#like compared to the dress dip that had a beautiful face

[rynbutt]

pierced. pt. 7 | spencer reid.

He was falling for every part of you.

you will find the other parts on my masterlist.

cw: fem!reader, 18+ content (MDNI), oral (f!receiving), fingering, unprotected sex (DONT DO THIS), nipple stuff (duh).

a/n: this is basically just porn. he got me BARKING.

Spencer was basically pushing you out the door as you left Rossi’s house.

You were having a pleasant conversation with Hotch when Spencer grazed your shoulder, asking if you were ready to go. You told him you would be ready in a minute and almost thirty minutes after he asked, it was like he was sulking. He asked you again and this time you felt you should honour his wishes. You hugged JJ, Emily and Penelope goodbye and thanked Rossi again for inviting you, Spencer wasn’t so bothered by formalities and started ushering you out the door.

You berated him gently as you left, reminding him to be polite. Spencer lovingly reminded you that they’re used to him and his antics. Spencer unlocked his car and before you could even open the passenger side door, he spun you around, pushing you against the car door. He cupped your face in his warm hands, pressing a hard kiss to your lips.

It was then you understood why he wanted to leave, the hard-on in his pants pressing against your thigh. You gently pushed on his chest, forcing him to pull away from your lips. You smiled coyly at him, moving some of his messy hair out of his face.

“I don’t think having sex against your car outside Rossi’s house is exactly sensible, Spence,” you whispered, gently fixing his tie. 

Spencer’s mouth fell open, “I wasn’t- I was not implying we do such a thing.”

You giggled at his offended expression, “You sure?” You gestured down at the bulge forming in his pants.

“...No comment,” he retorted, kissing your cheek before finally freeing you of his grasp to get in the driver’s seat. You found it cute really, how much more confident Spencer had gotten when showing you affection.

Spencer held your hand for the entire ride home, his fingers laced with yours, making your hand look so much smaller compared to his. He ran the pad of his thumb along your thumb and side of your wrist, keeping your attention drawn to him. 

You were sleepy when you got home, though you had the feeling Spencer wasn’t going to let you sleep much at all. You fumbled with your keys as you shoved the key in the lock on your door, Spencer getting handsy when you didn’t move as fast as he wanted you to. You finally unlocked your door and pushed it open, kicking your heels off the minute you stepped inside, the blisters on the back of your feet finally gaining some relief.

Spencer followed behind you and once your shoes were off, he pressed you against the door, one hand on your hip while the other held your jaw, kissing you deeply. You smiled against the kiss, lifting your hands to hold his face, fingers playing with his hair. You felt Spencer’s tongue push into your mouth, his hands coming down to scoop up your thighs.

You wrapped your legs around his waist, your dress hiking up to your upper thighs. Spencer’s hands gently cupped the flesh of your ass, his hands kneading the soft skin. You let out a soft whine against his lips, pulling away for a moment to breathe.

“This why you wanted to get me alone, pretty boy?” You breathed.

“What gave it away?” He retorted, planting open-mouthed kisses along the underside of your jaw. Your hand gripped his hair as he nipped at the side of your neck, his hands slipping under your dress to feel your soft skin.

Spencer lifted one of his hands to feel around for the zipper on the back of your dress. He tugged on the zip, pulling it all the way down as the fabric loosened on your shoulders. He began kissing down your neck to the exposed skin above the neckline of your dress. You reached up to pull the fabric down your shoulders, exposing the swell of your breasts to his hungry eyes.

“You’re so beautiful,” Spencer mumbled, pressing a long peck to your lips. He dipped his head down, kissing down between your breasts as his hands kneaded your ass. He pressed a kiss to the side of your breast before taking one of your pierced nipples in his mouth, his tongue flicking over the hardened bud. The cold metal felt weird in his mouth but it sent his mind reeling. You moaned softly against the back of your hand, your other hand gripping Spencer’s hair.

“Fuck- Spencer,” you breathed out through a whine as his teeth nipped at the squishy skin.

“You were right,” he glanced up at you, a cheeky grin on his face, “they are sensitive.”

You let out a small noise of surprise as Spencer lifted you off the door, your arms instinctively wrapping around his shoulders as he carried you to your bedroom. Spencer gently dropped you on your plush sheets, pressing another kiss to your lips before he kicked his shoes off and slipped his blazer off his shoulders. 

Your hands reached out to cup his face as he leaned in to kiss you, holding himself above you. Your fingers went to remove his tie but he stopped you, gripping your wrists and pinning your hands above your head. You let out a soft whine in protest as he began slipping your dress down your hips and legs, tossing it to the ground somewhere in your room.

He planted a kiss to your sternum, his lips ghosting over your hardened nipples. The feeling sent a shiver down your spine, feeling heat form in your lower belly as a wet patch began to form on your lace panties. 

“Can I go down on you?” He asked breathlessly, his dark eyes peering up at you.

You felt your skin heat up at the question, “you… want to?” You don’t think any man who came before him has ever wanted to go down on you.

“More than anything,” he confessed.

“Okay,” you nodded.

“Okay, what?” He teased, kissing the skin above your belly button.

“I want you to go down on me, Spencer,” you whispered, lifting one of your legs to drape over his hip. His hand held your knee before snaking up your thigh to play with the thin fabric of your panties against your hip. He let go of your wrists, his hands tugging on his tie. He pulled it over his head before reaching up to tighten the fabric around your wrists, pinning them above your head.

“You look cute like that,” he grinned.

“Shut up,” you retorted. Spencer suddenly pulled you to the edge of the bed, kneeling down in front of you on the floor as he pulled your panties down your thighs. You lifted your hips for him, letting him tug them off and toss them across the room with your dress.

He looked up at you from between your spread legs, “You okay, angel?”

You smiled softly at the nickname, “Please, Spence- don’t tease me.”

Spencer grinned, his large hands pressing on the back of your thighs, pushing your legs open until you were spread open for him, your slick cunt making his mouth water. You wanted to cover your face and squeal with embarrassment as he stared at you with nothing but adoration and lust in his eyes.

You were about to protest when Spencer pressed a kiss to your clit. You let out a soft moan at the feeling, your hands pulling at the tie around your wrists. Spencer let out a groan as he dipped his tongue inside your cunt, tasting your sweetness for the first time.

You threw your head back at the feeling of Spencer sucking softly on your clit, his tongue gently flicking over the swollen bud. Spencer pushed your legs further apart when he felt you squeezing against him, searching for some kind of friction. You had no idea where he learned any of this but he was making you dizzy.

“F-fuck, Spence,” you moaned out, your hands shooting down to grasp his hair, grinding your hips against his mouth. Spencer took one of his hands off your thighs, reaching his fingers up to press against your lips. You opened your mouth, sucking on his long fingers as he stared up at you from between your plush thighs.

He pulled his fingers from your mouth, now coated in your spit. He placed a kiss to your clit before gently pushing his finger inside you all the way to the last knuckle. Your hips bucked against the feeling of Spencer curling his fingers inside you while his tongue swirled around your clit. He pushed a second finger in, the pads of his fingertips pressing against the spongy spot inside you.

You felt a warmth blooming in your abdomen as your hips bucked against Spencer’s face, his fingers splitting you open while he sucked on your swollen clit, bringing you closer and closer to the edge. Your fingers tangled in Spencer’s hair, tugging at the roots, “Spencer- Spencer- I’m gonna-”

Spencer flicked his tongue over your clit, curling his fingers in such a way that made your mind go blank as the coil in your belly snapped, your cunt pulsing around Spencer’s fingers as you arched your back off your bed. Your slick gushed over his fingers and mouth, the sound of Spencer lapping up your wetness like a starved man was lewd but it was undeniably hot seeing him pull away from you with slick glistening over his lips and chin.

“You did so good, angel,” Spencer cooed as he rubbed your thigh, bringing you back down to earth. You were limp against the edge of your bed, your thighs aching from being pressed to your chest. Your chest was rising and falling rapidly as a thin sheen of sweat coated your skin.

Spencer planted a kiss to the spot above your pelvis, leaving a trail of gentle kisses up your body before finally meeting your lips, making you taste yourself on his lips. You reached up, wrists still bound as you started unbuttoning his dress shirt. 

Spencer grabbed your hands gently, “don’t you think you’ve had enough for one night, angel?”

You looked up at him, “If you don’t fuck me, I’ll be so mad.”

Spencer chuckled at your response, cupping your face as he pressed a kiss to your lips. “Say that again,” he whispered.

You felt your skin heat up, “...that I want you to fuck me?” you mumbled.

“Yeah,” he teased, “go on.”

You hesitated a moment, suddenly feeling embarrassed as if he wasn’t tongue-fucking you a minute ago. You leaned up to his ear, your lips ghosting over the shell of his ear, “...I want you to fuck me, Spencer.”

Spencer grinned coyly, his hand coming up to grip your jaw, tilting your head up to kiss you. He moved your legs apart, slotting himself between your thighs to grind his hard-on against your soaked cunt. You groaned against his lips, wrapping your legs around his waist to pull him close, your clit grinding on the rough fabric of his pants.

Spencer pulled away from you, pulling his shirt off his shoulders before pulling at his belt buckle. He pulled his pants down slightly, pulling his cock from the confines of his boxers. He looked painfully hard, precum leaking from the pretty pink tip.

You went to reach for his cock, only for him to stop you, pinning your hands back above your head, “If you touch me,” he panted, “I’m going to cum.”

“Hurry up then,” you breathed, grinning cheekily. Spencer sat back on his calves, your legs draped over his hips. He tugged on your thighs, reefing you up to grind his cock against your slick folds. He pulled you up into a sitting position, pulling your bound wrists over his head so you could hold onto him as you sat on his lap.

“Wanna look at you,” Spencer whispered, one hand gripping the base of his cock while the other gripped your ass. He guided the tip of his cock to your wet hole, slowly pushing the tip inside you. He groaned against your neck at the feeling of your wet cunt sucking him in. You moaned as he split you open, both his hands pulling at the flesh of your ass as he slowly pulled you down on his cock. 

“Mm- Spencer-” you moaned, the tip of his cock reaching so deep inside you it felt like he was in your stomach. Spencer wrapped a hand around your waist, forcing you to arch your back against his chest. Your tits squeezed against his upper chest, your head tipping back. Spencer planted kisses to the column of your throat, slowly lifting your hips to bring you back down on his cock.

“Can’t believe…,” he grunted as you began bouncing on his cock, pulling almost all the way out of you before plunging you back down, “...you’re mine.” 

“I’m yours, Spence,” you whined, your hips slamming against his as he bounced you up and down. He reached a hand down to rub at your sensitive clit, the overstimulation paired with the feeling of his cock grinding against your velvet walls making you dizzy. 

“F-Fuck, you’re so tight,” Spencer groaned, bouncing you faster and faster on his cock. Your legs were shaking as you clamped down on his waist. Spencer suddenly pushed himself up, his cock still inside you as he forced you onto your back, holding himself above you as he slammed his hips into you, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling your room.

He breathed hard above you, trying his best to keep his composure as your cunt squeezed down on his cock, tightening as your orgasm neared. You got louder and louder as your abdomen grew hotter and hotter, your legs tightening around Spencer’s body to pull him closer.

“I’m gonna cum, baby,” Spencer groaned, your nails scraping over the skin between Spencer’s shoulders. He groaned at the feeling, dropping his head to your shoulder as his rhythm grew sloppy, hips stuttering against yours.

“M-Me too,” you whined, back arching off the bed. The coil in your belly snapped and you came harder than you did before. Spencer fucked you through your high, his breathing growing shallow and jagged as he chased his own high.

“Fuck,” Spencer grunted, quickly pulling out of you as he came on your lower belly, holding himself above you. He breathed hard, slipping your tied hands over his head to untie you. Your wrists felt slightly bruised from being bound but you were just happy you could cup Spencer’s cheeks and kiss him properly. 

“You okay, baby?” you whispered.

Spencer looked up at you, a bead of sweat running down his temple, “Yeah, fuck yeah, sweetheart,” he laughed breathlessly, sitting back on the bed to find something to clean you up. He picked up one of the shirts he left here a couple days ago, wiping his cum off your belly gently.

He tossed the shirt onto the floor before reaching up to pull your sheets back. Spencer quickly got up, pulling his boxers back on and opening your closet door to find some clean panties for you. He picked his favourite pair; lilac purple with a little white bow.

Spencer helped you slip them up your legs before joining you under the sheets, tucking the two of you in. You were tired, your eyelids feeling heavy. Spencer’s fingertips danced over your cheek, tucking some of your hair behind your ear.

“...Did you know sex can improve your sleep and can reduce overall stress both physically and emotionally?” 

You started laughing softly, eyes still closed lazily, “Very sexy, Spence.”

“You told me intelligence was sexy,” he retorted.

“It is, but right now I just need you to cuddle me,” you replied, prying your eyes open to look at him. Spencer opened his arms, letting you scoot into him, resting your head against his chest and listening to the quiet beat of his heart. “See? This is nice.”

Spencer stroked your hair as you dozed off. Tofu suddenly pushed your door open, her little bell chiming as she jumped on your bed. She sat behind you, staring at Spencer over your shoulder.

“...Don’t look at me like that.”

a/n: you know what they say about nipple piercings, they taste like house keys and there's no place like home.

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[luveline]

Hi honey! I hope you’re taking care of yourself ❤️ I love love LOVE how you write! Can I please request bombshell reader x Spencer telling the team she’s pregnant 💕

thank you for requesting! <3 fem, 2k

“Spencer?” 

Your quiet tone has his attention faster than any shouting would’ve; he expects high energy from you, and your murmur scares him half to death. He backtracks from the bathroom with his toothbrush still in his mouth, toothpaste dripping down his fingers as he yanks it out and asks, “What?” 

“Is this okay?” 

You chew your lip and turn to the side, illuminating your problem with a hand framed under your tummy. Your skin peeks out from the bottom of your shirt. 

The wonder of you is that you’ve always been beautiful, always, in Spencer’s eyes at least if not the entire world’s, because of how you present yourself, and of course because of your big heart. Your smile, the way you talk, all of it is beautiful and, most of the time, measured. Your clothes are carefully picked, and now you’re changing and your clothes need to change with it —your bump has appeared faster than Spencer realised it would, and you haven’t had time to upgrade your wardrobe. The cases are endless and you’d been more interested in doctor’s appointments and house viewings than clothes shopping.  

“What’s wrong?” he asks, perhaps a bit useless, white frothy paste sliding down his chin. 

You smile momentarily, nervous on your feet as you adjust your shirt. “I think I look very pregnant.” 

Spencer goes back into the bathroom to finish brushing.  “You look mildly pregnant,” he agrees loudly over the rush faucet. He spits, wipes his face, and rinses his toothbrush. 

“Compared to my usual non-pregnant look, I mean,” you say. 

“It’s just that shirt’s a little tight,” he promises. “We’ll find something.” 

You probably aren’t going to find something, you both realise. You stand in front of him in one of your soft bralettes, the ‘S’ of your pendant on your rising chest, shirtless and likely to stay that way. “Oh,” he says, tapping your bump gently with his knuckle. “Maybe it got bigger overnight.” 

“I think so,” you agree, taking his hand where it hovers to press to the top of the slope of the bump. You’re holding his hand more than you’re protecting the bump, a perplexed frown on your lips as you kneed his fingers in yours. 

“We don’t have time to go to the store, but we could be late,” he says. 

“What if we have a case?” 

“That’s a better reason to go shopping.” 

You pout for a kiss, leaning up to press your lips to his wry smile. “No. Do you still have that maroon sweater? The one that didn’t fit you right, with the v-neck?” 

Spencer helps you into said sweater though you don’t need his assistance, smoothing down the wrinkles carefully. It hides the too-short hem of your white shirt underneath, and paired with the collar, Spencer couldn’t be more in love with you. “You’re dressed like me five years ago,” he says. 

“Like it?” you flirt, your cheeks apples with your smug smile, your hands under your chin.

“You really are glowing.” 

“Don’t tempt me into kissing you stupid,” you say, still flirting, voice dipping into that warm, sweet place that probably caused the bump between you in the first place. 

“You’re lucky I don’t kiss you stupid,” he jokes, putting an arm around you for a quick hug. “Too bad we need to work to save to buy a stupid house instead.” 

“Have a stupid baby,” you mumble happily, your face pressed to his chest. He kisses your cheek. 

You’re both in incredible moods when you finally make it to work, tethered together from the parking lot to the elevator to the BAU office. There’s been a lot more hand holding since you found out you were pregnant, though you’re trying to keep it private just a little bit longer. Hotch gets antsy about pregnant people in the field (though he’d never force you to stay home), and the others can tend to be overbearing. 

You are excited to tell them. Spencer’s your family, the team is as good as, and they’ll all be so, so happy for you. At first you’d been waiting for the twelve week milestone for practicality’s sake, but now you’re just waiting for the right time. 

“Clothes get lost in the move?” Morgan asks. 

You aren’t telling them about the pregnancy, but you’re honest about other things. They know you’ve moved in with Spencer, and that you’re looking for a house. Morgan would’ve been offended if you hadn’t told him. He’d offered up a bunch of his properties to you both for viewing and promised a very good family and friends price point, but they hadn’t been perfect enough. It’s just a starter house, he’d argued, mostly unoffended at your pickiness. 

He doesn’t realise that you and Spencer wanna raise a baby, and you want as perfect a home as possible for at least the toddler years before you start looking to move up the ladder. A family home. 

“Very funny,” you praise, letting Spencer pull back your chair for you as you sit down. You feel the new extra roundness of your bump and wonder why nobody else has noticed it either. Spencer certainly can’t stop looking at it. You catch him all the time, and at night, alone and in bed, you let him run his hand up and down the hill of it, clearly amazed. 

“It looks good on you, mama,” Morgan says. 

You laugh. “Doesn’t everything?” you ask with an exaggerated smirk. 

“Yes,” Spencer says. 

You dip your head back in your chair. “This is why I love you.” 

“Devotion,” Spencer guesses, wiping at a smudge of makeup under your eye tenderly. 

You put your hand on your stomach. It’s weird how things change and don’t at the same time. You feel like you love him so much more now you’re a family with him, but you loved him endlessly before. Moments like this were plentiful and warm as sunshine, the undulating care in his touch a practised exercise at this point. You let your eyes close. He strokes your cheek. 

“Hotch wants everyone in the conference room,” JJ says, announcing herself and her towering cup of coffee as she breezes past the bullpen. 

You follow her upstairs to the conference room. Rossi, Hotch and Penelope are already waiting, everyone accompanied by their own creature comfort (coffee, coffee, and tea, respectfully). You and Spencer take seats opposite Hotch and Rossi, hands held together as always, his left in your right, his thumb kind against your knuckles. 

“The jet is still pre-loading from last time, so we can’t leave until late tonight, but we will be leaving,” Hotch begins, nodding at Penelope. “Until then, we’ll work the case from here.”

She nods back and clicks onto some severely disgusting photographs. 

You work through the facts together. Emily arrives late with apologies soon forgiven, your team a well-oiled machine. Of course, without being there, there’s only so much you can do, but it’s never not useful to have these discussions and to spitball with one another. 

Spencer gets stuck in his head. You fight the urge to kiss his cheek as he’d kissed yours this morning and decide on a more work appropriate show of affection, popping down to the kitchenette to make him a cup of coffee. 

You aren’t drinking coffee or anything caffeinated for the baby. You aren’t thirsty, but Spencer will worry if you don’t make yourself a drink too. You fill a glass with water from the sink and make your way back up the steps to the conference room. 

“It looks like there’s a racial motivation,” Spencer’s saying to Morgan. 

“Sure, but with only two victims so far, it could be coincidence,” Emily says. 

“Or not,” JJ says with a frown. 

“I think our killer would show it more, if it were,” you suggest, “there’s usually some aspect of overkill with hate crimes we aren’t seeing here.” 

You put the cup of coffee down in front of Spencer and sit in your chair. The sleeves on his sweater are too long. You push them up for the tenth time. 

“That’s Spencer’s?” Emily asks, having noticed your struggle.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been sort of scatterbrained, I forgot to put a load in the dryer.” 

“Is your go bag ready?” Hotch asks. 

No. “Yeah, it’s fine. You don’t like my new look?” 

“I’ve never known you to wear clothes that don’t fit,” Morgan says.

“What are you trying to say, Derek?” you ask, propping your face in your chin. 

“You’re getting sloppy in your old age.” 

You turn to Spencer, beaming, and he shakes his head at you immediately. 

“And what’s with the water?”

Your smiling turns deer-in-the-headlights. “What?” 

“You don’t drink coffee anymore?” Morgan prompts. 

That piques the interest of Emily and Hotch simultaneously, but you know you’re caught when realisation colours JJ’s gaze. She stares straight at your glass, then your face. You can practically see her profiling your behaviour these last few weeks, the sudden trips to the bathroom, the worse than usual reluctance to be away from Spencer, and the sudden propensity for safer practice in the field. 

You smile. You’re caught. You see Hotch’s expression and know he knows it, too. 

You give Spencer a little nudge with your thigh, as though telling him, You say it. You know he wants to. 

“You can’t have more than three hundred milligrams of caffeine when you’re pregnant,” Spencer says, his pride unmissable in the slight lift of his chin, “it disrupts midterm foetal growth. Our baby might come out too small, which isn’t what we want, obviously, so she can’t drink coffee. Not for another six months, at least.” 

“Wha– wha– what?” Penelope asks, the physical manifestation of a kettle about to boil over, excitement bubbling and raring to explode as she grips the table. “You’re pregnant?” 

“With Spencer?” Emily asks, though she’s laughing before she’s finished. 

You frame his cheek with one hand and lean in to kiss it gently. “Who else?” you ask. 

The best part is watching everybody hug Spencer. You’re happy they love you and you accept their congratulations and their love with pleasure, but seeing a room full of people thrilled for him finally getting the life he’s wanted, and knowing you’re at least part of the reason, is pretty sweet. You put your hand on your baby bump and take a mental picture of him under Morgan’s arm, his cheeks pink, his smile achingly wide. 

Still, he cuts through his moment to reach for you. “Maybe someone else will be able to convince you to slow down,” he says, hand moving to your stomach protectively. 

