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rookiesbookies · 8 months

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Captain John MacTavish x His wife x Sergeant Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish

I dont know how it would happen but i'm imagining sweet little Johnny ‘Soap’ Mactavish meeting Captain MacTavish and his wife. I guess this is me rewriting what happened bc Im made we’ll probably never see Neil as his boy again.

Masterlist is pinned on profile as always, don’t forget to leave me a comment or a request in my inbox to let me know what yall want to see!

Smut smut smut under the cut for my lovely mutual @shotmrmiller of my John and his wife meet sweet little Johnny au thing.

Also @glitterypirateduck this one is for you and #soapitup

“Bhean,” he whispers loudly, following it with squirrel noises, motioning for her to follow. She walks out of the recreational room. He nuzzled bis face into her neck, letting her know he was nervous about what he was going to say. “I'm getting serious deja vu.”

“Talk to me, Goose.” A shameless quote of their favorite date night movie from when they dated made his nervous face crack a smile.

“I have this crazy memory,” he mumbled into her neck, she always worried he’d hurt himself craning it down like that so often.

“What about, don’t leave me on cliff hangers, Mr. MacTavish.”

“Do you remember our first time together?”

“Skiing or fucking? Because I remember both very well.” He chuckled at her bringing up his failed skiing attempts from a vacation they went on.

“Making love, Bonnie.” He hummed, “would you believe me if I told ya it’s because I had done it before?”

“Considering baby you told me he’d call me mommy? Yes. Yes, I would.” She hummed. “You also found my clit really fast which makes that really reasonable in retrospect.”

“What if, like my future self taught me at that stage, we teach him how to make love to you so he can charm you with the monster.” It came out more as a question, making his nerves hammer against his chest. He was more than sure he beloved wife would say yes, but he didn’t want to risk making her uncomfortable or saying it wrong.

“He does really want to impress me,” she mumbled. “Fine. But there’s ground rules.”

“Of course, Mo chridhe, anything.”

“Just the tip, you know how I am about hygiene. I don’t fully try young you to keep everything clean. He swears to secrecy and if I ever think for a second he mentions this im ending his blood line. And you stay with us. You are my husband after all, not the boy.” The Captain nodded with every word. He’d make sure. He knew the Sergeant would want no harm to come to his future wife, and the Captain didn’t need a scorched relationship.

“Thank you, Mo leannan, it’s what helped me keep up hope I could lock you down when I met you when I was his age.”

“So it was a memory and more than deja vu?” She asked with a raised brow.

The Captain just simply nodded, planting a kiss on her temple, “you’d tell me if you wanted to back out right? If it made you uncomfortable?”

“John.” She was serious, she never called him just ‘John’. “I expect the same from you. And you’d know I’d never keep that from you.”

She reached up to his face and gently rubbed it. He melted just a little bit into her touch. “I assume you don’t plan to do this on base?”

“No, but that’s the hard part.” “I’ll handle it, go tell the mini you,” she said softly, planting a kiss before walking away.

The Captain sighed and let his shoulders relax, he knew he was so lucky to have her. The sergeant was about to be the lucky one though.

He made his way down the hall and stole his past self from a conversation with Gaz. “My wife and I have decided to give you an opportunity to learn more about her.” He said in a low deep voice. “I will be teaching you about her body so you can please her but there are ground rules she set and a few of my own.” Once he covered his wife’s, he got on to his own, “do not bite her, dig your nails into her, or ignore me if I tell you to do something. No coming inside either and don’t try anything.” Sergeant Soap nodded along, “I’m not sure you’re actually listening, sergeant.” The Captain growled. Soap’s eyes went wide, “Captain me, sir, I prayed last night for an opportunity to feel her skin, honestly I was just expecting to be allowed to shake her hand.” The younger Soap grumbled, “believe me, I’m all ears.” “And none of that ‘I have a latex allergy so I can’t wear condoms’ crap. I know we don’t have that allergy. You will be wearing one.” “You’re so no’ fun,” Soap mumbled. “Fine.”

The Captain didn’t entirely know how he felt about the kid creaming his wife. Sure, it was him, but it was a younger, rowdier, dumber him and not his same body. Getting married meant he was the only one allowed to cream pie his wife, and yes, it is a version of him, it wouldn’t be the same as him doing it. Even if his wife is on birth control and enjoys them, he knows he’d get jealous, way too jealous. Besides it’s his job anyway, he signed a paper to be able to do it, and this kid version gets to just randomly do it.

“So when do I get to show mo bhean how a younger body is better to make love with?” Sergeant asked, patting his older self on the back. This made the Captain flip until the voice of an angel spoke up.

“Ya mean when you meet yer own damn wife. Ya wee-” the Captain’s rage was cut off. “Tomorrow night. I’ll be there ahead of schedule to prepare, my husband will drive you.” She said, walking past the two with effortless grace and a sway of her hips. She flicked a piece of hair back over her shoulder.

The next 24 hours were full of different forms of tension for younger Soap. He was eager, so eager, almost too eager in the Captain’s eye. The Captain’s raging jealousy made him almost want to shut down the whole thing.

When he loaded the sergeant and himself into the old truck he sighed. “Remember the rules?” “Of course.”

“Can’t believe you still own this truck.” “She’s carried me through a lot.” “When you meet YOUR wife, she’ll appreciate it. Square bodies are her favorites.”

The rest of the drive was small talk. The sergeant saw a notification appear on the Captain’s phone and snatched it up, since the captain was driving. He back read the short conversation from this morning between the Captain and his wife, who had been the notification. ‘Mo chridhe you better not warm yourself up on that clarty vibrator’

‘You expect him to be able to get me warmed up enough?’

‘Its a teaching experience, mo leannan’

‘I don’t want to make him wait too long, I remember how impatient you were <3’

“Does she think ima div?” Soap looked at the Captain and asked. “Reading my personal texts? Real professional, ya eejit.”

“Does she think I can’t make her feel good? Or make her feel like she’s on Eccie?”

“No, she just doesn’t want you to wait too long. She does this. I bought it for her first time I left on a long mission, now she uses it to take away the fun part of getting her warmed up.”

“So she thinks I'm a fandan.”

“Dinnae fash yersel.” The Captain sighed, “we’re here and the least ya can do is make her feel good as a thank you.”

When he dragged his younger self into the hotel room, it finally set in that he was going to be cucked. By a younger him. Fucking his wife.

He knocked on the door twice and it kind of felt like his wedding night all over again. There she stood in a silk robe, eyes only on him with a gentle and soft smile. It's a smile she only gave when she was nervous, he gave a similar smile back to let her know he felt the same. It was subtle, but he reminded him this was indeed his beautiful wife.

“Go strip in the bathroom and sit down in the chair when you’re done, we need to talk.” The Captain said sharply.

“Aye aye Captain,” the sergeant mumbled, walking into the bathroom.

The Captain’s hands immediately found his way to his wife’s hips.

“Are you nervous?” He asked, holding her close with his mouth near her ear between kisses he placed in her hair.

“Of course,” she said softly into his chest.

“Do you need to back out? We can leave and forget all about this if you need.”

“Do you need me to want to back out?” She asked soft, turning her head to look up into his eyes.

“No, I don’t think so, mo bonnie lass.” He said, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Give me a safeword to give him and a safeword for emergencies.”

“Two levels of safe words?”

“Just in case I don’t hear the first one, he’s kinda loud.” She giggled and placed a kiss on his neck.

“Bubbles for him and Soap for emergencies.”

“My old callsign?”

“I never call you anyway,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Can I undress you and keep that privilege to myself?” All he needed was the little nod she gave before he moved to untie the robe.

The lace blue bra she had been taunting him with with the matching panties drove him crazy. She ran her hands up and around his chest as his opened the clasp with one motion and undid the hooks holding the straps over her shoulders so she didn't have to remove her hands from his torso.

He sunk down lower as he planted sloppy kisses down her body and removed her underwear. Lovely pacing a kiss at her lower lips before trailing bite marks backup as the Sergeant exited the bathroom.

“I thought you said I couldn’t bite!” He accused as he watched the Captain leave a hickey on his wife’s chest.

“YOU can’t, I can.” This made the younger Soap look offended. The Captain smirked at the Sergeant’s face. “My wife, remember. Not yours.”

His wife just ran her fingers through his slightly grown out mohawk, a means to sooth him.

Captain MacTavish moved to his wife’s ear and whispered softly, “may I told yer hand through this, mo ghraidh?”

“Gu sìorraidh is gu bràth,” she said back, pointing to the tattoo on her collarbone. When Soap heard it he almost fainted.

“She knows the language?” Sergeant Johnny asked.

The Captain hummed, pulling his mouth away from the dark hickey he was leaving on her neck, “learned a little bit for me.”

The Captain gave his younger self a once over before landing a sarcastic remark as his eyes landed on the bush, “glad to know you haven’t started shaving yet.”

“You trim?”

“Occasionally,” the Captain pulled his waistband down a bit, nuzzling into his wife, “I wax for special occasions. Yer lucky I found one who doesn’t care.”

The Captain locked his fingers with his wife’s, gently herding her to the bed. He laid her down gently and got her into a good position, shoving a few of the lousy pillows under her waist to offer a better angle.

“How are you?” He asked softly, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “Ready as I can be,” she said with a soft giggle, as he bent down to plant a kiss on her lips.

“Sergeant, come here.” The Captain commanded, pointing at the foot of the bed, his wife couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her as she dropped her hand over her face. The Captain moved his wife’s knees apart with his free hand, the other still lovingly holding her’s. Johnny got on his own knees as John commanded him as he spread his wife’s pussy lips apart with his fingers. “Ya see that?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, sir,” John corrected Johnny. He basically gave his younger self a tour of his wife’s softest pieces. Telling Johnny her favorite things that he does and what she reacts best to. Johnny was so enthralled with her body he could move his eyes anywhere else. Especially when John put his fingers inside and curled them suddenly making her gasp so Johnny knew how far in her g spot was. The way her body jolted and softly raised as the gasp left her lips was his new favorite thing. He was so jealous he didn’t have her yet. That she wasn’t his wife yet, that he didn’t have the liberty to mark her body yet. “Get to work,” the Captain said, patting Johnny. He didn’t need to say it twice because Johnny went right in.

The wife brought her free hand down to her mouth to hold in the gasps and moans as Johnny ate so eagerly. John was usually slow and sensual, to the messy and a vehement eating that was happening at her core was a much different sensation. John gently pulled her hand away.

“Checkin in with ya, are ya doing good?” he asked his lovely wife. Her eyes couldn’t focus, her mouth gaping and shutting.

She gave a nod and a hum as her body started to clench as Johnny inserted fingers between her legs and curled, making her body lurch towards the sky and gasp. The Captain gently placed kisses on her face, her velvety cries just make Johnny want to do it again. “She’s even prettier from this view,” Johnny mumbled, spreading her apart with his fingers.

“She donnae like condoms but imma make ye wear one anyway,” Captain Mactavish told his younger self before placing a kiss to the forehead of his flushed wife, still coming down from her orgasm as her husband ran his fingers through her hair as her breathing slowed with her closed eyes. John threw the condom at Johnny, who quickly rolled it on before standing up. “Donnae force it in, go in slow.”

Johnny positioned himself, putting one of the lovely wife’s ankles to his shoulder before giving it a soft kiss. He didn’t dare pull her down the bed like he would have normally done, he walked on his knees to meet her. Hands sliding down her legs to lift her ass, one he saw as so perfect.

He slowly slid it in as John kissed his wife’s face, holding her hand. She was more than used to John’s dick by now, but she was far from used to Johnny’s pacing. So much energy and stamina, not to say John didn’t have it but John was definitely more about making love than he was about fucking or just having sex.

Once she started to grind her hips, Johnny’s face lit up and he immediately started a toe curly, back arching pace. His tip bullied her g spot, making her mouth fall open but no sound falling from her lips.

John cooed at her as Johnny bullied her soft parts, not caring about his own pleasure, solely the pleasure of this goddess in front of him. Once he was sure he had found the spot, Johnny folded her a bit more to hit it a bit deeper, making sure everything was dragging against her.

The only thing that left her were whines, she felt her melted brain might just spill out her ears as the white, staticy heat built up.

A nice ring built up around Johnny’s cock as he began to roll his hips. Her pulsating cunt milked him so much he felt an almost numbness in his fingers as all he could do was hold her and roll his hips as she let out a broken moan and came. Her husband’s voice echoing around her head with praises and loving words.

It was down right impossible for Soap to not come from her body's pulsations so he did. He wished it hadn’t been into a condom but he was grateful he just got the chance.

John gave him a look and Johnny took it knowingly, going to get a warm and damp towel. He handed it to John who began to clean his wife up, nodding to Johnny to let him know he could leave.

Johnny didn’t know it was so John could reclaim his wife with some slow sensual sex and lots of love bites.

John, unlike Johnny, was going to come inside. Johnny looked at the photo he had taken of himself with the wife of Captain John from the night prior, "I'm going to marry you. Yer the one I've been looking for."

#cod x reader #call of duty #john soap mctavish x reader #john soap mactavish #captain mactavish #soapitup

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roronoacherries · 1 year

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𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 | 𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘢 𝘻𝘰𝘳𝘰

2.258 words

content: fluff, sfw, light angst, fem. reader, established relationship, reader can't look at zoro without a hint of fear in her eyes after he saves her from an enemy.

note: this is a little more straw hat fluff than it is zoro fluff?

you wanted to pretend that it didn’t faze you.

it shouldn’t have. zoro was gentle and loving and kind-hearted. you knew this well enough. better than anyone, you understood that there was more to the swordsman than his unwavering, tough demeanor. there was no reason for you to feel afraid with him — much less, any reason for you to be afraid of him.

and yet, lately, you couldn’t quite meet his eyes. you couldn’t help being jumpier around him than you wanted to be. and you found yourself avoiding him without meaning to.

all he had done was protect you. you would have been dead if he hadn’t stepped in. but rather than thank him, your reaction had been to cower and step into sanji’s arms instead of his. it wasn’t fair to him and you knew it but the image of the swordsman, eyes crimson with rage, was something you couldn’t erase from your mind. the expression on his face had been one that could kill; it was one that made you understand that he would kill. without a second thought, if it meant protecting you. and that had terrified you.

it shouldn’t have unsettled you like it did. you were pirates for god's sake! you hadn’t exactly expected him to be a saint, nor could you claim to be one. you had no right to be this cold toward him now. he was still the zoro you knew — the one you loved like you didn’t realize you could — you’d simply seen a different side of him; you’d seen a side of him that told you the lengths to which he would go to keep you safe.

you loved him endlessly… but you needed time before you could meet his eyes without recalling the terror you’d felt then.

and the swordsman understood. he didn’t blame you for your reaction, but he didn’t know how to mend things either. all he could do was wait for it to pass. all he could do was give you space. that was what he told himself but all he wanted to do was hold you in his arms and make you feel okay.

the best he could do was keep his distance, though without straying too far. it didn’t matter to him if you saw him as a monster, he’d stay close enough to be there if you needed him, keeping out of your way while still keeping an eye on you.

and although he conceals it well, it isn’t lost on anyone that zoro’s hurting too. he minds his own, not quite avoiding anyone but not quite present either. not even the cook’s blatant and shameless flirting is enough to provoke a reaction from him; and despite their rivalry, sanji can’t stand to see the swordsman so apathetic.

none of the crew can, but they know there’s not anything more he can do but be patient with you; as much as they all want to help – to advise zoro and to comfort you – they all know what you need is time.

although it doesn’t keep them from trying.

chopper takes it upon himself to cure zoro’s ailment the only way he can think to: keeping him company. he bothers the swordsman with a dozen different things, keeping him occupied and trying his best to lighten his mood, but his attempts are fruitless. nothing could quite erase the trace of melancholy in zoro’s expression.

nami is the only other to try and pull some semblance of genuine emotion from zoro in the way she knows best — picking a fight with him. if there’s anything the navigator is an expert at (besides everything — for a price), it’s chastising the boys.

“you’re too intense,” she scolded and despite her tone, zoro knew she meant it as comfort. not that knowing made it annoy him any less. she kept talking and zoro let her, not quite listening but not quite ignoring her either.

“you lose your cool at the drop of a hat sometimes, it’s no wonder y/n is as shaken up as she is. you’ve gotta learn to keep your calm.” nami’s words were nonchalant and her eyes were no longer on the swordsman; she knew well enough that her words would go in one ear and out the other regardless.

and though zoro knew that he would only be proving her right, that he should bite his tongue and acknowledge that maybe nami was right, he lost his temper anyway, raising his voice at the navigator a little more than he’d intended to. “how the fuck am i meant to stay calm if y/n’s in trouble?”

everyone’s eyes turned to the swordsman but he could care less about what they might think. “i don’t give a shit how she feels,” he spat, knowing as well as everyone else that this was a lie.

“i’d do the same thing again if i had to, without a second thought.”

i’d do anything for her.

“even if it means she never speaks to me again.”

despite chopper’s insistence that he rest, despite the wounds on his body that ached with every move he made, zoro left to work out, though not before warning everyone to leave him alone. and while chopper’s words ring in his head, knowing well that his body needed to rest, he’d rather feel the pain of his injuries than think of you.

the rest of the crew tried to meddle comfort you however they could.

luffy tried (and succeeded) to bring a smile to your face with his endless antics, usopp joining in. the two went out of their way to pull a laugh out of you. teasingly, your captain made it a point to remind you of the clueless, disoriented fool roronoa zoro could be through theatrical reenactments of the swordsman’s habits and mannerisms. “how can you be scared of an idiot like that?” luffy giggled.

he balanced himself on the ship’s railing, crouching as he looked down at you with a contagious grin. you wanted to tell him to be careful, but you knew your words would go ignored.

“besides. i’d ‘ve done the same thing if i was in his place,” he said, teetering on the railing and it takes everything in you not to shout at him. playfully, he questioned you, “would you really be scared of me too, y/n?”

“i’m scared that you’ll fall. luffy, please get down from there.”

giggling, the captain sways a little more before hopping down and you let out a sigh of relief. and though he doesn’t bother to pull a response out of you, his question still sticks with you.

sanji had said the same thing as you helped him with the kitchen chores, busying yourself in a helpless attempt to push the swordsman out of your mind. you dried the dishes as sanji washed them, a comfortable silence sitting between the two of you.

and while sanji knew well that you’d offered to help him because you wanted a distraction, he couldn’t help but question you, his gentle voice breaking the silence. softly, being careful not to make it sound like he thought you were reacting unreasonably, the cook asked, “is there a reason this has you so shaken up, my dear?”

you dried the last dish without looking up at sanji, who’d turned his back to the sink, a cigarette quick to find its way to his lips. “i don’t know…” you whispered. you were being honest; you’d given that question significant thought already, but you weren’t quite sure why this was bothering you like it was.

“you know…” sanji started, lighting the cigarette between his teeth. “any of us would have done the same thing in his shoes. if that idiot went a little too far, it was because of how much he cares, y/n,” it felt strange to defend the swordsman so forwardly, but it was true. “he’d never forgive himself if something happened to you, especially not if he could do something about it.”

all you could do was nod, your eyes staring vacantly at the dishes in front of you. sanji held a hand to your shoulder in comfort. “and…pardon my language, sweet y/n, but if that idiot hadn’t done what he did, i’d have kicked his ass.”

“thank you, sanji.” you smiled up at the cook. he returned the smile, whispering one last thing before heading for the door. “if you still can’t keep the mosshead off your mind, at least help yourself to a treat. i made your favorite for dessert tonight if you’d like to sneak a bite…”

no amount of sweets could be enough to make you feel any better (but it was worth the try). it helps, though, that nami and usopp find you wallowing at the kitchen counter and join you. these two admit to understanding perfectly what you felt; they agree that zoro, along with sanji and luffy, could be a monstrous trio when need be. it’s pure insanity and utterly terrifying that they’re as strong as they are, even when you’re not on the receiving end of their fury.

“but they’re a trio of idiots, too,” nami reasoned. “i know it’s easy to forget when you see them like that, but everything they do is out of loyalty… and love.”

“she's right,” usopp chimes in. “they’re beastly monsters, but they’re our beastly monsters. it’s like having pet guard dogs. they might bite someone’s hand off but never yours… ‘cept maybe luffy.”

there’s truth to all of their words; you know this. and it helps. although you don’t forget the fear you felt in that moment, you don’t forget all of the love you feel for that big green-haired idiot either. still, you find yourself skipping dinner to avoid him a little longer — perhaps, more from guilt than any lingering fear.

you lie in bed instead, your eyes staring at the ceiling as you think over your crewmates’ words and try to make sense of your own ceaseless thinking. you hardly notice the sound of the door until robin’s voice meets your ears.

“the stars are quite beautiful tonight,” she smiles and you know, without her needing to say much else, that this is her way of helping you clear your mind.

“thank you, robin,” you whisper, as you reach for a thin blanket to take with you on deck.

and robin is right; the sight of the stars shining above the going merry is enough to take your breath away. their light alone lightens the weight on your shoulders, a reminder that your existence is small and your problems are too. and that doesn’t make them unimportant, but it does make them easier to bear.

you notice too, though, that robin didn’t send you up here to look at the sky; she wanted you to notice what was under the starlight. his eyes are fixed on the stars above, hands resting behind his head as he laid on the upper deck.

he notices you without needing to look, catching a glimpse of you out of the corner of his eye. you’re frozen where you stand until you see him sit up, turning his back to you, ready to leave and give you your space but the sound of your footsteps stops him.

he’s not sure why but he shuts his eyes as he hears you approach; a part of him knows it’s to keep himself from getting his hopes up, too afraid to let himself believe that you might let him hold you in his arms again and he might finally be able to get some sleep — not that he’d admit aloud that he can’t quite sleep without you close to him anymore.

it’s not until he feels your arms wrap around him and your head rest against his back that the swordsmen lets himself exhale. but the sense of relief is short-lived, as he feels something damp his shirt and it pains him to think that you might be crying.

he struggles to find the right words to say, scared he’ll say the wrong thing and you’ll pull away, but ultimately it’s you who speaks first. “i’m sorry.”

you whisper, your words muffled against his back and he’s certain he must’ve misheard because what could you possibly have to apologize for.

and it’s then that he knows exactly what to say to you. “shut up.

