#other than that… the weather was v nice for the past 2 days

[asmallcafethatslove]

Walked at least 20k these past 3 days and my legs are dead 😭

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Au smoothie recipe #1

Welp... We have a recipe here :v

Thankfully it's not me cooking real food. Y'all aren't ready for THAT bandwagon. :'D

But I got boooorrrreeeed... And when I got boooorrrreeeed, I do stupid shit.

So I put a poll, a bit hidden, I admit. And got the results :3

It shouldn't have been a surprise that if I combine 3 of my most popular aus, that thing will be picked.

Maybe, in the future, I'll hold a surprise poll from time to time for another Au smoothie. Dw, the previous options that didn't win will be featured too, so you can have another shot at them. :3

Now... For our recipe! We need a bowl, then we put in:

2 cups of my first P5 Au

1 cup of Jumanji Au

5 tablespoons of DR Au.

mandatory quarter bottle of crack(fic genre)

Stirr well and wait for it to grow a bit. Sprinkle in some angst and fluff upon likes of y'all. Then put it in the mixer, add aprox a mental breakdown of your fave punching bag character and wait for the reading speed of your fave ship's new fic on a good day on the fastest option of the mixer. Pour it in a nice glass and add a pretty explanation format straw.

There you have it! :D

Honestly it took way more than I expected, but here we are :'3

Now let us enjoy this drink!

Alright... Let's start with where we starting like usual! Background! :D

We have your normal twst, except that it isn't normal. Due to the magic being rare amongst your usual, adult, crowd, it's more of a 1 in 10 people actually having magic. This complicates things for mages schools as they need students as well.

The reason I specifically said 'adult crowd', is because blot levels were very, VERY, sensible. To the point overblots are quite easy to achieve. And having do few people actually having magic, it was a given that technology compensated for it.

It's also mostly since, initially, some mages don't make it past 20 if they overBlot. It's not a common case, neither is it extremely rare. It is seen mostly like an incurable, spontaneous, illness. You are guaranteed to die if you overBlot and might also take some other people with you too.

But, since we were talking about magic schools, in order to compensate, the elite schools introduced the term of 'ultimate'. The best of the best at something. It allows for teens with incredible talents, weather they have magic or not, to hone their craft and thus work in the world with their talent. An ultimate was basically like a free entry to any university centered around the talent in question. Those people were hunted down by companies and marked for them endless opportunities in their craft aera.

Once the said ultimate finishes school, they lose that title, but that doesn't mean that their talent is gone too, hence why this hype. It allows for multiple people to gain this title in time. Hence, schools are doing this testing yearly, in case of someone previously known as no ultimate talent to suddenly have one, bcs the one before them left it.

Thus, the title of ultimate was much more wanted and respected than the title of mage.

Since an ultimate was hard to determine, for such thing, powerful magic artefacts of introspection were used. Such artefacts were so rare, most of them were the only exemplary altogether. Those were special due to their ability to peer in someone's mind and memories and able to tell if that person has a draw to something, a hidden talent or more.

The most powerful and well known artefact of this kind was, of course, the dark mirror.

Now, fast forward to our time. We have Lilia's 2nd year orientation. This year, Silver was starting his first year as well. Of course, before the 1st years were even introduced at all, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years all have to be examined for an ultimate change. Clearly there were a few rare cases for such thing and Lilia was not amongst them. He was an exceptional mage, but with no ultimate.

So far, one who did get a title change, was Trey, who gained his 'ultimate baker' title. He was the only one out of our (in game) 3rd year main cast. :3

As for the 2nd(in game) years, they first get assigned their ultimates. And thus they are introduced to how this whole thing works:

The dark mirror looks in one's soul and tells them their talent. But because this is such an intimate soul search, only the one evaluated gets to hear, then they only sign if they had an ultimate, OPTIONALLY specify what exactly, and let the mirror go on the normal way to assign them a dorm.

The only exception is the Ramshackle students, who are magicless, thus they automatically have an ultimate.

Lilia only takes note of a few particular students. First of all, there was this Azul guy, who got in Octavinelle, but didn't sign the register of ultimates, followed by a pair of twins who both signed. There was a hyena boy, put in Savanaclaw, with no ultimate, then the next particular one was the infamous Asim and his buddy, who both signed in the register.

Then, there was one last guy before Silver. Lilia particularly kept an eye on him, because his son was next, thus his attention was lazer focused on the ceremony now.

The guy seemed hesitant. By how he looked at the register for a hot second, Lilia knew that the guy hesitated before marking something off on the register and leaving in a hurry.

Then it came to Silver! And he got an ultimate! Yay! :D

Silver was the ultimate dream analyst and in diasomnia to boot, thus Lilia was extremely happy for his son. Malleus, who attended this year, was also down to congratulate Silver, since he as well had an ultimate: the ultimate librarian. The oddest of talents one would associate with THE Malleus Draconia, but the latter seemed very happy with it.

Lilia did ask Silver what was up with the guy before him. Silver says that he and one of the twins that went first caused a small commotion, but the twin got thrown across the room while the older years were examinated, which made people to believe that the short guy was a freakishly strong mage.

Lilia advises Silver to put up good with the guy and maybe they could be friends and study together. It would be in his benefit after all.

The guy before Silver was none other than Riddle, who was pretty shaken up by what ultimate he was assigned. He was given an ultimate, but the said ultimate was a controversial one, thus he specifically wrote in the registry 'do not mention at any cost', which gave away the idea that it was something private, shameful at best and downright dangerous at worst.

This is why specifying was optional. There could be good talents, titles that can bring opportunities and then there could be titles that put in danger people by their mere name alone.

And Riddle himself would take to the grave his talent.

On his first night in the dorm, the redhead was forced to call his mother, but he lied and told her that he had no ultimate title. It came with a berating session and an abrupt call, but Riddle found it better than the actual truth.

Back to Diasomnia, Lilia had to deal with one lil unexpected surprise: Floyd. Floyd didn't want at all in this dorm. He wanted specifically to be with his twin and Azul, who both were in Octavinelle. Lilia figured that these 2 could've been in any other place, thus it wasn't a bias towards some dorm. And Floyd was cranky and refused to even go to dinner.

In between us, maybe that was the best call Floyd ever did out of his pettiness that night.

Silver reported the next day that Floyd didn't want to talk to him at all. He only glared and puffed, which, frankly, was pretty hard to understand exactly what bothered him.

What Lilia did not expect tho, was that after the first school day, to meet with Azul and Jade. Azul declared loud and proud that he needs to talk with Malleus, which got Lilia surprised, because not even mages with ultimates would speak about such things as if Malleus was their equal. Of course, the latter was polite and Jade was, more or so, silent in this matter.

Upon a small talk towards diasomnia dorm, Lilia finds out that Jade's ultimate was actually private and so was Floyd's. Only Azul knows about those and he also said he won't disclose unless the twins request that of him.

At Diasomnia, watch Malleus be absolutely bewildered. He's doing the shocked Pikachu face for a solid 10 minutes when Lilia told him about Azul wanting to talk to him and the said 2nd year also presenting himself next to his vice, fully ready to have the said talk and addressing to Malleus in a friendly and polite manner, but most importantly, friendly. He was friendly with him. No one on this ever loving earth did this befoe(except Silver) and for Malleus it was mind-blowing.

Meanwhile, Floyd hung only around Jade and only talked with Jade. The latter reprimanded his twin for wearing his dorm uniform sloppily, but it wasn't that important, as Jade assured his brother that Azul's taking care of things.

As for the discussion, Malleus notes that Azul is no Dormhead, nor does he bring fame to his name, thus what is the purpose of this conversation. The latter admits to it, but his purpose is to transfer Floyd into Octavinelle. Azul points out the fact that Floyd was uncooperative and in a foul mood all day. And he warns that it will only get worse as time goes by. So Azul's merely taking this problem off Malleus's shoulders, but if he wants something in exchange, a service or material gain, the latter could arrange to fit the criteria.

And Malleus thinks for a bit. He sees it as such: 'this bold human came to him to discuss a matter of transfer so that Malleus won't have to deal with Floyd's moods. Not only that, but he also offers anything in his capability to compensate for the transfer.'. Clearly, from all of this, Malleus was the one in gain. The Fae saw no problem in Floyd just hanging out outside of the dorm or after classes, but Azul insisted on that transfer and, frankly, why not actually get a gain out of it, since it was so important.

And so, Malleus puts his terms on the table: he wants an engagement in between them. Azul is absolutely taken aback by this, not having any idea what to say. This guy is asking for an engagement of all things. Sure, if it's a business engagement or a temporary service, Azul would've said yes in a heartbeat. But Malleus said it was just an engagement. A plain engagement. Of course, Azul's mind jumped to the base meaning of the term used alone.

So he asks for a few seconds to talk to the twins about it. In truth, in those few seconds, Azul merely looked at the 2 from a distance, the twins unaware the latter came in the same room before Azul already went back.

And he accepts, insisting that he will be a loyal spouse in all there is to be. Seeing this declared dedication, besides signing Azul's um contract, Malleus also binds the 2 of them with the engagement tie, a Fae traditional spell which ties together 2 or more future spouses and tells other Fae off from engaging in any action that might affect the tie, including bringing harm onto one of the tied.

Azul accepts it and as such, tells the latter that tomorrow he will come to officially settle the matters of the transfer. The contract Malleus signed was used only for Floyd's transfer, as such Azul insisted that he must show this first to his dormleader and make the formal proceedings with him as well.

Malleus is just fucking happy. He got himself a friendly guy to stay around with and he also prevented a future problem from taking place, by helping the pair of twins to also be happy. He feels proud of himself, because it's a win-win in his eyes. :3

And Azul pointed, rather as a small talk, that a grotesque at the window was pretty, which Malleus immediately was over the moon since 'YES! SOMEONE FINALLY UNDERSTANDS THE DIFFERENCE!'. His lil mind is doing flips atm for choosing a good engagement partner.

Yeah, Malleus, dear... That's not how things work, but go off I guess. :'D

When the twins heard about the actual deal, they lost their shit. Floyd wanted to barehandedly strangle Malleus, insisting that Azul went too far for this. Jade is the more rational one, saying that they are talking about one of the strongest mages in existence. Malleus thought he gained something through this engagement, but if they play their cards right, they could use the fae for their own gain. After all, if Malleus breaks off the engagement, then it's clearly no big loss for Azul as long as they keep on professional terms at least. Jade tries to see the positive side in all of this, which, frankly, was quite a bit to take in account.

Especially since Malleus, fully set on being an exemplary spouse, complies to any and all proceedings Azul mentions. Not only that, but Malleus's status alone intimidated the 3rd year Octavinelle Dormhead into giving out his position to Azul, as a means of getting on the fae's good side.

Of course, Azul insisted for the engagement to be kept private, for the sole purpose of not influencing his hard work. Malleus didn't want to comply to that, but upon Lilia also insisting on this, he had to throw in the towel on that matter. It wasn't the last of it in Malleus's eyes, but he's going to accept defeat for now.

While that was going on, we also have Riddle siezing his Dormhead position on his first day of school, the fastest leader change in the school history, along with Scarabia enjoying their newly renovated dorm, and later down the line, Kalim becoming a Dormhead, with Jamil as his vice.

Along those, there were a few overBlot cases, but, again, it wasn't something particularly rare. It was an unfortunate reality, but students had to get used to this grimm truth, hence why there were special blot courses, meant to try and prevent mages from overusing their magic. Only 3 overblots this year! A surprisingly small amount!

That was also because of shadows. Some new blot branch, manifested as these monsters of desire that ran wild. Normal magic seems to do nothing against them, Malleus's magic as well, rendered useless, so you either had to get physical, entrap it or run away. It made the blot level to decrease considerably and not pile up that easy anymore.

What was also a notable event, was the rise of the Phanthom thief. One individual who is able to destroy these Phanthoms by summoning strange magical spirits, of course, not without stealing the object the shadows latched onto. Most times it's just jewelry, hence the title of 'Phanthom thief'. Those people want their jewellery back after all. :'3

They do get found, mostly in the lost and found cardboard box Crowley put next to the teachers lounge. So there's usually a pile of people there after the thief sighting.

Now that we have the background, we can finally get a taste of the plot. :'D

We start off with Epel and Ortho. Epel was surprised to see a robot of all people getting taken in the school. Ortho took interest in Epel, after the latter apparently ran into a fight with Vil of all people. Slowly, while waiting for their turns, the 2 clicked together and befriended each other.

Epel was first, getting assigned the title of 'ultimate carver', while Ortho was given 'ultimate programer'. He was very happy since it matched with his big brother's ultimate too!

Both get yeeted in different dorms. Ortho in Ignihyde, while Epel in Poemfiore. Still they managed to exchange numbers and are more than hyped about the possibility of sharing classes together.

They don't share almost any class. And besides, Sebek was in Ortho's class, which Epel didn't like the loud cabbage. Ortho tho, was willing to give the latter a chance at least, since they were deskmates. (Sebek, you have to comply to the friendship attempts for F's sake)

It turns out Sebek's actually a pretty cool guy. As the ultimate bodyguard, he was more than happy to share his training routine with Epel, who immediately was down on trying to train with him. Ortho was content with simply watching from the sidelines and remininding these 2 try-harders to keep themselves hydrated and not collapse on the ground.

As for our pre-established peeps, Lilia was not happy with Malleus's lack of implication in his engagement. At this point he popped rarely to see Azul. The latter would give him fridge notes with the dormleader meetings, but Malleus forgot about them and thus Lilia couldn't say he wasn't warned in advance. So he mostly nags him for forgetting.

There's also our lovely Octa-trio who are thriving. Azul's engagement was forgotten a few times, if it wasn't for Malleus just popping at a convenient time. Azul always wore gloves, so the mark on his hand wasn't seen by anyone except the twins and Malleus, who had the same mark too.

There's also Heartslabyul, who are actually pretty chill. Riddle felt so bad trying to reprimand his dorm members, but when they did go over the line, they would get collared. The line was pretty high, but it could've been much higher if Riddle didn't feel that sense of guilt. Cater did bring it up a few times and Trey also tried to talk with the redhead about this, but it proved futile last year, so this year they didn't try it out yet.

Now, we have to follow a bit Adeuce, Yuu and Grim. Yuu was a magicless and titless student, who was brought as a mistake and unable to return to their world. Thus they were welcomed in Ramshackle to stay and serve their job as a school janitor. Grim also joined them as a 2 parter and things mostly go like in cannon, except that this time, their official school position is 'school assistant' and not prefect.

The difference is that when Ace steals the tart, he meets a not so excited Riddle, who was literally too tired to deal with this bullshit. He collars Ace and tells him that tomorrow he should replace the eaten tart, for the upcoming unbirthday party. The ginger doesn't take it lightly, him understanding that basically he's kicked out of the dorm. So he stomps away, pretty mad about it.

It takes Riddle a bit to realise that Ace actually left the dorm, so he tries to catch up with him and prevent Ace from bothering some other dorm at this ungodly hour.

That's when he runs into some shadows and a blot monster that followed from the mines.

That's also when we find out that Riddle was the said Phanthom thief all along. The fight drains him out completely, thus the redhead had to abandon his initial task of retrieving Ace, which translated as a poorly slept night and a cranky morning. Naturally, Trey and Cater called out the redhead when he was a bit too harsh, but in the end, Riddle did comply and insisted that he'll take some rest before the unbirthday party.

Still, Riddle's mood wasn't better all day. Everything was just piling up, including Adeuce and their shenanigans along the magicless student with no title and that lil monster of theirs. Still, to show some hospitality and settle the matters straight, Riddle forgives Ace, demands for the maroon tart to be put in the kitchen fridge and eaten after the party and indulges for Yuu and Grim to participate as well.

Trey and Cater fill in our braincell club about the fact that Riddle gives easy into his emotions, but he doesn't mean harm at all. You just have to get used to the more important rules and you are good to go.

Of course, chaos wasn't yet over. When the magishift tournament gets announced, ofc like in cannon, Crowley is out for cheese so our gang investigates these misterious accidents.

On another side, Ortho is very happy since his brother finally allowed him to get in the magishift team this year. Epel and Sebek do congratulate their buddy, knowing that Ortho, at least, was very hyped about magishift. Not enough to actually join the club, but the thrill of the tournament was the primary factor after all.

Although, Sebek really wanted to bring in question the fact that this robot boy had pretty darn powerful weapons at a finger's disposal. Sebek really doubted that wasn't a factor in Idia's skepticism on the matter.

The 3 were also in the Ignihyde lounge, since it was the quietest place and little to none was there a chance they would get interrupted by someone.

Still, they get cut off by Idia himself, who was pretty serious. The latter didn't even try to be gentle about it, he cut it straight to the case: Ortho was denied of being in the magishift line-up. This, of course, got Ortho enraged. Like what do you mean you allow him and then immediately take it back?! Bro... Settle on the matter already!

Idia tho, insists that, as his big brother, he couldn't let Ortho on the line-up on a good consciousness. This raises some questions from Epel and Sebek, since they did hear Idia declare things before to Ortho and usually he stated 'as your dormhead', meaning that this was not an official thing.

After Idia does leave, Epel brings it up the said phrase change. Ortho also seems to finally pick it up and wonder about it. He says that usually Idia reminds him that he's the oldest, mostly when he's trying to tell 'I'm worried for you and you are my responsibility', thus downplaying the actual severity of the situation as just him overreacting. It was a big red flag for the 3 once they trace down the fact that Idia must've had some important reason for his refusal. A reason concerning Ortho's safety first and foremost.

Thus, they also start investigating! :D

They run into our braincell club, who were there to question Ortho and Sebek, since these 2 were promising first years on the line-ups, further proving that Idia didn't change the line-up yet or was a spontaneous decision caused by smth.

Riddle's also there, saying that he, himself, was staged for such an accident, but Trey took the fall. So they want to prevent other students from getting into similar accidents.

Except that it seems that the accident was meant to happen now, as Ortho's senzors go hairwire, causing the latter to immediately 'drop dead'. It's a technique the latter explains is for safety reasons, when controlling magic tries to get a hold of his body. Something tried to control his body and the system's magic detectors went off. Thus Ortho adapted and went limp, specifically to confuse whoever tried to get a hold of his body.

We get to see Ruggie (courtesy of Sebek's loud yelling) and the hyena boy tries to play it cool.

Except that Riddle catches his hand mid act, revealing that Ruggie stole Adeuce, Epel and Sebek's pens already and wanted to take the redhead's and Cater's too. Of course, being held down, Ruggie had to give them away and Riddle collared him as well, trying to take him to his dorm and hold a proper questioning there.

Ruggie tho, uses the first second Riddle shows any vulnerability/distraction to yank himself off and run, collar on still. Riddle was too tired to keep up the pace and Sebek with Epel were helping Ortho back up. But fear not! Ace's the ultimate lucky student, so surely they could have a chance. Right?

Wrong. :'D

But they had a collar on Ruggie! Surely that could count for smth!

Apparently not, since the very next day, Ruggie has no collar and everything is going fine for him. He was avoiding the 2 investigation groups tho, which made it especially hard when other savanaclaw students were suddenly hit by that pack solidarity.

Although, Riddle was fuming. Like man had literally 0 tolerance now. He saw Ruggie, off he was to find an excuse to bend the guy in half. He saw the hyena and immediately he saw red. So the others usually holded him from actually starting a nasty fight.

Ortho tho, does some actual pin-pointing and violates some privacy laws, but he gets Ruggie's latest transactions, on Leona's card, ofc. A few were made at the Monstro Lounge, which was a bit sus. So Ortho decides to look further into it, especially since he knew well that Azul had some soft eyes for Idia, thus here comes the baby brother perk of softening Azul's guard enough to allow Ortho to have a small 'study session' with Azul. The payment, ofc, was made too.

The 3 find out that Azul has no ultimate and he admits that having an ultimate seems a bit grounding for some. There was that expectation put on the ultimates. At the same time, an ultimate title was something Azul wished he had. He wished he would be apart of the school elites: the mages with an ultimate to boot. Alas, he declares that he's well off for himself and his main priority is his flourishing business. :3c

But, of course, there's a perfectly convenient commotion outside, which gets Azul to leave Ortho alone for a bit. In response, Ortho manages to hack through the safe password and look through the golden contracts. He finds Leona's contract pretty easy since it was fresh atm. He does photograph it and puts it back, making sure Azul won't suspect anything.

So post that, Ortho shows Epel and Sebek the said contract, which was for a magic enchanting potion. The 3 want to show this to the other investigation team, but it seems like both had in mind to meet up, because the braincell club find them and requested of Sebek to send to Malleus a warning.

Apparently the braincell club meet with Jack, who helped them piece together the whole scheme regarding the accidents. And now Riddle was devising a plan to counter this.

Ortho, Epel and Sebek bring up the potion contract. Riddle assures them that he'll get that taken care of. The exchange was meant to be on the tournament morning, so there was a small window where the potion is at Ruggie and thus, the prime time to take it. Azul would have his contract fulfilled and thus there couldn't be handed a replacement.

The big day comes and finally, our shortie gang all are all meeting each other. Riddle came in later, showing that he did get the potion. The how was irrelevant in the redhead's words.

Still, there's a bigass sandstorm, which does manage to hit the decoy diasomnia team. Leona and Savanaclaw still cheer for their supposed 'win', so our group had to burst their bubble. :'3

Cue overBlot fight! :D

Post that shit, things mostly wrap up like in cannon, with the mention that Ortho got his place in the magishift team, despite Idia forbidding him at first. :3

Post that, finally the realisation sinks in everyone's heads. Leona overBlotted. And survived! No one died that day and everyone started to look at the lion Beastman as some alive legend. No one thought it was remotely possible to be snapped out of overBlot and survive, but here he was, in flesh and bones.

So, at the end of the day, Leona didn't win any tournament, but he got a title of 'the first'. He was the first ever recorded person to overBlot and survive it.

But, this wasn't a long lived hot topic.

Because, right after the tournament, a body was discovered in the Savanaclaw lounge. It was drowned in the pool and students were freaking out since 'wtf is this?!'. Azul, naturally, was spooked, since that student was from his dorm and he looked yesterday all over for him since he was on inventory duty today. The student was one with no ultimate, just with magic, so Azul didn't see why they would have anything remotely to envy at first glance. Still, he gets his way to be mainly involved in the investigation as the Dormhead of the deceased.

That seemed to strike a fear in everyone for a bit. Still, Riddle tried to concentrate with his studies.

Except that, because of the said death, the teachers also had a load of bullshit to take in account, so Riddle found himself on detention overlooking duty.

And it so happened that one detention, he had to supervise Epel, Ortho and Lilia cleaning the basement. It seemed like Crowley always said that the detention punishment wasn't at the latitude of the teachers, but the all universal ✨basement cleaning✨. So really, Riddle knew by now that it didn't matter how grave the mistake was, the punishment was the same.

The 4 end up passing some time and clean a bit, until Ortho stumbles upon a box of goodies. Inside there were old comics, photos, letters and other trinkets. You can imagine these 4 had a blast when they read the sappy romance letters from a girl. The old comics were still well kept, so they also gave them a quick read, even if the pages were yellowed from the time and dust gathered on them.

The photos tho, showed a boy from Ignihyde, quite young, smiling happily. They couldn't really say that the guy resembled anyone they knew, but in a few photos he had a kitten, just as big as his palm. There were also some photos with a girl too, or with other boys that were his colleagues. Pretty standard things.

Riddle did wonder what does such a personal box have to be in a school basement? The answer comes at the bottom of the box, where there's another box, but this time it was a board game, titled 'Jumanji'. Being excited over the game, the group unknowingly ditched the cleaning and got a table to set it up and play.

Cue choosing characters. Ortho got first, while Riddle had to pick the very last character left. Lilia did bring up that the redhead looked uneasy, even seemed like he dreaded to play a character meant to be a thief, but Epel just says that it might be because it's a thief and it only adds up to the pile of 'rulebreaker' characters Riddle despises.

Cue the game actually being fucking cursed. :'D

So the 4 now got their characters's species and powers. Lilia was probably the chillest one. Ortho tho, was absolutely bewildered, since, unlike the rest, when he woke up from the knockout, all of his robot pieces were on the floor. The rest do question that tho. :v

It turns out Ortho was a human. But he was meant to be dead if it wasn't for his big brother making an armour meant to keep him alive and allow him to enjoy life like any other person. Ortho keeps his big brother in high-regards for this, so to see that he was fully healed and in top shape, is a miracle. He never thought he would catch a day where he could wear normal clothes and actually feel the fabric itself on his body. He was SO thrilled about it.

Epel and Riddle tho, were in the unhappy corner. Epel bcs 'I'm not a fucking macho strong fish :(' and Riddle bcs 'I literally changed species, I'm so screwed'.

The 4 tho, still have to play the game and finish it. :v

If you know my jumanji oneshot, it goes almost like in there, with the mention that there wasn't a parent-teacher meet, rather a meeting with parents regarding the overBlot and the death of the Octavinelle student.

Azul wasn't at all pleased with the verdict given, regarding the murder. The students were more focused now on the shortie gang and their game adventures and the adults were buying Crowley's statements because they didn't know any other detail.