You pretend to think it over. “Maybe in a month or two.” 

[utterlyotterlyx]

Say Yes To Heaven

Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary - There was no bond that could compare to yours and Azriel's, not even in death.

Warnings - heart breaking angst and sadness, swearing, loss of a loved one, fluff, you're going to cry because I did before I even started writing this.

Work Count - 4.4k

Based on this ask

"I must be in heaven."

Prepare yourself...

Cedar had become your favourite scent.

It intoxicated you the moment he stepped into the room, the quiet male who kept to himself, shrouded in shadow, scanning the room intently whilst lingering toward the back of his clan.

Heart clenching in your chest, you examined him, the infamous spymaster of the Night Court who you'd never met before. He was beautiful, beautiful like moonlight and rain, and you beheld him with such grace that you never gave to anyone.

It was as though the universe knew, and as you glanced to him, you knew too. His stare hadn't found you yet, but he was looking for something, for someone, like he too could feel the gravitational pull that had taken hold of his essence the second he had stepped over the threshold of the ballroom.

A gold strapless dress clung to your figure, Helion's signature halo entrapped in your unbound waved hair. The candlelight embraced you in its golden glow, finding a kinship in you, and you basked in it. Originally from the Autumn Court, you had found a place in Helion's court as his second, his closest friend, his confidant. But something told you that the second the Shadowsinger looked to you, there was little Helion would be able to do to keep you.

Air escaped his lungs as he found the one his shadows had been whispering to him about. There you stood at the edge of the dais, your assigned place at the event thrown by your High Lord, skin glistening and eyes teeming with blissful shock. Your hands were folded in front of you, your shoulders were pushed back and your entire was poised and elegant.

Azriel cared little for court politics as his feet carried him absentmindedly in your direction, and not once did those hazel pools of torment move off of your face that was glowing in the light. He came to a stop before you, visibly breathless, and took your hand in his, feeling that pull swirl into a pit of yearning need in his stomach.

Sultry plucking of a harp consumed the room, an ethereal melody that possessed him like a siren did a sea merchant. A tune that was making him swoon, it complimented you and the moment perfectly.

Standing on the step below you, you looked down on him, expressionless but with soft features that he wanted to touch and etch into his memory. The world slowed, Azriel swore that it was you that stopped the world from spinning, to freeze time in that moment as that golden thread in his chest found its needle inside of your soul.

"Azriel," he told you his name, seemingly being the only thing he could coherently say to you, scanning your face in patient desire to hear one syllable fall from those lips with your hand still in his.

Tilting your head to the side, you smiled softly, "Y/N," your voice was angelic, soft like summer rain, as melodic as a lullaby.

Azriel had heard of you from Rhys who considered you to be a friend as much as Helion, you were a dream walker, able to tread along the line of the sleeping and living worlds unnoticed, to create and infiltrate the dreams of others, to throw your essence into the wind and see where she carried you.

A rare thing, so rare that you were the only known dream walker to walk Prythian in a millennia.

"I've been waiting for you," you dipped your head and smiled, a blush creeping up to your cheeks that made him grin at the captivating beauty of it.

Taking a step down from the dais, you peered up at the male whose wings were shielding you from the crowd of your friends no doubt staring at you both, a bewitching speckle of gold in your eyes, "So have I."

"I must be in heaven," Azriel smirked into your shoulder as he rolled his hips into yours.

He had dreamed of that moment, of having you laid bare beneath him, shuddering and moaning in delicious delight.

Azriel had waited months for it, he had waited as you took your sweet time to accept the bond, no doubt dragging it on purposefully to drive him mad, you were infuriating like that. He had waited until you had decided to leave Helion and settle your roots in Velaris, he had waited until you were ready to take that step, and not once did he complain or rush you.

The night you had accepted the bond formally was the same evening Azriel had moved you into the house he had ordered Rhys to build for you both the moment they had returned from the Day Court after meeting you. It was light and airy, it was brimming with warmth and love, it was the perfect harmony of both of your intertwined souls.

Azriel danced with you in the candlelight, holding you close to his chest and muttering his silent thanks to the Mother for the gift that was you, a mate who wasn't afraid of him, but who was instead enamoured by him.

It was that night you had cooked for him and assured him that you were ready, that he was everything that you ever needed and wanted. Azriel had gladly, and quickly, ate the meal you had presented to him before gathering you up in his arms and taking you to your shared bedroom.

"Say yes to heaven," you had breathlessly muttered back to him, your nails digging into the skin of his back and running along the thick membranes of his wings, "Say yes to me."

Azriel kissed you, moving inside of you like it was the only thing he was sure was right, that it was the only thing that made sense. Your bodies moulded together like molten gold in a crown casing.

"Yes. A thousand times yes," he spoke over your lips, grinning and capturing your lips in his own, running his fingers up your sides and furling them into your hair.

Entwined with you was the only place that gave him sanctuary, the only place where peace was able to find him and where the demons wouldn't dare journey to. Home.

Two hundred years of you.

Two hundred years of coming home and having you by his side, two hundred years of falling in love you with you more and more each day.

Not one bit of you had changed in that time, you were still the gentle, caring, loving soul that he met all those years ago. You still wore your signature gold, your eyes still sparkled with adoration when he walked into a room, even as your family grew with the additions of Feyre and her sisters, not once did your bond falter.

Even Rhys knew that he and Feyre couldn't compare to the bond you shared, a bond of tormented nightmares soothed by your touch, a bond of universe shattering love and yearning, a bond so strong that nothing would ever come between it.

Azriel never stopped smiling, he never lingered anywhere knowing that you were at home waiting for him, everywhere he went he took you with him, or a piece of you if you couldn't be there physically.

Rhys had sent your mate back to you with a smirk, noticing his incessant fidgeting on the chair before his desk, and Azriel didn't need telling twice before he bellowed from the house and soared into the skies, following your scent all the way to the hearth of your home.

You stood with your back to him, head peering over your shoulder like you had heard him coming from miles away, hair clipped up and spilling over your face, "Az," you breathed and rounded the seating area to bury your face in his chest, nuzzling into his cedar and warmth like a babe to a blanket. Azriel curled his arms around you, his shadows peppering your face in sweet kisses and dancing across your shoulders, "I've missed you."

The longest you and Azriel had ever gone without one another was a week, any longer and your bond would ache and crack, forcing you back together and humming in delight at the first featherlight touch before your bodies collided.

Cupping your face in his marred hands, hands that you had never grimaced at, he scanned your face like he did every time he returned to you, with glazed eyes, sketching your face to memory just so that he could dream of it when slumber took hold of him, "I missed you so much, my little dreamer."

His kiss was tender, full of exhaustion and need to have you close. Azriel scooped you into his arms, not being able to stop his lips from touching every bare patch of skin on show to him before he undressed you and made love to you for hours. Making sure that you knew how loved you were, how much he starved for you.

Once your head was nestled onto his chest and his fingers were tracing patterns into your shoulder, you felt him sigh, the exhale making your head drop a couple of inches. Craning your neck, you silently asked him what was wrong, your brows furrowing as he spoke, "Promise me that you'll always be by my side."

"I'll never leave you, Az."

"Promise me," he begged, "Promise me that you'll come back."

Caressing his cheek, your soothing voice uttered, "I'll come back. Even as a shadow, even as a dream. I'll come back, always. I promise," a familiar burning coiled around your forearm, blank ink swirled and settled into the skin that lay there, a matching one appeared on his forearm and you wound yourself into him as tight as you could.

Tensions were rising with the war against Hybern looming and you knew that he was terrified, you knew if it was only him, if he didn't have you, then he would be fine. But he wasn't ready to lose you or himself, not when he wasn't ready to stop loving you.

Azriel had flown into a blind rage once Cassian had told him what you had been ordered to do.

The war was looming, accelerating even, and Azriel was trying frantically to keep you out of it.

Rhys had ordered you to dream walk into Hybern, into the King's sick and twisted mind. It was the only leverage they had, that the King didn't know of you so wouldn't know how to prepare against your abilities. You'd be able to figure out his plans, you'd be able to warp his mind into making the wrong move.

It was an order that you had agreed to, albeit begrudgingly, "I can't do it here. If there's any chance he knows of me and can use my magic to trace it to the source, then I can't be here."

Rhys had made sure to keep Azriel out of the meeting, he had made sure to busy him with something else, he knew that he wouldn't allow it, and Rhys needed you to agree. It wasn't like he enjoyed coming between you two, he loved you like a sister, he doted on you and appreciated every single thing you did from his family.

After the cauldron, you were instrumental in healing both Elain and Nesta, you infiltrated their dreams and filled them with light, you plucked away the horror, much like you had done for Azriel when you had first began your relationship, and locked them away in the chest in your mind where the nasty things went. Even Feyre had leaned on you, and you had gladly done the same for her, coaxing away her sickness and making her into the powerful female she had grown into.

Your gift was serene, you very rarely used it to do something bad, but the King of Hybern was a monster, one that needed to be stopped, and the war was drawing closer, and they were running out of options.

"You're not going anywhere," Azriel had growled from the doorway, glowering like the devil in disguise at his brother before approaching you, running his fingers down the side of your face and placing his lips on your forehead.

"Az," you trailed off, taking his hands in your own and forcing him to meet your gaze, "We don't have a choice."

Azriel shook his head, "I can't be away from you," he was terrified, terrified that you leaving would mean that he would never see you again.

Tears bubbled in your eyes, "I know," your bottom lip wobbled, "But you can't come with me. This is a part of me that I'm not proud of, I don't want you to see this. You're needed here, you need to protect our home."

"You are my home, y/n. Not Prythian. Not Velaris or the darkness. You. You're my little dreamer, I need you here where I know that you're safe."

"If I don't do this then we won't have a home to come back to, we won't come back to each other like we promised."

"No-"

"Az, we don't have a choice," you cupped his face and his fingers curled around your wrists, "I can do this, and we can win. And then we'll go home to our little house by the Sidra and make all of those babies we talked about, okay?"

Silence, "Okay."

Turning to Rhys, you told him, "There's a dream walker temple on the edge of Summer. I'll go there, I work better at dusk," you focused back on your mate as the sun began to dip in the sky, "Take me home. Please."

One more moment, one more moment of your love consuming you before the realisation settled in that there was a real chance that you'd never see one another again.

Azriel stood on the grass of your home, clutching onto you with every fibre of his soul, "What if we don't-"

"Don't say it."

"Y/N," tears spilled down his cheeks as they did on yours, your hands were fisted into his shirt and your forehead was pressed against his.

Purple had began to float across the sky, a warning that time was waning.

"I will see you when dusk meets dawn. I will see you in the stars and clouds. I will see you again," you strained through strangled sobs, "I love you Azriel. Thank you for finding me and giving me two hundred years of love and wonder. Thank you for loving me and becoming the only home I ever needed."

"You rescued me from myself," he breathed, "I'll look for you. I'll dream of you. I would go through all of my pain over and over again if it means that you're waiting at the end of it. I'll see you on the other side of the stars, my little dreamer. I love you," he blinked hard and tears fell from his eyes, ones that you brushed away before kissing him deeply, "Go. If you don't go now then I'll never be able to let go of you. I can't watch you go. Please y/n."

Pressing your lips to his one more time in a featherlight embrace, you stepped from his arms, shuddering at the cold that shrouded you in that moment and sobbed at his outstretched hands that were searching for you.

And then you disappeared, you vanished before your mouth could betray you and tell him what you had both been dreaming of.

It had spent your energy but it had worked.

Your journey into his mind had been successful and once you rose from the golden stone floor of the dream walker temple and saw the sun loom on the horizon, you screamed the news and findings into Rhys' mind and simultaneously flooded the straining bond with love, sighing as a tidal wave of adoration flowed back to you.

You had to get there, you had to reach the battlefield and help. Being Helion's former second meant that you were a gifted warrior, and even living in Velaris hadn't allowed you to take a break from that part of your life.

Ash floated from the sky, landing on your face as you winnowed to the edge of the field and gasped at the sight. There were mangled bodies everywhere, there was screaming and crying, and fighting surrounded you like your own personal nightmare.

The sky was dark with smoke and you frantically tugged on the bond, begging it to lead you to your mate. There was a chance now, a real chance that you'd both be able to go home and live the dream you'd always wanted.

Blue flashed in the corner of your eye and you saw him, he was surrounded, back to back with Cassian as a circle of enemies encroached on their position. Glancing to your side, you ripped a steel tipped javelin from the body of a long gone foe, throwing it in the air and grasping it with a perfect grip before hurtling it through the sky, smiling as it ripped through a total of six enemies.

Azriel and Cassian both snapped to your direction in awe at the fact you'd just taken out a third of the enemies around them with one throw. Cassian chuckled and relished in tearing the rest of the males limb from limb whilst Azriel nodded to you, asking if you were alright and only waiting a single beat for your confirmation before he continued on his onslaught.

There would be time to reunite later.

The war was bloody and horrible, you had never enjoyed killing anyone, but you were a ruthless and formidable opponent, no one could have tore you down when you had met Mor on the battlefield and made fast work of clearing the area.

You continued to fight, you continued and fought with every ounce of energy you could spare. You fought through the cauldron breaking and Rhys dying, you fought through the last remaining minutes before the surrender.

You fought until you realised that you couldn't feel him.

Stopping dead in your tracks, you dropped your sword and glanced around, noticing that none of your friends were on the battlefield, you dropped you sword and ran. Struggling panting breaths flew from your lips as you ran, hurtling over piles of bodies and around healers scouring the grounds for souls to save.

The camps were brimming with bloody males and females, all being tended to, some happy and others in shock. You tugged on the bond. Silence. You tugged on it again. Silence.

A clearing appeared and you saw them, you saw Cassian with his head in his hands, you saw Rhys leaning against Feyre and her red puffy eyes. The skimming of rocks alerted them to your presence and Rhys darted to you, "Where is he, Rhys?"

Your thick braid waved around as your head whipped across the clearing furiously, "I can't feel him. Where is he?"

Rhys grasped your arms then, forcing you to look at him. The entrance to the tent flapped in the wind and you could faintly see the drooped wings trailing off the table. Rhys was struggling to speak, he was taking in your furrowed brows and wide eyes, the parted lips and the softly shaking head, "No. No," you said to no one in particular as you took a step to the side.

You reached for the bond again only to feel nothing on the other side and you gasped, taking a tentative step toward the flapping entrance of the tent and inhaling deeply, faded cedar and night kissed air.

Your heart had registered it before your mind had, it was shattering in your chest and you grasped your stomach as it swelled in pain, gasping as it settled. Cassian cradled you in his arms, not being able to say anything, but looking up at him confirmed it and you burst into the tent without a second thought, clasping the entrance closed behind you.

Light floated through the tear in the far corner, slicing across the floor and over his figure, but you couldn't move, you couldn't breathe.

"Az?"

Nothing.

"Azriel?" You took a step toward him, praying that he was just injured and asleep, but as you took one glimpse at his face, you crumpled to your knees.

There had never been pain like it, you clawed at your chest and crawled along the dirt to the hand that was outstretched to you, like he had reached for you just before he left. You nuzzled your cheek onto his palm, begging for warmth, for some form of life.

Cold greeted you and you screamed, you screamed a strangled cry and sobbed, pulling on his hand and cupping it over your face like he was going to wake up and curl his fingers around your chin and kiss you and cry with you.

But he wasn't.

You grasped onto the edge of the table where he lay and drank in his pale face, his body void of dancing shadows, and you crawled into the tiny space at his side, curling onto his chest and rubbing your cheek against his leathers, "You promised," you cried, muffled into his icy skin, and at the words, you felt a searing pain spread across your body, one of broken bonds and promises as your tattoos began to vanish one by one.

Only in death will you be free of our promises, my little dreamer.

"Please, please, bring him back. Give him back to me. I can't live without him. Please." Craning your neck, you peered up at him, at his closed eyelids and peaceful smile, like he had drifted off into slumber and was dreaming of you. "We had it, Az. We were there. We're having a baby. You need to come back to me."

Silence.

Heart breaking sobs flowed through you, so painful that Nesta had to enter the tent, a sob escaping from her own lips at the sight of you curled into Azriel's lifeless size, you had draped his arm over you, you were pressing your lips to the space below his ear, you were begging the Mother to bring him back to you.

"I was going to tell you after this, after we'd won. It would have made it all worth it, Our own little baby, our own little dreamer. Come back to me," your face crumpled, "You promised you'd never leave me."

Nesta approached, fingers outstretched to you and she placed a hand on your shoulder, watching painfully as you turned Azriel's head and placed your lips on his, sobbing against them and clutching your stomach, "I'll see you on the other side of the stars. I'll come back to you even if you can't come back to me. I'll dream of you every day. I love you, Az. I love you."

Mor refused to leave you, she cradled you as you cried and rocked you to sleep, she listened to your fearful sobs of going through your pregnancy alone, and she cried with you. They all cried harder, like air didn't deserve them when Nesta had told them of your condition, of losing Azriel and carrying his child.

Mor had continued to hold you as your body finally gave in and sleep confused your soul, carrying you to the place where the Mother knew where you needed to be.

Warmth floated over your figure, and your weary eyes opened, wincing at the light flitting through the open windows. Coffee and cedar clung to the air, and you shot upward, searching the landscape for the person you were breaking for.

"Hello, my little dreamer," his voice was like a symphony and you exhaled, straining your sadness in the action, and turned to the side to see him sat to your side. Azriel smiled sadly at you and thinned his lips, "I missed you."

A sob thundered through you and he was on you in an instant, cradling you to his chest and stroking your hair, "You left me."

"I know. I'm sorry, y/n. I'm so sorry," he pulled away and rested his forehead on your, tips of your noses touching and eyes scanning your face like they always did.

He was there but he wasn't, a symphonic figment of your imagination, or the Mother's final gift to you, to let you have him mentally if she couldn't allow you to have him physically.

"We're having a baby."

Azriel smiled, doing his best to contain his tears for you, he had to be strong for you, he was the one who had left you in the world of the living without him, "I heard you."

"You did?"

Azriel hummed, looking at you with adoration and wonder as his hand drifted to your abdomen, "You can do this," tears threatened to spill down his cheeks and he blinked them away furiously, "I know it's hard, and I know you feel alone, But I will always be here, you'll always be able to find me in your dreams."

"It's not the same," you strained, clutching hold of him like your life depended on it, which in that moment, it did, "I need you. Come back."

"I can't, my little dreamer," he caressed your cheek, stroking the reddened puffy skin with the pad of his thumb, "I'm too far gone. But I can stay here, on the edge of life and death with you until you want to send me away."

"I'll never send you away. I'll never let you go."

"We're having a baby," his voice cracked and you knew he was breaking, breaking at the thought of not being able to hold you during your labour or go to the bakeries to pick up your favourite sweet treats, of not being able to sing your babe into rest with his melodic voice, "I'm going to be a dad," you nodded, on the edge of breaking with him, he lowered himself to your barely there swell and ran his fingers over the surface, "You be good for her. She's the best thing that the Mother ever made. I'll meet you one day, when the time is right," then he moved back up to you, sketching your face to memory like he always did.

"On the other side of the stars?"

"On the other side of the stars," you confirmed, pressing you lips to his and letting him hold you in his ghostly embrace, allowing your two hundred years worth of love to consume you, "You'll be waiting there for me?"

Azriel ran his fingers down the slope of your neck and shoulder and pressed his lips into your hairline, "Oh my little dreamer, I'll wait a million years for my soul to dance with yours in the stars, and that day will be the best day of my existence."

Authors Note

I cried all the way through this, I broke myself oh my godddd

[everythingne]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ➛ wing damage ch 3 (mv1)

Australia ends up hotter than expected when Nadine finds herself in a mess of unwanted feelings left over from her fun night in Monaco. Max isn't too confused about how he feels, he just knows he shouldn't be feeling it.

halliwell!reader x max verstappen / fc : sophia la corte

warnings/notes: I UPDATED THE PAST CHAPTERS. PLEASE READ THOSE BEFORE THIS!! holy fuck i finally got this out? yippee!! pretty chill chapter compared to the last few. mentions of alcohol,weird flirting, overprotective max

liked by oscarpiastri, maxverstappen1, charles.leclerc, and 450k more...

nadinehalliwell: bring ur eldest daughter to work day (australia edition)

user1: we love and support the halliwells in this house ‼️

user2: literally redbull royalty.

gerihalliwell: My good luck charm!! Looking beautiful.

⤷ nadinehalliwell: ily mama ♥️

monanotlisa: AAAAA SEXY!!! LOVE UUUU COME BACK TO MONACO SOON ♥️‼️‼️

⤷ nadinehalliwell: if u let me drive the porsche i’ll be back asap.

⤷ monanotlisa: ur such a whore for a porsche 911

⤷ nadinehalliwell: ITS A BABY PINK PORSCHE 911 GT3 WITH WHITE INTERIORS. EVERYONES A SLUT FOR IT.

allycameragirl: OMGGG 😭 BACK ON THE TRACK BABYYY ‼️‼️ SEE YOU IN AUSTINNN!!!

⤷ thenadinehorner: CANT WAIT MY LOVE ♥️♥️♥️

Australia is hot. Blazing hot. I've decided for the next several months to spend time with my mother and sisters, travelling the world and distancing myself from the hell that is home for a bit. Even with my roommates at home with me, my apartment in Monaco doesn't feel like a home.

Ally's not home half the time, too busy being a bit shot movie producer, and Mona's got a huge job lined up. We're never home together anyways. Even though we all love each other to bits, we're all living such different lives. Maybe we should just go our own ways again.

It was nice to live together even for a bit, though.

Dipping into the garage, I pass Checo and give him a fist bump before finding Max and whack his shoulder. GP laughs softly as I dramatically drape myself across Max's back, popping my head atop his as he huffs.

"How's it going, Mad Max?" I muse, "New racing strats?"

I can hear the grin in Max's voice as he says, "Nothing I'm telling you, paddock princess."

"Paddock princess? Excuse me, do I look like George Russell?" I huff, which gets a full body laugh from GP and a decent one from Max as I pry myself off his back and come to just sit next to him like a normal person.

