

His voice is like gravel when he tells her, “Those are pretty.  Are they soft?”

“Very soft.”

“As soft as what’s in ‘em?”

She shakes her head and he tells her what he wants her to do.

“You too, Jon.  I want to see you, too,” she says all whimpery and sweet.  His sweet girl, he misses her so much.  He’s going to stay up all night writing another song when they’re done maybe and tomorrow he’ll ask the guys to try it out in the studio with him.

But an unexpected, thundering knock on her door has her sitting up before they can really get started.  She shoves his jersey back down right as it opens.

“Daddy!  I was just chatting with Jon!” Sansa explains, voice high and nervous…not that the old man will notice.

Jon’s stomach churns when Ned Stark’s face leans into the frame.  That solemn face breaks into a grin once he sees Jon.

“How’s Kings Landing treating you, son?”

“It’s good, Dad,” Jon answers, hating himself, wondering if he’d rather scowl at the interruption or vomit because of all the things he wants to do with his daddy’s little girl tonight.

[nalgenewhore]

margot

elide x lorcan + margot (new child), modern au, domestic fluff + meeting the children, word count: 2345

He parked behind her car and Lorcan slowly turned the engine off, but not the vehicle itself. He didn’t move to get out, only glanced at her quaint two-storey home. 

It suited her, the simple layout and lush garden taking over the front yard. There were seemingly rows and rows of box planters, growing various vegetables and fruit bushes. On the porch, there was a swing he could picture her sitting on, rocking back and forth with a book in hand. 

The lights were on and Lorcan looked up, seeing the light on behind the dormer window, too.

He exhaled slowly and rubbed his palms over his thighs, his hands shaking. 

He was meeting her daughter tonight and Lorcan didn’t think he’d ever been this nervous for anything in his life. 

They were supposed to have dinner at six. Lorcan looked at the clock, which told him that he was early – thirteen minutes, to be exact. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the headrest, trying to stay calm. He remembered being introduced to his mom’s girlfriend when he was young and how nervous he’d been then, scared that his mom would forget about him and his sisters like his father had when he met his now-wife. 

The ringing of his phone startled in the pure silence of his truck and he picked up before he knew who was calling. “‘llo?”

“So… are you planning on staying in your truck for the rest of the night? It’s lovely, but I don’t think Margot wants to eat there.” 

Lorcan chuckled raspily and looked to the side, seeing Elide standing behind the large window. She waved at him and he huffed another laugh. “I’m early, Lee. I was just… waiting.” 

His girlfriend hummed, “You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“Obviously,” he replied drily. “Wouldn’t you be?” 

Elide laughed lightly, “Probably. Just come up already, will you? She’s been looking forward to this all day. She changed her outfit three times and told her friends she was meeting you tonight.”

“Really? You aren’t just saying that to make me feel better?” 

“Of course not. Now,” Elide said, “stop being a little wuss and come in. I’m pretty sure she’s been watching you from her room.”

Lorcan’s eyes snapped up to the dormer and the curtain quickly fell shut. He grinned gently. “Ok. I’ll come up.” 

“Bon. Je t’adore.”

“I love you too,” he told her. They both hung up and Lorcan turned his car off. He climbed out, shoving his hands into his pockets. He’d asked if he should bring something for Margot, but Elide told him she’d probably think he was trying to bribe her. Lorcan had commented that she was just like her mother then and her pleased grin had warmed his heart. 

Lorcan walked up the stone pathway, his gait slow, but his steps long. He walked up the steps, of which there were only three, and knocked on the door, taking a step back as he waited for it to be opened. 

A moment or two later, Elide opened the door and smiled at him, “Salut, mon cher.” She stepped out and cupped his face, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. Lorcan squeezed her waist once as she pulled away. “Come in.” She pushed the door open wider to let him in. 

Lorcan paused to take off his shoes and hang his jacket up. As he did, he eyed Elide, who was wearing a figure-hugging black cashmere sweater and a midi skirt – black with small red flowers. Her hair was in a simple twist and she wore the single ruby necklace he’d bought for her birthday in June, four months ago. 

Elide took his hand and walked him to the kitchen, gesturing him to a barstool. Lorcan sat down and tapped his finger against the butcher block island top. She noticed his fidgeting and hid her own nerves by checking the pot-au-feu for what seemed like the thousandth time. Margot was a… particular child. People often told her that her daughter was just like her. 

She turned back and poured them both glasses of wine. She took a sip of hers and walked around the island to the stairs. Before she left, she kissed him once more, longer and slower than the last. “Ça ira, oui?” Elide patted his cheek and walked to the stairs, her hips swinging side to side. 

His dark eyes watched the stairs. His heart pounded harder and harder against his chest. 

“Margot, viens ici, ma p’tite, s’il vous plaît."

From the second floor, Lorcan heard a little voice call back, “D’accord, maman!” A pair of footsteps ran across the ceiling and clambered down the staircase. 

Elide faced Lorcan and grinned, winking once. Behind her, a child appeared. She stopped and continued on slowly, her angular eyes on Lorcan. A pair of round glasses sat on the tip of her button nose and she pushed them up with a single finger. Her hair was dark, thick, and wavy like her mother’s, but cut into a short bob with bangs. “Hello.” 

“Hi,” Lorcan said, not sure whether he should stand or not. 

Before he could, the child marched across the floor and stood in front of him, staring wordlessly. She wore a pair of fern green corduroy overalls and a lavender cable knit sweater, matching the headband she wore. “Are you dating my mom?”

He raised his brows and nodded, “Yes, I am.”

Margot climbed onto the stool next to him and crossed her arms, looking at him suspiciously, “For how long?” 

“Mm… a year, almost.”

Her eyes were perceptive and probably too knowing for an eight-year old. “Hmm. Do you love my mom?” 

Lorcan chuckled and glanced up at Elide, who smiled supportively. She really is just like you. “Yes, I love her very much.” 

“...ok. That’s good.” She stuck her hand out, “I’m Margot.” 