The Verdict in question? The student commited suicide. Now, Azul was ruled out of the equation, because he was his Dormhead and it wasn't exam period, nor did that particular student made any deal. They seemed happy with their paycheck and pretty carefree from other students's Intel. Still, look where they are now. The friend group of the deceased was getting questioned and Azul found himself going in between those questionings, to try and prolong the investigation.

Malleus, again, was more than passive, so Azul couldn't count on him. Floyd was pretty shaken up by the jumanji adventure, or at least the things he saw going on in the lounge and Jade was helping with the damage control, even if everything was magically fixed at the end.

He instead counts on Idia, the ultimate robotics engineer, to help him out, by trying to see on the cameras any trace of the victim. Azul gave the dates and managed to narrow it down to a specific interval. After that, the cameras cut off due to the implemented 'sleep hour', to make the electricity bill cheaper. Again, a decision done by crow man, which Azul found to be damning at best.

Idia also opens up a bit and tells Azul about this jumanji game and how Ortho gave him nearly a heart attack. He was so caught off-guard by this sudden reality-bending magic and how it healed Ortho in an instant and also added some height too. Rosehearts was a dragon, Epel a siren, Vanrogue a vampire. And all with '3 lives' as stated by the younger Shroud. Idia found it wierd, but after that parent meeting, the game was, apparently 'finished'. Before Azul could ask about the game, Idia says that Ortho and his buddies destroyed it, because it was 'something that shouldn't be used by anyone'.

Azul also takes note of it.

Meanwhile, back to our shortie gang, it had to go back to getting used to the changes made by the game. Trein was a nice man and helped them out, even if sometimes these mfs would get annoying with questions about those old photos and letters. :'3

Still, now that they grew closer, the group also observed how reserved Riddle was. He would dissappear at certain times and no one knew where he was. Trey said that this happened even last year, so it wasn't something unusual. He just goes deadbeat for an hour or so, then he's back like nothing happened.

The new nurse was also Riddle's father, who explained that, at the moment, the home life is a bit rocky so he understands if his son needs some space alone. After all, he came to NRC as a nurse to put some distance in between him and his wife, now future ex due to the upcoming divorce.

So in desire to show their support, Epel, Ortho and Lilia try to hang-out more with Riddle. Help him out and overall trying to 'keep his mind off the home life' for a while.

Riddle finds this absolutely troublesome. :v

It is through this insistence and the absolute shitshows these 3 caused when they followed him in the middle of the night, that the redhead has to come clean and say 'hey, it's not about my home life, it's about the shadows roaming around.'. He was stressed because the shadows were in an all-time height, always 3 or 4 roaming per night. Riddle was overwhelmed by those. He was the ultimate thief, a talent that helped him manifest a persona and be able to fight the shadows.

Epel and Ortho are so hyped by the idea that their buddy over here was THE phantom thief. Like, please, they want a slice of that action too. Lilia seems to be the more rational one and says that maybe, since everything's overwhelming, Riddle should tell exactly what he needs. They could help him. What are friends for, after all?

They also tell this to Trein, because he was also the one who basically has them under a protective wing of sorts. The latter vows to keep the secret and so, he may sometimes indulge Riddle falling asleep in his class. :'3

Up until the exam period, shadows roam around so much that it runs poor Riddle dry. It doesn't help that, because of their involvement in this and the dire situations it puts them in, the rest of the squad also unlocks personas. Imagine their hype when they also get badass costumes and weapons too. Although the hype is a bit salty when they realise only Riddle could have multiple personas. Thus he was deemed the leader of the thief operations.

Watch Trein get even more grey hairs due to these mfs. :'3

BUT! Exams also come around. Riddle did indulge to have Sebek and Silver to join their small study group for the exams. The 2 weren't much of a bother. Jack also joined down the line, when he said that Adeuce weren't that keen on learning and Yuu was way too busy trying to study and also teach Grim.

They get noice scores. Ortho even scores a 99, second highest after Riddle, so he rubs it in Epel's face. :'D

But, this also starts the chain of anemones. From Epel's Intel, Jack went with Yuu to Octavinelle to address the anemone problem. Riddle tho, insists that he doesn't want to get involved with Azul's shady shit at all, especially the anemones.

Cue the braincell club doing sum shit, Azul overblotting and even more shadows roaming around post that.

Again, no one died from the overBlot, which was another miracle. Students were stunted about this. :v

Also we get Malleus barging in because he felt the engagement mark and, unfortunately, in all of his panic he forgot he could've actually teleported. The only time this guy doesn't use his magic for trivial things is the only time it actually proves to be important. :'3

In all this chaos, Floyd's transfer contract gets destroyed. Which meant, by the terms, that Floyd would have to transfer to Diasomnia, as he couldn't stay in Octavinelle anymore. Ofc, the latter instead transfers to Heartslabyul, thus abusing of a loophole in the contract. Riddle was taken aback by this sudden addition, but he indulged it, since Floyd stood almost 24/7 in Octavinelle to help Azul recover from his overBlot.

Also we have Malleus trying to be a better fiancé and actually take care of Azul. Finally Lilia punted sum sense in his thick af skull. :'3

The next day, in Octavinelle, a body is discovered. Malleus discovers it when he went to fetch sum food for Azul. Clearly, at that, Azul ditched the bed and immediately was on to investigate before crow man or anyone else would come and tamper with it.

It was a Scarabia student and he was clearly murdered. Azul had a bad feeling about it, so he calls in Idia, saying to come here and check the lounge's cameras.

Again, during this 'sleep hour' the cameras were off, which was wierd, since Azul swore that the lounge cameras were independent of the school ones. He asked Idia to run a few diagnostics on the cameras, but nothing was out of the ordinary, besides the fact that those were manually set to turn off at the 'sleeping hour'.

Malleus doesn't understand all this, so he demands of Azul to tell him why is Idia involved, why there was a literal murder in the lounge and why was Azul all over this? Leona only did the formalities and complied when that student died in his dorm. Why does Azul keep on making things so difficult for police and staff to proceed with a conclusion?

Azul says that something is fishy. That the verdicts are wrong. Crowley is padding up this thing to make it seem like some depressed students just ending it all. Indeed, the Verdict was the very same as in the case of the first victim, which was enough for Azul to link those 2 together.

Malleus was just not understanding anything. Idia had a vague idea, but both were in the dark about wtf is Azul onto. Like this dude has no chill when he clearly needs to rest. :'v

Meanwhile, for Riddle, things were awkward. Now, don't get him wrong, things were pretty messy around now. Still, the main reason for his awkwardness was that he both got to dating Floyd of all people, but the divorce case will commence during the winter holiday, so he'll be obligated to attend and his mother will see what happened to him.

Ortho is all like: 'if you want, we can hack in the legal files and add homicide on your mother's'. Ah yes, the easy way out :3

This time, Lilia sees the winter holiday as fit to have Malleus deal with his romance problems. He has to work with this guy, bcs Sebek can and will unintentionally rizz people, while Silver has that dad approval™ in getting a date.

But Malleus? Malleus would be the whole package, IF he wasn't so incapable of picking social cues. Someone has to educate him and by heavens Lilia would be that person.

So while trying to work on this, they hear that Azul is still looking into the murder case, which brought him and the twins in Scarabia. So seeing it as a perfect setting, Lilia yeets Malleus in there and hopes that maybe Kalim's friendly and outgoing personality will rub onto Malleus a bit.

Malleus comes back 3 days later and explains that an overBlot occurred and the next morning, some poemfiore student was found dead, stabbed by the fountain head. So Azul again jumped on the conspiracy bandwagon. :'D

But what Azul finds, this time, is something odd... More exactly the blood placement. It looked too artificially put. So he deems it fit to ask Jade about it.

Now it turns out, Jade is the ultimate evidence analyst, thus he could determine things such as counterfeits or unnatural marks on things. And indeed, just as Azul predicted, the blood was fake. It was placed there to induce people in error.

Error, which Azul has to note it down meticulously. Upon further investigation, the poemfiore student fit the same criteria as the other 2 before them: a mage with no ultimate. Jade and Floyd do priquire some curiosity, but for now, Azul insists on one thing: keep this overBlot under wraps. Under no circumstances does this need to get public.

And here is where Malleus and Idia come into play. Malleus, bcs he wants to prove that he's a caring fiancé. Idia because Azul promised him a month of 80% discount at the lounge. :'3

One would be foolish to breach Malleus's wish of keeping this under the wraps. And Idia was the best man when it comes to actually keeping the media quiet about this. Azul thought that he had a foolproof plan, thinking that only the scarabia students and Yuu are involved.

He was fucking wrong.

The second that winter holiday ended, outrageous news about the murder were out and about. Everyone and their grandma knew of what happened. They didn't know of the overblot, but they knew of the murder that occurred, or as told by Crowley: 'another student falling on an unfortunate path'.

As for Riddle? He's praying, alright? Lilia and Ortho were the ones who filled him and Epel on the real deal.

So it strikes him as very freaky that he saw the exact same guy on the street, back in the queendom of roses. They meet by coincidence and with some small talk, Riddle found out that the student in question was expelled overnight. He just woke up one day and he was expelled.

So with a bit of digging on ortho's side, our lil thieves group find some info about the past murder victims and even 'visit' them(aka, spying from afar to check if the guy is alive).

Lilia also compiles the news statements and articles from Malleus, who got a copy from Azul's conspiracy board. And they figure that something is wrong. Something is striking way too familiar to their Jumanji session.

So they also share this with Trein. That's when the old man admits that he found the game in the library archive from NRC. He didn't know why it was there, but at that time, the ghosts said that it was unregistered and he was let to keep it for himself. Trein also adds that at that time, it was another headmaster. Crowley came after them, so there was little hope that crow man could be actually useful in recalling shit.

But woe! VDC be upon thy!

Ortho is struggling to have his brother give a proper speech. He is very much contemplating if he should straight up drag his brother in like a kidnapping attempt or bribe him out. Either way it ends up futile because Idia has to pull through a presentation and q&a section.

The others really wanted to help, but Epel was forced by Vil in the VDC group even before the auditions were announced. Lilia and Ortho also were planning to audition, but the latter didn't really have many hopes regarding it, admitting that maybe Vil was a bit freaked out when he saw this cutesy twinkish looking boy punch a hole through a brick wall. He still has a few loose ends when it comes to his super strength. :'3

So they admittedly leave the matter of Idia to Trein and Riddle. Why Trein too? Because Trein was Idia's homewroom teacher and by seven did this man promise he won't retire until he sees this boyflop execute a coherent sentence in front of a crowd. Making Leona graduate is far easier than this. :'3

Also because Riddle is chosen to be in charge of the festivities this year. Hooray! They choose the local fire-breathing semi-kleptomaniac! :D

The odd thing is that Azul is much more nosey this time. At first he excused it as him checking in on Floyd. But Riddle could see that he aimed for something else. Mainly, the documents regarding the festival activities. While all the dormheads had a schedule and basic knowledge of the program, Riddle, as the head organiser, had access to much more information. Information which Azul wanted.

And it wasn't like he could use Floyd as an excuse. Neither Malleus worked. Riddle was a dragon now. So Malleus, as a draconic Fae, is less superior when it comes to respect in the Fae traditionalism. So he must respect the alleged 'territory' of Riddle(his dorm). He only mingles when he feels like his territory(dorm and Azul) is threatened.

But due to his 'bold moves', Malleus is concerned for Azul's wellbeing. It all comes to a great halt when the octavinelle dormhead is apart of an accident on the still in work sets.

This leads to the meeting between Azul and Mr Rosehearts, who won the custody in the divorce case. The man insisted for Azul to stay in the infirmary for a bit, due to the nasty wound at the legs. And Malleus, skeptical at best, had to allow it. So Floyd and Jade often come by to fill Azul in on things around.

Mr Rosehearts does recognise Floyd as his son's boyfriend, but doesn't dab too much into it. He only passively mentioned that Riddle was racking his brain on how to make Idia attend a presentation.

Azul perks at that and asks Floyd to nudge Riddle so that Azul will take care of Idia. If he does that, Riddle would become indebted to him and thus Azul will get access to the extra documents from the festival.

But what Riddle figures instead is that HE should set up Idia on a date, as to convince him out. And what better candidate than 2 smitten Malleus Draconia and Azul Ashengrotto.

So the auditions finish! Ortho and Lilia don't pass. For Ortho, he wasn't that bummed, while Lilia considered that his performance was satisfactory enough. :'3

Epel was out with the VDC camp and, naturally it makes the Shadow fighting job harder. Add to it the stress of the up and coming festival.

When that shit comes tho... We have an overblot. :'3

And after that, Grim goes hairwire, starting a bit of chaos in ramshackle. Add salt to the wound, Ortho comes to the thief group with the news that Grim is wanted by STIX. He is still gripping onto the secret that he is an executive of STIX, but within the group, it's more of a glass closet than anything at this point. The others didn't question how Ortho had access to classified information, so he isn't elaborating :'3

So it turns in a big chase for Grim. There's the ramshackle ultimates, who needed Grim in order to participate to other magic-oriented events(also bcs Grim is their friend), Azul, who figured Grim has something to do with this conspiracy thing going on, the phantom thieves, who wanted to stop this mess, the other dormheads that were appointed by crow man and the Shroud brothers, who got very clear orders to capture Grim or call for backup if this is too hard.

So 5 different motives for 5 different 'groups', but ultimately it ends up with the same target: the rampaging Grim.

Ortho is the one who catches Grim, but not without a hefty fight. So it comes down to a decision: either give Grim to the phantom thieves or hand him to STIX. He ends up with the first one, presenting Riddle with the situation. They need to keep Grim somewhere where the others won't even think to search at. So he suggests the Ignihyde dorm, due to how little is frequented by anyone outside the dorm.

That way, Ortho feels like he's shooting 2 birds with 1 stone.

Except that he doesn't, because after the whole culture festival is wrapped up, charons break in. And Ortho is absolutely done and over with all this bullshit. :'3

So what's going on? Well Riddle tags along Epel, Rook and Yuu towards STIX, leaving Lilia and Trein to cover up for them at school. We get the reveal that the Shroud Bros are in charge of STIX until their parents come back from a very important trip. Ortho bagged his brother to let him handle the guests and while Idia wouldn't want to greet Rook of all people, it was either that or deal with the wants of the 4 NRC problematic kids, so pick your poison, Idia. :'3

1 round of rock paper scissors later and Ortho ends up with the NRC problematic kids. He just mentally prepares for the bigass nag Riddle would give him later. :'3

One thing that was painfully clear for Ortho tho, was that the 'subjects' were very curious about his situation. They knew him as a robot before, so to see him... well... a human... It was mind blowing. Ortho briefly explains that it was a mishap and while he originally was a human on hi-tech life support, now he's healthy and better than ever in terms of physical condition.

But a good point is brought up: Ortho was seen dying during his play in Jumanji. Vil saw him and the others recall that his 'playmates' also experienced those things. They weren't necessarily very private moments unfortunately. For some reason, Azul was all in on this subject, Which Ortho recalled that his big brother mentioned about the Octomer's recent conspiracy theories.

Ortho responds that it was most likely a field curse put on them. He didn't really have the opportunity to test things out, but he figured that as long as he got wounded during a 'level' on the school ground, he would immediately heal the next one. That comes from a small accident, when he went out with Epel and accidentally burnt his finger. It didn't heal upon entering a new level, so Ortho had to bandage it. He may be 'indestructible' in his character description, but that doesn't mean he cannot get scars from burns. He found that out the hard way.

That seems to priquire more of Azul's interest, but he refrains from asking about it.

Idia comes to the rescue tho. Calling mostly Ortho to discuss with him over the data that was done and also to announce that in 12 hours maximum, everyone would be back to NRC with no scratch or trouble if they just wait patiently.

Not even 15 minutes after the short discussion and he'll breaks loose in the form of the ravenous Grim and the Tartarus ghosts acting up again.

Idia does check up with the other surveillance staff and finds out the trouble: an overblot occurred outside. It was a very natural thing, for the phantoms at the upper levels to get a bit agitated when an overblot occurs. What was not alright, was that the ravenous Grim made a nice lil bit of damage to the cooling system of the Tartarus. And by that I mean he completely shredded the main unit in charge of keeping the cooling system active.

Now, in all of this chaos, not being able to find Ortho, Idia is overwhelmed. Everything is chaotic and he has to stop Grim from breaking into Tartarus, which in turn ends up with the Shadows and blots dragging in Idia and cue overblot.

All in all, out of this whole mess, 3 things are happening: 1. Idia finds the truth behind the phantom thieves post his overblot. 2. Azul gains more information on his case and starts to hatch a plan.

3. OLD MAN VIL! OLD MAN VIL!

Returning to NRC, Ortho does tell his gang that he will have to stay back with Idia and clean up the mess. Also get one hell of a nag from their parents. :'3

Ortho also pleads with Idia to not share his secret with anyone. Sure, STIX knows, but it was a miracle the NRC problematic kiddos don't and Ortho would rather have it that way.

Their parents also weren't very happy with the mess they returned to. But... All in all, Idia had to undergo a few checkups and Ortho had to also go through them too, mostly to make sure none of their sons are actually hurt.

Back at NRC, Azul clears up his conspiracy board. The twins and Malleus think that, maybe, Azul is done with all this conspiracy shit.

By the time Idia returns, the conspiracy board was rebooted. New info, old info, all jumbled up and in some kind of order that makes sense only to Azul.

Turns out, the overblot registered wasn't at NRC, but still, a diasomnia student was found dead. Azul didn't miss the investigation, although people did tell him that the ultimates in this field and professionals should be let to do this. Azul was skeptical, because this is exactly what happened before and the verdict was still the same.

Idia wants to actually break it down to Azul: this was bullshit. He had no ultimate that would give him any right to mingle in this very sensitive business. No one knows what Azul's even aiming at, nor does Idia care, just lay down for f's sake and calm down. Everyone went through enough already.

Azul tho, counters, saying that his motive concerning this investigation is well built. This school, like most mages schools, is notorious for overblots and how casualties happen during that time. But now there were no casualties. The overblot victim was saved. Yet people still die. So Azul wants to get to the bottom of this to prevent any chance of it happening to him or his close ones. And by the pattern he has, he fears that in diasomnia, an overblots would occur, then a heartslabyul student will bite the dust.

And Floyd was a heartslabyul student as of present.

Naturally, this alarms both Malleus and Idia. There was a pattern, just how the STIX data implied. Idia was pretty on edge, since if that was true, then he was a victim of an induced overblot. While Malleus was worried for his dorm's sake. Already 1 student was killed, by Azul's evidence, he couldn't handle having someone also overblot.

So Malleus suggests that Azul should get in contact with Rosehearts quick, seeing how this morbid pattern points towards him. Idia tho, brings this news to Ortho to pass on.

There was a criteria that Azul discovered in this wired string of events: a mage with ultimate overblots, then the next day, a mage from the next dorm with no ultimate is found dead and the cycle is repeated. This year it seems to have started with savanaclaw and it will end with heartslabyul by Azul's calculations.

Lilia also shares with the group the fact that his magic has started to weaken. He was old, so he figured it was time to retire. His persona could hold him oh so long, but even he had to admit defeat at one point.

And while our thieves group and Trein do console Lilia on the matter, nobody was as devastated as Malleus. With the new information at hand, the Fae prince thought Lilia was likely to overblot and boy has his senses went in all mf directions. He tried to scramble for any excuse to keep Lilia here, to keep the dorm morale high.

As a goodbye gift, the Jumanji group decide to give Lilia the board game. It was ripped off its magic, but it would be a nice memory that Lilia could hold onto.

This prompts Malleus to also think of a farewell gift, when he sees the board game and Lilia explains that it was a gift from his buddies. He brings this problem to Azul, mentioning the board game passively.

And that makes Azul finally click in things. He found out from Idia about the allegedly alive victims he was looking into. And now, with Jumanji put in perspective, Azul realised just what big piece he missed in his puzzle.

So he calls in Rosehearts. He wants all the details about the game from Riddle. He insisted that it was of utmost importance. And while Azul was known to be a 2 faced scammer, Floyd advised Riddle to just tell him what he wants to hear. No one really bothers with his nuts investigation anymore. :'3

So Riddle endorses in this saga and gives to Azul the rundown of what happened. And that seems to make Azul pleased enough. He's more than excited to finally get somewhere and point things towards a result.

While that happens, Lilia is having a farewell party prepared. Everyone chimes in a bit to help and keep the mood up. And when that one comes, well...

It's a rave, alright... U-Ub

During the party, Jade and Floyd are sitting aside more. When confronted about it by Riddle, the 2 admit that they have no idea what Azul's planning. He was very hurried today especially. Something about 'catching the mastermind'.

But, their lil party moment is busted when Malleus comes in, proudly here to present his gift towards Lilia. And by how his magic was used around, naturally the students knew where this was going.

The other dormheads and our thieves team do try to stop Malleus before it was too late. Heck... Even personas were up on the table.

Their saving graces come in the form of one Azul Ashengrotto, who came in here all disheveled, demanding for everyone to stop, especially Malleus. He does stun down Malleus by using the engagement mark. Aka, stabbing his hand to also induce a shock to the latter.

Azul reveals that the overblot is staged. That whatever they will do, Malleus is set to overblot weather he overuses his magic or not. So right now, he's on a tight chronometer.

What Azul reveals to the whole crowd goes as follows: the overblots in NRC were all staged. Someone was staging them and stacking them up for a long time, using them as means to murder unsuspecting students and blame it on the overblot. It was effective, until Leona became the first overblot with no casualties. Then the little monotony was broken. The only odd thing was the lack of news coverage or how the families of the deceased didn't chime in. Then he was brought forth the Jumanji game. And by putting pieces head to head and looking through some records, Azul figured who was in charge of this manslaughter.

But before he could actually reveal who did it, he is stabbed from behind. The attacker was a random student, fully under the control of some kind of mania, who immediately seemed to come to his senses and not being able to discern anything. He was just as horrified as the rest of the crowd. The twins rush to Azul's aid. Idia summoned some bandages and also came to the aid.

Malleus? Oh Malleus was furious. You mean to tell him someone attempted to push him to overblot, tried to use him to harm innocent people, then is covering their trails by some hypnotized student harming his fiancé? He may not know who that someone is, but sure as hell is he dumping his initial plan off the window.

So we do get an overblot. But instead of dream adventures, we have a hugeass dragon rampaging in search for the criminal. There were people whom Malleus (triggering his sanity back) protects them. The rest are on their own I guess. :\

That's when we find out 2 things about Floyd:

1. He's the ultimate attendant.

2. That tittle was given to him because he is Riddle's velvet room attendant, thus he could use the glossary to summon personas that Riddle discovered up until now.

Cue very epic ass battle. :3

During that chaos, Azul does try to grip on his last bit of consciousness to tell Jade that the one behind all this is Crowley. He doesn't know why, but he knows that Crowley needs to be caught.

So after knocking some sense in Malleus, Sebek and Silver manage to catch Crowley and present him before Malleus. At Lilia's insistence, the Fae prince doesn't immediately smite him down and indulges to give crow man a few seconds to find a good enough excuse for not getting smited this very second. And of Malleus wasn't going to thunder up his ass, surely the rest of the school body will.

And, surprisingly, Crowley accuses Riddle first. He was the one who messed the order by not overblotting. If he did it, then he would have by now completed his plan and Azul would've been too late. He used the Jumanji game as a tester and our group were the fortunate guinea pigs that survived. He used despair induced students to gather up further victims to test on his rituals ripped from the game's mystical energy.

His plan? Revive Malenoir.

Yes... It's that moment of 'Luke, I'm your father.', which makes it a shock for Malleus. Really the new revelation added so much hatred to Lilia that he did the kill, not Malleus. He straight up decapitated the guy. And his attitude towards the screaming mob was to 'tough up' and give to forgetting this events.

With this, Lilia decides to properly finish the school, not trusting literally anyone to take care of his sons right. He may be old, but he's a vampire with a badass persona. He'll manage. :3

Despite the anticlimactic turn, Idia gets ahold of the blot stone before Grim. He will give it to STIX for study, but alas, with no more Crowley, a new headmaster is going to be elected.

So that would be a happy ending. :3

Azul still ain't getting an ultimate tho x3

[koreanstudyjunkie]

4 Easy Korean Grammar

자마자, 아/어야 되다, 네요, 뿐만 아니라

There are 2 intermediate and 2 beginner grammar, although I think they are almost all around the upper beginner/low Intermediate range. Depending on your level, these will be very easy to learn compared to some other (more complicated) Korean grammar.

~ 자마자 (beginner)

~ 아/어야 되다 (intermediate)

~ 네요 (beginner)

~ (으)ㄹ뿐만 아니라 (intermediate)

V-자마자 = as soon as, right away

Usage: to Indicate that something occurs immediately after the end of some other event or action. It’s added to verbs and translated as “right after” or “as soon as” in English. -자마자 can also be shortened to just -자.