“what could you possibly have to say sorry for?” his hand searches for yours and as he holds it, he realizes just how deeply he’s missed having you close. “i’m the one who should be apologizing to you.”

all you can think to do is hold him tighter, but the swordsman pulls away. he turns to you and when his eyes meet yours, there’s no longer any trace of fear and zoro couldn’t be more grateful for it.

he lies back on the deck again, this time with you wrapped in his arms. the weight of his arms around you makes you feel safer than anything and there isn’t anywhere else you’d rather be. after all, roronoa zoro would go to any lengths to protect you. resting your head in the crook of his neck, you can’t help but whisper another apology.

“shut up.” the swordsman repeats, his voice almost a whisper but you can hear the smile tugging at his lips nonetheless. he holds you tighter, burying his nose in your hair and breathing in the scent he missed so much. “let me sleep.”

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taglist: @zorobraun @maaarshieee @lyriczhou @tinkywinky27 @dimimyth @gaby-chwan @tk6uro @zoros-4th-sword @idiotlittleme @zoronnoa

masterlist | taglist

#୨⎯ sol escribe ☼#zoro x reader #one piece x reader #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro fluff #zoro fluff #need everyone to know that the doc i wrote this in is titled:#'boo being scared of sully but make it zoro'

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not-another-leon-blog · 1 year

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Aftermath

DI! Leon Kennedy x Fem!Reader

Summary– How your son (doesn’t) deal with the aftermath of Alcatraz. Word count: 2345 S/n– Son’s name D/n– Daughter’s name A/N: has a slightly heavier focus on Leon and his son, a sequel to Family Matters / Aftermath / Out Together

You were right about one thing following the incident in San Francisco: You and Leon wouldn’t be sleeping alone for a long time. For almost the past month, D/n had practically moved into your bedroom, too scared to sleep alone even with her nightlight. Neither of you minded, though. You’d be more concerned if she never came to you at all.

Which was the case with S/n. Not once had he come crawling into bed between you. He hadn’t even sprawled himself across the foot of the bed like he sometimes did during thunderstorms.

Had it been any other situation, you probably would have commended him for braving through his fears. But you knew all too well how difficult it was to have to deal with the consequences of the viruses and the mutations they brought with them. And with S/n being only eight years old, it had to be harder for him.

“I’m worried about him,” you said to Leon one day. The kids were at school and for once Leon’s vacation days had gone uninterrupted.

He’d been thinking the same thing for a while now. S/n had changed since they came home. He was quiet, reserved. His grades had fallen and he hadn’t shown interest in doing much of anything. He knew they wouldn’t be able to keep the viruses a secret forever, he just never imagined the twins finding out so soon. And in such an intense way.

“I know.” He leaned against the dining table. “He pretends to sleep at night.” It had become almost routine for him to get up at some point in the night to check on S/n. “I’ve tried talking to him, but he won’t listen.”

You saw the droop in his shoulders, the defeated look in his eyes. The both of you were stumped when it came to getting through to your son. Unlike him, D/n was easier to read. She wore her heart on her sleeve and sought out support and help more often than her brother.

Your phone began to ring. As you went to answer, Leon continued to think of ways to get through to his son. Maybe they were trying too hard. Maybe he just needed to wait for S/n to come to them to talk. But S/n was stubborn and Leon knew that despite his youth, he felt like he needed to be the more responsible twin (though he’d been born only a minute before his sister) and that drove him to keep most of his negative thoughts to himself.

“We need to go pick up the twins,” you told him as you hung up the phone.

“Why? What happened?” That surprised him. They’d never been called to pick up either of the twins early from school before. It wasn’t even noon yet.

You sighed. “I don’t know. Something about a fight with a couple other kids.”

Leon slipped on one of his leather jackets and grabbed his keys, gesturing for you to follow him. Together, the two of you drove to the school in silence. There was no use in being upset with them (unless, of course, it was justified). Mostly, you were upset with yourselves.

The day you had told Leon you were pregnant, he was beyond terrified. If Raccoon City had never happened, if these viruses and monsters never existed, maybe he would have been excited. Make no mistake, he adored his children and would go to the ends of the earth for them, but back then the thought of bringing new life into a world like this felt like the scariest thing in the world. And now, in his eyes, he had failed his kids. They’d been thrown right into the face of danger and now had to deal with the trauma of it.

You reached the school and made your way to the front office. D/n and S/n were sitting just outside of the principal’s office. Their hair was a mess and S/n had ripped holes in his jeans. Dirt was smeared on D/n’s cheek and the braid you’d done for her had come loose. They both avoided your eyes.

The principal’s door opened. “Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy?”

“I’m sure both of you are aware that we don’t condone fighting in this school. We have a very strict anti-bullying policy,” the principal started.

“Of course,” you replied. “Though, we would like to know exactly what happened.”

“They were involved in a fight during their lunch hour,” the principal said simply. “The other kids are currently in the nurse's office with busted lips and bloody noses.” The explanation seemed simple enough. But surely there had to be more to it.

“Mind if we get the kids in here?” Leon asked pointedly. He wasn’t satisfied with this version of events. The principal nodded and Leon went back to the door, opening it just enough to usher the twins inside.

“They have no prior behavioral issues,” the principal said, “but given the circumstances, at the very least they will be on a three-day suspension.”

“Let’s hear their side first,” Leon said firmly, folding his arms across his chest.

They were quiet. D/n began picking at her fingers and chewing the inside of her cheek. S/n’s eyes were narrowed and his jaw locked. You knew that look despite how rare it was to see. He was usually such a happy boy but right now, he was angry. Downright furious even.

“They wouldn’t leave D/n alone,” he spat.

“What were they doing to D/n?” Leon asked.

“Pulling her hair. They called her a crybaby.”

You turned back to the principal. “I thought you didn’t tolerate bullying?”

The principal stumbled over his words and went red in the face, trying to find a way out of the corner he’d found himself backed into. “With all due respect, Mrs. Kennedy, if that is indeed what happened, instigating a fight is inexcusable.”

“Is that what happened, D/n?” you asked her. She nodded.

Leon’s own frustration was starting to show. He was done with this conversation. “Let’s go.”

“Mr. Kennedy,” the principal started, “This situation must be addressed.”

“Look, I don’t encourage my kids to fight–” the principal shrunk into his chair, “ – but as I see it, my son was protecting his sister. Had your lunch monitors done their job, maybe we wouldn’t be here.”

The principal was speechless. Leon put a hand on each of the twins’ shoulders and gently nudged them back to the door. You stood and began to follow them. “Thank you for your time, sir.”

The ride home was as silent as the ride to the school. Every now and then Leon glanced at the rearview mirror only to see S/n staring intently out the window. He could only guess at what his son was thinking. Above all, he hoped S/n wasn’t replaying San Francisco over and over in his head. Yet, he knew that was the reason they were here.

S/n was too young to process something like that and Leon will spend the rest of his life regretting the whole thing. But for now, he needed to find a way to help his son cope. He couldn’t have him going around busting lips and breaking noses (even if it was deserved).

As for D/n, Leon had decided to leave her to you for now. Even though she was a daddy’s girl through and through, his attention needed to be on S/n.

“Y/n,” he said as he pulled into the driveway, “go ahead and take D/n inside. I’m gonna have a talk with him.”

You nodded and climbed out of the car, D/n following close behind you.

There was a beat of silence.

“If you’re gonna yell, just do it,” S/n mumbled.

“I’m not gonna yell at you.” Leon turned in his seat. “I understand why you did what you did. But why didn’t you go get a teacher?”

S/n frowned and turned his gaze to his shoes. “I was…”

“But?”

He scoffed and shook his head, his hair falling in front of his eyes. Leon sighed and got out of the car, only to round it and get into the back seat with him. He put a comforting hand on top of his head.

S/n bottom lip began to quiver. His breathing became heavy and he wrapped his arms tight around himself. Leon swore he felt his heart snap in two at the sound of his son’s cry. Tears streamed down his face and his body shook with sobs. Leon unbuckled his seat belt and pulled him into his side, his shirt quickly becoming soaked with tears.

“I can still hear it!” Dylan Blake may be dead, but the damage he left behind would take a long time to heal, if ever. “I see it when I try to sleep!” S/n pressed himself as close to Leon as he could, as if he were trying to sink into him.

“It’s okay, bud,” he said quietly, slowly rocking back and forth. He desperately wanted to take the pain away. To erase the memories, rewrite the past or avoid it altogether. S/n cried harder, holding onto Leon like he was a lifeline.

It felt like hours had passed before S/n began to calm down. His sobs turned to sniffles and the tears slowly came to a stop. His grip on Leon’s shirt never loosened.

“W-why do you do it?” S/n whimpered.

Leon wiped his thumb over S/n’s cheek. “To keep you safe.” He held him just a bit tighter. “I do it so you’ll never have to.”

“B-but what i-if you… never come back?” Finally, S/n looked up at Leon. For that, he wasn’t sure he had an answer. He knew it was a very real possibility that one day he might leave and not come home.

“Don’t you worry about that.” He kissed the top of his head.

“Can’t you q-quit?”

“I wish I could.” It’s what he wants more than anything. He wanted to be home with his family. He wanted to watch them grow up and not have to worry about anything more than them coming home before curfew. If only it was that simple.

He pulled away slightly. “I know you were protecting your sister, but you can’t be fighting in school. Even if they deserve it.” S/n nodded. He hugged him again. “I love you, bud. You don’t have to keep all this to yourself.”

“I love you, too,” S/n replied.

Leon shrugged out of his leather jacket and wrapped it around his son. “Take care of this for me, will ya?”

He slipped his arms into the sleeves. The jacket nearly swallowed him whole. “It’s too big.”

Leon chuckled and ruffled his hair. “You’ll grow into it. Let’s get inside.”

You were starting to get worried by the time Leon and S/n came inside. You’d already managed to get the full story out of D/n and had her washing dishes in the kitchen. Not only had S/n started the fight, she had chosen to take part and help him instead of standing off to the side. At least you could take comfort in the fact that they’d stand by each other no matter what.

S/n waddled in wearing Leon’s jacket and went straight to the dining room table with his backpack, getting right to work on whatever homework needed to be done.

Leon came to stand beside you, wrapping an arm around your waist. “Let’s take them out tomorrow,” he suggested. With the kids out of school for the next few days, it would be a good opportunity for him to bond with them.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Sports park?” It would be a healthy way for them to get out the stress they’d been carrying. “Get them to wack a few out in a batting cage?”

You considered it for a moment. Since coming home from San Francisco the twins had only ever gone from the house to school and back again. They needed a change in scenery. “Sounds like a good idea to me.”

“It’s settled then.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead and went to check on S/n while you went to start dinner.

For the first time in a while, there was a sense of peace that almost resembled normalcy. Alcatraz wasn’t at the forefront of your mind as the four of you ate and prepared for bed. Soon you found yourself tucked against Leon’s side in bed. D/n had chosen to sleep in her room tonight, though you were prepared to wake up with her between you in the morning.

The television droned on with some old comedy while you traced random shapes on Leon’s chest. “It looks like you got through to him today,” you said. S/n was noticeably less tense at dinner than he had been these past few days.

“Yeah. Little guy’s got a lot going on in there.” Progress was made and it brought him some relief. S/n had opened up to him just a little bit, and he wouldn’t ask for anything more right now. The door creaked open and S/n peeked inside nervously.

He hesitated before asking, “Can I sleep here tonight?”

The two of you offered him soft smiles. “Sure, sweetie.” You scooted away from Leon to offer him the space in between. S/n nearly jumped into bed with you, almost as if he’d change his mind if he didn’t. Leon switched the television off and reached across to wrap his arm around the both of you.

“Will I ever stop thinking about it?” S/n held your hand tight as he nuzzled against Leon.

Leon kissed the top of his head. Deep down, he knew Alcatraz was something S/n would never truly forget. “One day, it’ll just be a bad dream.”

#di! leon x reader #dad! leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy imagine #leon kennedy x reader #leon angst #resident evil x reader #resident evil leon #leon kennedy #leon kennedy angst #leon s kennedy #Leon Kennedy #resident evil #leon scott kennedy

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skyloftian-nutcase · 1 month

Text

Prisoner of War (Imprisoning War)

Despite the chaos of the battle, something distinct caught Ganondorf’s attention. In a sea of red hair and brown skin paired with leather and steel, in a sea of armor and white banners, there was light gold, like the pale yellow chrysanthemums Orik had gifted to Hemisi.

Orik. Link.

Link was here.

Damn that child. He’d told him to stay away. He knew the boy hadn’t listened, but to have the audacity to fight where Ganondorf himself was…

Well, he had to admit the boy had far more gumption to him than he’d realized. It was no wonder Hemisi had fallen for him.

Ganondorf caught the attention of his commander. “Bring Link to me. Alive.”

XXX

It had been no small feat.

Link was a menace on the battlefield. The boy had gotten far better with that blasted sword, swinging it with ease, dodging and weaving around the Gerudo and monster attacks. He clearly still favored getting in close and personal, often tripping up his enemies so they’d lose their footing before he dove in for a finishing blow. There was no hesitation to it, either – the young fighter was no stranger to killing at this point.

Nevertheless, he went down when Ganondorf cut off the reinforcements that were around him, leaving him to be overwhelmed.

With their Hero captured, the enemy forces had to fall back. It seemed Link was enough of a powerhouse that they couldn’t win the fight without him – at least their general thought so.

Ganondorf waited in his tent, adrenaline fresh in his system, slowly taking his armor off as the guards dragged the boy to him. He heard their approach easily; Link was moaning, clearly hurt, and it made the Gerudo king tense up instinctively.

When they entered the tent, the women tossed the boy on the ground, and he let out a cry of pain. Ganondorf watched him a moment, eyes flicking up to his soldiers, and he dismissed them. Link shriveled into himself a little, though he didn’t seem to move his right leg, which looked misshapen.

Broken, most likely.

A part of the king felt vindicated. This is what happens when you don’t listen, he wanted to growl. But the way Link squeezed his eyes shut, tears mixing with sweat, face stained with blood and dirt…

Ganondorf sighed, kneeling down in front of him. “I told you to stay out of this, boy.”

Link grunted, breaths sharp and unsteady.

Ganondorf supposed there was little need to drive the point home. He’d said what he needed to. The lack of apology or acknowledgement was irritating, but understandable given the boy’s state.

The boy’s state. He remembered seeing the teenager laughing, throwing powders that matched every hue of light into the air during the Festival of Colors. He remembered seeing the boy smiling as he taught Hemisi traditional Sheikah dances and songs. He remembered the young man’s keen eyes glowing with wonder as he’d listened to him tell stories. He remembered the child’s desperate look for comfort, his fear and trust when he’d been so ill he could hardly breathe. He remembered the warmth in his heart when he’d taught the boy how to shave, how those expressive red eyes watched his every move, reminding him so much of Merovar’s younger years that it almost hurt.

And here now, he saw a warrior, bloodied and bruised and broken and in pain.

Ganondorf bit his tongue. Then he sighed, gently picking the boy up and laying him on the cot nearby. Link hissed in pain, jerking his entire body as his broken leg was jostled. The Gerudo didn’t bother to apologize for hurting the boy, still irate, but there was little point in arguing with the softer side that was screaming he clean the child up.

What would he do with him? He wondered as he slowly stripped the boy of his armor, removing first his belt and scarf, then his boot off his uninjured leg. He should have the boy taken back to Lagema, where he could be kept safe and out of the way. Hemisi would no doubt be thrilled.

Hemisi. He definitely wasn’t going to tell her about this until the boy was secured in the Gerudo capital. The last thing he needed was for her to get distracted. Though, perhaps she’d be even more motivated to ferociously defend the desert knowing she was protecting him as well as everyone else, rather than fighting against him. Who knew. The teenage drama that had been unfolding between the pair because of this conflict was an entirely different matter that Ganondorf did not have patience for at the moment.

Perhaps it was best Hemisi didn’t know for a good while. She would remain at her station on the edge of Hyrule territory, safe from the main conflict.

But if he wasn’t saving this boy for his daughter’s sake, then… what was he doing??

You know damn well that you’ve gotten attached too, his mind taunted him as he sighed heavily. He reached carefully for Link’s other boot, shushing him as he winced and moaned while he removed it.

Link lay trembling on the cot now, looking far too broken and beaten down for the Gerudo king’s liking. He pulled away the dark mask the boy wore, showing his young face, showing the tear tracks and the way he bit his tongue to stop himself from screaming and showing weakness.

He told himself he’d clean the boy up once he’d stripped off some more layers, reaching for his gloves next. Link needed a bath and a potion (a part of him wanted the boy to stay injured, as a lesson and a means to ensuring he didn’t escape, while another part of him screamed to heal him now, to stop his moans and cries and soothe his tears).

The right glove came off easily. The left—

Link hissed, pulling his hand away. Ganondorf gently reached for it again. “Let me look, child.”

Link glared in return, breaths coming in shaky heaves.

The Gerudo king huffed. “Of my three children, you were the gentlest and sweetest. Strange that you went to war first.”

“You started it!” Link snapped before wincing as he tried to sit up.

“I do remember your temper,” Ganondorf remarked, gently pushing him back down. “I warned you not to get involved, Link. I had you captured to protect you, and you still don’t think I’ll help you? Let me see your hand.”

“You betrayed—” Link cut himself off, lips trembling.

“Betrayed who?” Ganondorf asked, mildly annoyed. “You?”

There was silence for a long time, neither man breaking eye contact. Then Link muttered, tiredly, brokenly, “You’d said you cared. That you…”

The boy swallowed his words, doubling down on an attempt to be stoic and strong.

I put my entire operation at risk for you, idiotic child, he almost snapped, but Ganondorf didn’t voice it. He had no reason to justify himself to this boy. Instead, he said, “The Triforce is mine, Link.”

“It belongs to—”

“A foolish king!” Ganondorf interrupted. “Who throws his power away at anyone who grovels enough! Such a man is unworthy of divine power!”

“Ozen isn’t king anymore!” Link argued, sitting up again, breath growing erratic as he fought through the pain to make his point. “Zelda is the rightful ruler of Hyrule, and she’s a far better leader than you ever will be! She doesn’t put her people in peril for her own selfish desires! You ingratiated yourself to everyone so you could steal the Triforce, you never cared!”

Anger surged through him, and Ganondorf channeled it quickly, backhanding the defiant teenager. The force of the blow nearly sent the boy careening off the cot, but Link recovered quickly, glaring at him as if he hadn’t felt it despite how his lip bled.

They were getting nowhere. This boy wouldn’t listen! Ganondorf should just kill him and be done with it!

“Did your time with us mean so little to you?” he said in a low voice, surprising himself at the regret panging in his chest all of a sudden. Where had that come from? “Did Hemisi mean so little to you?”

Link’s anger melted in an instant, eyes widening, hurt evident. For a moment, Ganondorf saw the sweet, placating child he’d known, the fierce warrior fading into the background. “I… it… sh-she… she meant everything to me.”

That was a lie and he knew it. But the tears in the boy’s eyes were genuine, and Ganondorf hated how it was working on him.

“Yet you fight her people, her father,” he snapped in return.

Link’s tears vanished, replaced with a rage he hadn’t seen in the boy. “Did you expect me to lay down and let you try to destroy my country?”

“I expected loyalty if you truly loved her,” Ganondorf rebuked, voice darkening.

“You expect groveling,” Link hissed. “You expect slavery. My loyalty isn’t blind, I’m not the idiot you think I am!”

This was going nowhere and he knew it. His own temper was rising, and Link was working himself up so much his face was actually draining of color like he was about to pass out.

Idiot child, he berated the boy in his mind. And he berated himself – why had he thought it was a good idea to capture him?

It was honestly pointless denying that he’d grown attached to the boy. But it was equally pointless to see this ending well. Link was too far gone… wasn’t he?

He’d spared that boy when Link had found the Master Sword. Of all the times—if Ganondorf were to have ever killed him, it would have been then. It wasn’t as if the Gerudo king hadn’t been surprised, perhaps even horrified at the sight of it – a sword of destiny, imbued with divine power to defeat darkness, etched into the fabric of destiny and history as a beacon of hope for Hyrule against its enemies… and it was in the hands of a child Ganondorf had grown to love.

Link. It was supposed to be an anomaly. That name wasn’t supposed to mean anything. Destiny wasn’t supposed to meddle with his family.

Ganondorf gritted his teeth. Din’s warning echoed in the back of his mind, and he grew angrier for it. How dare she try to torment him like this? She, who had given him a second chance at life, who had placed him in this land after he’d nearly died at the hands of the sages, who had listened to his plea when she’d offered him an alternative, only for her to tear his family apart?

He felt his eyes widen a little at the thought of it. Since when had he started viewing Link as family, anyway? He’d known from the beginning, even from the night before the assault, that the boy would not join their fight.

Link fell back on to the pillow of the cot, whimpering a little at the sudden movement as he lost his strength. He tried to save face, scrunching his face and refusing to look the king in the eye. Ganondorf sighed, taking a step back to give them both some space.

He supposed he had presumed Link would join them when it was done. Because there wasn’t supposed to be a war. Not like this. It was supposed to be swift, decisive, quick and clean. The original plan was to take the Triforce and immediately take Hyrule with it. That would have simplified things. Ganondorf didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, and a war wasn’t going to stop him, but if it had gone the way it was supposed to, he’d already be ruling all the lands, his wife at his side, and his children would be happy.

Besides… now that war had broken out and he was seeing Link as a fierce warrior, he felt… even more admiration for the kid. The sweet Sheikah who was always so shy and quiet and acquiescing, who held a little mischief to his eye whenever Hemisi pulled him into silliness, who was always respectful, who had enough grit to prove to a culture of warriors that he could hold his own in a fight at twelve years old… he was really coming into his own. Ganondorf had to respect the boy’s determination, had to smile at how the little glimpses he’d gotten of the iron will the boy held were finally shining through. The Gerudo king had always loved a challenge, and the boy was certainly both presenting himself as one and rising up to meet the one he was facing.

Either way, he had to figure out what to do with the boy now. He’d mull it over more as he finished cleaning him up. The fewer words they said to each other, the better. He knelt down carefully, putting a hand over the boy’s chest to quietly let him know he was there.

Link’s eyes barely opened, sluggish and exhausted. Ganondorf gently pulled the hair tie out of the knots that had formed around clots in his hair, letting it fall down into the mess that it was. The boy feebly moved at the touch, sniffling. He was too tired to put up a fight anymore, as the king suspected he might be. The vulnerability that was laid bare as a result made Ganondorf’s heart ache far more than it had any right to.