"What's the occasion for the dress? Just the paddock fashion?" Max looks up and down the pink sundress I'm wearing and I perk up, happily blabbing on about how I'd bought the dress in Sydney a few days before the race and wanted something to wear to the race and the part tonight.

"What party?" Max asks, leaning over to fix a hair thats gotten stubbornly stuck to my earring.

"My mom is having a yacht party tonight for all the teams to celebrate the beginning of the season. She couldn't do it in Saudi or Bahrain because of how busy we all were." I look at the notes Max is focused on reading, even though they make little sense to me. GP excuses himself to speak with Hannah, leaving Max and I alone in the little outcove of the garage.

"Ah." Max sighs as a mechanic moves past, tossing a helmet to his colleague as they set up to do some sort of extraction training. Max catches my attention as he says, "and I take it I'm set to attend this?"

"Of course you are. My mom would be devastated without her 'eldest son' there, right?" I lean over to peck a kiss on his cheek as I stand up and brush off my dress as if it'll have anything on it, "gotta run off and find my mom, I'm helping her with media."

"Good luck." Max smiles to me and I can't help the grin that finds my lips as I whisper back the same words and rush down the garage hall to hide the blush that threatens to run up my chest to my face.

There's no fucking way I'm letting this get to me. No, no, no. What Max and I had done was a mistake, and that was how it would stay. Some drunken mistake I thought about a bottle or two deep on a friday night.

I did not love Max Verstappen, and that was that.

liked by landonorris, maxverstappen1, monanotlisa, and 850k others...

nadinehalliwell: my photographer @ maxverstappen <3

user1: cannot get over how much she actually looks like geri.

user2: MOTHERRRR

maxverstappen: stop drinking all the champagne the party hasnt started yet !!

⤷ nadinehalliwell: no <3

user3: i swear every story post of nadine recently has been her drinking

charlesleclerc: very pink today

gerihalliwell: so so pretty!!

user4: UGH SHES SO PRETTY LET ME BE HER.

By sundown the party was in full swing. The yacht massive, even by my mothers standards, but comfortable enough to fit everyone with room for plus ones and random additions to the roster. Leaving the bar I make my way to the little longue chair area on the top deck, waving happily to some of the drivers and such who mill about up there.

As I go to snag my spot between Max and Charles again, I'm intercepted by one of the newer Sky News reporters. I peeked over his shoulder from the conversation he had left, and saw some people just casually milling about. So I felt a bit better about this random guy coming up to me.

But, from the corner of my eye, I could see Max lean forward a bit more.

"Hello, sorry, I don't think we've met." He holds out a hand with a small grin as he looks me over, "I'm Luke."

"Luke, I'm Nadine, it's nice to meet you." I shook his hand, keeping my eyes firm on his face as he then chooses to keep his eyes firm on my mine. His eyes light up, as if he's realized exactly who he's talking to and it makes me want to scream. Of course.

"Geri's daughter, correct?" He grins and I nod, biting the inside of my cheek as I curl my hand a bit tighter around the fruity little margarita I got from the bar, "Wow, it's great to meet you. I'm sorry about everything that's been happening to you within the past few months, that must be rough.."

"It's been rough but I've got a good support system here, and I'm here with my family too, so they've been very helpful." I keep up the usual wall I keep up with any reporter. I know Luke notices, at the tick of his jaw, but he doesn't say anything else.

"That's good. I'm really glad to hear they're supportive." Luke smiles, "other than doing media for Red Bull, what do you do for work?"

"Just influencer stuff. I post fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content on social media, mostly Youtube, TikTok and Instagram. I also have a podcast on Spotify." I use my usual elevator pitch, "I pay for everything using the creator fund, sponsorships, and other means of ad revenue."

"The whole -- creator fund thing, thats fascinating to me." Luke starts to talk, continuing on and on. The more he talks, the more I begin to realize that this guy just wants to blab on and on about himself. I nod, keeping my interest as he talk about reporting and doing media, and then asking if I do it too.

"I've done some sort work for Sky News before. When Seb did the beehives I was one of the reporters over there with him, which was nice because he and Mark kinda raised me a bit and I hadn't seen him in a while." I smile and Luke nods, and before he even says anything I can tell he's about to try something stupid

"Well, someone as gorgeous as you would definetely be succesful in any field." Luke grins, taking a sip of what I think is an Old Fashioned in hand before his grin falls to a smirk, "and man in charge would be an idiot to not promote a face like yours."

I don't dignify him with any answer. Taking a long sip of my drink as my eyes are level with him. I can tell he's nervous at my lack of response, but before he can talk, Luke's eyes flicker to the side of my head. He squints before a firm, warm hand is pressed to the small of my back.

"Sorry to interrupt," Max smiles placidly, his hand sliding to grip onto my hip, his fingers warm against the skin of the cutout of my dress and sending a shiver down my spine, "but Miss Halliwell here has a certain seat she needs to snag again."

"No worries." Luke gives a stiff response, before turning away with a soft goodbye over his shoulder. Max turns me and tucks me back against his chest as he leans down to ask, "You alright?"

"Yeah. He was just a weirdo." I roll my eyes as he guides my back to my seat, securing me between him and Charles once more, and I happily fall back into conversation.

Not failing to notice the fact Max's hand never leaves my back.

"Max Emilian Verstappen, I swear to god." My voice rings across the quiet hotel room, nails clicking on my cracked phone screen as I type a reply to his comment. Charles laughs softly, his hand pausing midway through fixing my hair as he looks over at my hungover state in my bed. Thanks to him and Carlos, I managed to get back from the yacht party last night with all my belongings and my dignity.

"You're getting full named." He says to Max as if he isn't actively ignoring my complaints. I watch Max peek at my tiny lump in the blankets behind him in the mirror he stands in front of, the back of his hair still drying from the shower. We had to leave for the flight back home within an hour and I was still laying in a ball, still nauseous, still tired and aching.

"Because of the reporter?" He asks, turning his head to Charles who smiles at him with a shrug.

"What was so bad about him?" I ask, "You and Charles are all up in arms about it! I don't even know what he said that was so outlandish!"

"He looked like a damn predator." Max says and if I wasn't as nauseous as I was from blacking out last night (not my proudest moment) I would've chucked a pillow at his head, "and I can't control Charles."

Charles laughs, moving from the mirror to come sit at my side, letting me pop my head onto his lap as he absentmindedly toys with my hair, before he starts braiding it back for the flight home and I groan and cuddle into his touch. Charles was basically my new brother at this point, ever since I moved to Monaco last year.

"He flirted with her infront of everyone, I don't take back my attitude about this." Max turns around, walking over and kneeling in front of me. Brushing the side of my face to feel the heat from my red cheeks, "did you even drink water, Nadi?"

"It was kinda funny!" I protest, careful not to move too much as Charles' nails run along my scalp to collect little sections of my hair, "and I did drink water, and Gatorade. I had like... four big bottles of Gatorade."

"Drink more." Max sits now, long legs folding under himself as he sighs, "before your mom kills me for letting you go out with us."

"Oh hush, you're more of her kid now than I am." I grumble out a complaint before Charles taps my shoulder so I sit up and roll to the other side so he can braid it too. Before Max can reply, the door is knocked on and I close my eyes--pretending to be asleep is easier than being hungover.

"Geri, hey!" Max calls at the door and I groan, Geri suppressing a laugh into a soft huff through her nose. Sitting me up slowly, Charles used the comforter to hide my dress that I was still in, and I curled a bit deeper into its warmth and his touch.

I would literally do anything for Charles in this moment.

"Morning, morning," my mother gives Max a tight hug, the two more mother and son now that team owner and racer. As she comes into the room, she laughs at my burrito, leaning over to peck my forehead.

"Late night?" She asks and I grunt in response. My mother shrugs her bag off one shoulder and digs in it--handing me a water bottle and a thing of Advil.

"Yes, Mama. And I love you." I say as I take the items, popping two Advil and washing it down with the entire bottle of water.

“Mhm.” Geri laughs, taking the empty bottle and tossing it as she shoves the Advil back in her bag, “and you love liquor more.”

“Mama, they had soju.”

“My daughter’s an alcoholic.” Geri huffs as he stands and Max laughs. I made grabby hands at her much like I would when I was a kid and she was my lifeline.

“Oh, she’s very hungover.” another voice calls, before someone comes running into the room and tackles me to the bed.

“Daniel!” I complain, hitting him as I writhe under his weight, “get off!”

“Stop talking to that reporter, and I’ll get off.”

“What is it with him? I’ve been seeing stuff online.” Geri pops her bags down next to Max’s, watching as Max climbs on top of Daniel—effectively putting about three hundred pounds on my already nauseated self while Charles just laughs.

“Did you see that guy yesterday?” Daniel says, whacking Max’s head, and begrudgingly both of my pseudo brothers climb off of me. But Daniel is hungover as well, I can see it in his eyes, so I let him stay on the bed while we shove Max off. Giggling when the Dutch driver unceremoniously thumps to the floor.

“The reporter was flirting with me, apparently.” I shrug, leaning forward to lay my entire body weight on Charles who grunts in response.

“Apparently? He called you gorgeous!”

“Could be a compliment.” Geri smiles, looking over at Max to gage his reaction. He looks less than pleased.

"Alright, well, come on. We have to be at the airport in like... an hour or they won't let us take off until later." Max huffs, taking Daniel's hand to help him up and then Charles. The two of them grab most of the bags and before I know it we're at the airport, me using my Airpod Max's on their soundproof mode to keep my headache at bay. Luckily it doesn't take long for us to get on Max's jet, and my mother takes me to where the bed is so I can sleep.

The little bedroom has a door to close too, so my mom sets herself up on a chair to answer her emails and shuts the door so the boys can be louder without bothering me.

Which, leaves Max, Daniel, and Charles alone towards the front of the jet. Charles stretches out, sitting on a chair next to Max as Daniel sits across from Max.

"Nadine looked sick," Max sighs, running a hand through his hair as he takes a long sip of water, "and I know turbulence gets to her stomach, so I imagine it's worse now that we're in the air."

"I'm sure she's fine, Max. Geri's in there with her." Daniel hums, looking over at the door as if reminding himself of that.

"How do you even remember turbulence gets to her?" Charles yawns, taking a sip of his own water in turn with Max. Leaning back in his chair as he watches Max.

"I just... I dunno. I remember weird shit like that." Max shrugs, looking out the window as they dip through the clouds. He looks back at his two friends, who are sharing looks, and he raises his eyebrows, "what?"

"Why did that Luke guy piss you off so much? Nadine has dealt with her fair share of sleazy reporters." Charles finally bites the bullet and asks, making Daniel raise his eyebrows in shock over the question being asked, and Max sighs.

"Do you really wanna know why that Luke guy pissed me off?" Max murmurs against the rim of his water bottle and both Charles and Daniel nod.

"Because he was flirting with her." Max shrugs softly, capping his bottle and setting it down and he leans back and stretches his back. His hands run through his hair, tugging on it, and closing his eyes as he sighs.

Daniel picks up where Charles left off, "But he flirted with a lot of girls, and it didn't bother you, but the second he set his eyes on Nadine? Why did you get so pissed off?"

"I really don't know but..." Max's voice is almost dark, "Oh, god, it was like seeing red. And he was flirting with her so boldly, in front of everyone, like he owned Nadine and it pissed me off."

"And you still think you don't like her?" Charles groans, kicking Max under the table, "you're so dense."

"I can't like her, you guys know how it is. Geri would fucking kill me, that's her daughter." Max complains and when Charles and Daniel raise their eyebrows he groans and slumps back, "okay, alright, fine. Maybe."

"Maybe?!" Daniel exclaims, getting hushed by the other two. And as Charles carries on the teasing, Max can't do anything more than gnaw on the inside of his cheek and try to swallow his smile.

He's in love with you, and that is that.

taglist (thank you, and I know this taglist is old, so if you'd like to be removed you can send me a message or an ask!)

@itsponybeaches @awritingtree @1655clean @biitch-with-wifi @heesungthel0ml @newlifeforus @rosegasly @sideboobrry11 @formulaal @justalittlejess

[huntingingoodwill]

beneath the surface (j.p.)

masterlist

pairing: javier pena x reader

desc: you’re dying of boredom in your family’s sprawling summer home in the lush countryside, until an old friend brings her summer fling, javi, onto your estate for a getaway. dips in lakes and fountains, secret rendezvous in forest clearings and rowboat rides devolve into jealousy, pride, and an undeniable attraction between you and javi.

The first thing he noticed was your silhouette.

His eyes were drawn to where you stood, on the balcony, far above him. Light filtered gently through the curtains that billowed around you.

He studied you from the lawn, watching the shadowy curve of your hip, the breeze’s tousle of your hair. You turned, your face catching the light.

The slam of the car door led his gaze toward his summer fling. When he turned back, you were gone, dissolved through the curtains like an apparition, disappearing back into the cavernous estate.

“Rough ride, huh?” Carina laughed, wrapping an arm around Javi’s bicep. Ever the gentleman, he reached to carry her suitcase for her, subtly manoeuvring out of her grasp.

“Brutal.” He mumbled.

Carina was nice.

She was his latest fling, a new girl at the office. She had invited him somewhere rural, lush and green for a summer holiday. A cottage on the estate of a wealthy family she had some tenuous relationship to.

He didn’t have any better plans.

Carina led him down the path toward the cottage, a little off from the main house that you had vanished into, a stoic stone giant in the night.

Javi looked out for your shadow behind the curtains.

Your name echoed through the trees as you whipped past them, sprinting through the woods to try and create some distance between you and Alexei.

The dress you wore over your swimsuit swished about your thighs as you ducked toward the fountain.

The fountain was an old fixture on the estate, a gigantic marble monstrosity that seemed to have sprouted in the middle of a clearing in the woods on your property. You swung your leg over the high wall of the fountain basin, crashing beneath the surface. You laid perfectly still beneath the water, holding your breath.

You always felt a little like this when you were back at home.

A little suffocated, everything a little muted, as if you were trapped underwater.

You forced your eyes open as you listened for Alexei’s muffled voice. You stared at the sky, a blur of blue beneath the water.

What seemed like hundreds of rooms in the estate, sprawling acres of land, and you still felt trapped.

Alexei was nice.

He was what your family wanted for you. Good family, comparable status. Oozed money. A total bore.

Now he was looking for you, trying to join you on a swim in the lake that you were looking forward to as a solo endeavour.

Your lungs began to ache, minuscule air bubbles escaping between your lips as you heard his voice recede into the distance.

You shot through the surface, gasping for air.

The crunch of leaves caused you to jolt, your gaze met by the intense stare of dark brown eyes.

Your chest heaved as you struggled to catch your breath, the intent gaze of the man before you knocking the air out of your lungs.

Your ribs pressed against the thin white material of your dress, exposed as you realised the material had been soaked through, revealing the swimsuit beneath.

His eyes followed the dribble of the clear water down your skin, the light filtering through the trees causing the droplets to glimmer like jewels.

He envied the water that touched your skin. When you met his gaze, every nerve in his body seemed to set alight.

You tried to ignore the heat that bloomed across your chest at the sight of him, partly embarrassment, partly something different, something electric.

This beautiful stranger, whose tan skin glowed in the sun, the dip of his collarbones stark against his bare chest.

“Having fun in there?” Carina giggled.

You tore your eyes away from him, and he barely managed to do the same, putting on the dark aviators he had held in his hand. Though the shades shielded his eyes, you could still feel the heat of his gaze as his eyes roved over you.

“Lots.” You cleared your throat, plastering on a smile as you climbed out of the fountain.

Carina. You tried to ignore the disappointment that shot through your heart. You’d been childhood friends with her, but you’d grown distant. Now, she was back, and with possibly the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. And he was all hers for the summer.

“It’s been too long, babe.” She pulled you in for a hug, and though you knew you shouldn’t, you couldn’t help but look over her shoulder, eyes flitting across her companion.

“Javi and I were just heading to the lake.” She said, pulling away from you to gesture towards him. “Javi, this is the one I was telling you about.”

Javi. You wanted to say his name, let it flow seamlessly off your tongue. You didn’t let yourself.

“Hello.” You mumbled, extending your hand.

His palm was warm in contrast to your skin, chilled with water, and you felt as if his rough hand was searing against yours. His hand lingered.

“There you are!” Alexei grinned as he appeared up the trail, causing you and Javi to break apart. I’ve been looking for you.”

“Ditto.” You said, unconvincingly.

The four of you started off toward the lake, Alexei making polite conversation that barely registered compared to the heat of Javi’s stare boring into your back.

Your fingers skimmed the surface of the water, the gentle rock of the boat and rhythmic slicing of Alexei’s oars through the water boring you immensely.

Your eyes flitted to the shore, where Carina lay on her stomach, face nuzzled into the crook of her elbow. Javi propped himself up on his forearms, lifting a cigarette to his lips as he squinted through the sunlight, catching your eye. You thought you saw the corner of his lips quirk, but it was hard to say from afar.

You felt an intense blush flare through your cheeks. You shouldn’t. You really shouldn’t. But you couldn’t help but notice him, the broad shoulders, the press of muscle against the skin of his bicep.

He was invading your senses, even all the way out on the shore. The heat was unbearable.

You shot up, ignoring the frightened look that flashed across Alexei’s face as your sudden movement sent the boat rocking.

“Where are you going?” Alexei panted, chest heaving from the exertion of having to row the boat for the past half hour without any help from you.

“Swimming.” You kept your eyes locked with Javi’s, watching as silver smoke filtered through his lips, the afternoon sun golden in his hair.

You peeled your dress off, the damp fabric sticking to your skin as you pulled it over your head, feeling Javi’s eyes on you the whole time.

“Should I come?” Alexei asked.

“Nope.” You said, tossing your dress at him in a crumpled ball. “Why don’t you just… watch the boat?”

You shot a glance toward Javi’s direction, trying to tamp down the twinge of disappointment when you were met with an empty towel lying crumpled on the grass next to Carina, who had completely dozed off in the heat. He was gone.

Whatever. As if you cared.

You leapt off of the boat, crashing into the water before swimming away, cutting through the water and trying to create as much distance as you could from Carina and Alexei.

You broke through the surface, relishing in the quiet. With Carina asleep and Alexei taking a break from rowing, reclining in the boat with his eyes closed against the sun, all you could hear was the drip of water and the sound of the birds.

The water broke behind you suddenly, and you jumped as an arm snaked around your waist, heart thumping as the beginnings of a shocked yelp formed in your mouth.

“It’s just me.” His voice hummed in his chest, and you felt it rumble against your back as he held you flush against his torso.

Your breathing steadied, and you tried not to melt into his arms.

His warm arms, taut against your stomach as he held you close.

“Aren’t you supposed to be with Carina?” You breathed.

“I wanted to swim.” He muttered, his warm breath ghosting the shell of your ear.

You felt a sudden surge of courage that you knew you shouldn’t feel, inebriated by his closeness.

“Is that all you wanted?” You ask.

His arm falls away from your waist, and you feel a flash of fear, knowing you pushed too far. It disintegrates when he says, “Follow me.”

You swim after him as he leads you to the edge of the lake, far enough from where Carina and Alexei were.

He waded out of the water, hand grasping for yours as he helped you out and led you to a clearing obscured by a cover of trees. You tried to ignore the jolt of electricity his touch sent through your hand.

You reached along to the shallow end of the water, producing a whiskey bottle from beneath the surface.

“Lake keeps it cold.” You explained.

You caught the amused glint in his eyes as you took a swig.

“I come out here a lot. It’s a good hiding spot. How d’you know this was here?”

You handed him the bottle, watching him take a drink as you sunk down to the grass, leaning against the trunk of a tree.

You looked up at him, watching as a drop the amber liquid dribbled down his chin, landing in the hollow of his neck.

“I’m perceptive.” He muttered.

“I know you are. I see the way you look at me.”

You knew with those words, you were on the precipice of something. You knew you should stop. He knew. The both of you kept pushing.

He sat on the grass, facing you.

“How do I look at you?”

“With your eyes.”

He smirked. “You think you’re funny, huh?”

“Hilarious.”

“I like girls with a sense of humour.”

“Lucky me.” You smiled.

He let a moment of silence pass, and you watched the steady drip of water off his skin. He readjusted his position, letting his arm cross over your outstretched legs, his palm planted firmly on the grass next to your thigh.

So close, yet so far.

“That your boyfriend?” He said, nodding toward the rowboat.

“Nope. Just some heir of something or another. It escapes me.” You grinned. “Why, you jealous?”

“You jealous of me and Carina?” He challenged, leaning in closer. Your heart thrummed in your chest.

“Why would I be?”

“I see the way you look at me.” Casually, as if it were nothing at all, he leaned closer still, hand lifting to fiddle with your hair, letting it fall between his fingers.

“How do I look at you?” You whisper, echoing his earlier words. Every fibre of your being told you to close the distance between the two of you.

Just a few inches. Your eyes flitted over his face, the dark, heavy lashes, the strong jaw. His mouth.

“Javi?” Carina’s voice, faint in the distance and heavy with sleep, called out.

You broke apart, Javi clearing his throat and taking a moment to slick back his damp hair. He got to his feet, and you watched the broad expanse of his back.

“Will I see you tonight?”.

“What’s tonight?” You sighed, dreamily.

He tossed a look over his shoulder, raising a dark eyebrow. “Your family’s throwing a party. Carina’s invited. I’m her plus one.”

“Lucky girl.” You muttered, ignoring the flare of jealousy in your stomach. You pulled a blade of grass out of the dirt, crushing it in your palm.

“You think you could make time for me tonight, even with all the heirs of somethings trying to hit on you?” He smiled.

“We’ll see.” You said off-handedly, trying to disguise your excitement. You ducked through the trees and headed back into the water.

Javi waited for a few moments before finding a way out, making it look as if he’d been swimming the whole time before making it back to Carina.

The only evidence of your meeting were two damp patches in the grass where your bodies had been, marked by a half full bottle of whiskey.

[disillusioneddanny]

The Story of Us. Two: The Memories Start

Bruce stared in shock as Danny Fenton floated in front of them with his legs crossed beneath them. The ghost blinked a few times before a wide grin spread on his face and wow was he beautiful. Bruce mentally shook himself, this was a serious moment, and they needed help. And if Danny could provide that help, it would be great. But also, he was even more attractive now than when they had last seen one another. 

