#ignore amelia she's whining

[saturnville]

sweet goodbyes, major john egan

pairing: major john “bucky” egan (masters of the air) black fem oc (amelia egan)

content: john is being shipped to England to serve in the war; his departure comes with sweet goodbyes

an: callum turner is my new white boy of the month, yay!

“Close your eyes, darlin’. You can’t keep trying to fight sleep.” His voice warmed the deepest parts of her insides. Her stomach fluttered and she couldn’t fight to dopey smile that crept along her lips. She whined in objection, ignoring how her eyelids fluttered.

“I don’t want to sleep,” she murmured, words slurred and almost incoherent. Her hand ran down the lace neckline of her white nightgown; a gift from her mother-in-law from her wedding night. Her hand then traveled over to his dark hair, massaging his curls. “Want to stare at you alllll night.”

His soft chuckle forced her eyes open. He caressed her warm cheek “That’s nice, doll, but you should get your rest. I gotta be out early in the morning. Gotta have coffee together.” It was a ritual. Every morning, he’d wake her up at the break of dawn with a steaming cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal. It was a simple gesture, but it was what she grew to love. Cuddled in the sheets, sipping from their mugs and feeding each other spoonfuls of hot oats. She’d have to get used to eating by herself.

She huffed in disdain. John chuckled and wrapped his strong arms around her body. He pressed a firm kiss against her cheek, then her nose, then her lips. She returned his advances immediately. Her hand gripped his neck as she pulled him closer. “Amelia…”

Amelia’s leg crept along his waist and she silently urged him to take the hint. He whispered a gentle, are you sure, against her lips, which she replied with her hips pressed against his.

John gripped the plushness of her thigh and pushed it back, slotting his body between her legs. Her breaths were heavy and quivered with desire. His large hands clenched the fabric of her nightgown, pushed it up her body, and tossed it across the room. “I love you, you know that?”

“Mhm.” Her mind couldn’t create a coherent sentence with him touching her so delicately. “I love you, too.”

The moon shone through the curtains. Amelia felt the weight of sleep finally pulling her down. Her husbands presence comforted her as his whispered declarations of love lingered in the air. Reluctantly, she stopped battling drowsiness and succumbed to its authority.

The warmth of his love wrapped around her like a blanket, and the anticipation of their morning ritual brought a bittersweet smile to her lips. She couldn’t help but savor the small moments she had left, knowing that tomorrow would be different.

Yet, within their tender embrace and exchange of affections, their love was a solidified anchor that promised a new daw filled with cups of coffee and the joy of each’ other’s company.

[rollingsins]

just sweet soft Vada with her obsession with boobs😭😭😳 we just need her😭

Filled, thanks bby!

“Vada,” You murmur as Vada’s hands circle the bottom of your t-shirt, “We’re watching a movie.” 

The movie in question is Die Hard. You’ve seen it a thousand times. So has Vada. You’re starting to think that’s why she picked it. 

Vada looks up at you, brown eyes wide. 

“I know,” She says. She’s tucked into your side, her legs entwined with yours. Her fingers brush the rim of bare skin between your shirt and your jeans, “Maybe we could just… watch it with our shirts off.” 

She looks up at you, a familiar not-so-innocence in her eyes. 

“Watch a movie with our shirts off?” You ask, voice incredulous. 

“Yeah,” Vada says. Her hand slips a bit further up your belly, brushing the warm skin underneath your top. Your stomach flips, “It’s a thing they do in France, I saw it on Tiktok.” 

“Bullshit.” You snort, eyebrow raised. 

“Well, maybe they should do it in France,” Vada mumbles, “Maybe we should all do it.” 

She rubs her legs against yours, hand drifting a little further up your shirt. 

“We’re not having sex, your Mom is downstairs.” You tell her, voice final. 

The last time you’d let her talk you into fooling around with her parents downstairs, Mrs Cavell had all but burst into the room before you could even get your hands down Vada’s pants. You weren’t keen for a repeat. 

Vada pouts. 

“Not sex,” She mumbles, “Can you just… Can I just-” 

Her eyes drop from your eyes to your chest and suddenly you know exactly what she wants. 

You stir under her, ignoring the way it makes your belly coil. 

“Again?” You groan, pretending like Vada’s obsession with your boobs is some kind of inconvenience. It would be harder to pretend, if not for the fact it made you want to flip her over and press her against the bed. 

Perfect. Now she’s horny and you’re horny and the fact her Mom comes up every ten minutes to ‘check on the two of you’ meant you could do nothing about it. 

“Mom came up three minutes ago,” Vada says, sparkle in her eyes as if she’s reading your mind, “Give me seven minutes with those puppies, you won’t regret it.” 

That does it. 

Her choice of words has quelled your arousal. 

You laugh. 

“You’re such a fifteen year old boy, sometimes.” You tease her, pressing a kiss to her lips. Vada deflates with a whine. 

“Babe-” She protests, but you reach for her wandering hand and press a kiss to the back of it. 

“Another time,” You promise, “Let’s watch the movie.” 

“Mom has to pick Amelia up from tap practice at five,” Vada says hopefully, ever the optimist, “Maybe we could take our shirts off then.” 

You swallow. The arousal is back. 

You brush coil your hand around the back of her neck, scratching lightly at the base of her scalp. 

“I-” You say, and the thought isn’t unappealing, “Maybe.” 

And Vada grins, victorious.

[livwritesstuff]

You are such a creative person. I have almost finished all of "plant a seed" and the way you've written the characters and their thoughts and manurism is just *chef's kiss* dreamy.

Also, your droplets from the Steddie dad life brightens my day.

THANK YOU!!! Holy moly you are too sweet.

This series and this community have definitely been a bright spot in my life and I'm always so happy to hear that it's doing the same for other folks too <3

Have a double post today for being such a lovely soul

(in the form of a deleted flashback from plant a seed)

In retrospect, signing Robbie up for karate classes might have been a mistake.

Perhaps the bigger mistake, though, was signing the five-year-old up for karate classes a month before Robin and Nancy came over for their annual ironic watch of WWE’s Wrestlemania, or so Steve ponders as he watches Robbie swing her fists in Moe’s direction.

Moe, their ever-unshakable seven-year-old, is unfazed.

“Robbie,” Steve warns her. Robbie ignores him and aims several more punches at Moe, “Amelia Robin, we talked about this.”

“I wanna wrestle!” Robbie whines, crossing her arms and stomping a sneaker-clad foot so her shoe lit up.

“You can’t just start swinging at people and call it wrestling.”

Robbie glares at him for a moment, clearly weighing her desire to exercise whatever she’s learning in karate with the consequences it would come with. She uncrosses her arms and closes her fists, looking at them thoughtfully. As Robbie fidgets with her fingers, Steve knows what’s coming, and when she eventually unfolds one of the middle ones, he just stares at her, eyebrows raised.

“Stairs,” he finally says, tipping his head in the direction of the designated ‘time-out’ spot at the bottom of the stairs.

As Robbie is trudging over to the stairs and plopping herself down on the bottom step, Eddie walks into the living room. He gets one look at his daughter pouting in time-out and says, “How? We’ve been home for five minutes?”

“She flipped Papa the bird,” Moe supplies.

“Which I blame you for, by the way,” Steve adds, giving his husband a pointed look, “Since you’re the one with the bright idea to teach that shit to them.”

Eddie feigns a bow, then points at Robbie.

“Not cool, girlie. We had a deal, did we not? No more making me look bad in front of Papa?”

Robbie shrugs, but behind the wall of curls she let fall in front of her face, Steve could just barely see the way her pout was turning into a smile, even against her will.

Eddie turned to face Steve again.

“Moe was sent to the principal’s office today,” he said.

“Why?” Steve asked.

“Well, according to her teacher, she shared her crackers with her friend during snack time, which apparently means she has to share with the whole class.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows.

“Yeah, I dunno,” Eddie shook his head, “But according to her, Moe said ‘no, I’m seven, and this is the real world, not Communist Russia.’”

“And her teacher didn’t like that?” Steve asked sarcastically.

“No, she did not,” he replied, “And she really didn’t like when I said that I don’t think she’s wrong.”

“Another banner day for the Harrington family."

[around1302]

VIII. JEALOUS pt. 2

SPARE PARTS: a series (8/20)

COLOGNE, GERMANY

(W) strong language, oral/fingering, a lil grinding, protected sex, teensy bit of choking, edging

HARRY’S POV

I a-tune my movements to the sounds of Charlie’s moans, playing to each gasp and whine as if they’re apart of a new song I’m composing.

She’s laid on the bed, body soaking the sheets below us in more ways than one, writhing between me and the linen as I work my tongue on her clit. My hands grip everywhere they can – her thighs, her stomach, her tits. God, her tits. And I try not to buck into the mattress each time she tugs on my now loose hair like that.

“Harry, shit,” I suck her clit, shifting so I can insert a finger in her. I want need her to cum at least once before I fuck her, because I know full well once I enter her sweet fucking cunt I’m not lasting long.

“Harry.”

Jesus, when she says my name. I look up through my lashes, watching her watch me. Her bottom lips between her teeth, muffling her cute little pants since Amelia’s God awful music is still blasting from next door.

In a (probably fucked up) way, I want them to hear. I know she wants this to be a secret, but God, how much I’d kill to just see their faces. So I reach up and pull her lip out from her teeth, letting my hand slide down to her throat and squeeze momentarily to let out those symphonic moans she was holding in.

BANG BANG BANG.

I stop, both of our heads whipping toward the door. I’m gasping for air, unaware I couldn’t breathe, as we realise the music’s stopped.

“Shit,” Charlie scrambles to sit up, pulling the sheet over her body. I ache to yank it back from her, but instead I’m sitting up too and jolting when someone pounds at the door again, “it’s them. They definitely heard. Oh, God.”

“Ssh,” I grip Charlie’s thigh over the thin sheet, trying to hear out for who it is.

“Harry? You in there?”

I glance at Charlie, feeling my erection only harden at the sight of her – still slightly damp from the shower, curls mussed and lips swollen. She looks so pretty like this.

I slip my hand under the sheets, toying with the prospect of getting closer. She glares at me, but I watch her mouth start to hang as I run my fingers down her slit.

Niall shouts again, “Charlie’s fuckin’ ignoring us too. Open up you asshole.”

I re-insert my index in her, pressing my finger to my lips to shush her as she gasps.

“What are you doing? They’re right outside.”

“Do you want me to stop?” I add my middle finger.

She arches. “No.”

I tug the sheet away from her, sliding her legs apart and settling between them again.

“I’m busy!” I shout back to Niall, kissing and biting her thighs as I finger her slowly. She whimpers, gripping the pillow as her head falls back and hits the top of the bed frame.

“Told you he had a girl round,” Amelia hisses, the sound travelling under the door.

Charlie clamps her own mouth as I speed up and add my tongue into the mix, wanting to edge some noise from her.

“Fine,” Niall shouts again, “but we’re going. Can you tell Charlie? She’s not answering.”

“I’ll let her know,” I surface for a second before sucking her clit; a choked moan leaving her throat. She quickly slaps her palm over her mouth, looking at me with wide eyes. I smile against her pussy, she can be so fucking funny sometimes.

I hear mumbles and whispers, and then the sound of footsteps before the ding of the elevator.

Charlie cries out.

“You dickhead,” she pants, one of her hands flying to my hair. Her fingers sink into my curls, tugging and gripping as I feel her clenching around my fingers.

“Feels like princess gets turned on by a little danger,” I replace my tongue with my thumb, sucking a hickey into her inner thigh before leaning back to watch her cum around my hand.

I don’t know how I finally managed it – but I’m so fucking glad she kissed me that night. I knew I wanted her, but fuck. I didn’t realise how badly I’d crave making her orgasm every second of every hour until we were in that damn plane and she said my name like that for the first time.

No anger, no resentment, no exhaustion. Just the way I want my name to be said for the rest of my life.

“Oh, my God,” she breathes, pulling me away from her dripping cunt. I sit up, immediately pressing my lips to hers as I pull her thighs to slide her beneath me. She gasps into my mouth, pulling my closer by the nape of my neck as we feverishly explore each other’s mouths.

She reaches between us, grabbing my cock and pulling it against her. I moan into her mouth, gripping the pillows beside her head as she rubs me against her clit.

“Charlie, careful,” I glance at her grinding my sensitive tip against her pussy, the sight alone not helping me. I squeeze my eyes shut, burying my head into her neck and kissing out my groans so I don’t embarrass myself.

“Relax,” she whispers, tightening her legs around my back, “I have the implant.”

Those four words just became my religion.

I nearly laugh onto her skin, but any amusement quickly shifts into something else as I feel her guide me into herself.

Heaven. Sweet, blissful, incredible fucking Heaven is the feel of Charlie around me.

I lift my head, reeling off the feel of her nails digging into my hips as I take the reigns and slowly push in till I can’t anymore. I gasp, taking a second to distract myself.

“Harry, move.”

“Give me a second,” I whisper. She giggles. “You think that’s funny?”

She bites her smile back, and I have to fight my own. I reach one hand down, digging my fingers into the velvet of her skin as I pull her leg further up and start to slowly thrust.

“I’ll show you fuckin’ funny,” I bite her bottom lip, kissing her (because have you kissed this girl?) while I speed up my movements.

I sit up on my knees, spreading her legs so I can snap my hips against her thighs. She throws her head back into the pillow, her nails scraping red roads down my chest as I lift her legs and hook her ankles over my shoulder. She’s so fucking wet and so fucking tight, but I feel like I have something to prove now. So I fuck her, hard.

She tilts her head, muffling her cries in the fresh quilt so I can barely hear how I’m affecting her. I lean down, gripping her throat and turning her head back so she’s forced to look up at me.

“Let me hear you,” I dig my fingers into her neck, basking in the way her puffy lips hang open and the moans spill out from her, “you sound so pretty.”

I reach down with my thumb, swiping over her clit a few times before she’s suddenly unhooking her legs and turning us over.

I fall against the mattress, breathless, still inside Charlie while she’s suddenly on top of me.

“Sit up.”

I do as I’m told, moving up the bed while gripping her waist to keep her there. She holds on to the headboard behind me, starting to roll her hips against mine. I sigh, tilting my head back and to the side so I can kiss her pulse point.

“Look at me,” she demands, and I have to say that whatever flicker of dominance she’s switched on is turning me the fuck on.

So I look at her, and fuck is Charlie Greene riding me something that should be hung in the Louvre. My heavy eyes laser in on her hips, her torso, her face. The way her tattoos move with her, the way her hair flips to the side as she throws her head back and calls out my name. My name. The way her tits are just… fuck, my God.

I sit forward, wrapping my arms around her back and forcing her arms to drap around mine as I take her nipple into my mouth, dragging each one between my teeth before sucking and biting to mark the smooth flesh that surrounds them.

The room is a filthy soundboard of our groans and moans, of skin against skin, of desperation riding need. I move her against me, now, tightening my hold around her to take control. I feel her thighs loosen around me as she lets me, and as much as I know I’m close, I’m itching to watch her cum again.

Keeping one arm wrapped around her, gliding her against me, I rub her clit with my other and start to feel that familiar clench; this time around my cock, making it so much harder for me to–

“Why’d you stop?”

I swipe my thumb over her clit once, making her jolt.

“You close?”

“I mean, I was–”

“Good,” I nip at her collarbone, starting to grind her against me again, “tell me when you get close again.”

“Why? You’re so… okay,” she caves, her head falling to my shoulder as I rub her clit and move her on my cock. She kisses my skin, every inch she can reach with her lips, tracing her nails over the parts she can’t. Her touch drives me fucking crazy.

“I’m close, shit, Harry, I’m so close. Don’t stop.”

So what do I do?

She groans, lifting her head to meet my eye.

“Harry,” she whines, trying to move her hips. Unfortunately for her, I’m stronger than her. “Please.” She whimpers.

I like the sound of that.

“Again.”

“What?” She pants, trying stupidly again to move. I hold her waist in place, flipping us over so she can’t try it again. She huffs, reaching between us to try and rub her own clit – so I grab her wrist.

“I’m not convinced you want to cum.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

I love winding her up.

“Yeah,” I start to pull out, but she grabs my hips, “oh. Do you want to cum?”

“Stop being a cunt, Harry.”

“What was that word you used earlier? I loved that word you used earlier.”

I poke my tongue in my cheek as I watch the cogs starting to turn. She moves her hands to the nape of my neck, her fingers raking a path through my hair, making me want to kiss her.

“Please.” She barely whispers.

“What was that?” I start to thrust my hips again, painfully slowly. I lift her thighs around me, trailing one hand up to the sheets next to her and the other back to her clit.

She gasps, those brown eyes never leaving mine.

“Please.” She’s a little louder this time.

“Come on, princess. I know you can do better than that.”

I rub her clit, making her arch.

“Please.”

“That’s better,” I hardly finish my sentence before I’m kissing her and fucking her into the mattress. We moan into one another’s mouths, the kiss quickly becoming sloppy and at this point just our lips acting as a tunnel for our groans, but I don’t care.

I’m so fucking close, so I speed up my hand until I feel her clench and then I release. I try and keep up my movements as much as I can as I cum, but it’s hard because shit. I bury my head into her neck, using her skin to muffle my cries as I grip the sheets and her till my knuckles painfully blanch.

I feel her cunt pulsing around me, only making the mind-numbing, static technicolour burst in my gut harder. Charlie moans into my ear, her nails digging into my back till I’m sure she draws blood, but I don’t give a shit. She could stab me right now and I don’t think it would puncture my ecstasy.

I stay in her for as long as possible, till I’m rolling over and collapsing onto my back. We both lay there, staring at the hotel ceiling, our breathless pants filling the suddenly silent room. I don’t remember it being this dark, or quiet, or small.

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

It takes me a second to recover my vision before I realise I need to clean Charlie up, so I grip the edge of the mattress and pull myself to my feet. I find some boxers from my messily unpacked suitcase and walk into them as I find my way back to the bathroom.

I’m greeted with a shower I’ll never be able to use the same again.

I find a fresh towel, dampening it as dreary clarity starts to make its way back to me and I realise in a few minutes Charlie will leave and I’ll be here. In the bed. Alone. Dark, quiet, small.

When I return to the room, she’s still on her back, one forearm across her forehead and the other on her stomach. I try not to stare at the curve of her knee or the sharpness of her elbow as I ease myself beside her, making her jump.

“Just cleaning you up,” I explain, holding up the towel. She nods, resting her head back onto the pillow. She looks… distant. Worn out, but not quite here. I frown a little as I study her face, mouth opening to ask what’s wrong but not quite knowing if that was in the fine print of our agreement.

Gently as I can, I clean her up. Quietly apologising every time she twitches. I take the towel back to the bathroom and pick up her clothes on the way back, laying them out on the bed.

“Suppose I should go, now.”

You don’t have to.

“Yeah.”

I pretend not to notice how glassy her eyes are as she sits up and starts to dress. I turn away, pretending to be busy in the bathroom. I flick the light on and close the door to give her some privacy, and can’t help but stare at my new appearance in the mirror.

Marks and bruises and scratches litter the gaps between my tattoos, from her. My hair, a knotty mess where her fingers tugged and brushed. My lips swollen with the ghost of hers and the taste of her still fresh on the tip of my tongue. As I look in the mirror, I don’t see me. She’s everywhere. She’s–

I jump at the sudden slam of the door, my heart dropping as my first thought is someone somehow got in. I rip the bathroom door open, the whoosh of it spreading a cold shiver down my torso as I realise no one came in.

She left.

taglist: @lilfreakjez @be-with-me-so-happily @sirtommyholland @tpwksm @b-reads-things

[nothingtoseeherebyeexx]

Delicate, Chapter Six: You’re On Your Own, Kid

< prev chapter

CW: SA, it’s not described but it has happened. skip from “to be fair” until “quiet weeping” if you’re not comfortable. a bit heavier than usual, but i tried to keep it as light as possible. next ones will be more fun, dw <3

ALECTO @ alectocarrow

Narcissa Black and her unknown ‘friend’ spotted at the party that Lily Evans (the Black Studios’ n1 enemy) also attended…We knew you didn’t like your parents, Narcissa, no need to drag your groupie into this!

narcissa @ thenarcissablack

alecto, you know the addy. pull up anytime and say that shit to my face. i won’t not fuck you the fuck up. period.

ALECTO @ alectocarrow

Is this a threat? Are you threatening me? I’m talking to my lawyer.

narcissa @thenarcissablack

tell ‘em it’s a promise not a threat.

marlsboro @ mckinnon

what if i said narcissa black got that dawg in her?

Euphemia Potter @ euphemiapotter

Hello! I wanted to thank everyone who came to our small gathering last Saturday, hope you all had a good time! 😊 And fun fact! My husband Fleamont is a really good lawyer! ❤️

“So…they didn’t fuck?”

“Nope.”

“They didn’t even kiss?”

“None of that.”

“And she’s like that?”

Amelia pointed to Narcissa, who was busy reorganising the twins’ office, moving the small prizes, photo frames and certifications of an inch from their original positions in a joyous frenzy. Edgar looked just as incredulous (and worried) as his sister.

“I can hear you!” Narcissa said, tiptoe on a chair trying to reach a particularly high shelf. “Your office could use some colour, guys. I could buy you some flowers! Oh and Mel, I want to add another song to the set list for Friday.”

“It’s a twenty minute performance, you can’t sing twenty two songs!” Amelia protested, arms wide in exasperation.

“But it’s really important to me,” Narcissa whined, batting her eyelashes. “It’s, like, vital. Esssential. Pretty pretty pretty please?”

“It doesn’t work with me, Cissa, you know it.”

“Eddie?”

“Nope, we’re not doing that.” Edgar got up from his chair with his hands raised, and Mary watched him cross the room decidedly, pick Narcissa up from her legs and throw her over his shoulder like she was a bag of potatoes. A screaming, kicking bag of potatoes.

“He’s like the Big Friendly Giant.” Mary whispered.

“I feel violated.” Narcissa snarled once she was delicately deposited on the couch.

Edgar ignored her, sitting back in his chair.

“What happened at the party, Cissa?” he asked, calm as ever.

Narcissa smirked, and told them she had talked to Alice and about their promise (although it was more like a threat, but Mary wasn’t going to contradict her), but despite the passionate retelling, Amelia was unimpressed.

“Pick five songs. The show is in three days and we can’t change everything last minute because your crush stopped ignoring you.”