“Oh, Link,” he sighed.

At the sound of his name, Link’s eyes opened entirely now, tracing around confusedly at the ceiling before settling on the king. The blood from where he’d hit him earlier had started to clot, leaving a trail of red syrupy crust from his lip to his ear. Ganondorf’s gut churned a little at the sight of it, and he was strangely on edge.

He’s not family yet, he reminded himself. He’s still fighting for the enemy.

This conflicting loyalty was growing tiring and irritating, but he still needed to follow through with the original plan. He was a man of action, not indecisive debate based on sentimentality. Looking the teenager over, he saw where he’d left off, one fingerless leather glove remaining on Link’s left hand. The boy had pulled away when he’d touched it, so it was likely hurt.

Ganondorf took the boy’s hand in his own. Whatever injury Link had, he could—

The glove slipped off Link’s trembling fingers easily, revealing a sacred mark.

The blessing of Farore was etched on his skin, like the remnants of a kiss from the goddess herself.

Ganondorf stared.

What?!

All this time, he’d been looking for the other pieces of the Triforce. All this time, he’d been waging war with little idea how he would actually obtain his goal.

And it was hidden in his child.

The goddesses truly did love to torment him, didn’t they? Or was this some sort of sign that he should bring the boy into the fold and protect him?

But Link knew. He knew what this signified, because he was trying to hide it, because the boy still tried to pull his hand away, succeeded in doing so as Ganondorf’s grip went slack.

He felt his temper rise to the forefront, and he rose with it. “You have one of the pieces?”

Link tucked his left hand into his armpit as if it could hide the evidence, eyes halfheartedly glaring behind a very thinly veiled fear.

He was afraid of him. Of course he was afraid of him. Ganondorf was his enemy.

Link had chosen that path! Ganondorf had warned him at their last confrontation, despite the obvious signs that he should kill the boy! He’d told him to stay out of the fight! And now, after ignoring such an order, he willingly kept the Triforce of Courage away from him! It was clear the boy’s loyalty was to the crown, as Ganondorf had always known it would be, and nothing would change that. He wasn’t going to swear his fealty to Hemisi or Ganondorf. He never would!

To think he was so close to achieving everything that he wanted…

Ganondorf swallowed, swallowed his temper and tried one last time.

“Give it to me,” he said as calmly as he could, reaching his hand out.

Link’s fear evaporated, replaced only with determination, eyes hardening.

Ganondorf’s patience snapped, and he threw his hand down, ramming it into the child’s broken leg. “GIVE IT TO ME!”

Link screamed. It tore into Ganondorf’s mind, shredding the red haze that clouded his vision, but his heart raced and his desire for power thrummed just as loudly.

He wasn’t giving up his plans for a boy who wasn’t even family, who purposefully chose to not join his family. He refused. He gripped the warrior’s broken leg more firmly and, with his other hand, reached for his left wrist. Link couldn’t fight him, completely overrun with agony, but despite the sacred relic staring at him and mocking him, he couldn’t access it.

“Give up the Triforce of Courage or perish!” Ganondorf threatened.

Link gasped for air before seeming to get a hold of himself. He watched Ganondorf a moment, giving the king a moment of hope, before the boy spat at him, eyes vicious.

Ganondorf grabbed the brat by the throat, raising him into the air, snarling with fury. Link struggled, left leg trying to kick, tears freely falling as he clutched desperately at the man’s grip around his neck.

Tears. Tears.

He’s crying. You’re killing him.

He was a traitor!!

He’s a child!

He was standing between Ganondorf and victory!

Hemisi won’t forgive you for killing him.

Hemisi had to learn how to handle the cruelty of the world. This boy was a traitor to her as well as him.

You love him too.

Ganondorf’s grip tightened. Link’s struggling grew weaker.

The Gerudo king let out a shaky exhale, letting his fingers relax a little, other hand reaching up to grip the boy’s tunic instead as he finally released his throat. Link rasped, a wretched, unhealthy sound, and Ganondorf felt his stomach churn, remembering when the boy had sand fever and he’d cared for him.

Look what you did.

He deserved it! The boy was an enemy!

Ganondorf grit his teeth, letting magic surge through his arm. It hardened, crystallizing around the child, leaving Link floating in an amber prison within seconds. The boy tried to cling to consciousness, hands desperately pressed against his cage, exhaustion evident, emotions raw. He leaned his head against the amber, and Ganondorf’s hand hovered over his forehead, touching cool, magical stone instead of soft, bloody skin.

He needed to calm down. He couldn’t kill Link. If nothing else, it could make the Triforce of Courage disappear entirely.

The boy’s screams still echoed in his head, despite the silence from him now. He doubted Link could make a sound through his damaged throat. His breaths came in high pitched gasps, alarming some part of his mind that told him his breathing could get worse.

Ganondorf shook his head. He couldn’t stay in here. He walked away, leaving Link’s fate to the goddess who cursed him with her grace. If the boy was still alive when he returned, cooler heads would prevail. Perhaps Ganondorf would clean him up and heal him then.

Perhaps.

XXX

Impa barely listened as the officers around her bickered.

Their loss was catastrophic in nearly every way. The majority of their battles up to this point had been skirmishes, aside from siege on the Wastelands and the Battle of Hyrule Field. It had been a back and forth between the warring factions, monster camps taking military bases, Hyrule soldiers tracking down Gerudo pockets. But this…

To attack the lands of the Mountains and Forests of peace, the seat of power for the sages and the land of the forgotten temple where the Master Sword had been rediscovered, was to attack the soul of Hyrule. Ganondorf had been very precise in this battle, and he’d brought all his power and soldiers with him. The Sage of Lightning had been killed, and—

Orik.

The chief of the Sheikah felt her heart clench at the thought of her youngest brethren in war. She’d tried, as best she could, to look after the young man ever since he’d passed his trials – he was the youngest ever to do so, and it made her worry, despite knowing that he’d earned the right and had no need to be coddled. Nevertheless, as his chief, he was her responsibility as much as anyone else.

Link had stepped up in every way possible, and had even been chosen by the goddesses to truly deserve the Hylian name his mother had given him. He’d helped Impa fight for Zelda during the coup to overthrow King Ozen. He was one of Hyrule’s best soldiers.

And now, he’d been captured.

The Hyrulian army was in a frenzy. They’d lost a sage and the Hero. They’d lost their sacred grounds, watching the sacrilege of Gerudo banners lay claim to the land after their leader had desecrated their most sacred relic.

And Link held a piece of it.

Impa’s heart thrummed in her chest. Ganondorf will kill him to claim it. If he hasn’t already.

She couldn’t just sit on this. They couldn’t limp away and lick their wounds and prepare for an entirely new battle. They had to act quickly.

But the officers were too busy panicking, bickering. She listened halfheartedly, mind buzzing and clouded at the same time, before she bit her tongue to help her focus. Their soldiers were still trying to recover, having retreated to the fortress near the Lost Woods. She’d sent word to the capital to ensure that Castle Town was fortified, as Ganondorf’s forces were closer than ever to try another assault.

They couldn’t sit on this failure. They had to retaliate.

But they needed more soldiers for a full-frontal assault. Her Sheikah warriors had been nearly cut in half due to the coup – there were still many who were injured and some who were imprisoned and had yet declared their loyalty to Zelda over Ozen. General Enos’ army had been fairly depleted form this fight. House Serenne could perhaps loan their personal militia as this was their territory, foolishly given to them by the former king. While Serenne looked out for its own agendas, this was a matter of survival. Impa vaguely heard the general speak as much, claiming to send word to them. It could take a day or two to get a response and organize a counterattack.

Impa finally interjected the inane babbling in the war tent. “We don’t have time. We don’t have time for any of this. We need to attack their camp now.”

“And how exactly do you propose we do that?” the general asked, frustrated. “We hardly have the men.”

Impa bit her lip. “Retaking the land is the ultimate goal, but it shouldn’t be our priority right now. Link holds both the Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage. Our focus should be on getting him back before they can kill him or extricate him.”

The other officers murmured worriedly, an anxious energy filling the air.

“I can gather my people to infiltrate the camp,” Impa continued. “But we’ll need a distraction.”

The general’s brow lowered heavily over his eyes. “You’re suggesting we use my troops as bait.”

Impa met his gaze, face stony. What other options did they have? There was no time to gather a larger force. “I am. But we just need to rescue the Hero. With that as our objective, we can retreat as soon as we have him.”

Hopefully too many won’t die, she implied.

General Enos sighed heavily. “Gather your forces, then. We will attack at dusk. The cover of nightfall should help. I will send someone to contact House Serenne for reinforcements in the larger assault. In the meantime, we’ll wait for word from Queen Zelda.”

Impa nodded, leaving the tent. Hang in there, Link. We’re coming.

XXX

Ganondorf had to admit, he’d definitely been finding reasons to avoid the tent. However, they were valid reasons. He had to ensure that they held this territory – he’d attacked Hyrule’s most sacred land in the hopes that it would reveal the location of the other two Triforce pieces, and it had certainly done that. But now he had to hold this land, both to potentially find the Triforce of Wisdom and to rub it into Hyrule’s face. Such a victory was hugely impactful, and it could break the enemy’s spirit entirely, especially given that its new ruler was so young and inexperienced.

But after twenty-four hours of taking tally of the casualties, making plans to fortify their stronghold, and looking at maps to see where they should investigate and attack next, he could no longer avoid visiting the makeshift prison cell he’d created.

He’d given himself time to calm down, at least, and the distractions had helped. He still wasn’t happy with Link – the boy was actively in defiance of him, refusing to give him the Triforce of Courage. He wondered if killing him would extract it, or if it would simply make it move to another location. He couldn’t risk losing the sacred relic, and…

He wasn’t ready to go that far yet. Not… not yet.

He still had to clean the boy up and heal him. Mostly. He would send him back to Lagema where Hyrule’s forces couldn’t reach him, where the boy had no chance of escaping. And perhaps he’d eventually come to his senses, but Ganondorf wasn’t really holding out hope. It was foolish to assume such a thing would happen, even if his heart ached for it.

A pity, really.

The Gerudo king’s walk back to the tent was interrupted, however, when there was a cry from one of the sentries. “Enemies spotted to the south!”

Ganondorf immediately changed directions, moving towards the guard’s post to see what she was talking about. It was a fairly large group, seemingly the remainder of the army they’d encountered yesterday. He hadn’t expected a counterattack so quickly, not after they’d retreated as they had.

“Send the beasts,” he ordered. The monsters could handle the first wave – his women were recovering as well. This would thin the enemy’s numbers first.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He had a bad feeling about this.

On the other end of the Gerudo camp, ten Sheikah snuck in through the shadows, quickly killing the guards in the area. Impa motioned silently, ordering her brethren to fan out, and they spread across the camp while the majority of its inhabitants lined the southern border.

Impa moved towards the center of the camp, figuring Link would be somewhere well guarded, but saw no structures that might indicate a prison of sorts. When she found the largest tent in a cluster, she peeked inside and gasped.

Link was there, floating in an amber magical crystal prison. His head was drooping, brow slightly furrowed in pain, shadows across his face even in the glowing light. His green tunic was stained with blood and dirt, right leg bent the wrong way, brown trousers darker than they should be, saturated with blood and heaven only knew what else. His hair was matted, colored like an artist’s palette where light gold and crimson mixed together, patches of blood clot and dirt holding clumps of hair hostage.

Goddesses.

Impa rushed forward, tracing her hands along the smooth crystal, wondering how in the world she was supposed to release him. She pulled out a knife first, whispering his name desperately as she slammed against his prison. The knife was getting her nowhere, though, and she knew she’d have to use magic to break through. Link didn’t budge, limp in midair.

Thankfully, all Sheikah knew magic, and she focused hers to her hands, pressing her palms to the amber. Although her magic was hardly ever used for brute force, she could connect it enough with the magic encasing him that it started to crack. She heard some noise outside and overhead, and she whirled around as the crystal continued to fracture, armed and ready for a fight. When no one entered the tent, she listened closer and realized it was beginning to rain.

Good. That would help cover their escape. It would make sending off the signal difficult, though.

When Impa returned her attention to the amber in the center, it was falling to pieces, chunks of crystal dissipating into the air, until she could reach in and grab the young warrior. The prison faded immediately as soon as she pulled him to her, and his full weight bore down on her. Impa drew him close, trying to support the dead weight by bringing his center of gravity to hers, but she still stumbled as she held him to her chest.

“Link,” she whispered, strained and desperate and scared for him.

The teenager groaned in reply, hissing when his right leg scraped against the ground. Impa knelt down, lowering them both to the earth so she could rearrange him a little, slinging an arm over her shoulders. He flinched and almost cried out until she slammed her palm over his mouth to muffle the sound.

“I’m getting you out of here,” she told him softly, gently, as reassuringly as she could, heart breaking for the kid. She braced herself and stood once more. Link, addled as he was, tried to put some weight on his good leg, and she was grateful for it. “You must stay quiet. Understood?”

Across camp, Ganondorf picked up his pace as he listened to battle break out in the open field. Rain started to pelt against him before it became a steady downpour, decreasing visibility. This attack was so abrupt, and it didn’t seem like they had the numbers for an assault like this. It was either utter desperation, or…

He had to move quickly.

When he reached his tent, he got as far as opening the flap to enter when he saw the empty space in the center. His heart felt it stopped a moment, cold ice filling his veins, and he snarled, drawing his swords and prowling the surrounding area as he alerted his troops. They couldn’t have gotten far.

A few rows of tents away, Impa dragged Link as best she could, her grunts of exertion covered by the torrential rain. Link had tried his best to assist, but he was mostly dead weight hanging off her. He was spending all his energy gritting his teeth and trying not to make a sound as his broken leg was scuffed along the earth and stones. Impa just needed to get somewhere they could pause and she could concentrate long enough to get them out of there. Then she could worry about sending the signal to everyone.

Ganondorf’s voice echoed across the way, disappearing in a peal of thunder. Impa froze nonetheless, swearing she heard something, heart skipping a beat. Her breath quickened, and she tried to move faster.

The Gerudo king rounded another corner, and the opposing combatants froze as their eyes met.

“Link, hold on to me,” Impa ordered breathlessly, standing her ground. Ganondorf charged, a snarl on his lips, blades at the ready. The young Sheikah moved feebly, and she repeated, more frantically, “Link, hold on to me!”

She felt him put enough weight on her with a trembling grip that she could release him and focus her energy and magic. Ganondorf was ten paces away and closing, hunger and rage in his eyes, and he moved in to strike.

Her body warmed despite the frigid rain and her adrenaline. Link moved abruptly, throwing her off for a second, and Ganondorf flinched a moment as a kunai sliced his cheek open. It didn’t quite stop his attack, but it did make him stutter a moment, surprised and confused and realizing—

Link glared at him, balefulness painted in every aspect of his face, hand still thrust outward from the toss that could have taken out an eye if he’d aimed better. The shock of the move didn’t last long, and Ganondorf was on them in an instant, massive swords held over his head as if to crush them.

Impa finally had enough energy summoned, and she and Link vanished in a heartbeat as the Gerudo’s blades sank into the earth.

His battle cry echoed in the air, absorbed in the rain like water to a sponge. Ganondorf didn’t move for a long while, and the downpour was deafening.

XXX

It was honestly a near miracle that everything had worked out as it had.

Once the signal from the Sheikah chief had been fired into the air, the remainder of her task force and the Hyrulian army retreated before being reinforced by House Serenne’s militia. Queen Zelda herself also sent more troops from Castle Town, leaving the capital’s defenses unnervingly thin, but that changed when the Hero was escorted back there to recover.

Zelda found herself wandering one of the many castle halls that had been converted into a hospital area, trying to help out as best she could. She didn’t have the time she did when she was a princess, but she still tried to assist the overworked healers. She hated to hear the moans of the dying and injured, but she’d started to grow accustomed to it.

When she didn’t see the Hero anywhere, though, she started searching other areas for him.

She eventually found him sitting on a cut down tree at the edge of the city, its base large enough to fit three Hylians. He stared off at the sunset, his back to her, posture slumped, hair a disheveled mess. She could see the tears in his clothing, and she grew worried as she moved faster to reach him.

“Link,” Zelda called gently, walking into his periphery. He didn’t bother acknowledging her at first, and so she hesitantly sat beside him. “You shouldn’t be out here. They said you were hurt pretty badly. Let me take you back to the castle, okay?”

“I’m fine,” he replied quietly, glancing down at his hands. “I drank a potion. They patched me up on the way to the capital, anyway.”

To emphasize his point, he played with the empty bottle in his hands, and then gave her a halfhearted smile. His face was still bloody, exhaustion etched into every corner of his being, emphasized by the lines under his eyes. Zelda had never seen him in such a state, and it frankly left her so unsettled that for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

“You still need to rest,” she tried to insist, not entirely used to him ignoring her.

Link said nothing for a long time, the air around them stilling. Then he said, softly, “I’m sorry you had to fight your father for the throne.”

Zelda blinked, a little caught off guard, wondering why this was being brought up. Was he going to mention how she’d cried that night?

Wait. She… she remembered seeing him with the Gerudo delegation often before the war.

“Not that he didn’t deserve it,” Link continued with a dark huff of a laugh. “He was a terrible king and a terrible man. But… I’m sorry you had to overthrow him, to…”

Her friend swallowed, face hardening, glaring into the sunset, its light reflecting fire in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated before putting the bottle down between them and patting her on the shoulder. He rose, walking to the western end of camp, his silhouette cutting into the dusk’s light, shadow growing ever longer. Zelda watched him go uncertainly, heart aching at her own confrontation and what she was beginning to assume must have happened when he’d been captured.

Link moved in silence, ignoring the world around him, until he reached the basins of water where he could wash his face. Some sanitary supplies were nearby, and he wordlessly rinsed the blood and dirt away. He paused when he grabbed a shaving foam, staring at it and the razor beside it.

The area was deserted. The Hero stood alone in the center, eyes fixed on the shaving supplies. And then he burst into tears, burying his face in his left hand, Farore’s blessing dully shining through the blood that dripped off his knuckles.

#Y’ALL #I’m pretty sure this is my first like full on FIC that takes place in this era #Like not just little scenes or whatnot but a FIC #What have I done #I’m pretty happy with it honestly :D #Even if it did break my heart #Anyway lmk what you think! :)#writing #imprisoning war #hero of power #Ganondorf #imprisoning war zelda #Impa #legend of zelda

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jojikawa · 9 months

Text

“Excuse me, Ma’am. Is this your son?”

You try bringing Sukuna with you for a day of daily errands but he only causes mischief because he craves your attention. Contains descriptions of gore.

tw// fluff, adult language, MC is Lilith! (a powerful demoness), lewd/suggestive themes.

masterlist

Him 🩷

Sukuna’s eyes fluttered open. His eyes were burned by the rays of sun that came in, which sorta ruined the moment, but that was fine because he was in your bed. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Yuuji was still asleep, locked away in the back of his mind so he was able to get to the body first. When he looked down, he expected you to still be in his arms, pressed against his chest as his little spoon but you were…gone. Instead, he held a pillow that was vaguely your height and width. “What?” He muttered before pushing the poor body pillow to the side. What confused him even more was that he didn’t sense your energy at all…until he entered your living space. That’s where he found a demonic-looking bottomless pit in the middle of the room. It emitted a red aura; if he listened closely, he could hear the screams and cries of sinners.

He recognized this portal. Seeing it unlocked a memory from the past. You’d only ever use it when you wanted to speak to Lucifer about something. Man, he really hated that guy. If the two of you weren’t friends, he’d probably kill him too. Sukuna didn’t like the idea of you being so cozy with another guy. Even if it were Lucifer himself. (The two of you weren’t “cozy” at all. More like siblings in reality.)

Sukuna backed away once the living room began to shake. Soon, a huge monster with no face and only arms climbed out of the hole. In one of its arms was you in its palm. It sat you on your couch before retreating back into the hole where it closed permanently.

You adjusted your hair before noticing your lover silently watching you. “Oh, good morning.” You whispered, now only inches away from him, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“Where’d you go?” He didn’t return your affection but it wasn’t something you took to heart. “There was a meeting.” You answered.

“So important you needed to abandon me for it?”

Your smile only intensified at his pouty expression. “I didn’t want to wake you. But don’t want to bore you with the details. I’m glad you’re awake now.” You wrapped your arms around him and snuggled into his chest. Your behavior made him melt. He already forgot he was upset with you!

“I have a book club today so I’ll be gone. You should give Yuuji back his body now.” You looked up at him and saw that he was becoming gradually annoyed. Were you already trying to get rid of him? The nerve.

“I’m comin’ with you.”

“It’s girls only.”

“I don’t care.”

He was such a handful.

The two of you arrived at your neighbor's house. All the girls were already there and you were the last to arrive. Sukuna couldn’t understand why you indulged the most in human pleasures. Book club? Really?

“I’m sorry I’m late!” You announced your arrival to the group of women seated around a dining table. They all have a book or two, ready to share. Their eyes seemed to be more focused on the man next to you. Sukuna.

“Um, (y/n), you didn’t tell us you were bringing your…” The brown-haired woman grimaced at the sight of the man beside you. He looked awfully scary.

You waved it off. “This is just my husband. I felt bad leaving him at home.” flashing her a smile, you made your way over to the table. Another chair was pulled up next to where you’d sit.

“Husband?” Another woman repeated. You heard their whispers. “But he looks like he’s wearing a high school uniform.”

Your heart dropped. Sukuna never makes an effort to change his attire before coming to hang out with you. The last thing you wanted was for you, an elementary school teacher, to have rumors of you dating a high school student.

“What’s wrong with what I got on, huh!?”

The woman visible began to tremble as your husband was intimidating the woman. He shoved his face into hers, using his height to remind her how small she was to him. He was acting like a high schooler!

“N-Nothing! I-I…” The middle-aged woman failed to form words and was almost on the verge of crying before you stepped in. With a fake smile on your face, you pushed Sukuna to the side. “Don’t mind him. He just has an affinity for…the old days. I get these clothes made for him as gifts.” You then elbowed Sukuna, causing him to cry out and curse to himself under his breath.

It helped a little, but the woman made sure to avoid Sukuna after that.