Danny was dressed in long purple robes with a black trim, and a staff with a caduceus on the top rested in his slack hand. He had the same white hair only now it was long enough to be pulled back in a ponytail, the sides of his head shaved close to the scalp. A dark black tattoo started at his right cheek and dipped down into his robes, beautiful whorls and shapes that if Bruce stared deeply at it, was the language of ghosts written into his skin. He was beautiful beyond compare. 

“Brucie?” Danny asked, squinting his eyes as he leaned forward in the air, trying to get a better look at him. “This is what you became when you decided to become a vigilante.”

Bruce thanked the ancients that the cowl covered most of his face because he knew he was blushing. 

“You guys… know each other?” Green Lantern asked, looking between the two. 

“Of course we do!” Danny said. “But we don’t need to worry about that, I’m here for work,” he told them and looked the members of the Justice League over and held back a smile. 

“What is it?” Bruce asked, giving him a tired look, despite the fact that it likely did not have the same effect that Danny was used to when they were in their twenties.

“I knew you became a vigilante after I left but I never really had time to keep up. I didn’t realize you had a whole little superhero group,” he crooned, floating past the barrier, causing Constantine to jump in alarm before he floated around Bruce. “Are you a bat?”

“Yes, Phantom, I’m the Batman,” he said with a sigh, already knowing the teasing he was going to get from his childhood friend. Danny knew better than anyone what his fear of bats was like, and from the snort that came from the ghost, he was likely already thinking about it. 

“Adorable,” the halfa said before he sobered up. “Okay, I’m done.”

Bruce watched as his friend composed himself, squaring his shoulders back, lifting his chin up, and cast a steely look at the heroes in front of him. 

“I am Phantom, high healer of the Infinite Realms, who summons me?” He declared and Bruce’s heart skyrocketed. 

Danny had become a healer? He knew that his friend had left for a war in the Infinite Realms but he had never heard from him since; the fact that he had continued on to his goal to become a doctor of some kind had Bruce feeling beyond proud of his friend. It had been a goal that they shared at one point, becoming medical professionals together. 

Wonder Woman stepped forward and bowed in front of Danny. “Phantom, we are the Justice League; our teammates have fallen ill from a mysterious illness and we have been unable to find out what is wrong with them. We learned that you were one of the greatest healers in the universe and hoped to make a deal with you to help them.”

The halfa gave her a small smile. “No need to bow, I’m no royalty,” he said, raising a hand. “And there’s no need to make a deal. I’m more than happy to help you. A friend of Bru-Batman’s is a friend of mine,” he said, glancing over at Bruce. 

Bruce stepped forward. “I’ll catch you up on the situation,” he said and Danny landed on the ground, his feet hitting the floor without a sound before he glided over to the vigilante. 

“You’ll have to catch me up on a lot,” Danny murmured, glancing over at Bruce, his eyes that bright, beautiful green that he hadn’t seen in so very long. “It’s good to see you again,” he whispered softly. 

“It’s good to see you too,” Bruce murmured, bumping their shoulders together and ignoring the looks of horror he was getting from the rest of his team. “You’ll have to catch me up as well, you know. High Healer?”

Danny’s blue skin turned a bright green as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Yeah, it’s no big deal, though,” he said awkwardly. 

“This is so fuckin’ weird,” Constantine muttered. 

“Tell me about it,” Hal Jordan said in response. Bruce just held back a smile before he launched into his explanation of what happened to the supers and how they were in a coma. The two made their way into the medbay where both Damian and Tim were waiting beside their friends. 

“Phantom, these are my sons, Robin and Red Robin,” Bruce said and Danny let out a coo as he looked at them. 

“You have kids now?” He exclaimed before he froze at the sight of Clark. “Oh fuck.”

Bruce’s heart dropped at that as he remembered the state of his friend and colleague as well as Clark’s family. “What is it?”

Danny said nothing as he rushed over to Clark and spread his hands, a green hue glowed from his palms and over the super’s body. “I’m glad you summoned me,” Danny murmured. He stepped away from Clark’s body once it had taken on the glow and stepped towards Conner, ignoring the way that Tim balked. 

“Danny, what’s wrong?” Bruce demanded, feeling himself panic.

“It’s a Kryptonian poison,” Danny murmured. “They call it the Bacterial Blight. It comes from the plant Blister Ivy. It’s an uncommon plant, especially now that Krypton is gone.”

“How do you know anything about it then? What are you doing to them?” Damian demanded, glaring as the same green light covered Conner’s body and he turned to Jon’s. 

“It’s a stasis spell, it just freezes them in time so that they don’t get worse,” Danny explained. “I’m a healer for the Infinite Realms, I’ve learned some from the Kryptonians in my dimension but I’ll have to consult with them about this.”

Danny then launched into an explanation of what exactly the Blister Ivy was and the three vigilantes listened in horror. The plant was uncommon, even when Krypton still existed because of how dangerous it was. The plant was worse than even the most poisonous plant on Earth. It was a tiny plant that could only be found in some snowy regions and bloomed twice a year for three weeks. The plant itself had thick, spear-shaped leaves, usually a light red color with flowers that tended to be light grey, brown, and bronze. They grew in small numbers and even were easy to get rid of because of how rarely they grew. 

The plants had a defense mechanism that allowed them to produce a powdery substance. If the substance got into the eyes, mouth, or nose, the victim would soon find themselves experiencing symptoms that grew worse and worse as time went by. 

“It starts with a cough and a fever,” Danny said, looking down at Jon. “They then fall into a comatose state as we see here. If you had waited any longer before summoning for help you would notice that their veins would start to bulge out, the color changing to a bright green, then the organs would start to shut down one by one while the skin starts to develop bright blue blisters.”

“That’s exactly what their symptoms were before they fell comatose,” Tim murmured before he looked Danny over. “How could you tell just by looking at them?” He accused, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Bruce glanced over at Danny curiously, his son had a point, that was a rather fast diagnosis. 

Danny gave them a small, secretive smile. “I’m just that good,” he said with a wink before he let out a chuckle and walked towards Clark. “In all seriousness, I just had to look at him. If you look closely, you can see his veins were already starting to turn green, not only that but there are blisters forming along his face,” he said and ran a finger along the top of Clark’s cheeks where sure enough, tiny blue blisters were already forming. 

“So what do we do? How can we save them?” Bruce asked him, a frown on his face. “How long do we have to find a cure before their organs start shutting down?”

Danny shrugged. “All the time we need, right now they are all under stasis, and we’ll keep them under that stasis spell until we collect the ingredients. I’ll have to talk with a few of the Kryptonian doctors who have passed over already and see if we can recreate the cure. It’s likely going to be quite a few Kryptonian ingredients and that means it’ll take longer for me to collect them.”

“How on earth can you get ingredients native to a planet that is gone?” Damian snarled out, the twelve-year-old’s eyes already red-rimmed. Bruce stepped forward and rested a hand on his youngest son’s shoulder. 

“Phantom is a very old friend of mine, if anyone can find these ingredients, it will be him. We just need to trust him, but our friends will be well once again,” he said softly. Damian sniffed, rubbing his nose just a little before he nodded his head. 

“Alright,” he said and looked over at Danny. “Save them, please.”

Danny gave him a small smile and nodded his head. “I can do that,” he said. 

The halfa looked over the three supers and ensured the stasis spells were fully set before he looked at Bruce. “They’re under a stasis for now. We can start focusing on the rest now,” he said softly. 

Bruce smiled and walked towards Danny and, despite the fact that both of his sons would likely hold this over his head for the rest of his life and would never let him forget, he leaned forward and pulled the man in for a tight hug. “Thank you,” he whispered. 

“Anything for you, B,” Danny said softly, standing on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around Bruce’s shoulders, hugging him tight.

The two walked down the hall of the Watchtower together, Bruce’s cowl tucked underneath his arm as he glanced at Danny. 

“High Healer, huh?” He asked, quirking up an eyebrow in curiosity. Danny chuckled and shook his head. 

“It’s a pretty long story,” he said, changing from his ghost form into his human form, giving Bruce the perfect opportunity to see just exactly what his childhood best friend looked like now. His hair was still the same, only that familiar dark black color, he had the same crystal blue eyes that continued to haunt Bruce’s dreams even twenty years later. Freckles were smattered across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, that same tattoo trailed down his face and along his neck. For a man who Bruce knew, was forty-three years old, Danny looked barely thirty-five. He still had the same short, slim build he had when they were in their twenties, still barely hitting five foot seven compared to Bruce’s six foot. Gone were the fancy healer robes and staff, in its place Danny wore a pair of worn jeans and an old NASA t-shirt that had Bruce reminiscing about old times. 

“I’d love to hear about it sometime,” Bruce admitted as they continued walking. “Also, your room is still the same as you left in the manor. You’re welcome to stay there while we figure this out. If you want.”

Danny gave him an amused smile. “I’ll think about it, B. I do have a house in the Ghost Zone I can continue to reside in.”

“I know, but if it makes it easier. Besides, I’d like to get to know my best friend again,” he admitted hesitantly, feeling a sort of openness that he had never felt with anyone aside from Danny. Bruce knew he was awkward and bad at feelings, he knew that he couldn’t communicate for shit. But with Danny it was different, it was easier. If anything it was too easy, it was like his mouth lost control and said things before he even had a chance to actually think them through. 

He didn’t remember being this embarrassed about it when they were teenagers, though. If anything he had once been thankful to be able to know that he could talk to Danny about anything and everything without feeling like an emotionally constipated asshole, as his kids would so eloquently put it. 

“Yeah, we really are shit at keeping in contact, aren’t we?” Danny laughed, throwing his head back with the action. “Twenty fucking years with no contact, we suck.”

“We were busy. I became Batman and then became a father and found myself busier than I ever expected. And you apparently joined a war and became a high healer,” Bruce said, giving Danny a teasing look. 

The ghost groaned. “Oh my Ancients, I’ll tell you about it eventually. It’s just a very long story,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. 

“I’m going to hold you to it,” Bruce said smugly, bumping his shoulder against Danny lightly. 

Read the prologue and chapter one here

[animesmolbean]

Guardian of Light

(Male)

Hello! Welcome to my rewritten story for Dune and Kingdom Hearts!

Some things have changed, and the story has more added detail that helps with the story.

Regarding updates, they will be slower because I really want to explore a bit of the story, especially for future chapters. But I'll try to update as soon as I can.

As shown up above, this is the male version of the chapter! The female version was published yesterday (Monday). The female and male verison will have some differences (if you read both of them) to show the different actions taken by the characters. This will mostly affect the intimacy part of the story and not really the actual plot.

One more thing, I was inspired to write this story after reading a fanfiction I read on Wattpad that is just phenomenal! My story follows the format of it (most of the time), but it's a completely different story!

I'll link the book here if you are interested in reading it!

With all of that out of the way,

Hope you enjoy the first chapter! ♥️

Dreams are messages from the deep.

“My planet, Arrakis, is so beautiful when the sun is low. Rolling over the sands… You can see spice in the air. At nightfall, the spice harvesters land.

The outsiders and their army of demons race against time to avoid the heat of the day. They ravaged our lands in front of our eyes. Their cruelty to my people is all I've known.

These outsiders, The Harkonnens, came long before I was born. But their demon army only came recently with them.

By controlling the spice production, they become obscenely rich. Richer than the Emperor himself.

Our warriors couldn't free Arrakis from the Harkonnens, or the demons that lurk in the shadows, but one day, by the imperial decree, they were gone.

Why did the Emperor choose this path? And who will our next oppressors be?”

〰️

Chapter 1: Accepting a Deal

〰️

Year 10191

CALADAN, Homeworld of House Atreides

“I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like is any of this for real… or not?”

A (straight/curly/wavy) (hair color) boy slowly woke up. The soft glow from the light in his room, ridding him of any feeling of sleep.

He sat up, running his fingers through his hair. He looked around, seeing the familiar room he was given when he was a kid.

“It was… just a dream.” He whispered.

〰️

Meanwhile, a young boy was lying on a bed, shirtless, asleep, but tossed and turned a little as he dreamed. He was dreaming about something. Or rather, someone. His (Hair Color) hair gently blowing in the wind. He turned towards him, his beautiful sapphire blue eyes sparkling with happiness as he smiled widely.

His beautiful best friend since they were kids, the boy who is always the light of his life. (Your Name).

However, there was someone else with him. It was another girl that wore a different outfit compared to (Your Name). The boy didn't know who this was, for he could only see the side of her face. But he knew that he had dreamed of her before, too.

The boy's hazel green eyes opened, groaning softly, sitting up as the moving light came and shined against his shirtless form. He sat up in his bed, looking down.

‘What could that dream mean?’ He thought to himself.

〰️

The same young boy was now in a dining room, sitting at the table, deep in thought as he ate his breakfast.

An older woman who sat at the end of the table spoke up, breaking him out of his thoughts. “It's good you're up early. I just wish (Your Name) could be too.”

〰️

(Your Name) stood outside, in a loose gray long sleeve, baggy black Capri pants, and his boots were off, placed by a rock.

He dipped his feet into the large, cool body of water, walking until the water was halfway to his calves. He looked out towards the horizon, in deep thought.

〰️

“Your father wants you two in full dress before the Emperor's Herald arrives.”

The brunet boy raised his head up at this news, “Full dress? Military?”

“Ceremonial.” Jessica, the woman's name and his mother replied.

Paul let out a sigh. “Why would we have to go through all this when it's already been decided?” Paul asked.

“Ceremony.” Jessica simply replied.

The doors to the room suddenly opened, making the two at the dining table turn. Paul's lips lifted up into a smile at who was standing there. (Your Name).

“Ah…” (Your Name) chuckled awkwardly. “So sorry I'm late.” The boy walked over to the spot between Paul and Jessica.

“Nice to see you here (Your Name). And with shoes on this time.” Jessica lightly teased her son-like figure. She knew this boy since he was around five years old. She remembered the day the first time she brought him to Caladan.

〰️

Jessica was out late at night, having trouble sleeping. The sky was dark, stars twinkling, and the moon being the only thing providing light, making anything the light shone on glow a soft blue.

She walked along a beach that Caladan was known for when she saw what looked like a shooting star in the sky. But she saw it was falling towards the ground, not going across the sky like a shooting star normally would.

She watched the bright light and splash into a large body of water she was near. She walked closer to the water, her feet touching the soft sand. What she saw made her eyes widen.

What fell into the water was not a rock. But a child. He looked very young, like about five years old. He wore a white loose shirt with black shorts and no shoes.

Acting fast, she took off the cloak she was wearing and grabbed the wet, unconscious child and carried him back to the castle to be taken care of.

Jessica walked towards one of the spare rooms, requesting one of their servants to find clothes for the child. The female servant did what she was told while Jessica laid the child on the bed.

She got a closer look at the boy. He had (Hair Color) hair, (Skin Color) skin, all wet from landing in the water. She frowned and stroked the boy's wet hair.

This action caused the child to stir and mumble. Jessica watched the child slowly come to. When he opened his eyes, however, Jessica felt her heartbeat increase.

The boy's eyes were a deep blue. Like the color of sapphires or cobalt.

Jessica knew then that she needed to keep this boy safe.

〰️

(Your Name) chuckled shyly at Jessica's teasing, playing with the silver charm on his silver necklace; shaped like a small crown. He smiled back and then looked over to his best friend, who was already staring at her. Before he sat down, he greeted Paul with a gentle hug. The male smiled softly at his friend and hugged him back.

Once (Your Name) was seated and eating his breakfast, Jessica told him what she had just told Paul. The boy was confused as to why they were having a ceremony, but he gave Jessica a nod before he resumed eating. Jessica poured a glass of water for (Your Name) and slid the glass to him. The (Hair Color) haired boy thanked her quietly.

Jessica did the same for Paul, “Thank you.” The boy whispered. Jessica replied, “If you want it, make me give it to you. Use the Voice.”

(Your Name) guessed that Jessica wanted Paul to use the voice to bring him the water.

“Mom, I just woke up.” Paul protested in a gruffy, morning voice.

Jessica just stared at her son making Paul roll his eyes as he reluctantly agreed to try. He turned his body in the chair to use the voice, “Give me the water.”

It came out more like a soft, raspy whisper than what it was intended to be.

(Your Name) let out a muffled giggle at Paul's weak attempt. “The glass can't hear you. Say it to your mother.” He whispered.

Paul gave the boy a look before looking back at his mother. Seconds felt like minutes. The atmosphere shifted to stillness as (Your Name) watched Paul and Jessica stare at each other intensely, waiting for Paul to use the Voice again.

Moments later, his lips moved.

“Give me the water.”

The voice came out gruffier and a bit distorted. But it did its magic. Jessica took the glass and pushed it towards Paul a little. But as quickly she was under the spell, she quickly snapped out of it. She pushed the glass of water closer to Paul.

“Almost.”

“Almost?”

Paul's voice was back to its normal pitch.

“Bene Gesserit skills take years to learn, Paul.” Jessica told her son as he reached out and grabbed the glass.

(Your Name) nodded. Even though he wasn't being taught to use the Bene Gesserit, he understood its complexity and why it's important to master.

Jessica observed her son before speaking again. “You look tired. More dreams?”

(Your Name) raised an eyebrow in confusion. He looked at his friend with worry. ‘Has he been dreaming too?’ He thought to himself.

Paul shook his head, muttering, “No.” Then he went back to eating.

“What about you, (Your Name)? Have you been dreaming?” Jessica asked.

The boy looked down before muttering, “No.”

〰️

“Extreme temperatures and treacherous weather events make life outside the cities of Arrakis truly hostile.” A robotic voice came from a recording that laid on the ground and showed visuals of what they were talking about.

After breakfast, the two childhood best friends decided to spend some time studying before they had to head to the ceremony.

The recorded voice from the video played as Paul had a book in his hands about the Fremen, reading it as his back leaned against (Your Name)’s torso. The boy was in a kneeling position, his arms were wrapped around Paul's neck, forearms resting on top of his shoulders. His head was on top of Paul's, silently reading along with him, occasionally nuzzling his nose into the boy's curly hair. He was only half paying attention, focused on looking at the book, listening to the recording, and trying to be as close to Paul as possible.

“With sandworms powerful enough to cut through metal. Only the native tribes known as the Freman and one other special person, that hasn't been seen nor born for centuries known as the Haris Aldaw’ have adapted well enough to survive.”

(Your Name)’s attention was diverted when he heard that name. Haris Aldaw’. He moved his head off of Paul’s. He has heard that name before. From where, he wasn't too sure.

Paul turned his head to look at the (Hair Color) haired boy, his hazel green eyes showing worry. “(Your Name), are you okay?”

The (Hair Color) haired boy blinked before nodding. “Yeah. I'm alright. Don't worry.” He replied to the boy.

Paul let one of his hands go from holding the book, grabbing one of (Your Name)’s hands, giving it a gentle squeeze. (Your Name) welcomed the comforting pressure and did it back to him. But to his surprise, Paul pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. Then, Paul turned his friend's hand to show his inner wrist and placed a kiss on the spot, too.

The (Hair Color) haired boy felt a blush blossom onto his cheeks at the gesture. Now flustered, he looked away shyly.

Paul let his hand go and smirked to himself before he continued reading.

“Preferring to inhabit the remotest regions of Arrakis the Freman share the deep desert with the giant sandworms, known to the Fremen as Shai-Hulud. Long exposure to spice has given the tribe their characteristic blue eyes, the eyes of Ibad.”

‘I wonder if it's as blue as my eyes.’ (Your Name) thought to himself, his focus back on the book and the recording.

“Little else is known of the Freman except that they have some sort of power that controls the Earth and the Freman are dangerous and unreliable. On the other hand, much is known about the Haris Aldaw’. They are known to control elements and have other magical abilities such as being able to glide.”

(Your Name) bit her bottom lip. ‘My dream last night was about gliding… and falling.’ He thought to himself again.

“Freman Attacks make spice harvesting extremely hazardous. For the Freman spice is the sacred hallucinogen which preserves life and brings enormous health benefits. For the imperium the spice is used by the navigators of the spacing guild to find safe paths between the stars. Without spice, interstellar travel is impossible, making it by far the most valuable substance in the universe.” The voice recording concluded.

〰️

(Your Name) and Paul were now standing outside, dressed nicely for the ceremony, both dressed similarly.

The (Hair Color) haired boy turned his head to look at the bearded man in the center. Duke Leto Atreides. The man he saw as his father for many years now. He remembered when he first came to Caladan, he was confused as to how he got here and where he came from. Jessica had explained the situation, and the Duke didn't want to believe the tale, but when he saw how adamant she was, he believed her.

He took him in and cared for him like he was one of his own kids, raising him alongside Paul. Teaching him many things like reading and writing, alongside Lady Jessica. He couldn't be more graceful to the two for taking him in.

The Duke turned his head and saw the (Hair Color) haired boy looking at him. He gave the boy a subtle nod to him; a gesture he returned to him, a gentle smile on his face.

An enormous oval shaped ship landed on the ground. The ramp was placed down as the important people walked out from it. They were wearing their house clothes and walking respectfully towards them. (Your Name) wasn't exactly sure who they were but knew they were of utmost importance if they were coming to speak with the Atreides.

“Smile Gurney.” The Duke said, looking forward at the approaching visitors, his tone calm but with a touch of joking as he spoke to his trusted member.

“I am smiling.” Gurney replied monotonously, a blank expression on his always serious looking face.

(Your Name) bit his bottom lip to suppress a snicker from escaping his lips. Paul looked at him in mild amusement.

The Duke shook his head at Gurney’s deadpan response, “How much will it cost them traveling all this way for this formality?”

“Three Guild navigators and a total of 1,460,062 Solaris for this round trip.” Another trusted advisor answered beside the Duke. The Duke turned his attention back to the new visitors.

(Your Name) watched as a member of the group that arrived from the ship bow to the Duke, “By the grave of Shaddam IV of the House Corrino, ascendant to the Golden Lion Throne of Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, I stand before you as Herald of the Change. We are witnessed by members of the Imperial Court, representatives of the Spacing Guild, and a sister of the Bene Gesserit. The Emperor has spoken.” He pulled out a scroll, unrolling it before he read, “House Atreides shall immediately take control of Arrakis and serve as its steward.” The member closed the scroll. Do you accept?