Base form → -자마자 = Ex: 보다 → 보자마자 - as soon as I see, as soon as I look, as soon as I watch

Examples:

수업이 끝나자마자 학생들은 교실을 나갔어요.

The students left the classroom right after class ended.

상자를 열자 오래된 책들과 문서가 보였습니다.

When I opened the box, I saw old books and documents.

가게에서 보자마자 마음에 들어서 바로 산 거야.

I bought it right away because I liked it as soon as I saw it at the store.

Rules To Know:

The tense in not expressed with the first verb before 자마자, but is added in the second verb.

Example:

집에 갔자마자 쉬었어요 (X) → 집에 가자마자 쉬었어요 (O)

The subjects in the first and/or second clause can either be the same or different and it’s still fine

A/V -아/어야 되다 = have to, should

Usage: To express an obligation or necessity to do something. The form can end with 아/어야 하다 or 아/어야 되다 with no change in meaning, although of -아/어야 되다 is more commonly used than -아/어야 하다.

Forms:

Verbs ending in vowel ㅏ or ㅗ + 아야 되다/하다:

가다 → 가야 되다/하다 = have to go

Verbs ending in vowel other thanㅏ or ㅗ + 어야 되다/하다:

읽다 → 읽어야 되다/하다 = have to read

하다 verbs → 해야 되다/하다:

공부하다 → 공부해야 되다/하다 = have to study

Examples:

시간이 늦어서 이만 집에 가야 해.

It's late, so I have to go home now.

그는 여자 친구에게 줄 꽃은 꼭 빨간 장미이어야 된다고 했어.

He said the flowers for his girlfriend must be red roses.

비 오는 날 운전할 때는 평소보다 더 조심하여야 돼요.

You should be more careful than usual when driving on a rainy day.

A/V/N - (이)네요 = really, certainly, wow

Usage: to express surprise when you learn something from an experience (not from another source) or agree with someone (experiencing the same thing)

Tense:

A/V -네요

N -(이)네요

학생 -> 학생이네요

의사 -> 의사(이)네요

Examples:

오늘은 날씨가 정말 좋네요.

Wow, the weather is really nice today.

백화점에 사람이 정말 많네요.

There are so many people at the store today.

가: 한국 음식을 잘 드시네요. = You eat Korean foods really well.

나: 네, 한국 음식이 아주 맛있어요. = Yes, Korea food is so delicious.

(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라 = not only A but also B

Usage: to express that “not only what you said in the first sentence, but also what you said in the first sentence”. This can be without the -만 part added in too.

Tenses:

A/V (past) - 았/었을 뿐만 아니라

A/V (present) - 을/ㄹ 뿐만 아니라

N이다 - w/ consonants - 일 뿐만 아니라

N - w/ vowels - 뿐만 아니라

Examples:

지수는 예쁠 뿐만 아니라 성격도 좋아서 인기가 많네.

Not only is Jisoo pretty, but her personality is also really good, so she’s very popular.

승규는 약속 시간에 나타나지 않았을 뿐만 아니라 이후에도 연락이 없었어요.

Seungyu not only didn’t show up to our date on time, but also didn’t even contact me after.

[woozi]

MA YZAAAA <3 (hehehe)

first of all,, hello <33 how have you been? and what have you been up to? <3 i hope classes and uni in general are not getting to you that much.

also the drama i told you about "doom at your service", after finishing it my opinion has changed a little, it was a nice drama overall but after the first 8, the story seemed like it was being stretched for no reason </3 i have nothing to watch these days hdksekks this time last year i had 2521 and business proposal to keep myself entertained but this year there is nothing 😭 even gose isn't here </3, did you find something interesting to watch? or read? i haven't had time and will to read hsjsksjs </3

but today i did go out of my comfort zone and watched a movie called medianeras (sidewalls), it's pretty melancholic but i liked it, ( idk why google or some reviews are saying it's funny or rom com 😭, it was actually sad and reflective but had a good ending imo) it's about how urban and internet lifestyle have had the opposite effect on people and have made them feel lonely despite having everything in one click. it was,, different. probably something what i was expecting from chunking express jshdjsjsnns

but in midst of all this i love love how booseoksoon came through 🥺 they brought back the spark hdjddj i love all the songs ( tho just like you, i love fighting and 7pm a little bit more than lunch ), it was so wholesome to see them have fun performing 😭 also youngji's feature fits so well <3 i can't stop talking about it hskdks it felt so natural <3 i haven't been this satisfied with a feature song in a long while ( same with 7pm ). if there was anything else fighting! needed it was definitely her. it made me so happy to see bss performing with her and peder <33

they made my feb for real.

( also something about leader seok gets me fr, he's been extra glowing these days <33 love that )

also the carat day live 😭 they all looked so good 😭😭😭 i missed seeing our sebongs together <3 the teddy bear scenes are still running in my mind lmao

i actually got mild cold and cough last week so at the moment that's what i have been up to : recovering from it and trying to read a book dhdjsj, seasons changing got me this time. it'll be summer now here and i'm already tired of it tbh 😭 how is the weather treating you? i hope it's good

omg also, i've become obsessed with checkers on plato btw! ( i've understood the basics of it but the difference between the original and the international rules is still slightly confusing for me udkgsd )

hope you're doing great yza 🥺🤍 sending you lots of good energy and clear sky days

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THAT GAVE ME GRIEF U ARE SO CUTE </3 MA CHERIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

i've been so so busy the past two months so it's like life's on 3x speed for me dfjkfdjkfdjkfd but it's my last semester anyway so <33 JKFDJKFDJK HOW ABOUT U <333333 HOW HAVE U BEEN WHAT HAVE U BEEN UP TO!! 😋😋😋

ALSO NOOOOOOO THAT SUCKS </3 maybe the writers didnt think they'd get that far lmfao 😭 AND I KNOW </3 that was such a good era for dramas, i hope they come out w really good ones </3 i heard the glory's v good? but i personally haven't checked it out yet and i'm not really into revenge type dramas so dfjkffd but i've been watching movies more these days!! i've been trying to watch cult faves/classics that people always talk about and that i've never had time to watch heheh ALSO SO TRUE ABT NOT HAVING THE WILL TO READ 😭 idk why it's also so hard for me to get back to it, i used to read like, 2 books a week at a leisurely pace

JUST CHECKED OUT THE POSTER FOR IT AND IT LOOKS SO GOOD OMG????/ thank u for adding to my reco list <3 ok but your review… felt tbh 😭 AND NOT CHUNGKING AGAIN FDKJDFJKFDJK I'M HAVING WAR FLASHBACKS FROM IT

EXACTLY <3333333 bss really came at the perfect time!! and u're so valid for that <33 i'm really glad they had the chance to collab more w/ other artists, esp peder!! not only was the song so fucking good, their interactions were also so sweet to witness 🥺 he seems like such a nice guy to hang out w LMFAOOO AND WAIT URE SO RIGHT??????????????????????????????????????? leader seok >>>>>>>>>>>>

i'm ngl i haven't even watched it yet i just skipped to the teddy bear part 😭😭😭 i only got to see clips of them, and REALLLL it feels like it's been forever since we last saw them tgt 😭

ALSO NAURRRRRRRRRRRRRR </3 that's such a pain in the ass :/ i hope you're feeling much better now and that you won't get sick any time soon!! there's only 2 types of weather where i'm from since i'm in the tropics, so u dont need to worry abt me <33

AND PLATO FJKFDJKFDJKF I COULD NEVER THANK U ENOUGH FOR IT i've avoided so many awkward moments in uni bc of it JKFDJKFDJKF also didn't know they had different rules 👁👄👁 what i do know though is that other ludos have different rules as well w the 1s and 6s which i only figured out when i played w someone else at another platform DJFDJFDJKFDJK let's play some time again if u're free!! <3 or we can also watch a movie 😋

hoping u're even better and that the days are endlessly kind to u as u have always been to me <33 love u thank u for always checking up on my disappearing ass 🥺🥺🥺 MWAH

[mystcryshcck]

About the muse / Rules / Verses

On the surface, Stanley is conniving, money hungry, and appears to have little regard for other people. He runs the "Mystery Shack", a self proclaimed "ninth wonder of the world" in the middle of Gravity Falls, Oregon, but it's nothing more than a tourist trap and a front. Assuming the identity of his twin brother after his disappearance, he goes by the name "Stanford" and has, unfortunately for his brother, committed many crimes under this persona such as fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering. Good luck flying anywhere, Stanford.

General Information

Name: Stanley Pines

Nicknames: Stanford, Stan, "Grunkle", Old Man, Lee (reserved exclusively for his brother(s) (Ford is on thin ice if they're fighting)/mother/significant other, if anyone else calls him this they're getting punched)

Pronouns: he/him

Sexuality: closeted bisexual

Family: Stanford Pines (older twin brother), Shermy (younger brother), Mabel Pines (great-grand-niece), Dipper Pines (great-grand-nephew), Filbrick Pines (father, estranged), Margaret Pines (mother, estranged)

Underneath his gruff exterior, Stan would protect the people that he loves fiercely, including both Mabel and Dipper, and his employees Soos and Wendy. Found family means everything to him, and if you're lucky enough to be part of his found family (blood related or not) than he and his brass knuckles have your back.

Rules: (subject to change as I think of more)

1. Shipping is fine! Stanley is a closeted bisexual and might not openly admit feelings for other men, but he has absolutely had crushes on them in the past. It could even be unrequited love.

2. I am semi-selective and happy to write the following: with crossover characters (as long as I know the media they're from at least OR we are friends), original characters + self inserts

3. I am a very spontaneous writer. Plotting can happen! I'm just not as good at replying to plotted threads. If you have ideas/I get an idea, let's talk!

4. Stan might not be very nice to your character at first (unless you're a cop, then go fuck yourself). But befriending him has it's perks! He's more likely to be nicer to kids/pretty women + men

Verses:

Good old days. v (childhood verse)

Turbulent weather. v (teenager verse)

Sinking ship. v (early adulthood verse, specifically after he gets kicked out and attempts to prove his dad wrong)

Cloudy skies. v (takes place during the course of the show)

Clear skies. v (good ending, he sails the seas with Stanford)

Stormy skies. v (bad ending. this fucker never remembers what happens/the bait and switch plan doesn't work and Bill wins/ ect.)

[angryschnauzer]

Blackwater Lake - Chapter 2

Summary: There’s a little town high in the mountains where everyone has a secret, and every family has something that makes them unique. In Blackwater Lake those that are outcast by nature come together.

Characters/Pairing:  Vampire!Walter Marshall x Female Reader

Warnings (for this chapter); Talk of PTSD, Reader is ex police, Possible home invasion, NSFW sexy times, protected sex.

Previous Parts: Werewolf!Sy: Moonlight on the Sand  Castle Under The Stars.  Werewolf!Sy, Vampire!Walter: Chapter 1

This will be a series of stand alone stories/2 parters, which will revolve around the residents of the town, with some recurring characters. The ‘reader’ for each story will be a ‘new’ reader, so its not the same woman being with all the male characters.

I do not run a tag list, but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications. You’ll then get an alert every time i post something new.

Chapter 2

Walter had managed to recover from the shock of seeing his best friend and his wife being able to make their eyes glow, and as unbelievable as it sounded, had accepted their explanations of how they’d been turned into Werewolves. Much like his own knowledge of Vampirism before he had been turned himself, he quickly understood that what the media made these quirks of nature to be and what they actually were had been greatly exaggerated. 

Sy had stayed up into the early hours of the morning with him, sharing the better part of a bottle of bourbon as he’d described how it affected their family, and how his wife only turned when her period coincided with a full moon, and how they dealt with childcare during the times that they would turn. 

-

Walter woke with a start, the soft mountain light pouring in the windows and for a moment he was confused, not recognising his surroundings until he remembered spending the rest of the night on Sy’s couch. His mouth felt like something had crawled inside and died, and he swore in that moment not to share hard liquor with someone that could howl at the moon. Finding some painkillers high in a kitchen cabinet he crushed two between his teeth before drinking straight from the tap. Standing tall he moved his neck, trying to get the kinks and knots out of his muscles when a pair of fluffy slippered feet appeared in the doorway. Looking up Walter poorly suppressed a laugh as he saw Sy wearing a pair of sheepskin moccasins and what was obviously his wife’s robe;

“Reginald, you look stunning” Walter muttered as he watched his friend shuffle into the kitchen

Sy held up his finger and waggled it, wincing at the sunlight pouring in the window;

“Don’t…”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t call me that, the only people that call me that are the preacher or my Ma, and unless you’re planning on marrying me or making me biscuits...”

Walter laughed, leaning against the counter as Sy filled the coffee pot as if he was on autopilot, before reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out a baby bottle with the previous day’s expressing date on. Setting the bottle to warm in a bowl of water he handed Walter a tin of coffee;

“Fill that up, i’m gonna go get Luna”

A few minutes later he reappeared holding his little girl in his arms, wrapped in a soft blanket covered in moons and stars. Grabbing the bottle before settling at the kitchen table, he popped the lid off and shook the bottle, before lifting it and shaking a few drops onto his tongue, laughing when he saw Walters eyes go a little wide;

“Better straight from the source but Mama is sleepin’ so its me in Mama’s robe” he explained with a grin on his face. Walter placed a mug of steaming black coffee in front of Sy; “Thanks man… hey, in the fridge there’s a pint of pigs blood from Walkers Meats… ya’know, if you need it”

“Why have you got pigs blood?”

“The missus was gonna make some Scottish thing, some sorta sausage, but if you need it, we can always get another… in fact she’s gonna be too tired to use it before it spoils, what with the full moon and all...”

Sy turned his attention to his tiny daughter feeding in his arms, giving Walter the sense of privacy to do what he needed to do. As Luna finished her bottle Sy held her to his shoulder, rubbing her back until she let out a burp he would have been proud of himself, only looking up when he heard Walter also let out a low belch;

“You need me to rub your back too Walt?”

“Fuck off Sy” the vampire said lightheartedly, a sense of relief in his mind now that the guy that had become one of his best friends knew his secret.

-

Pulling the last crate of bottles off the back of the pickup you thanked the guy from the craft brewery and waved him off, taking a deep breath before slowly climbing the fire escape at the back of the bar that led into the storeroom. It had been a long shift already, starting at 10am you’d opened up and started the ovens, restocked the bar as the cleaners had come through and cleaned the place top to bottom. Your boss was always decent to his staff, paying a good wage and having the cleaning crew come in during the closed daytime hours rather than in the early hours of the morning.

Working around them as they did their job, you restocked the caddy’s on the tables with silverware, napkins, and condiments, before returning to the bar and checking on the ice machine.

“Hey we’re all done now” one of the cleaners said as you looked up.

“That’s great, thanks. You guys always make this place look good”

Chatting with them you walked them through the storeroom - something your boss always insisted on that any non bar staff had to be escorted through - before one reached for the wooden rail on the fire escape. Something made you stop talking and before you could stop yourself, one hand was pushing one of the guys back into the storeroom, the other was grabbing the shirt that was already standing outside. Just as you did the rail slipped away, as if in slow motion, the three of you looking in fear as the heavy wood crashed twenty feet below onto the empty kegs that were stored beneath.

Speechless you stood there, fingers still curled around the shirt of one, hand splayed across the chest of the other;

“Fuck” you whispered quietly, not to anyone in particular.

“You could say that…”

-

Having made sure both cleaning guys were ok, if a little shaken up, you made them leave by the front door then considered your options. Dialling the boss you weren’t surprised to hear it ring out before going to voicemail. He had strict downtime rules, and was more than likely out on his ranch land taking care of his horses. Knowing he trusted you to make the right judgement, you scrolled through your numbers and dialled Marshall’s Property Maintenance;

“Marshall’s, what can i do for you?”

“Hi, i’m calling from Big G’s Sports Bar? We’ve just had the handrail fall off our fire escape. Wondering if you’ve got space to fix it this afternoon?”

There was a pause before you heard a long exhale of breath;

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be there in twenty minutes”

“Thanks Walter”

Hanging up you smiled. You’d worked with Walter when you’d been on the police force, you’d been a patrol cop that would assist with crime scene control and you’d been first on the scene for countless horrific acts of violence. One final call had given you PTSD so bad you’d resigned, finding a home in the small town of Blackwater Lake and a steady job at Big G’s Sports Bar. Your boss was the big quiet type, liked to spend more time out on his ranch with his horse, having enough trust in you to run the day to day operations of the bar as his assistant manager. 

-

It had been well past 9pm when Walter finished the repairs. Your boss had come in and helped him out when he’d got your text, leaving you in charge of the first few hours of opening. When the two men reappeared through the storeroom you smiled at them, getting ready for the evening handover before grabbing your coat and clocking off.

A few minutes later as you hopped off the last step of the fire escape onto the dandelion scattered gravel - your boss liked to let them grow - you smiled at Walter as he was loading his tools into his truck;

“Hey, thanks for today. Really saved our bacon… without the fire escape we wouldn’t be up to code so couldn’t have opened”

“S’ok. Glad you called” Walter admitted; “It’s been a while…”

Scuffing the gravel with your boot you swallowed the lump that was in your throat;

“How have you been? Since… ya know…”

“Alive. Wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t of been for you and your partner”

“We did what was needed… not every day you see va…” you stopped yourself, you still hadn’t completely come to terms with what you’d seen; “V...vagrants doing that… I’m just glad we got there in time…”

There was a moment of awkward silence before Walter rounded the truck and stood in front of you;

“Do you need a ride home? Your boss mentioned that you walk to work and you stayed late where he was helping me get this fixed”

“Thanks, that’d be nice”

-

Over the next few nights Walter would appear at the bar early evening, usually under the pretense of checking the work on the fire escape or dropping off the bill to the office, and you quickly clocked that he would always be leaving just as your shift was ending to conveniently give you a ride home. Not that you minded, the weather had turned unseasonably cool after the warmth of the parade weekend, so the casual conversation as he drove you home in the warmth of his giant truck was a good way to end the day. 

As he rolled into the parking lot behind your apartment complex you wondered if you should invite him in for a coffee, but weren’t sure if you were reading his intentions correctly. Gnawing on your lip you reached into your pocket for your keys, smiling at Walter as he pulled the truck to a stop;

“There we go, home sweet home. Have a good night”

“You too Walter”

Stepping out you smiled and gave him a little wave, knowing he waited until you had gotten into your building.

-

Watching you go Walter cursed himself. When Rachel had left he’d been in the dumps even more than usual, but over the last few days he’d taken a shine to you. He was pretty sure you had clued onto the fact that he had always turned up around the time of your shift finishing, but when he’d found out from Geralt that your car had died and you couldn’t afford to repair it, he didn’t like the thought of you walking home alone. Sure Blackwater Lake was a sleepy little town, but keeping in mind what lurked in the woods - both natural and supernatural - he felt better knowing you’d gotten home. He had been sure you were going to invite him in for coffee tonight, but he’d gotten butterflies in his stomach and had blurted out a farewell before you’d had the chance.

Looking up at your apartment he let out a sigh. 

Then… then something caught his eye. You hadn’t been in the building long enough for the shadow to be you, knowing you stopped to grab your mail each time you entered the building. Killing the engine he reached to the glove compartment for his gun - he still had a concealed carry permit - and raced to the building.

-

Juggling your mail and your purse, you held the letters in your mouth as you searched for the right key on your set when suddenly the sound of thundering footsteps made you spin around, your jaw dropping when you saw Walter appear from the staircase and running to your side. His hand was on your arm and he was pulling you to the side of your door before holding you to his chest;

“There’s someone in your apartment”

“What? No, i locked everything before i left… and there’s no sign of any damage to the door…”

Letting you go he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled for the sheriff, but as you listened in you could hear the volunteer dispatcher explain that both the Sheriff and the two deputies were out on the highway dealing with an 18 wheeler logging truck that had spun off on a bend. Walter cursed under his breath and hung up;

“Do you still carry?”

“No… not since…”

“Ok. Unlock the door and stay behind me”

The next minute seemed to last both seconds and hours, following Walter through your apartment until he silently pushed the bedroom door open with his gun;

“Freeze!”

The shape in the darkness didn’t move, and when you peered over Walters extended arm and you realised what he was looking at, you let out a sigh and flipped the lightswitch, the ‘threat’ suddenly illuminated and Walters shoulders dropping;

“Oh…”

Your spare uniform shirt was hanging on the frame to the window where you’d hung it earlier in the day so the sunshine would dry it. You let out a deep breath and laughed, resting your forehead against Walters shoulder;

“It’s just my uniform…” you hadn’t realised your voice was shaking until Walter turned and wrapped his arms around you

“I’m sorry i scared you”

Burying your face in the warmth of his sweater, your voice was muffled as you spoke;

“Its ok. I’d rather you have seen the mess in my apartment and saved me from an intruder than the alternative…” you smiled weakly at him, and it was then that the tension in the room was like static before a storm. Like the first lightning strike, when Walters lips touched yours it was as if electricity coursed through your veins, the kiss hungry and needy, contact between two touch starved people needing that connection. Your fingers curled in threads of his knitwear, pulling yourself closer as his arms wrapped around you and his hands splayed out over your ass, squeezing handfuls of flesh so he could pull you flush against his body. The kiss deepend and his tongue sought entrance between your lips which you eagerly granted. He tasted of coffee and peanut butter chocolate, and when he pulled away you were both gasping for breath.

“So, vampires do need oxygen then?”

“How do you…? How are you not scared?”

“Because i was there when it happened. And I've seen you hundreds of times since. I’ve seen you in the mirror, I've seen you outside in the sunshine, i’ve literally served you garlic bread…” you paused; “And i didn’t need to invite you in. Whatever myths are linked to your condition, i know the Walter behind them, i know the quiet and controlled Walter that assesses a situation and ensures everyone is safe…” you paused; “Because I know i’m safe with you”

Walter opened his mouth to speak, but the lump in his throat caught the words. Closing his eyes he rested his forehead against yours, letting out a shaky breath as you gently held his face in your palms, your thumbs softly caressing the skin of his cheeks where his beard ended. You pressed your lips to his, and this kiss was different, this kiss was full of passion, of acceptance and the growing need that was blooming. 

Clothes were scattered as fingers and lips found each new patch of exposed skin, running your fingernails down his massive chest as you both fell to the bed, your fingers curling in the coarse hair that covered his chest before clutching at his belt as his teeth sharply ran over the line of your collarbone and you let out a gasp;

“More…”

“I… I’m not going to bite you…”

“I don’t want you to, but my neck is super sensitive, it's like my biggest turn on…”

At that moment Walter could feel the change, his eyes paling and his fangs growing more prominent as you watched from below him, but what he wasn’t expected was the groans that escaped your throat and the way your body shook;

“Did you just…?” he cocked an eyebrow, he already knew you’d just cum, but he wanted you to admit it.

“Yes, fuck yes, now i need more…”

With a growl he ducked his head down and peppered sharp kisses over your neck, hands working on each others jeans before you were able to kick them off. Your hands ducked into Walters pants and you grasped at his hard length, hot in your palm through his underwear;

“Oh fuck, you’re big…”

“Don’t worry, i’ll go slow… do you… do you have protection?”

“In the drawer”

He reluctantly pulled himself off the bed, and you propped yourself up on your elbows as he searched out the condoms, pulling the box out and swinging something else from his fingertips;

“These aren’t regulation edition”

The pink fluffy handcuffs had been a present a long time ago, and had somehow moved apartments with you;

“Next time…” you reached and grabbed them from him, tossing them aside before grabbing the box and a small foil packet, ripping it open with your teeth as Walter quickly shed himself of his boots and jeans, his dark boxers discarded as you reached for him and smoothed the latex over his fat dick.

He smoothed his hands down your legs, before tugging you down the bed and flipping you onto your stomach, pulling your hips up until your ass was in the air. The rough brush of his beard against your soft inner thighs was quickly soothed by his tongue swiping a firm lick through your soaked folds. He took hold of your hips and you felt him move into position, the firm nudge at your entrance before with a low groan he speared you with the slow stretch of his girth.

“You feel so fucking good… so tight…”

Your fingers curled into the bedsheets and your jaw hung open, the sheer pleasure that was coursing through your veins felt like an elixir as Walter hammered into your tight velvet channel. The carnal slap of flesh on flesh resonating around the room, only joined by the breathless pants escaping your lips and the grunts Walter would let slip as he sought pleasure in your body with his own. He splayed his fingers over your back, running the palm of his hand up your spine until he was able to cup your neck and pull you up, flush with his heated body. His sharp teeth scraped over your neck, his beard rough against the etched skin;

“Look in the mirror. See how amazing you look”

Focusing your attention on the dresser mirror that stood in the corner, you watched as Walter continued to slowly rock his hips, fucking you slow and hard from behind. But it was his eyes that drew your attention, icy pools of white with deep obsidian pupils piercing the tundra, and the flash of danger from his sharp teeth at your neck, just catching on the skin as he spoke;

“You’re so fucking beautiful, dunno what i did to deserve you… will you cum for me?” he slid his hand down your stomach and in the patch of curls at the apex of your thighs, seeking out the sensitive pearl of your clit and rubbing the pad of his finger over it in firm circles; “Will you cum for me?” he repeated, punctuating each word with a sharp thrust of his hips.