Unfortunately, for your husband, he needed to sit through your session of woman gossip about romance novels, Tumblr, Goodreads, and all the other bullshit he didn’t care about. He sat next to you with his head in his palm, looking at the things you’d have with you from time to time, zoning in and out of the conversation and not really contributing. He was barely even paying attention to the things that you were saying.

Until you said something rather interesting.

“Oh, there’s this one book I’ve picked up recently that I wanted to share with you all!”

His ears perked up there.

You put a book on the table. The cover was of a woman with traditional clothing and behind her was an oversized demonic man. It was a…romance novel. But it was probably the dirtiest, smuttiest, and most degenerate thing he’s ever laid eyes on. Even the cover was like softcore porn…

He immediately pieced together that it was some form of a modern adaptation of you and him.

“Oh my gosh, (y/n)! I didn’t think you’d read something so…so…exciting!”

You laughed. “I know! It’s by this young author and I can’t believe she nailed the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ concept so well.” Your face began to heat up at the implied romantic events that would transpire in the story.

He wanted so badly to make fun of you but he didn’t want to embarrass you in front of your friends…

Actually, that's exactly what he wanted to do.

“Do you really read this slop about men who aren’t gonna fuck you? Men who aren’t even real.”

You didn’t react at first but your friends did. They gasped and jeered at Sukuna’s explicit language and insults.

“You wretch! What would a caveman like you know about literature? This is why we've restricted men like you from joining our club.” The Hostess bellowed as she stood, slamming her hands on the table. Who did she think she was?!

“Excuse me, but I am perfectly capable of yelling at my own husband, thank you.” You stood as well. Ryo was in the wrong but you’d never tolerate another life form raising their voice at him. “Perhaps, he’s right. Last time I checked, I’m the only one here who’s married.” You crossed your arms, narrowing your eyes at the woman. She had recently confided in the group about her divorce so you bringing it up as a jab was intolerable!!

The two of you were promptly kicked out and he was never allowed to be a guest ever again. Now, you were at the nearby supermarket, getting some food so that you could at least make something to feed the vessel he was in.

“I can’t believe you embarrassed me like that. Do you understand the amount of explaining I’m gonna have to do next time I go?” Like a disappointed mom, you paid no mind to the man behind you, occupying himself with the shopping cart. His cheek was somewhat red from that slap you just gave him as well.

“I was makin’ it interesting. That was probably the most eventful thing they’ve had all week.” His neutral expression turned into a smirk. “But to be honest, I think you got yourself kicked out.”

You had been comparing the prices of two different boxes of the same pasta when he said that. You seized your actions before whipping your head around to look at him. “What!? No, I didn’t.”

“You did. Yelling at that bitch was pretty hot!” Sukuna snickered to himself but he made sure he was quiet so that he wouldn’t earn another slap across the face. “It wasn’t hot and it was your fault for saying anything at all.” You rolled your eyes and placed the preferred box into the cart. Without a word, you moved down the aisle and Sukuna followed. You saw that a lot of the boxes were premade dust for homemade baked goods.

“Kuna!” You called him and smiled. You showed off the box of extra triple chocolate brownie mix. It was hardly noticeable but his cheeks turned pink from the nickname. Kuna, huh?

“Why do you assume I’ll eat that shit?”

“You liked hot cocoa. I think you might be a chocolate lover.” You hurried over to put it in the cart. You remembered that you needed sugar as well.

Hanging out with Gods must be boring. That’s how Sukuna felt. You’ve been alive for so long that you could probably rule the world but instead, you were at the supermarket. He watched you struggle to reach things on the high shelf. You couldn’t exactly use your powers or everyone would notice. It was really cute and he almost forgot that he was supposed to be helping you.

“Why is it on the very top shelf? How is anyone supposed to get this?” You mumbled to yourself, trying to figure out a non-embarrassing way of reaching the product…that was until you felt Ryo’s chest press against your back. He reached above you and effortlessly picked the container of sugar off of the shelf.

You couldn’t help but blush. You didn’t even know if he knew what he was really doing. But he did. Seeing you flustered at his actions was probably the most pure form of beauty he’s ever witnessed. Even if he didn’t know your origin, he could already tell that God handcrafted you to be gorgeous. Whether it be you’re angry, sad, or happy.

“Thanks.” You whispered, a smile gracing your lips.

“Told ya your ass was small.”

And your smile fell. “Ugh, I can’t stand you.” You rolled your eyes before bringing your attention to the nearby boxes of cereal. “Hmph.” Sukuna’s cocky expression disappeared once you turned your back again. He was so bored in here. Couldn’t you shop any faster?

You could easily tell that your husband was getting restless. The metallic sound of the cart moving back and forth, the shifting of his weight causing the fabric of Yuuji’s jacket to brush against itself, and the huffing and puffing of the very man you had been talking to occurring ever so often.

“Why not go and pick out things you might want to try?” You chimed, silently putting more things you were interested in buying inside of the cart. Sukuna narrowed his eyes. “You just wanna get rid of me.” His sudden deep voice would have startled anyone, but not you. You shrugged. “Things would go faster if you were more involved in the process.”

Without another word, he left the cart behind to (maybe) listen to your advice. (he didn’t.) He thought that getting under your skin was much more entertaining because he sort of got a kick out of pushing your buttons. Nothing got him going more than a sexy woman who could kill him but hasn’t yet. So, he ended up causing mischief the only way he could.

Nearly 10 minutes went by. You lost sign of Sukuna after moving through different aisles and finding a handful of things you wanted. Now, you were at the bakery, talking to the woman at the counter about some freshly baked desserts you wanted to take home. That’s when an officer approached you.

“Excuse me, Ma’am, but is this your son…?”

You broke away from your previous conversation to see a huge man in a black uniform. He was holding Sukuna by his clothes.

“We caught him shoplifting.”

Sukuna’s signature grin was plastered on his face. This man was asking if he was your son??? The two of you looked nothing alike. That could only mean that he must have told this man that you were his…mom.

“Th-That’s my…” You were in the middle of taking a paper bag full of donuts from the counter woman. You averted your eyes from Sukuna’s face to avoid getting angry. “...my friend’s son.”

“What?!” He blurted out. The Officer released him. “Well, Ma’am, we will be letting him off with a warning but if it occurs again, we will not take back any stolen items, but instead, you will pay for them.”

You bowed. “Understandable. I’m sorry for his actions. Unfortunately, he was not disciplined enough as a child.” You gave an awkward laugh. The Officer left and you finished getting your goods from the baker. The cart was pretty much full now.

“What’s gotten into you?!” Your eyebrows furrowed at the man who couldn’t help but smile. Why was he picking on you today? Why was he being such a brat??? Before all of this, when the two of you were first together, he was so more mature than how he was acting now.

‘Because you’re paying attention to everything else and not to me.’ is what he wanted to say but, oh, he’d sound so needy and weak. Truth be told, he was somewhat jealous. Not only did you have your own friends and hobbies, but you were so much more used to modern life while he understood next to nothing. Plus, he didn’t have his own body and was only a fraction as powerful as he used to be. This was the perfect recipe for a boring life.

You never got an answer from Sukuna but his eyes told you everything. Being around Adam taught you how to read men well. You ordered him to get you milk and eggs from the dairy section.

Waiting patiently near the check out, you noticed a particular man in the distance watching you. He looked young… perhaps his mid to late 20s? The stranger was somewhat attractive, sporting short blonde hair and looked similar to those singing boy band groups that girls loved to fawn over.

Once you caught him staring, you flashed a smile, helping things seem less awkward. The man smiled back before he began…making his way towards you. He reached your cart, making sure to stay out of the way of other passing customers.

“Oh, I’m not in line.” You pulled your cart to the side once you saw he had a handheld basket full of stuff.

“No worries, I wasn’t done anyways.” Chuckling, he locked eyes with you. They were full of wonder and joy. “I actually came here to speak to you.”

Your smile faded. Oh no…

“To me?” You repeated, tilting your head. It added to your ‘cute’ factor.

“Yes,” he replied. “I wanted to know if you were a m-model of some kind. I’d love to get a picture. You are the definition of beauty.” His cheeks turned a rosy pink at the sight of you. He fumbled with his jacket, trying to look for his phone.

You shook your head. “Oh, no, I don’t do either but I’m flattered that you think I do!” Suddenly, you had become aware of the clothes you chose to wear today and how you did your hair. “Although, I don’t mind if you’d take a photo.” You placed your hand on your cheek.

“Forgive me, then. I was wrong to make an assumption.” The man flashed a charming smile. “I was just put off by finding someone like you in such a normal place like this.”

You couldn’t help but smile too. You rarely have a lot of good interactions with men. Especially these days with men hating women have become so normalized.

“I appreciate your compliments so much, but I’m married.” You laughed, prompting the man to give you a surprised look. “Oh, no! I wasn’t trying to come onto you or anything. I-It’s just that I’m a photographer, you see. I take photos of pretty people for my social media.”

“That’s so interesting.” You told him. He moved closer to you, attempting to show you one of his social media pages. Before you could take his phone, you noticed that he stopped moving.

When you looked at him, a splatter of blood coated your face and clothes. The body of the man imploded into a dozen cubes, falling into your cart and all over the floor. Women and children screamed at the sight before running for their lives.

You hadn’t even begun to process what just happened. Your eyes instinctively closed to protect themselves from the blood. Upon blinking, you saw that the man you had just been speaking to no longer had a head. His phone dropped to the ground before it reached your hands and his body soon followed with a shallow thud.

You didn’t even pretend to act afraid for the sake of not looking suspicious. Your eyes then found Sukuna. He was the only other person that didn’t run besides you.

Oh, Ryo. Still as jealous as always.

His face looked mildly disappointed at the men who had fallen next to you. He didn’t even try to pretend like he had nothing to do with this. You frowned, realizing that you’d have to clean this up for the sake of Yuuji.

“You can’t kill every man who talks to me, ya know.” You sighed as a small cloth appeared in your hands. You used it to wipe the blood off of your face.

“You let him talk for too long.” Sukuna’s words were laced with venom. He despised people who were in your personal space…men most of all. Those without manners are unfit to live, in his eyes.

The police would be arriving soon. Without a word, you dialed a number that no one else could reach.

“Yeah, hey. It’s me. Do you think you could pull a few strings for me to help a situation I’ve gotten myself into…? Sorry. I hate to be a bother…Well, the guy I’m seeing sort of…mortals got involved.”

This was the first and last time you were taking Sukuna ANYWHERE in public again.

#ryomen x reader #sukuna x reader #jjk sukuna #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujustu kaisen headcanons #Sukuna x demon reader #female reader #reader insert #fluff

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gallavichsreddie1128 · 6 months

Text

Affair (Will Graham)

Description: Y/N cheats on Hannibal with Will but Hannibal doesn't give the reaction they thought he would.

Warnings: Smut

Word Count: 1,926k

The question that you would never have to ask someone when they are married was the one that had to be asked now. Did Y/N love Hannibal? Did Y/N love her husband? That’s a stupid question. She married him right? Why wouldn’t she love him? But the answer to that wasn’t as simple as a yes or no. She did love Hannibal so much. He was everything she ever needed and wanted. He was an older man (which she always liked) . He was caring and listened to her. He made her feel safe. He made her the best dinners she could ever ask for. He was truly the best. That was until Will Graham came along.

Her and Will were the same age. They liked the same things. They were both smart and loved dogs. Hannibal never wanted to get any pets. So she unfortunately didn’t have any. Will was one of a kind and she wouldn’t have guessed he’d make her wanna be unfaithful to her husband. She knew what Hannibal did. She didn’t have a choice but to be okay with it. It was the only thing about him that she hated. She knew that Hannibal was the killer Will was after. She wanted to tell him but she felt like that would be worse than cheating on him.

Hannibal was smart. He wasn’t going to get caught that easy. He had so many tricks up his sleeve. Y/N felt awful about her feelings for Will. Who wouldn’t? Having a husband and loving someone else was the sin she knew she was committing. She wanted Will and not just in a sexual way. She watched him carefully as he ate dinner at their place. He never showed interest in her. I mean why would he? She was married after all. But Will noticed the interest she had in him. The stares at the dinner table, the accidental touches. Will wasn’t dumb. He knew that Y/N Lecter had a thing for him. He fought back and forth with himself about it. He always thought she was beautiful and since he had a feeling that he was right about Hannibal he felt like he’d be doing her a favor. Before he could act on it he got arrested. He wasn’t sure how long he’d be in there for but when he got out he would make a move.

She didn’t come to visit him at first. She didn’t want Hannibal knowing. She wrote him letters and told him to never respond and that she would come visit him when the time was right. Her letters filled with words of love and confession to me. She told him how ever since she met him she’s wanted him and that she knows it’s wrong but she can’t help it. She told him all the nasty things she wanted him to do to her when he was out and how she wanted a life with him. And the best part was she told him he was right about Hannibal. He couldn’t use the letters as evidence to support his claim given what else was written. But one way or another he would be free and Hannibal would be right where he was currently.

Y/N visited him days after her last letter was written. She managed to get there without Hannibal knowing. She sat and waited for them to bring Will. He wasn’t sure who came to see him but he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her. She looked so beautiful. She made eye contact with him and gave him a small smile. Once they were alone she cleared her throat. “I got your letters.” He said. She nodded and sighed. “I’m glad.” “I wanted to tell you that I feel the same way as bad as it sounds.” She chuckles at his words. “You shouldn’t feel bad. You don’t owe Hannibal anything. It’s me that has to carry this burden.” She says.

“It’s not a burden. Love isn’t.” He tells her and watches her smile a little. “What we have I believe is true love.” She looks at him . “Yeah and it’s also a sin.” She says. He shakes his head. “Y/N I know inside my heart that this is right even if it’s morally wrong. Hannibal is a monster and he doesn’t deserve you.” They both knew that if Hannibal even suspected anything it was over. She visited Will when she could and even told him that she found proof that Hannibal was sleeping with Alana. She couldn’t feel sad or hurt about it. She almost felt relief. Will saw it in her eyes as she told him, she was happy about it. Happy that Hannibal was also being unfaithful.

When Will got out the first thing he did was invite Y/N over. She knew Hannibal’s schedule so it was quite easy to get away without him knowing. The kiss they shared felt long overdue. It felt perfect and just right. Will held her in his arms as they made out in his bed under the covers naked. They took their time exploring each other’s bodies. His lips touched every inch of her and gave her orgasm and orgasm. When he was bare inside of her it felt like a puzzle piece getting put into place. It was crazy how perfect they were for each other. He watched her face as he thrusted into her. Her eyes were closed and her hands were gripping his shoulders and back. She was moaning his name softly. He looked at her with pure love in his eyes and watched as she came over and over again. On his tongue, fingers, face, cock she came all over him. When she gasped out his name and clenched around him, he knew that she was close and her body was shaking. He groaned as he felt his climax rising. She came first and it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. She cried his name as she thrusted up into him riding her high out. He cursed and came inside of her. She held him close as they both rode the waves of pleasure. They did that for hours making up for lost time. He kissed her sweetly as he held her in his arms. “I would love to stay but I need to get back before he suspects anything.” She says cupping his face. He sighed and stared at her.He wished she would never leave and just stayed here. She wanted that too but Hannibal was dangerous.

Will hadn’t been happier after that night. He was doing great after that and Jack and Hannibal didn’t know what was going on. Y/N hid the happiness so it didn’t look like they shared it. She watched Hannibal as she laid in their bed. He smiled at her as he got in next to her. She gave him a smile back and they shared a kiss before going to sleep.

She got up and rushed to the bathroom. She felt sick and almost puked on the floor but she didn’t. Her head was pounding as she sat up from the toilet. Hannibal was working so he didn’t hear her. She heard all the stories and how things worked. She had a feeling she was pregnant. She just had to make sure .

Positive it read. She had tears in her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was from sadness or happiness. Hannibal and her haven’t had sex in awhile but Will on the other hand she had been sleeping with. She stared at the test not knowing what to do. She was having a baby and it wasn’t her husband’s. He would know eventually, she couldn’t hide it forever. Hannibal walked into the bathroom to see his wife holding the pregnancy test. He saw the tears streaming down her face as she didn’t even blink. “Love, are you okay?” He asked her. She looked up at him like a deer in headlights. The truth was out.

Will knocked on the door of the Lector’s and Hannibal answered. He invited Will in and he saw her. She didn’t look so happy and didn’t even look at him. He sat down across from her but she didn’t even look up at him. Hannibal was getting the food ready and didn’t even pay any mind to Will’s reaction. Hannibal brought over the food and announced what they were eating. He noticed Will staring at Y/N. They didn’t talk for a while and just ate in uncomfortable silence. Will was really questioning what the hell was going on. Finally after the long silence Hannibal spoke up. “Will I have a gift for you.” He says. Will looks over at him and smiles. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” He says but Hannibal hands him the gift. “Well I guess Y/N is giving you the gift.” Will opened it and almost dropped it.

A positive Pregnancy test. Y/N started crying. He looks over at her and she sighs. “Will I’m so sorry.” He looks at Hannibal. “Well, do you like your gift?” Hannibal asked him. Will looked down at the test again and back at Y/N. “Y/N and I haven’t made love in awhile. So I knew there was no way it was mine. She confessed everything to me after she cried her eyes out Will.” Will’s eyes didn’t leave Y/N. “Will, you’ve been fucking my wife.” Hannibal states and stands up. “Though I have no right to be mad about that as I’ve been sleeping with Alana.” Hannibal moved to sit next to Will. “Only I didn’t get her pregnant.” Will looked over at Hannibal as he talked. “See this could have been avoided and kept taboo if you two would have used protection.” “Is that all you care about?” Will asked him. “Will I don’t fucking care that you slept with my wife, like I said I slept with Alana. What I care about is you getting her pregnant so now Y/N and I can’t be together. I won’t raise another man’s child.” Y/N still didn’t say a word. Hannibal got up and went to Y/N.

He knelt down to her and sighed. “Love, I have to kick you out. You are bearing another man’s child.” She looked up at him. “See you don’t care that I’m kicking you out. I see it in your eyes. That hurts but I guess we just weren’t meant to be.” He shrugged. Will was so confused on why Hannibal was so calm about this. He didn’t even get a second to think about the child he will have. Hannibal stands up and clears his throat. “I want you out of my house by tomorrow. I’ll send over the divorce papers and Will can take care of you now.” He said. He acted like he didn’t care that this didn’t bother him. Though Will knew that Hannibal was good at hiding stuff. Scary good.

Y/N was moved into Will’s house and the divorce papers were signed. They both thought how he acted was scary and Will had to get more locks for the door. Hannibal was a force to be reckoned with. He was dangerous and nobody knew his next move. Will played with the ring he planned on using tonight. He felt happy again. Of course Hannibal will be on his mind but he was going to be a dad. He had the love of his life and he couldn't ask for anything else.

#hannibal #hannibal lecter #hannibal nbc #hugh dancy #mads mikkelsen #will graham #will graham x reader #will graham smut #will graham x you #hannibal imagine #will graham imagine

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flowersandbigteeth · 2 years

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Your monster husband comes home from work

General Plot: Your monster husband gets home from work and you have dinner ready and waiting for him

Tentacle monster (Chase) x Bimbo female reader

Word Count: 1.5Kish

Part Two

W: smut, tentacle sex, anal and oral sex, pet names, bimboification, yandere behavior, manipulation

Your husband walked into the kitchen, loosening his tie as he went. It had been a long day preparing sacrifices for his boss’s glorious rebirth. He’d had to scrub for at least five minutes to get the blood from underneath his nails before he came home to you.

“Hi honey!” you beamed, holding a plate of freshly fried chicken and placing it on the table, “how was work? Did the Miller account get finished?”

He glanced at your ass as you bent over, before you scurried back to the counter to get the sweet tea. A smile came to his lips as he tried to remember what he’d made up to tell you the Miller account was. He played stupid games with himself coming up with ridiculous lies to tell his innocent, but incredibly stupid wife.

You thought he was an accountant at a private security firm. That’s what he’d convinced you the building his villainous leader used to perform his twisted experiments and house his prisoners was after you’d showed up at the front door one day with treats for the office. His monstrous coworkers had all been very amused by his tiny wife standing at the front desk in mittens and her winter hat holding a tray of cookies while he scrambled to stuff his hideous form back into his suit to greet you. Of course, you didn’t know any of that.

“Everything is going as planned, the zebras should reach their new homes shortly,” he mentioned pulling his suit jacket off of his broad shoulders and stalking you across the room. His steps were surprisingly light for someone so large and you jumped when he appeared behind you.

“Thank goodness the poachers can’t get to them, your company does incredible work,” you said and thought you heard him chuckle, but when you turned to look at him he was just coughing into his hand.

“How was your day, cupcake?” he asked, wrapping his big arms around you.

You breathed in his familiar scent as he folded himself down to you and pressed his lips to yours.

“It was good, sit down, relax!” you playfully pushed him away from you as he came in for another kiss, “I went to the grocery store and called the contractor about remodelling the kitchen.”

His eyes glazed over as he listened to you retell him your incredibly boring conversation about kitchen tiles while he imagined you naked spread across the table. You picked up a plastic pitcher of ice water from the counter and crossed the room to set it down, not seeing him stick out his foot to trip you. You stumbled face first into the tile floor pouring ice water down the front of your shirt with a squeal.

“Oh baby! Are you okay?” he asked, pulling you up by your shoulders and spinning you around in his big hands. His concerned eyes drifted from your face down to your hard nipples poking through your soaked sweater. He ran his thick thumb over a pebbled nub, hiding his smile.

Embarrassed tears came to your eyes at your own clumsiness and you blushed. Chase was so handsome and capable. You were always embarrassing yourself in front of him.

“You have to be more careful my clumsy little wife,” he chided you, “let’s get you out of this wet thing.”

He tugged your sweater over your head leaving you just in the little skirt you had on.

“I’ll go get a shirt,” you mumbled, trying to slide around him, but he stopped you with a firm hand on your waist.

“You’re cold,” he murmured, his eyes focused on your chest. His hands slid up your body to cup your breasts, his thumbs flicking your stiff nipples.

“Chase…” you started.

“Shhhh”

He pulled you down to straddle his lap as he sat down in a dining chair sucking one into his mouth. You moaned, grinding yourself into him without meaning to.

“Chase, I think-”

His hand tightened on your back and he glanced up.

“What did I tell you about thinking?” he asked, his voice gravelly.

You gulped under his intense gaze, you swore for a second his pupils changed shape, but when you blinked they were large, but round.