The Duke took a couple long strides, stopping at the top of the stairs, “We are House Atreides. There is no call we do not answer. There is no faith that we betray. The Emperor asks us to bring peace to Arrakis! House Atreides accepts!”

“Atreides! Atreides! Atreides!” The soldiers that stood everywhere, representing House Atreides, started chanting as the Duke made his way down the stairs to sign the paper.

Before he does, the Duke looks back at his son and (Your Name), seeing them both giving him a subtle nod in agreement, silently approving him. They watched him sign the paper using his signet ring.

As he did, (Your Name) felt a feeling in his stomach that he couldn't quite place. Like a feeling of unease. He wasn't sure why he felt it just now. ‘Probably from all the people staring at us.’ He thought to himself.

“So it is done?” Leto asked the Herald.

“It's done.” The Herald responded, face blank, not showing any emotion.

Once the deal was finalized, (Your Name) scooted closer to Paul, pressing his right arm against Paul's left one. The curly haired boy looked at the boy. He gave him a gentle smile, which he returned in kind.

He always liked Paul's smile. Paul thought the same thing about him.

Taglist

@skeletonixsstuff

[glitterforashes]

𝐛𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐝 ; 𝐚𝐳𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

>> fluff, revenge fic, healing, self-empowerment, woman empowerment, women, just women, i love women, regaining self confidence. when i tell ya’ll that i squealed when i got this idea, i SQUEALED. originally this was just gonna be like an az x reader fight fic, but this is much better. the ending kinda sucks so excuse that!!! hope you enjoy<3

“you look.. beautiful.” azriel said, watching as you descended the winding staircase in one of rhys’ many estates, holding up your skirts gingerly. your face shone brighter than stars in the sky as you stepped softly onto the landing pad of the stairs, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “promise..?” your soft voice was hardly above a whisper compared to the sound of wind raging outside, slamming against the walls and scratching at the windows. “always.” azriel extended his hand to you. you took it.

tonight was the annual gala held for the courts. every year a high lord would host the gathering in their court, and every other lord was free to attend and invite whoever they pleased. it was the night courts turn to host, right around the time of solstice— which meant you and your lover had spent very little time together in the last few weeks. very, very little time. rhysand had been running around like a chicken with his head cut off for days, planning an entire months worth of festivities, and of course azriel was one to help with that.

you had offered to help, but were turned down. “just stay here and look pretty.” cassian had said. the scowl you gifted him in return was angry enough to keep the room warm for several days. needless to say, you spent the first week pouting in your room. but now the time had come to celebrate and flaunt all the things your high lord had accomplished in the short time he had owned such a title. you wore a dark crimson dress, dangly pearl earrings, and multiple dainty white bracelets. your dress dipped generously between your breasts, stopping above your belly button, the back was open— putting your spine tattoo on display. the fabric was long, pooling around your ankles and dragging a bit on the floor in the back. azriel wore a black suit with a crimson undershirt and had little pearls keeping the cuffs of his sleeves in place.

azriel’s thumb rubbed the back of your hand in slow circles as he gazed down at you. you watched every thought he had run across his eyes like a film before he shook himself out of whatever stupor he was in. “are you ready?” he whispered, giving your hand a little squeeze. “as i’ll ever be.”

azriel brought your hand to his mouth and placed three gentle kisses across your knuckles, slowly, letting you feel the warmth and love behind each one. you felt tears well up in your eyes, which you quickly blinked away. “don’t make me cry my mascara off.” you mumbled, and az chuckled. he gripped your hand in his and placed his free hand on your lower back, urging you closer to him. you closed your eyes, felt the whip of wind and cold and calm swipe across your face before you were surrounded by flitting chatter and clinking of glasses and slow, soft music.

the gala. az had winnowed you both there, to that ballroom under the mountain, right at the foot of the thrones. you looked up to rhysand and feyre, giving a little curtsy and curt bow of your head. they nodded in acknowledgement before cassian clinked a fork to his champagne glass, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. the music slowed to a stop as you met the eyes of nearly three hundred people. you just knew helion had invited way more than he was meant to. azriel sensed your nerves and squeezed your hand subtly, giving you a glance out of the corner of his eye. “ladies and gentleman, high lord and high lady of the night court.”

rhysand and feyre rose from their thrones, both adorned in black fabrics and crowns. you felt your heart swell with adoration, fighting to keep a toothy smile from breaking out on your face. everyone in the room bowed down as you squeezed azriel’s hand back. some further than others. “shadowsinger of the night court.” cassian announced. azriel stepped forward and stood on rhysand’s left, gazing out at the crowd with a blank, intimidating expression. you felt a warmth spread through your lower stomach, a warmth you were quick to stifle. you couldn’t even fathom how embarrassing it would be if the scent of your arousal filled the room. surrounded by his shadows, he stood there, looking so tough and so.. beautiful. like an angel of death.

“court overseer, of the night court.” morrigan stepped up and stood on feyre’s right, resting her hands neatly in front of her. she looked smug, and you knew she was making eye contact with beron. she was beautiful, adorned in a scarlett red dress that did very little to cover any part of her body and multiple pieces of dainty gold jewelry. a type of beautiful you could only wish to be. “high lord of the night court’s second-in command.” amren took a graceful seat in front of morrigan positioned slightly to the side, her legs drawn close to her and tilted at a sideways angle, giving her a look of feline elegance. one slip and she would be exposed to the entire room. it occurred to you in that moment that every one of the females of the night court was dressed… very little. the thought made a smirk quirk up on your lips.

“maid of honor of the night court.” cassian announced finally. you stood a little taller as you ascended the steps, your hips moving sensually as found your spot in front of azriel on the second level stair, positioning your legs the same way amren had. you raised your chin high, the way morrigan had taught you. a year ago she had said to you, “when you feel like nothing, pretend you’re everything.” you took that advice to heart. you felt azriel’s shadows reach out to caress you, just barely stopping themselves before they got to the back of your neck.

“and finally, war general of the night court.” rhysand’s voice chimed, springing an air of nonchalant amusement and dominance through the room. all rose and began applause as you sat, basking in it like a cat in a ray of sunlight. the tension you had unknowingly wound up in your shoulders released as azriel’s shadows wrapped around you, caressing your waist and hips and the valley between your breasts.

the night progressed smoothly for the next two hours. you made idle chatter with visiting occupants and had a few glasses of wine on your rounds. feyre and rhysand stayed perched on their thrones until midnight, accepting praise and offerings and casual conversations. once the clock struck midnight, it was time for you to give your speech. rhysand had recruited you to do it this year, for what reason, you didn’t know.

you ascended the steps to their thrones and bowed your head, giving a kind smile. rhysand and feyre stepped to the side, standing beside their thrones so you could be directly in the middle of all the attention. amongst the socializing, nobody had noticed that you now stood before them, nervous and shaky. you smoothed your hands across the fabric of your dress, your shoulders tensing again. you met azriel’s eyes across the room. he raised an eyebrow at you, questioning. you flared your eyelids, he tilted his head, you shook yours, he gave a face, you frowned. you communicated like that until a smile broke out on your lips, forcing you to lick them and try to stifle it.

azriel raised his wine glass and clicked a fork against it, drawing all eyes to you. suddenly it felt like you decided to jump naked into the sidra at peek population hours of the day. “uhm..” you started, looking behind you to rhysand and feyre for guidance. they gave encouraging nods and a wink, enough for you to loosen your shoulders and do a little wiggle to get rid of the nerves. you cleared your throat quietly and brought your hands in front of you, standing poised and presentable, how a lady of the night court should stand.

“welcome to the night court.” you said simply. soft applause came from the crowd, and you smiled. it was going good so far. to be honest, you hadn’t prepared this speech at all. you were just gonna have to start pulling things out of your butt. “how’s everybody’s night going?” you asked. there was louder clapping and some whooping that you were certain came from helion. you shook your head, smiling a smile azriel’s heart nearly stopped beating for.

“i’m going to be honest, i didn’t prepare this speech.” laughter. you smiled wider. okay, this was good. they were liking you. “i won’t keep you for much longer though, i promise. i just wanted to invite all of you to feel as comfortable as possible— without breaking our possessions of course.” you smirked and carried on, saying basic formalities before launching into how amazing it was to be part of rhysand’s court, how you were honored to host the gala this year. “before i step down, i’d just like to say—“ you stopped as your eyes met green. there he was, in the right hand side of the middle row, sipping deeply from his wine glass.

your worst nightmare. he never attended the galas, never volunteered to host. you felt frozen as memories began flashing violently behind your eyes. when you had first started out working for rhysand, you were assigned to make peace with the spring court. you met tamlin, high lord of the spring court— and he quickly became your secret lover. this was of course, many many years ago, but the whisper of him never quite left your mind.

he had destroyed you and built you up in ways you couldn’t describe. he’d kiss your lips and simultaneously pull your hair, tell you how beautiful you were while telling you that no one would ever love you the way he did. would buy you glorious gifts while cutting you off from your family and friends, keeping you trapped in his estate all the time. would tell you lies and spin your mind so that you’d only ever feel safe in his violent arms. rhysand had rescued you some hundred years ago and promised to never send you back to that horrible place.

you realized that you were still in the spotlight and had been gaping for a good six seconds. you looked desperately for azriel’s eyes, your eyebrows furrowing up in worry. you found his gaze in a heartbeat. his eyebrows creased. ‘what’s wrong?’ he asked you, communicating in the way only you two could. you tore your gaze away from his and cleared your throat, smiling a shaky smile. you spoke in a wobbly voice and your knees buckled as you willed yourself not to look at tamlin or azriel. instead, you found the arched doorway in the back of the room to be particularly interesting.

“uh, everyone have a great night and please eat the food we’ve provided because we will not be able to finish it all.” you gave one more smile as applause erupted from the crowd and boisterous music picked up. the second the attention was off of you, you picked up your skirt and rushed into the crowd, forcing your way through to azriel. you were swept into a dance before you knew what was happening. a hand took yours and another met your waist. you blinked and suddenly you were following an upbeat choreography like second nature. you had learned it years ago, with azriel as your dance partner. but when you looked up, it wasn’t azriel you were dancing with.

it was tamlin. you felt bile rise up viciously in your throat. he smelled the same, looked the same. you didn’t miss the way he held you tighter than he needed to, his fingertips digging into your waist and back of your hand. “(y/n).” he said, but his voice wasn’t warm like when you first met him. it was cold and entirely devoid of emotion. “tamlin.” you swallowed thickly, trying to force down the junk pile of emotions that threatened to explode out of your mouth and eyes. “that was some speech you gave.” he said, guiding you around the room as you two danced, twirling and stepping and swaying in sync. you didn’t respond. your eyes left his to try and find azriel through the blur of dancing bodies around you.

“look at me when i speak to you.” his voice growled, and you looked to him without giving it too much thought. it was as if he was your owner and you a dog, programmed to follow his every order without hesitation. “good girl.. you haven’t lost your training yet.” he smirked, sinister and disgusting and so gut-churning you nearly wanted to scream for help. he made you feel so degraded with so few words, you fought and lost to the tears welling up in your eyes.

you didn’t respond. his expression fell into a blank slate and he stared at you, through you, as he spun you faster with the crescendo of the music. you willed yourself to steel your heart and paint your face with aloofness, trying to pretend like you weren’t affected by him, by his presence, by his cold fingers against your skin. your nostrils flared in the way they always did when you were trying not to cry. “are you having fun being a night court whore?” he asked. your eyes flicked to his immediately, wide with shock. “oh, excuse my poor manners. i just couldn’t help but notice your choice of.. clothing.” he said, flitting distasteful eyes towards your dress.

“the night court is my home.” you said, voice firm and threatening. “i am not a whore of it, and you will not speak to me that way in my. home.” your words shocked you, you had never stood up to him before. but as your lips continued moving, you felt an awful sort of dark hatred start in your toes and spread, filling your entire body until it felt like it was going to crawl out of your throat and slit tamlin’s wide open. your face felt hot and you were shaking, stumbling as the dance abruptly stopped.

your eyes flicked from the floor to his, and you swear you saw him flinch. “how dare you?” you asked, voice hardly above a whisper. it felt like the storm from outside was in your skull now, whipping around so violently you couldn’t hear or think. your eyes were wild with rage as they stared into tamlin’s. your fingers were digging into his skin now as you tried to keep the violence that rose inside of you at bay. “how. fucking. dare you?” you asked again, raising your voice. he stared, expression void of emotion. “after..” you could barely breathe, borderline hyperventilating as you began giggling, a manic fit of disbelief putting itself into play.

you swallowed hard, laughing now. your eyes were wild still, but with something different. something worse. “after all you’ve done to me. after the years i spent running from you, trying to forget.. you think,” you push your fingernail accusingly against his chest, hard. “you think you can come into MY home and speak to me like THAT?” you laugh, a hiccuping, uncoordinated laugh that was anything but humorous. “fuck you, tamlin.” you sneer, chest rising and falling hard as you breathe, unable to stop your lips. “fuck you, and you’re godsdamned fucking face, and your mean hands, and your need to control fucking everything.”

you pushed him back with one finger, stalking towards him as he backed up. you were pushing him toward the door without realizing it, people were parting like minos for a shark, but you didn’t notice. you could barely see, think, hear anything but the storm. you looked like a wildfire flame, the anger radiating off of you could heat the room. “this is MY. HOME.” you yelled, voice full and boisterous in the way his was everytime he had threatened to kill you. “and you are NOT welcome in it ever FUCKING again, so just GET OUT!”

you screamed at him, and then it stopped. the storm, the noise, the emotions, all of it. it all disappeared. you looked up at him with teary, confused eyes, your body trembling like an autumn leaf in the wind. “just get out.” you whispered, voice shaking as you pointed at the door his back was nearly against. he squared his jaw and shoulders in the way he always did when he knew he lost, and turned. “fuck you too, (y/n).” he tore the door open and slipped through it, slamming it so hard on the way out it rattled the entire ballroom.

silence. there was loud, horrible silence. your hair a mess, tears running down your cheeks, you turned towards the guests of the ball. they stared at you like you had just unleashed one of the beginning time beasts. your entire body broke out into a cold sweat, you couldn’t stop shaking. shaking, why were you shaking? you scanned less than half the room before azriel was in front of you, cupping your face in his hands. “(y/n).”

you broke. you threw yourself into his arms and crumpled, ugly, hot, fat tears flowing down your face. in his arms is where you realized how scared you were, how scared you had been. if it had been any different, if it had been in any other court.. tamlin would have killed you. very slowly did your ears begin to register the applause, the deafening applause that rattled off of every wall in the room. you detached your puffy, tear-streaked face from azriel’s chest and looked around, met the faces of every court member clapping and cheering for you.

you looked up at azriel confused. he held a hand firm on your lower back and grinned softly down at you. he put his hand softly on the back of your head and pushed it against him, holding you and your shock at bay. “never liked that prick anyway!” helion shouted from across the room, earning boisterous laughter from a group of males and females. cassian rushed towards you and swept you away from azriel, leading you back to the thrones. morrigan patted your dress down and messily wiped mascara stains off your face the best she could with her thumb and some saliva. you laughed, confused, but happy. your heart was thundering in your chest.

“ladies and gentleman,” cassian announced loudly, gesturing widely to you like you were a showcase painting. “maid of honor!”

the applause that erupted from the crowd almost moved you to tears again. you met azriel’s eyes and he grinned, sending an expression of admiration towards you that spoke a thousand and one words.

- extra ! -

two weeks later, it was the night of winter solstice. you, the entire inner circle, and elain were sitting around the fireplace, exchanging gifts and sipping wine and recalling stories from the year passed. with all the wine in your system, you didn’t notice when azriel slipped away from you. “okay, okay! my turn.” feyre said. “this is to you, (y/n).” she said. she motioned to the staircase, where azriel stood. next to him was a flat box about as large as him covered with a silk black curtain.

azriel cleared his throat, and you could tell he was nervous, though his facade hadn’t changed to the naked eye. “(y/n)..” he said. “i love you, and everyone else loves you. you are the strongest, most beautiful female i’ve ever seen. happy solstice..” he removed the cloth from the box and in front of you stood a painting of you at the gala, victorious, incredulous look on your face, mascara stains on your cheeks and all, being held up by cassian and mor as every court cheered for you.

your hands flew over your mouth as your eyes welled with tears, the tipsiness making you overly emotional. you stood and rushed to feyre, nearly knocking her backwards as you wrapped her in a hug. “it’s so beautiful! thank you so much..” you cried as azriel came up behind you and placed a hand on the small of your back, crouching down to sit next to the pile of you and feyre.

you turned and tossed yourself messily into his arms as everyone began making fun of you; with the exception of amren who was trying to find herself in the painting. “i love you azriel.” you sniffled. he lifted your chin and grinned down at you softly, pressing his lips against your cheek. he whispered against your skin, bringing your head to his chest. “i love you too, darling.”

[staytinyville]

Stay Alive (40)

BTS poly!ot7 x Reader

Magical Creatures AU

Series Masterlist

Warnings: none

A/N NOT BETA. I only updated today because I had one chapter ready but not the other story and I like updating at the same time. ALSO! I will be doing a network dedicated to content creators for Stray Kids! Be sure to be on the look out!

You would never be tired of seeing all there was in the world the boys lived in. And all you were exploring was their version of Korea. You could only imagine what the rest of the world looked like. Even if you had been to the cities many times, this was much different than visiting your own Busan. You got the chance of experiencing it for the first time all over again. 

“Busan is a very beautiful place.” You told Jimin, walking along the beach. “But this cannot compare.” You spoke up, looking at the sky. 

“Watch your step.” Jimin hummed, holding onto your waist as you carefully climbed down some rock cliffs. 

“Are you sure I'm allowed here?” You asked him, watching as you both grew closer to the water that was softly hitting the rocks. 

“Sirens aren't a secret.” Jimin laughed, quickly dropping down into the water and turning around to face you. 

You watched as he brought his arms out of the water, fins going along the sides and his fingers webbed as they touched the side of the cliffs. “I don't know, it feels like they are from how well hidden you seem to be.” You joked, crouching down to be closer to Jimin. 

“Come here.” Jimin laughed, holding his arms out for you. 

“You want me to get in?” You asked, looking at him with wide eyes. 

You looked down, realizing why it was that Jimin wanted you to dress in a swimsuit. You had asked for a one piece and a coverup. While he didn’t tell you where it was that his family lived, you wanted to make sure you didn’t show too much skin while meeting them for the first time. 

“We won't be able to reach my home if I don't swim.” He explained. 

“Where will I go?” You asked, dipping your toes in the water to make sure you wouldn’t get sick. 

“I'll carry you.” Jimin swam around for a moment before coming back up to you. “Don't worry. That's why I told you to get into a swimsuit.” He added. 

You sighed softly, nodding your head as you slowly got in. You tried to avoid getting hurt on the rocks along the cliff, but Jimin managed to hold you just enough to prevent you from getting scratched. He turned around to have his back facing you, to which you gladly wrapped your arms around his neck. 

You gasped as his tail came up to slap against you, a glare settling on your face as you watched Jimin giggle. He began to swim further into the water, his head the only thing sticking out as he made sure to stay above the surface so that you wouldn’t have to go under. He swam along the shore where the cliffs were, moving leisurely along. 

The water would come up to your chest, your hands sometimes tightening against Jimin’s shoulders when you would feel the brush of something. You weren’t necessarily terrified of the ocean, but it did scare you just a bit. 

However with the water so clear you were able to see all the fishes that seemed to swim alongside Jimin. You would catch him humming, his webbed fingers sometimes looking as though he was petting the fish. You smiled slightly at how they all seemed to swim around him like pets, at ease with being next to him. 

You suddenly began to hear humming coming from the cliffs, looking up as a large opening began to emerge. It reminded you of Namjoon’s home in the caves, how there was a whole town just hidden within the earth. You figure this was about the same as buildings and the likes were created from the side of the water cave that Jimin was entering. 

Your eyebrows rose up, hearing a lot of different songs coming from either sides of you as more and more sirens came into view. You heard them gasp, splash into the water as well. You gasped, quickly wrapping your legs tighter around Jimin when you felt another’s tail skim past your leg. 

“Who is that?” You heard. 

“Is it a human girl?” Someone whispered. 

“How is she here?” They asked.

“What's going on?” Someone else butted in.

“She's not falling for any of the singing.” They noticed. “That's odd.”

“She has spell marks on her arms.” You subconsciously rubbed at the marks Taehyung and Hobi had left. 

Jimin finally made it to the edge of the entrance pool, coming up to the rocks, as he allowed you to get off first. You felt yourself shiver from the cold air brushing against your wet skin, but Jimin was quick to leap out of the water to push you towards his body. While the water was cold on his skin, his body heat was warming you up. 

You noticed that the moment Jimin got out of the water, his tail disappeared as he came out of the surface. His legs and arms still had scales and fins, but it seemed as though his private area was not there. Maybe it was half a transformation. At least that was what you assumed. 

“Could it be?” Someone gasped out behind you. 

A crowd began to form around the two of you, causing you to hold onto Jimin’s hand for fear of being pushed back into the water. They weren’t giving you nasty looks, but rather seemed to be curious. They all looked like different fish from what you could tell. Different size fins and colored scales. But either way they looked like sirens you would find in the ocean. 

“It is! Park Jimin has returned!” Someone exclaimed, coming up as people began to cheer. 

The cave was like a small village with how everyone seemed to be gathering and talking with one another. It seemed like they were a close town, each one knowing the other. 

“You're back brother!” Someone clapped Jimin’s back, giving him a shake of his hand. “How wonderful it is to have you home! Your parents are going to be so happy!” The man exclaimed. 

Your eyebrows rose as the term brother, not remembering anything about Jimin having one. But then again it probably had to do with the fact that the sirens were all close–like a tribe. 

“Yes, I've come to see them.” Jimin answered. 

“Of course! They should be at their restaurant.” The man said, pointing out towards a building that was stationed by the side of the moon pool. 

“Let's go, Beautiful.” Jimin grabbed your hand, pulling you along. 