His hand dwarfed hers as they shook hands, “It’s nice to meet you, Margot. I’m Lorcan.” 

Elide grinned fondly at the interaction and moved to the kitchen to pour Margot something to drink. She set a glass of water down in front of her daughter and leaned her elbows against the counter, resting her chin on her fist. 

“What do you do for your job?”

Lorcan put his glass down and clasped his hands, resting his elbow on the island. “I’m a doctor.”

Margot’s eyes widened, “Really?” Her brows shot up and she whispered, “Do you get to cut people up?” 

He chuckled, “Sometimes. I’m a trauma surgeon.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion and she cocked her head to the side, pushing her glasses up again, “What’s that?” 

“Well, when there are big accidents, we bring the injured people into the emergency room and I…” Lorcan looked at Elide, deciding on a less gruesome version of ‘I patch them up so they don’t die’, “figure out what’s wrong with them and then I fix them so they’re stable. After that we can send them to specialists.” 

“That sounds cool.” 

“Yeah? It’s kinda scary sometimes, but I like it.” 

“Mom tells them that scary things can be good, though,” Margot told him, nodding her chin. Lorcan smiled, delighted by her… precociousness. He’d never met a child who truly fit the term like Margot did. “Do you like to read books?”

He nodded, “I do, but I don’t get a lot of time to read.” Lorcan glanced at Elide, who was struggling to reach plates from up high. He stood up and went to her, resting his hand on her lower back as he hardly had to stretch his arm up to fetch them. Elide looked up at him and bit her lip, wanting to kiss him, but knowing that the extremely observant Margot was watching them. 

She settled for picking invisible lint off of the collar of his shirt. Lorcan’s eyes glittered with quiet joy and he pressed his lips together, looking back at Margot. Elide stepped away first and waved her hand to the bread sitting on the counter, untouched. “Um, le pain, est-ce que tu peux le cut it?”

He laughed quietly at her mixture of the common tongue and the Blackbeak dialect of Ironteeth. “Yeah, ‘course.” Lorcan washed his hands and dried them before picking up the bread. He put it on the island and glanced at Margot, pausing at her wide wide wide eyes. “Is… something wrong, Margot?” 

She had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye. Margot fixed her glasses, which were surely too large for her. “T’es très, très grand.” 

Lorcan frowned slightly, turning to Elide, who snorted and covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed. She waved her hand, “She- she said you were really, really tall.” 

He looked back at Margot, whose cheeks were furiously red. An amused grin stole across his face and he leaned across the island, whispering, “It’s ok, Margot. Your mom is just really small.” 

Margot giggled and her blush faded, but her eyes – monolid like her mother’s – sparkled with delight. 

Elide looked over at them suspiciously, popping her hand on her hip. “What’s going on over here? Conspiration and the like?” 

Lorcan gasped dramatically, gesturing between him and Margot, “Us? Conspiring? Against you? Please. We would never, would we, Margot?” He looked at her and winked before schooling his face into neutrality. 

Margot copied him perfectly and looked at her mother, blinking calmly. “Jamais, maman.” Elide just rolled her eyes and went back to what she was doing. 

“So, Margot, do you like to read?” Lorcan pulled the drawer open and took a serrated knife out for the bread. 

She nodded, “Yeah, I read a lot. I like it when it’s quiet.” 

“I like quiet too. Are you reading anything right now?”

“Yeah, my aunt Manon got me The Sisters Grimm and I like them a lot.” Margot reached over and took the heel of bread, making sure to keep her fingers away from the sharp knife. She picked at it and told him about the adventures of the sisters, long-lost descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose books of so-called fairytales were actually history books. 

They set the table together and Margot made sure that the utensils were perfectly neat. She took her seat at the table and swung her legs out as Elide served them all bowls of the hearty stew and Lorcan carried their bowls to the table. He and Elide sat on the opposite side of Margot.

They ate together and Margot went back to questioning Lorcan. 

“Where are you from? My mom is from Perranth.” 

He swallowed his bite of food, “I’m from a small town in the Northern Isles.” 

“Where’s the Northern Isles? Is it in Wendlyn?”

Lorcan tilted his head to the side, “No, we’re not part of Wendlyn or Doranelle. We’re all the way up north.”

“Are you near the arctic land? I bet it’s cold there.” 

Subtly, under the table, Elide reached for his hand and slid her fingers through his. Lorcan ducked his head for a moment to hide his smile. “It can be pretty cold, but we’re still pretty far away.” 

Margot picked up her glass and had a sip of water, “My aunt Asterin told me that sometimes it’s dark all the time and sometimes it’s always sunny, but I don’t believe her since she likes to play tricks on people.”

Lorcan chuckled, “Well it is true.” Margot snapped her head up, gasping incredulously. He grinned. “In the winter, it’s dark all the time and in the summer, the sun’s always up.” 

“How do you sleep in the summer if it’s sunny always?”

“We have special curtains and blinds. You get used to it,” Lorcan told her. 

“Well I think it would be cool to have sun all the time.” Margot ate a bit more and tucked her feet behind the legs of her chair. “Do you have any pets?”

Lorcan nodded, “I do. I have a Husky and her name is Tallulah. D’you like dogs?”

“Sometimes, but I like cats better.” Margot glanced at Elide and addressed Lorcan once more, her tone cautious, “Can… can I meet your dog one day?”

“Yeah, if you want.”

The eight-year old beamed and Elide squeezed Lorcan’s hand. 

The rest of their meal went by quickly and Margot helped stack their dishes above the dishwasher. She waved her hand for Lorcan to follow and he did after shooting Elide a hopeful look. 

She likes me, right?

Her wide grin was answer enough and they dutifully followed Margot to the living room. She directed Lorcan to the velvet wingback chair and her mother to the couch. Elide sat in the corner closest to him as Margot selected a movie and took the seat next to Elide, her eyes on the TV screen. 

They watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Margot helpfully commented on the various fantastical creatures and beings, while telling them about her favourite character - Lucy, of course. 