“She’s not my crush-“

“And Mary,” intervened Edgar, “The album is ready to drop. If you want, you can start writing that song with Lily now.”

Those words hit Mary like a bus.

“Yeah, about that…” she began, and all three turned to her. She felt her stomach turn to stone.

“I think we have a problem. I’ve been really focused on the album, so I haven’t written anything new in…four years? Probably?” she admitted, ashamed.

Mary was aware it was a problem: she had signed a contract, so the company expected her to make music. In her defence, lately she had been busy with the album and looking for a label, and she hadn’t really needed to write anything new in the past months, but still…Wasn’t she, as an artist, supposed to feel the need to write? Music was supposed to be an innate instinct, not a product bound by deadlines, yet Mary had lost the natural need to create songs. The notes sounded wrong, the words on paper were smudges of feelings Mary couldn’t extricate. A big skein of too much, a bunch of knots she couldn’t unravel.

Amelia and Edgar were quiet, the first impassive, the second worried, but Narcissa came to her rescue.

“It’s fine, Mary,” she shrugged, like it was no big deal, “Writer’s block is a bitch. If anything, working with Lily will help you.”

“Yeah,” agreed Amelia, though she didn’t seem too convinced. “It’s not a problem, it’s still early. We’ll drop the album, and you’ll have a lot of time to…overcome this block.”

“Maybe you’ve been overworking yourself,” offered Edgar, “You could try resting a bit, you deserve it. It may help your…creative juices flowing.”

“Don’t say creative juices, Ed, it’s disgusting,” scoffed Narcissa, but she threw Mary a fleeting glance.

So she was worried, but was trying to lighten the mood. Mary appreciated it.

“Now we gotta go. I have a set list to organize.” Narcissa smiled, waiting for Mary to also get up. But she stayed on the chair, looking at the twins.

“Amelia, Edgar,” she began, “I’ll do it. I promise.”

Edgar smiled, comforting.

He was such a good-natured man. A human Care Bear. Mary wanted to hug him.

“I have no doubts, Mary. But don’t worry, and take it easy,” he said.

~

Mary had doubts, was worried, and did not take it easy.

“Cissa, can we talk for a minute?” she asked as soon as they stepped into their apartment. “Before you go to your room and write down the best songs to impress Alice, that is.”

“I’ll pick my fluffiest, pinkest pen, lay in my bed, and kick my feet to do that,” she smirked to herself, taking off her shoes. “Get on the sofa while I make some hot chocolate for the occasion.”

As Narcissa slid into the kitchen, Mary got comfortable and closed her eyes. Like this, she could almost pretend she was back in her family home, basking in the sunlight filtering through the thin curtains of her window, listening for her brothers’ bickering or for the sound of her mum’s car parking in the garage.

She hadn’t called.

May was surprised by this, but not because she was expecting her mother to beg her to come back-no, she had been happy her daughter had decided to get a life of her own and stopped being a expense, but Mary was expecting her to get in contact to ask about her (still) unborn career, since many weeks had passed and Mary hadn’t released anything, and she didn’t usually pass an opportunity to say ‘i told you so’. Mary, however, was not going to call her and give her the chance on a silver platter.

She was willing to make an effort for her brothers, though.

She called them everyday, asked them about school, how things were at home. Theo was always full of anecdotes and questions, eager to tell and know, and he spoke quickly, trying to make Mary feel like she was still home. He ended every call with a ‘we miss you’, and each time Mary’s heart clenched.

Bingley, on the other hand, let Mary do all the talking. He usually picked up the phone, muttered an ‘hi’, and kept his mouth shut until Mary started asking questions. To which he rigorously answered with monosyllables or mumbling. It drove Mary insane, but she didn’t blame him-she couldn’t, really. She had to take care of him when their mum was too busy with work, becoming a sort of mother figure to him, and now he was left in a similar predicament Mary had been when she was just a few years younger than him.

Maybe she could go back to them. They needed her, she could help them with their schoolwork, do the chores, make sure they were asleep before their parents got home and awake in time for school. They were still kids. How could she leave them? She couldn’t even write songs, what had gotten into her?

“Okay, I’m back-wait, are you crying?” Mary barely registered Narcissa putting the cups down and sitting next to her, her words activating some traitorous mechanism in her eyes that turned them into waterfalls.

She tried to look at Narcissa, but her eyes were too watery to see anything, which made her feel even worse, so she completely gave up seeing and pressed her palms against her eyes, hiccuping. Mary felt Narcissa’s arms around her, and she let her head fall to her chest.

“I’m fine,” she muttered, but Narcissa kept her close.

“I’ll teach you to become a better liar when the time comes, sweetheart,” she joked, and Mary let out a strained laugh that sounded more like mix between a dying cat and an affronted seagull.

“I’m…decent,” she clarified, and apparently Narcissa found it an acceptable answer, because she let her go.

Mary grabbed the cup of chocolate and took a sip, focusing on the rich, warm drink rather than her rumply face.

“What’s wrong? Is it the writing block?” Narcissa asked softly.

“It’s nothing, really, I’m almost on my period, I get emotional-“

“Mary.” Narcissa interrupted her, delicate but firm. “You wanted to talk. What’s wrong?”

Mary sighed.

“Many things, actually, and I think this block is only the tip of the iceberg.”

“Let’s start, then,” Narcissa grabbed her own cup of chocolate and snuggled up on her end of the sofa, like a kid waiting for a bedtime story. “Open up, let’s have a bonding experience.”

“I was thinking about my family,” Mary began, feeling a little silly being interrogated like that. “My brothers. And my mum. And it’s just…I-I’m confused. Torn. I mean, I’m extremely glad for everything that I’ve accomplished, and I don’t regret anything. On the other hand, though, I feel guilty. So fucking guilty, Cissa.”

She gulped, swallowing her tears.

“I left them. I told them I would always be there for them, and then I left and I don’t even regret it, and I fear I’ll end up like my mother and-“ Mary paused. “And a part of me wants to go back. But then I remember where I am, how I worked my ass off for the past months, and I feel like-like I deserve this. And I do. I worked hard, and I’ve earned it. And yet, every time I enjoy what I have, I can’t help but feel like I’m being unfair to my brothers, like I’m here at their expense. And I know it’s not fucking right, but why does my mind do this? Why do I even end up missing my parents, who were never there for me? What even is there to miss?”

Mary took a big breath, her cheeks hot from the unexpected outburst, and was glad to find Narcissa looking at her with not an ounce of judgement in her eyes.

She wasn’t trying to offer solutions right away, giving her some space to be heard instead.

“But I don’t think that’s the cause of this block. I think that dates back to ages ago, before I came here, when I was still looking for a label, a talent scout, or anything, really,” Mary continued, “I was desperate. I had just got out of high school, I had no job and no money, only a few songs waiting to be heard and pressure from my parents. I didn’t have real friends, only acquaintances, but I told them about my dream, my album, stuff like that. I’m not sure how much they cared, to be fair.

“One night, I went to a club with one of these acquaintances of mine. I didn’t go out often, but I‘ve always been a party girl, so when I did go out I always had fun, drinking, smoking and all that. And that night wasn’t much different from the others, at first: I was tipsy, but still ended up chatting with a guy on a bench. Since I was obsessed at the time, I started blabbing about my songs and my desperate need of a label, and at that the guy’s eyes lit up, and he laughed. He said he had contacts with the Black Studios, that his dad worked there, and that he could arrange an interview. I was euphoric. Then he said he wanted to offer me-his ‘future coworker’, he said- a drink, and when he came back he even dared me to down it in ten seconds. Like a game, you see. A joke. That’s the last thing I remember from that night. I woke up behind a bush a few hours later.”

~

Mary opened her eyes, the sun not out yet, but its rays already tinting the sky, timidly pushing away the dark blues and purples. A few stars still hung in there, resolute. It could’ve been a peaceful moment, but then Mary remembered she was lying on the ground, next to a bush right outside a club-a perfect spot for people in desperate need to piss, not ideal to fall asleep. She pushed herself up with her hands, and was surprised to find her whole body aching.

Mary checked her arms and found scratches, and her legs were bruised. Too much damage for a few hours sleeping on the ground.

What time was it? Had Sheryl already gone home? And where was that guy, Mulciber?

Suddenly the world seemed far, far away, and as a suspicion made its way in her mind, a horrible feeling started growing in her stomach, making her want to puke. She didn’t want to know what happened anymore. She wanted to go home, but her ride had left her.

“Hey girly, what are you doing there?” called a voice from a jeep that had just come to a stop next to her. It was a girl, maybe a bit older than her, with straight dark hair and flashy sunglasses and an exceptionally green eyeshadow.

“D’ya need a ride home?” said another girl, her blonde pigtails peeking from behind the first girl. She chewed noisily, and was also wearing bright blue eyeshadow.

“Jess, go help her up, for fuck’s sake!”

“Oh my God, I’m going!” a third girl shouted, coming out of the backseat. She had ridiculously high platforms and a small, tight pink dress, along with a white feather boa and a red wig. Mary thought she was hallucinating.

When she arrived, she crouched in front of her and looked at her with big, brown eyes.

“You okay? You look like a mess.”

Mary wasn’t okay. In fact, she was too confused to answer. The girl took out a tissue from her small purse and started cleaning her face, sweeping away the dirt from her cheeks and the leaves from her hair.

“A bit better. D’you need, like, a ride? I’m still tipsy but our driver, the blonde one, is stone cold sober, I swear. She refuses to drink because she doesn’t want to, like, piss in public bathrooms. Cus it’s too gross for her.”

Mary nodded, speechless, and the girl, Jess, helped her up and led her to the truck. She ended up in the seat between her and the green girl, who had left the spot at the front, and the two soon started to clean her up, fixing her dress, brushing her hair, they even took off her makeup and put a few skin care products. The girl in blue drove recklessly, but the trunk of the car smelled of weed and Mary had the absurd thought that maybe it had an effect on her own sense of self preservation, because she didn’t mind the danger. The girl in green started patting her head, and Mary had the feeling she was the reason behind the sweet scent in the trunk.

“Ok sweetie,” said the blonde, swerving to avoid a pedestrian who was crossing the street. “What happened?”

“I…don’t remember.”

“You got absolutely sloshed last night, didn’t ya? Typical.” smiled the girl in pink. She took out a gum and offered Mary one, and she took it.

“I wasn’t that drunk…A guy was supposed to bring me a drink and…” Mary’s head was too light, her memory blurry. “The last thing I remember is drinking with him. Then I was really sick and…I found myself bruised and aching on the pavement.”

There it was again. The knife in her stomach, the knot in her throat. She wanted to curl up on the seat and cry.

“You got roofied?” asked the girl in blue bluntly.

“Oi! Be more tactless, you cunt!” countered the girl in green.

“I’m taking her to the hospital, bitch. If she was raped, she needs proof.”

Raped. Proof. Mary was going to vomit.

The three girls began fighting, but Mary could only think about her brothers. It was Saturday. She had to help Bingley with a school project and she had promised Theo she’d take him to his friend’s house. She had to clean the house and go grocery shopping. All before her mum came home, or she’d start doing everything herself and then complain about it.

“Take me home,” she whispered, and the girls quieted down.

“Take me home, please.” Mary repeated.

The girl in blue threw her a heavy look from the rear view mirror.

“Are you not going to at least press charges?” she asked, popping her gum. “The police station isn’t far-“

“I don’t have the money or the time. And I was drunk, and I…” Mary let her head fall against the headrest, closing her eyes.

“No one would believe me. It’s a waste of time.”

At that, the girls lost all the will to fight. The girl in green took her hand, drawing small circles on her wrist with her thumb, while Jess rested her head on Mary’s shoulder.

For the rest of the ride, Mary let the air inside of the car, heavy with the smell of weed, perfume, pity and resignation, be filled with her quiet weeping.

~

“Three girls took me home. Now that I think about it, they were dressed like the PowerPuff Girls,” Mary snorted, although she felt more like crying rather than laugh, and Narcissa apparently didn’t find it funny either, her chocolate cold and forgotten now on the table in front of them.

“Mary…”

“Yeah?” she answered, her voice breaking. Narcissa opened her arms, and Mary barely hesitated before throwing herself at her. Narcissa hugged her tightly, as if she could squeeze all the pain away, crushing it until it imploded.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know.” Mary cried.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Narcissa repeated.

“I didn’t say anything back then. And now, I feel like I can’t say anything,” Mary sobbed, “I have tried writing songs, but every time I sit down with a pen in hand, I can only think about that drive home. When I realised.”

“Why don’t you write about it, then?” Narcissa asked, sweetly, running her fingers through Mary’s hair.

“It’s scary, Cissa. It’s something I don’t want to remember, much less make it known. I don’t care about the public opinion, but I don’t want to be known as that one girl who was assaulted, I want to be known as Mary MacDonald.”

“You don’t have to release a song,” replied Narcissa. “You could write a letter, or a poem. It can be personal, or you can choose to publish it. I think it could be helpful, regardless of what you choose to do with it. Cathartic.”

“Do many singers even release this kind of stuff? It’s…very personal.” Mary pondered, ignoring the fact she had cried all over Narcissa’s (now soaked) arms and shirt. Mary was still holding her chocolate, which she miraculously hadn’t spilled.

“Some do. Take Evans, for example. She writes mostly autobiographical stuff, and the people love it.” Narcissa shrugged. “That’s also why I think she will be good for your block. She can bring out the best in you.”

Mary smiled.

“Can I tell you a secret? It has nothing to do with all this,” she whispered, lifting her face to meet Narcissa’s gaze.

“If you want.”

Mary paused for suspence.

“I’ve never listened to Lily’s songs.”

“What?” Narcissa exclaimed, shocked. “How is that possible? She’s literally a pop icon! Has been for years!”

“I know but-“ Mary laughed, returning to her half of the sofa to watch Narcissa freak out from a safe distance.

“She has won multiple awards, set records, made multiple cameos in shows and ads-“

“Cissa.” Mary interrupted her, smiling. “I’ve heard some of her most famous songs, I just thought it was funny because everyone expects me to know everything about her, starting from her discography.”

She took a sip from her cup, hiding a smile, but Narcissa seemed thoughtful. Mary had a feeling she was still thinking about what she’d told her, and was debating bringing it up again.

“What did you say his name was?” she finally asked, breaking the silence.

“He said it was Mulciber, but I doubt he was stupid enough to tell his real name. Why?”

“There is a Mulciber who works in my family’s business,” she said, and Mary felt her blood speeding up in her veins.

“He’s Snape’s manager.”

~

“I am so fucked. So. Fucked.” Alice was pacing back and forth in her living room, or rather, had been pacing for a while now, with three pairs of eyes following her.

“I’m a hypocrite. What was I even thinking?” she cried, “Do you think I’m a hypocrite?”

Lily and Frank immediately responded with a choir of ‘noo’’s, while Marlene let out a dubious ‘meh…’ that made Alice pout.

“She didn’t even tell us what happened!” Lily protested, and Marlene just shrugged.

“Actually, can you tell us what happened? In detail, because I think we’ve already got the general gist,” intervened Frank.

“How long have you-you know what, I don’t care,” said Alice, and started walking again.

“Narcissa and I were in a relationship, it ended badly, and I haven’t spoken to her since. I thought she hated me, turns out she hates the fact that I don’t think about her all the time-“

“Which is a lie, because you do,” Marlene interrupted her, and Alice threw her a glare that made the blonde raise her hands in surrender.

“-anyways. Now she wants me to watch her performance and I am going fucking crazy because I have been ignoring her, and I don’t know what to expect.”

“Crazy detail, Fortescue.” Frank commented. Alice ignored him.

“Why don’t you listen to some of her songs, so you do know what to expect?” suggested Lily.

“I would have to endure listening to her voice for hours and I don’t think I can do that, the show is tomorrow.” Alice answered. “I swear, she makes me want to bang my head against the wall.”

“I think she only makes you want to bang-“

“Marlene, I’m begging you. Stop.”

She smirked from her stool.

“If the issue is time,” began Frank, “Lily and I have made a list of songs that might be about you.”

“And why in God’s name did you do that?” Alice asked, exasperated.

“We were bored and had a perfectly good whiteboard,” said Lily.

“Oi, we can use that as a bucket list when we watch the show!” Marlene exclaimed.

Alice wanted to rip her hair off. “Let’s organise a watch party while we’re at it,” she said ironically, covering her face with her hands.

“We’re all going to be watching the show, Alice,” replied Lily, “James and Sirius will also be performing. Marlene and I can go to Peter’s with Remus, if you want to be alone.”

“Yes, thank you. Sorry for banishing you from your own home.”

“It’s fine, Alice. We’ve been looking forward to going, actually.” Marlene said, comforting. She came closer to Alice and started patting her back. “When was this relationship with Narcissa, though? Before or after she left the Black Studios?”

“…It was when we were still at Hogwarts.”

“Ten years ago?” Frank spoke under his breath, and Marlene’s hand dropped from Alice’s back. Lily bit her bottom lip, possibly to refrain from saying something.

“Holy fucking shit, Alice. And you’re still like this?” commented Marlene.

“Of course I am. You would be like this, too, if you were in my place!” Alice protested.

Because what she had with Narcissa was incredible.

It was playful, youthful at first.

Thrilling and passionate in the middle.

A tragedy in the end.

But it was theirs, all throughout, and it was real. It was real for Alice, and maybe she was wrong, maybe it was real for Narcissa, too.

In twenty four hours, one of two scenarios would happen.

In the first, Narcissa’s songs were going to be about how badly Alice treated her, maybe they diminished their past to a silly teenage love and humiliated her publicly, other than break heart in even smaller pieces.

In the second, Narcissa apologised and confessed her undying love for her. Which, honestly, might be even worse.

The sound of Lily’s ringtone interrupted her thoughts.

“Oh!” her face lit up as soon as she saw the screen. “It’s Mary! I’ll be back in a sec!”

She didn’t even wait for an answer before skipping to another room, her hair bouncing with every step.

“Are we going to address that, or…” Marlene said, pointing towards the door Lily had just shut behind her.

“Let’s address that. I’m tired of being the one under the spotlight,” agreed Alice. “That’s a lot of excitement for a friend.”

“Well, you know Lily,” intervened Frank, “She loves her friends a lot. And, she’s a girls’ girl. I don’t see anything weird.”

“Why are you trying so hard to defend her (alleged) heterosexuality?” inquired Marlene, wary.

“That’s suspicious, Frank. People might get the wrong idea,” agreed Alice.

He rolled his eyes vigorously.

“She’s dated plenty of men. She said multiple times she likes men.”

“Bisexuality is a thing,” countered Marlene.

“I would know that, McKinnon.”

“I can’t possibly know that, you never tell us about your love life!”

Frank and Marlene began bickering, and Alice was laughing so hard she had to kneel down.

“I’m back!” smiled Lily, entering the room.

“That was quick,” said Alice, still wheezing.

“She had to help Narcissa with something. Anyways, she invited me to her place tomorrow. Narcissa is going to be away all day, so she wanted to start writing our song. I’ll stay with her to watch the show,” she explained.

“Oh, so it’s going to be just the two of you? Alone?” Alice asked innocently.

“Yes, imagine how sad it would’ve been if she was by herself all day!” Lily replied.

“So sad,” agreed Marlene, using the same tone as Alice. “I’ll tell Peter and Remus you’re not coming, then.”

“They won’t mind, will they?”

“I’ll tell them why you can’t come, they’ll understand,” Marlene smiled, and then threw a glance at Frank, who was unimpressed.

“Thank you, you’re the best. I have to pick an outfit, Friday is literally tomorrow!” Lily said, going to her room, but then stopped and turned back to them.

“Actually, this may sound weird, but…” she started. “Do you think Mary likes women?”

Alice covered her mouth with a hand, trying to muffle a laugh. She didn’t know what was going on between Marlene and Frank, but if she took a quick look she knew she wouldn’t be capable to stop herself from cackling.

“I think she does,” replied Marlene after a quick silence, since Frank clearly wasn’t going to answer.

“I heard she has a girlfriend. Valentina, I think.”

“Oh really?” said Lily, taken aback. “I mean, of course Mary isn’t single, have you seen her? She’s gorgeous, it would be a crime if she were. She’s really kind, too. I’m just surprised, it’s…well, she hasn’t mentioned a girlfriend, and we’ve been talking for a while.”

Lily Evans was rambling. Alice and Marlene were going to taunt the fuck out of Frank at the first available opportunity.

“Anyways. Marlene, how-who told you?”

“No one, I lied. I wanted to prove a point to Frank.” Marlene smirked, pointing to him.

Lily pressed her lips into a thin line, and Alice could feel a few gears getting into motion in that smart, oblivious head of hers. She left the room shortly after, and Alice and Marlene didn’t have to say anything: Frank raised his hands in surrender, giving up under the girls’ laughter.

[be-your-coffee-pot]

they hate each other and there's just one bed - part 1

A/N: So good god agentrry is finally here. Don't worry my loves this is just part 1. I had a a lot more written but word erased like 2k words I think ugh I'm sad. enjoy this anyways

Pairing: Agent!Harry Styles x Agent!Reader (female)

Word count: around 3.6k

TW: none much just swearing lots and lots of swearing, pretend wives and husbands mentions of killing trash acting jealous harry and one bed

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 Harry wants to kill her. Might just do it today.

“Stop glaring at each other, for god’s sake! This is supposed to be a pretty simple thing. Please don’t end up fucking killing each other before the mission is over.” Nick stated, raising a single eyebrow in a very matter of fact and totally Nick manner.

Nick Jamison was the captain of the Special Forces unit of SWAT, kept securely in the shadows (a bit like S.H.I.E.L.D. if you ask me, just much smaller), of which both Y/N Y/L/N and Harry Styles were part. They worked seamlessly together except for one bump on the road.

Y/N Y/L/N and Harry Styles hate each other.

Plain and simple right there.

The reason, you ask? A plethora of reasons. Y/N thinks Harry’s “way too motherfucking cocky” and that he should “get his stupid curly head out of his British ass.” She thinks all his niceness is just for show, and that he’s a total fake.

Harry Styles has the same things to say. According to him, “who the fuck does she think she is? Running around like she’s a goddamn saint.”

Nick’s hot take on the matter: “those two morons didn’t develop past their primary school phase where you push and pull the person you like because you don’t know how to deal with feelings. Plain and simple right there.”

I guess you know understand that even though they’ll work exceptionally together, they won’t willingly do it but they’re great together, so they have to you know.

This brings us here.