You gave kind smiles and bows of your head to the people who were looking on with curious eyes. You could see them wanting to reach out for you, but they stopped themselves. You almost wanted to giggle at how it seemed like they hadn’t ever come across a creature that wasn’t covered in scales.

The restaurant Jimin had entered looked cozy, small and like a cafe but with an ocean theme. You were quick to spot the large mural of Jimin stationed next to the entrance. He looked young, nothing compared to what you knew him as. But you would assume that had to do with the fact that it had been 10 years since they had last seen their son. 

“Hello. How many—Jimin!” The woman gasped, dropping the menus she had in her arms. 

She began to cry, rushing forward to throw herself into Jimin’s arms. You moved over, giving the two room to let out all that they could. You heard something crash from behind another counter, an older man suddenly popping out from what you assumed the kitchen to be as he took in the sight of you and Jimin. 

“Eomma!” Jimin cried, rubbing his cheek into his mother’s shoulder. 

“You're home! You're finally home!” His dad called, catching all the customers in the cafe’s attention. 

You heard them starting to clap and holler, getting up for a moment as they took in the heart stirring moment of a reunion. 

“You're safe and well! Are the others with you?” He asked, looking around for the other 6 boys. 

“They are with their own families.” Jimin answered as he pulled back. He looked at you, giving you a bright smile. “I did come with someone though. Mom, this is (Y/N). My mate.” He grabbed your hand, pulling you forward. 

“She's human?” His mother raised her brows, looking at you with wide eyes. 

“She's the one who brought us all back.” Jimin admitted. 

“You did?” His mother gave you a bright smile. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She gushed pulling you forward into a hug. 

You sat down to eat and enjoy Jimin’s family restaurant. They served you the best they had, made sure to fill you with food. And of course like the ocean dwellers they were, they made you wait 30 minutes before going in. It made you smile to see where Jimin had gotten his personality from. His family was just like him. 

Jimin had told you about a hot spring in the village that was covered by the mountains. He decided to take you there, telling you he wished to spend some time with you to explain all that he could about his world. 

“This place is so beautiful.” You spoke up, dipping your toes into the pool. 

“What were you thinking? Underwater Atlantis type home?” He laughed, taking his head out of the water to only show off from his shoulders up. 

You smiled at his tail flickering behind him. The aquamarine color shined against the milky water of the hot spring. You slowly crawled in, getting used to the change in temperature. Once you had immersed yourself into the pool, Jimin swam over to you, placing his hands on your waist as he pulled you in deeper. 

You didn’t take into account how deep the spring truly was, but it was enough to have you not touch the floor and Jimin to leisurely swim around with you on top of him. 

“Just a bit.” You chuckled, going back to the conversation. 

“That city is in Greece. I'll take you there if you really want to see it.” Jimin grinned, making you laugh. 

You begin to think all about the different places that were considered myths, they must have been real here if Jimin just dropped that he would take you to Atlantis. The only thing that came to mind was back to what Taehyung had asked of you. Do you really want to stay in their world? With them? Do they want you to stay?

It must have been on your face because Jimin had asked you about it. “What's up?” He spoke up, casually playing with the tips of your hair.

“You all look so happy.” You sniffled a little bit. “It brings me so much joy to see you all smile. And to know all these people missed you so much.” Tears began to pool at your lash lines, your arms hugging Jimin tighter. 

“Thank yourself for that. We would be here if it wasn't for you.” Jimin started to float on top of the water, the end of his tail flicking. 

You laid on his chest, your own pressed against his as his arms kept you on his body and from floating away. 

“There is nothing we won't do for you. I love you just as I know the others do too.” He added, looking down to your lips. 

You smiled for a moment, reaching up to kiss his wet lips. “I love you, Jimin.” You told him.

Series Masterlist

@h3arteyes4mingi , @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh , @rinkud, @rln-byg , @singukieee ,  @hoshi-is-ult-bbg , @ldysmfrst , @juju-227592 , @alienchickenpoop , @dreamerwasfound , @afangirl91 , @psiphidragon , @puppyminnnie , @shyloh-the-cornsnake , @ollyoxenfrees , @whynotlarene , @beeltsumu , @cryingpages , @milopenne , @belikejk , @thatonedemigodfromseoul , @woozixo,

[seriowan]

star-crossed lovers (tech x f!reader)

“I could name every star after you,” he whispered honestly, eyes latched onto your own, “But none could ever compare to your beauty.”

summary: the one where tech and his starry-eyed lover go stargazing

rating: X (18+ ONLY) — outdoor sex w/o protection (don't be irresponsible irl!), PiV, lots of fluff and cheesy love

note: I AM BACK!! this is my first fic on tumblr in a really long time and i'm so excited about it!! this is also the first installment of my valentine's day special (which I know will probably last until the day after because *college lectures*) so if you wish to be added to this taglist, let me know in the comments or in my inbox! there will be one lovey-dovey-spicy ficlet for each batcher!

masterlist ♡

“Okay, what’s that one?”

   The blanket shuffled. Tech tilted his head, pressing his temple against your own as he followed your pointed finger to the stars. You smirked, certain to have caught him at a standstill, only to groan when he stated confidently, “Canerius Minorus, though it is more commonly known to the natives of this planet as Fenios.” 

   You sighed, palming your face. “Every time we stargaze on a new planet, you know all of their constellations. Are there any that you don’t know?” 

   “Of course,” he chuckled, “But I will not say which.”

   You shifted onto your side, propping your head in your hand as you gave him a suspicious, narrow-eyed look. “I smell deception. Please tell me you’re not looking up the information before we land so you have the upper hand.”

   He pursed his lips, slowly smiling. “Ah, then I suppose I won’t.” 

   You gasped, playfully shoving his shoulder. Though you tried to look betrayed, you couldn’t help but laugh and roll your eyes when he turned over, curling his arm around your waist to pull you back into his side. You caught the slip of a smile before he nuzzled his face in the crook of your neck, his cold goggles causing your skin to prickle. 

   Silence settled as you basked in the moonlight, enjoying the cool wind and the warmth of his body pressed against yours. You couldn’t recall the name of this planet but it became apparent that it was now one of your favorites — even at night, the winds weren’t too cold for your dress and the moon was large enough to see every crater and beautiful blue shadow. The stars formed shapes in the beautiful navy sky — constellations that looked like warriors and animals and, at least to Tech, a model-3 speeder he once saw in a catalog back on Ord Mantell. 

   He had no idea, but you fell in love with him all over again right then and there. 

   With him leaning into your side, his arm around your waist and his face pressed tenderly against your neck, you ached to freeze the moment. To capture the vulnerability that he rarely showed. Tech wasn’t always affectionate but when he decided to be, it was as physical as it was affectionate. He loved you in his own way, just as you loved him enough to follow him across the stars. Through toil and trouble, you would always be there for him, just as he would be for you. 

   “Tech?” 

   “Yes, my love.” 

   “What about that constellation right there?” You stretched your arm up to the sky, pointing at a cluster of flickering yellow and blue stars. “The one that looks like an astromech.” 

   He chuckled. “Your imagination never fails to amaze me. That is Etrion, the fabled prince of Kamut.” 

   “Tell me about him.” 

   “Well,” he hummed, raising his arm to point to another constellation. “The tale follows Etrion and his love for the warrior Lem. It is that constellation a few meters off…” Raising your hand, you dragged your fingers up his arm before placing your hand atop his own, mimicking his pointed finger. You purposely pointed in the wrong direction, giggling when he chuckled and murmured lovingly, “No, it’s right- I know that you are humored by this but I did want to tell you the story.” 

   “Okay, sorry,” you chuckled. With a dip of your chin, you kissed his head. “Keep going. I like when you tell me stories.” 

   Even in the dim white moonlight, you caught the slight flush in his cheeks and bit your lip, holding back from peppering his entire face with obsessive kisses. 

   Clearing his throat, he pulled at the collar of his civilian’s shirt. With a huff, he scooted up the blanket, intertwining his fingers with yours as he pressed his temple to your own once again. 

   “There are various adaptations of the story, but the general consensus is that Lem and Etrion secretly fell in love in the sacred palace gardens. As the years passed, Lem grew tired of their silence so he went with confidence to ask the king for his son’s hand in marriage. Because Etrion’s father would not allow his son to marry someone of low status, he sent Lem to complete an impossible task: to name every star in the night sky before he could return to the kingdom and marry the prince. Because of his devotion, Lem set off to do as he’d been told. He went to a barren planet of sand and forced himself in solitude. The first constellation that he ever named was Etrion as a tribute to his beloved.” 

   Keeping your hands intertwined, Tech raised your knuckles to his lips and kissed them. 

   “Many rotations passed before Etrion realized that he could no longer last without his lover.. Leaving behind his riches and status, Etrion fled to the sand dunes. Nothing was heard of the two for years before a scavenger came across a prince’s robe, folded and laid neatly beside a warrior’s armor and an astronomical map with the names of thousands of constellations. Most were written with the hand of a warrior while the final, most eloquently written constellation was labeled Lem.” He pointed back up to the two constellations. “There is no assurance that the two were real, nor is there any evidence that they truly disappeared, but nonetheless, Etrion and his lover remain immortalized in the stars.” 

   “Bound together forever,” you whispered, turning to look at Tech. He followed, facing you with a distant, loving smile on his face. “Immortalized by the stars… Would you do the same for me if you were in Lem’s place?” 

   Tech didn’t hesitate to nod. “Of course.”

  You were definitely in love. In fact, you were more than just in love. You were infatuated with his starry brown gaze and that gentle but present smile on his lips. You adored his knowledge and his stories; his enthusiastic info dumps and that adorable red circle that’d crease around his eyes when he’d remove his goggles. 

   With one smooth swing, you curled your leg over him and sat up atop his waist. His hands sought the warmth of your thighs, sliding up to your hips. Slipping your fingers underneath the hem of his shirt, you slowly moved your hands up his chest, smiling when you watched his adam’s apple bob up and down with a thick swallow. 

   “I could name every star after you,” he whispered honestly, eyes latched onto your own, “But none could ever compare to your beauty.” 

   Right then and there, you melted into love like Etrion and Lem melting into the stars. 

   Leaning down, you pressed your lips to Tech’s, offering the gentlest kiss that you could. The sweet gesture burned brighter as he returned the kiss with stronger fervency, moving a hand up your back while the other cupped your head, holding you close. 

   Your tongue glided across his bottom lip, sliding into his mouth to elicit a faint little moan. Tech’s hands slid higher up your hips, lifting your dress higher… higher… until you finally realized his goal and smiled into the kiss. Tech sat up, keeping you on his lap while he took off your dress. The breeze was warm but ticklish, causing you to shiver and him to chuckle. 

   “Are you cold?” 

   “With you here? Not at all” you teased, giving him a wink when he scoffed and playfully rolled his eyes. Clothed in just your undergarments, you lifted Tech’s shirt in an attempt to even the playing field. He pulled it off of his head and tossed it onto the grass, grinning when you pointedly tapped your nail against the lens of his goggles. 

   Tech cupped the side of your face, eyes of adoration dancing across your face. When his lips returned to your own, his kiss was slow and timed, patient and indulgent in the moment. He kissed you as if he wanted to savor every moment, sculpting hands touching your marble body. Slender fingers unclasped your bra, exposing you to the moonlight as he tossed it aside. The same touch traveled down your spine, a fingertip caressing every bumpy ridge of your back. 

   “I love you,” you whispered against his lips, moving a hand down his chest. He reached down, guiding your fingers to the zipper of his trousers. Tech’s breath hitched when your fingers slipped behind the waistband of his pants, fingertips skimming his erection. 

   Someone’s eager, you amusedly thought to yourself when you noticed his slight grimace of sensitivity. You tilted your head, lips stamping kiss after kiss along his jawline, down his neck, all the way to the dip in his collarbone where you sucked just lightly enough to make him shiver.

   A sudden ripping noise made you break away, eyes flicking right at the knife in Tech’s hand. He’d sneakily retrieved it from his bag, using it to tear the edges of your underwear and make way for a clean removal. Tech gave you a loose smile as he tossed it alongside your discarded underwear, arching his brows as if asking, Impressed? 

   You giggled, slipping his stiff cock out from underneath his grays and aligning it with your impatient heat. With a slow descent, you sheathed yourself atop his dick, eyes rolling back as the fullness of his length and girth filled you up. You didn’t stop until you were sitting flat atop his cock, watching with a drunk gaze as his eyelids flickered, lips parting for a gasp. 

   With your hands on his shoulders and his hands on your hips, you slowly began moving, alternating between a grind and lift. Up and down, back and forth, you moved with the ease of a calm ocean, gentle waves guided by his hands. Tech looked jaded with ecstasy before he leaned forward, dipping his head into the crook of your neck. 

   Sliding your hands around his shoulders, you curled your fingertips through his hair, raking your nails along his scalp while riding out the high of his touch; the stuffed fullness of his dick as it moved in and out, hitting the very spot that made you see stars. With a deep, shaky breath, you rocked your head back, breasts lifting just enough for him to dip his head and capture your nipple between his teeth. He rolled the hard nub between his lips and traced his tongue in circles. 

   Tech let go of your nipple with a pop, wet kisses shifting to the valley of your breast. He suckled the sensitive skin, glancing up at you through his long brown lashes. A fervent adoration of beauty sat in his gaze as he watched you, bodies moving in synchronization while chasing a shared high. 

   Tech’s hands returned to your hips in an effort to help you move faster. He guided you up and down, eyes flickering back and forth between your blissful expression to your bouncing breasts.  Wetting his lips, he stamped kiss after kiss across your chest and up your neck, biting and pulling on your earlobe to make you exhale a giggle. 

   You could feel it then: that bubble just begging to pop. It built up slowly but surely, edging you closer and closer towards the edge of satisfaction. When his hand suddenly grabbed the back of your neck, pulling your head down as to press your foreheads together, you barely had the chance to moan before Tech fiercely kissed you, biting and pulling on your bottom lip out of pure need. 

   It took just a moment before you felt a shiver jolt up your legs. The pressure between your thighs became hot, nearly overwhelming as you ground against him, clit rubbing against his adonis with every wave of your hips. Tech’s eyes screwed shut as you scraped your nails down his back, relishing in his faint moans and whimpers. 

   One final grind was all it took before Tech immediately lifted you off of his cock, darting a hand between your thighs to fulfill the emptiness. His long fingers curled right where you needed it while the heel of his palm rhythmically ground against your throbbing bundle of nerves. It didn’t take long before you were gasping and trembling, clenching around his fingers. Tech fell into step right after you, white ropes of release spraying across your stomach. 

   He slowly eased his fingers out of your sensitive cunt before lifting them to his lips. It sent jolts of electricity buzzing through you when he carefully and nonchalantly licked his fingers clean of your release. Then, as if he wasn’t tired at all, Tech stretched an arm toward the edge of the blanket, plucking a small yellow flower right out of the ground. 

   Gentle hands tucked the flower behind your ear before sliding to the back of your neck, drawing you in for another slow, love-filled kiss. 

   “You cannot fathom how much I love you,” he murmured into your mouth, arms wrapping around your waist. Pulling you close, he laid his head on your chest while you combed your nails through his hair. Briefly glancing up, you caught the constellation Etrion and followed the path of stars leading to the prince’s lover Lem. Their story made you smile and when you glanced back down at Tech, he was already looking up at you with his chin on your sternum, the stars twinkling in his eyes. 

   “Enough to name every star for me?” 

   The corner of his mouth twitched upwards and he nodded. 

   “Enough to spend eternity in the stars with you.” 

taglist (+ people who might be interested !) : @discarded-beskar @lucyysthings @corona-one @eloquentmoon @maulslittlemeowmeow @misogirl828 @theclonesdeservebetter @frietiemeloen @pinkiemme @torchbearerkyle @witchklng @ivela3 @kaminocasey @daddykin-skywalker @sunflowerrex @agenteliix @twistedstitcher27 @neon-junkie @tech-deck @queenquazar @nahoney22

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[comphy-and-cozy]

can you please do something with “I’m going to ruin you” with the big boy, andrei svechnikov?

bestie, I knew this one had to be extra special for you - so it’s no question why this quickly turned into a mini fic bc what is a blurb anyway? I kind of combined this with a different request I got to make a sequel to sundress szn 😈

enjoy, my love!

Prompt: “I’m going to ruin you.”

Pairing: Andrei Svechnikov x teammate’s sister!Reader (f)

Word Count: 2.2K

Warnings: Smut (18+ ONLY). Language, brief alcohol use/mention, oral sex (m + f receiving), brief choking, unprotected sex, creampie.

The white tablecloth is thick, almost stiff against your legs. Flickering candles and dimly-lit wall lamps provide most of the light in the room, aside from the glow of the city outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows. During the day, you’re sure it’s probably a beautiful view of the skyline, but at night it’s even prettier, a sea of glittering lights amongst the darkness.

The waiters aren’t wearing white gloves, but they might as well be, their suit vests and red ties adhering to the high standard their clientele demands. The menu is small, prices not even listed — a sign that the bill will be exorbitant.

It’s far more extravagant than you would’ve wanted for a first date, but Andrei was insistent that if he was going to risk his life taking his Captain’s sister on a date, he was going to do it right.

And he did, pulling out all the right stops: arriving 5 minutes early, flowers in hand, opening your car door, offering his arm as you walked into the restaurant. He’s polite, a perfect gentleman, when he orders an expensive bottle of wine for the two of you, his eyes hardly leaving yours the entire time.

“Trying to get me liquored up?” you ask once the waiter leaves, a flirtatious smile on your face.

The glint in his eye that you love so much is back when he glances toward you, dimple exposed as his smile matches yours. It’s hard to miss the way his eyes dip down toward the shadow of your cleavage before quickly darting back up to your own. “Why? You need a little liquid confidence?”

“Why would I need confidence to do something I’ve already done?” you smirk, following his lead and letting your eyes slide slowly and blatantly over the buttons of his crisp dress shirt, already imagining the satisfying sound of them hitting the floor when you rip it open later this evening.

“There’s a few things you haven’t done.” He licks his lips, a subtle hint at what he’s referencing, and you feel a throb between your legs, debating if waiting for your food is even worth it. But, then a waiter walks by with a plate of hot, prime cut steaks sizzling in butter, the scent almost as intoxicating as the man across from you, and you think to yourself that you can wait for a little while longer.

“And you’re going to enjoy every one of them, aren’t you?” you ask with a teasing smile, gently running a hand across your collarbone.

“Oh, baby,” he hums, his gaze purely predatory despite the charming smile he puts on. To anyone around you, you’d look like a happy couple on a nice dinner date, the mounting sexual tension invisible to passersby. “I’m going to fucking ruin you.”

The waiter interrupts what is about to come out of your mouth, a secret that you’ll keep forever, but his words already have the desired effect. Your legs squeeze together, a desperate throb between them as your heart ticks quicker in your chest, and in some ways, you’re thankful for the interruption, unwilling to let your date know just how much impact he has on you.

Dinner is pleasant, but excruciating, watching the flex of his hands as he cuts through his expensive steak, his large fingers wrapped around the thin stem of his wine glass. It’s terribly sexy, his strength compared to the delicate fragility of the glass, surely some kind of parallel for what you’re anticipating as soon as he gets you home and the front door is locked.

Sure enough, he does, though you admit you aren’t expecting him to immediately pin you to the door you’re in the middle of locking, skirt hiked up over your hips before he’s on his knees behind you with a growl.

“No panties?”

“I’m wearing…” you trail off, your sentence punctured by a gasp when he rips the flimsy fabric in question from your frame.

“You call these panties?” he asks, though your terminology is hardly a concern now that there’s something far more tempting in his sight.

There isn’t much room for any retort, not with Andrei roughly tugging your hips backward in order to press his face against your center. He groans at the contact, the vibration traveling straight through your clit and into every single nerve ending in your body, heightened when his tongue begins to stimulate your dripping folds.

His voice is muffled by your ass, but you can make out a distinct fuck as he tastes you, the way he’s been dying to from the moment you opened your front door looking sinfully beautiful. It’s your eyes he loves most, but your legs are a close second, the skirt you picked for the night teasing him just enough to drive him insane. He couldn’t deny that he’d spent half of dinner dreaming of pressing his head between your thighs underneath the table, remembering the all-too-brief taste he had of you, wondering if he could get away with it — ultimately he’d decided against it, but having you in your entryway is a pretty close second, he thinks.

Andrei doesn’t let up until you’re two orgasms deep, legs shaking as you clutch desperately at the door for support. Offering you some reprieve, he sits back on his knees and sucks your essence off of his fingers, the ones that brought you to your latest demise, a dark glint in his eyes.

“Taste extra sweet when you’ve got some wine in you,” he jokes.

“As good as that expensive steak you bought?”

“Better,” he hums. “It doesn’t even come close.”

It isn’t long before he’s got you in his arms, legs wrapped around his waist, your discarded panties long forgotten near the vase by your door. His lips are attached to yours, giving you a taste of yourself, and you’re so distracted that it takes a moment before you realize he’s walking blindly, no idea where your bedroom is located.

With a giggle, you detach yourself from his lips and give him instructions, down the hall and on the right, and his bashful smile has your heart melting. The butterflies whoosh away the second he plops you onto your bed, looking down at you with a look that’s hungrier than before. Something tells you that the sight of you on a mattress is something he’s been dying to see.

You move to tug your knee-high boots off, stilled with a quick hand and a dark glance. “Leave them. Been thinking about fucking you in nothing but these boots all night.”

His words, as always, make you shiver, the lustful promises from his lips something you’ll never grow tired of. Normally, you might make some kind of quip, a snarky comeback, but you’ve been dreaming of having him inside of you from the moment he slipped out weeks ago, leaving you leaking his cum in the middle of your brother’s half bathroom. It’s all you can do not to rip his clothes off along with your own, ready for him to fuck you into oblivion like he promised.

Andrei’s hand wraps around your throat, engulfing it with ease, pulling you up to kiss him again. Blindly, your hands fumble with his dress shirt, working it open until he’s taking matters into his own hands, tearing it down the middle and sending buttons flying across the room. You barely notice your prophecy come true, instead captivated by the cut, stark lines of his muscles, like he’s been carved out of fucking clay, sculpted like a piece of art that you’d find in the Met.

“Like what you see?” he teases, muscles flexing as he shrugs the tattered shirt off his form.