Near the end, she started to nod off, falling asleep against Elide’s side. 

Elide lowered the volume, but didn’t dare turn the movie off, knowing that Margot would wake up the second it stopped playing. She held her hand out to Lorcan, who took it and kissed the back of it. 

Eventually, it ended and Elide carefully got up, gathering Margot up in her arms as well. The child’s head rested against her shoulder. Elide looked at Lorcan, whispering, “Wait here. I’ll be back soon.”

He nodded and stayed still, his heart almost cracking as Elide murmured something gentle to Margot. 

“Maman,” said a hoarse voice. Margot slowly lifted her head and pushed her glasses up to rub her eyes. She peered over Elide’s shoulder and waved shyly at Lorcan, who smiled back at her. “Maman, j’veux lui revoir.” 

“Ah, oui? Vas-y, dit-lui.”

Margot looked at Lorcan, whose heart started to thunder against his ribcage. “You can come over again.”

Lorcan grinned, “Really?”

She nodded shyly. “Yeah, if you want to.”

“I’d like that.”

<3<3<3

an: new baby, new baby, new baby !! 

translations: Bon. Je t'adore: Good. I love you (romantic) Salut, mon cher: Hello, my dear. Ça ira, oui: it will be fine, yes? Viens ici, ma petite, s'il vous plaît: Come here, little one, please D'accord, maman: Ok, mom Le pain, est-ce que tu peux: The bread, can you [cut it] T'es très, très grand: You are really, really tall Jamais, maman: Never, mom Maman, je veux lui revoir: Mom, I want to see him again Ah, oui? Vas-y, dit-lui: Oh, yeah? Go ahead, tell him

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[atlabeth]

talking to the moon

summary: dealing with the aftermath of the worst event of your life. 

pairing: sokka x fem!reader but solely platonic. stan big brother sokka 

a/n: this became so much longer than i initially meant for lmao. it was just supposed to be sokka and y/n talking but then i. wrote the whole death scene and a whole backstory and. im sorry. i made myself sad while writing this 

wc: 4.1k 

warnings: so much angst, death, mentions of suffocation, mentions of arranged marriages, one mention of blood, one single curse i think, lots of anger and lots of sadness but some fluff at the end 

based on the song “talking to the moon” by bruno mars 

living in the northern water tribe wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. 

as a waterbender, it should’ve been a perfect haven. a renowned master to teach her how to fight and become a master herself, a constant feeling of power being around ice and water all the time, and a comfortable life as the daughter of two important councilmembers that worked alongside chief arnook. 

but the only thing y/n had come to know of this place was a complete and utter loss of freedom. 

she wasn’t allowed to learn martial waterbending simply because she was a woman. master pakku wouldn’t even give her the time of day, and when she complained to her parents they cited century-long traditions and told her that was just how things were. 

y/n felt comfortable being around water and ice all the time, but it’s not like the power of the moon helped her when she hardly knew anything in the first place. it was slightly easier to try and teach herself new techniques that she learned from watching master pakku and his students, but it still almost always ended in failure. 

and of course, her noble heritage simply meant that she would be married off once she reached the appropriate age for the benefit of her family. yippee. 

but there was one benefit that came along with being the daughter of nobles that worked closely with the chief. 

princess yue. 

she was without a doubt the nicest girl that y/n had ever known, and they quickly became each other’s closest friends. y/n thought that maybe she wouldn’t like her because yue was two years her senior, but it didn’t matter in her eyes. yue showed y/n a side that she never showed anyone else; the carefree, energetic, loving side. the side that told y/n fantastical stories while they rode together the waterways. the side that encouraged y/n to waterbend whenever she could and to try as hard as possible to get the martial techniques down because ‘i know you can do it!’ the side that was absolutely fascinated by her waterbending, the side that shrieked in surprise then dissolved into giggles every time y/n soaked her at the end of the session. 

yue was the bright light in y/n’s boring days, and y/n was a needed reprieve from yue’s duties.

the young girls didn’t know that there was so much coming for them. 

~~

team avatar visiting y/n’s home was one of the most exciting things to happen to her. it was like a breath of fresh air in the monotony of her life, and it didn’t take too long for y/n to become friends with all of them at the celebratory dinner the night they arrived. 

y/n and katara instantly struck off. as waterbenders of the same age they already had a connection, but it was only strengthened the longer they stayed. y/n had never cheered so loud when she fought against pakku. 

it was impossible not to like aang. he was even younger than y/n with an infectious positive attitude and a smile always on his face. he even offered to help teach her waterbending along with katara after learning from pakku, which was a great plan until it wasn’t. 

her association with sokka came from her association with yue. he was infatuated with the princess almost immediately — it wasn’t a surprise, y/n was sure every boy in the tribe had a crush on her in some form — but he was also very kind to y/n. as time went on, they developed more of a sibling-like bond and y/n loved it. she was an only child raised to the highest expectations, but she was allowed to let loose around sokka. it also helped to see him make a fool in front of himself every time her and yue were together. 

things were looking up for y/n. she had three new friends that all liked her best friend, and she was actually learning a little bit more about fighting with waterbending from katara. everything was perfect. 

until the fire nation attacked. 

y/n had been with yue and sokka when they saw the black snow and immediately rushed back to the tribe to warn everyone. that was how a fourteen year old noble girl who barely knew how to defend herself like y/n got involved in a fight against the fire nation. 

after rescuing aang from zuko and, at aang’s request, bringing the unconscious prince with them, they started traveling back to the spirit oasis. y/n sat in the back of the saddle with sokka and yue, a new friend and her oldest friend, when yue suddenly grabbed her head with a small groan. y/n looked around and the world around them had turned red as blood. something was very wrong.

“are you okay? sokka asked, reaching for her instinctively as if to protect her from whatever was hurting her. 

“i.. i feel faint,” she muttered.