There was a slippery drug cartel that needed to be busted, but the unit had been struggling with getting the owner for months, and now finally, there was a way in.

“Dominic Vasquez is an eel. Snaky, slippery, and awfully hard to catch. We’ve been trying to find a suitable opening for a long time and finally have one.” Nick briefs Harry and Y/N, who is sulking in their seats.

“What opening? Please just spit this shit out, Nicky. I don’t really have the patience for your dramatics right now.” An annoyed Y/N remarks for the first time after entering the meeting room. As usual, both had been called in, not informed they would be doing a mission together, and the complaints and whining had begun. All they had done after acknowledging (scowling) each other was roll their eyes while glaring at each other through their director’s words.

A slight noise of agreement comes from the other agent in the room. Nick heaves a heavy sigh as he gestures vaguely at his prize pupils. “Look, you two, it’s paining me to breathe in all this sexual tension. Get a lid on it or go fuck it out. Please don’t drag me in it. Let me fucking finish.”

Their attention has been successfully piqued, all their pissiness vanishing as irritation and slight embarrassment settle on their features.

After an eye rollTM, the director gives all the information to the agents, who’re now listening as promptly as they’re ignoring each other. “His annual gala is next week, and that’s really the only opening. You are supposed to be new members, so you’ll be informed of that soon. You both will go in a day prior, get settled in. The whole thing is held at his mansion in Milan. You must find his office, grab evidence, and get out while being under the pretence of visitors. Simple.”

Harry is the one who speaks up this time, a sceptical eyebrow raises to accompany his words. “Why do I have a feeling there’s more to this?”

Nick sighs again like it’s hurting him to just breathe. “You’re going in as a married couple, Mr Andrew Jackson and Mrs Amelia Jackson.”

Y/N and Harry erupt in groans and protests of “why does this always happen” and “why do you always do this” in reference to the fact that they’d been in a few assignments previously where the both of them had to play a couple.

(Nick won’t say this out loud ever, but he thinks they’d make a damn great couple, so he keeps trying to push them together invisibly. Besides, they have great chemistry, so it really makes everything more believable.)

“Stop whining and get to it, Jesus Christ.”

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“Can you shift your fucking elbow?” Harry grunts in anger at his companion. Without looking up from the magazine in her hands, Y/N raises a single eyebrow at him, making absolutely no move to adjust her position.

Scoffing at the reply he received, or the lack thereof, the man shoves her elbow off the hand rest prompting an eye rollTM and an irritated groan from the agent beside him.

Surprisingly, Y/N doesn’t push him back because she’s too tired to deal with his shit at 6 in the fucking morning. Besides, it’s bloody December, so she just agitatedly pulls in her arms and continues to skim through the pages.

The next 2 hours or so are filled with glaring, under-the-breath grumbling and all sorts of gestures to annoy the other, but they thankfully make it out of the plane and to the hotel in one piece.

Harry shamelessly winks at the receptionist who’d just asked what name the room was under as Y/N rolls her eyesTM. “Jackson. Andrew Jackson sweetheart.” The girl blushes and giggles, quickly retrieving the key card.

“Jesus at least pretend like you have a wife,” Y/N mutters to her man-whore of a partner once they get inside the elevator. Harry’s lips tilt up in response, that infamous smug smirk coming out to play as he taunts her. “Why wifey, not getting enough attention, hmm? Jealousy isn’t that good of a look on you, sweetheart.”

“Please you’re too self-involved. I’m worried you won’t be able to keep it in your pants long enough to not fuck up my mission.” She scowls. Harry has the decency (or gall, whatever you will) to look offended at the comment. “Our mission and oh please miss goody to-shoes you know as well as I do that, I’m clearly the more responsible one out of the both of us. I’m not stupid enough to jeopardise our mission just because I wanted to get my dick wet.”

Y/N retorts just as the elevator doors open. “Aren’t you though, dear?” With his mouth gaping and the doors closing, he realises she just snatched the key card out of his hand.

The brunette hastily moves to catch up with her while she opens the door. Nick had actually booked them a suite and “it has two big beds, I swear!” However, the suite in question was slightly different from what was promised.

One single, king-sized bed stares back at them from the centre of the luxuriously decorated room.

Y/N breaks the silence. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

A deep groan emits from Harry as he rubs his eyes annoyedly.

“Screw you I’m taking the bed.” Before she could even think of saying something, Harry deposits himself on the bed, all gangly limbs as he sighs in satisfaction. She clenches her teeth and marches over to the bed, glaring at him with her arms crossed. He turns and grins up at her infuriatingly, “Can I help you with something, wifey?”

She shifts gears and gives him a saccharine smile. “Yes actually. How about you cuddle me to sleep, dear?” Harry’s brow furrows in mild disgust and he doesn’t even get a word out before Y/N is beside him with her arms wrapped around his lean body, fully flopping on top of him. He flails around like her touch burned him and knocks her over to the other side of the bed where she snickers at him. With a swift kick, Harry’s on the floor and Y/N has spread out starfish on the sheets.

He climbs back up to try to take control of the bed again, but Y/N just won’t let that happen. They wrestle each other and she’s just about to punch Harry when the doorbell rings. Her hand freezes a few inches away from his scowling face, both of them scrambling to fix their rumpled clothing. She stumbles off where she’d planted herself on his abdomen and opens the door while Harry shifts around to make it seem like he was just relaxing on the mattress.

The bellboy is standing in the hallway, holding their bags as he smiles at her maybe a little too amicably. “Hey yeah you can put them in here.” Y/N leads him inside the room. He puts down the suitcases and glances up to find an intimidatingly handsome man lounging on the bed, watching him with narrowed jade eyes.

Without taking his gaze off the boy, Harry calls to Y/N who was turning on the electric kettle at the side of the room. “Baby, can you come here for a second, please?”

“Yes, honey?” Y/N replies as she comes to stand at his side. She should get a fucking Oscar for how great she played along right there. Her ‘husband’s hand comes up to rest on her thigh as he lazily smiles at her. “Tip the boy darling, then can we please take a nap, hmm?”

With her back turned to the steward, she raises her eyebrows at his antics, quickly moving to retrieve her temporary husband’s wallet. “Sure honey.”

Harry’s scowling at the bellboy as he leaves.

“If you need anything mam, I’ve been Aaron. Don’t hesitate to call, I’ll be right here.” Y/N quickly shoos him away rolling her eyesTM at his attempt of shooting his shot. Harry is still scowling. “I’ve been Aaron. Don’t hesitate to call, mam.” He mocks in a high-pitched accented voice.

“Look who’s jealous now, dear. You seriously felt threatened by a bellboy, Styles? That’s how weak your ego is?” The agent scorns the notion, switching the subject smoothly.

“Fuck that. Grab a chair, we’re running over the plan.”

         .                                                                                    

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                                                                             .

Y/N is just about ready to stab him with the fork in her hand.

“If you don’t stop smirking and start acting like a goddamn husband, I swear to god I will rip out your carotid,” Harry smirks, of course, he does.

“Gonna use your teeth, sweetheart? Never would have taken you to be that kinky.”

He should be thankful the waiter arrives right that moment or he would have ended up one major artery down.

The waiter looks at Y/N, completely disregarding the man with her as he asks for her order. “Good afternoon mam. What will you be having today?” He very sweetly asks to which she gives him a tight but polite smile. She can just barely hear Harry mumble under his breath, “Definitely none of your bullshit.”

“I think I’ll just go with the mushroom risotto. Thank you.” Harry clears his throat, finally gaining the waiter’s attention. The guy has the nerve to look irritated at Harry’s intervention, which piques the agent further.

“If you’d be willing to pay attention to me, I would like a cheese ravioli, thank you.” Upon receiving death eyes from the man, the waiter quickly nods and runs but not before flashing a smile at Y/N.

An eyebrow is already raised when she fully turns in her partner’s direction. “Seriously, Styles? Again?” He rolls his eyesTM, scoffing at her insinuation and yet again opting to ignore her remark.

“Shut up. Give me your hand.” She grouses at the sheer duality of the statement, lips curling in annoyance.

“What? Why would I ever do that?”

“Shutting up or giving me your hand?” Harry mutters with a boyish grin. The dimples alone make it seem like he was just flirting playfully. “Come on, wifey. Pay your husband some attention.”

It clicks to Y/N suddenly that they’re supposed to play pretend and she’d somewhat lost track of the notion. She huffs quietly and slips a hand into his ringed one, watching as he brings it up to his lips.

A strange shock goes through her as Harry’s jade eyes meet hers and his lips softly brush over her knuckles like he was glad to be allowed this close. He laces their fingers together, giving her a moony smile, she would’ve swooned over him if he wasn’t a douche. She returns it with just as much sentiment.

“I have never wanted to end your existence more.” “Trust me I feel the same.”

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Fortunately, the waiter made it out alive.

Harry is not a violent person generally but after today Harry swears, he has never longed to put a bullet in someone’s head more.

During the one hour or so, Y/N and Harry spent at the restaurant, that damn waiter kept making passes at Y/N while ignoring Harry’s presence at the table. So much so that he made her uncomfortable. Now Harry may hate her guts but that does not mean he’ll sit and watch a moron try to objectify his companion. Moreso make her uncomfortable as she sat with her husband?

So, when he interrupted their sweet moment to present their meals and make a comment about how the madam looked much more ravishing than the food, it’s safe to say Harry may have lost it a teensy bit.

I’m not saying Harry got up under the stance of gonna run to the loo real quick and whispered in the waiter’s ear to dare and make one more remark on my wife, or that he’ll gut you like the fish on that table. I’m not saying that he sat and glared at the terrified man with satisfaction or smirked when Y/N told him to keep it in check. I’m also not saying he replied I’m your husband baby it’s my job.

But then again, I’m also not saying he didn’t.

“Jesus Harry, that poor guy was petrified. Did you really have to?” Y/N gets out in a fit of laughter as they get in the hotel elevator. Harry titters along with her, shaking his head and announcing in an overly posh British accent. “I’m your husband baby, it’s my job!”

She collapses into giggles again but for some reason this time, Harry stands and stares with something akin to fondness at her glee. She wipes under her eyes, raising a questioning brow at his gaze. “What? ‘ve I got something on my face?”

“No, nothing.”

         .                                                                                    

                                                                     .

                 .                                                                            .

.                                                  .

                                                                                 .

“Fuck you, Styles.”

“You wish, Y/L/N.”

She huffs and stomps and smushes his face into the pillow in her hands in a failed attempt at asphyxiation. He chortles.

“Let me take the bed, Styles, don’t be a dick come on.” Y/N tries one more time, but the man just turns, sighs, and goes spread eagle on the mattress.

After lunch, they discussed their plan some more and went around Dominic Vasquez’s mansion to scout out the area. Nick had given them a blueprint of the property so that they could mark down possible exit routes and things like that. That is what they’d spent the rest of the day doing but now it’s 11 and they really need to sleep.

Upon receiving zero replies from the man spread on the bed, Y/N sighs heavily. She was stubborn as fuck sure but then again, she wasn’t gonna keep fighting and risk having him blow up uselessly.

Turning off the lights, she tiredly crawls onto the stiff couch. Harry’s already snoring, and she can’t even get comfortable.

She tosses and turns as the clock tick’s midnight, but sleep is a fever dream. She chucks her pillow onto the carpet, quickly following after it. The floor might be a better option than the couch.

         .

                                  .                                 .       

                                                   .                                                   .

   .

It’s been 1876 seconds and Harry snores 4 times every minute and it’s been 30. The floor is hurting her back.

Y/N gives up on sleep altogether, getting up and turning on the one lamp placed on the oak table in the room. A warm buttery light surrounds that corner of the room. She looks over her shoulder to see if it disturbed Harry but he was still snoring.

He looked almost adorable like this. Messy curls strewn over his forehead, chest rising with soft subdued breaths. His features were relaxed, free of that furrow he gets in his brows when he’s ticked off.

Her lips quirk up the tiniest bit but she doesn’t indulge in it any further. Y/N gently pulls out the chair with a sigh, plopping down on it and flipping open the case files. Might as well work.

“Y/L/N. Y/L/N wake up! Wake up, Jesus.” Y/N can just make out a deep, accented voice mumbling and a hand shaking her shoulder gently. “Y/L/N come on you idiot.”

She rises slowly, groaning out a sigh. She tips her head back to find Harry standing above her, sleep smeared over his face.

“Why the fuck are you sleeping on the table?” She learns that Harry’s voice becomes much deeper and raspier when he wakes up and she doesn’t know what to do with that knowledge.

“I-I was sleeping on the couch first but then I tried the floor cause the couch was very stiff but then like the ground was stiffer so I tried to do some work and I think I might’ve fallen asleep? What time is it?”

“Oh yeah, no shit Sherlock. It’s around 1:17 something. You can-you can uh come sleep on the bed. It’s large enough for like 3 people and we both need sleep so you can take one side, I guess.”

Y/N raises her eyebrow. “You’re sure? You know what, I’m not even gonna question it. Get outta the way, motherfucker.”

Harry mutters something along the lines of why did I let her sleep in my bed but does nothing as she wriggles under the unmade side of the bed. Y/N’s eyes are already drooping as he gets under the covers on his side.

“Stay on your fucking side, Y/L/N. I mean it please.”

She hums out an unintelligible response.

Harry doesn’t remember when he fell back to sleep but the last thing, he did remember that night was his partner’s arm extending away from her face where it had been previously and landing next to his, their pinkies now wrapped together.

         .                                                  .                        

                          .                                                                                                                       .                                          

.                                                                                        .

                                                       .

He feels warm. It’s not the fuck I’m burning it’s too much kind of warmth but rather the toasty welcomed kind. The one where you’re curled up under a blanket watching a movie with your cat at your feet, a fire cackling gently by the side, sweet candles burning, and an even sweeter girl in your arms.

Harry’s emerald eyes blink open heavily. There’s a weight in his arms and it’s 4 am. The weight shifts. It also sighs and cuddles closer to Harry. He finds the weight is actually a person. The person is Y/N and it’s pleasant.

Harry falls back to sleep.

.                                                                    .

                 .                                                                            .                 .                                                     .                                

                                  .                                                  .

.

She feels warm. It’s not the ah it’s burning kind of warmth but rather the welcomed toasty kind. The one where you’re snuggled up under the covers watching a movie with your cat at your feet and there’s a fire cackling gently by the side, sweet candles burning and an even sweeter boy, holding you in his arms.

Y/N’s eyes blink open heavily. There’s a weight on top of her and it’s 8 am. The weight shifts. It also sighs and snuggles tighter around Y/N. She finds the weight is actually a person. The person is Harry and it’s very unpleasant.

Y/N squawks and throws him down.

“What in the Jesus Christ-” Harry gapes from the floor, having been woken up suddenly. He looks up and there she is holding her pillow like a weapon. Is she serious?

“Why the fuck were you cuddling me?”

“Why the fuck would I cuddle you?”

“I do not fucking know! You were the one on top of me!”

“You were the one on my side!”

“Well, someone crossed over!”

“You did!”

“Oh no, you were the one who started it!”

“Shut your bitch ass up, you started it, Styles!”

“Oh, please Y/L/N, you are the last person I would want to snuggle with. I may be a touchy person but I’m not that desperate-”

“Oh, you’re a man-whore so you better jus-”

Someone’s phone rings.

It’s Nick.

There’s silence.

Then there’s scrambling.

Y/N snatches up the phone and answers it.

“Hey yeah hi. Good morning, Nick, how’re you doing this fine morning?” She awkwardly asks her director and Harry just crouches on the floor, his head in his hands.

“Y/N what did you do? It’s not even 9 yet. Why are you answering Styles’ phone? Did you two finally fuck it out or like-”

“Nick! Please. What do you want?”

Harry leans against the bed like he’s in pain (might as well be) because he can very well listen to the conversation going on, on the phone.

Nick heaves a sigh on the other side. “I just wanted to ask you two how it’s going and inform you from where you’d be collecting your clothes for tonight.”

They straighten up and look at each other. Down to business.

“There’s this cute boutique downtown, owned by a sweet lady called Juliana. Now, she is doing me a big favour by entertaining your asses-”

“Oh, now come on that’s not fai-”

“Shut up Y/L/N and let me finish. Have no manners I swear to god.”

Before Y/N can open her mouth to complain some more (she always whines like this but Nick never says anything, not to her) Harry snatches his cell back and clears his throat.

“Now movin on. You’ll go to her no late than noon and take your pick from whatever options she has. Don’t bother her too much.”

“You sweet for her, Nicky?” Harry snickers, sneaking a look at Y/N who’s doing the same.

“Sure like you are for that wife of yours, huh Styles?”

Nick ends Harry and the call.

[fayes-fics]

Moments: Family Dinner

Moments masterpost

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: Baby Thomas says his first word.

Moments Moodboard by: @margowritesthings

Warnings: none… domestic fluff.

Word Count: 0.8k

Author’s Note: Unbetaed. Just a little domestic scene for Moments that wouldn’t leave my brain until I wrote it down. More Benedict being a total girl dad for @iboopedyournose. I hope you all enjoy this lil NYD fluffy drabble, to counterbalance the filth I posted yesterday lol <3

“Bleurghhh, what is that?” Amelia shudders, looking over at Thomas’ food as he sits perched in his little wooden high chair, feeding more of his face than his mouth but proudly brandishing his spoon unaided just before his first birthday.

“It’s stewed apples,” you respond, “perfectly tasty; you love apples, Amelia.”

“Not apple soup,” she responds, pulling a nauseated face.

“Eat your chicken, please,” Benedict soothes.

“I don’t like it anymore,” she opines dramatically, crossing her little arms and frowning so hard her whole face scrunches up.

“Yes, you do,” he laughs, “you were just eating it.”

“Well, I changed my mind,” she sniffs and pushes away her plate. “May I get down and play?”

“No love, you have to wait until we are all finished,” you reply calmly.

“Whyyyy,” she whines petulantly, pouting in rather an epic way. If James is your artist and Isobel is your lawyer, Amelia is most certainly your actress, prone to dramatic outbursts.

“Appdebaba!!!!” Thomas chatters happily, waving his spoon at Amelia, flicking tiny flecks of apple in the general vicinity.

Amelia’s little pout cracks, and she can’t help the giggle that erupts at Thomas’ antics.

“See, my heart, even your baby brother knows polite table manners,” Benedict points out.

“Daddy, I don’t want more dinner. Can I sit on your lap, please?” She wheedles, already sidling over and clambering into his lap. He will never say no to his babies, and she knows it.

“Just this once,” he sighs, knowing he is lying to himself.

“Why can’t I sit in your lap, daddy?” Isobel pipes up. “I’ve been a good girl and finished all of my dinner,” she adds, pointedly holding up her plate to prove her case.

“Fine,” he capitulates, knowing he will have no peace this dinnertime. Amelia perches on his left leg as Isobel climbs up onto his right. You huff, bemused, as you watch your husband holding both his daughters, unable to finish his meal but looking happier than ever.

“James, what are you reading?” you address your eleven-year-old son, who is now engrossed in a book; he is ignoring everyone.

“The Swiss Family Robinson,” he responds. “It’s an amazing adventure story.”

“That’s wonderful, but it is rather impolite to read at the dinner table, my dear,” you denote diplomatically.

“I have finished my dinner, but, as you said, we have to wait for everyone else to be done; I thought it more polite to read quietly than complain like Amelia,” he replies airily, frowning at his younger sister.

She sticks her tongue out at him, and you watch James pull the exact meh-meh-meh mocking face you have seen Benedict aim at Anthony on many occasions. The resemblance is sometimes frightening.

“Estiplifffff,” Thomas adds, spit-bubbling apple all over his face but grinning triumphantly.

You sigh. “I recall a time when I could have dinner peacefully without sudden chicken hating, apple splattered everywhere, and book reading,” you say pointedly, but to no one in particular.

“Yes, but mummy, wasn’t that time so very boring?” Your tiny lawyer argues from her father’s lap.

Benedict chuckles.

“Isobel has a point, my love,” he replies mildly.

You look around the dinner table at the five beautiful faces that are your whole world. She’s right. As she usually is.

“Mama-mama,” Thomas babbles, looking directly at you.

“Did he just…?” you gasp, clutching your hand over your heart.

“I think he did,” Benedict agrees, a huge smile breaking out on his face.

“Oh, my darling Thomas!” You exclaim and grab him from his high chair, cuddling him tight, uncaring of all the apple mess being mashed into your dress. “Yes! I am your mama!”

“Mama mama mmm,” he chatters again, with a four-toothed grin, wiping his apple-y hands on your cheeks for good measure.

In an ebullient mood, you twirl around with Thomas in your arms until you are behind your husband, both daughters still in his lap.

“You are right, Isobel,” you smile at your eldest daughter over Benedict’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t change this for the world.”

Apropos of nothing, except perhaps feeling left out, James leaves his seat and comes to hug you as you stand behind Benedict. He’s so tall now that he is up to your shoulder, but you happily wrap your spare arm around him as he curls into you, and you kiss his hair.

And there you stand for a few moments of bliss amongst the chaos, James and Thomas in your arms, Isobel and Amelia in Benedict’s.

Benedict tilts back over his chair with a grin, and you can’t help but lean over and land a kiss upside down on his lips.

The beautiful moment is broken by the chorus of disapproving noises from your three oldest children at their parents' display of affection, and you giggle against each other’s lips.

“Umm a nooooo,” Thomas even opines, which has you and Benedict breaking out into belly laughs, foreheads touching.

Some family dinner moments are so very precious.

Benedict taglist: @makaylan @iboopedyournose @wysteria-clad @colettebronte @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @margofiore @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @bridgertontess @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld

Moments only taglist: @queenofshinigamis @khaleesjj @starslibrary @magical-spit @honeylovemoon @justwant2read8421

[tamales78]

Series: Teacher!Slenderman X OC!Reader

Chapter 4

Smut 18+

Warning: Teacher X Student relationship, College Teacher &Student, Mention & use of drugs, smut 18+, reader is 21, alcohol use,

Summary: Amelia is used to being a straight-A student since middle school. Her English teacher Professor Slender grades her an F after finding out she used AI. How will she be able to keep her good grades? And have the English teacher do her favors?

"Slende-"

"Professor." He angrily cuts Amelia out, as she closes the door behind her.

"You think I'm stupid, eh? I was taking it easy on you and this is what you fucking do?!"

"I-I'm so, so, sorry. I-I was tired, I came from a party, and I...I just thought it would be no problem! It was just three paragraphs."