“Didn’t get to appreciate it in full last time,” you say, cheeks hot from the call out — but how can he blame you? — before your eyes drop a little lower, to the expensive-looking black slacks that hang on his hips. “Just like something else.”

The sight of you on your knees, your tits pulled haphazardly out of your top as you work on his zipper is a sight Andrei knows he’ll never forget. But the feeling of you taking him in your mouth, your eyes gazing up at him while brimming with tears, pressing further and further until he touches the back of your throat? A feeling he’ll spend chasing for the rest of his life.

With a curse in Russian, his hand threads through your hair to clear your way, not wanting anything to impede his view of his cock sliding between your wet, pretty lips, disappointed he can’t see the way your tongue works sinful magic on the vein that’s throbbing on the underside. But goddamn if he can’t feel it.

He waits until he’s twitching in your mouth, body thrumming with desire and desperate to spill into the back of your throat before he ends your experiment, unwilling to release the contents of his balls anywhere but inside your cunt. Because as good as your mouth feels, he also knows what it feels like to have your snug, warm walls milking him for all he’s worth, and it’s something he wants carnally.

As promised, he rids you of all of your clothing except for your boots, though he is tempted to leave your skirt bunched around the swell of your hips because of the way it makes you look so slutty, so needy for him you couldn’t wait a second longer. But, he thinks, there’ll be another time for that, instead wanting to see you bare, fully, since he didn’t get the pleasure the last time.

“Andrei,” you whine when his strong arms pin your hands over your head, settling himself between your legs. Your body arches into his, desperate. “Please.”

“Such gorgeous legs,” he groans, ignoring you, moving one hand to nudge your thigh up over this hip, then the other. “Perfect fucking body you have.”

“Didn’t you say you were gonna ruin me? Seems like all bark and no bite.”

His eyes, normally so warm and kind, darken at your sass, and he smirks. He’ll never admit it out loud, but he loves that you can match him step for step, challenging him with your attitude that intrigues him like no other girl ever has.

The sound you make when he presses into you is near enough to make him bust right then and there; similarly, the groan he emits once he’s buried to the hilt makes you gush, feeling yourself clench tightly around his length. He’s warm, and you swear he’s bigger than before, stretching you entirely around his delicious girth. Every movement he makes is perfect, starting slow and building his pace, different from before now that he has time and space to truly ravish you. You don’t have to ask him to keep going, to move faster, to go harder, because he knows exactly what you need before you do.

You’ve lost the ability to speak, though if you could, you’d only be able to moan out his name. His pace is brutal, hips slapping against the back of your thighs, and the rough movement of his body has the cross hanging around his neck brushing against your chest with his rhythm. It’s a filthy thing, the desire to have his chain hitting your face, an inexplicably sexy detail that somehow cranks the temperature up to scorching levels.

When he lets your hands go in favor of cupping your face, your hands slip around his muscular shoulders, clutching onto him as you hang on for dear life. He wants to kiss you, to get his mouth on you, but he can’t bring himself to stop looking at your face, in awe of the way your brows scrunch together and how your mouth falls open when he hits your g-spot just right.

“Feel so fucking good, baby,” he murmurs, his accent thicker now that he’s exuding more effort with his hips instead of his English, determined to stay on pace and bring you to your high. “So pretty.”

This time, when you come, you’re in the comfort of your own home and don’t have to stay quiet for fear of your brother walking in at any second, so you’re free to cry out his name when your legs shake as your climax hits you like a fucking train. A white hot blur of pleasure blinds you, taking over every single cell in your body with everything Andrei.

He’s not far behind you, shooting thick ropes into your eager and waiting center, greedily accepting everything he has to give you. His head falls in the juncture of your neck and your shoulder, hair tickling your jaw as he pants, breath hot against your already molten skin.

“I’m never gonna be able to look Staalsy in the eye ever again,” he says. He’s joking, of course, but there’s a part of him that knows everything is different now, and not just because of the pussy that he’s pretty sure was crafted in heaven specifically for him.

Andrei Svechnikov is falling in love with his captain’s little sister, and there’s not a damn thing he can do to stop it.

[laceyjane44]

GaaSaku 2023 Day18

Prompt: Secret Relationship/Masquerade

“Do not go too far, dear,” her mother scolded. “You must dance with a few of your bachelors this evening.”

“But, Mother,” her daughter whined. “The youngest among them is six years my senior, and the oldest would be comparable to dancing with Uncle!”

With a flick of her wrist, her mother folded her fan closed, using it to point at her daughter. A bejeweled and feathered mask, pinned perfectly to her hair and wrapped in a vibrant green silk, covered her mothers face though it was unable to cover the intensity of her glare. “And his fortune is comparable to that of a duke,” she hissed under her breath. “You are the only child of our name, and your uncle heads the family; without marriage, you’ll get nothing when your father and I are gone.

“I can manage my–”

“We cannot allow your youth to waste away while the prospect of your future remains destitute.” There was no room for rebuttal; there never was. “Understand?”

Sakura lowered her gaze, her voice quieting. “Yes, Mother.”

Another flick of her wrist, her fan was open again and she was waving the curled tendrils of her updo away from her face, the ballroom could be stifling at times. “Good, you behave as though you’d prefer a convent.”

“No, Mother.”

Observing her daughter for a moment, she sighed and waved a hand. “Go, mingle with the rest of the young women, perhaps they can assist you in narrowing down your choice. Duke Uchiha’s second son is quite the suitor, catching his attention would benefit the entirety of House Haruno.”

Sakura curtsied to her skirt and dipped her head. “Yes, Mother.”

With that, her mother; standing so straight and so refined, turned impeccably on a heel and joined her husband for the upcoming waltz. Sakura gripped her fan in her gloved hand, her mask feeling itchy against her face, her dress too ornamental and heavy for her liking, even her jewelry felt especially weighted today.

The grand hall was alight with the glow of the many sconces, candelabras and the chandeliers sparkling above. Music and dancing filled the space, a breathtaking display of fashion, etiquette, and beauty. The Masquerade ball, hosted by the palace and second only to royal celebrations, from the lowest of barons to the highest of grand dukes; all were in attendance, and all hid their faces for the chance to play the pauper and the stag.

Dress unlike her usual colors, mask that hid her face, and being one of the lowly barons’ daughters herself, she hadn’t needed a disguise for anonymity, her name and standing alone ensured no one – save for those who knew of her unique hair color – would distinguish her. She’d been approached by a few young men, though unfortunately for them she had recognized them despite their attire and had navigated her way out of a dance with them all thus far. Her mother had noticed, however, and she found her chances of avoiding the unwanted attention better on the terrace.

With a shawl wrapped over her arms and the heels of her shoes quietly clacking as she exited the hall, she climbed the grand staircase to the second floor where she hoped a balcony could be left empty for her. A guard stood near the terrace doors, and as she passed through into the evening air, the soldier didn’t even turn to glance at her. The door shut behind her, the sounds of the orchestra and the dancing sounded so far away now, only the starry sky and glowing moon were witness to her retreat. The gentle evening breeze of summer enveloped her as she leaned on the stone railings overlooking the central garden below, she had begun to wonder if he was even going to show –

“They’re relentless, aren’t they?”

Sakura gasped, spinning around spying a man stood near the door. He was a tall man, broad shoulders, crimson robes draped over his shoulders and belted at the hips with the ornaments of his nation. Even though that lavish and extravagantly embroidered fabric draped over his head and obscured his features, he hadn’t gotten memo of deception. Anyone to glimpse the exposed skin of his chest through his robes or see the adornments strung about his attire would have known of his name.

Her heart sprung to life within her chest, like a songbird with visions of freedom just beyond the bars of its cage, and she went to him. “Gaara!” she breathed as she leaned into him and he slipped his arms around her; strong, warm, and he always squeezed her more than the bachelor lords had ever dared to.

He lifted his arm and drew her to his side, the robe he wore inviting her into the warmth that always kept close to him. She shivered, in part because the air always felt colder when he was near, as if the sun of his homeland had followed him to this kingdom, and in part because of how the unabashed nakedness of his skin – no matter how modest – set her flesh alight.

“I loathe to have kept you waiting,” he said, ducking his head to whisper at her ear. She shivered at his breath along her neck.

“Did your session with the King go accordingly?” she asked, a life and an excitement breathing into her each time his deep blue eyes locked with her own.

Gaara nodded, admiring the beauty hugged against him, and he couldn’t help but tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then continue to tickle her neck to deepen that color on her cheeks. “Exceedingly so,” he boasted, always proud of his achievements through his skills in diplomacy. “My siblings and I will bring news of enriched trade and commerce to the Sultan upon our return. The end of this conflict will belong in your history books,” he teased.

“Your father will be pleased with you?” she asked, her own eyes searching his for the signs of truth behind his response.

“Yes,” he agreed, smiling at the way her face lit up at telling of his victories. “And he will likely offer me reward,” he continued, his gaze traveling down her figure to the attire that had been weighing her down all evening.

He could never wrap his head around their peculiar customs of dress in this land, the women especially. Hoop skirts and corsets, stays and petticoats, all they did for him was cover up the beauty of feminine form, one that his people were wont to praise and admire. Though, he had caught on to certain customs, and he could not be caught unaware of the one currently employed by the flame of his heart.

The colors he often wore were too dark for a complexion such as hers, she was a fair woman, with pale skin and light hair, though he noticed some familiar accents on her gown this evening. When he had spied her in the ballroom, ascending the stairs to the terrace as if beckoning him to follow, the burgundy color of her eye mask and the accessories of the same hue called out to him across the crowded ballroom. “Who are you matching this evening?” he asked, his hand at her waist slipping up her boddice and enticing a blush on her cheeks. “I haven’t seen any men wearing this color.”

Sakura peered up at him before the intensity of his gaze caused her to look away. She brought her fan up to her lips, tapping it against her chin. “Have you seen a mirror?”

He didn’t answer, though something about the way that he held himself shifted slightly, and soon the hand at her waist was guiding her to turn toward the door again. “Come,” he invited her. “I wish to dance with you.”

Sakura nodded, quieting her heart and stealing her will; she had expected this, she was counting on it even, and it was precisely why she had attempted to match his color. Perhaps a dance with him would give tell of their romance, maybe her suitors would take that smart step back she’d been begging of them, or finally be able to kiss him and not be obscured by shadows to do so.

They entered the ballroom and descended the stairs, a few masks tilted their way, curious as to why they matched though she knew no one questioned their identity.

“Do you see my sister?” he asked when he leaned down. Sakura scanned the floor below, finding the familiar blonde surrounded by the usual number of men that followed her. She nodded. “What do you think of her attire?”

“She is stunning as always,” Sakura replied with a smile, though she had sung the praises of his sister’s style to him before. “Even among the nobles attending, her visage and apparel are radiant beyond compare.”

Gaara smiled, the draping of his robes obscuring his face as he and his family had forgone the traditions of masks in leu of what their own wardrobe contained. On the dance floor, Sakura took her place in his arms, her eyes shining up at him though he wished that embellished mask hadn’t obscured her feature from him.

“When I return home,” he began as they started their dance; her hand in his, his palm molded to her hip. “I will have secured a name for myself outside of the throne’s succession.”

Sakura nodded, her heart fluttering. He had come here for that very reason; to be an ambassador for his father, to show his support to his sister as the heir to their family throne, and to ensure that he had no need for such a seat in order to make himself known and respected. She had been awed by his willpower and conviction, he’d been so bright and well spoken; the moment she met him was the moment that all other suitors fell short and were found lacking. She didn’t want to think of what would become of her after his return, this illation and happiness she had found was nothing more than a dream she would ultimately wake from, and when she did; he would be gone.

She smiled as she looked down, bittersweet and hoping the mask would catch any tears to fall. They had never been meant for one another, they came from different worlds, and even though she had tried insisting on the very same from beginning, she had fallen so deeply for him, for the way that he admired her in all that she was, and all that she wished to become.

“I hope your journey is a safe one,” she said, unable to lift her gaze, certain that her eyes would betray her.

Gaara twirled her around, basking in the jealous looks and sidelong glances from the men she’d spurned in favor of him, and bent down to speak softly in her ear, rasping his voice in the way he knew would excite her. “I always thought you would be beautiful in Sunesion robes.” Just as he had hoped; goosebumps.

“You have?” she managed to say, her voice almost lost among the sweeping crescendos of the orchestra.

“The vision of you in such a way has a habit of keeping me awake,” he admitted, enjoying the way her features flushed when he wooed her.

He hadn’t known if she had fallen for his appearance or his eccentricity, for his mannerisms or his foreign alure as a man that had journey across the kingdoms from the far away sands and mystifying dunes. He did know, however, that he was not above using any of these qualities to his advantage when vying for the heart of his conquest. He could be bold if she needed, he could romance her if she preferred, he could lay waste to her suitors in combat as were his own customs; it didn’t matter, so long as she continued to choose him.

“I will send for you,” he spoke quietly to her, the vibrancy of her green eyes shining at him from behind her mask as she caught his gaze. “Deeds, dowry, land,” he listed, admiring the way she hung off his every word. “Your family can have it all, so long as they give me you.”

She couldn’t speak at first, her lips parted in stunned disbelief, and he mused that if she didn’t use them momentarily, he gladly would. Soon her brows pulled together beneath her mask, her shock burning away to hesitation. “You jest,” she accused, resisting the urge to turn from him. She needed to see his eyes as he answered, he could lie to anyone else with that iron stare, but he’d never done so to her.

“Only if this be your refusal,” he countered, his heart skipping a beat as he offered her escape from this dalliance they’d fallen into together. He’d chase after her if she ran, and he’d fight for her, if need be, but he had hoped that she would welcome his proposal. “Though, if it isn’t,” he said, his fingers plucking the pins affixing her mask in place. He removed it from her face, allowing him to drink in her beauty as the drapery of his robes slipped down his shoulder as he did so, and she took in the fullness of his features as if the rest of the world had fallen away. “I’d be tempted to steal you away.”

“Must you send for me?” she asked, her pulse thrumming in her veins, her thoughts now filled with visions of a foreign land and a man to love her there. Her hand rested on his shoulder gripped the fabric of his robes, scanning his face and succumbing to the softness of his gaze. “Can you not take me?”

Gaara smiled and shook his head. “Let me build a place for you,” he urged her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and she frowned. “I want to do this right.”

The song was coming to an end, their dance concluding, and even as the music began to fade and their steps slowed, Sakura could hear nothing but his professions, could see nothing but the truth in his eyes, and could feel nothing but the desire for more of him.

“What of my suitors?” she challenged.

Admiring the way her expression reflected the racing thought within her mind, Gaara closed their dance amidst the pairs of couples swaying to the subsiding tune. He could feel the eyes on them as their dance ended, gazes hidden behind a sea of ambiguity, and he knew precisely how to thwart the abundance of admirers vying for her hand. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Kiss me,” he said. “Be mine.”

Sakura leaned in, pressing herself against him and encircling her arms around his neck when he bent down to her. She nodded; she’d been his since the day she met him, had fallen for him more deeply with each time they spoke, and henceforth she wouldn’t hide her love for him. “Yes,” she agreed, eyes fluttering closed as their lips met during the crowded masquerade ball, their faces bared and their intentions known.

Forever.

Thanks for reading!

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaceyJane

FanFiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2120361/WiccadBaltane0501

[naturewivesmybeloved]

Fantasy or Royal Au gempearl perhaps? 💖👀

It was that time of year again. The harvest festival which meant it was the one day a year Gilded Helenthia would be hosting a ball. Pearl sighed as she pulled on a short sleeved green dress. She knew that as Queen she had to attend the ball but she’d much rather be out celebrating with her subjects in the streets. No ball could ever compare to the joyful songs and delicious food that would be served to celebrate the end of harvest. The start of the ball was like any other one. Greetings nobles from the surrounding kingdom and exchanging superficial pleasantries. At the very least things started to get livelier as the classy music played, though not much. Pearl was starting to nod off when she’s bumped into by a beautiful Red haired woman wearing a stunning purple robe and a large hat.

“Gem!” Pearl laughed, a bit startled, “You made it”

“Of course I did, silly. I wouldn’t miss your kingdom’s biggest event of the year, no matter how busy I am with the academy” Gem said, her cheeks flushing

As the next song started up, Pearl got a mischievous look on her face, “Care for a dances, miss grand wizard?” Gem rolls her eyes “Of course I would your majesty” Pearl dragged her onto the dance floor twirling them around in a traditional dance. By the end of the song, both women are laughing and out of breath, but neither want to stop. The music shifts to a waltz and Gem tries to pull away. “Aww, where you going? Worried about what the snooty nobles will say?” Pearl teases.

“No, it’s just, I haven’t been Grande wizard very long, and then we got busy and some of the more social aspects of my training got pushed aside and… I never actually learned how to waltz” Gem admits, biting her lip and looking away. Pearl’s face softens. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ll show you, it’s easy, just follow my lead” Gem nods, and Pearl pulls her close. Chest to chest, Placing Gem’s hand on her shoulder, and securely holding Gem’s waist. Gem blushes at the close contact and how safe she feels. “Now just follow my lead” Pearl says as they step together gliding across the ball room. “Do you trust me?” Pearl asks whispering into Gem’s ear

“With my life” Gem says seriously, looking her straight in the eye. Pearl nods and dips her. “She’s so strong” Gem thinks.When they are face to face again, Gem looks decidedly more red. “Your beautiful” Gem breathes, placing her head in the crook of Pearl’s neck as they continue to dance. It was Pearl’s turn to blush and in a moment of impulsivity, she asks “Can I kiss you” before she can scramble to try and take it back, she hears Gem say “Yes”. That’s all Pearl needed to hear and their lips crashed together. Maybe these balls weren’t so bad after all…

[tealeavesandthorns]

"What if they kissed?"

Send "What if they kissed?" and I'll write a scene where our muses kiss, even if they aren't shipped together. it is it's own thing and doesn't have to lead to an official ship. a "what if scenario" - @dontcxckitup

Maria's eyes scanned the room from where she stood at the top of the steps. She never got used to coming down the stairs at these big old buildings, they always made her feel like she was in a fairy tale.

The venue was swarming with army personnel and their other half's all dressed to the nines. She hadn't intended to come but her Grandparents had convinced her both that Gareth would be there and that she should surprise him. After, well, not much deliberation Maria had agreed and driven with them up to the venue, dress and overnight bag packed.

She was dressed in a floor length floaty green strappy dress her hair was half-up, half-down. A beautiful necklace adorning her neck and drawing attention not only to her collar bone but also to where her dress dipped at the cleavage.

A smile picked up as she watched the room, her heart lit up when she saw some of the weight of stoic leave Gareth as her Grandparents found him. His face instantly lit up in a smile and she kept her eyes trained on him as she started down the stairs. As her Grandfather nudged him and gestured to Maria she saw him turn and register her.

Maria watched as he weaved through the crowd to meet her at the stairs holding out a hand to her. He looked so gorgeous, goodness she didn't know how women weren't swarming to dance with him.

"What are you-" Gareth seemed to be drinking her in with his eyes.

"Surprise." Maria said, suddenly a tad nervous, she was trying to read his expression. "Is- is this okay, it was their idea." Maria said gesturing to her grandparents and chewing her lip.

"Is this okay?" Gareth said. "Maria you look- you are- can I kiss you?"

"Here?" Maria asked. It was silly but she'd been telling herself all the way here she needed to be restrained, to keep herself from getting over-excited when she saw him. This room was full of so many buttoned up people, not everyone after all, was as free with their expression as her grandparents.

"Well, as much as I would like to whisk you away-" Gareth said his thumb grazing the corner of her mouth as his hand cupped her neck. "-I think that might be considered bad form."

Maria felt heat pool in her belly, her gaze not leaving his, a gentle flush peppered her cheeks at the promise of time alone with him. It had been 3 weeks since they'd seen each other in the flesh and though they talked almost everyday on the phone, although they wrote to each other, nothing could really compare to this. To being with him, to having him in front of her in the flesh. Her hands came up to rest on the slither of shirt visible underneath his jacket.

"Come kiss me, Sweet-and-twenty." Maria quoted Shakespeare quietly. As Gareth leaned in she did too, stepping closer to him as his arm wrapped around her waist. When their lips met it was filled with tender yearning, restrained passion given their surroundings but there was no doubt to anyone watching that these two were in love.

Maria pressed herself closer to him, the room all but disappearing as his lips moved over hers, as his hand gently caressed her jawline and neck. Her hand moved to his shoulder, she was careful not too deepen the kiss, not too thread her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. Still a small noise left her when they broke apart and her teeth sunk into her bottom lip again as she smiled at him.

"I missed you." She admitted quietly. "A lot."

[yukidragon]

if the MC proposed instead of Jack? specifically unexpected moment (I admire you and all the content you produce)

Awww... what a cute idea. Also, thank you so much! That’s such kind praise. I’m glad you enjoy my posts! 💖

A spontaneous proposal by MC to Jack, huh? I can see it. Given how MC sometimes jokes around, I can see them throwing it out as a teasing remark, only for it to quickly spiral into a sincere proposal thanks to his guidance.

After all, his sunshine can’t joke like that around Jack. He’s going to latch onto this opportunity for sure, just like he did with Nick asking MC out.

Since I have an easier time using my version of the MC, Alice, for what ifs like this, and I used her as the example in the previous marriage ask, I think I’ll run through a short what if scenario with her and Jack.

...Well, I say short, but it bloomed into a full blown multi-page flash fic. Oops? Oh well, here’s a short story about Alice proposing to Jack on accident. It’s not going to be how Sunshine in Hell is resolved, and it’s not an outright AU for Sunshine in Another World, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

...

“We might as well get married and finally make it official.”

Alice meant it as a joke, a teasingly flippant remark amidst the friendly banter. However, no sooner did she finish speaking than the air around them changed and the laughter stopped. The shocked look on Jack’s face told her just how deep the impact her words had been on him, and she caught hints of a blush on his face that turned her own cheeks a vivid shade of pink.

It was just for a moment that Jack froze before his mind started racing. Marrying Alice… it was something he couldn’t help but dream about sometimes. He could imagine her as his bride in a beautiful wedding dress, shining as bright as the sun as they promised each other forever.