“i feel it too,” aang added. “the moon spirit is in trouble.” 

y/n’s eyes widened as she stared back at yue, horror dancing in her eyes as she shook her head. “no, no it can’t be. yue, you know what that means—” 

it wasn’t hard to catch onto the fearful tone in her voice and katara set an amicable hand on her shoulder. “what are you talking about, y/n?” 

thankfully, yue took over. “i owe the moon spirit my life.” 

“what do you mean?” sokka’s eyes went between y/n and yue, y/n’s worried gaze trained on yue as she explained how the moon spirit had given her life as a baby. when she was done, the water tribe siblings were staring at her in disbelief. 

“if the moon spirit is in danger then we need to save it.” y/n’s voice was hardened as they got closer to the spirit oasis, stretching her fingers out to get the blood flowing again in case she needed to bend. she didn’t know very much about combat besides what katara had taught her, but hopefully it would be enough to at least aid the rest of the team. 

appa slid to a stop in the spirit oasis and aang, sokka, katara, and y/n all hopped off of his back and got into battle stances. sokka took out his boomerang, aang wielded his staff, and y/n and katara got ready to bend. 

“don’t bother,” zhao spat. he held up the bag with tui and positioned his fist next to it, posing the very obvious threat. y/n’s eyes widened and her hands fell the slightest bit. he wouldn’t. 

it turned out that he very well would. 

y/n thought that they would be safe, that yue would be safe once he released the fish after iroh’s threat, but she should’ve known a man like that would never be satisfied. just as the normal hues of the oasis had returned, zhao let out a yell and blasted the koi with fire, plunging the world into various shades of grey. 

y/n let out a strangled cry as she realized what it meant, and she wanted to unleash all of her fury on zhao. she wanted to make him hurt, make him understand just what he had done. but it seemed that general iroh already had that plan as he started firebending viciously, swiftly defeating the soldiers after zhao had gotten away. 

y/n felt like she was in a haze, following through with her movements but not actually there. the four of them rushed towards the water and yue soon joined them, all looking down at tui in horror. the moon spirit was gone, dead, killed. 

her worst fear had come true, and she stared at yue’s blue eyes, the only thing that still had color, mouth opening and closing as she tried to think of things to say. 

“there’s no hope now,” yue mourned. “it’s over now.” 

“no it’s not.” 

y/n watched in amazement as aang merged with the ocean spirit and left to defend her home, but it melted away once again when she joined the siblings, iroh, and yue at the front of the water.

“it’s too late. it’s dead.” katara stared at the dead fish when iroh placed it back into the water. it truly did seem like it was over. y/n felt none of the usual power she felt at night. if she tried to bend, she knew nothing would happen.

iroh seemed to notice yue as she stepped closer and he raised his eyebrows. “you have been touched by the moon spirit. some of its life is in you.” 

“yes, you’re right.” yue set her jaw and y/n immediately knew what she was thinking. “it gave me life. maybe i can give it back.” 

“no!” y/n and sokka cried at the same time. y/n’s voice cracked and she had to do everything she could to prevent the tears from falling. “yue, no. you don’t have to do this.” 

“it’s my duty, y/n.” her kind blue eyes, an image that would haunt y/n for years to come, glistened with unshed tears as she walked over to the oasis. this time sokka grabbed her hand to try and stop her. 

“i won’t let you! your father told me to protect you!” sokka usually guarded his emotions but this time the fear in his voice was obvious, and it hurt. he didn’t want to lose her. he couldn’t lose her. 

“i have to do this.” 

y/n wanted to scream at yue to stop, try and knock some sense into her, hold the girl that she loved back from sacrificing herself. but she just stood there, frozen, as yue hovered her hands over the dead fish. tui began to glow, and yue collapsed. 

y/n rushed over to her as sokka caught her and she fell to her knees. the tears were falling, she didn’t care, her friend was gone, she was dying. y/n felt yue’s ice cold hand on her arm and she grasped it with both of her own. her and sokka were barely holding it together as they watched the girl they both loved die in their arms. 

“y/n..” her voice was already faint, she was using up all of her strength just to talk to them in her final moments. “thank you for everything. never forget what you are fighting for. i will always cherish our friendship.” 

a choked sob escaped y/n’s lips and she gripped yue’s hand as tightly as she could, like maybe if she didn’t let go then she would come back. she couldn’t even hear what she said to sokka, all she could hear was the pounding in her head. this couldn’t be happening. 

and then she was gone. the ice cold hand in y/n’s grip was gone, the girl they were cradling was gone, and in her place was just emptiness. iroh placed the koi fish back into the water and the entire oasis filled with light, and the energy around the lake turned into yue. she was ethereal. she was a spirit. she was gone. 

yue came closer and wrapped y/n in a hug, feeling more like a gentle breeze than a real person hugging her. she then kissed sokka, and a faint smile graced her lips. “goodbye, i love you both. i will always be with you.”

and with that, she was gone. 

y/n couldn’t hold it in anymore. she started sobbing, tears wracking her body and making it hard to breathe. she wrapped her arms as tightly as she could around sokka, burying her head in the space between his shoulder and his neck, and he returned the hug. they were just two kids who had watched a girl they loved sacrifice herself. what else could they do but hold each other and hope to all the spirits that they would be okay?

~~

y/n left with aang, katara, and sokka when they decided to set course for omashu. she couldn’t stay at the northern water tribe. all it served as was a constant reminder of that fateful night, the night that she had lost her best friend. she saw yue in everything, and she knew she would lose her mind if she stayed. so she asked if she could join them on their journey, and they agreed. y/n felt a constant pit of emptiness and hoped that helping the avatar would absolve some of the guilt. 

it didn’t. 

“this is your fault, y/n.” 

the blue eyes that haunted y/n so often appeared once again, staring back at her unflinchingly. there was a certain hardness behind them, a coldness that pervaded her skin, making its way to her heart. but she couldn’t look away. 