“Hmm?” he prompted.

“Y-your w-wife doesn’t need to think,” you repeated what he’d told you as his teeth prickled your nipple, nibbling it. They always felt sharper than they looked.

He grunted, pleased.

“That’s a good girl,” he cooed into your chest, his fingers drifting underneath your skirt and dragging against your lips, “You’re just a pretty little set of holes for me to fill, aren’t you?”

You bucked your hips into his hand, unable to resist what he wanted to give you. His thick cock hardened beneath you and you pressed your pussy into him whimpering like a greedy slut.

“Take it out,” he said, pausing a moment from lapping at your nipples, “I know you want it.”

You fumbled with his fly, and his cock popped out, slapping your mound. Precum dripped down the shaft in white ropes making a mess of your panties. He seemed to have more than any other man, but you hadn’t been with anyone but him so what did you know?

“Put it inside of you,” his tongue was all over your oversensitive tits and you would have done anything he told you at that moment. You lifted your hips and tried to lower yourself on his massive shaft, shoving your panties to the side. Though you’d had sex with your husband many times, you’d never quite adjusted to how big he was and it took some effort of you to push yourself down on top of him.

“Do you need help, cupcake?” he chuckled.

You nodded, your cheeks pinkening with embarrassment. Your husband deserved a wild sex kitten. You tried your best, but you could barely fit him inside of you!

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes eating you up. He thought you were adorable, barely able to fit the tip into your tiny cunt. Stroking your cheek he thrust up into you forcing a shout from your lips and tears to your eyes. You could feel him in your stomach as he clutched your hips, forcing you down onto him. Throwing your arms around his neck, your pussy clung to his fat cock.

Chase wasn’t sure why this time was any different from any other time he’d taken you. Maybe it was the little skirt you’d been wearing, maybe it was how cute your blush was when you’d tried to stuff him inside of you, but suddenly he wanted to possess you. Yes, you were his wife, but he’d never really taken you. You’d never seen what he truly was.

It had always been a regret of his, that he’d never showed you, but you were just so sweet; all sunshine and rainbows. He’d been afraid he would scare you off. Despite that, as he watched you writhing in front of him he couldn’t hold his monster inside anymore. It slipped out a little bit at a time.

It started with a nudge at your asshole and at first you thought it was Chase’s finger, but it felt…different, thicker and a bit slimy. Your eyes shut as it forced its way inside of you and you collapsed against Chase’s chest panting.

“Ch-Chase,” You moaned into him, confused but not exactly wanting whatever was happening to stop.

“You trust me, right cupcake?” he murmured into your hair as whatever was inside of you started thrusting firmly in and out, going deeper with every stroke.

“Mhmmm,” you whined into his chest, feeling his cock and the tentacle in your ass fill you in perfect synchronisation. Another sticky tentacle stroked your clit, winding and unwinding the tapered tip around it until you whimpered and tears streaked down your cheeks. What felt like wet mouths latched onto your nipples mercilessly sucking.

“Keep your eyes shut,” he grunted, pounding into you like it was the last time.

Something thick and wet nudged at your lips and you instinctively opened your mouth. You trusted Chase completely. Whatever this was…you wanted it. It forced its way down your throat and you gagged. Your eyes popped open at the rough invasion to find your formerly handsome husband transformed into a hideous beast. His massive teeth sparkled in the fluorescent light, while his six eyes were squeezed shut in ecstasy.

“Flkjdg!” You screamed, coming in a surprising and incredible orgasm.

You sagged in his tentacles while he used your holes to chase his pleasure, watching him in awe. He was nothing like you'd ever seen before with mottled green skin and an odd frill around his neck.

His eyes focused on you and he froze as you took each other in.

“(Y/N),” he murmured, his voice lower and more gravelly than normal.

The tentacle in your mouth slipped out and you whined.

“Don’t you dare fucking stop Chase!”

You were so close to coming again to your monster of a husband fucking you. An eerie grin spread across his face and he stuffed his tentacle back in your mouth to regain his previous pace.

“Is my dumb little wife a monster fucking slut?” he growled into your ear as he ravaged your body. The tentacles on your clit and nipples sucked harder, sending you to the clouds.

You nodded your head at him and your doe eyes with his tentacle shoved between your lips pushed him over the edge. Cum spewed out of all of his tentacles covering you in sticky fluid. You orgasmed with cum running out of all of your holes.

The tentacle down your throat retreated and Chase replaced it with his mouth on yours. His kiss was gentle despite his sharp teeth.

“You really didn’t have to keep this from me,” you panted into his lips.

“But it was so easy,” he chuckled. You punched him weakly in his big chest.

“I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing your back with one tentacle, while another massaged your scalp, “do you forgive me?”

“If you keep fucking me like that,” you agreed.

Chase thanked the dark god that he’d married a simple woman, wrapping you up in his tentacles.

“I think I ruined dinner,” he said, giving something close to a frown with his perpetual smile and looking at the cum drenching the chicken.

“Let’s order pizza,” you sighed against his chest, hoping you could get a nap before it arrived.

#monster fucker #monster smut #monster x girl #monster #monster romance #monster x human #monster lover #male yandere #yandere smut #dumbification #bimboification #tentacle monster #tentacles #eldrich horror

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yandere-writer-momo · 11 months

Text

🎃 Halloween Special 🎃

Happy Halloweenie! Enjoy!

Yandere Baki Short Stories:

Lamb to the Slaughter

Yandere Werewolf Jack Hanma x Afab Reader

Rip! Claws replaced fingernails as they dragged across the cement wall of the cabin’s basement where Jack resided. His bones snapped and crunched into place, his body undergoing a painful transformation.

It was his own carelessness that had landed him in this predicament. Jack refused to listen to the locals when he was younger and determined to become stronger. He did have monstrous strength now, but he wasn’t able to control it.

Jack was the full moon’s victim each month. The huntsman cursed to forever transform into a monster all because he wanted to become stronger. He was foolish.

And that’s when a familiar scent hit his nose, his body froze in pure fear. No… (your name) wasn’t supposed to be here. He had pushed her away to save her… she needed to run.

“Jack?” Jack whined when he heard her call out his name so sweetly. He had missed her… she was his only friend… he had to get her away from him. “I know you don’t want to see me, but I’m worried about you…”

Jack scratched at his skin that began to sprout blonde fur. His long ears flattened against the top of his head. Another whine left his lips. Jack missed her so much but he knew if she came any closer to him, he’d pounce.

“Jack? Please answer.” And that’s when her sweet scent became stronger. He could see her ankles and iconic red cloak she always adorned on her small form from the barred up window. He could feel himself drool at the tantalizing show she unconsciously gave his hungry eyes. And it wasn’t her basket filled with goodies he craved, no… it was her.

“Jack-“ Bang! (Your name) jumped at the loud sound of something heavy slamming against the metal door of the basement. She clutched her wooden basket close to her chest, her heart palpitated in fear. “Jack?”

Jack clawed at the door, his cognac colored eyes now a striking shade of gold. His voice came out distorted. It wasn’t his usual deep grumble but somehow more gruff. “Let me out… let me out, (your name)!”

Jack felt his heart race when he heard her rush over like a lamb unaware of slaughter. He was nearly drunk on her scent. She smelled so delectable… he wanted to run his tongue up and down her skin. Jack wanted to scent her so badly… to take her in his arms and never let her go. Jack was a fool to try to push such a good mate away- wait. Mate?

“Jack?! Are you okay?” Jack whined when he heard her soft cries of concern. What a good mate she was, always so caring. Jack needed to take her to a nest. She needed to be safe. “I’ll let you out!”

The wolf in him drooled but for a moment, Jack was able to grasp onto his human counter part. No! If she opened the door, he’d devour her. “No! Don’t open it!”

(Your name) froze from the other side of the thick metal door. What did he mean… he just asked her to let him out.

“What do you mean-“

“I’m not myself… I don’t want to hurt you!” Jack felt tears run down his face, the blonde doing his best to shove down that primal part of him that demanded he lay his claim on her. “Do not open the door. You… you should leave. Run! Run and don’t look back!”

(Your name) felt her heart shatter at his words. She came all this way for him all because she loved Jack. Sure he was stoic and moody, but she cared about the huntsman.

“I haven’t seen you in weeks… I’m worried about you-“

“There’s no reason for you to do that. I’m fine-“

“I love you!” She screamed, Jack froze when he heard her small fists bang against the metal door. Her sobs made him feel so broken. “And you always push me away. I love you, Jack-“

(Your name) was suddenly launched back a bit when Jack slammed his whole body into the door. She felt her heart shatter even more. Had he just thrown her away like some sort of brute?

“I-I’m sorry. I won’t bother you again-“ (your name) jumped when the metal door was slammed against over and over again. The hinges squealed from each impact. A large dent now on the door. What was happening?

(Your name) crawled back in terror, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Something was wrong…. Horribly wrong.

And that’s when the door was burst open, a giant wolf stood in the doorway. It’s golden eyes focused on her small, helpless form.

(Your name) screamed when a snarl left its lips, the wolf launched its form at her. (Your name) tried to shield herself with her arms but the wolf tacked her to the ground.

Jack’s furry arms wrapped around her into a tight hug, a few tears fell from his eyes. He didn’t want her to see him like this… he didn’t want her to know he was a monster.

(Your name) trembled, her hands reached up to hold the wolf’s face in her palms. Recognition flashed through her in an instant. “Jack?”

“I’m sorry… I wanted to protect you.” Jack whispered, his body trembled as he fought off the wolf within. “I wanted to protect you from me.”

“It’s okay-“

“I realize the error of my ways. I made you cry. I made you worry. I’m such a horrible mate…” Jack growled, the werewolf placed his snout on her shoulder blade to inhale her scent. “I’m never going to let you go. We can live together in the forest. Just you and me… and our pups.”

(Your name) felt her blood run cold. Her eyes widen when Jack teasingly scrapes his teeth against her neck. She should have listened to him… she should have ran…

But now the lamb was stuck in the maw of the wolf. And he was never going to let her go.

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lulublack90 · 4 months

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Prompt 3 - Library

@wolfstarmicrofic June 3, word count 904

Previous part First part

The arts and crafts hadn’t been that bad. Remus thought it had probably been designed for younger campers, but each of the inhabitants of Gryffindor cabin now sported a red and gold woven friendship bracelet.

“Shall we do the tour?” Sirius asked James.

“Might as well,” James replied, looking at his watch. “We’ve still got about an hour until dinner.”

“Where should we start?” Peter said, standing up from tying his shoelaces.

“We’ll start with the boring and end with the good stuff.” Sirius grinned, grabbing Remus’s hand and leading him away from the main hall. Remus’s stomach flipped, and he willed his palms not to get sweaty.

“This is the storeroom, don’t bother trying to get in, it’s really boring,” Sirius declared, not stopping. “There’s the kitchen. If you get hungry, the cooks are lovely and will make you something between meals, but don’t let Albus or Minnie catch you, because they will give you chores, and you do not want to do the chores,” Remus grinned, beginning to enjoy himself. “Then there’s the library,” Remus planted his feet at that one.

“A library?!” He asked excitedly.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re one of those,” Sirius rolled his eyes, but took Remus inside anyway.

It was small but had a good selection of books. There were books on local flora and fauna, local hiking paths, emergency first aid books, but also novels. It was Remus’s turn to drag Sirius this time, as neither of them let go.

Remus ran his fingers across the spines of the books in front of him and picked a few to pull off the shelves.

“Can I take these with me now or should I come back?” He looked to Sirius, as he seemed to have taken over the tour. A crooked smile spread across Sirius’s face.

“You can get them now,” Remus’s face lit up. He picked up three and let Sirius lead him over to the stern-looking librarian. “Irma, my sweet forest flower, how are you this morning?” Sirius crooned at the scowling middle-aged woman.

“It is Madam Pince and you know it, Mr Black. Do not make me tell McGonagall on you.” She narrowed her eyes at the books in Remus’s hand. “What do you want?”

“Remus, here wants to take some books out. He appears to be a bit of a bookworm. Should have guessed really, he looks like a bookworm.” Sirius teased. Remus quietly handed the books over to Madam Pince.

“You’ll need to fill out this form before you can take them.” She said, passing Remus a sheet of paper asking for his name, date of birth and address. “If you lose or damage a book you will be expected to replace it.” Remus nodded. He’d have to be careful, his dad would blow a gasket if he had to pay for new books that Remus wouldn’t even be keeping.

“Yes Madam Pince,” He said politely.

“Hmmm,” She grunted at them. She peered at Remus's form, but unable to find anything wrong with it, she made a note of the books Remus wanted to borrow and handed them over.

When they came out of the quietness of the library it was to shouting and swearing.

Peter and James were rolling around on the grass, wrestling.

“Oi, you two, pack it in. Let’s finish this up, Remus wants to read his books.” When they didn’t listen, Sirius let go of Remus’s hand and launched himself on top of James and Peter. The shouting intensified until Sirius managed to separate them. They were all laughing and joking. Remus relaxed as he realised they’d been messing about and not actually fighting. “Right back to the tour!” Sirius exclaimed as he took Remus’s hand again and dragged him to the next stop.

“That’s the dock, that’s the boathouse and, obviously, that’s the lake. I’ll tell you about the monster that dwells in the depths of it later.” Sirius grinned wildly at Remus over his shoulder. “Okay, next is make out point.”

“Yeah, but it’s pretty useless until the girls come over for the dance,” Peter groaned. “It’s got a nice view when it doesn’t have couples all over it,” Peter added. Remus looked down at his and Sirius’s entwined hands and gulped. Sirius caught him looking and waggled his eyebrows, making Remus blush from his head to his toes. He tried to pull his hand away, but Sirius held it tightly, not letting him let go. Remus had no idea what that meant. He had to force his brain to not start picking that apart now.

“And finally, my most favourite place in the entire camp. Our den.” Sirius pulled Remus through a line of trees and into a tiny circle with a ring of logs to sit on. It felt very enclosed as the surrounding trees had almost woven together, forming a shelter of sorts.

Sirius led him over to a log and pulled him down next to him. James and Peter came and sat opposite them. Sirius let go of his hand and leant backwards, moving a few rocks out of the way and picking up a small metal box. “And this is what we do in our den.” He opened the box and inside was a lighter, a pouch of loose tobacco, papers and a small baggy of green buds. Remus instantly knew what this little group got up to in their den.

Next part

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marble-anime · 1 year

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Toxic Fan Culture

Pairing: Isaac Foster x Reader

Summary: The infamous serial killer, Isaac Foster, meets someone akin to a fan that would love nothing more than to please their idol.

Disclaimer: Minors DNI

Warnings: mentions of violence, cursing, blowjob, unprotected sex, rough sex, creampie

Word Count: 2.4k

You’ve been down here for days. Weeks? Maybe even months. You weren’t sure. Not getting a beam of sunlight or a breath of fresh air made the days blur together. You didn’t mind though. As long as you were with him it didn’t bother you. You’d heard of him before, everyone had. The rumors of the laughing reaper spread like wildfire. The infamous Isaac Foster. It came as a shock to everyone when the killings ceased, it seemed like he had just up and vanished. Who would’ve thought that all this time he was hiding in the basement of a chapel?

You always wondered what happened to him. You’d walk down dark sketchy alleyways just to see if he’d pop out and grab you. Ever since you were a child you knew to keep your morbid fascinations to yourself. Having been on the receiving end of many distasteful stares as you shared your analyses about different serial killers and what went on in their minds. That paired with your constant, abnormal, state of arousal branded you as a ‘freak’.

Personally, you thought you were completely normal. After all, you’d been this way for as long as you could remember. What else were you supposed to think? Perhaps you watched one too many horror movies as a kid. Or maybe you were just born with a few screws loose. The only downside was that he found you as off-putting and disturbing as everyone else did.

Zack thought you were insane. Normally the sacrifices were terrified from the moment they stepped a foot onto his floor. And rightfully so, being abducted and waking up in an elevator lowering down to a basement that looked like an escape room brought to life.

You were the one exception. Either you were good at hiding your terror or you truly weren’t afraid in the slightest, waltzing out of the elevator as calm and collected as you could be. But that was about to change.

Unbeknownst to you he’d been stalking you as you made your way through his killing grounds, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself. He quickly grew bored of your blank face and hid inside a boarded-up alleyway, listening to the sound of your footsteps getting louder the closer you got. When he heard you on the other side he swung his scythe. Cutting through the boards and almost killing you right then and there.

Your eyes were wide, mouth agape, as you watched the bandaged monster step out of the alley, wooden shards crunching beneath his boots. It was the way he psychotically laughed at your shocked expression that tipped you off.

In your starstruck daze, you reached out to touch him, asking, “You’re Isaac Foster right?”

He pushed you away, suddenly being reminded of an encounter he had similar to this one. A woman reaching out a shaky hand, trying to seduce him into letting her go. Her facade crumbled to dust immediately when he rejected her advances. Although being lied to left a sour taste in his mouth, he couldn’t deny how gratifying it was to cut her up into pieces. And soon your body would be sliced open as you cry and scream for him to stop just like she did.

“I’ll give you till the count of three to run,” he started his usual spiel, holding up three fingers for emphasis. “One.” You just stared at him. Poor thing, he thought sadistically, you must be frozen in fear. “Two.” He raised his scythe. “Three.” You were hit by a gust of wind as the blade cut through the air, stopping only millimeters away from your neck.

“Huh?” His excitement vanished, replaced by confusion. “Why the hell aren’t you runnin’?”

“Hey.” Your fingers grazed the blade, lowering it from your neck as you stared at the man in front of you in awe, “How long have you been hiding down here? And what exactly is this place? Are there more serial killers in this building or just you?”

Frustrated by your curiosity, he threatened to hurt you. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t deter you from asking him anything and everything you could think of. His first instinct was to kill you, especially with that giddy look on your face, but the way you looked at him gave him the creeps.

So he ended up letting you live. It was the same old song and dance every day since then. He would distance himself from you while you constantly pursued him, sometimes even romantically. God, the thought made him want to vomit. How sick in the head were you to want to have a fling with a literal serial killer? Regardless, he had to get rid of you soon or he was gonna lose his mind even more than he already had.

He was lounging on the couch in his room, trying to get some rest when he heard the door open. He groaned, “What now?”

When you didn’t answer he turned his head to look at you. His body went stiff at the sight of you. You hid behind the doorway as you peeked inside the room. Your body was trembling, short breaths escaping your parted lips. You looked terrified. You gasped as your eyes met his and you took off. Almost as if he was possessed, he quickly grabbed his scythe and ran after you.

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, his laugh bouncing off the walls, as he chased you through his floor. You disappeared into the room at the end of the hall and closed the door behind you. Zack slammed his shoulder into the door, nearly knocking it off the hinges. He paused as he entered the room. You didn’t try to run or hide. You just stood there with that fearful expression, batting your eyelashes as you spoke, “Please don’t kill me, sir. I’ll do anything.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” As his head cleared, he realized what you were doing. He gripped the handle of his scythe in anger. “You were faking it?”

“It was the only way to get you to pay attention to me,” you said.

He was seething as you approached him. You shoved him, catching him off guard as his back hit the wall. “Hey!”

“You have a scythe,” you pointed out, pressing your body up against his. “You can stop me if you really want to.”

Zack’s eyes never left you as you leaned in to kiss his lips. He watched you for a moment, not moving a muscle. He didn’t know why he was letting this happen, anyone else would be a red splatter on the pavement. If it weren’t for his pride he might’ve been able to entertain the idea that maybe he enjoyed the way you looked at him. Your eyes filled with adoration like he was your idol, desperate for his attention. Even now, when you touched him you were as gentle as could be, not wanting to hurt him.

Lids fluttering shut, he began to move his lips against yours. Butterflies erupted in your stomach as he kissed back. You hummed in contentment and stood on your toes. The kiss heated up quickly with both of you releasing your pent-up tension. He craned his neck, trying to keep up with you. His hood fell to his shoulders as you ran your hands through his hair. You gasped into each other's mouths for oxygen. He flinched away when he felt your tongue graze his lips.

Looking up at him, you could see the hint of arousal in his heterochromia eyes. Being desired by him made you feel like you were on top of the world. You dropped to your knees and began undoing his pants.

“What are you doing?” he asked, not bothering to stop you.

“Sucking your dick.” You pulled his pants down just enough for his hard cock to spring out. You teased, “Are you always hard when you kill or is this just for me?”

“Shut up,” he spat through gritted teeth as he anxiously awaited your next move.

You kissed from the base of his cock to the tip before taking it into your mouth. “Shit!” The loud clang of the scythe hitting the ground echoed through the room. He fought off a moan, your mouth felt so good. Hollowing your cheeks, you bobbed your head, stroking what you couldn’t fit in your mouth with your hand.

You felt him brush his fingers against your shoulder, not sure where to put his hands. You halted your movements and swirled your tongue around the tip as you grabbed his wrist. You placed his hand on the back of your head, helping him nudge you forward. He quickly picked up on what you were trying to tell him and pushed your head down his cock. He tried to get your lips all the way down to the base, relishing in the sound of you gagging on his dick.

“Fuck.” The tears pooling in your eyes as he violated your throat was doing more for him than it should have. You held eye contact with him as tears ran down your cheeks. You reached a hand up to grab his hip, trying to pull him towards you. He thrusted into your mouth, tangling his bandaged fingers in your hair to get better control of your head. You allowed him to go as fast as he wanted, taking all he had to give. Of course, with Zack being Zack, he set a brutal pace.

Saliva ran down your chin as he violently fucked your face, aggressive grunts and groans leaving his mouth. You gripped his thigh when he shoved his entire cock down your throat, breathing through your nose so you didn’t suffocate. You went to touch his balls but it wasn’t needed, the vibrations from you choking on his cock was enough. Both of his hands held you in place as his salty cum flooded your mouth.

You slurped it down and pulled off his cock, noticing that it was still hard. When you got back on your feet he beat you to the punch. With his hand cradling your face, he pulled you into a deep kiss that had your knees going weak. He lifted you by your thighs and you wrapped your legs around his waist. Without breaking the kiss he walked back to his room and threw you down on the couch.

As you both quickly undressed he warned, “I’ve never really…”

“It’s fine.” You threw your clothes on the ground and stood up. “Just lay down and I’ll guide you through it.”