“Yes… Walter, please…”

“What do you need…”

“My neck, please…”

Walter knew he couldn’t bite you, there were so many unknowns he’d never explored, but he closed his eyes and focused his energies on bringing you to completion. Thrusting his hips in time to the movement of his hand, whilst sucking a hickey onto your neck, knowing his teeth were rubbing against the skin but not breaking it. The triple stimuli sent you over the edge, your head rolling back onto his shoulder and your mouth open in a silent scream as you came so hard you saw stars, shockwaves of pleasure coursing through your body as your walls gripped Walter tight, before with one final thrust you heard him growl as he came hard.

He held you for the longest time, your heart racing in your chest as echoes of your orgasm ricocheted through your body. As Walter started to soften you felt him hold the condom at the base of his shaft as he pulled out gently;

“Err… bathroom?”

“Just through there” you nodded to the door off of the bedroom as you fell to the bed, laying back with a smile on your face.

A few moments later he reappeared with a warm washcloth, first soothing your neck before tenderly attending to the mess between your thighs. After putting it back in the bathroom he appeared at the side of the bed, reaching for his jeans when you caught his wrist and pulled him onto the bed;

“You don’t need to go”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to overstay my welcome…”

“Look, unless you’re going to turn into a bat or something, you’re fine… we can talk, order some takeout…”

Wrapping his arm around your shoulders, you snuggled to his chest as he smiled sleepily;

“That sounds good. Can i take you out on a proper date at some point?”

“That’d be nice. Though our options are slim in this town, its only Sue’s Coffee Shop or Big-G’s Bar… unless you want to get a take-out pizza and sit outside on the kerb”

“I’ll cook, come to my place? What are you doing Friday night?”

“I’m off, but…”

“But?”

You felt your cheeks flushing with heat;

“I’m due on by the end of the week…”

“Oh. OH…” You looked up at Walter and saw a flush over his cheeks and his blue eyes glinting with excitement and a smirk on his lips.

“Oh… you’re into that?”

“You’re… not? Because i just want to say, i would happily give oral to my girl on her period even pre-vamp status…now its just…”

“A snack?”

He let out a low belly laugh;

“Yeah, you could say that”

Curling up to Walter’s chest you felt a sense of calm you hadn’t experienced for a very long time, the conversation flowing easily and long into the night, before you both fell asleep in each other's arms.

[watchyourbluesturngolden]

cats and babies

This is the first piece I’ve ever written so if anyone sees this be nice pls and thank u

There could be typos/ weird formatting, this was typed entirely on my phone

I also feel the need to say all of my medical knowledge is from Grey’s anatomy and googling things I saw on grey’s anatomy so this is probably not that accurate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

Word count: 6,160

Warnings: Car accidents, blood, angst (but with a v happy ending ofc bc sad endings are Not For Me), hospitals/medical stuff, again a very happy ending, I would like to emphasize the happy ending so no one gets scared away from reading this, did I mention there’s a happy ending?

"So, what'd'ya say? Chinese?"

They were deciding where to go for dinner after a long day of touring their favorite art museums. Harry and Y/N had been dating about two years now, and (cheesy as it sounds) they loved each other more and more every day. 

"Chinese sounds great," Y/N smiled, glancing over at Harry. The golden sun reflected off his curls, making him look absolutely angelic. 

He smiled, which turned into a chuckle, which turned into full blown laughter. She was confused. "What is it?" What's so hilariou- eyes on the road!!" 

"Sorry, sorry," he laughed. "Nothing, just- do you-" he breathed slowly, calming down a bit. "Do you remember the first time we had Chinese food? She blushed, laughing with him at the memory. 

Their first date had been... disastrous, to say the least. They had both been nervous, but both trying to act confident. They had decided on a nice, fancy, black tie restaurant, and Y/N was excited. When he picked her up in a limousine, she was hardly unable to contain herself.

However, their plan fell apart almost from the beginning. When they got to the place, a big red sign read "CLOSED FOR REPAIRS"

"Ooook... that's... weird," Y/N had grimaced. "What should we do now?" 

"Uh... we could... try the one a few blocks over? Yeah, that's a good place too, I know the owner. He always has a table for me. That'll work!"

Y/N hasn't quite cared about the wrench thrown into their plans. She really liked Harry so far, and she though he liked her too. So she chirped "Sure! Sounds great."

She hadn't noticed how embarrassed he looked when he opened the car door for her. He couldn't believe his luck! He was finally on a date with a girl he really liked, really wanted to impress, and the best restaurant in town closed with no notice? How could this happen? But he shook it off, climbing in after her and alerting the driver of their change of plans. 

When they got to the next place, Harry immediately got worried. It looked very crowded, and while the owner usually held a table for Harry, it didn't seem so tonight. 

He pulled out his phone.

"Hey, Luke! Yeah, I'm great! Listen, do you by any chance have a table-" He paused, and then his face fell. His voice kept its happy tone, though. "No, no problem at all, I understand. Yeah, for sure, a different night. Thank you!" He hung up, looking more than a little dejected. 

Y/N put a hand on his arm. "It's ok, I promise. I swear I didn't just agree to go out with you for the fancy food. We can go anywhere, 'Im really not upset!" 

"Agh, thank you. You're very sweet. But really, you deserve a fancy place. Only it seems everyone in the world is determined to make sure we don't get to do that," He huffed. "Maybe..." And he pulled out his phone again. He glanced at her curious face. "How do you feel about Chinese?" He asked sheepishly.

  Y/N beamed. "I love it," and there was no trace of insincerity on her face. 

"Right then, Chinese it is!" he found the closest place on his phone, telling the driver the address.

After a few minutes of eating, Y/N looked around the table for a fork. She could handle big foods, like the chicken, with the chopsticks, but definitely not the rice. 

Harry asked what she needed. She was a bit embarrassed to tell him she wasn't good enough with chopsticks to eat her rice, but he was kind about it. He helped show her how to use them without making too big of a mess. Still, she dropped half her plate on a napkin in her lap. 

At the end of their meal, Y/N burst out laughing when she picked up her napkin. Harry looked at her, confused, until she placed what was basically a full serving of rice on the table. He was also unable to contain his laughter, to which Y/N responded by throwing a few grains of rice at him. 

He threw a balled up napkin at her, and she blew a straw wrapper in his face. This escalated until she splashed what was left of her water glass on him. There was stunned silence for a moment, and Y/N thought she went too far. Then he looked at her and burst into laughter. She sighed in relief, laughing with him. "I'm sorry, that was too much," but she couldn't keep the smile off her face at the sight of the water dripping down his face.

"A little water never hurt anyone," he said, his eyes twinkling as he splashed her with his own water. 

Y/N was pulled from the happy memory of their first date when the car skidded on the ice. 

"Careful... if I'd known it was this slippery we'd have found a closer place," she said nervously.

"Nah, we've talked about this, the only good place is the one two towns over. I understand you love Minnesota and all but it is NOT the best place to find good Chinese food," he smirked.

"I will not have this Minnesota slander, not in this house. Maybe you're the issue, with your sophisticated taste and all," Y/N said, laughing at his disgruntled look. "Sophisticated? I took you for Chinese food on our first date. Nothing about that screams "sophisticated" to me." 

"Yeah, but we were dressed VERY fancy. That counts," Y/N laughed. 

"Oh really? that's what makes me sophisticated? alright then, you're right, I'm, extremely-" 

The car slid just a little too far for Y/N's liking. 

"Harry, are you sure it's safe to be driving on this? I think it's getting worse, and- look, it's starting to rain." She checked the weather on her phone. "Yeah, it's at that weird temperature where it's halfway freezing. The road will be worse on the way back." 

"I think we're ok," He reassured her. "The car has 4 wheel drive, and I'll go slow. I think the biggest danger is us not getting our Chinese food," he smiled at her. "Uh, no," Y/N said, rolling her eyes. "I'd say the biggest danger is crashing and dying in a firey car wreck." 

"Always so negative, Y/N," Harry laughed. "We're perfectly fine-" he spoke too soon, because right then the car slid again. A lot, this time. They almost slid right through a stop sign. 

Y/N clutched the armrest. 

"We're almost there, you better not kill me before I get my Chinese food, Styles. I finally know how to eat rice with chopsticks without..." She stopped halfway through her sentence because she was laughing so hard. "Without... dropping all of it on my lap." 

They dissolved into giggles, especially when Harry said, "got any more water to throw at me?" 

The car slid once more, and Y/N felt her pocket nervously. She had bought a ring for Harry. It was nothing too special, but it was the one year anniversary of the first time they had gone to an art museum together. She wanted to commemorate that with something special, so she had gone to the museum gift shop and found the perfect ring. It had a silver band, a little thinner than the rest of his, and a labradorite stone set into it. She thought it would complement his other jewelry nicely. 

She kept her hand on the little box in her pocket, careful not to make Harry suspicious. 

He wasn't looking at her, though; he was completely focused on the road. His hands gripped the wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white. Y/N felt a little more nervous seeing this. Harry was an excellent driver, and he usually had one hand on the wheel and the other holding hers. He only gripped the wheel this tightly when he felt unsafe driving. 

Y/N looked out at the darkening sky. She was not a fan of storms, especially ones that make the roads icy. Like a true Minnesotan, she knew that under the right circumstances, a bit of rain could make it nearly impossible to drive.

A car sped past them, almost veering into their lane when it went over a particularly icy patch. 

"Harry, really, I don't know if we should keep going," Y/N said nervously.

"I know, but I'm not sure what we should do. I think it's safer to just keep going and hope the rain stops. We're about 10 minutes away, but if we turn around it's almost a 2 hour drive." 

"Yeah... you're right. It's better to just keep going. Just... go slow," Y/N said, biting the inside of her cheek. 

"Stop doing that," Harry chided in a singsong voice. 

"How can you even tell? you weren't even looking at me," Y/N laughed. 

"I know how you are when you're nervous, Y/N. Biting your cheek won't do anything but hurt." 

Y/N smiled. She had never had someone care this much about her. Someone who knew her this well, almost better than she knew herself. She was so hopelessly in love... 

She was so busy thinking about what she would say when she gave him the ring that she didn't hear the horn blaring. She looked up just in time to see the truck driving straight down the middle of the road towards them. 

She could tell instantly the driver of the truck couldn't do anything. He was sliding on the ice like they had before. Harry jerked the wheel to the right, moving the car out of the way. 

It wasn't enough.

Y/N heard a horribly loud crashing noise, and then there was nothing. 

Y/N shot straight up out of the bed she was in, gasping. Someone put their hands on her shoulders, trying to soothe her and get her to lay back down. She pushed the hands away as her vision came into focus. She was in a room filled with people and noise and 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦.

She panicked for a minute before she realized where she was. Clearly an Emergency Room. There were 4 doctors and nurses around her, checking her eyes, ears, reflexes, pulse, breathing. She threw her arms out to try and get some space. One of the nurses caught her hand, holding it in both of hers. 

"Y/N, you're alright. You're in the hospital. You were in a car accident. Do you have any pain? Whe-"

"Harry! Where's Harry?? I need to see him, I have to, I have to go-" She stuttered as she pushed the doctors away from her, trying to get up again.

  The same nurse held her back.

"Y/N, we need to make sure you're ok before you can get up. If you let us help, you'll be able to see Harry sooner. Can you lay back? Do you have any pain?"

  "No, no I'm fine, I'm ok! I need to see Harry, I need to know if he's ok! Please!" Y/N looked frantically around at the doctors, hoping one of them knew something. 

The doctor who appeared to be in charge ordered, "Someone go get an update on the guy they brought in with her. See how he's doing." 

"Thank you, thank you so much," Y/N breathed, finally laying back. 

"There we go. Do you have any pain Y/N?" The nurse asked again. 

"No, I'm totally fine. I'm- " Y/N brushed her hair out of her face. When are brought her arm down, she saw that her hand was covered in blood. "I'm bleeding!" She cried, panicking. 

"It's ok, it's not too bad," one of the doctors said, examining her head. "It looks like it'll need maybe 5 or 6 stitches. We can fix that up right away." 

Y/N closed her eyes. How had this happened? Harry moved the wheel, she knew he did. How had they crashed this badly? 

The doctor who had been sent to check on Harry came back into the room. Y/N snapped her eyes open, looking at her expectantly.

"He is stable. That's the important thing right now. However, he's been pretty badly injured. He broke his femur and clavicle. He has a small brain bleed, and he is covered in cuts from the glass. He's also pretty bruised from the airbag and seatbelt. He is intubated, because he was having some trouble breathing. He might need surgery to repair the brain bleed, but right now they're waiting and hoping it will get better on it's own." 

Y/N exhaled. "But... he's ok? I mean... he's alive?" 

The doctor smiled. "Yes. He's doing ok." 

Y/N finally allowed herself to breathe. She noticed she was crying but she didn't do anything to wipe her tears away. 

"Ok, Y/N," said the doctor stitching up her face. "I'm finished here. You need to stay here for a little while longer so we can monitor you. There is an IV in your arm to keep you hydrated. If you need anything, call for a nurse. Also, and this is important, don't get out of this bed without someone helping you. You've been through a lot today, but the adrenaline is wearing off, which might make you feel shaky. Do you need anything right now?" 

"No, I'm... I'm fine. Thank you," Y/N said, wiping her eyes. 

After he left her bed, she felt her pocket. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the ring still there. Then she mentally kicked herself for being worried about a silly ring when Harry was... no. She wouldn't let herself think that. Harry was 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. They were both alive, and they were both ok.

About an hour later, a nurse came in. After confirming that she felt totally fine, Y/N anxiously asked when she could see Harry. 

"I'm sorry, the ICU is family only," The nurse said. She really did look sorry, but this did nothing to make Y/N feel better. 

"I- I'm his wife!" Y/N said quickly, not even thinking. She most definitely was 𝘯𝘰𝘵 his wife. She wasn't even his fiancee. She slipped the ring from her pocket onto her finger, then held up her hand to the nurse. 

The nurse pretended not to notice the fact that the ring hadn't been there before, and that the ring was easily a size too big. "Oh! Then of course you can see him," She said, helping Y/N off the bed slowly. "I'll take you to his room." 

"Thank you so much," Y/N said, taking her first few steps slowly. 

"Careful- you're still attached to this IV pole," The nurse said, adjusting the tubing so it wasn't in her way. "You can hold onto it for support- yes, just like that." 

Y/N got more nervous with every step towards Harry's room. What would he look like? Would he be in pain? Would he know who she was? Would he... be mad at her? 

When she walked into his room, she almost started crying all over again. He looked, well, awful. He was covered in cuts and bruises. He had several tubes and wires connected to him, as well as a large tube taped in his mouth. He had a cast on his leg and a sling on his arm.

Y/N looked at the nurse who was taking his vitals. 

"How is he?" She asked in a small voice. 

"He's ok for now. He is stable, which is very good. He's unconscious, but we hope to see him wake up soon. You can sit with him, hold his hand, talk to him. If you need anything, just press the call button." 

She left, leaving Y/N and Harry alone. This time, she really did start crying. This was awful, and it was all her fault. She was the one who wanted to go for Chinese food. She was the one who picked today, the first wintery stormy day of the year to go for a long drive. And now.. 

"Harry... Harry I'm so sorry," Y/N said, sniffling. She held onto his hand, the one that wasn't attached to a broken collarbone.  "This is all my fault, and now you're... and I got off with nothing but a cut on my forehead, and it's not fair and I'm so sorry," She let out a sob. 

She continued on like this, crying and talking and crying some more, for a few hours, before she fell asleep in the chair next to him. She woke up around 9 the next morning with a stiff next and puffy eyes. She looked at his face, still covered in bruises, and kissed his hand. The nurse came in to check on him and told Y/N to go get some breakfast, reminding her that she couldn't care for Harry if she didn't care for herself. Y/N reluctantly agreed, going as fast as she could. The nurse had disconnected her IV sometime in the night, and she could move much faster without it. 

She got back to the room with her bagel and resumed her position in the chair right next to Harry. She talked to him as if he was awake, imagining she heard his beautiful voice responding to her. 

She had managed to keep the crying to a minimum today. She kept telling herself that if- no, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 Harry woke up, she didn't want to look like a monster with red eyes. 

Her phone had been found by some paramedics, so she found Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone online and began to read to him. It was a little weird, but Harry loved these books, especially when he was sick.

Y/N was used to just imagining she heard his voice with her in the room, but suddenly she heard something that wasn't her. She gasped. 

"He's choking!! Nurse!!" She yelled for help, frantically pushing the call button. "Help!" 

Several nurses rushed in. One ushered Y/N back and out of the room, telling her to give them space to work. 

"What's- What's happening? What are they doing??" Y/N tried to go back in, but the nurse held her shoulders. 

"He's trying to breathe over the tube, Y/N. That's a very good sign. It means he's breathing on his own," The nurse said, trying to keep Y/N calm. 

"Does- does that mean he's waking up?" Y/N asked, not wanting to get her hopes up. 

"Not for sure, but it's a very good sign."

After a few minutes, the nurses came out of Harry's room, looking excited. "Y/N, he's awake! He's very groggy and can't speak yet, but he is definitely awake. You can go in and sit with him again if you'd like. We gave him some more medicine for the pain, so you have about 15 minutes to talk before he starts going a little..." She made a swirling motion next to her head. 

Y/N didn't care if he was high on morphine. She just cared that he was alive and awake and didn't... hate her. 

Harry was laying in the bed, looking at her with great concern in his tired eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but no noise came out. Y/N rushed over to take his hand. 

"It's ok, they said you might not be able to talk for a little while yet. It's ok, I'm here, it's ok," Y/N said, smoothing his hair. 

Harry cleared his throat, coughing. He gestured toward the water cup on his side table. 

"Oh, of course." Y/N picked up the pitcher and poured him a glass, setting it in his good hand. 

He raised the straw shakily to his lips as   Y/N watched carefully to make sure he didn't spill. She gently lifted the cup out of his hands when he held it up to her.

His small smile was enough to make Y/N cry all over again.

"Oh, Harry," She cried, holding her head in her hands. "It's all my fault. I'm so sorry this happened, I did this to you- you almost died!" 

"W-what?"

Y/N whipped her head up. "You can talk?" She said, overjoyed.

Harry coughed and spoke again. "Of course I can talk." 

His voice was rough and it sounded like it hurt everytime he spoke, but it was the most beautiful thing Y/N had ever heard. 

"What are you talking about, it's all your fault?" He rasped, looking utterly confused. "What even happened?" 

With tears leaking from her eyes, Y/N explained all she knew, which still wasn't much. Harry remembered everything as she told him, both their eyes watering as her voice shook.

"Why... why're you crying? Does your forehead hurt? I can call the nurse..." He reached for the call button.

"No, no, I'm ok," She took his hand in hers. "I'm just so sorry, because it honestly is my fault, I'm the one who wanted Chinese food and picked 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 of all days to drive 2 hours away and-" 

He cut her off by raising his finger to her lips. 

"It's not your fault... it's mine. I'm the one who convinced you the only good Chinese food is so far away and I'm the one who was driving. I couldn't keep you safe..." 

Harry had never looked so sad. 

"No!" Y/N exclaimed. "Do you not see me right now? I'm absolutely fine, you did keep me safe. You swerved out of the way... wait a minute," She paused, realization hitting her. "You didn't think we could avoid the truck at all, did you? You knew it would hit us either way, but you made sure it would hit as far from me as possible." 

Harry looked down. "I figured you're more important than me, I had to do what I could."

"Harry Styles!" Y/N whisper-yelled. "If you weren't so 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 I would 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘬 you right now! How could you do that? How could you put yourself in 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 like that?" 

"Oh, that's actually why I got so injured, because I knew you'd try to hit me for this," He smiled charmingly at Y/N. She just scowled. 

"Did you really expect me to just say, "oh well, guess she's a goner! bye Y/N! nice knowin' ya!" No, of course not. Of course I'd put myself in danger for you. Always." 

Y/N's lip trembled. "Why do you have to be so romantic after you do such stupid things? it makes it really hard to stay mad at you," She said, wiping her eyes. 

"Yeah, that was the goal there," He laughed. 

Then he caught sight of the ring on her finger.

"That's pretty, when did you get that?" He mock gasped. "Did you get engaged while I was in a coma?" 

“No," Y/N laughed. "It's funny actually. I bought it from the museum gift shop. I wanted to give it to you as a present, for the anniversary of the first time we went there together. I was going to give it to you over Chinese food, and it was going to be 𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 and 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘪𝘤 and 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭." 

Harry smiled. "That's lovely of you, darling. Why... why's it on your finger though?" 

"Oh! right." Y/N sheepishly pulled the ring off her finger. "They wouldn't let me see you because I'm not family, so I threw it on and said we were married," She said, blushing furiously. "Sorry about that." 

Harry smiled. "Why are you sorry?" 

"Um... we're 𝘯𝘰𝘵 married... so... I don't know, I just thought you might think it's weird, or, something..."  Y/N finished lamely. She held the ring out to him. 

"Happy anniversary." 

"Why don't you keep it?" 

"Right, of course, you don't need a reminder of this day," Y/N slipped the ring back into her pocket, on the verge of tears because she messed up 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

"No, that's not... I meant, why don't you keep it... on your finger?" 

She pulled the ring out of her pocket again, looking confused. "Why?" 

Harry plucked it out of her hand, holding it up to her. "Because I want you to marry me," He said, slipping it onto her finger with the sweetest smile she had ever seen. 

Y/N smiled at him. "It's ok, Harry, you're very high on all the painkillers right now. I won't hold you to anything you say," She laughed a little. 

"I'm not... why would I be on painkiller... oh yeah," Harry grinned, looking around. "I remember why I'm high right now." 

"Riiight." 

"I might be high, but I still want to marry you," he said is a singsong voice. 

Y/N laughed. "Harry, why don't we talk about this when you're sober, ok?"

Harry pouted. "Please? Please marry me? I love you, and you're so pretty, and you're so nice to animals..." He started crying, apparently at how nice Y/N was to animals. "And... a cat! We can get a cat together!" 

"Harry, baby, don't cry, of course we can get a cat," She gently wiped the tears from his bruised face. 

"I won't stop crying until you say you'll marry me," Harry said defiantly, gripping    Y/N's arm. "Pleeeaaase?" 

"Ok, Harry, yes, I will marry you. Sure. You can stop crying now, ok?" 

"That's good, I'm glad, because you're my favorite person, and I looooove you, and you're my baaaaby..." 

At this point Harry was just singing random words, usually circling back to "baaaaby" and "looooove youuuu". 

Y/N felt happy for the first time in what felt like years, while really it had been less than 24 hours. 

Eventually, he wanted to see the ring again. Y/N held up her hand and he gasped. 

"It's so beautiful! I'll buy you a real one though, a real ring for our real wedding. Then we'll get a real house and have real babies, and a real cat," He said, with the dopiest grin Y/N had ever seen. 

"Oh? We'll have babies, huh? How many babies will we have?" 

"3," He answered quickly. "Two girls and a boy. No... 4. Two of each. That way they won't team up one of them." 

"Oh, sounds like you've thought about this a lot," Y/N laughed.

  "Every single day since we started dating, you know why?" 

"Why?" 

He motioned for her to lean closer.

  "Because I looooove you," He sang in her ear.

She pulled back, kissing his swollen cheek. 

"You're a sweetheart," She said affectionately. 

"So're you," He smiled. 

"I kind of like drugged Harry," Y/N laughed. "He's very cute." 

"Drugged Harry also likes drugged Harry, he feels like he's floating." 

"Oh, so drugged Harry talks about himself in the third person?" 

"He does now!" Harry smiled at her again. "Drugged Harry is tired... he's just going to..." 

Then the monitors started beeping rapidly. Several nurses ran in, bustling around and shouting various medical terminology. Another nurse ushered Y/N out of Harry's room for the second time that day. 

"No! No, I need to stay with him! I can't-"

"Shh... it's alright. They're going to do everything they can to help him. You have to let them help him. Why don't we go to the waiting room?"

Y/N exhaled shakily. If she couldn't stay with Harry, she might as well sit instead of hovering around the corner. 

"Yes, let's go to the waiting room," She said, after a few deep breaths. 

Y/N had been sitting on the waiting room for what felt like an eternity, but a glance at her phone told her it had only been 45 minutes. 

A woman in a surgical gown approached her, and Y/N stood up quickly. "What happened?" She asked immediately.

"Unfortunately, your husband's brain bleed did not resolve itself like we had hoped. He is in surgery, and for right now he's doing well," the surgeon said, looking sympathetic. 

"Ok... why did the monitors freak out? Did his heart stop? Is he going to wake up from surgery?" 

"The monitors went off because his heart was having trouble, but they were able to resuscitate him through CPR and defibrillation. It's too soon to know if he will wake up, but the surgeon is hopeful. I will come back to update you as soon as I can."

"Ok, thank you," Y/N said, sinking back into her chair.

  She felt a pain in her chest, like real, actual pain. What would she do without Harry? How would she live with herself, knowing he died trying to save her? 