“you should’ve been able to save me.” yue’s voice, normally soft spoken and kind, reverberated throughout the endless void y/n was trapped in. 

she looked beautiful, otherworldly. the fabric of her dress floated around her at the edges and her white hair, the ever present reminder of her connection to the moon, flowed down her back. yue appeared the same as she had when she sacrificed herself, and it was the way she would look forever. y/n’s heart ached for her friend, knowing that she would never live out the rest of her life, never get to be the ruler she was meant to be. 

she tried to talk, but her voice wouldn’t work. her throat felt like it was closing up slowly, and her limbs might as well have been cast in concrete with how heavy they all felt. yue’s icy glare disappeared from view, but her voice was still all around her. 

“you did this to me. you’re the reason i’m dead. you should’ve been able to save me.” 

the words repeated thousands of times on top of each other, becoming louder and louder that it was all she could focus on. y/n was suffocating underneath it all, she couldn’t take it. she wanted to sob out how sorry she was, tell yue that her biggest regret was not being able to save her, reach out and bring her into her world again. spirits, she wanted her best friend back so badly. 

“YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE ME.” the words echoed through her skull so loudly that she felt like it was going to crack from sheer force. 

y/n eyes suddenly flew open and she lurched upwards, breathing heavily, a scream on the edge of her lips that she was barely able to bite back. she clamped her hands over her mouth until she could be sure it wouldn’t come loose, and it took even longer for her breathing to get back to normal.

it didn’t look like she had disturbed the sleep of the others, but she couldn’t stay here. she got out of her sleeping bag and rushed out of their camp, making sure she stayed light on her feet so that the others could continue to rest. momo perked up as she ran past him, and y/n shook her head and raised a finger to her lips. he seemed to get the hint and went back to sleep, and with a strained smile y/n continued out. 

it was at that moment that a certain water tribe boy groggily sat up, able to catch the end of a tunic dress disappearing into the woods after he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. he thought it was katara at first but a quick glance to his side proved that his sister was still asleep. it was y/n’s spot that was empty. he immediately knew why she was gone, and he got up to follow her; there was no way he was going to leave her alone right now. sokka didn’t exactly want to be alone either.  

‘you should’ve been able to save me.’ they were words that never left y/n’s mind; at this point it was a part of her conscience. the princess had never actually said the words, her last moments had been spent reassuring y/n and sokka before she faded away, but it didn’t matter. she was constantly wracked by guilt, and though sokka did a good job at hiding it, she knew he felt the same way. she wondered if he was plagued by the same nightmares she had. it was no surprise it happened tonight of all nights — today marked one month since yue died. 

no. since yue had been killed. 

she might’ve given her life for the moon spirit willingly, but y/n blamed zhao, that fire nation admiral, for her death. he was the one that killed the moon spirit, so he was the one that had killed her best friend. she had never felt as much rage as she had in the moment that he blasted tui with fire. 

she hoped he was dead. 

y/n got to the edge of the woods and stared at the night sky, the slight breeze and the ambiance around her doing little to ease her mind. she sighed and leaned back against a tree, staring at the sky in hopes it would give her some kind of answer. but all it did was make her feel even worse.

i know you’re somewhere out there somewhere far away

yue was there. the moon was there, but yue was the moon so she was there. it felt like a cruel joke, having her so close but so far away. always within her sight but never in her reach. she longed for the days when she was able to pull the princess away from her duties to engage in a snowball fight with her friends or when yue asked her to show off her waterbending with the childlike wonder she never got to show or when things were normal and her friend wasn’t the fucking moon. 

i want you back, i want you back 

y/n felt the familiar stings of tears behind her eyes and she slowly slid against the tree until she was sitting on the ground. she bit the inside of her cheek so hard she drew blood in an effort to stop the tears, but it didn’t matter, they fell anyways. 

the empty feeling she constantly carried with her got better over time, but tonight it was just coming back with full force. she was reminded of everything that she had lost and it hurt. spirits, it hurt so much. 

my neighbors think i’m crazy  but they don’t understand you’re all i have, you’re all i have 

she pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out her feelings, when she heard some branches snap. she opened her eyes and looked up, the corner of her lips quirking up when she saw who it was. 

“hi.” her voice was faint, barely noticeable, but it was all she managed to muster.

“hi.” sokka’s eyes were sympathetic as walked over to her, silently questioning if she was okay with his presence. she nodded and scooted over to make room, and sokka slid down against the tree next to her. 

they sat in comfortable silence for a while, feeling solace in the other simply being there. y/n’s eyes stayed glued to the sky, y/e/c irises reflecting the light of the stars. now that her sobbing was done, she just felt tired. traveling with the avatar was physically demanding with all the fighting and running they did, but this was mental. 

she was tired of feeling worthless. tired of feeling guilty, of feeling angry, hurt, heartbroken, regretful, helpless, weak. 

tui and la, she was so damn tired. 

at night, when the stars light up my room i sit by myself talking to the moon trying to get to you 

y/n tore her eyes away from the sky and looked at sokka. he felt the slight movement and made eye contact as well. y/n couldn’t help but think how similar his eyes were to yue’s. 

“do you talk to her too?” the question came suddenly from y/n before she even knew it, and her voice was just as soft as before. “to the moon, i mean.”

sokka’s gaze turned wistful as he watched the moon and nodded. “all the time. even if i’m just talking to myself in my head, it feels like i’m talking to her as long as the moon is out. sometimes it helps. it makes me feel like she’s still here, or like she’s watching over me. other times..”