Zack laid on the couch, completely bare except for the bandages wrapped around his body, and you climbed on top of him. You grabbed his cock, rubbing the tip against your slick pussy. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

You slowly sunk down on his cock until every inch of his was inside you. The air left Zack’s lungs, his jaw dropping at the sensation of your pussy sucking him in. A stunned expression adorning his face, you asked, “You okay?”

He squirmed beneath you, adjusting to the new feeling. “It’s so warm.”

You smiled, placing your hands on his chest and rolling your hips. Zack tried to hold back from cumming right then. In an attempt to distract himself from your velvety walls massaging him, he teased you just as you had done to him, “Do you fuck all serial killers you come across or is it just me?”

Knowing what he was doing, you answered, “Just you,” and began to bounce on his cock. “Damn it.” He knew he wasn't going to last long. Throwing his head back, he tried not to watch your boobs bounce as you fucked yourself on his cock. But you weren’t gonna make it easy for him. “You wanna feel ‘em?” You placed his hand on your breast and, unable to resist, he groped and kneaded your boob. His other hand traced up your voluptuous curves, taking note of how soft your skin was compared to his burned flesh.

“Ah, Zack!” you moaned, reaching down to rub your clit. Your walls clenched around him as his hips bucked into you, hitting your sweet spot. “Keep doing that.”

His hands found their way to your waist, helping you rock back and form as he thrusted up into your warm, wet, cunt. “Just like that.” Feeling his cock twitch inside you and the growls that left his throat, you knew he was close. So you raced to get yourself to the edge before he reached it himself. But honestly, it wasn’t all that hard. As inexperienced as he was, he was still so fucking sexy. And the way he manhandled you earlier left your skin burning with desire.

“Harder.” His nails dug into your flesh, bracing you for what was to come. He pounded his cock into you, leaving you breathless as he used you for his own pleasure. Your moans became irregular and choked up at the feel of his erratic thrust hitting deep inside you. You gasped, body convulsing as your orgasm rippled through you. He gave you one last powerful thrust before emptying his balls deep inside you.

As he lowered his hips, you kept yourself steady by leaning your hands on his torso. “That was amazing.” Zack hummed in response, trying to catch his breath. He was shocked by your next words, “You wanna go another round?”

“You can’t wait five minutes before your tryin’ to bang me again?!” he asked, his cock was still sensitive from your previous activities.

“I just love sex,” you shrugged. “If you could kill people all day then wouldn’t you?”

“Duh,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Well that's what it's like with me,” you explained, “just with sex instead of murder.”

He frowned at your flushed face as he contemplated it in his head. Damn you, he thought, you were still looking at him with that loving expression. Sighing, he said, “Give me ten minutes and we can go again.”

“Yay!” you cheered.

You grabbed a blanket that was hanging off of the armrest and used it to cover you both. Zack grimaced when you placed sweet kisses on his chest. “The hell are you doing that for?”

“I’m giving you affection.” You cuddled into him, looking up at him with big doe eyes.

“Gross.” He closed his eyes, letting you hold him close as you both rested. Maybe keeping you around for a while wouldn’t be such a bad idea. “Do it again.”

#isaac foster x reader #isaac foster smut #angels of death x reader #angels of death smut #zack foster x reader #zack foster smut

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kaihuntrr · 6 months

Text

part thirteen: the scarlet witch.

Martyn meets a deadly foe.

Martyn’s footsteps crunched against the cold, silent dirt streets. Grian and the others weren’t too far ahead of him. Martyn could see them walking a few dozen paces in front of him, but something about the walk back made it feel longer than it should have. Maybe it was the way his head buzzed over the two shots of liquor, maybe it was because of the eerie howls of the wind and the dark clouds above him, or maybe it was the lingering thought of the empty street.

Martyn’s stomach grumbled. It could be hunger, too.

The stories the people in the tavern told him filled Martyn’s mind as he walked. He passed by dimly lit streets and tall buildings as he pondered on their words.

A woman who made a deal with the sea princes. A deal that gave her magic. She even saw their treasure. How did she do it? How did she communicate to the beasts?

Why did a sea prince guard the island?

Martyn shuddered. Was it the same one that he saw? What had stopped it from eating him then, if it destroyed any hunting ship that left?

…Perhaps Martyn alone didn’t look like a threat.

How could he be? The titan was hundreds, if not thousands of times Martyn’s size. It could have easily swatted him out of existence with a simple flick of its tail.

…So why didn’t it?

Martyn’s vision became a slight blur as he nearly tripped over his own feet, only to be caught by Cleo.

“Watch your step,” Cleo held Martyn’s arm up and let him lean against them. “You almost fell.”

Martyn shook his head and leaned away from Cleo. He was a little shaken, but he could stand on his own. He’d walked all the way here by himself, didn’t he? Scar and Grian paused their conversation to look at Martyn warily, and Katherine was idly looking around, her arms crossed.

“I’m fine,” Martyn smiled, a small hiss escaped him as the throbbing pain of his headache hit. He looked at his friends and sighed, “I’m just… thinking.”

“About what?” Scar tilted his head. Martyn hummed, unsure of how to start. He knew if he opened his mouth he’d likely ramble. Scar raised an eyebrow as he glanced between Martyn and Grian.

“We heard stories about this island in the tavern,” Grian crossed his arms as he looked at Katherine, Scar, and Cleo. Neither of them were there to hear it, and it seemed Martyn didn’t want to speak. “Apparently, the island is called Crescent Bay, and it’s haunted by a witch who made a contract with the sea princes.”

“Who’d make a deal with those monsters?” Cleo hissed and narrowed their eyes.

“Someone who saw their treasure,” Grian sighed. The three’s eyes widened in surprise. He shook his head, “So we’d best stay wary of this place. I have no idea what she could do to us.”

Martyn could see the gears turning in their heads, just like they had in his. A human had already seen the sea princes’ treasure, and she was given magic in return. It sounded unbelievable, but Martyn felt like it wasn’t too far-fetched. The island looked sketchy already, and the thought of facing off against a sea prince before they left filled Martyn with both adrenaline and fear.

After all, how could he fight something so large and imposing, when all it took was a growl to send chills down his spine?

“We’d better prepare for a fight, then,” Cleo hummed. “The sea princes are trouble enough, what more trouble could come if someone made a deal with them?”

Grian nodded. “I agree. We should work on making the ship heavily defended. If we can’t get a boat for the Kites soon,” he looked behind himself, listening to the distant crash of waves against the wooden poles of the port, “We just have to make them cooperate with us.”

“I’m sure they would, considering the circumstances,” Katherine let out a weak chuckle, “Especially if you’re going to be fighting a sea prince….” She shook her head, “But for now, let’s turn in for the night. ”

Grian led the group back to the docks to meet back up with Joel and the others. It was a simple walk. There didn’t seem to be too many people outside, if there were any earlier, there were fewer now. It was odd. Despite the tall, ominous buildings, there didn’t seem to be too many residents of the isle.

It made Martyn’s skin crawl thinking about what could’ve happened.

“What sort of deal was it?” Katherine asked, “Do the islanders know?”

“Magic for blind following,” Grian shrugged as they continued to walk. He crossed his arms, “Though I suspect there may be more to the story than they gave us.”

“They also mentioned that a sea prince guards the island, and that no hunter has ever left this place alive,” Martyn spoke. He shrugged with a smug smile on his face, “While I don’t want to brag, I'm certain we’ll be home soon.” He clumsily put one foot in front of the other and would have tripped, if it weren’t for Cleo catching him.

Cleo smiled and rolled their eyes with a small huff, “And get something off of the beast.”

“What are you talking about?” Katherine raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t just escaping be enough?”

Right. Katherine wasn’t a Canary.

Would it be alright to trust her? She’d been nothing but friendly with them. Who would she tell, anyway? Perhaps she’d tell Kites, and maybe then would that noisy crew cooperate with the Canaries.

It should be fine to trust her on this.

Grian stopped and looked back at Katherine. “Do you promise not to tell anyone?”

The two stared at each other for a long moment. Katherine’s face slowly scrunched up while Grian furrowed his eyebrows.

Katherine looks uncomfortable.

Katherine glanced between the three Canaries with narrowed eyes. “...Sure,” she finally spoke. “I don’t like the way you’re all looking at me.”

Grian hummed in agreement. “We were commissioned by the king to bring back a sea prince,” he began to walk. Katherine followed, staring at the captain with wide eyes. He looked straight ahead, “Some naval commanders challenged us to who would lead the hunt. We’re planning to bring home a scale as proof so we can lead.”

“Huh. That’s an awfully big task for just one hunting crew,” Katherine muttered, putting a hand on her chin. “You all must be very capable.”

Scar nudged Katherine’s shoulder. “We’re the best hunters around,” he proclaimed. “So we’ll be back in no time!”

Katherine laughed along with Scar before she turned to Martyn. “Enough time for you to go back to your special someone,” she giggled as Martyn’s cheeks flushed red. The others started chuckling to themselves as well. “I wish the best of luck to all of you. It’ll be a challenge to get a scale off of one of them, I’ll bet.” Katherine’s gaze faltered, her amused look turned into a contemplative one. She crossed her arms as she became more and more engrossed in her thoughts. Perhaps she was doubting them. Martyn couldn’t fault her- it was a difficult task!

It was bound to be a challenge, no doubt about it, but with the Canaries, Martyn felt like anything was possible.

Or maybe that was just the alcohol getting to him.

Whatever the case was, Martyn had promised Scott that he would make it home alive and well. That meant he had to come home with something from a sea prince. Now that he knew for sure that they were very real, it was only a matter of time until they snagged something from it.

“Just you wait!” Martyn proclaimed, raising his voice. His friends turned to look at him in amusement. “The terror of the sea princes will be gone soon.” He was sure of it. Even if that sea prince was hauntingly confusing to understand. Martyn probably needed some time to think–

“I wouldn’t say that,” a new voice spoke. It was loud, clear, and sounded like it came from above.

The hunters stopped walking, looking around the empty streets for the source of the voice.

Martyn whipped his head around. “Who’s–”

A loud thud hit the ground, and Martyn’s eyes widened as he turned around and saw the figure in front of him.

Her hair was long and chestnut brown with lighter tips. She was dressed like some pampered noble with her dress shirt and corset, and her red hooded cape with golden moons stitched into the hems. A pair of sickles hung from the sides of her belt.

But the most intimidating thing about her was the huge angry red scar over her left eye. It didn’t look natural, as if it was purposely carved on her face. Martyn took a step back.

“It’s so lovely to see the island’s got some new faces, and they’re hunters too,” the stranger had an eerie grin. She laid her hand on the hilt of one of her blades. “I think you’d be some good entertainment. It’s been so boring lately.”

“Who are you?” Grian’s hand hovered over his gun holster.

The stranger gasped, putting a hand to her chest. “Me? Haven’t you heard about me? The islanders just love to tell every visitor all about me.” she laughed. She rolled her eyes, drawing her sickle and swinging it around casually. She looked at each of the hunters, her eyes strangely luminous in the darkness. “I know hunters are dumb, but you’re dense.”

Her sickle. Her twin sickles.

Martyn squinted his eyes to get a better look of them. They were shaped like crescent moons. The stranger wore a red hood.

A red hood and twin-blades shaped like the moon.

“You’re…,” Martyn’s voice quivered.

She laughed, sheathing her blade as she cocked her head. “The Scarlet Witch, at your service,” she bowed with a sense of over dramatic flare. “Though I think I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

The witch stood up to her full height, looming over them, and placed her scythe hand on her hip. She rolled her eyes and turned around, glancing back at the hunters before waving her hand. She chuckled, shaking her head like someone said a joke.

“I’ll see you around, Hunter.”

The witch broke into a sprint, disappearing in a blur of red as mist began to fill the empty streets. The cold chill of the winds brushed against the hunters, Martyn shivered.

Martyn stared straight ahead, looking down the misty street. He wasn’t sure what it was, but everything in his heart told him to follow. The light buzz in his head only got worse if he thought about turning around like nothing was wrong.

He couldn’t possibly leave without getting answers.

“Wait!” Martyn dashed after her into the misty streets, hoping to find that blur of red.

Martyn could hear a set of footsteps running after him. “Martyn– don’t go after her!” Grian’s shouts did nothing more but encourage him further. Something about the witch was so engaging. He had to follow her, he had to know more. He couldn’t let her slip away.

“I have to!” Martyn glanced behind him. He stopped as he saw a blur of red on a street to the side. He took a sharp breath before breaking into a run in that direction. “I need to know what her deal is!”

“Martyn!” Grian’s shouts became distant. The twists and turns Martyn took, plus the mist beginning to grow into thick fog made it hard to see and hear.

Yet, Martyn could hear the clinks of metal from the witch’s sickles and her running footsteps just ahead of him. He had to keep chasing, he didn’t want to end up lost. He took another deep breath and followed the sound.

Martyn passed by silhouetted buildings, thankful he hadn't run into anything yet, as his heartbeat drummed in his ear. He shook his head, trying to unhear the phantom sounds of the sea prince’s heartbeat echoing through his head.

Somehow, the scenarios were similar. It was hard to see anything, and Martyn kept pushing on to the point of hearing a loud heartbeat echo in his ears. He couldn’t get his mind off of that sea prince. Those inhuman eyes. Its vast, almost incomprehensible size. The way it simply stared at Martyn before it left.

It was haunting and alluring at the same time.

When I come home, I can tell Scott the wait is nearly over.

Martyn could picture the concern on the ginger’s face when he told him about the hunt. Martyn never wanted Scott to worry too much. He should be worrying about something else- maybe about his tavern business or some petty squabble Martyn wasn’t aware of, just something not so dire. Martyn should- would be just fine. Oh, how Martyn longed to be back with the man already. He always felt homesick a few days into a hunting trip before he got used to being on the ship again, but this time, he was so ready to return home.

The uncertainty of this whole commission might be sending imaginary alarm bells in his head, but Martyn pressed on.

I can’t wait to tell you everything.

It sounded unbelievable enough that Martyn was on an island guarded by a sea prince and terrorized by a witch. Martyn couldn’t wrap his head around it being so bizarre. It was a step closer to understanding the sea princes however, and Martyn couldn’t waste that opportunity.

The sound of Martyn’s steps changed from a mix of dry dirt and a stone path to creaking wood and the rush of water. A bridge over a river, good to know. He made himself stop. He didn’t want to fall over the edge. The heavy fog slowly lifted as Martyn waved away the air and revealed the entrance to a dark oak forest. The trees in front of him were tall and dense, its leaves were tightly packed so that there were only small hints of light filtering into the forest.

Martyn looked up to see the darkened clouds pull back ever so slightly, letting the ominous moonlight trail down to the ground around him.

The Scarlet Witch was there, too. She had her back turned towards him, facing the entrance of the forest. She stood completely still as Martyn pulled his gun out of its holster and aimed it at her. Martyn saw a slight twitch from her as he cocked the gun.

“Don’t move.”

“I won’t even try,” the witch shrugged. Despite having her back turned, Martyn could tell she was smiling. “What do you want?”

“I want answers.” Martyn’s grip on his gun began to shake.

“About what?”

“The rumors. Are they real?” Martyn tried to stop his heart from speeding up. He’d never done this before. He’d never threatened a person. But this was his chance to learn more. He needed to learn more. Martyn pointed his gun at one of the witch’s hands, noticing a small twitch, “Put your hands up.”

The woman raised her hands up. She laughed, “Oh, those things?” she nodded. “Yes, they’re very real.”

“Including the sea prince?” Martyn gripped his gun tighter.

“Yes, including the sea prince,” the witch sighed. “Are you going to talk my ears off about what goes on around my island, or can I leave?”

How did she act so… casual? For all she knew, Martyn could pull the trigger then and there, and she’d be dead. Was this not serious for her? Still, Martyn was learning from this.

“So they are real…,” Martyn muttered, glancing to the side and lowering his guard to think. He wasn’t sure if the sea prince guarding this island and the one he saw near the world border were the same, but they were the same accursed species lurking around. He aimed the gun back at the witch’s back, “How did you find the treasure?”

“You really want to know, don’t you?” the witch turned her body, showing the calm, murderous glint in her eyes as her lips formed a small smile. Martyn flinched at seeing the long, strange scar on her face. Martyn has seen and worn some nasty scars on his own body, but the witch’s scar was jagged and odd-looking. It looked like it was supposed to stretch longer, but it was all scrunched up. Clearly, there was something very wrong about her. She giggled, “I’ll admit, you’re a very eager hunter.”

“I said, don’t move,” Martyn growled, his hands shaking as he pointed the gun at the witch’s face. “Or do you want me to shoot you?”

The witch rolled her eyes. “If you do shoot me, you won’t get your answers,” she laughed. “So how about you play nice?”

Martyn glanced between his gun and the witch. She called his bluff. In all honesty, Martyn couldn’t dream of shooting a person. It just felt… wrong. At least with monsters, they don’t feel. They scream and writhe in pain, but it's not the same as hurting a person.

Martyn lowered the gun, his grip beginning to loosen as he took in deep breaths.

“There, that’s better,” the witch smiled. “And for good measure…”

In one swift motion, Pearl leapt forward and tackled Martyn off the foot of the bridge and into the dirt.

Martyn felt the back of his head collide with the ground first, the rest of his body flailing as the witch used her arm to pin him down, pressing it against his neck. Martyn tried to form words with his mouth, but her arm pressed harder on his neck, making them sputter off into nothing. She sat on top of his chest, pushing her weight on Martyn’s chest and shoulders.

“Get off of me!” Martyn choked. His legs thrashed against the ground as he tried to push the witch off of him, but she only shifted her weight higher. She wrapped her hand around his throat and squeezed, her nails biting into his skin as the other hand grappled for one of her sickles.

The witch grinned, her expression darkening, “What? You get to threaten me, and I can’t do the same to you? On my island?” She grabbed the hilt of one of her sickles and whipped it forwards, stabbing the tip of it into the dirt, dangerously close to Martyn’s neck.

Martyn gulped as the weight behind her grip on his throat lessened enough so that it wasn’t choking him anymore. Where was his gun? He moved his hands along the ground to find it, but when his fingers brushed against his gun’s handle, the woman twisted to kick it away. It skidded off the dirt path, falling into the long grass.

Martyn glared up at her. “You don’t, because you’re withholding vital information about the sea princes.” He tried to take steady breaths, but with the weight she still held against his throat and the blade so close to his neck, it was useless. “And as a hunter for the king, I’d say you owe me some respect.”

The witch’s eyes widened. “A king’s hunter, you say?” her grin split wider across her face as she bent forward over him. “Tell me this, what’s your crew’s name called?”

Martyn couldn’t think straight anymore. “We’re the Canaries,” he spat. “And we’ll leave this island alive, and show the world to not be afraid of the sea princes anymore.”

For some reason, that answer caused the witch to lean back, her grin dropped. Had she heard of them? She looked away from Martyn and hummed, he could see the gears turn in the witch’s mind for several moments before her eyes widened and she looked straight back at him. She giggled for half a second, then erupted into full-on laughter.

Martyn wanted to laugh too, in order to ease the tension in his mind, but his eyes darted back and forth to the witch and the blade next to his neck and he kept quiet.

“Little birds who flew too close to the sun,” the witch rolled her head, smirking at Martyn. “I’d say I’d feel bad, but I don’t. I’m excited for the carnage, actually.”

She leaned in close. Martyn wished he could look at anything else other than the piercing witch’s blue-green eyes. “Now be a good little bird and sing somewhere else,” she hissed. “Unless you want to try the open waters… Die like the ‘heroes’ you want to be.”

Her voice sounded different. Martyn could’ve sworn it sounded like thunder with how the ground seemed to tremble as she spoke.

The witch leaned away, her face illuminated by the moonlight. “But, to be nice, I’ll tell you my name, little bird,” she put a hand on her chin and smiled, her teeth almost looked like fangs. “My name is Pearl Moone. Welcome to the island.”

Pearl Moone. An odd name for an odd lady.

Pearl chuckled to herself before lifting her sickle from the dirt and delicately grazed Martyn’s left cheek with it. He flinched and hissed as a stripe of pain cut along his cheek, under his eye. She quickly got off of him and stomped on his gun as she passed it, somehow breaking it immediately. Martyn cupped his bloodied cheek as he stared at Pearl with wide eyes.

“Consider that as a welcome gift,” she grinned mockingly at him, “I’ll see you soon.”

Pearl spun the lightly bloodied sickle and watched as drops of red liquid flew away. She rested the twin crescent blades on her shoulders before casually striding into the forest. The mist grew thicker until it was covering the entrance, obscuring the red cloaked witch until she disappeared into the darkness.

Martyn stared after Pearl. He didn’t realize how quickly blood began to pour out of the cut on his cheek until it began to leak out of his hand, dripping down his arm. But he couldn’t move. It was like staring at that sea prince again. There was something about her that made Martyn stop in his tracks even as his heart raced.

Pearl was just as scary as a sea prince was.

#the sea prince au #sea prince chapters #limited life smp #limited life #life series #life smp #trafficblr #majorwood #mean gills #coral kids #scottyn #martyn inthelittlewood #martyn itlw #inthelittlewood #scott smajor #smajor1995 #dangthatsalongname #pearlescentmoon

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smilesrobotlover · 3 months

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AO3

Chapter 8- A Soldier’s Visit to Faron

Link woke up to the sound of talking. He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window where the sun was shining through. He listened more carefully and recognized his pa’s voice speaking outside and he frowned. What was he doing outside? Link stood up and shuffled over to the window, looking out to see Rusl speaking with Auru. His pa’s arms were crossed, and a serious look was on his face while Auru had a more concerned expression. Rusl started speaking again and Link opened the window to hear him better.

“...I only wish I was stronger,” his pa said softly. Auru tilted his head.

“Rusl–”

“I know! I’m only human, I’m weaker than most of y’all but… I… he’s my son. I should be protecting him but… I can’t.”

Link frowned. Was he talking about him?

“Rusl, even a Hylian wouldn’t be strong enough to fight against a mysterious shadow monster. Be kinder to yourself.”

Rusl sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I know… I know… It’s just terrifying, you know? It’s terrifying to discover that you can’t protect your family. If that thing got closer to Ordon and took–” his breath hitched and Auru rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t think about that. The beast did not get to Ordon. It didn’t hurt Uli or Colin or Rela or anyone.”

“It did hurt Link though…”

“Well, fortunately it didn’t hurt him too bad, right?”

Rusl shrugged. “Not as bad as me… But I don’t want him to have the responsibility of saving me. Not again.”