She caught a glimpse of the ring on her finger and choked back a sob. Would she tell people she was engaged? No, of course not. Harry had been completely out of his mind when he'd asked her. 

She slumped down in her chair, wanting to curl up and cry. Instead, she called her mom. Through her tears, she explained everything that happened. 

"Oh, honey," Her mom sighed. "I'm so sorry. I'm on my way. I'll be there in about 7 hours, I'm sorry it'll take so long. Do you want to stay on the phone with me?"

  "No, I can't," Y/N sniffled. "I have to call Harry's family."

  "Do you want me to do that? I wouldn't mind, they're-"

"No, mom, thank you, but I should. I- I'm going to go. Love you," Y/N said, hanging up the phone. 

Checking her phone, Y/N realized it was the middle of the night in London where Harry's family lived. She didn't think she should wait, so she called Anne without another thought. 

"Oh, Y/N, I'm so sorry. We're getting the soonest flight. We won't be there until tomorrow morning. Will you be alright alone? Is your mother coming?" 

"Yes, my mom's on her way. I'm ok, thank you," Y/N said, rubbing her eyes. 

After she hung up the phone, it set in just how exhausted she was. She had slept poorly the night before, because of the awkwardness of sleeping in a chair and because she was so, so, worried for Harry.

She drifted into a fitful sleep where she dreamed of cars crashing, rings flying around, and Harry standing just out of her reach. He was like a rainbow, the closer she got to him, the more he faded. 

She startled awake and realized there were tears on her face. She checked her phone, seeing that it had only been 3 hours.  

She saw the same woman from before approaching her, this time wearing just scrubs. 

Y/ N stood to meet her. 

"Harry is out of surgery and doing well. We were able to repair the brain bleed. His heart stopped on the table," Y/N gasped at this, "But we were able to get him back. His ribs will be very sore and possibly even broken. All that aside, he is doing well, Mrs. Styles, and you can see him now," She said, Leading Y/N to the elevator. 

Her breath trembled as they walked towards his room. 

Harry was laying in his bed, looking like a fragile child. Even though he was so much bigger than her, right now he seemed so... small. 

Y/N looked at the nurse, asking to sit with him. She nodded and explained that two of his ribs were fractured and his collarbone would hurt him a lot when he woke up. 

Y/N held his hand with a featherlight touch, unwilling to jostle him even the smallest bit. 

After about an hour of her reading to him, she felt a small movement, barely even noticeable. Was it...?

She felt another movement. This time she was sure of it. He was squeezing her hand.

"I'm here Harry, I'm right here," She soothed,  moving her chair closer to him.

  He groaned sleepily before opening his emerald eyes and looking at her.

  "Hi," he smiled, squeezing her hand again. 

"Hi," Y/N said, crying more than a little bit. 

"What... did... are you ok?" Harry's brow furrowed. He seemed to have a hundred questions, but he settled on asking how she was. 

"Yes, Harry, I'm ok. How do you feel?" 

"Hurts," he said, closing his eyes. "But if you're ok, so am I." 

Y/N kissed his hand. "I see drugged Harry is still here? The one that is 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 cute and sweet?" 

"No, he's not. This is just regular Harry. I can tell because everything 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 hurts," He said with a small grimace.

"Oh, I'll get the nurse. They'll give you something," Y/N started to get up, but Harry's grip on her hand tightened. 

"Wait," he said pulling her back to him. "Before they make me go all loopy, I just want to say-" He paused, looking at the ring on her finger. "I love you, to my fiancee. I think it counts more when I'm not high." 

"Your- your fiancee? Harry, I told you I wouldn't hold you to anything you said before. You weren't in your right mind at all, I didn't even think you'd remember saying all that." 

"Yeah, but I remember asking you to marry me and you said yes. You might not be holding me to anything I said, but I'm holding you to that," He grinned. "You really want to deny a dying man his last... dying... wish?" 

Harry flopped his good arm dramatically over his forehead, wincing at the motion. Y/N helped him slowly lower it again. 

"First of all, you're not dying. Secondly, I don't want you to go through with this because you feel obligated, or because you think I'll be upset if you aren't ready to propose. It's totally fine, I promise, but why don't we talk about this when you're feeling better?" 

"No, I feel fine," He insisted.

Y/N gave him a look. "Really? You do? Aren’t you the one who just needed help moving your arm?" 

"Irrelevant. I feel fine, like, mentally. If you don't think you're ready to be engaged to me, that's ok. But don't say no because you think I didn't mean it. I did, with every part of me. I love you, and I want you to be my wife." 

"...Really?" Y/N asked, cheeks heating up.

"Really," Harry smiled. 

"And according to drugged Harry, you want to have a cat and 4 children." 

Harry laughed, wincing immediately.

"Don't make me laugh, my chest really hurts," He said, still holding her hand. 

"Sorry, sorry, they said you have some broken ribs. Also your collarbone. Also your femur. Geez, Styles, you're kind of a mess," You laughed. 

"Yeah, really," He smiled. "But seriously, will you? Will you be my wife?" 

"Of course I will, Harry. I love you so much, of course I will," Y/N said, gently kissing his cheek. 

"Great," Harry beamed at her. "Now that we've worked that out, can you get the nurse? Drugged Harry is ready to make a comeback." 

"Oh, right, sorry," Y/N said, reaching over for the call button. 

The nurse came in, giving Harry more medicine. 

"You'll start to have some relief within a few minutes," She said, leaving them alone again.  

"One more thing Y/N," Harry said. She could already tell he was a little more relaxed. "I have to get you a ring!" 

Y/N smiled, holding up her hand. "I already have one, remember?" 

Harry waved her hand away. "No, no, a bride can't buy her own ring! What kind of... chivalrous... gentleman... would I be if I didn't buy you a beautiful ring?" 

"Ok, Harry, as soon as you get out of here, we'll go ring shopping," Y/N promised. 

"And... to the cat shelter? You said we could get a cat... a kitty, a cat, a little kitty cat..." 

Harry had started singing mumbled words about cats and love and babies. Y/N knew it was going to be a long night. Still, she had never been happier.

[mementomori-demimonde]

Old Wounds

Hidden Scars: I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X - XI.1 / XI.2 XII - XIII - XIV - XV - XVI - XVII - XVIII - XIX - XX

Bonus Chapter (21):

Three years ago, you broke up with Miranda.

Or, to better say, three years ago, Miranda broke up with you.

After escaping Victor’s grasp and embarking on the flight headed to England, Miranda thought it was best for the two of you to be constantly moving around.

She easily procured fake IDs and documents and, as Mrs. & Mrs. O’Brien (so lame that you loved it), you checked in the most expensive hotels and made a mess of the room, only to be off the next day. Every bill was paid and the staff generously tipped, even though the money didn’t certainly come from your pockets as you didn’t have any: you found out it was fairly easy to transfer money around and trick the systems; at least all those hacking software lessons had proven useful, though you weren’t up to anything illegal - it was a matter of survivance, that was what you told yourself. 

Life was wild and exciting, every morning you were someone slightly different while remaining the same, every night you got lost in the scent of her, only to be woken up by her fingers exploring your body.

Miranda was never satiated. And while it was only a matter of sex, before, there was something addicting, now, that flickered between the two of you.

It was something you thought was unbreakable. Something so rare to be born in such a hostile condition that it would be so hard to kill that nobody would even try to.

You thought.

Miranda lit up the day you reached Glasgow.

You could see her eyes gleaming, you could see her sharp fangs shining at the pale light of the sun as she dragged you around, showing you this and that, telling you about her childhood while turning a child herself, innocent and carefree and happy enough to be pulling you in and kiss you in the middle of the road.

You stayed in Glasgow for five months after that, because she thought you were both safe.

You decided to rent a small apartment next to the theater because, apparently, Miranda loved the theatre and you loved discovering things about her just as much as you loved watching her glow as she watched the show and the people acting or the orchestra playing.

You even convinced her to take yoga classes and, except for a couple of smashed glasses when she thought a waiter was ogling you, and an exploded pillow when her football team lost to the rigors, she seemed to have learned how to manage her anger pretty well.

Even her part-time job as a dog-sitter helped her keep her calmness, even to balance with the frustration she would accumulate during her other job as a consultant; of what, you never worked it out completely, you simply knew it was something to do with finance, probably internationally. Miranda didn’t like to talk about it excessively - the pay was good, she seemed satisfied with it - so you let her be.

As for you, when the first opportunity came out, you accepted it right away: as a receptionist of a luxury hotel, you had a fair amount of working hours, perfectly timed with Miranda, and you were able to bake breakfast for the both of you, pack your lunch boxes and be back before her to prepare dinner when Miranda didn’t surprise you, instead, with some take out and a lit candle.

She uncovered a nice, unexpected side of her, but sometimes she still was the scary old Miranda, even when it wasn’t necessary, to your opinion.

Whenever she acted bad, you served her a banana on a plate instead of a nice dinner you baked, to commemorate the first meal she had you eat. Miranda would pout, eat the banana in silence, and ask for forgiveness between the freshly cleaned sheets. This worked the other way around too, of course, with the exception that she enjoyed herself a little too much, sometimes, prolonging the punishment to something more than just a banana for dinner. Either way, everything was solved in bed. Not that you complained about this method, of course.

You thought you couldn’t be happier; but you thought you could never be any less happy either, and, of course, you were wrong.

It was a casual question you blurted out without much thought.

One night, you were watching a cheesy movie on tv, just for the fun of hearing her complain while she had her legs slung over yours, silently demanding for cuddles she would never admit to be requesting. As the couple on the screen kissed and cried happily, you said “have you ever thought about marriage?”

Miranda froze. You tried to explain that it meant nothing in particular, it was just conversation, but something in her eyes had changed.

She never answered the question.

Days went by and you could tell that something had painfully shifted between the two of you.

You tried to take it back, make her forget with some rough nights, just like she used to like it, but nothing worked.

Miranda wasn’t the same.

And then, one morning she was simply gone, without a single explanation. 

After twelve days of waiting, you made peace with yourself that Miranda wouldn’t be coming back.

You started to hate everything you loved so quickly that even going out in the streets and hearing all those people talking Scottish made you sick, so taking the next decision wasn’t too hard, after all: you told Cecilia to mind the tabby cat Miranda pulled out a stray dog’s jaws and brought home for you to heal, vacated the apartment hotfoot and accepted the job as head manager of the hotel subsidiary in Rome, Italy.

 After a few weeks, you realized the change was exactly what you needed: Rome was amazing, you like the people and, most of all, the food. You even decided to join a gym so you could keep eating the delicious meals the hotel chef cooked for the staff and when the weather was good, you went for a run, early in the morning, enjoying the sight of the city lazily waking up. Late in the night, before going to bed, you would flick your tear-drop-shaped dagger and put it in the top drawer in the nightstand, only to wear it the next day, because now you felt naked without its cold blade pressing against your leg. You dropped the habit of wearing it on your thigh - it wasn’t practical with your work attire - but strapped to your calf or pocketed inside your boot. You hated yourself for it, but it couldn’t be helped. You tried to convince yourself it was just in case you had to defend yourself - it was sensible since you had to walk by yourself most of the time.

All things considered, you fit in well.

Your apartment is good, with a nice view on the Tevere, the pay is almost double the one in Glasgow and you can allow yourself some treats, from time to time, whenever you feel too blue to stay in the apartment by yourself.

You contemplated the idea of getting a pet for a time, but you decided against it since that too would awaken sour thoughts.

You tried to date for a while, but nobody was enough.

Nobody compared to her.

Despite everything Miranda did to you, her memory was latched to your brain like a plague.

It still is.

Sometimes, only some heavy drinking can get her out of your head.

 You weren’t on duty tonight, and while you’re coming back from a peaceful stroll, your colleague calls: there has been a great fuss in the hotel; he tells you about ambulances and police cars hurrying with the sirens blaring to arrest some psycho that attacked a woman in her room. A guy was shot, but you don’t register much about the events, nor do you ask for further information, eager to drop the argument and avoid some unpleasant memories rising in your mind. Guns, people attacking other people, blood… It’s all in the past.

Hurrying up the stairs and fishing in your purse for the keys, you barely notice that the door lock is slightly scratched.

You don’t pay attention to it, nor the way your key slides inside the hole, until you step inside your home, pawing at the switch, and the light doesn’t work.

Immediately, all your senses turn on, your eyes struggle to adjust to the darkness, your ears eager to capture the smallest sound.

It’s the hair on the back of your neck that puts you in alarm. Rising for an imperceptible breath of wind, they notify of the imminent danger.

The next thing you feel is a strong arm wrapped around your throat, and a warm body pressed against your back.

The attacker clearly knows what they’re doing, but you do too.

Everything she taught you is stuck in your brain, branded on your bones.

In a flash, you lift your dominant leg just enough to grab the knife.

You plunge it into your attacker’s thigh without hesitation.

She - it’s a she - grunts in anger.

The hold of her elbow softens, her arm slides from your neck, her body moves abruptly from yours as she limps away, leaving you alone and scared, but in complete control of yourself.

“My, my. I am getting sloppy.” The voice sends chills down your spine. It’s warm, it’s smug, almost amused, and familiar. Terribly familiar.

Your heart, despite yourself, throbs painfully.

You open your mouth to speak, but nothing comes from your lips.

“Good.” She says, “very good, m’eudail.”

Whatever doubt you might’ve had, now it’s completely gone. It’s not your mind playing tricks, associating a familiar event with a lost person, this is happening for real. Running away from England to another country, taking a new name, a new identity, rebuilding your life almost from zero has served you nothing: she still has found you.

“Miranda?”

Three years.

Three years you haven’t heard from this woman.

Three years you’ve tried to push it out of your head.

Three years of pretending it was just a nightmare.

Three years and she’s back as if it’s nothing, standing in your apartment like she owns the place. She does, in a way. Miranda still owns you, in the first place, whether you like it or not: it’s not your choice to make. Until Miranda decides to let you go, you’re hers. It’s inevitable. And you know, you feel it in your guts, that Miranda will never let you go.

Some exchange rings, some jump over an old broom; your ‘until death do us part’ was a carving in the shape of an M - not on wood or marble, but on flesh - and you wonder how could she be so scared of marriage in the first place if she, too, has made a promise for life.

She comes into the light pouring in from the windows: it’s sunset, and the streetlight has just been lightened up.

Like it’s no big deal, you watch her bend down and wrap her fingers around the handle of the knife and, with a quick motion, she pulls it out from her wounded flesh with minimum bleeding.

With a wince, you notice that her trousers are already stained with dried blood, mixing with the fresh one.

She straightens her back and bares her teeth into a crooked smile, her split lip glistening with droplets of crimson. It looks painful. She doesn’t seem to mind one bit. Her cheekbone is blooming with blue and purple, her throat bears a sore line around. Miranda wears her bruises as if it was makeup, proud and confident. And, oh, so beautiful like the night before she left.

You can’t help but feel concerned, which only adds to your frustration: you shouldn’t care about her, you shouldn’t feel so strongly about the blood running down her chin - she probably deserves it, and more - but you do care.

You watch her, powerless, as she stumbles toward the couch and lets herself fall unceremoniously on top of it, grunting as her bruised body slackens against the soft pillows. Her shirt is stained as well, her knuckles scraped.

“You’re beaten up.” You dumbly point out.

She lets out a dark chuckle and lolls her head back. Your eyes are drawn to the rhythmic movements of her throat as she swallows. You can almost taste the iron inside your own mouth - how many times she’s kissed you after a training session, how many times your sweat mingled with hers when you wondered if you were fighting or fucking.

It all felt so long ago and, still, it hurt like it was yesterday.

“Tried my best, but you can’t expect the featherweight to win against the heavyweight without a significantly favorable weapon. He was just a bigger psycho than me: came out on top, in the end.” Miranda murmurs, a smug expression deforming her features. “Victor, on the other hand-”

The name has your head spinning. His ugly mouse-face comes to visit on the blurry surface of your mirror every time you shower, the rough lines crossing your back are a distant yet a painful reminder of those days of imprisonment, confined in that small room with Miranda, uncovering her past, her job, her boss and his despicable ways. Those marks hurt, but not as much as it hurts the one on your left shoulder - not until now.

“You’ve gone back to work for him?”

After all you’ve been through, after all the pain he inflicted, after she promised to have him killed because he took it out on you, Miranda decided to still work with him. Betrayal didn’t even compare to what you felt.

How many things can change in three years? You lived a lifetime in two months, since Miranda kidnapped you. Three years, right now, are an eternity.

Miranda’s smile drops. Her blue eyes wander aimlessly around the room, stopping in a dark corner. They aren’t focused, but it’s easy for you to see the regret blaring in her lost gaze.

“It was what I am,” Miranda murmurs, her voice emotionless, “it was the only thing I knew.”

There’s a pregnant silence between the two of you. It feels like forever before you move your first step toward the couch, your gaze fixed on her as if you were trying to control a snake about to snap its vicious attack.

You know Miranda won’t move, not to attack you anyway, but you’re cautious when you speak.

“You’re talking in the past tense.”

“He’s dead now.” Miranda breathes out heavily. Her voice almost overlaps yours, as if she’s completely zoned out, not listening at all, unaware of her surroundings, as impossible as it seems. “I killed him, gave him what he deserved.”

The sheepish look she gives you is the sparkle that lits your flame. It doesn’t matter if Victor is dead now, the memories still haunt your dreams, and Miranda has gone back to work for him.

You feel cheated on, betrayed, and you still don’t know what she wants from you. Frustration builds up from within until you feel like exploding.

You would smack her and shake her by her shoulders if she wasn’t so bruised - and if she’d let you, of course, before succumbing to her strong arms and be stopped by force.

“Miranda, why are you here?” You would ask her to leave, tell her you can’t stand her sight… if only that was true. Angered beyond words by her persistent silence, you walk to her with heavy steps, until you’re in front of her, for the first time, towering her small figure on the couch. She looks frail, harmless, submissive, but you know she’s not any of those things. “Miranda-”

“Shut up.”

You don’t know how she’s managed that - if she’s pulled you down by the collar of your shirt, or hooked her fingers in your belt, or even hit the back of your knees with her foot - but you’re falling right onto her, like the controlled destruction of a building, collapsing right where the demolition expert planned. You try to catch yourself with one hand on either side of her head, fingers clawing the soft pad of the back cushion, even if it’s not necessary: of course, Miranda has caught you first.

Although ‘catch’ is not entirely correct. Her greedy fingers are grabbing your head, pulling more than supporting, and before you can realize what’s happening, her lips are on your mouth.

Oh, God, how much you missed her.

It’s not a nostalgic kiss, she’s not asking for forgiveness or awakening long-lost memories. Her lips are urgent, almost aggressive.

It’s like those three years never went by, as if a lot of things never happened: this one isn’t Miranda, but the mysterious woman who kidnapped you in the alley; she’s back to that unhinged creature that tortured you in the most pleasant ways, who turned a cage into paradoxical heaven where wrong was right and the pain was pleasure.

Too easily you fall back into the addicting spiral that bound you to her. You’re completely at her mercy, once again, with no power nor will to pull yourself out of it. Despite everything, you want more of her kisses, you want more of her touches, you want more of her, no matter if she’s rough or brutal - something of Miranda is still better than nothing.

Hungry hands travel fast from your face to your neck and, for a moment, you prepare to hold your breath thinking she will wrap her fingers around your throat to have you squirm in her lap, desperate for air, just to assert her total control, but you’re wrong. Miranda doesn’t stop: she paws possessively at your breasts, teasing your nipples through the coarse fabric - you hate a little how your body seems to react regardless of your mind, answering to her touch in all the right ways.

You always take minutes to remove your uniform, Miranda hasn’t taken more than one to leave you in your undergarments, confused and wondering if you were actually wearing something before she claimed ownership over you and your body, like always, like she was entitled since the beginning.

Her mouth travels fast, in tow, she nibbles and lavishes, sending electric sparks to your core.

You don’t dare speak, afraid that the spell will break, that you’ll wake up from a dream even though you don’t remember falling asleep, even if it feels real, so real, almost too real that you can’t bring yourself to renounce it.

The tip of her nose tickles the valley of your breasts when she kisses her way down your stomach and belly, her nails scratch dully at the small of your back, pulling your knickers down in one move.

You’ve never noticed how chill your apartment can be. Or maybe you’ve never been so hot before, within these walls.

Her mouth knows exactly where to tease you, her tongue touches all the right places and only in the right ways. Her body remembers everything, and at the same time, it feels new. She tastes you, pursuing the depths of you, almost as if she wants to drown right there and then.

Bare and vulnerable, you don’t even perceive the typical powering position on top of her; Miranda is always on top, also when she’s not.

You can only arch over her as she draws a hurried orgasm out of you, leaving you raw and trembling, your mind spiraling from contentment, nostalgia, and a deep sense of guilt and then back again, when her tongue doesn’t stop until she isn’t satisfied with a second climax, and a third.

It’s easy to lose count when Miranda is having her way. It’s easy to get lost and losing track of time and of yourself, it’s easy to set aside everything to chase her with your hips, desperate for everything and in everything.

She doesn’t allow you to catch your breath when she’s done. You barely catch a glimpse of her when she pulls away, working her jaw to relieve the soreness that has surely set in her muscles, but her eyes are elusive, disappointing you when you hoped to look at her and find the woman you know.

It’s just another confirmation that she is still somewhere else, at least in spirit.

You’ve learned to know her strength, despite her petite size, and yet you can’t prevent the surprised gasp that escapes your mouth when she pushes you off of her and into the couch on your front, so fast that you gape at the pillow below.

You struggle to adjust your head and tilt it to the side when you feel her climb on your thighs, her ripped legs grabbing yours with vicious force when she lowers herself, and despite being fully clothed, you can feel the heat from her core right below your bottom, where she sits.

You swallow in anticipation, shiver when her nails rake at your skin, and then, then everything stops. She pauses.

You feel all the tension leave the room like the fog lifting from the streets.

Her legs are looser when she shifts lower on your thighs, her hands are softer when she glides her fingers up the small of your back and they linger, for a moment too long, across your shoulder blades.

You want to say something, even say her name again, listen to your own voice calling Miranda while still striving to breathe, wearied by the pleasure her skilled tongue has brought you. But as soon as you take a small breath to speak, a startling weight on your back knocks the air out of your lungs.

You take a moment to comprehend that Miranda has leaned on the top of you, her chest rises and falls rhythmically against your back, her breath tickles your left shoulder and you blink at the fact that her cheek is probably resting on her carved initial, and not just by chance.

You mentally count three seconds in, three seconds out. Her warm breath sends shivers down your spine.

“Had to find you.”

It’s a murmur, barely a whisper, so small you even doubt you heard it for real or just in your head.

“What?”

You try to squirm from below, eager to watch her face, read in her eyes if she’s making fun of you in the cruelest of ways or not. Her voice has tricked you on many occasions… or not. Maybe it was her eyes. Maybe it’s better for both of you if you can’t cage into each other’s eyes.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, relax your muscles, stop your hands from scrambling in the purchase of a steady surface to push yourself up and Miranda off of you.

It’s better this way: she won’t talk, otherwise.

“Thought I could do it.” She sighs, her lips move on your skin, leaving a moist halo around her lips. “Thing is… that I could.”

“You’re talking about-”

“Glasgow.” She snaps. You feel her clenching her jaw tight. “When we lived together.”

“You’re scared that you could live normally?”

Silence.

“You don’t understand.” She huffs. “People like me can’t usually walk away whenever they please and forget about their pasts.”

“But you did.” You retort. “We were fine.”

Miranda chuckles. It’s a bittersweet one, and it ends quickly.

 “I was doing fine before you came.” She clarifies. It clarifies nothing, but you don’t dare to interrupt, fearing she’ll just walk away for good. “There’s a reason why so many have failed. No one was able to ruin me while I ruined them. No one was you.”

You can breathe easily now that Miranda has rolled off of you.

You turn to your side quickly, eager to follow her with your eyes and make sure she won’t take the door and never come back after such a declaration. Rare have been the times you’ve heard Miranda talk in such ways and you can only imagine what is the prelude for: something fatally bad, or something impossibly good.

In the forced darkness of your apartment, the blue of her eyes glows at the dim reflection of the streetlights.

Her voice echoes in your head.

When you initiate the kiss you’re surprised she doesn’t pull back. She doesn’t even complain. She doesn’t grab your face or the back of your neck, she doesn’t claim the lead.

It’s startling, and it’s a foreign sensation you’re not used to, at all.

You barely register the soft rustle of fabric as you chase her taste and mingle it with yours.

And then finally you feel her hands on yours, her slender fingers reaching for yours and sliding almost perfectly in between, like pieces of a puzzle.

She swallows your breathy moan.

You haven’t expected your hands to be drawn closer to the warmth of her body. She lets her fingers move to your wrists, she lets them loop around the protruding bone there - she doesn’t squeeze, she doesn’t pull nor push - leaving your pads free to roam over her stomach, through the small crack of her shirt, gliding over the taut skin of her abdomen. You feel new bumps, new scars perhaps.

She squirms when you push a little too hard against her hip bone.

Or, maybe, she doesn’t exactly squirm.