“it makes you feel worse,” y/n finished. he nodded again and she sighed heavily. “sometimes i hate it. just looking at the moon makes me want to scream or cry or yell until i can’t anymore, because i hate it for taking her away from me. and i know she had to do it, but the irrational part of me is angry at her for leaving. and then i feel guilty for caring about myself more than her when she’s the one that’s gone, and i just—” 

her voice caught in her throat and the tears started to fall once more. it felt like she couldn’t even think about yue without crying and it made her feel even more weak than before. 

in hopes you’re on the other side talking to me too 

it hurt sokka’s heart to see her like this. yue’s death had affected both of them, spirits, it had left a hole in his heart that he was still trying to mend, but as time went on he had gotten better. but y/n had known yue for years, they had such a close bond that when sokka wanted to know advice on how to get yue to like him he came to her. and now her closest friend was gone and she had left her home and her family behind to help them on their journey.. he couldn’t imagine how she felt. but he wasn’t going to let her go through this alone. 

sokka wrapped his arm around her and though she flinched at first, y/n immediately relaxed when she realized what he was doing. he was trying to comfort her by just being there, and she appreciated it immensely. y/n leaned her head against his shoulder and the two of them sat there in silence once again, watching the sky.

or am i a fool who sits alone talking to the moon 

“you don’t have to feel guilty,” sokka murmured. “she doesn’t blame you for what happened and she doesn’t blame you for how you feel. i know that she’s watching over us right now.”

“you think?” he nodded and the smallest smile graced her lips. “she doesn’t blame you either. every time you hung out together she would come running back to me telling me how much fun she had and how she already felt so close to you, and how much you brightened up her days. she truly loved you, sokka.” 

sokka laughed humorlessly and shook his head. “i loved her too. i didn’t think it was possible to fall for someone so quickly, but she proved me wrong.”

“she was good at that. proving people wrong.” 

do you ever hear me calling? 

more silence passed. 

y/n opened her mouth and closed it again, trying to find the words.

“yue?” she started off timid, but her words gained more confidence as she went on. “i.. i don’t know if you can hear us. but if you can, i just want to let you know that i- that we miss you. not a day goes by where i don’t think of you, and i hope that you are watching down on us. because we love you. and we always will.” 

“thank you for everything you’ve done.” sokka spoke up now. “i hope you’re at peace, yue, wherever you are.”

cause every night i’m talking to the moon  still trying to get to you

y/n swore that the moon glowed a little brighter in the night sky when they finished. 

she didn’t know how time passed so quickly, but her and sokka ended up falling asleep out there, his arm around her and her head on his shoulder.

and for the first time since the siege of the north, y/n slept without nightmares. 

[avengershumanresources]

blood 11 - Strange/Stark!Reader

Relationship: Dr. Strange/Princess!Stark!Reader

Rating: M

Warnings: Adult Themes, smut, adult language, implied sexual violence, general violence

Synopsis: Reader is the daughter of the legendary King Anthony Stark, Uniter of Lands, The Iron Defender, and leader of the realm. When the king disappears during battle, hope is lost and he is presumed dead.

When the late king’s uncle, Obadiah, takes the throne until your brother Peter is of age, he quickly arranges a marriage for you with a wicked king in a neighboring kingdom.

With the realms politics in question, and rumors of an upcoming siege to overthrow Peter’s rule before it starts, you quickly learn who is loyal to the crown and who is not.

part 10 - part 12

Masterlist

Chapter Playlist

11 - a battle cry

“Good as new,” Wanda helped Stephen sit up, her arm wrapped around his torso, his arm sling over her shoulders. 

“I feel like a horse ran over me,” he grumbled, pressing a finger to his temple. 

You’d long fallen asleep, though you’d been too stubborn to leave his side and sleep in a proper bed. Instead, you’d curled up in one of the ornate chairs and passed out, hand draped as close as physically possible to the injured sorcerer. 

“It was an herb from Brock’s kingdom that stopped the blooding from clotting,” Wanda explained, summoning the book she’d read the antidote in. “It’s rare, even for that kingdom, and she wouldn’t have had enough to cover all the arrows.”

“Someone must be bitter,” he commented dryly. “I don’t know why, I’ve been nothing but nice to the old witch.”

“You weren’t exactly subtle in your romancing of the princess,” Wanda reminded him with a knowing smirk. 

“Not a good enough reason to try and kill me,” he decided, standing and giving his arms and torso a stretch. The wound still tickled slightly when he shifted, a side effect of the magic used to seal the cut. “Now, do we have any idea why the princess is a homing signal of magical energy?”

Both of their eyes fell on you. Your seidr had spread, making gentle waves of violet light over your skin as you slept. It was almost overwhelming how powerful it felt to the magic users. Stephen felt almost suffocated and he didn’t miss how Wanda skirted the edge of the room, avoiding direct contact with you. 

“Loki sent a raven to Asgard,” Wanda supplied. “Hopefully Frigga has a suggestion.”

“It won’t matter if Amora keeps her wards up,” he huffed in frustration. “There’s nothing at Kamar-Taj on the subject that I’ve been able to find. The ancient Asgardians were effective in their campaign.”

“I’ve solidified the wards around the keep as best I could, but this is going to break through and Amora will know,” Wanda warned, chewing her bottom lip anxiously. 

Stephen tried reaching for your hand but the seidr snapped back at him like a guard dog ready to fight. He ran a tired hand over his face, shaking his head at the situation. This certainly was not ideal.

(—)

“We maintain our plan of attack,” Peter instructed, pouting around the base of the castle. “We’re going to use the tunnels.”

“The wards are all around the castle,” Loki protested. “There’s no way in.”

“My sister, Gods rest her soul, had snuck past every ward that every Master had put on the castle,” he pulled up the map Sam handed him and drew his finger across the page. “They’re outside the boundary lines and protected by older runes. The wards don’t effect them.”

“The problem is, we can’t bring enough men to thoroughly attack their forces from within,” Sam continued, eyeing Loki. “We have to take down Amora and break down the wards so our men can get through.”

“That’s a suicide mission,” Loki frowned. “She’ll kill anyone on sight.”

“And you trained under your mother as well,” Peter noted. “You know her tricks and capabilities. If anyone is getting close to her, it’s you.”

“Peter, I appreciate your enthusiasm but I’ve tried killing her numerous times in the past,” Loki replied tersely. “We’re evenly matched. If she has any other magic users with her, that’s it.”

“We need something more powerful then,” Thor reasoned pointed, looking to Loki with a knowing stare.