Jack would have to be an idiot to let this chance slip by.

“Why don’t we?” Jack said just as Alice had been ready to open her mouth to take back her words. She jolted a bit at the question, and he stared deeply into her beautiful wide blue eyes, willing her to feel just how much he loved her. “If you really want it, we could.”

Alice stammered for a moment, feeling like she was ready to light on fire from how hot her face had become. Suddenly the conversation had spiraled wildly out of her control. “I-I that… I didn’t mean… I was just-”

“Alice,” Jack said and the soft seriousness of his voice cut off her feeble attempts to turn her words back into a joke. He reached out to take her hands in his as his soft dark eyes stared deeply into hers. “I know we can’t legally get married… not while I’m… like this.”

Alice felt a prickling in her chest and her heart went out to Jack. They both knew that marriage couldn’t happen the way it did for other couples, not when the world didn’t even realize that he existed.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t do it,” Jack continued, his soft voice growing more resolute by the moment. “It doesn’t matter if the world understands what we have or not. What’s important is us and that we love each other.”

His gaze dipped down to their clasped hands. Her hands were so small compared to his, completely engulfed by his gloved hands. Alice didn’t draw away, but held on just as tightly with a faint tremor running through her.

“I love you so much, Alice,” Jack whispered as he turned his gaze back to her blue eyes. “If you really want it… if you want me to marry you, I will. We can hold a ceremony for just the two of us.” He leaned in a little closer to his sunshine. “After all… marriage is just a promise that we’ll be together forever.”

Things had gotten out of control, and Alice had no idea how to get the topic back on course. Why did she have to make such a stupid joke?

But… was it really a joke? Looking up into those soft eyes of his, molten and warm like honey when the light hit them, Alice couldn’t help but wonder if it was really so impossible.

Jack hesitated for a moment, biting his lower lip as he could feel her hesitation and slight panic at the direction the conversation was going. “You do want that, don’t you?”

Alice couldn’t speak right away, her thoughts a tangled swirl of logistics and worries that fought against her heart that ached with an intense want for Jack in that moment in so many ways. He looked vulnerable in that moment, almost afraid that she would insist on turning her words back into a joke, to claim that it would never happen because the world would never accept them… that the idea of them getting married was just too absurd to take seriously.

The thought made Alice’s heart twist, and her grip tightened on Jack. This wasn’t the way she wanted something like this to come out. She didn’t want to have her proposal be from a joke, but taking it back… she couldn’t do that either. The only thing she could think of was, “D-do over!”

Jack blinked, once again caught off-guard. “What?”

Alice could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She forced herself to swallow the lump that formed in her tight throat. Her palms were sweating and she felt slightly nauseated, but somehow she managed to get her voice to work. “I-I want a do over. This wasn’t how I… It was supposed to be… It’s not that I don’t! I-I mean I… do want to… I-I want to… to m-ma… ma…”

Alice had to stop for a moment to take a deep breath as her voice quaked so badly that her words were falling apart.

As Jack caught on to what was happening, he felt his pulse race with excitement. Despite this, he did his best to keep his composure and spoke in a gentle, soothing manner. “Hey, it’s okay. Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”

Alice struggled to look into his gentle gaze and focused instead on their clasped hands. Jack held her so gently and began to stroke the backs of her hands with his thumbs in soothing circles. His reassurance helped her calm down a little, as well as strengthen her resolve.

After a few deep breaths, Alice straightened up as she tentatively looked into Jack’s eyes. “I… I want… to propose the right way… not because of some joke. We can’t have a wedding, b-but you at least deserve something better than… than…”

A quiet laugh escaped Jack then, and Alice faltered in her speech. “Oh, Alice. How could I ask for anyone better than you?”

Alice felt her face burn again. “Th-that’s not what I-”

“I know,” Jack chuckled before suddenly stealing a quick peck from her lips. “Don’t worry about making your proposal perfect. There’s no ‘right’ way to do these things.” He readjusted his hold on her hands so that he could bring them up to kiss the back of her wrist, sending her heart fluttering. “What’s important is that I love you, and you love me… and that we both want to be together forever.” He looked deeply into her eyes as he smiled wide and bright. “What could be more perfect than that?”

Caught speechless, Alice could only stare at Jack for a long moment in wonder. His words held a ring of truth to them, one that was hard for her to refute. Still, a small childish part of her felt a bit stubborn, wanting to do better for Jack than this. “Can… can I still have that do over?”

Jack let out another soft laugh, the sound warm and delighted. “Of course. Whatever you want, sunshine. This is our day after all.”

Alice braced herself, taking another deep breath to steady her nerves. Carefully, she pulled her hands out of his grasp, her body faintly shaking as her thoughts bounced around in her head to quickly put together a proposal that would at least feel right to her on such short notice.

“W-wait here a sec,” Alice said quickly. She didn’t give Jack a chance to respond before she darted off to the bedroom, leaving him alone on the couch.

Anticipation built with each second that Alice was gone, but Jack forced himself to remain seated. He could faintly hear her rummaging around for something. The longer he waited, the harder it was for him to fight the urge to ask if she needed help.

Eventually Alice returned, breathless with flushed cheeks. She stared at Jack from across the room and the air was charged with electricity. Neither of them spoke as the weight of the moment settled in.

Finally, Alice moved closer, her steps shaky but steady until she finally came to a halt in front of Jack. It was strange to be looking down at him for a change, but the view quickly switched back to its usual orientation as she got down on one knee.

The motion surprised Jack despite the situation. “Wait, Alice, you don’t have to-”

“I want to,” Alice cut in as she got into the proper position. Though there was a faint tremor to her voice, her eyes were bright, fierce with determination despite the fear that welled in her chest.

At that moment, Jack couldn’t help but think of just how beautiful she was.

Alice took a deep breath then began. “Jack, I… I’m not good with words sometimes… There’s so much I want to say about how much you mean to me…. about how happy you make me and how glad I am to have you in my life. I just…” She hesitated for a moment as she tried to sort her thoughts quickly. “I-I want to thank you for so much… I know I should’ve planned this out first or at least talked about this or something, and I don’t have a ring but…”

With another deep breath, Alice pulled something out of her pocket and held it up to Jack. Cradled delicately in her palm was a pendant made from glass containing a pressed blue rose on a platinum chain. “I-I have this.”

Jack took a moment to admire the unique piece of jewelry and dared to speak. “It’s beautiful.”

“Wh-when my mom proposed to my dad, she gave him a bouquet of blue roses that she grew for him,” Alice explained with a shaky voice. “She preserved and saved them and made them into necklaces when me and my siblings were born. It… it means a lot to me, a-and I want you to have it because I… I want us to be together forever. I really do.”

Jack could feel the weight of the tiny piece of jewelry without even touching it, and the meaning behind it as well as her sincere love for him squeezed his heart so tightly that words failed him for once.

“Jack, I love you,” Alice whispered. “Will you marry me?”

The question came out so faint, her voice weak and cracking at the edges, but those words were all Jack could hear.

“Yes, Alice, I will,” he said with misty eyes, his smile so dazzling that it outshone the sun. “I’ll marry you.” A tear slipped free and ran down his painted cheek. “Of course I’ll marry you. I love you so much.”

Alice barely had time to let out a sigh of relief before Jack scooped her up into his arms. A squeak escaped her as she suddenly found herself straddling his lap, but the sound was cut short as his lips found hers in a blazing kiss that sent heat down throughout her body.

When they parted, breathless and with flushed faces, Jack leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers as he gazed deeply into those beautiful blue eyes that enchanted him from the first moment he laid eyes on them. “Alice… that proposal was perfect.”

Alice almost looked away, her blush creeping down her neck and tinting her ears. “I-I’m glad.”

Maybe it wasn’t the way Alice always dreamed it would go, but somehow it was better this way, she mused in retrospect. Jack appeared in her life so suddenly and changed her life so completely in a single day that it was almost fitting that their proposal would be just as spontaneous.

Still, she hoped that nothing unexpected happened when they made their vows.

Alice didn’t have any time to consider the logistics of the actual wedding before Jack suddenly rose to his feet as he swept her into a bridal carry. She squeaked at the sudden shift in position and the fact that he was carrying her back to the bedroom.

“Why don’t you let me take charge from here, sunshine?” Jack suggested, a sly crook coming to his smile. “I want to show you just how much I love you, and how happy I am that you proposed to me.”

All Alice could manage was another squeak and a timid nod. Something about the fire in his eyes told her that they weren’t going to get much sleep tonight.

[animesmolbean]

Guardian of Light

(Female)

Hello! Welcome to my rewritten story for Dune and Kingdom Hearts!

Some things have changed, and the story has more added detail that helps with the story.

Regarding updates, they will be slower because I really want to explore a bit of the story, especially for future chapters. But I'll try to update as soon as I can.

As shown up above, this is the female version of the chapter! The male version will be published tomorrow (Tuesday). The female and male verison will have some differences (if you read both of them) to show the different actions taken by the characters. This will mostly affect the intimacy part of the story and not really the actual plot.

One more thing, I was inspired to write this story after reading a fanfiction I read on Wattpad that is just phenomenal! My story follows the format of it (most of the time), but it's a completely different story!

I'll link the book here if you are interested in reading it!

With all of that out of the way,

Hope you enjoy the first chapter! ♥️

Dreams are messages from the deep.

“My planet, Arrakis, is so beautiful when the sun is low.  Rolling over the sands… You can see spice in the air.  At nightfall, the spice harvesters land.  

The outsiders and their army of demons race against time to avoid the heat of the day.  They ravaged our lands in front of our eyes.  Their cruelty to my people is all I've known. 

These outsiders, The Harkonnens, came long before I was born.  But their demon army only came recently with them.  

By controlling the spice production, they become obscenely rich.  Richer than the Emperor himself.  

Our warriors couldn't free Arrakis from the Harkonnens or the demons that lurk in the shadows, but one day, by the imperial decree, they were gone.  

Why did the Emperor choose this path?  And who will our next oppressors be?”

〰️

Chapter 1: Accepting a Deal

〰️

Year 10191

CALADAN, Homeworld of House Atreides

“I've been having these weird thoughts lately.  Like is any of this for real… or not?” 

A (straight/curly/wavy) (hair color) girl slowly woke up.  The soft glow from her light of her room, ridding her of any feeling of sleep.  

She sat up, running her fingers through her hair.  She looked around, seeing the familiar room she was given when she was a kid.  

“It was… just a dream.” She whispered. 

〰️ 

Meanwhile, a young boy was lying on a bed, shirtless, asleep, but tossed and turned a little as he dreamed.  He was dreaming about something.  Or rather, someone.  Her (Hair Color) hair gently blowing in the wind.  She turned towards him, her beautiful sapphire blue eyes sparkling with happiness as she smiled widely.

His beautiful best friend since they were kids, the girl who is always the light of his life.  (Your Name).

However, there was someone else with her.  It was another girl that wore a different outfit compared to (Your Name).  The boy didn't know who this was, for he could only see the side of her face.  But he knew that he had dreamed of her before too.

The boy's hazel green eyes opened, groaning softly, sitting up as the moving light came and shined against his shirtless form.  He sat up in his bed, looking down.

‘What could that dream mean?’ He thought to himself.

〰️

The same young boy was now in a dining room, sitting at the table, deep in thought as he ate his breakfast. 

An older woman who sat at the end of the table spoke up, breaking him out of his thoughts.  “It's good you're up early.  I just wish (Your Name) could be too.” 

〰️

(Your Name) stood outside, in a loose gray long sleeve, baggy black Capri pants and her boots were off, placed by a rock.  

She dipped her feet into the large, cool body of water, walking until the water was halfway to her calves.  She looked out towards the horizon, in deep thought.

〰️

“Your father wants you two in full dress before the Emperor's Herald arrives.” 

The brunet boy raised his head up at this news, “Full dress?  Military?” 

“Ceremonial.” Jessica, the woman's name and his mother replied.

Paul let out a sigh.  “Why would we have to go through all this when it's already been decided?” Paul asked.  

“Ceremony.” Jessica simply replied.

The doors to the room suddenly opened, making the two at the dining table turn.  Paul's lips lifted up into a smile at who was standing there.  (Your Name).  

“Ah…” (Your Name) chuckled awkwardly.  “So sorry I'm late.” The girl walked over to the spot between Paul and Jessica.  

“Nice to see you here (Your Name).  And with shoes on this time.” Jessica lightly teased her daughter-like figure.  She knew this girl since she was around five years old.  She remembered the day the first time she brought her to Caladan. 

〰️

Jessica was out late at night, having trouble sleeping.  The sky was dark, stars twinkling and the moon being the only thing providing light, making anything the light shone on glow a soft blue.  

She walked along a beach that Caladan was known for, when saw what looked like a shooting star in the sky.  But she saw it was falling towards the ground, not going across the sky like a shooting star normally would.  

She watched the bright light and splash into a large body of water she was near.  She walked closer to the water, her feet touching the soft sand.  What she saw made her eyes widened.

What fell into the water was not a rock.  But a child.  She looked very young, like about five years old.  She wore a white loose shirt with black shorts and no shoes.

Acting fast, she took off the cloak she was wearing and grabbed the wet, unconscious child and carried her back to the castle to be taken care of.

Jessica walked towards one of the spare rooms, requesting one of their servants to find clothes for the child.  The female servant did what she was told while Jessica laid the child on the bed.  

She got a closer look at the girl.  She had (Hair Color) hair, (Skin Color) skin, all wet from landing in the water.  She frowned and stroked the girl's wet hair.  

This action caused the child to stir and mumble.  Jessica watched the childhood slowly come to.  When she opened her eyes however, Jessica felt her heart beat increase.

The girl's eyes were a deep blue.  Like the color of sapphires or cobalt.

Jessica knew then, she needed to keep this girl safe.

〰️

(Your Name) chuckled shyly at Jessica's teasing, playing with the silver charm on her silver necklace; shaped like a small crown.  She smiled back then looked over to her best friend who was already staring at her.  Before she sat down, she greeted Paul with a kiss on his temple.  The male smiled softly at her.

Once (Your Name) was seated and eating her breakfast, Jessica told her what she had just told Paul.  The girl was confused as to why they were having a ceremony but she gave Jessica a nod before she resumed eating.  Jessica poured a glass of water for (Your Name) and slid the glass to her.  The (Hair Color) haired girl thanked her quietly.

Jessica did the same for Paul, “Thank you.” The boy whispered.  Jessica replied, “If you want it, make me give it to you.  Use the Voice.” 

(Your Name) guessed that Jessica wanted Paul to use the voice to bring him the water. 

“Mom, I just woke up.” Paul protested in a gruffy, morning voice.

Jessica just stared at her son making Paul roll his eyes as he reluctantly agreed to try. He turned his body in the chair to use the voice, “Give me the water.” 

It came out more like a soft, raspy whisper than what it was intended to be.

(Your Name) let out a muffled giggle at Paul's weak attempt.  “The glass can't hear you.  Say it to your mother.” She whispered.

Paul gave the girl a look before looking back at his mother.  Seconds felt like minutes.  The atmosphere shifted to stillness as (Your Name) watched Paul and Jessica stare at each other intensely, waiting for Paul to use the Voice again.  

Moments later, his lips moved.

“Give me the water.” 

The voice came out gruffier and a bit distorted.  But it did its magic.  Jessica took the glass and pushed it towards Paul a little.  But as quickly she was under the spell, she quickly snapped out of it.  She pushed the glass of water closer to Paul.

“Almost.” 

“Almost?”

Paul's voice was back to its normal pitch.

“Bene Gesserit skills take years to learn, Paul.” Jessica told her son as he reached out and grabbed the glass.

(Your Name) nodded.  Even though she wasn't being taught to use the Bene Gesserit, she understood its complexity and why it's important to master.

Jessica observed her son before speaking again.  “You look tired.  More dreams?” 

(Your Name) raised an eyebrow in confusion.  She looked at her friend with worry.  ‘Has he been dreaming too?’ She thought to herself. 

Paul shook his head muttering, “No.” Then he went back to eating.

“What about you, (Your Name)?  Have you been dreaming?” Jessica asked.  

The girl looked down before muttering, “No.” 

〰️

“Extreme temperatures and treacherous weather events make life outside the cities of Arrakis truly hostile.” A robotic voice came from a recording that laid on the ground and showed visuals of what they were talking about.

After breakfast, the two childhood best friends decided to spend some time studying before they had to head to the ceremony.

The recorded voice from the video played as Paul had a book in his hands about the Fremen, reading it as his back leaned against (Your Name)’s torso.  The girl was in a kneeling position, her arms were wrapped around his neck, forearms resting on top of his shoulders.  Her head was on top of Paul's, silently reading along with him, occasionally nuzzling her nose into the boy's curly hair.  She was only half paying attention, focused on looking at the book, listening to the recording and trying to be as close to Paul as possible.

“With sandworms powerful enough to cut through metal.  Only the native tribes known as the Freman and one other special person, that hasn't been seen nor born for centuries known as the Haris Aldaw’ have adapted well enough to survive.” 

(Your Name)’s attention was diverted when she heard that name.  Haris Aldaw’.  She moved her head off of Paul’s.  She has heard that name before.  From where, she wasn't too sure.  

Paul turned his head to look at the (Hair Color) haired girl, his hazel green eyes showing worry.  “(Your Name), are you okay?” 

The (Hair Color) haired girl blinked before nodding.  “Yeah.  I'm alright.  Don't worry.” She replied to the boy.  

Paul let one of his hands go from holding the book, grabbing one of (Your Name)’s hands, giving it a gentle squeeze.  (Your Name) welcomed the comforting pressure and did it back to him.  But to her surprise, Paul pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.  

The (Hair Color) haired girl felt a blush blossom onto her cheeks at the gesture.  Now flustered, she looked away shyly.  

Paul let her hand go and smirked to himself before he continued reading.

“Preferring to inhabit the remotest regions of Arrakis the Freman share the deep desert with the giant sandworms, known to the Fremen as Shai-Hulud.  Long exposure to spice has given the tribe their characteristic blue eyes, the eyes of Ibad.”

‘I wonder if it's as blue as my eyes.’ (Your Name) thought to herself, her focus back on the book and the recording.

“Little else is known of the Freman except that they have some sort of power that controls the Earth and the Freman are dangerous and unreliable.  On the other hand, much is known about the Haris Aldaw’.  They are known to control elements and have other magical abilities such as being able to glide.” 

(Your Name) bit her bottom lip.  ‘My dream last night was about gliding… and falling.’ She thought to herself again.

“Freman Attacks make spice harvesting extremely hazardous.  For the Freman spice is the sacred hallucinogen which preserves life and brings enormous health benefits.  For the imperium the spice is used by the navigators of the spacing guild to find safe paths between the stars.  Without spice, interstellar travel is impossible, making it by far the most valuable substance in the universe.” The voice recording concluded.

〰️

(Your Name) and Paul were now standing outside, dressed nicely for the ceremony, both dressed similarly; since (Your Name) prefers men’s clothes for mobility.  There were rare occasions where she dressed like Lady Jessica but only for very special occasions.  The two of them stood close to each other as they waited. 

The (Hair Color) haired girl turned her head to look at the bearded man in the center.  Duke Leto Atreides.  The man she saw as her father for many years now.  She remembered when she first came to Caladan, he was confused as to how she got here and where she came from.  Jessica had explained the situation and the Duke didn't want to believe the tale but when he saw how adamant she was, he believed her.  

He took her in and cared for her like she was one of his own kids, raising her alongside Paul.  Teaching her many things like reading and writing, alongside Lady Jessica.  She couldn't be more graceful to the two for taking her in.  

The Duke turned his head and saw the (Hair Color) haired girl looking at him.  He gave the girl a subtle nod to her; a gesture she returned to him, a gentle smile on her face.

An enormous oval shaped ship landed on the ground.  The ramp was placed down as the important people walked out from it.  They were wearing their house clothes and walking respectfully towards them.  (Your Name) wasn't exactly sure who they were but knew they were of utmost importance if they were coming to speak with the Atreides.  

“Smile Gurney.” The Duke said, looking forward at the approaching visitors, his tone calm but with a touch of joking as he spoke to his trusted member. 

“I am smiling.” Gurney replied monotonously, a blank expression on his always serious looking face.  

(Your Name) bit her bottom lip to suppress a snicker from escaping her lips.  Paul looked at her in mild amusement. 

The Duke shook his head at Gurney’s deadpan response, “How much will it cost them traveling all this way for this formality?” 

“Three Guild navigators and a total of 1,460,062 Solaris for this round trip.” Another trusted advisor answered beside the Duke. The Duke turned his attention back to the new visitors.

(Your Name) watched as a member of the group that arrived from the ship bow to the Duke, “By the grave of Shaddam IV of the House Corrino, ascendant to the Golden Lion Throne of Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, I stand before you as Herald of the Change.  We are witnessed by members of the Imperial Court, representatives of the Spacing Guild, and a sister of the Bene Gesserit.  The Emperor has spoken.”  He pulled out a scroll, unrolling it before he read, “House Atreides shall immediately take control of Arrakis and serve as its steward.” The member closed the scroll.  Do you accept?

The Duke took a couple long strides, stopping at the top of the stairs, “We are House Atreides.  There is no call we do not answer.  There is no faith that we betray.  The Emperor asks us to bring peace to Arrakis!  House Atreides accepts!” 

“Atreides!  Atreides!  Atreides!” The soldiers that stood everywhere, representing House Atreides, started chanting as the Duke made his way down the stairs to sign the paper.  

Before he does, the Duke looks back at his son and (Your Name), seeing them both giving him a subtle nod in agreement, silently approving him. They watched him sign the paper using his signet ring.  

As he did, (Your Name) felt a feeling in her stomach that she couldn't quite place.  Like a feeling of unease.  She wasn't sure why she felt it just now.  ‘Probably from all the people staring at us.’ She thought to herself.

“So it is done?” Leto asked the Herald.

“It's done.” The Herald responded, face blank, not showing any emotion.

Once the deal was finalized, (Your Name) scooted closer to Paul, pressing her right arm against his left one.  The curly haired boy looked at the girl.  He gave her a gentle smile which she returned in kind.  

She always liked Paul's smile.  Paul thought the same thing about her.  

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