You feel her adjust, raising her pelvis off the couch, but not to ease discomfort.

Your fingertips slip easily beyond the band of her high-waist trousers.

Miranda doesn’t move.

She’s even stopped the kiss, letting you decide.

It’s an open invitation - a request, perhaps - to touch her, properly, like you’ve been asking, for weeks, silently, before you decided to voice your thoughts and your feelings. 

Everything went downhill from there.

Your breath catches, the long-awaited moment feeling so terrifying, now, that you can’t bring yourself to just stop thinking and follow your guts, your innermost desires, to claim what has been denied to you for so long.

Miranda wouldn’t have hesitated. She didn’t hesitate to take when she wanted and could.

Thing is, you’re not her.

You pull away from her in a blink, your fingers tingle with unsatisfied electricity when you hide your face in your hands.

“Miranda.” You growl. Your voice comes out muffled from behind your palms. You’d want to yell at her, berate her, but it only comes out desperate, you sound on the verge of crying. Maybe you are. “What are you doing?”

Her hands are touching your wrists again. She’s gentle. More than she’s ever been. She forces you to unpeel your hands from your face.

In the dim light from the streetlights, her eyes shine again. They seem full of unshed tears, but you don’t want to fool yourself with dull illusions that don’t belong, with every possibility, to either of you.

Miranda doesn’t talk. You know it, you can see it, there’s a whole universe of things she’s dying to say, and still… she doesn’t speak.

You let out a shaky breath, sit lower on her legs, your gazes locked.

“Miranda, what’s your point?” You try again, softer this time.

She opens her mouth to speak then, only to close it soon after with a frustrated sigh.

You can’t endure more of it. You’re too spent to keep playing.

Miranda speaks only when you push yourself off of her, trying to stand up.

“My point is- I’m done.” She huffs out a disbelieving chuckle as if it’s the first time she’s told that, to herself even; the first time she’s truly grasped the idea and made it final. “I’ve got tons of money now and I can leave it all behind.”

“Miranda-”

“We can leave it all behind.” She corrects. One of her hands slithers to the small of your back, pushing you down to keep you near. It’s confident but for the first time, somehow, it’s not possessive. “Start over, for real.”

You swallow a mouthful of sand. Your head is spinning. You even wonder if something has possessed Miranda’s body and has turned her into some normal person who is actually repentant and is willing to start over.

How much can a person change in three years? Does it also apply to Miranda? The rules of mortals apply to such mysterious creatures like her?

You’re about to ask for a moment when you hear a distinct mew.

“What the fuck-” You startle, snapping your head toward the kitchen. It’s hard to see, but there’s definitely something on the counter. A box, maybe a crate. With something furry poking out. “You brought the cat?!”

Miranda’s lips are crooked into a sheepish smile when you look back at her.

“Please?” She whispers. Her voice is velvety against your lips, so close you could answer with a kiss. “What do you say?”

Maybe you will answer with a kiss.

Maybe.

[guqin-and-flute]

please tell me everything about yanxiyao. i am invested. nay, i am obsessed. an ot3 made up entirely of people who Deserved Better and they are GETTING IT. i don’t care if it’s deep, agonizing 3AM thoughts that make me question how i think about life and love and the mortifying ordeal of being known or if it’s pointless fluffbits scrounged up from your daydreams. GIVE THEM TO ME

AHA, this delighted me, I’m so glad!! [rubs hands] Okay, you have unlocked the avalanche, stream of consciousness, here we go. Boy howdy this got long, so full rambling under the cut. 

So I’ve already outlined how it starts with JGY, but you’ve probably seen that and I’m probably going to actually write a getting together fic at some point if the scenes start falling out of the sky into my head, so I’ll skip past that for the time being and start with the beginning of the triad. It begins in a most definite V with JGY as the hinge--Xichen and Yanli are very careful and considerate about each other’s time with him and try very hard not to overlap. Most things are separate--sex times, dates, meals (unless it’s everyone [siblings, et. al] eating together), sleepovers. 

However, something happens. Perhaps JGY starts asking to spend a day with both of them, perhaps the greeting conversations when Xichen visits grow longer and warmer and bleed into sitting together over tea, laughing, and forgetting the days plans. Perhaps the way Xichen delights in holding their daughter and playing so very patiently with her begins to completely charm Yanli.

Perhaps it’s when Yanli and JGY leave the toddler with Wen Qing and Jiang Cheng to go for a nice leisurely trip together to Gusu but the weather turns and they have to stay in an inn in the middle of nowhere overnight and Yanli’s health takes a sharp dive all of a sudden and JGY sends a Jin butterfly to tell Xichen the situation and that they’re going to be late. And it’s only after he’s sent it that it comes to his attention that this rinky-dink village’s doctor actually lives in the next city over and is out of town for his daughter’s wedding or something idiotic and won’t be back for days--he has learned this after a slog through the rain to said doctor’s empty house in said next-city-over and then returned to demand of the innkeeper what exactly he’s playing at, sending him out like that when he knew the doctor wasn’t there. And he’s in the process of not strangling the innkeeper when the door bursts open and it’s Xichen, completely waterlogged and anxious and JGY is appalled that he’s just flown through a thunderstorm but secretly very, very relieved he is here. 

And so they go upstairs and Yanli is incredibly happy to see both of them, especially since her fever has gotten worse and she is freezing. She wants snuggles and JGY reasons that they should both get in on it, because more body heat, y’know (he’s only trying to help, there are limited options, here) but he and Xichen both are completely soaked from traveling in the rain and they hesitate. Yanli is very much, ‘Oh noooo, the 2 hot men who need to snuggle me are covered in wet cloooothes?? Whatever shall we doooo?’ And the both of them are very seriously trying to tell her that Xichen will need to take off his robes if they’re going to be in bed together and is she okay with that and she’s like, ‘WhaAaaAaat? 😲 Holy cow, I guess I’ll suffer through :3c’ And they laugh and snuggle and sleep and the next few days is them taking care of her while she apologizes for getting sick and ruining the trip while they maintain that this is very nice, actually, minus her feeling terrible. They don’t actually visit Gusu and just end up spending time together in the inn while she recovers.

So, after that, Yanli and Xichen’s relationship becomes a lot more physically affectionate--they hug when they see each other, they kiss each other on the cheek, Yanli and JGY both snuggle up to his sides when they sit alone on the pavilion with the curtains drawn. The both of them have talked separately with JGY about whether this is okay, whether they’re overstepping any boundaries, and his response was basically an incredulous, ‘Are you joking? This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’ And so the 3 of them spend more and more time together, and maybe there’s a night where they’re all in Xichen’s guest room at Lotus Pier, maybe having a few drinks, and they get onto the subject of how good of a kisser their A-Yao is and he protests saying that they’re biased because they haven’t kissed anyone else, so how could they know. And Xichen flushes and grins, “Aren’t you sly?” and JGY blinks innocently and says, “I don’t know what on earth you could mean 😇!” and Yanli is biting back a laugh and also a little pink but tilts her chin up invitingly and they do kiss and it’s lovely and JGY realizes exactly how much he enjoys that. And from then on, the Xichen’s guest room is more of a formality/decoy than anything else and their suite just so happens to get updated with a bigger bed because, y’know, reasons.

✨Vibes✨:

-WangXian matchmaking happens in earnest when YanXiYao first start their arrangement because now JGY has a concrete reason to find more excuses for more frequent visits from the Twin Jades

-Something about the 2 of them together makes it so that JGY can break down more easily--when it’s just Yanli, he still feels very protective and it’s hard to show his anger. When it’s just Xichen, he doesn’t want to cause him pain, and it’s hard to show when he’s hurting and despairing. When the three are together he is able to let them hold him more easily instead of withdrawing and isolating himself, and it frustrates him, but is also very good for him. 

-Xichen and Yanli have a very intense and deep affection for each other that rides the fuzzy line of romantic and alterous; they enjoy cuddling, kissing, they definitely aren’t averse to having sex with each other but it usually happens when JGY is involved in some way, whether everyone participates or it’s a voyeuristic situation in whatever capacity (though this may be impacted by the fact that he doesn’t live with them and most days, Yanli is pleasantly lukewarm about sexual activity in general, so who’s to say it wouldn’t happen naturally, in time?) 

-Xichen and Yanli have a relationship that has grown beyond just what they have with JGY and have a wonderful time talking together, giving each other gifts, and exchanging letters. There is a shared exasperation for JGY’s treatment of his health and often look to each other as back up (JGY is annoyed. They simply smile.) They don’t feel the need to really categorize their relationship besides the fact that they love each other, consider the other their best friend, are deeply fond of one another, and plan to all stay as they are for the rest of their lives. (Maybe, eventually, this will lead to a secret marriage ceremony, just for the 3 of them).

-It was after the inn/fever incident that she insisted Xichen call her A-Li

-All 3 have a devious streak and it makes for some very sweet 2 ganging up on 1 and showering them with kisses and affection.

-JGY and Yanli write him joint letters as well as individual ones of their own 

-JGY and Yanli view Xichen as an equal status, commuter sort of parent and ask for his opinions and advice on parenting things. Xichen loves the kids like his own and gets to essentially have a kid without the complicated feelings of them being his heir and going through the Lan’s strict practices and corporal punishment. He takes them at Cloud Recesses for a few weeks every year.

-Each of the men have their own guilt attacks, now and again, Xichen about his involvement being selfish (Heirs! Propriety! His uncle!) and JGY over wanting too much (Infidelity! Reputation! A-Li!), and Yanli--who has done enough soul searching and has very comfortably decided that, no, she is quite fine being happy--calmly sits them down, gives them tea, kisses their foreheads, and makes them hold hands with her as they watch their kids play. 

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Tuesday 10 September 1839

4

9 20/..

F62 ¼° and fine at 4 20/.. had been up at 3 20/. for a few minutes – off from Keala [Kealanoja] at 5 28/.. very nice clean good Inn – good beds and eating in about ¾ hour steep pitch on the wood bridge and Gross would put the drag on – forbade his doing so again without my orders – at 6 ½ picturesque little low unpainted village and river – 1st stage road rather sandy or small red gravelly and more hilly than before – fine lake (fjord) ahead (right) – and we had a peep of it before – drizzling rain begins now at 6 35/.. picturesque rounded wooded hilly country the vale we wind along widish and well cultivated – dotted all over with barns – rye harrowed in in several directions on the same plot of ground wavy and crosswise and several ways in some of the fields -

SH:7/ML/TR/13/0027

September Tuesday 10 the little corn left out is I think oats – Guidepost

at Salå [Salo] indicates

Abo [Åbo] 55 w.

St. p- 565.

Helsingforss [Helsingfors] 155

Kiala 12 ½ here but 12 2/3 at Keala [[Kealanoja]

Hämenkylä [Hämeenkylä] 18 ¾  our next stage

at Salå [Salo] at 6 42/.. – small singular house – could not sleep – from here road hilly (pitchy) much young forest with mossy rocks Norway-like – and rud-red moss on the stones – cranberry (Lingboer) juniper and observed a little sweetgale John observed that here the juniper was quite fresh, and Sweden much withed! no truth in this – A- and I see little difference between here and about Stockholm – no corn to cut [seen] today and very little to house and we left much to cut between Falun and Stockholm everything quite as forward here as there – no maples (saw one solitary one afterwards) nothing but fir except birch and alder and a few Salleys about 7 55/.. pretty little shallow lake – the 2nd stage very pretty picturesque valley-winding drive – not much cattle out – but both horses and cows look chiefly chesnut – the [fine] wooded rocky hills very picturesque – our servants breakfasted before starting but not we – more sheep out this stage than before – little windmills everywhere scattered up and down in Sweden they are larger and near to towns –

vide Handbook p. 131 column 1 Road to Keala [Kealanoja] described as one that one should shudder at anywhere but in the north!!!

at 8 25/.. 1st gate and another a few minutes afterwards – In Sweden the roads blocked by them perpetually – on average 1 every ½ English mile or more and Norway almost but not quite so bad – no need of forbud – How much better than in Sweden! I see it is potato tops (they hang on the rails to dry for the cattle) that look so green and heavy on the rails I could not make them out yesterday – at 9 at Hämenkylä [Hämeenkylän]  a little low wood station house of no great promise but kitchen a part – some very tolerable rooms for us travellers and we stop to breakfast – no begrudging the time for 2

September

Tuesday 10

calêches at the door going off with each a pair of horses, and we must wait a couple of hours – Really one is much better off here in Finland than anyone ought to expect considerably the small means of the country – we like Finland – we have learnt our lesson as to roads and stations in Norway and latterly north of Upsala [Uppsala] and we are quite at home now – the roads so far very good – rather more heavy and hilly this last stage than before – the road from Åbo to Keala [Kealanoja] or Kiala very good and hardly a hill or pitch at all to our mind – I hear someone trying to tell Gross that 3 miles = 30 wersts from here there is an Inn kept by an Englishman – the drizzling rain that began about 6 35/.. last more or less till about 8 – breakfast coffee and boiled milk and bread and butter charged to John at first 3 ½ rubels – then in a bill to me 1 rigs. dollar and a half I would have it in rubels – he charged 2 rubels -  2 rubels = more than 1.24.0 rigsgold but paid it – and on my saying I would write my complaint the man turned pale and snatched away the book – he understood my saying in French he had no right to make out his account in Swedish money – I asked John what to write signifying that I was dissatisfied but he got off telling me, and both I and he got a little impatient about names of places and exactness of distances paid for 18 ¾ w. + 1/6 = 4/53 and the place called Lombala instead of Hämenkylä [Hämeenkylän] – Does that make 1/8w. difference? a civil fat traveller here came and gave us a currant wheat flour saffron sort of roll – would have been very good but for the saffron – off at 10 50/.. (Dont trouble this house again – the landlord would not give charge for a five Rubel bill when I wanted to pay for the horses but had plenty when I had to pay for breakfast) – good deal of forest this stage (sandy road) from Lombala to Olsbola [Olsböle] (17 ½ w.) on moss-covered rock as in Norway but still all young wood

at 11 50/.. village and wood bridge over river – we seldom pass thro’ villages but see them occasionally scattered at some distance from us tho’ the country not so populous as the north of Sweden –

vide Road book p. 161.  4 Runstyeken = 1 kopek

.:. 12 Runstycken or 1sk. B.  12 öre = 18kop.

= 3 kop. and 1 Dollar B. = 144 kop.    50 Daler = 24 Rubel

SH:7/ML/TR/13/0028

September Tuesday 10 if 4 Runstycken = 1kop. and .:. 3 kop. = 1 sk. Swedish banco then 1 Dollar B. = 48x3 = 144kop. but I received 181 kop. per D.B. at Åbo yesterday –

and the price offered at Stockholm was 41sk. rigs. per Rouble (32 Sk. banco) –

Bill at Lombala 1.24.0 rigs = 48+24 = 72sk. rigs

72/41 = 1 31/41 rouble or about 1 ¾ rouble instead of two Rubels that I paid – but reckon

2kop. = 1sk. rigs.

3 kop. = 1sk. banco

vide foot of last page

at 12 35/.. potato tops frost bit – the people are right to cut them while green – at 12 ¾ Olsböle very neat nice clean looking station – the post says went in – wrote in the Biörsby 16w.

till Helsingforss [Helsingfros] 117w.  

St. P- 528w.

book – very nice rooms Hämenkylä [Hämeenkylän] 17w.

and some small cold fried fish in larder cupboard near the stairs – one should be well here  - civil enough to give us change for a 5 Rub. number in ¼ hour (at 1 1/2) pretty lake (right) and scattered village – pretty country – road hilly and sandy and foresty and green young rye among the burnt fir stumps – very heavy sandy gravelly road thro’ the forest now at 2 5/.. after a terrible heavy full uphill thro’ the forest – little low unpainted picturesque village and houses scattered all about – very pretty bit of open wide vale here shut in all round by wooded rocky hill – at 2 ¼ another pretty lake and basin valley and hill into young forest again – at 3 our 3rd gate all the way from Åbo and a gentleman’s house hid in wood birch and alder very pretty drive – hilly, woody, villagy, sandy – at 3 5/.. uphill get out and walk ¼ hour – a great relief – gathered a little morsel of rud-red moss stone looks just like round – not easily rubbed-off – observed 1st time curious

September Tuesday 10 little pink fungus like a little round pink button pink bare round granite masses of rock and a few bare round granite hills – very pretty drive this last stage – and now in ascending nice little lake en face (right) and station (now at 3 25/..) of Olsbole [Olsböle]  - oldish looking house but good fire blazing in the kitchen – might sleep? yes! just

went in to write in day book – nice room – might sleep – off at 3 48/.. oats out here the sheaves made into like small hay cocks –

corn everywhere (here and Sweden and Norway) taken up rather promiscuously – that is the heads not all together but some at one end and come at the other of the sheaf – potato tops hanging on the fences (like those in Sweden) to dry – very pretty – wooded wooded island hills and lake – and scattered picturesque little cottages – and rock and windings of the valley – and in a minute or 2 pretty little boulder stone built church with separate belfrey as common here in Finland – more small unpainted houses the natural drab-colour of weathered boards with white chimneys – road very sandy now after passing the church – at the end of this lake a few red cottages white window frames and chimneys – and a large yellow house with dark drab roof looking like a gentleman’s house with its appurtenances – wood – water wooded islands – cottages – very pretty – here some lands of rye about a yard broad – all along occasionally a little Swedish [?] in the pastures – beautiful drive this stage – now at 4 20/.. sunny and peep of the gentleman’s house – and wind down hill over bridge – river – [beeches] along it other side and fir forest along our road – very pretty – hilly more  pitchy – this our most beautiful stage – but nothing yet at all equal (as to steep road) to the descent upon Swinesund ferry or Xtiania – at 4 ½ saw mill (little one) and little cascade of the river – very pretty and the beauty goes on – at 4 50/.. pretty picturesque village (on our pretty river) of Milnasbrook as pronounced – 2 or 3 mills and pretty cascade of the river

SH:7/ML/TR/13/0029

September Tuesday (and right) on entering village is guide post pointing (right) to Ekenas [Ekenäs] and now at 4 55/.. road sandy à la Hazelunen – at 5 10/.. cross the broad shallow stream (wood bridge) into another scattered little unpainted village – have seen much of the narrow land-rye since 1st observing it this morning – the church and lake (left) of our last passed thro’ village very picturesque – the belfrey tower of the church carved up in 4 steps of roof finishing in a little dome – our drive this stage very beautiful – the most beautiful since Åbo – Sunshine now at 5 25/.. and for this hour past. and now in young forest again – alternate forest, and break, and villages and water and wooded hill and rock – but the road very sandy – at Nyby at 5 40/.. – nice little new unpainted single house standing in a circular spot cleared out in the midst of the forest which since 5 25/.. we have come thro’ – the post indicates Nyby

till St. P- 495 ½ v. [w.]

Biörsby [Björsby] 16v. [w.]

Kyrckstad [Kyrkstad] 16 ½ v. [w.]

the horizonally laid logs (laid in moss one upon another) are not covered inside or outside but look very neat – here as at Lombala this morning (1st time) the double glass window is already put in inside, and paper pasted over the crevices here where everything is clean and tidy we have a beautiful white moss and dried yellow marigolds put at the bottom between the glasses – at Lombala it was coarse cotton wool – just sketched the little box as above and wrote thus far and then prepared for dinner now at 6 40/.. drizzling rain from about 6 35/.. to 8 but afterwards fine, and very fine sunny afternoon and fine evening – it now begins to be dresky and ½ hour hence soon after 7 it will begin to be darkish – with our heavy carriage and the steep pitches in the roads we want daylight, and then there is no danger, and [news] not the strongest may bear our

September Tuesday 10 galloping downhill – dinner at 7 10/.. to 8 20/.. a coq de bois and a gelinotte – excellent little pancakes and good bread and excellent butter and good cheese, and good water and afterwards each of us had a cup of good coffee – enjoyed our dinner and took our time – before we had done 2 Russian gentlemen from Helsingforss [Helsingfors] to Åbo came in – had Grotza at 8 20/.. to 8 ¾ - F61° now at 8 50/.. pm

[heauxplesslydevoted]

Can u do a ethan x mc proposal but it does not go as planned but finally he proposes and she accepts please😁😁

“I’m not letting you plan date night anymore, because you give the most vague answers,” Naomi yells, her voice coming through string from the en-suite.

“I gave you very adequate information,” Ethan argues.

“You and I have different interpretations then. You won’t tell me where we’re going, you barely gave me a dress code.”

“I’m sorry, aren’t you the one who’s always saying that you look good in everything, no matter the occasion?”

Ethan nervously pats his jacket pocket for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. The small black ring box from Harry Winston is still there, and a bit of his anxiety ebbs away.

The ring has been burning a hole through his proverbial pocket from the moment it was purchased. There have been multiple occasions that Ethan has had to stop himself from blurting out, “Will you marry me?” to his unsuspecting girlfriend: while they’re eating dinner, on their way to work, in the middle of their dumb bickering.

So he’s been meticulously planning this proposal for 2 months now, and he has everything planned to a tee. It starts with dinner at one of Naomi’s favorite seafood restaurants downtown (he has an in with the owner and head chef), then they take a stroll through Boston Common and the Public Garden, admiring the ducks, smelling the roses before he eventually proposes. Ethan is a perfectionist and he wants the night to be perfect. He wants something they can look back on 10 years from now, 20 years from now with fondness, because Naomi deserves nothing less than that.

“I look amazing no matter the occasion,” Naomi quips. She steps out of the en-suite, and Ethan catches her slipping on a few bracelets. “But are we going to be by the water? Are these heels appropriate? Will I need a jacket?”

Ethan looks her up and down quickly, deciding that the faux leather skirt and sweater she’s wearing is a good enough outfit. “You look great, and the weather is perfect, you don’t need a jacket.”

“You better not just be saying that to rush me out the front door.”

That’s a good point, and one he hadn’t thought of yet. Ethan checks the time on his watch and inhales sharply. Their reservation is in 40 minutes, and it’s a Saturday night in Boston, so he expects congestion downtown. “Speaking of that, we need to go.”

“Alright, give me a few more minutes, Ramsey.”

“No, we need to go now, Naomi.”

Naomi knows her boyfriend is a stickler for order, but he’s been riding her ass all day over this date night. He’s never been this fussy before.

She saunters over to him, making a point to sway her hips as she does so. As soon as she’s within touching distance, Ethan wraps an arm around her waist as he pulls her close.

“We’re going to have a nice night tonight,” Naomi says. She presses her thumb to his forehead and massages away the worry lines. “You made me get all dolled up, and I flat ironed my hair, so I’m willing it into existence in hopes that my effort was not in vain.” Ethan doesn’t say anything but the corner of his mouth flits up, and Naomi counts it as a smile. “Now, can you stop being such a fuddy duddy?”

Ethan rolls his eyes at her immature vocabulary, but he nods nonetheless. “Only for you.”

“Good.” Naomi gives him a quick peck on the lips and pulls away before he can deepen it. “Now, let me put on my shoes and we can head out.”

~v~

“I’m sorry, we don’t have any reservations for Ethan Ramsey tonight.”

As soon as the words leave the host’s mouth, Ethan feels the blood in his veins pulsing with rage. There’s no way that’s possible, seeing as he made the reservation well over a month ago. 

“Check again,” Ethan grits out. The host stammers a bit, but he listens to the command nonetheless.

Naomi bites the inside of her cheek as she watches the scene play out in front of her. Ethan’s using his attending voice, the voice reserved for combative patients and interns.

“Again, there’s no reservation for you,” the host stammers. “Maybe, you picked a different–”

The young guy doesn’t even get to finish that thought, because Ethan shoots him a glare sharp enough to cut through steel.

“I didn’t ask for you to come up with any ideas on your own,” Ethan says, his jaw clenching so tight, it's a miracle it doesn’t snap. “What I need you to do is simply call Frank and tell him that Ethan Ramsey wants to speak with him.”

Frank, the owner of the restaurant and a former patient of Ethan’s, should be able to sort this all out.

A few minutes later, Ethan spots Frank walking towards the front of the restaurant. The two men lock eyes and Frank stops dead in his tracks upon seeing Ethan. He quickly schools his features, plastering a wide smile on his face before he approaches.

“Dr. Ramsey, so lovely to see you!”

Ethan isn’t feeling as friendly. He doesn’t return the smile or the pleasantries, just taking a few confident strides over to Frank, ushering him to a quiet corner. “Frank, remember when I personally spoke to you over a month ago and I told you I planned to propose tonight? I told you I wanted a reservation, and you told me that you’d personally see to it that I have the best seat in the house?”

Frank swallows hard and averts his gaze. Looking into the eyes of a pissed off Ethan Ramsey is something like staring at Medusa head-on. “I did say that, yes,” he concedes.

“So flash forward to tonight, why am I being told that there’s no reservation?”

“I apologize, Doctor. There’s clearly been a breakdown of communication between myself and my staff, and I take full responsibility.”

“As you should!” Ethan snaps. His voice goes up an octave, and a few patrons of the restaurant turn in his direction, startled by the outburst.