“Short of a miracle, we’re limited in what we have until more Asgardians arrive,” Peter countered. “We need to get inside and take back the castle.”

Loki had fallen silent. 

There was a way. A force of magic more powerful than any known user could imagine.

It was risky to say the least, and he knew at least one person would disagree.

(—)

“Absolutely not,” Stephen snapped throwing his hands up. “Have you lost your mind?”

“She’s going to be found regardless,” Loki directed the statement to Tony. “And intrinsically, her seidr will lower Amora’s defense enough for myself or one of us to get a move in edgewise.”

“It isn’t entirely unreasonable,” Wanda voiced, earning a glare from Stephen. “We send in the guard with her to protect her from a physical threat... certainly she would be able to handle any magical ones.”

“She’s untrained,” Stephen stressed again, looking to Tony for support. “What if, Gods help us, the seidr stops doing whatever it’s doing? We don’t know. It’s too unpredictable and unreliable to make a plan centered around it.”

The trio had tasked you with helping some of the wounded men while they debated Loki’s suggestion after he’d returned from the battle front. The general agreement had been that you would have immediately volunteered and that didn’t bode well for some of the logistic issues that needed to be brought up ahead of you charging headfirst into battle.

“It defeats the point of faking her death,” Tony agreed, looking to Loki for a rebuttal. 

“It doesn’t,” he insisted. “Amora won’t see it coming. Not until it’s too late.”

“That’s rubbish and you know it,” Stephen snapped back. “She could be across the kingdom and anyone with a speck of magic in their system would sense her coming. She’s a storm of uncontrolled energy.”

“Is she?” Loki asked innocuously, quirking a brow. “I certainly don’t feel anything in here... isn’t she only the next room over?”

Stephen froze. 

The Asgardian prince was right. 

He couldn’t feel your seidr anywhere in the room, outside of it, or within the castle walls at all. 

“What did you do?” he asked, dumbfounded. 

Loki held up a small amulet and he heard Tony suck in a breath of surprise. 

“Where did you find that?” the king demanded, standing from his chair and reaching for the necklace. Wrapping his fingers around the amulet himself, he ran his fingers around the edges while he listened. 

“Your late queen entrusted it to my mother,” Loki explained. “It arrived an hour ago with her written incantations to seal the seidr temporarily. It had to be taken by Lady Sif to the Asgardian border, then transported to Kamar-Taj by Mordo, and delivered to me by Wong. A lot of trouble went into getting it and I would hate to see it go to waste…”

Tony clutched the the chain of the amulet in his fist and held it up for Stephen to better see. 

It was definitely old, with weathered metal and jewels embedded in the ridges that had long lost their luster to time. 

“If there’s a chance, it would be in this,” he stated firmly in agreement. “Alexandra used it while she was still training her abilities with Frigga. It saved a lot of trouble while she experimented and on her death bed, when her powers were in a frenzy, this protected the kingdom from harm.”

He turned it over and showed the sorcerer the rune on the back. Stephen was, admittedly, unfamiliar with the symbol. It resembled old Asgardian, but the way the letters curved suggested another origin.

“Vanir,” Tony explained when Stephen flickered his gaze up curiously at the king. “She found it in an old temple on the outskirts of Asgard near the old Vanaheim border.”

“The princess keeps it with her, and we slip in undetected,” Loki continued. “We ambush Amora, and Peter’s troops break the siege and the castle is once again under the proper Stark royal.”

“I don’t see why the princess can’t remain here, with the amulet, undetected and safe while we deal with Amora?” Stephen seethed. 

“Stephen, it’s as best a plan we have,” Wanda urged, watching him with a steady gaze. “You knew the potential outcomes. It isn’t ideal, but this isn’t unexpected.”

“What?” Tony looked to her, furrowing his brow. “What do you mean? Was there more than you told me?”

“Nothing has changed in your destiny,” she quickly assured him. “But your children... their paths have been sporadic.”

“Explain, now,” Tony shot back. “Are they in danger?” 

“Your majesty, it’s best not to dwell on potential futures,” Loki cut in, slipping between the king and the sorceress with an arm. “They’re possibilities, not guarantees. Tampering to avoid certain outcomes is how you end up in a worse scenario than anticipated.”

“I want to know,” Tony snapped, looking to Wanda. “What else did you see?”

She looked up at Stephen uneasily and he finally relented, holding up a hand in her direction and taking over the explanation for her. 

“They were cloudy,” he replied. “The princess was in the throne room during the siege. Prince Peter was nearly overwhelmed by a wave of Northern Kree. They were vague and not necessarily connected.”

He left out the part where you were stabbed. 

Stabbed through the heart, more specifically, but Brock Rumow’s sword. It’d devastated him for days after Wanda had shown him the visions. He’d worked so hard to keep you out of the castle, to move you t safety, and avoid the very outcome. 

But it seemed the fates were not done with your part of the story. 

“You told me this ended with me by the throne,” Tony turned on Wanda. “My children out of harms way. Peter’s coronation.”

“Nothing is certain,” Loki caught him by the arm and spun him back toward him and Stephen. Tony from, fixing up the prince who dared touch royalty so directly. “The visions are murky. They’re not clear and if they were to be solidified by the decision we make, we would know.”

Tony looked to Wanda who nodded slowly in agreement. His boyd language softened.

“Is this truly the only chance we have at taking the castle?” he looked between the trio. 

Stephen saw something in the king’s eyes that begged for one of them to disagree. 

But even Stephen could see the inevitable. 

Amora was too powerful and too evenly matched against any or all of them.

Using your seidr was the only way to overwhelm her and kill her.

He hated it. Gods he hated it so much and had prayed, despite not necessarily being a religious type, that someone would have a better plan. Loki and Wanda were among the strongest after himself, after all. 

The room remained silent at the kings question.

When no one objected, Tony swallowed hard and nodded to himself. 

“Bring her in then,” he murmured. “We must move quickly.”

Stephen offered to retrieve you, quickly filling you in on the idea. 