"You know my rules, Amelia. A hint of AI and I give a zero. This dropped down your grade." He growled at hers.

"P-Please, Slender. Give me a chance to retake it! I'll do it properly this time."

"There is no next time, Amelia! No retakes! You're meant to set a good example, Amelia! I actually was surprised you were the only one to cheat." He glared at her taking the papers from his suitcase.

"Please, Slender!" Amelia begged Slender as she moved closer to him.

However, he simply opened his computer and ignored him.

"You're a dick!" She yells out turning away, however, a slender hand wraps itself around her neck pulling Amelia back to her teacher.

"I'm a dick? I practically gifted you this A, only for you to throw it out of the window."

Amelia gulped as he pulled her closer.

"You could've stayed home and done my fucking assessment, yet you instead decided to go out to a party. Not my fault you're a lazy..." Slender looks away from her stopping himself from saying what was in his mind.

"A lazy, what? Proffesor." Amelia asks earning Slender's attention.

He looks at the student in front of him and slowly leans her closer till her breasts were pressing to his chest. Now she was playing a game, he knew she was simply doing it to get the upper hand.

"Stop playing this fucking game, Amelia." He whispered into her ear.

"What game, professor?"

Slender shakes his head turning away, but stops in his tracks when Amelia slowly leans forward till they are centimeters apart.

"Don't," Slender growled slowly adding more pressure to her.

"Don't what, professor?" She smirks before Slender presses his lips to hers, causing her to drop the coffee to the floor.

Moans fill the kiss as Slender lets go of her neck, and instead pins her to his desk. Both of them, completely ignoring the brown liquid and plastic cup on the floor.

Her hands traveled to his neck pulling him closer, as his hands drifted from her neck to the plaid skirt she had on. The spot between her legs slowly dripped wet, wetting her black panties as his hands traveled between her legs.

"Fuck," Amelia moaned when Slender's fingers finally touched the wet spot.

"Tell me to stop, and I'll listen."

Amelia shakes her head opening her legs enough for Slender to move her wet panties aside, so he could eat her out. As his tongue lapped her wetness, Amelia's hands traveled to her blouse unbuttoning the fabric and displaying her matching lacey black bra.

"Shit, Professor!" Amelia whined feeling Slender suck on her clit.

Slowly the knot grew as Slender kept on playing with Amelia, and the fabric of her panties. As she feels the knot about to burst Slender pulls away drawing an annoyed whine from his student.

"Only good students get to cum." He grinned licking her juices from his lips.

"Please, Professor!"

"Please, what?" He taunts her, slowly undoing his belt and unzipping his pants.

"Please, let me cum, Professor." She whines to her professor.

Slender nods coating his cock with her juices, and looks up at the clock over his whiteboard.

"30 minutes till the bell rings. Think you can finish before that?"

"I don't know. How good are you?" She smirks earning a harsh thrust from her English teacher.

"Shit!"

"I'm pretty good compared to other boys you may have fucked." He chuckles thrusting into her roughly to the wooden desk.

With his arm, he shoves all the papers to the desk and pins her to the desk, as his pace quickened and deepened. A groan leaves him as her gummy walls slowly began tightening around his dick as it hammered her core.

As the pleasure grew, Amelia held onto the desk afraid to be moved forward due to the massive force Slender was using. Her teeth plunged to her lip, drawing her professor as blood dripped.

"Faster, Slendie!" She moaned looking up at the clock.

"Shit!" He groaned looking up at the clock and finding they had less than 12 minutes to finish and clean up.

"I'm going to go rougher, okay?" He groaned pulling Amelia to sit up at the desk.

"Can you bounce?" He asked holding onto her thighs.

She nods holding onto his neck, as the pace quickened and the pleasure grew.

"F-Fuck! Slendie!" Amelia moaned out loud making Slender slam his lips so she would be silenced.

"Shut up, woman." He groaned as she finally snapped and came hard wetting his cock.

"Fuck!" Slender cursed holding onto his student and finishing inside of her.

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

"Fuck," Amelia mentally whined feeling her naked core dripping with the cum of the man in front of the class, as he explained the story they would be analyzing.

"Any questions?" Slender asked only for everyone to shake their heads as they failed to notice the bulge in his left pocket holding Amelia's panties.

"Meanwhile, please take notes on the slides I posted," Slender announced eyeing Amelia as she eyed him from her seat.

Boy, would she have something fun and interested to talk to jane other than what happened at the party. She completely ignored the notes in front of her, continuing to look at her teacher. Slender began passing around giving everyone a note telling them their grade.

He hands Amelia the paper, lightly grazing her hand as she got handed the paper with a small note.

'A+

I'll keep the panties as extra credit'

And at the bottom of the note his phone number with a address which only assumed was his.

A small smile plastered across her face, as Slender grinned back at her and sat down to grade. However, he was unable to focus on the assessments, as the woman in front of him kept eyeing him.

He thanked whoever was looking at him when the bell rang, and everyone began leaving his class.

"Bye, Professor," Amelia smiled softly passing by her teacher's desk-the same desk where he buried deep inside her 5 minutes before he called a janitor to clean up the spilled latte.

"Bye, Amelia."

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

"Wait, so...Nina told Jeff and he told her..?"

"Mhm," Amelia nodded happily as she ate her sandwich.

"Girl, why are you happy? Nina right now hates our guts!"

"It's not the cause of that!" Amelia laughed looking around them before handing Jane the note Slender gave her.

Jane gasped astounded at the many contents of the note, and looked up at a grinning Amelia.

"Girl! Oh, Lord! Amelia, you didn't!"

Amelia nods leaning and giving her friend further details of her time with the English professor.

"Oh god! No, he didn't!" Jane whispers and shouts astounded Slender didn't use a condom or anything.

"Do you have birth control?!" She asks panicked fearing for a pregnancy.

"Of course I do! You really think I would let him do that, and risk getting knocked up?"

[taco-night-frenzy]

Trials of Love?! Aphrodias' Ancient Treasure!

Naga and I, Lina Inverse, explore an ancient ruin for a legendary treasure said to come from an ancient goddess!

But, hey! This place is more boobytrapped than Naga's skimpy outfit! And that's not even the worst of it! To obtain our treasure, we have to pass three 'Love Trials?!'

As if! Who in the world could ever love Naga?! Hopefully I find a way around this...

Can we unlock the secrets within with the power of our love? Absolutely not!

Fandom: Slayers Characters/Pairing: Lina Inverse/Naga the Serpent Rating: G Word Count: 8,869 Mirror: AO3 Notes: 

--

Naga and I were in the middle of exploring an ancient elven ruin some distance from a little town of Dite. Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘ Lina! Aren’t you always exploring ruins? Don’t you have something better to do, like save the world for the billionth time?’

First of all! Rude! Second of all, how do you think I get all those cool magic-supporting accessories? And third of all, there’s been a massive shortage of bandits lately. Seems the population is getting hunted by someone? Can’t be me, it’s not like I pillage—er—defeat that many bad guys! Probably Amelia or something.

And a girl’s gotta eat! It’s not easy paying for all the food I eat and Naga’s share as well. Ugh. Why do I pay for her meals?

“Ohhhohoho~!”

Naga’s cliché princess laugh echoed through the temples’ musty stone halls. Head tilted back, hand fanning her mouth, she discreetly yanked a furious piranha off her butt and squeezed filthy ruin water out of her soaked hair.

She had just tripped over another deadly trap and managed to survive. Barely.

Yet that laugh of hers never faltered. Her manic smile endured despite the bruises, despite the filth, despite the constant humiliating failure.

I sighed.

If I didn’t pay for her meals, she probably just wouldn’t eat. She was like a pathetic little puppy.

“What are you so happy about?” I asked, trying to stop that shrill laughter of hers.

“Hm?” Naga’s sharp eyes set on me in an instant, trapping me in her gaze. “Do you even need to ask, Lina Inverse?”

Ugh! That stupid look on her face! This is why I ignore her half the time! Give her one drop of attention and she’s begging for more. “No, I really don’t.” I shrugged and continued through the ruins, the red of my Lighting spell leaving Naga in the dark.

“Huh?!” Naga whined, eyes probably dribbling with puppy dog tears behind me. Ha! “Well, allow me to tell you anyway!”

“Here we go…”

“I, Naga the Serpent, your greatest and eternal rival, have once again overcome an insurmountable obstacle with beauty and grace! Ohohoho~!”

“Yeah, real graceful the way you pulled that fish off your butt.”

“I would thank you if you weren’t telling me something I didn’t already know!” Naga laughed, trailing behind my cape. “You see, I can’t expect you to understand.”

“That’s rich. Understand what?” I growled back. Truth be told, I should have kept ignoring her, but talking to her like this made exploring old caves and ruins a lot easier on me. Spelunking on your own doesn’t seem so bad until the darkness starts to settle. A few hours in and you’ll be begging for even Naga to be your talking partner, just to make sure at least someone knows you exist.

“I can’t expect you to understand overcoming anything with beauty and grace!” Naga repeated, her grating voice only going an octave louder. “You see, when you avoid all those traps and other mishaps, you lose an opportunity to grow! I take each and every failure in stride, making me nearly invincible!” She sneered in the dim light. “Just take a look at how much I’ve grown more than you! Huhuhu~…”

Like I’d want a tall lanky body with some big bimbo boobs anyway!

“Is that so?” I asked, hiding my grin as I stepped over a pressure plate.

“Yes! You can’t handle one little stab wound without crying and moaning while I, the great Naga, can handle mostly any—AAAAAAaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Just as I expected, Naga stepped on the pressure plate and exploded in a blaze of great magical fire. Her screams of pain were a little damaging to my psyche, but I knew she’d just wipe off the soot and laugh it off. For a mage with the brain of a peanut, she was quite durable. Maybe a cockroach would best describe her.

“Ohohoho~!” Naga laughed as the blackened soot fell off her like she’d been hit with a gust of cleansing wind. “See?”

I’ll admit, it was a little impressive in its own way. A little. Again, it’s mostly impressive in the sense that a dumb bug could survive catastrophic events just by being hardy.

“You complained the entire time we traveled through the jungle. You complained you didn’t eat enough dinner last night. You’ve been complaining literally about the traps in this temple!”

Like a blast from a Fireball, she waved off my retort without missing a beat. “The jungle is very unsanitary! You only let me have two steaks for dinner last night! And to be frank, this temple is unnecessarily boobytrapped.” She placed a finger on her chin, a rare moment of thought entering that thick skull of hers. “Is the treasure really worth all the trouble?”

“Of course it is!” I shot back. “It’s an Elven ruin! This is the lost temple of Aphrodias! It’s legendary among merchants and mages alike! There’s said to be a great relic made by Aphrodias herself!”

Naga’s eyes lit up like diamonds at that description. I don’t think she processed a word I said other than ‘legendary’ and ‘relic.’

“So, it will sell for quite a lot?”

“Are you listening?! Yes, whatever it is, it’ll sell insanely well!” I grinned. “That is, if I don’t want to keep it for myself.” Remember! I come from a family of merchants! I know treasure.

Naga nearly drooled on my hair! But at that last sentence, she slurped it back up (gross) and asked, “Hm? Keep it for yourself? When we’ve worked so hard to get it together you won’t even think about sharing?”

“Oh, when it’s dinner it’s me me me, but when treasure is involved, suddenly you learn how to use a few more pronouns don’t ya?!”

“Ha!” Naga reflected my retort easily. “Dinner and treasure are two very different things, Lina Inverse! I would expect my rival to have a little more intelligence than that, but it seems I— WAAAAAGPFfft!” A pillar came down from the ceiling and smushed her like a pancake. She sprang up and continued like she wasn’t a walking slinky. “It seems I overestimated you, ohohoho~!”

I didn’t need to dignify that with a response. I stepped forward into the buzzing darkness, trying to keep my mind off Naga. Sadly, that energy should have been better spent paying attention as I felt a pressure plate slide into the floor beneath me. Stone rumbled against stone and in an instant, there was no longer ground beneath my feet.

It looked like I was the one who sprung the trap this time!

As I fell, I chanted a quick spell of Levitation only to find it didn’t work! What?! I could cast spells like this in my sleep! Something sparkled beneath me in the darkness, and I knew for a fact it was a pit of cliché impaling spears! Oh, this wasn’t going to be a painless death at all…!

Clasp!

Naga’s hand grabbed mine, dangling me above the pit like a sack of laundry. What I looked up to was even worse than what was below me.

She was smiling. Smug. So smug. So. Smug. I was starting to consider falling to my death a better alternative than this.

“Caught you~! Ohohoho!” Naga laughed. But I noted, while she did save me, she certainly wasn’t in a rush to pull me up. She was savoring this.

Ugh! Just why didn’t my spells work?! I glared at the walls that lined this pit and noted a faint glow emanating from them.

Damn! Of course! Anti-magic runes!

They boobytrapped their boobytrap! No fair! Anyone that fell here wouldn’t be able to cast a spell to save their life! Literally!

“Don’t you have something to say to me, Lina Inverse?” Naga sneered, openly chuckling to herself.

“Yeah. Why aren’t you pulling me up already?! ”

“No words of gratitude, hm? I seem to recall a number of times you sacrificed me! Maybe I should do the same…” I felt her grip around my hand loosen.

“Agh, c’mon, all those times I knew you wouldn’t actually die! Just pull me up, will you?”

“See, now this is what I’m talking about!” Naga went on. “Always moaning about stab wounds and getting impaled! Never taking it with any grace.”

“How about you come down here and see if you can handle getting impaled then?!”

“Maybe I will!”

“Fine! Go for it! I’d be glad to see you skewered like a kebab!”

“Hmph! The feeling is mutual!”

“Will you quit it with this bit and pull me up already?!”

“Gratitude! Gra-ti-tude! Show it to me!” Naga whined, kicking and stomping like a brat.

I was about to maybe thank her for potentially saving my life possibly, until I heard stone grinding against stone. Naga must have triggered another trap in her tantrum.

Two things happened. A gust of wind blew down the hallway. Then Naga’s bumbling body fell with me.

“You idiooooooot!” I screamed as we both fell to our death.

“AAaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Naga screamed back, directly into my ear by the way, before spreading her lanky arms and legs out. Dust billowed as she scraped against the rocks, crying all the way about her palms.

Just as we were about to become kebabs, Naga came to a stop, the tip of a rusty spear so close to piercing her stupid shiny butt. She let out a sigh of relief while I clung to her like a koala.

“I told you; you should have just pulled me up!!!” I screamed, adrenaline still pumping through my veins.

“I clearly should have dropped you!” she screamed back. “In fact, you’re much too heavy! Would you mind letting go?”

“You realize that’d kill me, right?” I wasn’t a weird lanky freak like her! I couldn’t spread my legs (like the master leg spreader here!) and grab onto the walls!

“I’m well aware!”

“If I die here, I’m taking you with me!”

“Maybe I’ll drop down and kill us both then!”

“Fine! See if I care!”

“We’ll be dying by my hand you know!”

“Oh, you just have to try and one up me at everything don’t you?!”

“Ohohoho! I feel my hands slipping again~!”

She was actually going to let us die!

We couldn’t cast any spells. I couldn’t do anything in my position wrapped around her squishy bits like this. I couldn’t take it. I was desperate to live. If I was going to die, at least make it dignified!! A guttural noise gurgled from my throat until it became louder and louder. I didn’t know what it meant. Some kind of animalistic beast took over me. With a horrible screech that I could never emulate again if I tried, I threw my head back and bit Naga’s ear.

“Ohoho-YAAAAAAAAOOOOW!!!” Naga howled, eyes crying out waterfalls as she scampered up the walls like a monkey on a mission.

In the next moment we sputtered out of the trap gasping for air, chests heaving. Naga gently cradled her bruised ear, while I happily let go of her practically naked body to fall against dirty stone.

“Little gremlin!” Naga cried, still stroking her throbbing ear.

“Giant bimbo!” I retorted, still too tired to get back on my feet. It wasn’t the best insult, but gimme a break! I nearly died like three separate times there!

We gave ourselves a moment to catch our breaths and both decided we would forget about what just happened and continue through the ruins.

…

We ducked underneath a decayed doorway, rubble piling up at its base, barely able to stand after ages of disrepair. Moss and lichen grew across the walls, vines and roots sprouting through every crack and crevice. Water pooled together across the ruins, from puddles to floods that spanned through entire hallways. Luckily a good Ray Wing made traversing through all that filthy ruin water easy, and even someone like Naga could do that on her own.

I’ll admit, I wanted to keep a Ray Wing shield up the entire time I was out, water or not, since this humid place buzzed with all sorts of annoying and disgusting bugs. It’s not like I couldn’t! A normal mage might struggle to keep a Ray Wing steady, what with it being a constant vortex of rushing wind and all, but I could handle it! I figured it would be best if I conserved my magic, however.

“Uuugh, I hate these bugs!!” Naga shrieked, smacking another mosquito out of the air. Not bad. “And the water! So much water! There’s nothing I hate more than getting drenched! I have very sensitive skin, you know!”

“So much for dealing with trouble gracefully…” I murmured. I decided to change my Lighting spell into a more powerful flame that I could hold just above my hand. The Lighting was attracting bugs. This way they’d at least get zapped into dust, heheh! … What? They really were annoying! Just because Naga was right, doesn’t mean I couldn’t have a little revenge!

“That little fire of yours isn’t a terrible idea,” Naga said, pointing at it like it was some child’s toy. “However, it’s making this intolerably humid hole even hotter! Allow the great Naga to improve upon your work!” With a flourish of her cape and a bounce of her bosom, she produced an open palm. “Watch this!”

Similar to my magical fire, a floating crystal of misty ice appeared over her hand.

“And just what is that supposed to do?” I asked.

“Ooohohoho~!” Naga shrieked, her laugh echolocating every wall ahead of us. “The same as your brutish little flame, but better! Look at that wondrous light it gives off! And…!” Shing! A mosquito froze in midair, shattering against the stony floor. “Ohohoho~!”

Like always, it was almost impressive.

With the flick of a wrist, I killed my flame. In the next instant, it turned dark as pitch again. Naga’s laughter stuttered as she tripped over a twig and nearly flattened me with those stupid balloon tits of hers.

“Doesn’t seem to do much without my light reflecting off it. Oh, and would you look at that? The bugs won’t even go near it either.”

“Shut up!” Naga whined. “It was merely an… an extension of your power! Meant to work in tandem!” She nodded, making this all up on the spot as if she planned it from the beginning. It wasn’t long before she was laughing again…

I sighed and brought my flame back. I couldn’t deny it. That ice crystal reflected my fire’s light, illuminating more than before, throwing rays of orange and rippling light across the ruins. It was actually kind of beautiful. Not to mention it was really hot and that cool chill gave some much needed relief.

Well. Maybe I could upgrade her from cockroach back to puppy.

Exploring the ruins didn’t feel quite so awful anymore.

-------

Some time later, we made it to what must have been the center of the ruins. I know what you’re thinking again, ‘Lina! Why didn’t you just blast through the ruins and get to the center like you’ve done before!’

Don’t be stupid! Those were dungeons ! It’s very different! Dungeons are meant to be mazes with traps and twists and turns that eventually lead to some haughty villain! There’s nothing of value lost there. In temple ruins like this? Who really knows where the ancient elves left their treasure! The last thing we’d want to do is destroy all that valuable loot!

Oh. Oh, and the history stuff. That’s important too!

“Say…” Naga started, gazing at the intricate mosaic ahead of us, blocking our path. “Just what exactly is the relic we’re trying to steal?”

Ugh! Don’t call it stealing! I mean… okay it is! But it sounds bad!

“Do you really not know? Why did you even come with me?” I asked uselessly. Naga never had a good reason to follow me around.

“Ohoho~!” Naga laughed. “Your usual group was busy, hm? That blonde dummy and the rock man and the loud girl?” Hello? Pot calling kettle black alert? Naga is probably louder than Amelia! I’d say she’s even dumber than Gourry! “You must have been lonely!”

Grrr… Like I’d ever be lonely!

“You’re saying it like you’re doing me a favor!” I growled, wanting to rip that smug look of hers off like that stringy little outfit she wore! (...What? I mean. Like to humiliate her! Geez! Don’t read it weird!) “You just wanted to leech more free food!”

Naga shrugged, her mischievous smile only growing taller. Why did she have to look at me like that?! “Oh. Well, the food is good, but if you want to be rid of me so badly… I guess I could leave~!” She twirled around, cape fwomping in the dim ruin light.

“W-wait!” I cried out.

Naga stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Oh? Will you… miss me?” She took another step and tripped over a piece of debris and straight into the same arrow trap we passed. With a screech, she narrowly avoided another volley of death.

“You won’t be able to see a thing without me…” I sighed. “You’ll definitely get yourself killed on the way back.” Sure, she could use a Lighting spell, but I couldn’t trust Naga to drink water if I didn’t force her! She wishes I’d miss her.

“Hm,” Naga said casually, brushing an arrow out of her hair. “I suppose it would be a waste to come all this way and not get any treasure!”

As if you’re getting any!

“I have made up my mind!” Naga posed; legs splayed wide. “I will continue to stay by your side!”

“Great, I’m glad we cleared that up,” I said sarcastically.

“As am I!” Naga said genuinely.

There was no time to continue doing this bit! The joke had run its course! The scene was boring! We were right smack dab in the middle of the temple, at our goal! We needed to move on, for my sake.

Tuning Naga out, I evaluated the final chamber in this terrible temple. Strangely enough, this was the least ruined area in all of the ruins. Giving it a second thought, I knew why. Magic buzzed through the air louder than any insect. In fact, it was so strong, it seemed even the bugs didn’t want to live here.

Ominous…

The source of this magical power came from the intricately carved wall before us. To someone like Naga, it probably seemed like this chamber was nothing but a huge dead end, but I knew better. This wall, without a speck of moss or dust, with its murals depicting some sort of ancient Elven history, had more to it than meets the eye. I noticed a few indentations running through the middle of the mural, which appeared to be subtle cracks at a glance. But, remember, this mural was in absolutely pristine condition! Why would there be flaws here?

That’s because it was meant to open up.

Our treasure was just beyond here.

“…and that is why I’ve continued to follow you, Lina Inverse!” Naga continued, oblivious to everything.

“Shut up a sec,” I said, waving her off.

“Rude! I was finally opening up to you! I’ll have you know; I’ve never told anyone the things I just said, like my mother—”

“Yeah, yeah,” I interrupted. “The treasure’s behind this huge stone wall you know.”