Link’s feelings grew conflicted. Was his pa ashamed of having to be rescued by him? Link supposed he understood to an extent. Since becoming a father himself, he’s wanted nothing more than to protect Kori and Midna with his life. If Kori had to save him… he’d probably be ashamed of himself too.

“That’s what you get for raising a heroic boy, Rusl,” Auru joked, and Rusl gave him an annoyed smile.

“It’s not my fault he turned out that way.”

“Oh shut it, of course it is!”

“No it isn’t, Link turned out that way because that’s the way he is.”

“Colin and Rela are the same way though, I think it is your fault.”

“Spirits!” Rusl lightly punched Auru in the arm and the old man chuckled.

“Oh c’mere,” Auru pulled Rusl into a hug, which he melted into. “It sounds like you two went through a lot, I’m sorry.”

From Auru’s large frame and Rusl’s smaller stature, it almost looked like a child hugging his father from Link’s perspective. It made his heart ache for Kori.

He prayed to every deity on the planet to keep him safe from the shadow beast.

The two men pulled away and started to head inside, and Link pulled away from the window as well, letting out a sigh. He knew it wasn’t appropriate for him to eavesdrop on such a conversation, but he couldn’t stop himself. To get his pa to open up about things that bothered him was like trying to pry a deku baba’s jaw open after it closed. But Link didn’t know if he regretted learning how Rusl truly felt about everything. He felt guilty, sad, and mostly confused from it all. He almost wished he was the one to be attacked by the shadow beast, that way his pa wasn’t hurt and traumatized the way he was. Link had dealt with far worse in his life; it would’ve been no different.

He finally went to close the window until he heard shuffling beside him, and movement from the corner of his eye caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. A person was turning around on the bed opposite from the other one Link was in, and Link backed up in shock. How in Din’s name did he not notice this person? Based on the clothes, he recognized the person as Sheik, but when he saw their face, his heart stopped.

It was Zelda who was staring back at him with wide eyes.

“Oh–”

Zelda felt her face and her eyes landed on her discarded mark and headwrap on the floor, and a string of curses from her mouth left Link more shocked. He didn’t know Zelda was even capable of swearing. Zelda scrambled for the clothes and nearly tumbled out of her bed while Link remained paralyzed. She finally stood up, her face covered up, yet her stormy-gray eyes couldn’t hide her identity. How did he not know?

“You—” he started, but Zelda stopped him.

“N-no… no I—”

“You– you’re—” Link’s mind was racing, and he was finally able to string a full sentence together. “What are you doing in my room?”

“Th-this was meant to be my room! I didn’t– you– I–” Zelda let out another cuss word which felt like a punch to Link’s face. She never acted in such a way around him; she was always so proper and polite. He ran his hand through his hair and stared at the floor with wide eyes.

“I don’t believe it– oh Goddesses you–”

Rusl burst through the door, interrupting the two.

“Oh Sheik! Link! Glad you’re both awake!” He said cheerily, leaning against the door frame. Link and Sheik only stared at him in shock. “Ya know, Sheik. You scared the living daylights outta me when you came in last night. You poor thing—must’ve been exhausted!”

Zelda and Link continued to stare in shock, and Rusl frowned.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, everything is fine,” Zelda—or Sheik—said breathlessly, before moving past Rusl towards the stairs. Rusl stared back at her for a moment before looking back at Link, clearly confused.

“What the heck happened there?”

“I… uh…” Link bit his lip, wondering what he should tell Rusl. Zelda had clearly kept this identity a secret for a reason—was it right to tell his father? “Uh… I was just surprised to see Sheik in here, that’s all,” he finally said, laughing nervously. Rusl stared for a moment before laughing slightly.

“Yeah, he must’ve been awfully tired, huh?” He chuckled, and Link nodded, forcing a smile. The two stared for a moment, Rusl’s smile fading more and more as Link’s fake smile grew bigger. “Well, Telma has some breakfast for us so… you can… come down–”

“Oh! Yes! Sounds great! Thanks pa!” Link said a little too loudly, and marched towards the stairs.

Breakfast was painfully awkward. Link couldn’t help but stare at Sheik, who looked terrified. She would glance at him and Link would look away, only for him to go back to staring at her. The others didn’t notice the tension between them, instead they were chatting happily with each other, unaware of the recent discovery Link made.

Did they know? Did Zelda want to keep it a secret from only him? Or were they just as oblivious as he was before? His mind wandered to Ashei, with their conversation about Sheik before. Did she know? She seemed to know about Sheik not being a man, but was it because she knew that Sheik was Zelda? His mind was racing as he thought about it, not paying attention to the other’s conversations.

“… and she just picked it up!” Rusl exclaimed, his hands gesturing in front of Link’s face, interrupting his staring. “I tell you, that girl was born to fight. We should start teaching Kori some sword fighting too, right Link?”

Link glanced at his father, then at everyone else staring at him.

“W-what?” He muttered, and Rusl raised an eyebrow.

“I was just telling them about Rela, and her first sword-fighting lesson! Kori is ten now, I think it’s about time he started learnin’ too!”

“Oh! Yes, right,” Link quickly said, going back to watching Sheik. Rusl continued to stare at him, the others doing the same.

“Uh, is everything alright, old boy?” Shad asked, looking between him and Sheik.

“Oh—“ Rusl adjusted himself in his seat and pointed at Sheik. “He just broke into our room last night and scared me stiff. I’m sure he must’ve shocked Link this morning.”

Link saw Ashei worriedly turn her head to Sheik, who remained unmoving.

“Oh my goddesses, Rusl,” Auru groaned, “did you take the first room? Sheik is always the one in there!”

“Since when did we have room assignments?” Rusl argued.

“It’s an unspoken rule! Sheik takes the first room. I take the third one, Ashei takes the second and Shad takes the room across, and you and Link take the room in the back!”

“But they ain’t labeled!”

“That’s—ugh, boy…. That’s why it’s unspoken!”

Sheik got up abruptly as the two argued and left the bar. Link stood up as well and followed. He had so many questions for her, and he wanted answers. He found Sheik right outside the bar, and she didn’t look surprised to see Link.

“Link,” she started, and he stopped right in front of her.

“Zelda.”

“Don’t… ah…”

“Oh—right. Sorry. Sheik,” Link pursed his lips and the two sat in silence. Every question he had was gone in an instant. It almost saddened him—they worked well together during the twilight invasion, yet their relationship was never strengthened. Zelda wanted him to be a knight and to be a representative for Hyrule, but Link didn’t want to be stuck with nobles doing useless things; much less being some trophy for the people to gawk at. It put a strain on their relationship, and he didn’t expect to be speaking to Zelda ever again.

Then again, they’ve been speaking for a while now, yet he didn’t know.

“Sorry my pa took your room,” he finally said.

“Oh… it’s alright.”

Link smiled awkwardly and nodded. Sheik nodded back. There was silence again between the two, and Link cleared his throat.

“So… Sheik. What—um—why?”

“Why what?”

Link huffed and ran his hand through his hair. “Why? Why didn’t you tell us? Why are you doing this? I just… I’m curious…”

Sheik’s brows furrowed together and she looked down. “I just… wanted to do more for my kingdom.”

Link frowned. “But you’re the queen. You do more for Hyrule than anyone else!”

Sheik shook her head. “Not enough.” She sighed and sat on a box, rubbing her eyes. “During the twilight invasion, I felt… helpless. I couldn’t do anything for anyone. I was a prisoner in my own home, and all I could do was trust you. I just… I never want to be out of control like that ever again. I want to personally save Hyrule myself if it were to come to it. I felt that… as Sheik… I could do that. I wasn’t a queen anymore I-I felt more like… I don’t know… a protector. I feel like I can actually make an impact doing this.”

Link gave her a sad look and joined her on the box, staring at the door that led to Telma’s bar. “You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he started softly. “You did so much during the invasion. You… you kept Zant from slaughtering everyone in Hyrule. You saved my life and you saved Midna’s life at your own expense. You helped me defeat Ganondorf,” Link looked up at her, but she didn’t meet his eyes. “I couldn’t have saved Hyrule if not for you.”

“But… I couldn’t do more—“

“Goddesses, Sheik, I thought you gave up your life for Midna’s! I thought you died! What more could you have done?”

Sheik finally looked up at him. “I don’t know.”

“Good!” Link crossed his arms and sat up straight. “Now you know. You’re good enough!” Link felt his face flush at the corny message, and he turned away. The two were silent again; the sounds of laughter and bottles crashing were the only sounds heard. Link let out a sigh and turned to Sheik again. “I can understand though, wanting to do things yourself. I guess if I had to give orders and then sit there and wait for it to get done, I’d lose my mind a bit too.”

Sheik looked up at him, and though he couldn’t see her expression well, he did see a glimmer in her eye.

“I’m glad you somewhat understand,” she said.

Link hummed and nodded, and he pursed his lips. “So… why didn’t you tell the resistance?”

“It defeats the purpose of a secret identity, doesn’t it? I can't go around saying that I’m the queen when I… look like this,” she gestured to her outfit. “If they knew that I was not on the throne, they’d probably think me to be lazy.”

“Well, you’re not. You’re a good queen.”

Sheik’s eyes had more of a smile to them from that. “Thank you.”

Link gave her a smile. For once, they were having a pleasant conversation. No evil trying to destroy the world, no enemies needing to be defeated, and no heart broken from a love supposedly killed. They were just two people. Seeing Zelda as Sheik, he saw her in a different light. A simple woman who was trying.

“How did Kori come to be?” Sheik suddenly asked, and Link’s eyes widened. The resistance only met Kori a handful of times, and he didn’t think about how it would’ve affected Sheik. She and Rusl were the only ones who knew about Midna. Rusl found out about Midna’s return, but Zelda never did…

“Uh…. Well… I don’t know what you’re asking specifically but… Twili’s bodies aren’t too different from ours,” he mumbled.

Sheik’s face flushed slightly and she shook her head. “T-that’s not what I meant.”

Link cursed in his mind and laughed nervously. “Oh! Well… sorry.”

“No no, I should’ve been more specific. I meant… How is Kori here? Midna destroyed the mirror, there should be no connection to the twilight realm.”

“Oh… well…” Link stared at the ground, watching bits of dust move with the light breeze. He let out a sigh. “I have no idea. One night, Midna came to my door with Kori in her arms… and now he’s here.”

Sheik studied his face for a moment. “Is Midna still here?”

Link paused. Should he tell her that Midna visited whenever she could? Would Sheik feel left out if she knew that she only visited Link and his family? Did she even care? He didn’t know how close the two were during the invasion; he knew they were acquainted before he came along, but Midna didn’t seem to like her in the beginning. In the end, they were more like allies than friends. But was he wrong?”

“She… visits,” he finally said, and Sheik’s saddened look made him regret saying it.

“I see,” she whispered.

“I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t… you guys… I didn’t know you were friends and—“

“We weren’t,” Sheik said bluntly. “I suppose we never were.”

That stung slightly, hearing that about Midna. He wondered why she wouldn’t tell Sheik about everything, but he shouldn’t be surprised. If Kori never got hurt in the twilight realm, she probably would’ve never come in the first place.

“If it makes you feel any better, she never came back for me,” he started in a cautious tone, “she came back for Kori.” Sheik gave him a confused look so he elaborated. “I don’t know if you remember, but he has a scar up along his arm,” Link traced his forearm to show where the scar was, and Sheik watched carefully. “Apparently, when he was two, an advisor hurt him because… he was scared Kori would doom the Twili. There’s only one female Twili, and she’s meant to give birth to the heir, who will also be a female. But Kori… not only was he a half Twili, but he was a boy. And… They hurt him.” Link frowned. It was difficult saying it all out loud. The familiar rage that he thought he moved on from began to bubble in his chest, and he had to clench his fists to control it. If he ever met the Twili that hurt his son…

“So… you didn’t know about Kori?” Sheik asked, and Link nodded.

“She knew he wouldn’t be safe in the twilight realm, so she found a way back to Ordon. I still have no idea how she’s going back and forth though. She refuses to tell me, but I think she’s afraid of another invasion happening and… destroying the mirror to be a waste.”

Sheik nodded, but she still had a sad look in her eyes.

“Look, Sheik, she’s very secretive. Only my family knows and that’s ‘cause my pa knew her and… she’s never made herself known to anyone. So…. Yeah…. And she’s never left Ordon either.”

Sheik looked down at her fidgeting hands. “I see…”

Link frowned, the silence entering their conversation again. They sat for a long moment, until Link had an idea.

“You know, Sheik… I’m sure Midna would love to see you again.” She looked up, giving him a confused look. “If you ever wanna… I dunno… turn into Sheik and visit Ordon… We’d love to have you. I make great pumpkin soup.”

Sheik stared at him with wide eyes, before turning away with a small laugh. “I might… take you up on that offer,” she said softly, and Link’s heart swelled. They smiled at each other, and Sheik looked like she was about to say something, but they were interrupted by the door opening. Ashei poked her head through the door and gave the two of them a look.

“Is everything ok out here?” She asked.

“Yes, Ashei everything is fine,” Sheik said, giving Link a look. “He… sort of found out about… me…”

Ashei sighed. “I was afraid that was the case.”

Link glanced between the both of them. “So you did know about her?”

Ashei nodded. “Don’t know if you remember when we were investigating the rogue Bulblins, but our queen here got herself injured. It’s kinda hard to take care of an injured person with a mask covering their mouth, yeah?”

Link shrugged. “I guess so. It certainly explains a lot.”

Sheik nodded awkwardly and sighed. “It was difficult for me at the moment, but I am glad that I didn’t have to hide my true identity from at least one person. But now I guess it’s two people.”

Ashei made a face. “I have a feeling the rest of them will be finding out soon.”

An annoyed sigh escaped Sheik and she nodded. Ashei shrugged and gestured to the bar with her head. “Come on inside, yeah? We’re going to start planning.”

Link and Sheik stood up to follow Ashei inside, but Link stopped Sheik before they headed inside.

“You ready to save Hyrule again?” He asked, his fist hanging in front of her. She stared at it for a moment, then nodded, bumping his waiting fist with her own.

“I’m more than ready.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Kori! Pay attention!”

Kori looked up at Rela who had her wooden sword resting on her shoulder. She glared at him, one hand on her hip and one foot tapping impatiently in the Ordon spring water. Kori glanced at his own wooden sword, pouting at his aunt.

“Rela, I don’t wanna do this.”

“Shut it! You’re old enough to learn sword fighting, and my pa ain’t here to teach you. So it’s up to me to do it!” Her sword was swung to the ground and she held it up against Kori. “There’s a monster out there in Faron woods, so we need to be able to defend ourselves and Ordon!”

“Isn’t that why Colin and Beth and Talo are here though?” Colin and the others had been patrolling Ordon, searching for any dangers that could threaten their home. Kori didn’t quite understand what was happening; no one told him anything when he asked. His pa and grandpa left to castle town before he had a chance to think, so he was staying with his gramma, confused about what was happening.

“Colin may need our help if we are attacked,” Rela started to argue, marching back and forth as the sword swung in her hands. “If we’re able to help them, we’ll be heroes! Isn’t that what you want Kori? To be a hero?”

“Not really. I just wanna be a farmer,” Kori said simply. Rela groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Why are you being so boring?”

Kori felt a sting in his heart, but he ignored it. “I’m not being boring! I just… I just wanna play with my toys!”

“Well too bad! Now, block this attack!”

Kori gasped as Rela swung her sword at him. He quickly brought his own up and staggered back as she hit it. He glanced at his sword, then glared at Rela.

“Don’t hit it so hard!”

“You need to block better! Stand your ground!”

Rela swung at him again and he squealed as it smashed against his own. Rela got closer to him and he started to run away, but Rela quickly stopped him.

“Don’t be a coward! Face me!”

“Rela, you’re so much bigger than me! I’m scared!” Kori pleaded, but she only charged at him again. She knocked into him and he fell backwards into the water. He gasped and looked up to see Rela swinging down onto him. He quickly brought his own sword up and was barely able to block it. Scrambling to his feet, he clumsily blocked a few more attacks. Kori grew more focused with each attack, planting his feet so he could stay unmoving in the sparring. She hit his sword a few more times until Kori slipped up, and Rela’s smacked his arm. Kori squealed in pain and dropped his sword, holding his aching arm.

“Ooooow! Rela! You hit me!” He cried, tears forming in his eyes.

“Oh you’re fine. This is why we train with wooden swords, so we don’t end up killing each other!” She took a step forward, her arms crossed. “If it were the real deal, you would’ve lost your arm.”

Kori huffed angrily at her. “I’m telling Gramma!”

Rela’s eyes went big, her tough demeanor dropping instantly, and she quickly jumped in front of Kori as he went to leave the spring. “N-no no no! Please don’t tell my ma! I’m so sorry Kori!”

Kori ignored his aunt’s begging, trying to push past her.

“Wait! Kori! We can play with our toys now, ok? We can do whatever you want! In fact—here!” Rela grabbed Kori and put her sword in his hand. “You can hit me back! Just please don’t tell my ma!”

Kori glared at her as she kept grabbing his arm, then he bit her hand. Rela shrieked and pulled her hand back, giving Kori a horrified look.

“You bit me!”

“Well you said I could hurt you back!”

“I said you could hit me back, not bite me!”

Kori crossed his arms and turned away. “Well you wouldn’t stop grabbing me! I’m tired of playin’ with swords! I’m going back home!”

Kori marched through the water, feeling Rela’s glare at the back of his head. He suddenly felt water splash onto his head, and he gasped as his clothes and hair got fully drenched. He spun around at Rela and snarled at her.

“What? You were wet anyways,” Rela said.

“That’s it!” Kori screamed as he charged at the Rela, and the two started to grapple and become tangled with each other. Rela was much older and stronger than Kori was, so she easily pinned him down, but he kept biting her hands which caused her to pull back.

“Stop biting me!” She yelled.

“Well stop pulling at my hair!” Kori yelled back as she tugged at his hair. The two wrestled for a while longer until they were interrupted.

“What are you two doing?”

The kids stopped and looked up at Uli who was glaring at the two. She was panting and her hands were balled up, a fire in her eyes as she watched the two kids. The two quickly scrambled to their feet, staring at her guiltily. Uli relaxed a little, then glanced at the bridge past Ordon worriedly.

“You kids aren’t supposed to be out here,” she scolded, walking towards the two.

“We’re still in Ordon,” Rela sassed, but she quickly straightened herself out with a glare from Uli. “I-I mean… you said we had to stay in Ordon so… we are still… here… in Ordon.”

“No, you’re staying in the village itself. We’re not gonna be out by the spring or by Kori’s house, ok?”

Rela and Kori glanced at each other.

“Why?” Kori asked, trying not to sound rude or sassy.

“Because it’s too far from the others. If something were to happen, no one would know. Now come on,” Uli gestured to the village with her head, and Kori and Rela quickly followed.

“I hope you two have done your chores,” Uli started as they walked past Kori’s home, “it’s pretty early in the morning, is it not?”

Rela gave Kori a worried look, then looked down guiltily. “Um…. We did some…”

Uli sighed. “Why did you do some and not all?”

Rela huffed and jogged in front of her ma. “Because! I know there’s a monster out there hurting people! It attacked pa and Link! I just want to make sure me and Kori are strong enough for when it attacks again!”

Uli stopped and gave Rela a sad yet proud look. “Rela, it’ll be fine. Your pa and Link are taking care of it, while Colin and the others are protecting Ordon. You don’t have to be responsible for our safety.”

“But—“

“I know you’re excited to use your sword techniques your pa taught you, but it’s not enough. For now—just—focus on your chores, ok?”

Rela pouted and glumly walked to her house, her head hanging. Kori stood by his gramma, leaning his head against her leg. She chuckled and ruffled his hair.

“Did you do your chores today, Kori?”

Kori pursed his lips. Rela had lied about them doing some of their chores. They actually did none of their chores. But unlike Rela, Kori was a horrible liar.

“N-no… we didn’t do anything,” he mumbled, but then quickly added, “I mean, I didn't do anything! Rela did though!”

Uli gave him a soft smile. “You don’t have to cover for Rela, dear. I know she was lying.”

“Oh…”

Uli let out a loud sigh and rubbed her head. “Go and do your chores dear, luckily there’s not a whole lot for you to do since you’re not at home right now.”

Excitement swelled within Kori and he nodded. He heard his gramma giggle as he ran to the home, barged into his room, and ran past Rela who was grumbling to herself. He quickly picked up his area in his grandparent’s home, plucked the weeds in the gardens, and collected the ripe fruit, though there wasn’t a lot. There wasn’t much else for him to do—he couldn’t help Fado with the goats since he was too small, and he couldn’t clean up his home since he wasn’t allowed in there. So he started to wander around Ordon, watching the villagers go about their day. He couldn’t help but focus on Coro, the man who started staying with Fado. Kori had rarely talked to Coro before, and the man’s carefree attitude and animals that hung around enticed him. But Kori was too shy to approach the strange man—he didn’t know how Coro would react to him.

The best way for Kori to learn more about Coro was to sneakily follow him around Ordon. It was always easy for Kori to stalk the humans in Ordon; their round ears didn’t pick up on sounds like his and his papa’s did, so he followed the man around for a while without being noticed. He watched Coro simply sit by the pond for a long time, talking to his funny bird pet who chattered to him back. Smaller birds floated around his head, and even nestled inside it, and the cuccos trotted around him. Kori wondered if birds generally liked him, and how he could make birds like him as well.

Kori’s stalking didn’t go unnoticed forever, however, and Coro spotted him hiding behind a bush. The two made eye contact, and Kori ducked for cover, but it was already too late.

“Uh, hello,” Coro called out awkwardly, and Kori shyly popped up from the bushes. Coro smiled gently and gestured for him to come closer. “No reason to hide, tiny guy.”

Kori looked behind him and shuffled over to the strange man.

“Hi,” he greeted quietly, and the parrot resting on Coro’s knee squawked a greeting back. Kori jumped at the sudden sound and Coro chuckled.

“Trill, you don’t need to be that loud,” he said.

“Sorry,” the bird squawked, not any quieter than before. Kori giggled slightly and held his hand out to Trill.

“Careful, he might peck at you,” Coro warned, and Kori drew his hand back, giving Coro a guilty look. Coro reached up and gently grabbed the smaller birds in his hair and offered it to Kori. “These guys are much nicer.”