And to no surprise, you readily agreed and volunteered your help in whatever capacity you could manage. Stephen sighed, weaving his fingers through yours while stopping outside the meeting room.  

No seidr was fighting back at his touch. 

Loki’s amulet was working. 

“I’d hoped you would put up more of a fight,” he confessed, lifting your hand and seeing none of the violet glow that once emitted from your body.  

“You nearly died,” you reminded him tersely. “I have a bone to pick with Amora. Not to mention, there’s nothing more I loved to see than Brock’s body skewered on the top of one of our men’s swords.”

There was a venom to your tone that seemed almost unnatural considering your usual caring personality. Never had Stephen seen you so determined to cause harm to another human, but perhaps he’d underestimated the fury you felt toward the enemy king. 

“Right,” he murmured, giving your hand a squeeze and pulling away. He opened the doors, ushering you inside while the others began detailing the plan. 

(—)

Peter was directing his men when a portal opened up and Loki stepped through with Stephen and a cloaked figure. 

“We need a distraction away from the base of the castle,” Stephen explained briskly, maneuvering his body so Peter couldn’t get a good look at the third figure. 

Assuming it was just Wanda, Peter turned his attention to the battalion nearby.  

“I can have them make a move for the western wall, but it’d be pointless if Amora’s sorcerers have up their barriers,” he explained, running an anxious hand through his hair. “They’ve barred us off.”

“We just need attention diverted long enough to slip through the tunnel system,” Stephen supplied, sending a knowing nod in Peters direction.

Three powerful magic users? Going in undetected? 

They were going to break down the barrier, Peter realized and immediately started rallying more men. 

“Thor! We need a distraction,” he called to the Asgardian prince. Thor reached for the large hammer on the ground next to him and lifted it to the air. 

The sky began to crackle above them, and Thor’s expression filled with an excited glee.

“That, my friend, I think we can manage,” he bellowed, grinning between Loki and Peter, turning to wake the Asgardian soldiers who’d been sleeping in the camp nearby. 

“I’ll start the first wave, give us thirty minutes to start an approach before trying to breach the tunnels,” he instructed, again trying to catch the eye of the cloaked figure. 

He couldn’t be sure, but he almost thought the person’s eyes were glowing violet, not red. 

Chalking it up to a lack of sleep, the group started toward the castle in the darkness at the edge of the forest, and Peter focused on readying his men. 

What Peter didn’t know was what his father had planned for after the shield fell. 

The Wakandans had finally arrived and in greater numbers than King T’Challa had originally promised. 

They’d remained discreet and undetected by Rumlow and Obidiah’s forces, and once the shield was down, they were prepared to storm the castle with the entire combined armies of Tony, Thor, T’Challa, Carol, and Peter. 

The final key was taking down Amora and her circle of magic users. 

Ultimately, once she fell, the others would quickly fall in turn and that was exactly why you were trudging through the forest with Loki and Stephen toward one of your preferred tunnels to the castle. While Peter and his men readied their attacks.

“Natalia and James are still inside posing as servants,” Stephen explained. “They have agreed to lead us to Amora. They sent a message through one of the kitchen maids’ sons.” 

“No one recognized them?” you asked in surprise. 

“We both know how talented they are at blending in,” he hummed with a sly smirk. “In fact, I seem to recall Natalia being the one to show you the tunnels in the first place. They didn’t garner their reputation for nothing.”

You let out a small breath of relief. Of course he was right. If anyone had a penchant for survival and adaptability it was Nat and James. Still, they were your friends and beloved companions, you were going to be worried about their well-being assassins or not. 

At least Peter was still in one piece. And Morgan and Pepper were in good spirits in Asgard, at least according to Loki. Your family was safe, but even so, Stephen had insisted upon accompanying you and Loki into the belly of the castle. 

You’d protested significantly. He was healing. He was a target. It was too dangerous with Amora, and he’d countered backwith similar arguments. 

In the end, your father made the final call, sending you both and joking the two of you would do well to protect one another. 

“Perhaps when this is over, you and your sorcerer can come to Asgard to train,” Loki murmured while Stephen scouted ahead for any stray troops. 

“And here I thought the offered had been rescinded after Stephen showed up and started to tutor me?” you teased, recalling the conversation you’d had with the prince at the ball honoring Stephen’s arrival all those years ago. 

“It was always there, you know that,” he replied, glancing you over. “You forget I was tasked to look after you. My mother would be pleased to see you both. When Strange studied in Asgard briefly, she had nothing but high praise.”

You could tell the compliment bristled your old friend and you set a hand on his shoulder. 

“Everything has changed, hasn’t it?” you asked quietly, watching Stephen’s darkened form maneuver the wilderness ahead. 

“The dawn is going to rise on a new kingdom,” he agreed. “My father will be disappointed in your selection of a groom.”

You felt your cheeks warm at the off handed comment, though you didn’t bother to object. Stephen was the one. Your heart couldn’t even consider another. Not now. Not after all you’d been through together and how he so lovingly knew you mind, body, and soul. 

“And your mother?” you asked lightly. 

“She’ll be thrilled regardless,” he hummed. “You’re the daughter she never had. She adored your mother, you know that, and promised to take care of you. Marriage or not.”

You paused, carefully selecting your next words. 

“What about you?” 

He stilled. You must have taken him by surprise, or maybe no one had ever asked him directly. Loki looked forward at the tree line ahead, taking a few moments longer than expected to give you an answer. 

“I’ll be fine,” he said quietly.

You were about to open your mouth to ask him if he really meant it, when Stephen reappeared in the shrubs in front of you. 

“The areas clear and I can hear Peter and Thor have started their attack. We need to move now,” he waved the two of you over and you sent a final glance to Loki who flashed a small, reassuring, smile before following shortly behind. 

One step at a time, you reminded yourself, your heart giving a small throb of guilt at his reaction. Marriage, betrothal, none of it mattered until your enemies fell. 

(--)

12- a memory 

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