“Ooh!!” Naga’s eyes sparkled, completely forgetting that I totally ignored her. “Really? Really? Let’s open it up!”

“Not that easy,” I said, focusing on the ancient Elven language before me. “Seems we need to prove our worth through some kind of trial…” You’ll have to excuse me, my ancient Elvish is pretty rusty. Like, I could ask an ancient Elf for directions to the bathroom pretty easily, but I’d need to look through my journal to get a refresher on this intricate stuff.

“Boo, trials!” Naga shook her head. “Let’s just blow it up!”

I ignored her, nose down in my book of Ancient Elvish Tourist Spots You Can’t Miss. “Go ahead, try it if you—”

I knew what she was going to do, so it didn’t matter what I said.

“Fireball!!”

Naga slung the orb of powerful exploding magic like a baseball pitcher, mouth as manic as can be. As I suspected, an ethereal glow emanated from the mural, and Naga’s Fireball bounced back at her with a cute squeak!

The resulting noise that left Naga’s throat was less cute, another scream as flames engulfed her for the umpteenth time.

When she brushed it off, I muttered, “Magic barrier.”

Naga stamped a foot on the floor. “Why didn’t you warn me!?”

I was busy. Didn’t feel like talking in full sentences. “Stupid.”

“What?!”

“You. Stupid. Wouldn’t matter.” I flipped another page. Ahh, so that’s how to ask where the library was…

“Gremlin!” Naga screeched, taking a seat on a piece of the ruins. With a frustrated sigh, she began rubbing and cleaning the soot off her skin/cape/clothes etc. It must have been hard work looking like a cliche bimbo and getting blasted to bits on an hourly basis.

At least it gave me time to translate in peace.

After about 30 minutes or so, I felt confident in my ability to barter in Elvish over a steak and even give directions to the nearest Elvish hospital! Just needed to use some flashcards, and bam! You could call me Lina Elfverse!

Don’t call me that. I will blast you.

“So? Have you translated it yet?” Naga asked.

Ugh! I translated it! I did! I just… I didn’t want to say it.

“...No?” I lied, terribly. Even Naga wasn’t stupid enough to buy it.

“Truly? Lina Inverse, stumped by a wall? Unable to speak such a simple language?” Naga laughed.

“You don’t know a single word of Elvish!” I screamed back, blood boiling.

“I don’t need to, I have my minions for that,” Naga said, fanning all that hot air my way.

“I am NOT your minion!” I raged, already feeling the heat of a Fireball in my hands.

“Lina Inverse, you get so worked up over little details!” Naga laughed. “Just tell me what it says, will you?”

Hmph! Let’s see how she liked the answer so much then!

“You know what?! I will!” I grinned demonically. “This is a trial of LOVE , idiot!”

“Eh?” A strand of Naga’s hair curled out of her head. “What in the world does that mean?”

“To open this door,” I explained, “We need to show it love. True love.”

Naga squinted at me, suspicious. “How would that door know the difference?”

“It’s magic, dummy!” I said, kind of hoping she wouldn’t prod me further on it. Love magic was never really my specialty, considering my cool loner attitude. “Just like any other power, it can sense the levels of magic in the room! Love is an extremely powerful emotion, a power that you feel in your chest prominently, (I’m told) and it seems these ancient Elves had a way to quantify it.”

Naga simply smirked. “Is that all?”

I sighed. She acted like she understood it, but I knew not a single thought went through her-

“Lina Inverse,” Naga said, pointing at me dramatically. “I LOVE you!” Her smug smile let loose an arrow that pierced my heart.

Ba-dump!

“Y-you idiot!” I screamed back, looking away. “You can’t just shout that! It doesn’t work that way!”

And besides! It’s weird!

“Why not?” Naga asked in a sultry tone, completely unphased. 

“Don’t you have any dignity?!” I asked in return. Then I remembered her outfit. Oh right, of course she doesn’t. “It can tell if you’re lying!”

“Can it now…?” Naga said, mischief on her lips.

Suddenly, the mural lit up! A dim, very dim , blue magical light filled the indents of a few of the runes. It was like someone pouring a drop of water into an empty cup!

“No way!” I said, flabbergasted.

“Ooohohohoho~!” Naga howled, without a shred of decency. “Was this supposed to be a difficult trial? Maybe for someone like you! ”

Urgh!

I reeled backwards, away from her uncomfortable haughtiness. “It’s–it’s not difficult!” I didn’t understand! How could that have even MILDLY worked?

Naga wagged a finger at me, clicking her tongue in such an annoying way. “You look like a frightened little girl! How easy it is for a woman like me!” She looked me straight in the eyes, gaze as sharp as her spikes, and her shining lips said, “Li-na. In-verse. I. Love. You.”

Gack!

It felt like someone socked me right in the chest!

“I love you, Lina Inverse!” Naga repeated with ease, almost in a sing-songy voice. “I love you, I love you, I love YOU! Ohohoho~!”

Before I knew it, I was on my knees, clutching my head. “Can’t you see you’re killing me here?! You shouldn’t be trying to torture me!”

“But it’s so easy!” Naga crowed. “And look! It’s working!”

Between my fingers, I managed to find the strength to look at the glyphs. Sure enough, they looked brighter. Slightly brighter. Barely brighter.

“I love you, Lina Inverse!” Naga cheered again, enjoying the pure psychological damage she was doing to me. “Me, Naga the Serpent, loves YOU! Lovey-dovey, love-u-love-u!!!”

“Cut it out, will you?!” I coughed. “Look, you must have hit the cap! It’s not getting brighter anymore!”

That shut her up for a moment, thankfully. Hand on her chin, she thought for a moment. “Hm. I love you?” Sure enough, nothing. It was still barely lit up enough to even call itself a nightlight!

Ha! Not so smug now are you! I felt some of my energy coming back.

“Aha!” Naga’s clenched hand hit her palm. “You just have to say it back to me!”

Aaaaaaaagh!!!

Time out! Time out! Severe mental trauma! Tummy ache! Anything but that!

“No! No way!” I squealed out, convulsing on the floor. “I refuse!”

Naga sighed, looking down at me like she was so tough! “My, my, Lina Inverse, you truly are weaker than I expected. Three words is all it takes to bring you down?”

The light on the glyphs dimmed ever so slightly.

Ugh! She was right! I’ve chanted forbidden words calling upon the darkest gods themselves! Was I really afraid to lie? If Naga could lie that easily, why couldn’t I? I didn’t come all this way to be beaten by a stupid wall! To be beaten by Naga!

I punched the floor, pushing myself back up to my feet. With a, dare I say, sexy flourish, I pointed at Naga and said, “ I love you!!”

Blue light burst out of the glyphs, much brighter than before, bright enough to highlight the blush on Naga’s face. As much as I wish my words affected her, it is important to note that Naga always has a blushy face, as if she’s out of breath or something. I could hardly notice a change in Naga, maybe a brief widen of the eyes, or maybe she just smirked more.

“How’d you like that?” I said, crossing my arms.

“Hm? Sorry what?” Naga put a hand to her ear. “I couldn’t hear your single tiny proclamation of love over all my proclamations of love for you! Ohohoho!”

“Grr!!” I stamped my foot. “Look! The glyphs are nearly lit up because of me!”

Naga shrugged. “Nearly isn’t good enough, Lina Inverse.”

“So, you wanna play that way, do you?” I rolled up my sleeves. “Fine! Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Take this!” As if chanting my most powerful spell, I closed my eyes and held my hands up, saying, “I call upon myself, Lina Inverse, to say my innermost intimate feelings for you…” And then, WHAM! threw my hands at her with a, “I LOVE you, Naga the Serpent! I love you! Lovey-dovey, you! Wuv-wuv, even! Mwah! Mwah!” That’s right! Kissy face! And even kisses blown!

Haha! Even Naga was taken aback this time! There was no hiding her shock, her smug smile tripping into a confused frown. And that wasn’t all!

One of the glyphs exploded in light! The heart was completely full! Yes! I did it! Me!

I wiped the sweat from my brow, my chest heaving with exhaustion from my spell. But I won! Like I always do.

“Lina…” Naga started; her voice quiet (for her). “That was quite undignified of you.” She shook her head sadly.

STRANGLE HER. I was going to strangle her! For real! This would be her tomb!

“Will you shut up!? Look! I filled the glyph up! No thanks to you!”

“Yes, I always knew you had feelings for me,” Naga said with a nod. “But this? Goodness, Lina Inverse, it’s borderline obsession!”

“I do NOT have feelings for you!” I screamed, trying not to pull my beautiful hair out. “I never have! I was lying!”

Naga raised an eyebrow, pointing easily to the heart glyph, full and bright. “What about that? Mine barely did anything.”

“You’re a damned idiot is what you are!” I yelled. “It’s because I reciprocated those feelings you gave me! Not to mention it’s going off of how you feel too!”

Naga shrugged. “I just don’t think I feel the same way, Lina.”

“Why… you!! I….” My hands were in stranglin’ mode. I had to use every ounce of my power to stop them from ending her life.

“The door still hasn’t opened though…” Naga said, looking at the glyph, deflecting my rage by changing the subject.

Lucky! She was lucky I was interested in this.

“Let me have a look,” I said, shoving Naga over.

“Rude!”

I pulled the skin under my eye and stuck my tongue out at her, making the ugliest face I could before going back to the runes. Naga tried to do the same back, but I was already ignoring her! Ha! I’m so good at ignoring her, aren’t I?

Interesting…

“Some new runes have appeared,” I said more to myself than anyone. “Another heart…? Oh no…”

“Hmm?” Naga perched her lanky arms and head on top of mine, struggling to see what I was seeing. “What is it?”

“Grr, get offa me!” I screeched, tossing her like a bag of dirty laundry. “We’re not done yet, you double-D-dunce!”

“There’s mooore?” Naga whined, even though she had just said how easy the trial before was. “What else could we do to prove our love?”

Yuck! It still gave me shivers just hearing her say that.

I didn’t like what it had said. I didn’t want to say it. I had to pretend it was a chant like any other spell again, just like before. Close my eyes and repeat the words, that’s all!

“It says the next step is to prove our love is with a kiss,” I said. It felt hotter here! “A heartfelt kiss. With passion.”

Naga tilted her head. “Tongue?” she asked nonchalantly.

That was it. I couldn’t concentrate. “H-how should I know?!” I blew up, averting my gaze.

Ugh! Wrong move. I could feel Naga’s smug stare at that. “Ohohoho~! Lina Inverse, do you not know how to kiss with tongue?”

Don’t! Don’t say anything. Don’t give her ammunition!

A pause. Naga’s voice was quieter. “Lina Inverse, do you not know how to kiss in general?”

NOT GIVING HER AMMUNITION. SAY NOTHING. ANYTHING I DO CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST ME.

Naga clicked her tongue and wagged her head sadly. “Oh, Lina Inverse, you poor poor thing.”

No! No, please, haven’t I suffered enough? The last thing I wanted was pity! From Naga of all people!

“Shut up!!” I finally shouted. Why would I need to know how to kiss?! What’s the point?! I mean, sure, love magic exists but it’s barely been used and it's mostly useless! While most idiots were kissing, I was studying the blade! And magic!

“Well, let’s get this over with,” Naga said with a sigh. She leaned down to my height, a bored expression in her eyes.

“What’s with the attitude?!” I took a step back. She was too close!

“If I’m going to be your first kiss, then it certainly won’t be a good one for me ,” Naga huffed. “But for the sake of the treasure and your fragile pride, I’ll do it.”

“I-I’ve kissed before!” I tried to counter.

Naga raised an eyebrow. “How many times?”

Gack! What was a good number to say… I couldn’t say the truth because–

“So not nearly enough,” Naga interrupted.

Damn it! She really was good. How was I supposed to know there was something Naga was good at?! She can barely feed herself!

“Come on, Lina Inverse,” Naga said, her stale expression never changing.

“Do you gotta act so bored about it?!”

“We already did this before with the ‘I love you’ rune! Of course I’m bored by now!”

“ One trial and you’re already bored?!”

“I’d be less bored if you didn’t take so long, Lina Inverse~!”

“Fine! Like you said, let’s get it over with!” I grit my teeth and returned her gaze. “G-get ready!”

An eyebrow raised. A smile twitched in her lips. Naga said, “Very well. I’ll let you make the first move.” She closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

Geez! Geez! Geez!!! I’m really doing this!? Am I really doing this!?

Who cares! Who cares! I don’t! It’s just for treasure! It’s just skin on skin contact! Scientifically speaking, it barely means anything!

She actually looks… peaceful? She’s so sure of herself, so composed, almost like a real princess… Even her lips look…

No, no, no, I don’t…!

“Lina Inverse!” Naga’s voice and hard stare shook me out of my inner monologue. “I. Am. Bored! Kiss! Now!”

“Yeah, yeah, close your eyes again, will ya?! Can’t do it with you staring like a weirdo!”

She rolled her eyes before closing them again.

I’m doing it! I’m doing it!

I took a deep breath through my nose. I closed my eyes. I moved my face forward. I… I felt her lips brush against mine. Instantly my mind clouded, instantly I seemed to lose control over my body. My heart pounded in my chest and my thoughts swirled in every direction. I felt like I was floating, but my feet were still on the ground. It was… it was so much better than I could have imagined. I…

“Was that it?!” Naga groaned, breaking me out of my trance.

“H-huh?!” was all I could manage to say, my lips tingling, my cheeks hot.

“Just a peck!?” Naga’s hands were at her hips. She motioned with her face towards the rune and I noted how it glowed the dimmest of pinks.

“W-what?!” I tried not to stammer. I couldn’t help it. “It was still a kiss!”

“Not good enough, clearly,” Naga grumbled. “Lina Inverse, let me show you how it’s done.”

Eep! I reflexively took a step back from her.

Naga sighed. “All right?” was all she said, but… somehow… that seemed to be more than she’d ever said to me about anything. She never asked me how I felt before she came flinging spells at me or stealing my steak, but for this…?

I lightly slapped my cheeks between my hands, renewing my resolve. “All right,” I replied.

Like a demon that had just been freed from her chains, Naga was on me in a flash. She was so different from before, from that princess-like kiss moments ago. Now she moved like a dark mage, powerful, overwhelming, and she loved it. Whatever peaceful princess state she had been in before must have been why she was bored. This was what Naga wanted.

Before I knew it, she had picked me up by my arms, pinning me to the stone wall, her knee holding me up between my legs, her chest heavy against mine. 

I was completely powerless. I’d never felt like this before! I’d never… I’d never given up control so easily, I’d never let anyone beat me! But Naga, oh Naga, she wanted that control so much, she wanted to beat me so much .

I let her.

Her mouth hit mine, a mess of teeth and lips and hunger, and I could do nothing but gasp back. She drank gasps, licked me dry of everything I had, her body entirely overwhelming mine to the point I wasn’t even sure where she began and I ended.

With a breathy snicker, I felt her wet tongue slide between my lips, messy and hunting, tasting every part of me. I let out another gasp into her, my back arching, my chest pressing into hers. Before I knew it, she had coerced my tongue out of hiding, mine sloppily hitting hers, our breath a heated mess of gasps and sucking.

I was at her mercy. I’d never felt like this before, I wanted more, I wanted Naga to…

Suddenly, I fell to the floor. My hot head was a haze of pleasure and confusion. Naga? Why would she…

“Ah, there we go!” Naga said with a cheer, staring at the second rune which positively beamed with light, its heart full to the brim. “Done!”

“H-hold on a second…” I gasped, trying to get my bearings, still on all fours on the floor. I wiped the slobber off my lips with my arm, so very sure what I just experienced couldn’t have been a dream.

“Oh, come now, Lina Inverse!” Naga said with a smug snort. “You’re panting like a little puppy! Ohohoho! Was I too much for you? I went as easy as I possibly could!”

“Y-you call that easy?!” I huffed, getting back up on shaky legs.

She narrowed her eyes, sneering ever more towards me, that blushy face of hers driving me mad! “Yes, I do! I do so hope you aren’t falling for my charms~...”

“Y-you wish!” I shouted. “You were like a squid sucking on my face! I could barely breathe!”

My insult didn’t make a dent in her confident smile.

“Whatever. I just hope this thing is done now…” I turned back to the runes, happy to get that grinning idiot out of my vision for a while so I could think straight.

Let’s see…

Ugh. One more trial.

…

No, no…

…

“Are you serious?! ” I exclaimed.

“What? What?” Naga poked herself in yet again. “Another trial is there? What else could there be?”

This was where I had to draw the line. Even Naga wouldn’t be able to deal with this!

“It–ugh–it says to fill the third and final rune we must become one before Aphrodias herself.”

Naga tilted her head. “What does that mean?”

Of course she knows all this kissing business but is too dense to understand this!

“It means! It wants us to… you know! Come together! With our bodies!” Ugh! Was she getting this at all? “Without clothes on!”

Recognition lit up in her eyes. “Oh! Sex!”

Gack! “Y-yes, that…” I couldn’t even repeat it! It was so wrong! So weird! “This Aphrodias is certainly one perverted god! I think this is where we’ll have to finally give up and–”

“That’s not so hard!” Naga said easily.

“WHAT?!” I screamed, my jaw hitting the floor so hard my teeth hurt.

Naga raised an eyebrow at me. “Hm? What’s the matter?”

“You… You understand what it wants from us, right?” I repeated. Naga wasn’t the brightest.

“Yes?” she said easily, nearly annoyed.

“It wants us to have…” Urk. I practically gagged the word out. “Sex. Together. As in you and me.”

Naga’s expression stayed the same. “...Yes…? I got that.”

“And you’re fine with that?!”

“What part of ‘That’s not so hard!’ don’t you understand?!” Naga growled, acting like I was the stupid one here!

“Some creepy goddess tells you to do someone and you’ll just do it?!”

Naga shook her head. “It’s just a wall, Lina Inverse. There’s no one actually watching, you know. It is simply a magical receptacle awaiting a certain type of love.”

“Y-you! I… Don’t…” Flabbergasted! I was flabbergasted! “D-don’t try to explain it to me like I don’t know what it is!”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Ugh!” I threw my hands up in the air. “You think it's easy to just get naked like that?!”

Silence.

I stared at Naga the Serpent in her trademark teeny tiny leather bikini. She was already practically naked.

“Okay, stupid question, I’ll admit that.” I held out my hands in defense. “But still…!”

“If you really don’t want to do it,” Naga said with a sigh, “We don’t have to. No one is forcing you.”

“But we…” My mind started swirling again, as if we were kissing again, but we weren’t! “We worked so hard to get here! We already did so much…!”

“Exactly,” Naga said with a shrug. “That’s how I feel. But if you think this trial is too difficult for you, then there’s nothing that can be done now is there?” Naga shook her head. “It can’t just be me.”

“Agh!” I screamed. “T-trying to guilt me!”

“I am not.”

“Trying to taunt me!”

“I still am not.”

“Teasing me!”

“Lina Inverse, but you are so sensitive, aren’t you?”

“Not! I am not!”

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

I paused. I paused some more. I let … I actually let my thoughts slow. I let my mind read what it was trying to tell me. I…

“I don’t want to do it if you don’t want to,” I finally said.

“Hm?” Even Naga faltered at that.

“You don’t want to do any of this,” I said, my mind swirling again. “ I don’t want to do this. I’m–I’m not doing this with someone who doesn’t want to!”

“Little puppy…” Naga sighed with exasperation. “I want to do it with you, Lina Inverse,” she said tonelessly.

Wish she’d stop calling me a puppy! I’m not a puppy! She is!

“Do you really?” I asked again.

“Yes, yes,” she added, “For the treasure of course.”

I thought about it. “For the treasure…” Maybe… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Naga was experienced and she seemed to respect my wishes, at least when it was about this kind of thing. “Maybe… uh… yeah… I could…”

“Ohohoho~!” Naga cackled. “Of course you want to do this, Lina Inverse! Now prepare yourself for you are about to be blessed by me! Naga the Serpent! Ohohohoho~!”

Ugh! No. No! No way I’m really doing this!

Am … Am I?

She’s so stupid! But she’s…

She stepped forward and I stood frozen. No way. No way. No! Way!

That’s it! That’s it!

CUT!

Cut the feed! Cut the film! No way, no one's gonna know about this! Go to black! Whatever you think is going to happen ISN’T happening and isn’t GOING to happen, got it?! Got it?!

Turn this thing off!

…

…

…

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

So, the third rune was fully lit. Done. Easy. Don’t gotta go into details how that happened. But the trials were done!

Clasping my cloak back on, I let out a sigh. At least the makeshift bath after was nice. I had gotten way too sweaty with Naga when we… er… finished the final trial.

“Ahhh~!” Naga yawned, stretching her lanky arms high. “That wasn’t so bad now was it, Lina Inverse?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I muttered back, still refusing to accept reality.

“Oh, come now, you were positively loving it when–”

“LALALA,” I scream-sang, hands over my ears. “I can’t hear you!!”

For whatever reason, this only made Naga’s smug smile worse. “You are still a little gremlin, but you can be cute at times.”

Ack!! “Shut up!” I countered. Not great. Not great. Naga had been really getting to me recently, in so many ways. I still wasn’t sure how to feel. I mean I know what just happened, but that was all just for the treasure!

… right?

“Screw this!” I shook my head and stomped my way over to the brightly lit wall, all three hearts as full as could be. “Let’s just get our treasure and get out of here!”

“Of course!” Naga said easily, a tiny snicker as she loomed over me at my side. 

I placed my hands against the runed wall, the heat of our love magic tingling in my fingers. “Aphrodias, hear my call! Each trial we have faced, and we have done them all! I command thee to open this wall!”

The ruins reacted to my touch, to my words, to our love, and shuddered. Stones grinded, dust and pebbles collapsed as this dreadful wall slowly and finally opened itself up to us.

“Wow!” Naga watched in open-mouthed awe as the walls parted. “Did you need to cast another spell to finish the trial?”

I shook my head. “Nah, I just wanted to rhyme and sound cool. All I needed to do was touch the wall.”

Naga shrugged.

When the dust settled and the stones finally rested once again into eternal slumber, Naga and I entered the fabled Aphrodias’ treasure vault, our hearts pounding with excitement.

First thing to note, the vault wasn’t as big as the walls had made it out to be. However, due to the magical runes, everything seemed to be perfectly preserved, jarringly so. Whereas the ruins before had been cut stone and engraved walls covered in moss and cracked with time, the treasure vault appeared to have plain blue wallpaper? And the floor–the floor was carpeted! An extremely fuzzy and tacky purple shag carpeting?!