Okay, so being 38 years old and throwing a tantrum in public isn’t his best look. Taking a deep breath, Ethan counts to 3 and tries to regain his composure. So there’s no reservation, but maybe there’s a way this night can be salvaged.

“Well, just give us an available table, any one will do,” Ethan says. Franks wrings his hands together and Ethan doesn’t like the sight of it one bit.

“Unfortunately, we are fully booked for the evening.” Ethan’s nostrils flare and there’s a slight ringing in his ears at the admission. “But I can squeeze you in next weekend, at any time you want! And for the inconvenience, it’ll be on the house for you and the lovely lady.”

“If you think I’m ever stepping foot in this place ever again, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Ethan walks off and takes Naomi’s hand. She looks up at him, her gaze soft. “What happened?”

“They somehow forgot I made a reservation for tonight,” Ethan grumbles. “And we can't get a table because it’s packed. I’m sorry.”

Naomi frowns and squeezes Ethan’s hand. “Well it’s not your fault, so you don’t have to apologize to me. It’s their loss. I’m sorry because it’s clear that you put a lot of thought into this date night.”

She doesn’t even know the half of it, Ethan thinks to himself.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Naomi adds, tugging on her boyfriend.

“Where are we going?”

“A place with a lot less pomp and circumstance.”

They end up in a hole in the wall lobster shack near the harbor, eating lobster rolls and sharing a bowl of clam chowder. They’re the most overdressed couple visiting the establishment, earning interesting stares from the other patrons.

“You and I are slightly overdressed,” Ethan teases, awkwardly tugging the collar of his button-down.

Naomi looks around and then at herself before laughing. “I think I’m going to keep a spare change of clothes in your car just for nights like this. But I think we look very good. It’s always nice to not have to wear scrubs.”

“Again, I’m sorry about the reservation at Frank’s not working out. I know it’s one of your favorite restaurants.”

“True, but I’ll survive. For now, I’m content just being here with you.” Ethan watches as Naomi opens a pack of saltine crackers, crushes them in the palm of her hand and pours them into the bowl of chowder. He pulls a face, one that doesn’t go unnoticed by the young resident.

“I can feel you judging me, Ramsey,” Naomi says.

“I’m just observing your messy eating habits, Valentine,” he shoots back. He briefly wonders if she’ll want to keep her maiden name. Will she stay Dr. Valentine? Dr. Ramsey? Dr. Valentine-Ramsey? It’s an outdated tradition, adopting a new last name upon marriage, but the thought of her becoming Naomi Ramsey makes him excited. It rolls off the tongue rather nicely.

He doesn’t know how long he’s been staring at her, but now Naomi is looking back at him. “Hello, earth to Ethan.”

It snaps him out of his daze and he blinks a few times in an attempt to regain his bearings. “Huh?”

“You keep staring at me. Do I have something on my face?”

“No, you’re fine. I guess I just got caught up in looking at you.”

Even though the lighting in the lobster shack is dim, Ethan can still see the apples of Naomi’s cheeks turning red.

While things at the restaurant didn’t turn out like he planned, this, just being here with Naomi as she devours the clam chowder that they were supposed to share, feels extremely right.

His hand tingles and the urge to whip out the ring box, right here, right now is strong. Just do it!

Don’t even think about it!

Stop being an idiot and ask her already!

The tiny voice in his head only grows louder the more seconds tick on. Impulsively, he reaches forward and grabs Naomi’s hand, stopping her from bringing her spoon to her mouth. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Naomi says back. “But can you not grab my hand while I’m trying to eat?”

Ethan drops her hand quickly, flushing as he does so. “I wanted to take you out tonight because I wanted to celebrate with you. This past year and a half has been–”

“Help! Help!”

The shrill cry cuts Ethan short and he head snaps around to find the source of the noise. He sees a woman frantically standing over a coughing man. The man is clutching his throat, his face turning an ugly shade of purple. He’s choking.

Naomi and Ethan lock eyes with each other before they both abandon their table and rush forward to help, never able to turn off the fact that they’re doctors.

Ethan sighs, as the moment has been thoroughly ruined. So maybe proposing in the lobster shack won’t be happening.

~v~

So dinner was a bust two times over for the evening, but Ethan tries his hardest to stay optimistic. It’s a beautiful night, the weather is calm, and the Common is surprisingly sparse for a weekend night, so he and Naomi don’t have to deal with too many people.

“This has been an eventful night,” Ethan says.

“You mean you don’t get turned away from a 4-star restaurant and then perform the Heimlich on lobster shack patrons every day?”

“No, it’s usually one or the other. More of the life saving, less getting turned away at restaurants.”

“Well, at least I’ll have an interesting story to tell my friends at work.”

They stop at a bench, right in front of the giant weeping willow, Naomi’s favorite part of the park and sit down. She rests her head on his shoulder, sighing deeply.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting tired already?”

“It was a long week at work,” Naomi says, feeling the need to defend herself. “My boss has been working me like crazy. Not to mention, it’s been a busy day.”

Ethan chuckles and kisses the top of her head, inhaling the scent of shampoo. “Your boss sounds like a real piece of work.”

“Yes, but I let him get away with it because I love him.”

“He’s sounds like a lucky man.”

“He is.”

A family of ducks trots past their feet, earning a few coos and smiles from Naomi, though she otherwise leaves them alone to roam.

A comfortable silence settles between the two of them, neither one of them deeming it necessary to speak. Finally after all of the chaos the past few hours threw at them, it’s nice to just sit in quiet.

Is now finally a good time? Ethan thinks to himself. Surely nothing else can impede on the proposal, as the universe has screwed with him enough for one night.

The wind picks up slightly, a strong gusts makes a few tendrils of Naomi’s hair fly into her face, and she huddles closer to him, trying to steal his body heat. He wraps his arm around her shoulder, holding her tight against him.

“I’ve been driving myself crazy all day trying to think of a way to broach this with you,” Ethan starts, breaking the silence.

“Broach what?”

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently. Mostly about us, especially with you being in your third year of residency, and how our future might look because of that.”

The hair on the back of her neck stands up, but Naomi doesn’t fully know why. Why does Ethan want to talk about their future? Why did he feel the need to take her out on the date in order to start the conversation?

The wind picks up again, and this time, Naomi hears thunder clap somewhere close by. “Is it supposed to rain tonight?”

“What? No.” Ethan checked the weather more times than he’d care to admit. It’s supposed to be a perfect evening in Boston.

“Are you sure?” 

Naomi sounds skeptical, and Ethan huffs. “Rookie, trust me, if there’s one thing I’ve done today, it’s check weather reports.”

As soon as the words leave his mouth, Ethan feels it. A single drop of moisture hits his cheek.

It doesn’t take long after that first raindrop for the others to come. In a quick burst, the rain falls, harsh and heavy.

Naomi shrieks and stands up, trying to look for shelter. Ethan isn’t as quick as she is, as he’s still stuck on the fact that it’s raining.

The pure absurdity of the day is so ridiculous, and a low chuckle forms low in his throat until he’s actually laughing. He laughs hard, the force of it actually making him clutch his side.

Ethan looks up at the sky, uncaring that the rain is pelting him relentlessly. “Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“Ethan, what are you doing?” Naomi asks. “You’re going to get soaked!”

“My car is on the other side of the park, we’re going to get soaked regardless.”

“So you want to, what? Just sit in the rain?”

“Yes.”

“Come on, now isn’t the time for petulance,” Naomi says. She grabs Ethan’s hand and tries to tug him up, but he doesn’t budge.

“No. I have spent weeks trying to plan the perfect date for you, and it’s been a shitshow from start to finish. For some reason, the universe has decided that today isn’t my day, so instead of fighting it, I’m going to lean into it.”

Naomi rolls her eyes. Ethan has been beating himself up over this night not going the way he wanted it to, and she doesn’t understand why. Yes, Naomi likes fancy restaurants as much as the next girl, but she’s never been a high maintenance diva, nor has she ever demanded that Ethan be perfect. 

“Why have you been putting so much pressure on tonight?” Naomi asks.

“For you!”

“I never asked you to! Now stop being such a baby and let’s go home!”

Ethan sighs and drudges himself up. His now soaking wet clothes make the task more difficult than it should be as now he feels 10 pounds heavier.

“I’m not being a baby,” Ethan argues.

“You’re acting like one.”

“You’re a blanket hog.”

The statement is so random, it makes Naomi do a double take. “What?”

“You’re a blanket hog,” Ethan repeats. “And you always put your freezing cold feet on mine when we’re in bed. You have a terrible singing voice, but I love listening to you when we’re at home. Your grooming products have completely taken over my bathroom, and it’s fine, because I love the smell of whatever fruity shower gel you use. You spend way too much time watching inaccurate medical dramas for a woman that graduated top of her class at Johns Hopkins. You steal my food, as evidenced by the fact that you completely hijacked the clam chowder we were sharing. You drive me insane, and it’s been that way from the moment we met, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, because I love you.”

“I love the way your nose crinkles when you smile. I love the way you speak French when you’re mad at me. I love that you spoil Jenner. I love how passionate you are and how you’re willing to fight for people you care about, especially your patients. I love that you aren’t afraid to challenge me, whether it’s about work or something at home. I love that you have always believed in me, even when I was so stupid to believe in myself.”

Ethan reaches into his pocket and pulls out the small ring box before dropping down on one knee. Just seeing him do that is enough to earn a gasp of shock from Naomi.

“Ethan?” She can’t breathe. She can’t think. The only thing Naomi can hear is the sound of her beating heart. “What’s in the box?”

“What do you think is in the box?”

“I think it’s an engagement ring.” With trembling fingers, Ethan slowly opens the box, revealing the stunning 4 carat cushion cut diamond.

“You’d be correct.”

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes, of course I’ll marry you!”

“Oh no. After all the trouble I went through, you have to let me get through my entire speech.”

“Okay.”

“I didn’t see you coming at all. I wasn’t looking for love when you came into my life, and I was quite content being single. But little by little, you broke through and made yourself a permanent fixture in my life, and I’ve been all the better for it. You have all of me, mind, body, and soul, and usually the thought of relinquishing so much control terrifies me, but not with you. You are smart, and kind, and outspoken, and beautiful, and compassionate, and I don’t know what I did in this lifetime or the last one to deserve you, but I intend on spending the rest of my days being someone worthy of you. So, Naomi Marie Valentine, will you marry me?”

The tears are flowing freely, and Naomi can hardly see anymore, but she nods nonetheless. “Y-yes!”

“Yes?”

“Yes!”

Ethan doesn’t waste another second, plucking the ring out of the box and sliding it onto Naomi’s left ring finger. Once the ring is securely on, he stands up and wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her into the air slightly.

As soon as her feet are back on the ground and she’s steady again, Naomi grabs Ethan’s face and pulls him into a kiss. Neither of them seem to mind the fact that it’s still pouring, the cold rain seeping through their clothes.

“I love you,” Naomi says quickly, before pulling Ethan into another kiss.

“I love you too.”

“And though things didn’t work out the way you wanted them to, this proposal was perfect.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Because of this, I got my cliche kiss in the rain.”

Ethan smiles. He hadn’t thought of it like that. “That’s true.”

“And think about it, I think this will be a much more interesting story to tell our future kids someday.”

“You make some excellent points, future Missus Ramsey.”

A thrill courses through her at the name. “Mhmm, I like the sound of that.”

“Good, because that’s what I’m going to be calling you for the rest of our lives.”

~v~

Tags: @aylamreads @fanmantrashcan @ao719 @x-kyne-x @colourmeshy @writinghereandthere @paulfwesley @ramseyandrys @perriewinklenerdie @aworldoffandoms @thatcatlady0716 @drakewalker04 @canknot @hatescapsicum @lapisreviewsstuff @senseofduties @badchoicesposts @ethandaddyramsey @the-soot-sprite @chasingrobbie @zodiacsign1 @choices-lurker @trappedinfandoms @my-heart-beats-for-ya @adrian-motherfucking-raines @riverrune @edith-eggs1 @thatysn @bellcat2010 @theeccentricbibliophile @cecilecontrera @junehiratas @choices-love-affair @openheart12 @kaavyaethanramsey @caseyvalentineramsey @desmaranj @whatchique @nazario-sayeed @aestheticartsx @ruinedbypixels @mvalentine @nooruleman @rookie-ramsey 

[toplinetommy]

Surprise I’m requesting more Josty smut, I feel like 110 & 111 from smut prompts #2 would be very on brand? - justjosty

@justjosty youre completely valid with that assumption 

The two of you bid the rest of the group around the bonfire goodnight, opting to spend the rest of your night alone in your tent with one another. The two of you dropped down onto your personal sleeping bags that you had previously zipped together to make one large, sleeping bag due to both of you not wanting to sacrifice your nightly cuddles for the weekend.

Shivers run through you as you lay in Tyson’s arms, resting your head on his chest. It hadn’t been that cold during the day, with the sun shining high and no wind, but as the sun set and the moon rose, a hoodie and a vest were added to your frame. The vest is long gone, but the Penticton V’s hoodie that was once Tyson’s sis till on your frame. 

Unlike you, Tyson has shed his shirt, laying in the cold sleeping bag shirtless in just his boxers. A drunk cackle leaves your lips when Tyson presses his fingers into your sides, and you slap his chest playfully in retaliation. His lips end up finding yours in the darkness, effectively shushing you. 

His lips moved slowly against yours, either of you only pulling away when your smiles were too large to kiss through. Soon enough, your kisses were deeper and your hands were pulling at Tyson’s hair before his hands graded your hips, pulling you to straddle his lap. A silent moan escaped your lips as your clothed core met his hardening member. 

“Shh,” Tyson wanted into your mouth, aware of your surroundings. Your hands drifted down to his neck, a wide, giddy smile covering your face.

“You be quiet,” you chirped back, even though he had given you no reason to scorn him. If there was anything about your relationship with Tyson, is that he was the one always telling you to be quiet, never the other way around.

He rolled his eyes before pulling your head down to his, meeting you with another heated kiss. His hands move from where they were tugging your hair to under your sweatshirt and up your torso until they’re cupping your breasts. Your hips continued to rock against his as you kissed, his hands pushing your hoodie over your head. Your nipples harden in the cold weather, Tyson eliciting a quiet whine from you as he instantly wrapped his lips around your right nipple.

Your fingers combed through his curls as his lips switched to your left nipple, and his fingers trailed down to the waistband of your leggings. His hand sneaks his way into your leggings, bypassing your underwear, and running his pointer finger through your slit, spreading your wetness.

Your back arches into him, a moan of his name leaving your mouth. The coolness of his fingers is a nice contrast to the warmth between your legs. You’re pulling Tyson away from your chest, pulling his lips to yours.

“Just fuck me,” you whine needily. The alcohol in your system has made you impatient and even with the shared heat between you, your body is still cold. 

“Then you need to be quiet,” Tyson smirks. Outside you can hear the crackle of the fire and the occasional burst of laughter from whatever story is being told. You had only heard one other round of goodnight’s since the two of you retreated to your tent, meaning a good amount of the group was still up and huddled around the fire only fifteen feet away from your tent.

“Then just make sure I’m quiet,” you say with a shrug of your shoulders. He starts pushing your leggings down your thighs. You shuffle out of them awkwardly in the small space, another giggle escaping past both of your lips when your ankle gets caught. Tyson only pushes his boxers down far enough for his cock to spring free. 

You gripped him lightly, giving him a few pumps before centering yourself over him and lowering down. As his cock slowly filled you, both of you let out moans at the long-awaited feeling. You rested your hands on his chest, using it as leverage as you bounced slowly on his cock. 

Tyson moans on an especially slow bounce, and you choke out a moan when you feel how deep he is. Your bounces speed up, Tyson guiding you with his hands on his hips. Both of you seemingly forget about where you are and the sound of the nylon sleeping bag is loud underneath your bodies along with your breathy moans. One of his hands leaves your hip, snaking down so his finger rubs circles over your clit.

The tightness in your stomach escalated and you can feel your high nearing as Tyson speeds up the movements of your fingers. The overwhelming feeling of your impending orgasm has your movements slowing, causing Tyson to start thrusting his hips upward. You arch your back further a louder moan than you expected leaving your mouth. Tyson follows soon after, spilling inside of you before you’re collapsing onto his chest.

“Do you think they can hear us through the tent?” You ask, suddenly aware of your surroundings and the noises the two of you were making.

Tyson opens his mouth to respond before the sound of someone outside is causing your body to freeze on top of his.

“Yes, we fucking can!” a voice you recognize as Dante’s roars.

You and Tyson share a look, trying not to laugh before more giggles erupt from inside of you. 

“You weren’t being very quiet,” Tyson states matter of factly.

“You weren’t doing anything to help!”

[creatively--challenged]

Making a Splash | College AU Tom Holland x Reader

Request “ Love your writing! Not sure if you take requests, but any chance you would do a smut one shot with frat cocky Tom? He's a known player, while y/n is a good student and she hates him. He's always trying to charm her, but she always denies him. But then she goes to a pool party, and he is there in his swim trunks, and he's all tan and his muscles are glistening. He works his charm on her, and then he makes her suck him off. She's gagging on him and he's dirty talking and boasting non-stop.”

A/N: I’m so sorry it took so long! I had this half written and lost all motivation when this Coronavirus thing happened! Anyway, I’m not sure my dirty-talk is up to scratch but I hope you enjoy! x

Word Count: 7k Warnings - Seriously smutty, rough, oral both receiving, alcohol, swearing, and a lil bit of fluff at the end <3

“Get lost, asshole.” Y/N spat at the annoyingly attractive man leaning over her shoulder. She was attempting to take notes on what her professor was explaining at the top of the lecture hall but her arch-nemesis, Tom Holland, felt that it was his life’s goal to distract her in any way possible; today it was by leaning over her shoulder to read her notes, all the while brushing his fingers softly through the ends of her hair. She wouldn’t admit that his actions were having a very strong effect on her lower half. She wouldn’t.  

      “Now, darling, that’s no way to treat your fellow classmate. I’m just trying to understand the class. You wouldn’t want me to fail, would you?” He drawled in that heavenly, no – annoying accent of his, lips so close to her ear she could feel the heat of his breath on her.

“I know for a fact that you’re the woman to go to for any needs I may have…” Her eyes widened and she started to turn towards him in bewilderment. “Academic needs, that is. Don’t worry, I know you wouldn’t be up to catering to any other needs, thanks for the notes though.” He snorted and retracted back into his seat with a cocky grin on his face as he annotated his own notes with snippets of what he got from hers.

        Y/N fumed in her seat. He had the audacity to tease her, make her feel things, and then insult her and use her for notes? Not that she’d be surprised. He’d done worse in the past. In their first year she had left her laptop on in the library while she went to find another book on the subject she was studying and when she came back she found her Word document that she’d typed 3000 words of an essay in was empty, all saved files deleted, with only the word “sorry” visible on the screen. She only had an idea of who it was until his essay was published for getting the highest grade in the class and when she read it she realised she was reading her own work, bar the odd change in phrasing.

       Their rivalry had bloomed from there. He would constantly tease her for her academic focus and outwardly prudish image – keyword; outwardly. What she thought of inwardly or did in her own bedroom in the small hours of the night thinking about that stupid accented voice was no one else’s business. He was also a shameless flirt and despite his teasing, she felt his eyes heavy on her in almost every class they shared, which was most of them considering they studied the same majors and even shared some electives. At the parties her housemates hosted or dragged her along to he always seemed to watch her, almost like a predator observing his prey. She couldn’t understand why, other than the thought that she may be a conquest of his. A box to tick before he moved on to another helpless soul. Her first assumption was that he was waiting for her to make some colossal social blunder that he could exploit and tease her with, but then at the last party her housemates had thrown she had spilled a drink accidentally over some cheerleader that had been sitting on his lap while she tried to get her books from the dining room table that were being used as coasters. That had ended up with said cheerleader throwing whatever was left in her red solo cup all over Y/N’s head. She knew he had seen it and was waiting on the eventual onslaught of jeers but was surprised when she had caught him gently pushing the cheerleader off his lap and exchanging stern words with her before storming into the kitchen. Maybe he just didn’t want to piss her off completely before he had the chance to get her into bed. Yes, that was definitely it.

           Her professor signalled the end of the lecture and Y/N packed all her stuff away as quickly as possible to get a good seat in the library. She always spent 2 hours a day after classes cramming as much study in as she could, especially with Finals coming up. She spotted her housemate, Ella, sitting in her usual spot and made her way over. Ella shot her a smile as she sat down and quickly scribbled a note on a scrap of paper before passing it across the table.

Planning a party to celebrate Finals this Friday. Get ready to make a splash ; ) x

Y/N chuckled under her breath and rolled her eyes playfully. The girls in her house had been talking about having a pool party for weeks but as soon as the weather began to pick up there was always something else happening on campus. It seemed they finally got their weekend.              

“I suppose I’d better find a good Netflix series to watch and a pair of headphones good enough to block out all noise then.” She whispered to her friend and Ella scoffed.                

“Absolutely not. It’s the last party of the year and it’s going to be a scorcher! You’re whipping out that body of yours and joining us. We might not even be living together next year, you have to enjoy yourself at some stage!” Y/N rolled her eyes again, less playfully this time. She opened her mouth to reply but caught the glare of the library assistant and thought better of it, ducking her head behind her laptop and beginning her study.              

          Two hours later, her and Ella were walking leisurely back to their house, arm in arm. It was still light out, tints of orange and pink rippling through the clouds as the sun began to dip in the sky. She loved the walk back from the library, it used to be her favourite part of every day. That was until she realised the walk took her by the house Tom shared with his friends and he was usually leaving his house at that time to go to some party or bar or whatever it was he did in the evenings. Tonight he seemed to be staying in as when they walked by his house he and Harrison, the blue-eyed blond he was hardly seen without, were lounging on their front deck with a cooler of beers between them, laughing obnoxiously at something or other.                

“Hey, Y/N! I hope you have your bathing suit picked out. Or will you be hiding in your room making love to your notes on Friday night?” Tom shouted across the lawn, causing Harrison to spit his beer out and let out a howl of laughter. Ella froze up and looked at her friend with wide eyes, beginning to shake her head as Y/N turned her glare on her.                

“You didn’t tell me he was coming! You know I can’t stand him.” She whispered harshly to Ella who was already rambling.              

“I didn’t invite him! It must have been Holly. She’s been trying to get with Harrison all year and he won’t come without Tom!” Y/N groaned and flipped Tom off as she stormed past his house.                

“Oh come on! That’s not very nice. I thought you were supposed to be the good girl?” He shouted after her and when she glanced back at him he sent her the cheekiest smile he could muster and a wink. His words and actions went straight to her nether regions but she dragged Ella back to the house regardless.

         Once they got in the door she went in search of Holly and found her scrolling through her phone in the kitchen, smirking to herself. When she saw Y/N approaching she glanced up and a look of panic flashed across her face as she quickly hid her phone.

“I know what you’re going to say but I really need him to come so that Harrison comes! It’s just one night, pleaeeease, Y/N? He probably would have come anyway when he heard about it.” She reasoned and Y/N sighed, resting her case and telling the girls she’d try her best to ignore him and enjoy herself. She didn’t know how she’d do that, but she would try.                

            Friday came way too quickly for Y/N’s liking for two reasons. Firstly, she could definitely do with so much more time to study for Finals and secondly, the pool party was today and the girls were all aflutter trying to get drinks, snacks, and music sorted for the evening. Y/N had been dragged into helping set up the fairy-lights that scattered the pool area and organising tables with bowls of snacks and red solo cups. She was making an effort on her friends’ behalves. By the time everyone had started to arrive, Y/N and Ella were paddling in the pool and making their predictions for the night ahead.

“Holly is definitely going to sleep with Harrison. There’s no way he can resist that charm.” Ella assured her, taking a long sip of her drink through a looped pink straw. “But the question is… Are you going to shoot your shot with anyone tonight?” She wiggled her eyebrows. Y/N choked on her drink slightly, her eyes wide.

“What? No way. I have more important things to worry about. Getting laid is not one of them. Finals start next week!”  

“Which is exactly why you need to let off some steam! How are you supposed to focus on your papers when you’re… distracted by a certain someone? Plus, you look way too good today to let that go to waste. You’ll have your pick of the lot, no doubt about it.”

A certain someone? There’s no way she could have meant Tom. He definitely didn’t distract her. Coincidentally, at that exact moment Tom chose to walk through the French doors that led from the kitchen to the garden and if she wasn’t trying to maintain the scowl on her face her jaw would have dropped. He looked incredible. Dark curls pushed back, sunglasses perched on his nose. His black shirt was unbuttoned, showing off his ridiculously toned body and the v that disappeared into his tight black swimming trunks. He already had a beer in hand and was talking animatedly to Harrison beside him. He caught sight of Y/N and stopped mid-sentence before collecting himself and flashing her a wink before continuing his conversation. She watched as he took up a lounge chair and 2 cheerleaders immediately gravitated towards him, begging for his attention.

“As I was saying…. You need to get laid if you wanna focus in your finals…” Ella told her in a matter-of-fact way, gesturing towards the brunet. Y/N scoffed.