Kori smiled and offered his hand again, and the tiny bird peeped, hopping into it. Kori giggled at the tickling feeling of its tiny feet against his palm and gently stroked its little head.

“That one is named Chickie,” Coro started to explain, “he was born not too long ago.”

Kori’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yep! His family is here somewhere,” Coro started digging around in his hair, pulling out different tiny birds from the nest on his hair and showing them to Kori. He made a whistling sound and the birds floated over to Kori and landed on his arms and head. Kori froze, feeling the tiny talons lightly digging into his skin. Coro chuckled again. “They’re friendly! Don’t worry.”

Kori grinned and watched the birds hop around, giggling as they tickled him when they moved.

“Yeah, Trill here is nice enough, but you need to be careful. He can be a little aggressive if you freak him out,” Coro explained, petting Trill gently. “He’s had so many people steal from him, he has to be aggressive, you know?” Kori nodded seriously. “Apparently, a few years ago, some green guy kept stealing his lamp oil and red potion, no matter how many times he fought back! Can you believe that? What kind of horrible person steals from a bird?”

Kori nodded again. His pa always taught him to not steal, so he knew to take that very seriously. One of the birds flew back to Coro’s nest-hair so Kori allowed the others to return as well.

“Um, thank you for letting me hold your birds,” Kori mumbled, and Coro grinned.

“Of course! It’s easy to be scared of animals, especially birds, but I always think we should be more understanding of them. It’s best to learn young, anyway!” Coro lifted the smaller birds to his hair and gave Kori a look. “So… if you don’t mind me asking, tiny guy, what exactly are you?”

Kori thought for a moment. “A Twilian.”

Coro frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that. Well, it’s nice to officially meet you, tiny guy.”

Kori nodded excitedly. “My name is Kori.”

“I’m Coro.” He offered his hand to Kori and he gingerly took it, letting Coro shake their hands. Coro pulled away and went back to petting Trill. “Do you like animals, Kori? I assume that’s why you decided to follow me.”

“Oh! Yeah, I love animals.”

“What’s your favorite animal?”

“I love kitties.”

Coro smiled warmly. “I think I saw kitties by Sera’s shop, did you see them?”

Kori nodded, but a sense of dread entered him when he thought about Sera. He hadn’t seen the kitties in a while.

“That’s good, they’re so cute and tiny,” Coro continued when Kori didn’t say anything. “But I’m more of a bird person myself. I forget how great the cuccos are here in Ordon.”

Kori nodded again and looked around him, spotting Rela who was stomping around the village. They made eye contact and his aunt began to angrily stomp towards him. Uh-oh.

“I think cuccos are misunderstood creatures,” Coro continued to ramble, not caring if Kori was paying attention or not. “As long as you respect them, they respect you. That’s why you should always treat animals with respect. Because respect is a two-way path and—”

“Kori!” Rela shouted when she got close enough and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. “What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be doin’ chores?”

Kori glanced at Coro who was still rambling about animals. “I got them all done! There wasn’t a whole lot since I’m not at home right now.”

Rela huffed and said a bad word under her breath. “W-well, help me with mine so I can get done!”

Kori scrunched up his face. “I’m not gonna do your chores! You have to do them yourself!”

“But what will you do? You’ll be sooo bored.”

Kori gestured to Coro who finally stopped talking and was observing the two kids. Rela squinted her eyes and faced him fully.

“Weren’t you the guy who came here crying like a baby?” She sneered.

“Yes,” Coro said simply. “And if you saw what I saw, you’d be crying like a baby too.”

Rela seemed surprised at the response and she turned away, her arms crossed. “Well, Kori needs to help me with my chores so we can hang out—”

“No I don’t!” Kori shouted.

“Yes you do! You still need more training!”

Kori groaned. “We’ve been training all morning! I don’t want to do that!”

Coro glanced between the two. “Training? For what?”

Rela gave him a look but once again faced him. “Training to protect Ordon of course!”

Coro’s eyes widened and he nodded slowly. “Ok.”

“So I need to get done as soon as possible so we can keep training and—” Rela’s eyes widened and her hands shot up to her head. “Oh no! The swords!”

Kori raised an eyebrow and Rela suddenly grabbed his hands, pulling him away from Coro.

“H-hey, wha—Bye!” Kori called out to Coro, and the man waved back. “Rela! What’s going on?”

“I left the swords at the spring!” Rela cried. “They’re gonna get ruined in the water! And pa will be so mad if he finds out I left them soaked!”

Kori tried to pull free from her grip, but she was too strong. “But we’re not supposed to go to the spring!”

Rela stopped and spun around to face Kori. “We won’t be gone for too long, ok? We’re just gonna grab them and come right back! But I need to get those before they’re ruined forever!”

Kori frowned but was immediately grabbed and pulled behind Rela again. The two sprinted towards the spring, Kori feeling more and more anxious as he looked around the forest. Every bone in his body was telling him to leave and that he wasn’t supposed to be there. But he continued to follow Rela, not wanting either of them to be left alone in these woods. They made it to the spring and Rela sprinted to the water, grabbing the soaked wooden swords.

“Thank the spirits I remembered these!” She said, relieved. “Hopefully they’re not ruined…”

Kori stared at the wooden swords and sighed. “Can we go back now? We’re not supposed to be here.”

Rela rolled her eyes. “Ok, yes we can go.”

The two kids started to leave the spring, but Kori heard a strange noise. He frowned and turned his head to hear it better. It sounded like the trotting of a horse. He found himself wandering closer to the bridge, and he spotted something walking towards him and Rela.

“What is it?” His aunt asked, but Kori was frozen. Whether it was of fear or anticipation, he didn’t know, but he couldn’t move his eyes off of the moving figure. As the figure got closer, he recognized it as a rider on a horse, and he got filled with excitement.

“PAPA!” He shouted, running across the bridge and towards the horse. But as he got closer, he realized that the horse was not Epona, and the man riding the horse was neither his grandpa nor his papa. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the strange man with wide eyes, and the rider stopped, the five other horses and men stopping as well. The man stared back at Kori, his green eyes observing him. Rela caught up to Kori and quickly got in front of him, glaring at the man.

“Hello,” he greeted, “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“What do you want?” Rela spat, and Kori was surprised at her hostility towards an adult.

“Easy now, me and my men are just investigating some disappearances,” he explained. He hopped off his horse and took off his helmet. The man had brown hair that stopped beneath his chin, and Kori noticed his delicately pointed ears that labeled him a Hylian. His tan brown skin made his emerald eyes stick out and his mustache was curled up in a gentle smile. He bowed his head slightly with his right hand over his heart. “My name is Hoz, I am the captain of the Hylian guard. I just have some questions I need to ask the villagers near this area. May I speak with the adults there?”

Rela puffed her chest and crossed her arms. “You can speak to us.”

Hoz stared at her for a moment, then glanced at the soldiers behind him. “Uh… I’d prefer to speak to an adult. Where are your parents?”

Rela frowned. “We can speak just fine!”

Hoz began to look around, noticeably uncomfortable. “Right, well, is your village just down the trail?”

“I’m not telling you!” Rela yelled.

“Yes,” Kori answered softly. Rela spun around and shot him a glare while Hoz smiled warmly.

“Thank you. It’s quite a long walk isn’t it? Would you kids like to hitch a ride on my mount?” He gestured to his large speckled horse, but Rela quickly shook her head.

“My parents told me I shouldn’t ride with strangers.”

Hoz chuckled and bowed his head again. “Understood.”

“Hey now! You can’t go to the village!” Rela hopped in front of him as he started to move, pointing her wooden sword at him. “We’re on high alert right now! There’s somethin’ out in the woods, so me and Kori are here to keep it safe! You got that?”

Hoz’s eyes widened at the wooden sword and he gently redirected the sword and started to walk forward. “I promise we mean no harm to your village—”

Rela repointed her sword at him. Hoz took a deep breath and moved it again.

“We’re just investigating some disappearances and—” Rela insisted with her sword once again, and he gave up on moving past it. “Whatever information your parents may have will be useful for the protection of Hyrule.”

Rela squinted her eyes and Kori heard the soldiers behind Hoz groan.

“Will you just move, you little brat?” One of them called out, and Hoz shot them a warning glare.

“Listen, we don’t have time for this,” Hoz sighed, rubbing his eyes. “You said there was something in the woods, correct?”

Rela squinted her eyes, not saying anything. Kori walked up to Hoz and the captain glanced at him.

“I think my papa was attacked by a monster,” he said softly, and Hoz’s eyes went big.

“What monster?” Hoz asked, kneeling at Kori’s level.

Kori shrugged, staring at the ground. He heard more footsteps and he looked up, noticing Colin jogging towards the group.

“What’s going on?” His uncle asked, eyeing the soldiers with a threatening glare. Hoz stood up and gave him a slight bow, looking relieved.

“Hello my good sir, my name is Hoz. I am the captain for the Hylian guard.”

Colin's eyes widened and he nodded. “R-right, of course,” he turned his attention to the kids and grabbed Rela. “What are you doing out here? You’re supposed to be in the village!”

“I left the wooden swords in the spring!” Rela defended herself, gesturing to them.

Colin rolled his eyes and turned to Hoz. “I’m so sorry about my little sister and nephew, they’re not supposed to be out here.”

Hoz waved his apology away. “It’s no trouble. I’m just glad that…” he gave Rela a look, then cleared his throat, “I’m just glad that I can speak with an adult.”

Rela made an offended noise and Colin pushed her behind him.

“Of course! What do you need?”

Hoz straightened his posture and cleared his throat. “These men and I were requested by Queen Zelda to find information on disappearances that have been happening throughout Hyrule. I just wanted to ask if you knew any information on this.”

Kori watched the gears in his uncle’s head turning. Were these disappearances what Barnes was talking about? Colin ran his fingers through his hair and nodded.

“Yes, actually I think I do.”

Hoz’s eyes widened and his polite demeanor dropped instantly. He ran up to Colin and grabbed his arm. “You do? What did you find?” Colin leaned back slightly and Hoz quickly jumped back. “A-apologies. I just… I’ve been searching for a while and haven’t found anything.”

Colin smiled nervously. “I understand.” He glanced at Kori and Rela, then looked up at the captain. “My pa and brother were attacked by a monster a couple of nights ago.”

Hoz stared for a moment, almost looking disappointed. “A monster? Is that it?”

“It‘s not an ordinary monster,” Colin looked back at Kori and Rela again and stepped closer to the captain, speaking so softly that Kori could barely hear him. “Do you remember the twilight invasion, with the black beasts roaming Hyrule?”

Hoz’s eyes widened. “I do remember. They stormed the castle. I could’ve lost my life if Zelda had not surrendered.”

Colin nodded and Rela gave Kori a confused look, hoping he knew what they were saying. Kori almost wished he didn’t; black beasts roaming Hyrule… it sounded terrifying.

“My pa and brother were attacked by one in Faron woods a couple of nights ago. It could still be here, or it could’ve moved around,” Colin continued, looking around at the trees nervously. “But it’s what’s taking these people. I don’t know what it’s doing to them, but it can’t be anything good.”

Hoz nodded and smiled at him, resting his hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, young man. For once, we actually have a lead now!” He turned around to his men and nodded, gesturing to Faron. “We’ll investigate these woods, the rest of you should remain indoors—“

“No no no, wait,” Colin moved in front of Hoz, stopping him in his tracks. “I don’t think you should go hunting for it. It’s… it’s dangerous.”

“I know,” Hoz said, “I fought several of them and I don’t think I ever killed one. They were always revived before my very eyes.” Hoz glanced at the children. “But I think me and five other men can handle one.”

Colin shook his head, once again stopping the captain. “My older brother fought and killed hundreds of them. He couldn’t even defeat this one. It’s more dangerous; you need a plan.”

Hoz frowned. “Who is your brother may I ask?”

Colin fidgeted slightly and pursed his lips. “He—he’s the hero of Hyrule, sir.”

Hoz stared blankly, then he let out an exasperated sigh. “Alright.”

“I’m not lying!”

“I didn’t say you were lying,” he quickly defended, but his tone didn’t convince Colin. Kori’s uncle gave him a glare, clearly using his taller height to try to intimidate the man, but the captain didn’t waver. “Look, I know a hero of Hyrule existed during the twilight invasion; who else would’ve saved Hyrule if not?”

“Then what’s your issue?” Colin pressed, and Hoz finally began to shift uncomfortably.

“I–I… It’s nothing,” Hoz let out a sigh and looked around. “Show me where this monster was spotted. Me and my men will take care of it.”

Colin pursed his lips, the gears turning in his head as he thought of what to do next, but he finally relaxed and started moving towards Faron Woods.

“It was by a house in front of the caves where it was first spotted,” he started to explain, Hoz following on foot. Kori glanced at Rela who started walking with Colin, a determined look in her eye as she clutched her wooden sword. “It moved around as my older brother and pa fought it though, so I can’t promise it’s still there.”

“That’s quite alright, we can make do,” Hoz said, an excited gleam in his eye. The group was silent as they marched through the woods, and they stopped right outside a house. Kori had seen this place before, but he never visited it. He wondered if Coro lived here.

“Well… Uh… here it is,” Colin said awkwardly, gesturing to the home. “Faron Woods in general is where it was, but this place is where they found it.”

“Fascinating,” Hoz muttered, his eyes fixated on the home as he walked towards it. “Men, look around and let me know if you find anything.” He turned to Colin. “You may return home if you wish. We’ll handle this.”

Colin sighed and nodded, turning to Kori and Rela who stood watching. He began to nudge them back towards Ordon, keeping them from moving away from him.

“You two should’ve gone back home,” he scolded, his hand never leaving Kori’s back.

“But I want to help fight a monster!” Rela protested, but Colin shook his head.

“Trust me, Rela, you are not ready to fight this monster,” he said, a nervous look in his eyes. “I don’t know if these guys will be ready to fight it either….” Colin’s voice trailed off and he stared at the grass with a thoughtful look in his eyes. Rela grumbled and crossed her arms, glaring at the grass as well. Kori only stared ahead, spotting the Faron spring coming into view. But as he got a better view, he noticed something that made him freeze in fear.

A large, black creature stood out from the bright, colorful spring. Arms hung awkwardly on its back as it paced the holy waters, and it turned to the group, with its yellow teeth being the only visible facial feature. Kori felt Colin’s hand grip on his shirt, and he was slowly pulled backwards away from the beast.

“What are you doing?” Rela yelled, annoyed, but Colin shushed her, his eyes never leaving the beast. She squirmed in his hold and Colin gripped her tighter.

“Rela, stop moving!” He hissed, his voice shaking slightly as they backed away.

“Let go of me!” Rela began to shout louder, and Colin quickly put his hand on her mouth. The black beast began to move closer to them, moving just as slow as they were. Rela squealed as she was muffled, but it turned into a gasp when she noticed the monster. The beast got low, and Colin let go of the two, shoving them back towards where Hoz was.

“RUN! NOW!” He shouted, and Kori’s adrenaline spiked, causing him to sprint. He fell behind Rela quickly, and he felt like he wanted to sob, but Colin kept nudging his back. He heard crashing behind them, but he didn’t dare look. He saw Hoz who looked startled at the sudden action, and Kori gasped as he tripped over his own skirt. He felt Colin lean over him protectively, hugging him close to shield him from the monster. Kori twisted his neck to look behind him, and he saw the beast snarling down on them, black spit pouring out of its mouth. He curled into Colin who had his sword drawn, but his uncle was shaking uncontrollably.

“Good goddesses!” Hoz exclaimed, his own sword being drawn. Kori heard the men let out a battle cry as they charged the creature, and Colin finally scrambled to his feet with Kori in his arms. He was looking behind his uncle as he ran, and saw the black beast swatting away the soldiers as if they were annoying flies. Some of the soldiers who were hit got back up and ran away, soon leaving Hoz alone to fight the beast.

“Get back here, you cowards!” Hoz yelled as he dodged a swipe from the creature, and Colin reached Rela who was crying. He set him down next to her and gestured to the house.

“Hide yourselves in there, ok? I’m gonna go help him,” he said quickly before giving the two a quick hug. Kori felt himself freeze up again as he watched Colin run towards the monster distracted by Hoz. He didn’t know what to do; he was too scared to move. He just wanted his papa.

Rela grabbed his arm and ran into the home, trying to move the boxes in front of the door while Kori stood there shaking. She shifted the home around to the best of her ability, straining to move the heavy boxes to the door.

“Kori, help me!” She cried, but Kori couldn’t move. Rela was only able to move a couple of boxes to the door, with a chair under the handle, and she finally pulled Kori into a cupboard, hugging him close as they stared wide-eyed in the darkness. Kori heard the muffled shouts of men along with roars from the monster. He cried quietly with his head against Rela’s, the sounds becoming agonizing to his long ears. It felt like hours that they were in the cupboard, fear of being found making Kori feel sick, but it eventually went silent. He glanced up and stared, straining his ears to hear something, anything. But it was silent.

“What is it?” Rela whispered, her voice shaking. Kori continued to listen, and he screamed when he heard loud banging on the door. Rela slapped her hand on his mouth and the two whimpered and shook as the banging continued. Kori curled further into Rela, trying to keep himself from sobbing. There was one more loud bang, then a crash of Rela’s makeshift barricade, then groans from two men.

“Rela? Kori?” The two heard Colin call out, and they scrambled out of the cupboard, ramming into Colin’s legs. Colin melted to the floor and hugged the two, a sigh of relief escaping him. “Thank the spirits,” he muttered in Rela’s hair.

“W-what happened?” Rela asked after pulling away. “Did you kill that monster?”

Colin sighed and shook his head. “No, but we led it away.”

“One of my men distracted it further into the woods,” Hoz continued to explain, staring anxiously out the door. “Glad to know that they’re useful for something.”

Colin gave him a look and stood up. “Shadow beasts are terrifying, give them more grace.”

“They are terrifying,” Hoz growled, stepping further into the home. “I fought them when they first invaded the castle ten years ago. I know how they work and what they are. But it is my duty to protect Hyrule, and it is their duty as well!” He turned away in a huff and looked outside again while Colin remained quiet. “I will not give them grace. If they didn’t want to be soldiers of Hyrule, then they should’ve stayed in the comfort of their home.”

Colin sighed and stood up. “Well, we’re not safe here. Let me take my sister and nephew back to Ordon, and I’ll help you chase after it.”

Hoz’s eyes widened and he nodded. “Very well. These young ones do not need to see such action.” He gave them a sympathetic look.

“Yeah, I saw a shadow beast when I was about nine,” Colin muttered, ruffling Kori and Rela’s hair. “It’s terrifying… I know it.”

Hoz hummed. “Yet you still came to my aid when my own men abandoned me.” he let out a chuckle. “You are the bravest man I’ve ever met.”

“O-Oh! W-well… I don’t know about that,” Colin laughed nervously, beginning to nudge Kori and Rela out the door.

“No, without a doubt. Your courage exceeds most of the soldiers of Hyrule! Have you ever considered joining the guard?”

Colin let out a sigh and drew his sword, watching the trees with unease as Kori and Rela stuck to his legs. “L-look, there are more important things right now.”

“Right,” Hoz cleared his throat and walked out of the house, his own sword drawn. “Let’s get these children home, then.”

The group quietly walked through the woods; despite it being light out, Kori couldn’t help but feel the danger of a shadow lurking in the corners. He kept his eyes sharp, looking for anything that moved. They reached the Faron spring and Kori hugged Colin’s legs tighter. It was uncomfortably silent, but from a distance, Kori heard the sounds of screams. Hoz seemed to pick up on it as well, and he looked around him, a worried look on his face. Colin and Rela seemed none the wiser, however, and they continued onward. A snap of a twig filled the air, and he felt Colin tense as a horse burst through the entrance with a distressed whinny.

“Penelope!” Hoz called out, and stopped her from charging, attempting to calm her down. But right behind the horse, a soldier came running before falling to the ground.

“C-captain!” He cried, and he screamed as he was pulled away. “Help me!”

Hoz ran to him, but he slipped from his fingers as the large shadow beast lifted the squirming soldier. Kori gasped when he saw other soldiers inside its abundant hands—one having two uncomfortably squished together. The shadow beast observed the soldier, but its gaze turned, and it fully faced Kori. Though it had no eyes, he could practically feel its gaze burning through him. He whimpered and hugged Colin tighter. Were they going to die?

The shadow beast dropped the soldier in its hand and charged at Kori. He let out a scream as Colin grabbed him and Rela and attempted to dodge the beast. They were successful in not being trampled, but the beast’s hand snagged Kori, and he laid in between the monster and Colin. He was frozen while laying on the ground, too scared to move and too scared to cry as the beast faced him again. It went in for another charge, but Hoz scooped Kori up and ran out of the way. Kori didn’t comprehend that he was being lifted onto the horse that charged through, and the captain dragged Colin and Rela to the horse as well.

“Young man, get to Castle town, tell Queen Zelda and King Edmund about this. I’ll hold it off.”

Colin climbed onto the horse with Kori in front and Rela behind, and he frowned at Hoz. “I can’t just leave you!”

“You must protect these little ones.” Hoz turned to see the shadow beast recovering from its second failure. The soldier it dropped earlier charged at it, and Hoz turned back to Colin. “What’s your name, young man?”

“I—Colin, sir.”

“I’ll never forget your courage, Colin. Now go! Tell her Highness about this!” Hoz hit Penelope’s behind and she took off running. Kori turned behind him to see Hoz draw his sword, facing the shadow beast with his one remaining soldier, the others remaining in its hands. Kori faced the front and let out a sob, wanting so badly to go back home to his stuffed animals with his papa and mommy holding him. Colin’s arms wrapped around him and he gave him a small peck on the head.

“It’ll be ok, Kori,” he said, his voice shaking as the horse ran through the woods, the trees looking like a blur of green and brown. Kori closed his eyes, praying to the light spirits and goddesses of Hyrule that he’d soon be waking up in his home, with this nightmare behind him.

#love at twilight #midlink #Kori #smiles wtites #WOOOOO #almost 10k words GOODNESS #let’s goooo #me reading the comments from the last update hehehehehhe #it was pretty funny know what was gonna happen this update UwU #anyways Kori!! my son!!!#hope you guys like this :)#Kori and Rela are polar opposites and I love them #Kori def has some sass thanks to her #rip Hoz #he’s not dead don’t worry #edit: thanks for beta reading bearie lmao

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