As if this wasn’t already setting alarm bells off in my head, the second and most eye-catching thing to note was the three glowing heart runes in the center of the room. Similar to the ones outside, but these ones were stacked inside of each other, blinking in alternate intervals, almost like a… neon sign?!

And last, but certainly not least, beneath the blinking heart runes, lay what appeared to be our treasure. A rectangular shaped pedestal that went up past my waist with some kind of strange ancient apparatus made up of more runes.

“This is… weird,” I said, checking for any more potential traps. It seemed safe.

“The decor is a bit tacky, yes,” Naga nodded, not really understanding what I was saying.

Our treasure must have been in this strange looking pedestal. I wasn’t sure how to get it working, but I certainly wasn’t opposed to pressing random runes to see if I could get things working. At my touch, something lit up!

I noticed a small slit in the pedestal began to glow brightly. Brighter… brighter…! It whirred to life, vibrating with motion as it worked some kind of ancient mechanism.

Ding!

We both stepped back out of caution, but the machine went silent.

It spit something out. Something shiny. This must have been our treasure!

…

This was our treasure…?

“What is it, what is it?!” Naga yapped, hopping behind me excitedly. “Is it a guidebook to forbidden magic?! A powerful charm?! A priceless plate? Maybe it’s the best skincare lotion in all the realm!”

“Shut it, will ya?” I nabbed the paper from the machine. It was paper, yes, but high-quality paper at least? Something was written on it, in the same runes as before.

But wait!

“Ohhhhh!” Naga cooed, mouth agape. “It has our names on it!! Why?!”

I wish I could mimic her excitement. “Hold on, that’s what I’m trying to find out. Let me see if I can read it.”

“Come on, I want to know why my name is there!! Maybe I’m an heir to their throne now??”

I cleared my throat and read the words slowly, still not very proficient. Let’s see…

“You who have completed my trials,” I read aloud. “You and your partner who stand before my altar, your love proven to me without a doubt, I now bestow upon you the highest gift that I, Aphrodias, the Goddess of Love, can bestow. I now pronounce you, Lina Inverse, and Naga the Serpent– MARRIED? ”

“Whaaaaaat?”

Hold on! Hold on! Let me just read the details a bit more…

“A love so powerful and true,” I continued, my voice shaking. “That none may ever break it. With the love magic stored between you two in my altar, your love will forever stay strong, stay true, and nothing will come between you two. All will know of your love for all of time, and even the Gods and Demons themselves will not be able to deny it or destroy it.”

“So it’s…” Naga tilted her head. “A marriage certificate?”

I stared at the certificate in my hands but didn’t look at it. Realization washed over me like a cold street puddle. “A marriage certificate made of powerful runes from the Goddess of Love herself… an ultra-powerful magical marriage that binds our souls eternally together…”

“So no divorce?” Naga asked casually.

My voice had become monotone as I spoke, my body rigid. “No divorce.”

“Hmm. It’s laminated!” she added with a cheer. “That’s nice.”

“It is,” I responded tonelessly.

“So, Lina Inverse, it looks like you and I are destined to be rivals till the end of time! It is fitting that I make you my wife! OOOohohohoho~!” Naga screeched, her laugh reverberating through my skull.

Naga… my wife? Naga was my wife now? For all of eternity?

This… this was the treasure? Everything I did… everything I did with her… was for this?

An unbreakable magic marriage certificate? That bonded us together through all of time?!

No, no, no… no.

Naga the Serpent…

“What’s the matter, Lina Inverse?” Naga said between her shrill laughter. “Are you rendered speechless that you have the honor to be my wife? Ohohohoho~!”

This big boobed bimbo…

No, no… Anyone but her! No!

Unbreakable bond?! Blessed by the gods?! Nothing in the world could break it?!

We’ll see about that.

“Darkness beyond blackest pitch,” I muttered. “Deeper than the deepest night.”

Naga’s laughter finally quieted. “Lina Inverse? Are you casting something…?”

“Lord as vast as the largest ocean

Colder than the coldest ice.”

“Why are you glowing like that? Is your hair turning white?”

“King of Darkness who shines like gold upon the Sea of Chaos…”

“Honey?” Naga asked nervously. “Wife? What are you… what are you doing…?”

If nothing can break our love, if nothing can break our bond, then I’ll just have to break EVERYTHING .

…

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!”

-----------

…

…

…

“And that’s how we got married!” Naga explained for the millionth time to yet another innkeeper.

I drank my mead and ate my steak with a frown, watching as my wife retold the story again to everyone in the vicinity. No one cared, no one wanted to hear, least of all me.

“Uh, that sure is swell, ma’am,” the innkeeper said with a sheepish smile. “You sure, uh, gave a lot of extra detail that maybe wasn’t necessary, though.”

“Yep,” I groaned, unable to do anything else but sit through her humiliating story.

“Oh, but you need to know how my adorable wife squirmed!” Naga laughed.

“Erm, not to butt into your relationship, ma’am, but your wife doesn’t seem to appreciate it…”

“Nonsense!” Naga went on laughing. “If she hated it that much, she’d have gone through with that Giga Slave spell!”

I sighed.

“Giga… Slave…?”

“Yes, you know, the spell that could destroy the whole world as we know it!”

“Can’t say I do…”

“Well, she was about to cast it when we were first wed, but decided against it! Isn’t that sweet?”

“Erm…”

“Personally, Lina Inverse would never be my first choice to be my wife, but oh! The way she fawns over me and follows me around like a lost puppy, how could I say no? She has trouble being honest with herself and her feelings and is a bit frumpy here and there and certainly below my level, but I am so generous and love to please my wife! Ohohohoho~!”

I really should have casted it. I should have gone through with the Giga Slave.

…

At the end of the night, just like every night, Naga and I came to our room to rest and prepare for the next day’s adventure. With just the two of us by ourselves, I allowed my hand to brush against hers, to interlock our fingers together.

“Ohohoho, Lina Inverse, you cute thing!” she said, poking my head irritatingly. “Need some attention tonight?”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t need attention from her! I didn’t! But… It was nice to share a bed with someone. I never realized how hard it was to sleep alone. Even with Naga’s tossing and turning and snoring and general annoyances, I always felt so soothed by having her at my side.

I looked up at my blushy, lanky, monster of a wife. She smiled just as brightly, just as smugly as always, never letting anything bother her. Like always, she knew what this meant.

Naga leaned down and gave me a quick kiss. “Love you~!” she cooed in that annoying voice of hers.

“Love you too,” I said quietly.

Like every night and all the nights after that, we slept peacefully. Mostly. I got used to her snoring.

[bridgertonbabe]

Okay so based off of this clip of the Swedish Royal Family trying to take a family photo, here’s a little look at the Bridgertons gathering for a photo in the Royals AU (where naturally chaos ensues);

“Let’s take an official family photo, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.” Eloise muttered under her breath beside Sophie. 

Ten minutes ago the whole Bridgerton clan had descended from Aubrey Palace and into the gardens for the annual official family photo. Violet was to be the central point of the photo with all her children, grandchildren, plus her son and daughters-in-law surrounding her. The set up was straight forward enough; Violet would be sat in the middle of the garden bench with her two eldest grandchildren, Amelia and Belinda, sat on either side of her and with her two youngest children, Gregory and Hyacinth, on the other sides of their respective niece. The rest of the family would be gathered around the bench with the remaining five grandchildren being held by their parents. It was all quite straight forward, really - except for the fact that there were seven young children involved. 

For a second it seemed like the photo would be achieved miraculously quickly as everyone assembled swiftly and without fuss; however, just before the photographer could snapshot the image, Belinda squealed in excitement as Newton trotted past and before either Violet or Gregory would grab a hold of her, she had upped and bolted after the royal corgi. 

“Belle!” Amelia whined before anyone else could call out to the little girl, and she too slipped just out of reach of her grandmother and Hyacinth’s grasp to chase after her younger sister. 

“Oh, here we go.” Colin had smirked as everyone watched on in amusement as the two girls and dog ran amok around the garden. 

“Belle! Amelia! Come back, sweethearts!” Daphne called after them in a gentle voice, hoping she wouldn’t have to use a sterner tone than that. 

“Newton!” Anthony called to the distracting dog and tried whistling to get the corgi to return to them in the hopes that his nieces would follow after him. 

“Oh, like he’s ever responded to you.” Kate snorted. “Newton!” she raised her voice as she beckoned over her dog, ignoring her husband’s pinched face of annoyance. “Come here, boy!” 

As soon as the queen had called for him, Newton did a u-turn and pelted back to the family, grinding to a halt at the front of the bench and flopping down to pant with exhaustion from his little run about. However, whilst Newton was no longer being chased around the garden, his chasers in question hadn’t trailed after him. Belinda was now simply running away from a disgruntled Amelia, who kept shrieking her sister’s name out in frustration. 

“Girls!” Simon tried this time. “Girls, come back over here!” 

The pair of them had just disappeared out of sight behind a hedge when suddenly one of them let out a high pitched scream. Simon groaned as he put down Caroline and marched off to sort out his two oldest girls.

“Newton! Newton!” Edmund called out in delight to his pet dog and began wriggling in his father’s arms to try and get to the corgi. 

“Ed, stop squirming.” Anthony said as he repositioned his son in his arms. “You can say hi to Newton after the photo’s been taken.”

Another scream emitted from behind the hedge and Simon rounded it and out of sight to sort the commotion out. 

“I mean, we could be here a while yet.” Kate remarked, inclining her head in the direction of the Basset girls. “You can let him see Newton for a second.” she reasoned. 

Though Anthony was reluctant, Edmund kept on trying to wriggle his way out of his grasp and so in the end he let his son go and watched as the little heir to the throne ran over to Newton - and immediately threw himself down on the ground right next to the dog.

“Edmund!” Anthony sighed in exasperation, knowing his son’s light Bridgerton blue clothes would immediately have a grass stain on it. 

“Newty! Newton!” Edmund giggled as he bumped noses with the dog, who then licked the little boy’s nose and caused another squealed giggle out of him. “Mummy! He licked my nose!” 

Meanwhile, David was fussing in Daphne’s arms, grumbling and moaning in spite of her attempts to calm him down.

“It’s alright, poppet.” she tried to assure him.

“Dada!” David suddenly sobbed. “DADA!” 

“It’s okay, poppet, it’s okay.” Daphne tried bouncing him.

“DADA!” David continued to cry out and then began furiously trying to get out of his mother’s arms.

“Let me go help him.” Colin offered and went off in the direction of his brother-in-law and nieces. 

“Carrie, darling? What are you up to?” Violet asked.

Out of the Basset girls, Caroline in general caused the least amount of problems, almost as if the toddler already possessed the understanding that her two chaotic older sisters were enough of a handful without adding to the bedlam. After being put down by her father she had calmly watched him march off in search of her sisters and when she had seen Edmund cooing by Newton she had gone to join her cousin and the corgi. Before she reached them however she noticed the photographer and his equipment and instead opted to stroll over to him. The photographer gave her a warm smile as she peered into the bag his camera had been carried in and then began inspecting all of the pieces he had brought along with him. 

“Camera!” Caroline responded to her grandmother and pointed to tripod it was set up on. 

“Yes, that’s right!” Violet enthused. 

“Amelia!” Colin called out from across the garden.

Belinda had once again taken off from behind the hedge, followed once more by her older sister as she tried to hunt her down. The girls’ father and uncle appeared from behind the hedge but before Simon could try to rein his girls in, David screamed out and began swatting at his mother to put him down. Colin redirected Simon back towards the family, quickly informing him that David wanted his father and his father only in that moment, before Colin hurried off after the rambunctious little girls.

David’s squawking didn’t stop until Simon retrieved him from Daphne’s arms and as soon as he did David immediately settled, sniffling with relief into his father’s shoulder. 

“Girls!” Daphne now called out, her voice breaking with bubbling frustration due to her children’s antics. 

As the girls got closer to the group, Benedict called out to Belinda and began to approach in the hope that between him and Colin they could herd the pair up. 

A sudden clatter drew everyone’s attention to where the tripod now lay on the ground as the photographer scrambled to put it back up.

“Oopsie!” Caroline said, looking genuinely apologetic. “Oopsie!” she repeated as an alternative to an apology.

“It’s okay, no harm done!” the photographer insisted as he quickly gave his equipment the once over to ensure that there truly wasn’t any harm done. 

“Mwah!” Caroline kissed a leg of the tripod. “Kissie make it all better!” 

“Mummy, mummy; look!” Edmund cried out cheerfully as he rolled over on the grass, copying Newton, who was now trying to scratch his back by wiggling against the ground. “I’m a doggie too!” 

“Shot in the dark, but we don’t have a change of clothes for him, do we?” Anthony addressed the stylist loitering nearby, who gave an apprehensive shake of the head. 

“Shush, shush, shush, it’s okay, Milo.” Kate said as now Miles began to fuss in her arms. 

“Amelia!” Daphne exclaimed as she watched her eldest smack her younger sister. 

The grand duchess then furiously marched off in the direction of her daughters, and yet in spite of the three against two ratio, the little girls both managed to dodge their mother and uncles and continue to run about the garden.

“Jesus, it’s like herding cats.” Eloise remarked in Sophie’s ear. 

“Eloise, why don’t you go try and help instead of making unhelpful comments?” Violet tightly asked, having turned around and lowered her voice so the staff couldn’t hear her. 

“No?” Eloise pulled a puzzled expression. “I’m not a parent to any of these children. Daph’s got to face the consequences of her own actions.”

“Eloise! How could you be so critical of your own sister’s parenting?” Violet hissed at her.

“I never said anything about her parenting!” Eloise pointed out. “I merely inferred that Daphne’s made her own bed so she can lie in it without my assistance.”

“Oh, for the love of - Edmund!” Anthony called out as Newton took off, followed by his son who was galloping after the corgi on all fours. “Get back here!” he bellowed before marching off after him. 

“Carrie! Come over here, Carrie!” Hyacinth beckoned to her niece, who was still nosing around on the other side of the camera. 

“Eloise, could you at least help out one of your siblings with their children?” Violet asked in an imperative tone.

“I am helping!” Eloise scoffed. “I’m helping Sophie with Charlie.” 

Violet tutted - her youngest grandson was causing the least trouble of all the youngsters. Ironically before they had gathered for the photo Sophie had been fretting that her four month old would cause the biggest fuss and had braced herself for him to cry and disrupt proceedings. It’s why she had fed him prior to the photo, in the hopes it would be one less reason for him to cry; but on the contrary, Charlie had been as good as gold in spite of the chaos descending around them. The adorably chubby baby had been comfortably cradled in his mother’s arms the entire time, sucking on his own hand occasionally but otherwise fully settled and content. 

Before Violet could order her second eldest daughter to actually be of any use to anyone, Kate had passed Miles into his grandmother’s arms before she went to help Anthony fetch Edmund. 

“Oh, finally!” Simon sighed as Colin made his way back with Amelia in his arms, followed by Benedict with Belinda in his, and then Daphne marching after with a couple of flowers secured tightly in her hand. 

When they reached the bench the two girls were placed back down in their original places on either side of their grandmother before Daphne shoved a flower into each of their hands, which both girls cheered in response to. 

“Please, please keep a hold of them.” Daphne pleaded with Gregory and Hyacinth, both of whom didn’t have to be asked twice as they wrapped an arm around their respective niece. “Thank you.” Daphne huffed with relief before returning to her spot. 

Just then Newton came scampering back and plopped himself by Violet’s feet, panting heartily as Anthony and Kate returned with Edmund.

“Thank you so much, Violet.” Kate puffed as she took a now settled Miles back from her mother-in-law. 

With six out of seven grandchildren safely in position, all that was left was Caroline to get back into the frame. It was Francesca who rounded the bench, caught Caroline’s eye and without saying a word, bent down and opened her arms wide. Caroline lost immediate interest in the equipment and flew straight into her aunt’s arms before Francesca carried her back to where she had been standing.

“Okay, everyone ready?” the photographer.

“Please, just take the picture!” Anthony asked desperately through the plastered smile on his face. 

And somehow, in spite of the pains and lengths that had just occurred, every last person, children and corgi included, smiled for the camera as several flashes went off to capture the one big happy family altogether. 

[holdmeclosertinytaron]

Escape to the Cotswolds. Chapter One

A/N: I can't believe that the time has finally come to share the first chapter of ETTC with you!! I first wrote this back in 2019 and randomly last week I decided to edit it and post it this festive season. I haven't told anybody anything about it, not even @tttttttaron and @brayndilyn who I tell everything about the fics I'm writing. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I've loved revisiting it. Let me know what you think!

Warnings: Explicit language, consumption of alcohol

ETTC chats. / FAQs

‘Amelia Bray?’ Spencer all but screeched from the dining room. 

The group in the foyer weren’t quite sure how he’d heard their hushed whispers, though they couldn’t be too surprised. They couldn’t remember how many times Spencer had mentioned Amelia and how much he fancied her. She was, in his own words, ‘well fit’, and he wasn’t afraid to let people know. 

He dropped the bottle of multipurpose cleaner and the washcloth he had been using onto the table in front of him before hurtling himself into the foyer, narrowly missing the low beam in the doorway. 

Autumn, the shift supervisor, stood with her back to him while Sada and Connor stood in front of her. Spencer hurried to join the circle of his friends, wiping his damp hands down his black jeans to remove the residue left from the cleaning products he’d been using all morning. 

‘She’s coming here?’ He breathed out, still trying to catch his breath from running. It didn’t matter that he’d played football for most of his life, Spencer still couldn’t run very far without being out of breath. ‘Like, to this bed and breakfast? To Rivercliffe? You’re not shitting me or anything?’ 

‘Spencer, for crying out loud, how many times do we have to tell you about swearing while you’re at work?’ Sada questioned. Her eyebrows were raised and she’d rested her hands on her hops. ‘But no, we aren’t ‘shitting’ you. She’s coming later today and you had better be on your best behaviour!’

She podded her index finger into his chest and watched as he put his hands up by his head in defeat. Out of all of the employees, Sada was always the most serious. Not in a way that made her mean and impossible to work with. Just in a way that she wanted everything to be done by the books and she wasn’t afraid to put somebody in their place if they were breaking the rules. Everyone loved her little stressy head and would often joke and tell her to take a chill pill, to which they would get slyly rodded by her middle finger. 

‘You’re trying to tell me,’ Spencer started again, ignoring the groans from those around him, ‘that I’m finally going to get to meet the Amelia Bray? And you’re picking up on my swearing at work? Fuck the fucking rules right now! Pretty Baby Bray is coming here, where we work, to stay. You know she was in the new Star Wars film? Went all the way to bloody Cheltenham to see it in the cinema and she did not disappoint! Her boobs looked good enough to-’ 

‘Spencer, I swear to the good Lord above that if you so much as begin to objectify her one more time I will fire you on the spot,’ Connor piped up somewhat harshly. He had spent far too many years listening to Spencer drone on about- and objectify- the girl in the films and he was way past the point of ignoring it.

‘You can’t fire me, Connor boy,’ Spencer jested as he reached forward and ruffled his friend’s hair. One of his favourite things to do was to try and get a rise out of Connor, loving to see the slightly older boy so frustrated that he started to shout.

‘I think you’ll find that my parents owning this place means that I can fire you if I so desire,’ Connor replied quickly while shoving Spencer’s hand away and cleaning his hair up again. ‘Now get your backside back into the dining room and clean like you’re getting paid to do.’ 

Spencer turned on his heel with a small whine and huff, letting his childish side appear. He tried to flutter his eyelashes at Autumn on his way past her in hopes that she would cave and give him all of the gossip that revolved around their apparent visitor. She didn’t budge though. All she did was life her eyebrows at him before he was sulking back into the dining room to finish his job. 

The groups separated quickly when one of the guests walked down the stairs with his wife and their bags ready to check out. Autumn rushed to get behind the desk while Sada ran upstairs to start cleaning their room. Connor walked into the back office to make sure that everything was sorted for the rest of the day. 

‘Mr and Mrs Jackson, how did you find your stay here with us?’ Autumn asked as she attempted to use the ridiculously old computer at the front desk. 

The computer had needed to be updated for years but Connor’s parents refused to do it because it would cost them money and the one that they had worked enough for jobs to get done reasonably. Even Connor had tried to reason with them into getting a new one but they wouldn’t do anything about it. In the end, everyone had simply resorted to smacking it when they needed to use it, hoping it would start quickly. 

‘It was just marvellous, thank you,’ Mrs Jackson said peacefully. ‘Is the fine gentlemen here this morning? The one with the soft smile and beautiful eyes?’ 

‘Oh, Taron?’ Autumn asked. 

She knew exactly who the older woman was talking about. He was a sight to look at and everybody knew it. He was charming too, always smiling and helping out wherever he could. Mrs Jackson nodded at Autumn with an expectant smile. 

‘He isn’t in just yet, I’m afraid,’ she said quietly. ‘His shift starts in a couple of hours so he won’t be anywhere near the place yet.’ 

The woman’s shoulders dropped in disappointment and Autumn couldn’t help but smile at herself. ‘That’s such a shame. He made the most delectable hot chocolate last night and I was hoping that he would tell me his secret,’ she chuckled quietly. 

Autumn was well aware of the hot chocolate Mrs Jackson was referring to as it had become a staple at the bed and breakfast on winter evenings. Though when he was making it, Taron wouldn’t let anybody in the kitchen because he didn’t want anybody to figure out his secret. Everyone had tried to sneak in at some point but he always caught them, shooing them off with an eye roll. 

‘Taron has been my friend since before I could talk and yet he still won’t let me in on his secret. He’s going to take it to the grave. However,’ she added, ‘I’m sure that if you saw him walking around the village on your way home you could easily butter him up to tell you.’ 

‘I’ll do just that.’ Mrs Jackson looked pleased with herself but Autumn didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was joking and Taron would never, ever, give out his hot chocolate recipe. No matter how amazingly charming they were. ‘I told Jimmy here that we’re going to have to come back in the summer months when we’re not bundled up in so many layers.’ 

Autumn nodded. It had been ridiculously cold that weekend and she’d had to wear a tank top underneath her t-shirt, as well as her favourite thick, woolly jumper. It didn’t help that the front door of the bed and breakfast opened continuously throughout the day, the cold air from outside making its way inside and wrapping itself around anybody in its way. The chance of snowfall was high and nobody in Rivercliffe was excited by that. 

The village pretty much went into lockdown when it snowed. The roads would be dangerous to drive on but the nearest supermarket was a 40-minute drive on a good day, and the shops in the village itself closed because they couldn’t get their shipments in. The only places that would still be open would be the bed and breakfast and the pub. Everyone would congregate in one of the small buildings in an attempt to stay warm with a group of other people. 

‘Oh yes, I highly recommend the end of May!’ Autumn offered when the screen she had been waiting to load finally did. ‘There are so many flowers blooming in the meadows and it gets warm enough that you don’t need to wear a coat when you go out. There’s just something so magical about it.’ 

‘We’ll definitely be coming back, then,’ Jimmy said through a smile. ‘Make sure you save us a room.’ 

‘Only for our best guests,’ Autumn laughed. When she finally managed to print the couple’s check out sheet, she got them to sign it before putting it to the side ready to file as she bid them farewell. 

As soon as the front door closed behind them, she took a deep breath and walked through the dining room towards the kitchen so she could get herself a warm drink. Spencer was leaning against the island with a steaming mug of coffee in his hands and a tea towel pushed into his pocket. It was typical Spencer behaviour, finishing his jobs as quickly as he could so that he had more time to do nothing with a cuppa. 

‘Her boobs looked good enough to what?’ Autumn challenged as she poured herself a mug of liquid hug, bringing it up to her lips and sighing contentedly at it. 

‘What now?’ Spencer asked as he turned to face his girlfriend. 

‘Amelia’s boobs. They looked good enough to what?’ 

‘Good enough to fuck,’ he replied nonchalantly. 

Autumn stared at him with a dagger of a stare, her bottom lip gently pulled between her teeth and her head tilted to the side. ‘You know, I get that she’s fit and all,’ she started, ‘but don’t forget that you’re mind. We’ve been together for years and you’ve known about her for less than one. That being said, if she came onto me, I wouldn’t say no.’ 

Spencer’s jaw dropped as Autumn winked at him cheekily, turning her attention to the pile of dishes that had been left unwashed in the sink. She groaned loudly before walking over to them and turning the taps on so that she could wash them herself, even though it wasn’t her job. 

‘I can’t lie to you, baby, I’ve never loved you as much as I love you right now.’ He bit his bottom lip into his mouth, watching the curve of Autumn’s butt as she stepped to her right to grab something from one of the shelves. Though when she turned around and the stare she gave him was blank, he knew he’d made a mistake with his word choice. 

‘Because of her? You love me more than you ever have, because of her?’ 

‘I meant like-’ 

‘That my appreciation for your celebrity crush made you love me even more?’ She cut him off, turning back to the sink. 

‘Baby, I’ve just told you that I love you more than I ever have before.’ Spencer tried to argue, walking up behind her and snaking his arms around her waist so that he could pull her into his front. ‘You’re telling me that if I told you I wouldn’t say no to, I don’t know, Harry Styles, you wouldn’t love me that tiniest bit more?’ 

‘Nope.’ 

‘Oh come on, are you actually mad at me? It was a joke.’ Spencer’s lips ghosted over Autumn’s neck, grazing her skin gently before planting a kiss. 

‘Am I hell,’ she chuckled. ‘I just love making you all needy and pouty when you’ve made me mad. Now can you stop cuddling me before we get sanctioned a-bloody-gain?’ 

****** 

It was obvious when Amelia had arrived at the bed and breakfast because Spencer stood behind the front desk with his best smile on his face. Autumn stood next to him with a similar smile on her face. They were ready to greet their guest and get her checked in. The check-in page of the computer was pre-loaded so that it didn’t take too long to get things sorted, and they had restocked the bowl of complementary truffles in case she wanted to take one, or the whole bowl. They didn’t mind either way. 

Amelia walked in with a bodyguard who carried her large suitcase with ease. Autumn tried not to make any noticeable facial expressions when she saw how inappropriately dressed for winter in the middle of the countryside Amelia was. The black jeans that adorned her legs appeared to be made from the thinnest denim ever and she wore a denim jacket with nothing but a simple, striped t-shirt underneath it. Out of everything she wore, including the pair of sunglasses perched on top of her head, it was the Vans on her feet that made Autumn question if she was equipped for weather in the Cotswolds during November. 

Alas, nobody said a word. Both out of fear and due to the fact that they were around a real-life celebrity. It was embarrassing, really, their inability to simply function in the presence of someone so well known by the rest of the world. They all knew that she was just a regular person like them, but there was something else there. Something so subtle that nobody would quite put their finger on it. 

‘Amelia, it’s lovely to have you staying here with us,’ Autumn offered happily when Amelia reached the desk. ‘I’m Autumn, this is Spencer, and we’ll be getting you checked in today.’ 

‘Thank you,’ Amelia whispered as she reached the desk, resting her forearm against it and taking the weight from her feet so that she could stretch her legs. Her stomach flipped with unease as the two people behind the desk stared at her with huge grins. They were clearly fans and she didn’t know if that made her feel good or not. 

‘We do apologise, but your room isn’t quite ready as of yet. It is just getting the last few bits cleaned but you’ll be able to head up in about fifteen minutes if that’s okay?’ Amelia nodded with a soft smile. ‘You can take a seat on the sofas if you’d like and then we’ll get someone to take you up when it’s ready. Again, I’m really sorry that it isn’t ready for you right now. 

‘It’s fine, thank you,’ Amelia uttered again before she turned to her bodyguard with slightly raised eyebrows. ‘Will, you get yourself off home already! I don’t want you hitting rush hour traffic getting back into Oxford.’ 

‘I can wait with you, Amelia. It’s really no big deal.’ 

Will spoke with a strong Scottish accent and Autumn couldn’t help but admire his beauty. He stood half a foot or so taller than Amelia and his chocolatey brown hair was quiffed at the top of his head messily. His eyes were an icy blue and they were captivating to look at. Even with his stern, straight face, he somehow managed to look perfectly lovely and approachable. 

It could have been the way that Amelia smiled at him or the way that he wore a simple white t-shirt with a black-denim shirt over the top, and a caramel coloured trench coat. Maybe it was the way that he spoke so gently even with his thick accent, or the way that he made sure to smile and nod his head at everyone else in the foyer when he entered. Whatever it was, it worked. 

‘Honestly, there’s no point in it taking you hours to get home. You might as well leave now and get back home in time for the boys’ football practice. I’ll be on my own for the next couple of weeks so what’s an extra fifteen minutes?’ 

‘I can’t really argue with you on that,’ Will chuckled, wheeling her suitcase to sit next to the sofa near the door. ‘I could even grab a pizza to take home as a surprise for them too. Though I should probably tell Sarah that I’m taking one so she doesn’t cook.’ 

Amelia nodded enthusiastically at him and watched as he stepped away from the suitcase that now sat under the window overlooking the front garden. 

‘That’s probably a good idea. Tell her I say hi, please. I must come and see you both in the new year. It’s been a while, and she always has the best gossip to share with me.’ 

Will breathed a nod. ‘She does indeed. I’m sure she’d love to see you. You know where I am if you need anything while you’re out here. Please, please, please, don’t feel scared to call me, whatever time it is, okay? I just want you to be okay.’ 

‘Thank you, Will. I’ll call you if I need you, I promise. Now get home to those boys before I boot you out of the door myself,’ she chuckled as Will threw his arms around her in a tight embrace which she happily allowed. 

‘See you in a few weeks, Bray.’ 

‘See you in a few weeks, Southend.’ 

Amelia watched him leave the door before she moved to look out of the window, watching as he climbed into his car and turned back to the bed and breakfast. She waved at him and watched him set off before she sat on the small sofa in the foyer and looked around the place properly. 

The ceiling was a light cream colour and was a lot lower than she had first thought. The beams that ran across it were dark brown and chipped in places, and they ran down the entire length of the building. All of the floor that she could see, minus the stairs, was dark wood. There was a long rug with a messy fringe in the foyer by the sofa. 

There was a single, low hanging chandelier in the centre of the foyer, something that Amelia deemed a little silly considering how low the ceilings were. It was warm and cosy and instantly made her feel like she had walked into a home. That was all she could ask for. She would be in Rivercliffe for six whole weeks before heading home to spend Christmas with her family. 

Everyone’s attention turned to the door when it flew open and a gust of wind circled around them. Though it wasn’t the door opening that caught Amelia’s full attention. It was the gorgeous man that walked through it. 

‘Jesus fucking Christ, anyone would think it was Antarctica with how cold it is out there,’ Taron muttered as he slammed the door shut again, peeling his gloves from his hands and stuffing them into one of his coat pockets. He lifted the black hat from his head and stuffed it into the other pocket before he tousled his hair back into place. 

He turned towards the foyer where all eyes were on him. Then he saw Amelia and his eyes grew big and his cheeks grew a shade darker. 

‘I’m-fuck- oh wow, okay ummmm…I’m sorry for swearing,’ he stuttered. ‘I’m…Taron. I’m Taron.’ 

He went to lift his arm so that he could shake Amelia’s hand but he could barely lift it with his thick jumper being under his already thick coat. It was a wonder he’d been able to take his hat off. Amelia chuckled lightly at the sight before her while Autumn and Spencer rolled around in fits of laughter behind the desk. 

‘Trust Taron to make an absolute fool of himself in front of a celebrity,’ Spencer choked out. 

Amelia and Taron turned to the couple, Taron with a ‘are you serious?’ look on his face and Amelia with her lips rolled into her mouth and an uncomfortable smile on her face all at the same time. Autumn put her hands on Spencer’s shoulders and shoved him into the dining room in hopes that he wouldn’t continue to make a fool out of himself in front of their new guest. 

‘I’m sorry about those two,’ Taron said as he finally managed to peel his coat from his body and hang it up on the coat rack that sat next to Amelia. She could feel how cold it was from where she sat. He smoothed the material down so that it wouldn’t get in her way before he pulled the bottom of his jumper down properly, re-offering his hand. 

‘I’m Taron, it’s nice to meet you.’ 

‘Amelia.’ She returned the gesture with a smile.

Taron was beautiful, and she couldn’t help but watch him. The way his lips moved so slowly as he was talking, his words rolling off his tongue at the same pace. The way his eyelids had an ever so slight sheen to them when he blinked, and the way that there was a little bit of stubble growing along his jawline. 

‘I was just going to make myself a cup of coffee before my shift starts but I don’t want to leave you out here on your own. Not that you aren’t capable of sitting on your own…that’s not what I’m trying to say. It’s just, um, for God’s sake…would you like a coffee?’ 

‘I wouldn’t mind a tea if you have any?’ Amelia asked. ‘Haven’t had a decent cuppa in what feels like months.’ 

‘We have some Yorkshire tea in the kitchen if that’s alright for you?’ He didn’t miss the way her eyes lit up as she smiled widely. 

‘That’s bloody perfect. Thank you, Taron.’ 

The way that his name rolled off her tongue so effortlessly left Taron swallowing thickly through his own smile. 

‘Milk and sugar?’ 

‘Two sugars and just a splash of milk, please. And I like it quite strong, if that’s okay?’ 

‘No problem,’ he nodded. ‘I’ll be right back.’ 

He scurried off to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee and a cup of tea for Amelia. When he pushed the door open, a little more forcefully than he had intended, Autumn and Spencer flung themselves away from one another and wiped at their mouths. 

‘You two are really disgusting,’ Taron commented around an eyeroll. ‘I need tea, and I need it now!’ 

‘Taron, dude, what the hell was that out there?’ Spencer guffawed as he walked up to Taron and patted him on the back. ‘You came in and just like…froze?’ 

All he got in response was a mere shrug. ‘I dunno. Who’s going to take this tea out to her because I sure as hell am not after whatever the hell that-’ he swung his arm to the left and gestured to the foyer ‘-was out there.’ 

Autumn shook her head with an eye roll but grabbed the hot mug of tea from Taron’s hands and walked it through to where Amelia was scrolling on her phone. She looked up, hopeful to see Taron again, and smiled despite the disappointment of not seeing him. 

‘Thank you,’ you spoke softly as she took the mug and lifted it to her lips so that she could take a long sip. It was hot but so desperately needed. ‘Do you know when my room will be ready at all? I didn’t think about the weather and my feet are bloody freezing but my socks are at the bottom of my case which is typical honestly.’ 

‘One second and I’ll find out for you.’ Amelia walked to the desk and grabbed her walkie talkie to buzz up to Sada who was cleaning the room. ‘Any idea when we’re going to have Amelia’s room ready, Sada?’ 

‘I’ve just finished it. Send Taron up with her for me? I need to move this wardrobe but I can’t do it myself.’ Sada’s voice was very static-y and loud through the speaker. Amelia hardly understood a word, but Autumn was already responding, telling Sada that she’d send Taron up. 

‘I’ll just go and grab Taron quickly and then you’ll be able to head up to your room. I really am sorry that it wasn’t ready when you got here.’ 

‘It’s honestly fine,’ Amelia smiled. ‘It’s been nice sitting here, to be honest.’ 

When Amelia was left on her own again, she turned to her left and was met with Taron’s coat. She had one very similar to it up north in her family home. A khaki green parka with a fluffy hood and tighter sleeves. Though she knew hers wouldn’t smell as good as Taron’s did. Even with a little distance between her and the coat, she could smell Taron’s cologne all over it. 

‘Taron, Sada needs you upstairs for a minute to help move a wardrobe or something,’ Autumn said as she walked into the kitchen. Taron nodded. ‘Oh, and you also need to take Amelia upstairs to her room for me on your way. She’s in room five. You know where the key is. Thanks, mate!’ 

‘You little…’

He let his words trail off as he forcefully pushed the kitchen door open enough for him to squeeze through. When he got close to the foyer where he knew Amelia would be waiting for him, he shook his shoulders and took a deep breath. He had already made an enormous fool out of himself and he didn’t want to further what he could only imagine to be a negative impression of himself. 

‘Amelia, if you’d like to follow me up to your room.’ 

She stood up quickly, pulling the handle of her suitcase up and walking towards Taron with it towing behind her. She stopped just behind him but regretted it as soon as he turned on his heel and almost knocked her backwards. Luckily she was able to grip the desk to stop herself from tumbling. Taron’s hands reached out to grab her to steady her and she caught a hint of his scent. He smelt heavenly. Kind of musky with a hint of sweet and freshness. 

‘I’m sorry,’ he said quickly when he knew that she was safely on her feet. ‘I should have made sure that you weren’t-’ 

‘Taron, it’s okay. Happens to the best of us.’ She smiled at him, wanting him to know that it really was okay. 

‘Well, I’m still sorry. Here, let me take your suitcase for you. You have the attic room so there’s a lot of stairs to get up.’ 

Amelia didn’t argue with him. Instead she pushed her suitcase towards him with her foot and watched as he pushed the handle down fully so that he could grab it by the handle at the side. He lifted it with ease and Amelia could just about make out the soft bulge of his bicep through the material of his brown jumper. But it was still baggy enough that she didn’t know just how prominent it was. 

Taron walked up the stairs two at a time and almost made it to the top of the first flight without tripping over his own feet. Almost. A mere three steps from the top his shoelace came undone and he tripped over it. He moved the suitcase as softly as he could onto the landing before his knees hit the step above him. He cried out in pain while Amelia stood still behind him. She didn’t know how to react, but she couldn’t stop the little snort of a chuckle no matter how hard she tried. 

‘I’m sorry,’ she laughed, ‘I know I shouldn’t find it funny and that I should be asking if you are okay…but that was kind of funny.’ 

‘Yeah, yeah. I’ll remember that for when you fall up these bloody things. It’ll happen, trust me. He knelt down slowly to fasten his shoes again before he moved so that there was enough room for Amelia to stand next to him. ‘Can we pretend this never happened?’ 

Amelia nodded through a smile as he stood himself back up and continued to walk to the next flight of stairs that he would have to walk up. Though instead of being too big for hit boots and trying to walk up them two at a time again, he walked up them one at a time. He didn’t miss Amelia giggling at him and he had to let himself admit that it was the cutest thing he had heard in a long time. 

‘Okay so this is you,’ he spoke as he stopped dead in front of the door that led to her room. He pulled out a metal key that was attached to a red plastic keyring. ‘This is your key. There’s tea and coffee in your room but if you need any extras let me know and I’ll bring you more.’ 

‘Thank you, Taron. Before you go to help Sada,’ Amelia started, lifting the handle of her suitcase again, ‘where do you suggest heading for tea tonight? I’m starving and could do with a proper good meal.’ 

Taron thought for a little while, going over all of the food places that would still be open before deciding on a couple of different options. ‘Okay so there is a small café that is open for tea and they serve fish and chips or small bits like sandwiches and quiche. But if you’re wanting a proper meal that’s warm and filling, I recommend the pub on Farm Lane. Their food is amazing.’ 

‘Pub tea!’ Amelia exclaimed happily. ‘I haven’t had that in so long so I think I’ll head there. Thank you, again. I really appreciate it.’ 

‘It’s no problem. I’ll see you later, Amelia.’ 

****** 

Taron was refreshing. He didn’t talk to Amelia like she was a celebrity. He talked to her as Amelia and it was a nice difference to what she was used to. Though what she stupidly didn’t think about was how everyone else in the village wasn’t Raron and to them she was just Pretty Baby Bray, as the media had nicknamed her. 

Walking through the village itself wasn’t the worst experience of her life. A few people stared at her as she walked past, and a few ran off to tell others, but it was a pleasant walk for the most part. Until she actually arrived at the pub. 

Rivercliffe Arms sat in the centre of the village and was the go-to place for socialising. Everyone over the age of 18 would go to the pub at least once a week, with the older men going more regularly to watch the football together on a couple of the TVs that were scattered around. It was loud and stunk of stale beer. The perfect recipe for a local pub, really. 

The outside of the pub was covered in green ivy with only small parts of the brown brick showing through. There were a couple of wooden picnic benches sitting outside the pub but due to the lack of warmth from the sun, they weren’t being occupied by anybody. Inside smelt like old cigarette smoke and normally Amelia would be disgusted by the scent and would turn away but there was something drawing her in. 

It wasn’t too full that evening. A few people leaned against the var while some of the larger tables were surrounded by families and groups of friends. There was chatter everywhere that Amelia turned and it reminded her of being home when she was a young girl. Some of her fondest memories were when she would go to the pub with her Grandad on a Sunday afternoon where he would buy her a glass of Diet Coke and a bag of crisps. They would sit and chat for hours before they headed home for bed. 

Her little adventure out of London was very much needed. After months of filming a new movie while also promoting her last movie, she’d started to burn out and was in dire need of a getaway. 

When Will first suggested that she take a break for a couple of months somewhere idyllic before heading straight back up to Manchester for Christmas, she thought he was being a complete idiot. But then she sat and really thought about it. She was unable to remember the last time she took a break and truly let herself relax. 

Whenever she finished shooting a movie, and before she set off on press, she would take herself away somewhere to relax but always wound up being stuck in a hotel room the entire trip so that people wouldn’t see where she was. 

Being in the Cotswolds was different, and she was beyond thankful to Will for suggesting somewhere so beautiful. So much so that she had sent him way too many thank you texts, including lots of GIFs and white heart emojis. Will told her that she really didn’t need to thank him. She just needed to enjoy herself and finally take the break that she deserved. 

‘You’re Amelia Bray, aren’t you?’ Amelia turned to her left to find an old lady with bright white hair staring back at her in awe. ‘It is you! My grandson just loves your films. I can’t wait to get home and tell him that I saw you.’ 

‘I’m so glad that he likes them,’ Amelia replied with a semi forced smile. All she wanted to do was sit in the corner out of the way and order herself toad in the hole, preferably with sprouts and plenty of gravy. ‘I should probably order myself some food but it was lovely meeting you.’ 

‘The pleasure is all mine.’ 

Amelia walked away and let out a huge breath, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone else in the pub. As much as she adored her fans, and as much as she knew that it was inevitable that she would meet some, that night she just wanted to eat a good meal and then get into bed and sleep. 

She let her hands rest on top of the bar as she leaned into it quickly to stretch her back but regretted her decision as soon as she felt the sticky substance of old spilled alcohol cover them. She pulled them away with a disgusted look, missing the way the boy behind the bar looked at her with a gentle smile. 

When she looked at him, he was holding a damp cloth in her direction so that she could wipe her hands and clean them. She took it gladly. 

‘Thank you. I’m Amelia.’ She held out her hand once she’d cleaned it for the handsome man to shake, her signature smile plastered on her face. 

‘I’m Kaine.’ He offered her a smile before taking the cloth back and moving to the tablet in front of him. ‘Can I get you anything to eat or drink tonight?’ 

‘I have a hankering for a toad in the hole. Hopefully with a side of sprouts and plenty of gravy?’ 

Kaine stayed quiet as he pressed a few buttons. When he looked back up, Amelia was already looking at him with hopeful eyes. ‘That’s perfectly fine. Can I get you a drink with that?’

‘A good ol’ Pinot Noir, please.’ 

‘Do you have any ID on you?’ Amelia looked at Kaine as if he had three heads. Surely he was fucking with her and didn’t actually want her ID, no matter how flattered she felt at the same time. She was nearing 30 and it was public knowledge that she was over the legal drinking age. ‘Sorry, it’s just protocol.; 

She nodded as she shook her head slightly, and pulled her driving licence out of her purse to hand to Kaine. Just like the majority of the population, her driving licence photo wasn’t the best. It had been taken when she was still 16 so she looked a hell of a lot younger than she was and she hated it. Kaine let himself chuckle as she checked her date of birth before handing it back over with a nod of his head. 

‘That’ll be £11.58 altogether, please.’ 

Amelia nodded and pulled her bank card out of her purse once she’d put her licence back, tapping it on the card machine with a satisfied smile. As she put her purse back into her bag and zipped it up, Kaine poured her a glass of wine. It was bigger than it should have been for the price she paid but she was somewhat used to getting more than she paid for. 

‘Take this and sit wherever, I’ll bring your food over when it’s ready.’ 

‘Thank you.’ 

******

A delicious plate of food, two bottles of wine and three fan encounters later, Amelia sat at the bar chatting to Kaine about everything Rivercliffe. She made sure to ask about the nearest supermarket and how long it would take her to walk there should she be brave enough. She asked about the best places to go for food other than the pub, and if there were any nice coffee shops around. And she asked about any winter and Christmas traditions the village had. 

Kaine had been more than accommodation to her constant, drunk chatter, telling her about the Tesco which was a 40-minute drive away so well over an hour walk, the café on Cart Lane and the coffee shop on Tilbridge Street. He also informed her of the traditions that the village had, such as the Christmas light switch on where everyone gathered near the bed and breakfast for free hot chocolate, carols and the lights. 

‘When do the lights get turned on?’ Amelia asked as she tilted her wine glass back to drink more of the red. Her lips were stained maroon by that point. 

‘The 1st of December. It’ll be packed in here by 4pm and we’ll sell more jacket potatoes than you would think possible. And then everyone will head down to the B&B for six.’ Kaine wiped down the bar before moving Amelia’s then empty wine glass so that it could be washed. ‘It’s always so special and there’s just this incredibly magical feeling that surrounds us all as we stand together.’ 

‘I can’t wait.’ 

‘You’ll be here for it?’ Kaine asked in surprise. Amelia nodded with a big smile. ‘That’s amazing. Make sure you wrap up warm, it’ll be bloody freezing.’ 

Amelia chuckled and pulled the sleeves of her jacket over her hands and bounced her leg a few times. She had some idea of how cold it would be before she set off on her little holiday, but she hadn’t realised just how cold it would be. Her denim jacket was nowhere near thick enough to keep her warm in the bitter chill outside. When she had the effort she would have to walk to Tesco to buy herself a winter coat. 

‘It already is bloody freezing,’ she mumbled in defeat. 

‘It’ll only get colder,’ Kaine continued, putting the final glasses away before sighing happily. ‘Longest shift of my life.’ 

‘Oh, I’m sorry. If I’d have known I wouldn’t have kept you chatting for so long. I feel so silly,’ Amelia rushed out. The alcohol had well and truly started to take effect and she could feel her head starting to spin. 

‘Don’t be silly, it’s okay! It was nice to have the company while cleaning up, in all honesty.’ Kaine grabbed his coat from the rack that just sat behind the bar before turning back to Amelia with a genuine smile. ‘Would you like me to walk you back to wherever you’re staying?’ 

‘I’m staying at the B&B but it’s okay. I can walk on my own,’ Amelia said softly as she stood up from the stool. She almost toppled over from the alcohol that was surging through her bloodstream but caught herself on the bar. 

‘That’s on my way back. And I am not letting you walk on your own when you can hardly stand up straight. Come on, it’s no big deal.’ 

Kaine stood next to her and let her link her arms around his so that she could stay upright. ‘Thank you.’ 

****** 

As Amelia and Kaine walked up to the B&B, Taron had walked out of the front door wrapped in his coat and a scarf that he hadn’t been wearing earlier in the day. He saw the pair walking towards him and his stomach dropped instantly. Amelia had her arms wrapped around Kaine’s arm and she was laughing at something he had said. KAine had his hands in his pocket and kept turning to look at Amelia with a large smile. 

Taron should have known, really, that he would never get a look in with Amelia. He never got a look in with anybody. 

‘Taron!’ Amelia shouted from the bottom of the path, letting go of Kaine and staggering towards him. ‘Can you take me to bed? Let me fall up the stairs like you did earlier. That was funny.’ 

She threw her arms around Taron’s body and rested her chin on his chest as she looked up at him. He was gorgeous, his greeny blue eyes dazzling and his lips the perfect shade. If she were to tell the truth, she’d never seen a man just as beautiful as Taron. He was broad, too, her arms barely fit around his body with his coat on, and she wondered what it would be like to have his arms wrapped around her. 

‘I can’t take you to be, love, but I can take you to your room?’ Taron spoke down to her gently, watching the way that her eyelashes fluttered against the tops of her eyelids delicately. 

‘Love?’ Amelia asked quietly, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and smiling to herself. ‘I love it. Love. Taron called me love.’ 

Taron turned to Kaine and nodded a greeting. ‘Thanks for bringing her back, man.’ 

‘No problem. See you around, Amelia.’ 

‘Bye Kainey boy. Thank you for the wiiiiiiine!’ Her words were slurred but she continued to talk. ‘To the bedroom.’ she shouted as she pointed to the bed and breakfast, charging forward to the front door where she yanked it open and made her way through the foyer towards the first flight of stairs. 

Taron followed her the entire way up, trying not to look straight forward where he would get an eyeful of her butt. She fell twice, and both times she turned to Taron with a giggle, to which he shook his head at her with a smile. 

‘Oooh there’s something at the door!’ Amelia whispered as she bent down to pick up the green box that had been left with a note. 

Taron’s stomach dropped as he watched her unfold the note. He watched her eyes travel over the paper a few times, her eyes closing every few seconds as she tried to refocus them. Pure dread washed over him as she finally looked back at him and blinked slowly. 

‘Thank you, Taron,’ she whispered with a smile, eyeing the box of Yorkshire tea once more with a large grin. ‘Hey, what do you say about coming in and having a bit of fun? Let me thank you properly for the tea.’ 

Taron could feel himself resisting the urge to take a single step forward to pull her into him, moulding their lips together in what he could only imagine would be the best kiss of his entire life. But he would feel himself pushing himself backwards. Amelia wasn’t sober. She didn’t know what she was saying and he would not take advantage of her. 

‘Another time?’

‘Promise?’ Amelia asked sweetly, only slightly disheartened that Taron didn’t want to go back to her room with her. Even though she was wildly intoxicated, she knew what she wanted. 

‘Promise,’ he replied before kissing her cheek gently and walking down the stairs and out of the building. 

He had to give himself a few minute before setting back off home, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. The more he looked at Amelia, the more he came to appreciate her true beauty. Everything about her drew him in. Her eyes that he could get lost in; her smile that left him weak at the knees; her voice that made him dizzy. Everything. She was perfect, but she would never be his. 

With one last deep breath, Taron pushed himself off of the front door and down the path towards the village. He shoved his hands in his pockets and absentmindedly kicked at a rock on the ground, following it where it travelled before kicking it again. When the rock rolled into the middle of the road, he left it and walked the final few metres to his house.

Taglist:

[5amanthus]

🌧️💧

Ask Game

🌧️Share something angsty from your WIP.

(Slaps the whole Black Hole AU, but I'll just do the opening for chapter 3 atm) [Smoking/addiction warning]

        Chrome jolted awake and quickly sat up, throwing his blankets onto the floor as his skin prickled with phantom sensations. A queasy film seemed to coat his stomach, making it heave along with his struggling lungs, but nothing went in or came out under his panic. He released a pathetic whining sob of a sound and managed to suck in a breath, burying his trembling hands into the mattress covering.

        "Fuck." He cursed sharply, slapping the material before pushing himself up.

        His eyes burned and his brain felt fuzzy from lack of sleep, but he forced himself over to his desk. Taking a seat, he ripped open a drawer with one hand and turned on his radio with the other. Music filled the room and he increased the volume while slipping a cigarette between his lips. His leg shook to the fast beat and he lit the end, taking a long drag to quell the nerves and gnawing hunger.

        Despite the vice, he was far from calmed as his hands refused to become idle, reaching for anything and everything in an attempt to busy themselves. His mind did much the same as he crafted a circuit both physically and mentally, connecting the wires to the board he found himself building. Between the tweaking, he grabbed another cigarette, the withering butt of the last dropping unceremoniously to the ground while it was replaced. The lighter remained on the table as he used a mini-welder to light the end, ignoring the tingling burn against his skin before turning it back to the tech.

        His foot thumped to an aggressive beat and his hands continued to shake, making him catch his fingers on the sweltering metal. Cursing, he shook his hand and bit down on the cigarette to keep it from falling. The smoke burned his eyes more, but he squinted through it, refusing to give in to the urge to fall back asleep. He turned the music up louder and lit another cigarette, connecting more wires to the board. Ash coated the desk and he half-heartedly wiped it away before burning his hand.

        "Son of a bitch!" He dropped the welder and shoved the desk roughly before clutching his hands.

        A loud pounding on the door made him jump and he turned to look at it, his eyes struggling to focus through the exhaustion and greyed atmosphere.

💧Share something romantic/hot from your WIP, or just something sweet if it's gen.

(NSFW content for new original T4T lesbian monster/human story)

        The dual heat returned, part of Amelia wanted to say no, but part of her also wanted to say yes, and the former slipped from her lips before she had even realized it. A whispered consent was all it took for her to be hoisted up onto the counter with strange hands sliding up her thighs. Instinctively she closed her legs, but she just as quickly opened them again as intentions registered and she responded in kind, wrapping them around an oddly shaped waist.

        The close proximity made her dizzy from the rush of having another warm body against hers. Smooth nails traced over her skin and her body responded, making her shudder. Her dress bunched up under the exploration and her heart thumped loudly as she realized she was still wearing it, but the silky slide only added to the sensations.

        "Please, leave it on." She said before the material could pass her stomach.

        "Only the dress?" Soi asked, keeping her hands beneath it even as she paused. The woman hesitated for only a moment before nodding shyly with a subtle lip bite. "Good, it looks beautiful on you."

        Amelia's face radiated warmth and she couldn't suppress a smile at the compliments. "That's not fair. You're not wearing any clothes for me to compliment...and I like your everything."

        Soi chuckled, her voice raspy but affectionate as she butted her head lightly against the human's. "Don't worry, your eyes are saying enough." She purred and ran her hands along the outside of the woman's thighs. "You can touch me too."

[imxthexhandler]

Clint: "I'm going to hijack a helicopter and airlift two dozen dogs out of this house on 43rd Street that isn't taking care of them. Their illegal stuff should negate my illegal stuff, right???"

Nat: "I'm kind of worried about the number of agents looking at my butt these days. It's not that I care that their attention is on it but they're willing to get caught looking... am I less scary than I used to be? Should I intimidate them more?"

Steve: "You don't need to dramatically rescue me or anything, but if you could call me in half an hour so that I have an excuse to get out of the meeting with that senator, that would be fantastic."

Tony: "What do you mean SHIELD doesn't need hovercrafts? Everyone needs hovercrafts in their life."

( @bokketo)

YOU HAVE FOUR NEW VOICE MESSAGES.

Amelia held in a sigh. For the past two-and-a-half hours, she'd been stuck going over the Avengers' expense reports for S.H.I.E.L.D. related missions, and it'd been a headache.

She hadn't even had a chance to eat breakfast yet, and it was near one in the afternoon. What started as a dull ache at her temple now felt like a sharp icicle stabbing her through her left eye.

Now, she was back in her office, her coffee cold, and four new messages on her phone.

"Okay, might as well get started..." she mumbled and sighed before hitting play and putting it on speaker while she worked the Keurig she had in her office.

She almost dropped her mug when she heard Barton's message, spinning around and marching back to her desk where her phone laid, yelling at it, "Are you kidding me?"

She wasn't even gone for a whole day! How did this happen?

She picked up her office phone, already dialing Clint's cell number when Natasha's message played.

At that point, Amelia sighed. Oh great. Now, she was going to have to rein in Nat before she terrorized the new recruits into quitting.

"What next?" she grumbled.

Of course, she had to ask.

"Captain?" she whined before groaning. "Jesus, please tell me he didn't go on a lecture that's being shared on YouTube..." she mumbled under her breath, getting more exasperated and frustrated as her call to the infamous Hawkeye went to the voicemail.

"Damnit, Barton," she growled, dialing again. If that archer just thought he could ignore her and she'd go away!...

...And then Tony mentioned the hovercrafts.

Oh no. What did that mean? What was he planning?

AND WHY THE FRAK WAS CLINT NOT ANSWERING HIS PHONE?!

She was debating whether or not to try him for a third time, call to try and see if she could get Steve to calmly leave the meeting, tell Nat to rein it in and not scare the newbies too badly, or if she needed to call Tony to tell him to stop ordering things on the S.H.I.E.L.D. expense account or tamper with S.H.I.E.L.D. property and technology to develop new 'toys', when her office phone rang this time.

"Davidson," she answered.

"Hi, Agent Davidson. The Deputy Director has requested you to meet her at her office. Immediately," came the smooth voice of Maria Hill's secretary.

She gritted her teeth, forcing a smile as she replied politely, "Yes, ma'am, I'll be right there." She hung up the call, almost screaming in frustration.

"...I have not had enough coffee for this..." she mumbled under her breath then sighed again.

"Well...better get back to work..."

[fayes-fics]

Moments: Epilogue 2

Moments masterpost

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Paring: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: It’s six years after the wedding. Let’s check in with James Darby and his family!

Warnings: none… domestic/family fluff.

Word Count: 0.6k (this epilogue only, 24.5k total for all chapters)

Authors Note: My loves, this is the last in the Moments story. But there will be a few one-shots set in the Moments-verse. Including an art lesson and a Christmas special :) I hope you enjoy this sweet footnote, which was actually written before chapter five haha. I always had an ending in mind ;) Thanks as ever to my beta @makaylan and to @chaoticcalzoneranchsports for suggestions on amending one line. <3

Epilogue 2: Moments from another family life

Six years later

“Please stop that,” his voice is exasperated, struggling to be heard over a toddler’s wailing, “give it back to Amelia now.”

“But, daddy, that’s not fair. I wanted it before she did,” the five-year-old girl whines petulantly, her eyes wide and pleading.

“Well, she had it first until you took it away, which isn’t nice. Let Amelia play; then you can, please,” he attempts to placate. “Besides, there’s plenty of other dolls for you to choose from.”

“But I want this one,” her pout becoming epic. 

You walk in with one-year-old Thomas balanced on your hip.

“Isobel Bridgerton, you play nice, or you don’t play at all. Do you hear me?” Your voice stern.

“Yes, mummy,” she mumbles and hands back the toy doll to her little three-year-old sister, who stops crying and whoops happily.

“How come they always listen to you more than me?” Benedict bemoans, running a hand through his hair a little harried, watching Isobel pick out another doll and start playing happily.

“Because you are too nice to them, my love,” you reply with a chuckle, bumping him gently with your shoulder. “Those girls have you wrapped around their little finger, and they know it.”

“Well, maybe if they didn’t look so much like their mother, I wouldn’t be so utterly beguiled by them,” he counters with a pointed look. 

“Hmmm, is that right?” You tilt your head and give him a playful smirk. 

He leans down to kiss Thomas' head, sleeping against you. “Besides, they are my babies; how can I ever not be nice?” He grumbles good-naturedly against his youngest son's hair.

“You can be loving and be strict too, you know,” you lecture gently. He huffs a sigh, then turns his head, this time his lips meeting yours. 

“Father, must you?” James' voice rings out from across the room as he wanders in from the garden.

“I’m allowed to kiss your mother, James,” Benedict shoots back at his eldest son as he pulls away from the kiss.

“Preferably not in front of me,” James retorts tartly, every inch the surly eleven-year-old he now is.

“James! Don’t be impertinent,” you chastise, “or we will kiss all afternoon just to annoy you.”

“You wouldn’t,” James pulls a face of disgust that is so identical to Benedict’s that you can’t help but laugh a little.

“Oh yes, I would,” you warn, raising an eyebrow, handing sleeping baby Thomas to your nanny with a smile, then looping your arms around your husband’s neck.

“Issy and Milly don’t like it either,” James scowls, trying to rally support for his cause— that his little sisters roundly ignore. 

“I’m just fine with you following through on this threat,” Benedict whispers, his hands low on your back as he shoots you a charming crooked smile.

“Yes, and it’s that exact face which got us into this predicament in the first place, Mr Bridgerton,” you scold affectionately, “so stop smiling at me like that unless you really want a fifth bloody child.” 

He spins you around in his arms, so you both survey the melee in front of you, a mess of children and toys cluttering your drawing room. His arms wrap tighter around you from behind, his breath warm on the shell of your ear.

“I’m not against the idea Mrs Bridgerton,” he murmurs. 

You huff a laugh. “Want some good advice?” You ask, running your hands up his forearms.

“Always,” he hums against your temple.

“Enjoy this moment. Because in about two seconds….” As if on cue, Thomas starts wailing. 

“How do you always know?” he sighs, releasing his hold on you. “I'll take him,” Benedict calls to the nanny, walking to pick up his smallest child. “Maybe you are right; four is enough,” he concurs as he soothes Thomas.

“Smart man,” you wink.

Benedict taglist: @makaylan @foreverlonginguniverse @iboopedyournose @wysteria-clad @colettebronte @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @margofiore @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @crowleysqueenofhell @baebee35

Moments only taglist: @queenofshinigamis @khaleesjj @starslibrary @magical-spit @honeylovemoon @justwant2read8421

[chrrythrill]

plotted starter for @dccpestdxrkest

perhaps she shouldn’t have come here. after days alone in the dark, surviving off of very little and without comfort, that is where amelia settles. it was hopeless, truly. she had not been expecting this place to be inhabited, a strange kingdom hidden from the outside world. the only thing she had expected to run into was other treasure hunters and those she believed herself capable of handling. what she had found was a cruel king, one who seemed capable of beating her with little effort. he could predict her next move and twist her mind against her. there was no way she would escape this place unless he let her walk away. she doubted it though; he’d already made her confess that she was here alone, and with the way the other women she saw were treated she suspected she would have a similar fate. madness or death.

it had to be madness right? what made those women act like they did? she had pitied them when she was brought to the king’s chamber, the unclothed wretches who had so little self respect as to let themselves be used as toys and entertainment. yet, in the days she had spent in the cell, she couldn’t get the images out of her mind. her mouth dried thinking about the girl who had been sitting on his lap. at first, she simply assumed that was the case, they clearly weren’t fucking, but when the king had risen his cock — a large, monstrous… beautiful thing — had sprung free of the woman’s cunt with an obscene wet noise. the girl had even whimpered from the loss. she had just been sitting there, filled with his cock and cum until he had decided he was through.

then there were the girls who were fucking each other to the left and right of his throne, while leering guards looked on. their bodies had been tangled together so completely, it was difficult to tell what each was doing to the other. flashes of memory appear though, and she cannot shake them from her mind’s eyes. girls kissing each other, girls fingering each other, girls eating each other out, and girls grinding their pussies together while moaning. other girls were draped closer to the throne, kissing the king’s neck and hands, gently playing with his hair. one even seemed to be begging him to fuck her instead. she was desperate, not even caring that the king was otherwise occupied, and whining loud enough that amelia had overheard parts of her plea.

my king, my god, please. please breed me and honor me with your cum, my father. i’m so empty without you.

yes, pity was what she felt. pity for the poor girls. she repeated that to herself, trying to ignore the growing wetness between her own thighs. it was confusing, the sensation, but she had no idea that the king had been visiting her nightly, staying in the shadows and toying with her fragile mind. thighs rub together gently, seeking out some relief for the growing ache she was feeling but could not explain. yes, the king was very handsome, but she doesn’t understand why she was this impacted by the idea, especially when facing down what was certain to be her last days. what was wrong with her?

she looks up at the sound of footsteps — the king seemed to only be heard when he wanted to be — and swallows. perhaps last day was more apt. “have you decided what you are going to do with me?” she asks firmly, not wanting to reveal to him that he or his women had any impact on her.

[shslpunkartist]

Could we see a random snipbit from your system au? Perhaps system Amelia trying to find her glasses while Keith & Pico tries to help her out? Or perhaps system Amelia meeting system Otis and accidentally kills him with her adorableness? :]

System Ami and Otis are actually friends before the story happens because of same classes (maybe further past that? Maybe high school friends who decided to go to the same college), so I'm gonna do the first suggestion.

(Put under the readmore incase some people don't want spoilers)

Meet at her dorm at 1 pm. It's 12:56 right now. Good. We've made perfect time.. right? Or should we go in at the EXACT right time? Or maybe a minute or so later? Who shows up to a friend meeting at the exact time anyway??

"Dude, chill out!" I felt a poke at my side, and turned to see Pico snickering at me. "I doubt Lily's gonna get on your butt for being a few minutes early. Let's just go in now. It's just a project meet-up, after all!"

"Easy for you to say.." I mumble. Which is true. It shouldn't be a big deal, but never - and I mean NEVER - have I went into someone else's dorm for an assignment. For any projects that I was forced to partner with someone, it would all be over text and media share, since neither of us would want to meet up in person. This is completely different and new.. feels like my stomach's gonna flip inside out.

"Look, if you don't go knock on that door, I'll force take over and have Lily all to myself. Make you look double weird~" Again, Pico was snickering at my misfortune. He knew damn well I was nervous, but of course, he makes light of it.. or that's his way of helping me ease up.

Either way, I flick his forehead and go to the door, ignoring his cry of pain. Wasting time out here actually got me even closer to the exact time, so that's a little less worry off my system.. I think. Regardless, I knock on the door, and wait patiently for the door to open.

Boof. "Ack! Crap, uh.. one second!" Whack! Dingle..

"Uh.. Ami?" Was stuff falling on the ground?

"One secoooond! Shit, where did.. arghh!"

"Lily's fighting someone."

"She's not fighting anyone, shut up."

"Dude, she's totally kicking someone's ass right now. Break in, I wanna see."

"There's no way I'm breaking inside! Stop saying stupid thi-!"

Suddenly, the door swung open, startling both me and Pico back from the doorway. Amelia stood at the other end, glaring right at us, completely disheveled and pissed off. Shit, I knew it, we caught her at a horrible time-!!

"Who are you?"

... huh???

"A-Ami?" I took a step forward and gave a slight wave, hoping the shakiness of my hand wasn't noticed. "I-It's me? Keith? We.. were supposed to work on a song together..?"

A moment of silence lasted longer than I had hoped for, but that's when her glare widened to shock, and I noticed her cheeks begin to flare a bright pink. "O-Oh my gosh, Keith! I didn't recognize your voice through the door, I'm sorry!" I was about to sigh in relief, until she suddenly moved closer to me and glared again, taking a closer look at.. my face.

... wait.. is she squinting??

"Ooh yeah, there's your blue hair!" She let out a nervous giggle. "I'm really sorry, Keith. I'm, well.. it's embarrassing, but I'm blind as a bat without my glasses. I've been trying to find them for the past hour, but.. well.. I'm blind without them! Ahaha.. heh.."

"I'm in love with her." Pico bluntly states.

Shut up, you!

"Oh, ok.. thought you were.." I paused, not wanting to say what Pico had claimed she was doing. "Um.. y'know what, forget it. I can help you find them, if you want."

"Yes! Please and thank you! I could've swore I left them on my nightstand, but I can't friggin-!!" Amelia quickly turned away to get back into her room, only to bump into the wall rather harshly, now whining at her newly injured nose. I took her by the shoulders and helped her inside, not wanting her to crash into anything else.