“I wasn’t distracted by him, I was just thinking.” She defended, drawing a laugh from the blonde beside her.

“Yeah.. I wonder what about.” She mumbled under her breath and Y/N made her way out of the pool to get a drink. It was going to be a long evening.  

           As night began to approach, everyone started to make their way indoors to continue the party. Most of them were already half-cut, some were so drunk their friends had taken them home already, but the house was still flushed with people, nevertheless. Y/N had been chatting to a guy, Scott, from a seminar on Post Modernism that she had attended when the dining room began to fill up. They were idle friends, he had asked her on a date once or twice and even though she politely declined he always took it very well and continued to treat her kindly, even helping her study for exams.

         She had retreated inside an hour or so ago. She could only take having her attention pulled towards the tanned, glistening abs of Tom Holland for so long. He had been teasing her all evening, getting out of the pool right next to where she was paddling her legs, sure to flex his muscles as he moved lithely, shaking the water from his hair, and smiling boastfully when he caught her eyes on his body. Each time she caught his eye he’d send her a wink and there were numerous times where she’d catch him eyeing her breasts or her ass, not so subtly checking her out, prompting her to cover her bikini clad body with a long, black lace kimono and a pair of denim shorts in an attempt to shield her body from his eyes as much as possible. He was infuriating.

           She felt a presence behind her and knew immediately who it was even before she saw Scott tense up as he looked over her shoulder, eyes narrowing annoyedly. Scott pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and visibly suppressed rolling his eyes. He looked unsure as to whether he should leave or not until it seemed he was deciding to stay at Y/N’s side. Y/N glanced around and found herself almost flushed to Tom’s glistening chest. His hair looked almost perfectly styled despite hours in the water; curls perfectly out of place and falling over his unruly eyebrow, curling around his ears. He had thrown his shirt from earlier back on though it still hung loose around his shoulders, keeping his chiselled body on show. She fought with her eyeballs to stop them from travelling any further down his body.

“You haven’t run off to your books yet? Who are you and what have you done with the good girl I love to tease so much?” Y/N squeezed her thighs together at his words and he seemed to notice, glancing down ever so slightly before meeting her eyes again with an amused expression.  

“Get lost, Holland. Don’t you have cheerleaders to fuck or beer-pong to play or whatever it is jackasses like you do?” His eyebrows shot up and he let out a breathy laugh.

“Oooooooh princess found some balls! How many of those have you had?” He asked her, gesturing to the cup of vodka and soda in her hand. Admittedly she’d had a lot more than she would usually though she had only been feeling pleasantly buzzed, just enough to give her some Dutch courage. He smirked and leaned down to her ear, his hand resting gently on her hip.

“See, your mouth is saying one thing, but your body is telling me a different story. Come find me when your mouth catches up with the rest of you and wants to be put to good use. Oh, and ditch the puppy dog.” He nodded towards Scott dismissively, and walked towards the hall without even a glance back, as if he knew she would follow.

        She could feel the heat pooling in her underwear as various thoughts ran through her head, all of them beginning with her feet taking her out of the room to find the man who expertly got under her skin. She must have stared at his retreating back too long as she heard someone clear their throat loudly behind her. She turned quickly to catch Scott’s disapproving face.

“You know, you might consider yourself above reproach but you’re just like the other sluts who fawn over him on a daily basis.” He told her with an ugly scowl on his face.

“Excuse me? What do you mean?” He rolled his eyes.

“You know exactly what I mean, you lead him on and pretend you’re not interested so that he’ll keep flirting with you. I hate to break it to you, Y/N, but even dickheads like him get bored of the tirade very quickly so you should probably consider getting over yourself.” He told her dismissingly, turning to walk away. “I’m not interested in him and I’m not trying to lead anyone on!” She defended though he shot her a look that said ‘sure’ and disappeared into the crowd.

          She felt tears prick her eyes and a lump in her throat. She wouldn’t cry here, she was supposed to be having a good time! She scanned the room for her housemates, she needed someone to vent to, though she wasn’t sure which boy she was angry at the most. Her eyes caught crystalline blue ones leaning against the wall beside her. Harrison was holding two drinks, looking at her with sympathy.  

“Holly’s just gone to the bathroom if you want to wait here for her.” He told her, tilting his head to the side. She shook her head, glancing up to the ceiling and putting her tongue to the top of her mouth to stop the tears from escaping. She definitely wasn’t crying in front of his best friend.

“For what it’s worth, Y/N, what he said isn’t true. I don’t know you very well but you don’t lead him on and you’re not a slut. That’s why Tom likes you so much. That guy’s just jealous.” Harrison slurred ever so slightly, he was obviously quite drunk but that didn’t stop his words from having an effect on her, her heart swelled appreciatively at his kindness but she was also questioning whether he really meant what he said because if he was serious about Tom liking her did that mean she had been taking him the wrong way this whole time? No, she couldn’t have. He teased her relentlessly, stole her work, and insulted her on a daily basis. He was just drunk, or maybe he was even in on Tom’s conquest. She decided the best thing to do was to stop drinking. She’d had enough of this night.

        Y/N threw her cup away and made her way to the stairs, wearily taking one step at a time until she got to her bedroom door. Scott’s words had returned to her head and the tears had breached her eyes, slowly trailing down her cheeks. She absently wiped them as she stepped into her room, her lamps already on and… Strange. She hadn’t been in here since this afternoon and she didn’t leave her lamps on. She worriedly glanced towards her bed, hoping some horny couple didn’t decide to fuck in her bed. She could have sworn she’d locked the door! Except, there was no horny couple, just a brunet Brit who jumped up from her bed with a look of concern across his face as he tentatively took steps towards her.

“Y/N? You didn’t have to follow me if you didn’t want to. I was just teasing! I wasn’t trying to force you or anything.” He rushed, instantly losing the cool, unflappable exterior he usually portrayed. Y/N scrunched her nose in confusion.

“Tom? What are you doing here? What are you talking about? How are you in my room?!” Now it was his turn to be confused. He tilted his head at her, not unlike a puppy with those all-encompassing brown orbs.

“Wait. You’re not crying because of me? I told you to come find me and here you are. You don’t feel like I’m forcing you, do you? You didn’t have t—” It finally dawned on her why he thought she was upset and she gasped.

“No! No that’s not why – I didn’t know you were here!” He looked visibly relieved and then a little embarrassed.

“How and why are you here, Tom?” A little of the anger that resided in her from earlier had made its way back into her voice.

          Why the fuck did he think he could sit in her room, on her bed, where she got herself off to thoughts of him on her bed? That bit wasn’t important but it was all she could suddenly think of. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and produced a key from his shirt pocket.

“Took it from the pocket in your shorts when I leaned down to you. I think you were too focused on my words to notice.” He started the sentence nervously but by the end he almost had his innate level of cockiness back in his voice. Almost. “I thought you’d assume I’d come here if you wanted to follow me, especially when you noticed the key missing. I was going to leave after 20 minutes or so, if you weren’t interested…” He trailed off and the nervousness was present once again. “Look, I’m sorry. It was stupid and I shouldn’t have done it. I’ll leave you alone.”

         He made a move for the door but YN swung it shut and slowly stepped between it and him before he could get to it. He stopped in his tracks, eyes lifting from the floor to meet her eyes, his eyebrows nearly disappearing into his hairline.  

“I was upset because Scott accused me of fawning over you. Of brushing you off so you’d keep teasing me and flirting with me. He said that you’d eventually get bored of me. And you know what? I do fawn over you. I do brush you off because the feeling of being wanted and chased is so much better than giving into you, letting you have what you want before you move on to someone else. I was upset because he was fucking right and I’m an idiot. But if you’re gonna get bored of me eventually I want to at least let you have me once before you do.”

       Tom’s face flashed through several emotions one after the other. Anger to sympathy to understanding and finally, to complete lust. His dark eyes grew darker, jaw hardened, pink tongue darting out to lick his lips, as he took two steps towards her and gently pinned her against the door.  

“Looks like your mouth has caught up with the rest of your body.” He noted leaning down to her. His minty breath fanned her face as he tilted his forehead against her, hands gently squeezing her hips but not moving anywhere yet, as if silently asking permission. She tilted her face up to his, lips just millimetres from his, so close that when she spoke their lips brushed.

“Looks like it has. You said something about putting it to good use?” That was all the permission he needed. With a low growl in  the back of his throat, Tom connected their lips hungrily, expertly moulding his mouth against hers. She whimpered slightly; this was so much better than what she thought it would be like. It didn’t just feel superficial either, it almost felt there was a depth to his kiss. She kissed him back with fervour and he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue dominantly passed her lips, tangling with hers and exploring every inch if her mouth. His hands had begun grasping at her, almost as if he was unsure where to touch first. Like a kid on Christmas morning debating which gift to open first. They roamed her ass, squeezing and smoothing the skin through the denim, gripping the bottom of her cheeks that were peeking out from under her shorts. They then travelled to her exposed waist, one holding her there, revelling in feeling her skin, while the other journeyed upwards towards her bikini clad boobs, cupping one and gently squeezing before ghosting his hand over where her nipple was. The hand on her waist then dropped downwards and cupped her sex through her shorts before she could even register it leaving her hip. She moaned desperately into his mouth, her fingers threading through his locks, every gentle tug eliciting a soft whine from him.

          She eventually found the courage to let one hand travel down his body, slowly over every muscle, nails trailing down his abs as he hissed in response. Their kiss was getting hungrier and dirtier by the second, teeth clashing, rough breathing, and both their lips coated in each-others spit but they didn’t care. Her right hand dropped to cup his length just as his hand expertly untied her bikini from around her back and pulled the offending material away to let her boobs free. He pulled away from their kiss, looking deeply into her eyes and he caught his breath, he pecked her lips once before dipping his head down to catch one nipple in his mouth, his other hand rolling her other nipple between his fingers. His teeth nipped slightly and her tongue swirled and sucked until he had left purple blooms all over her left boob. He then began tracing kisses to her other boob, showing an equal amount of care and appreciation. His hips began slightly bucking up as her hand slid into his swimming trunks to cup his now very hard cock. Her knees buckled slightly at the feeling of his teeth and tongue on her and the feeling of his dick in her hand, something she never ever thought she’d experience. He felt it and grinned at her cockily.

“Need you to do something for me, darling.” He pulled back, removed her hand from his trunks, and gently pushed downwards on her shoulders until she was on her knees in front of him. He gave her a second to back out but when she showed no signs of stopping, he pulled his shorts down to let his length spring free, nearly hitting his stomach in the process. Her eyes widened at the sight. She’d always imagined he’d be big, why else was he so popular with the cheerleaders? But he wasn’t overly long, just really fucking thick.

“Don’t worry, love. I’ll help you fit it all in that pretty mouth of yours.” She thought there’d be a puddle on the floor under her at hearing those words but she tried her best to put her pleasure to the side for the moment and focus on him, surely he’d look after her later? She took his cock in one hand and slowly pumped it as she teasingly leaned forward and licked a strip from the base to the tip. He put two hands on the door in front of him to support him as he groaned deeply.

“No teasing, Y/N” He warned, voice dangerously low. Y/N wondered how far he could be pushed, after all, he did make it his life’s mission to tease her. Surely he could take it himself? She began sucking gently on the head, swirling her tongue, leaving light kitten-licks along the length, and almost taking him deep in her mouth before pulling away altogether before starting her process again. She didn’t get very far, he grunted and tangled a hand in her hair before forcing her head towards him, making her take as much of his length into her mouth all at once. She placed her hands on his hips and began bobbing enthusiastically on his cock. Sometimes he’d force her further down and she’d gag slightly, then he’d take advantage and buck into her mouth faster until he was practically fucking it.

“You like that? Like when I shove my cock down your throat? I guess you’re not the prude I thought you were, are you? Or is it just that you couldn’t resist me?” She could feel the spit leaking down her chin and onto her boobs but she wouldn’t stop. Even though she could feel tears streaming down her cheeks, she wouldn’t stop. It felt too good to have him thrusting roughly into her mouth, pulling on her hair. When she thought she was going to be sick from how deep he was thrusting she’d tap on his hips and he’d pull back slightly for her to catch her breath, before continuing his assault.

           Suddenly he pulled back and lifted her easily into his arms, carrying her over to her bed.

“I know what’ll help you even more.” He placed her on the bed upside-down, head hanging off the edge and gently placed a hand on her cheek. “Open. Good girl, swallow that thick cock.”

         She opened her mouth again as he thrust his length inside, hissing at the feeling. He was right, it did help her. The angle allowed him to fuck her throat deeper without it making her gag as much and he definitely took advantage, roughly fucking her face as his fingers played with her nipples. He’d pull away to let her catch her breath before picking up the pace again, going faster than before. She could tell he was close when his movements became sloppy, he was pulling away to let her breathe less often, desperately trying to get as much friction as possible until he thrusted one last time and shot hot cum all down her throat. He let out a long groan as he released and collapsed on the bed beside her. She swallowed everything he gave her and then sat up sheepishly. He had his arm thrown over his eyes, breathing heavily. She pulled her kimono across her body, trying to shield it as much as possible as she went to get his shirt and trunks for him until she felt a strong hand on her wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going sweetheart?” She gestured to his things briefly and he laughed breathlessly. “Do you seriously think I’m not going to look after you? Come here, I was just taking a breather.” He pulled her back, rolling her over so that he was hovering over her.  

“Fuck you’re beautiful. For the record, I was never going to get bored of you. I will never get bored of you, Y/N. I like you a lot more than I think you realise. I want you so much, in so many more ways than this.” He leaned down to press his lips to hers, passionately kissing her like she’d never been kissed before.

           He began trailing his lips along her jaw and down her neck. Sucking lightly at the skin, slightly marking it though not enough to last. Just enough to show her than he meant what he said. He wanted her to be his. She moaned lightly, the sound coming out husky and wanton. He took this as encouragement to brush his hands down her stomach and pull at her shorts until she lifted her hips and helped him shimmy them off. He then ghosted his fingers over her mound through her bikini bottoms, making her shiver at his touch. He was so close to where she wanted him that she decided to speed things along and pull them down herself, shimmying when they got to her knees. He laughed musically in her ear but got the message. He inched his fingers closer to where she wanted them, over one lip, then away, then over the other lip, then away again. She whined loudly and rutted upwards, trying to find friction on his hand but he pulled it away from her.

“Oh so I’m not allowed to tease but you can?” She huffed and he laughed again, his glittering dark eyes appearing over her as he placed chaste kisses to her lips between words.

“Don’t worry, love. It will feel all the better in a second.” He quickly ran a finger up her folds, eliciting a gasp from her but not enough friction to relieve any tension. He put the finger that was covered in her juices in his mouth and sucked on it without breaking eye contact before releasing it with a pop and flashing her his signature dashing smile, though it wasn’t paired with teasing eyes this time, but rather with eyes filled with affection? She was sure it wasn’t that but… it sure looked like it. He moved himself down the bed until his face was hovering over her sex. She realised she was holding her breath in anticipation. He slowly hooked one arm around her hips to keep her in place and began ghosting his lips over her lower stomach, leaving little light pecks, before moving his focus to the insides of her thighs, nipping and sucking and kissing, all the while moving closer to her centre. Before he finally let his tongue delve between her folds, he surprised her by pushing a finger into her slowly. Just as she gasped at the feeling of his finger inside her, he ran his tongue up her folds and circled her clit, causing her whole lower half to convulse in pure euphoria. He chuckled lightly at her reaction before diving in and lapping all of her juices up while adding another finger to begin stretching her out.

“Fuck, your pussy is so wet. Is this for me, princess?” He asked huskily, meeting her eyes as he resumed licking lightly at her clit.

“Fuck, Tom. It’s always you.” She was playing with her own nipples now, appreciating the sight she’d up until now only imagined. He paused briefly, making her whine.

“You’ve thought of me like this before? Have you masturbated to the thought of me?” He asked incredulously. Her cheeks flushed red when she realised what she’d said and she tried to correct herself but it was too late. His eyes lit up and he smiled widely.

“Always knew you weren’t as prudish as you tried to seem.” He demonstrated this by adding a third finger and sucking harshly on her clit, causing her to squeal and thrust her hips up towards his mouth. This time he let her, allowing her to grind her pussy onto his tongue as he fucked his fingers into her. The hand that was holding her down then came up and he tangled his fingers with hers. She could see him grinding his hips into the mattress of the bed and the thought of him being hard again from pleasuring her was pushing her fast towards her climax. She began moving her hips in time with his fingers and he ran his tongue up and down her folds, swirling it around her clit and sucking harshly until she was fast approaching her orgasm. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed hers as he lapped furiously until she was coming apart on his fingers, a wave of ultimate utopia clouding her every sense, a feeling she could never achieve on her own. She was beginning to think there was no other person that could make her feel this way. Only Tom. He continued thrusting his fingers and lapping at her clit until she squealed and pushed at this head to stop him, the over-sensitised feeling overwhelming her. When she glanced up she could see a giant wet patch on the sheets underneath her as well as spurts of her juices all over Tom’s face and chest.

“Did I do that?!” She asked, wide-eyed. He laughed and nodded.

“You squirted and it was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” He told her, holding one hand over his heart.  

           She laughed and he moved over her, nudging her legs apart to settle in the middle. She could feel his length resting against her entrance, hot and pulsing. He caught her lips in a searing kiss, one hand coming up to cup her cheek as he slowly pushed into her. Even though he had stretched her with his fingers, she still felt the white-hot ache as he pushed deeper and deeper until he bottomed out. He buried his head in her shoulder, breathing deeply as he restrained himself from moving too much until she got used to him, placing gentle kisses along her neck.

“Mm Tom, I need you. Please.” Y/N whined, nails scraping along his shoulders and down his back. He arched into her and groaned.

“M’all yours, sweetheart.” He kissed her mouth one more time, roughly, before pulling his hips back and snapping them into her again. He pushed into her relentlessly, rendering her a hot, moaning mess under him. She was sure that if there hadn’t been music playing downstairs then everyone would hear her crying out his name over and over again. Part of her wished they could. All of Tom wished they could. He was in no better position though, moaning loudly, grunting, groaning, and every now and then he’d let out a rough shout of “Fuck, Y/N. You feel so good.” She thought she was going to pass out from the sheer pleasure that was rippling through her body. She was holding onto him for dear life, like he was the only thing keeping her on Earth. He grabbed her leg and placed it over his shoulder, angling his thrusts so he went deeper again, if that was even possible. She cried out a mantra of his name, making herself hoarse.

          The sweat was rolling down his temples, down his body, making his abs glisten in the soft lamplight. He suddenly pulled out but didn’t even give her a second to react before he had her flipped over on her hands and knees and snapped her hips back into his as he entered her in one go and continued to pound into her from behind until her knees were weak and her arms were about to give out. When her limbs did give out, he lowered himself down, effectively fucking her into the mattress. His hips had slowed, but they were driving deeper and longer. He wasn’t just fucking her, he was relishing her. Reveling in the feeling of her, appreciating every second. His hand wrapped around her waist and his fingers found her clit, circling slowly but steadily. His hips had begun to stutter, out of time, but his hand never faulted, as if he was putting her pleasure above his own. She felt his head near hers as he practically lay on top of her, gyrating his hips deeply. She turned her body ever so slightly so that she could turn her head and capture him in a kiss. He moaned into her mouth, tangling his tongue with hers.  

“M’not gonna last much longer. Cum with me, darling.” He moaned into her mouth and his words were almost like a direct command to her body because as soon as he said it she felt the wave, ever increasing, crash down on her and she, in turn, clenched around his thick cock causing him to grunt as he shot his load into her, snapping his hips into her until he had nothing left to give. She could feel the heat deep within her and it nearly made her orgasm all over again, if she hadn’t had been absolutely spent.

           He collapsed on top of her, breathing deeply; his sweaty torso sticking to her back as his chest heaved. She could feel him getting soft inside her and she couldn’t help but move her hips slightly into him, relishing in the feeling until he groaned and slowly slipped out of her, making both of them gasp at the feeling. She could feel his arousal leak out of her as she turned over and sat up. He was sitting up too, waiting for her, droopy eyes and soft smile that she matched. He ran a hand over her cheek as he connected their lips once more. A quick kiss, but a deep one.

         When they parted, she watched as he glanced around the room, suddenly seeming nervous. He scratched the back of his head and moved towards the edge of the bed.

“I should probably go…” Her heart dropped. He was leaving? She just had the best sex she’d ever had with the person she realised she cared a lot for, and he was leaving?! A multitude of emotions crossed her face; confusion, sadness, and then anger. Tom seemed to follow all her expressions and gauged her reaction, his eyes looked hopeful?

“You’re upset. Does that mean you want me to stay?”  

“Of course I bloody want you to stay! Why the hell would I want you to leave after that!?” His eyes widened at her outburst.

“Well because you never liked me before! I just didn’t want to presume you wanted me to stay!” She softened. The Tom in front of her was not the Tom she was used to. In fact, he hadn’t been since she’d came into her room.

“I meant it when I said I wanted you in more ways than just sex. I’ve liked you for so long. I know I didn’t show it very well but after years of teasing you it felt odd to suddenly treat you any differently. Especially when any time you’d see me you’d scowl and wish I was anyone else. I realised that the only kind of interaction I’d have with you was by teasing you. I know, it’s not right and I mean I could have tried to be nice but it was so tough to figure out my feelings for you when I thought you hated me with every fibre of your being.”

      The Tom in front of her was insecure, even shielding his body away from her. No trace of a lie on his face, eyes wide with emotion, and head dipped in shame. She lifted a palm to his cheek and leaned into him.

“I think I’ve always liked you. Just didn’t want to admit it to myself that the guy who stole my English essay in First year was now stealing my heart.” She smiled and he let out a loud laugh.

“Oh fuck off. I barely knew who you were and I mean you left your laptop wide open!” It was her turn to laugh then as he engulfed her body in his arms and threw them both down on the bed, grasping for the blankets to cover themselves. He held her close as they shared a few blistering kisses under the covers.

“Hmm. Always knew you’d be amazing with that mouth.”

“Tom!”

[saeyoungs-sunflower]

Never Too Far (Choi Twins’ Birthday!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favourite tomatoes! This was written in haste to get it out in time so I’m sorry it’s pretty rough haha, I might go back and edit some parts later but don’t worry I won’t make any big changes. ALSO I know it isn’t in her timezone yet but it’s also my good friend @sunshinejihyun ‘s birthday so go send her some love! Her writing in incredible so I would 100% recommend you check it out!! <3

Notes:

It is implied Saeyoung x MC, but the main focus is on the twins <3

The last part takes place after the Secret Endings but V is alive because I do what I want heheheh

***

11th June, 2 years ago

The other members of the RFA had been very sweet to celebrate Seven’s birthday the way they did, organising a get-together at Jumin’s penthouse and properly hanging out outside of the RFA parties. They danced, they sang, they played games. They didn’t need to all that for him, but they did and Seven was incredibly grateful for that.

But he was just so exhausted.

It was hard enough to keep up his happy-go-lucky facade on his best of days, but the promised emotional turmoil of that day made it infinitely more taxing. The mask he had to hold up was heavy and his arms grew weaker with every passing hour.

It was around 10pm when the celebration came to a close. Seven thanked everyone for the day and for their generosity and left the penthouse, deciding to walk the long way home to give himself space to think.

What was he doing right now? Was he celebrating too? Did he get a cake and presents and was he surrounded by friends and family?

Was he happy?

Every new thought made his heart sink lower into his chest, buried down until he could hardly feel it at all. Numbness was better than pain, he thought, though his will to carry on that way was a dying ember in a rainstorm.

He hadn’t registered the he had been crying until he heard the shy tap of a tear hitting the concrete under his feet. Reaching a hand to touch his cheeks, he realised the tears had been running a long while before he noticed. He opted for wiping his face with the sleeve of his hoodie, his glasses already fogged up from the hot tears that spilled from his eyes. Fixing them to sit on the bridge of his nose again, he saw the sign:

Two Scoops

24hr Ice Cream Parlour

He laughed despite himself. Even the universe was mocking him now. Or was it trying to tell him something?

Seven didn’t care either way, deciding to further torture himself by indulging in what was his other half’s favourite treat. By taking himself back to the days when he would sneak out and seek out an ice cream parlour very much like this one. By filling his mind with the image of pure joy on his brother’s face when he returned with an ice cream to share, an image that was already printed onto the back of his skull. He just couldn’t resist.

“Hey there, what can I get you?,” said the girl running the till cheerily.

She seemed to be the only employee there, which wasn’t too surprising considering the time. The shop had more customers than he expected, but was by no means busy, “Hi, could I get two scoops of the strawberry, please.” That was his twin’s favourite. He really was putting himself through it tonight, wasn’t he?

“Sure thing. Was that to eat-in or takeaway?”

“Uh, eat-in, please.” He didn’t want to go home yet. He didn’t want to go back to his version of normal yet.

“No problem! If you’d like to take a seat I’ll bring that right over,” the girl said, a warm smile on her face. She was probably told to smile at customers like that, but for some reason it made Seven’s weary heart flutter as if it were genuine.

He read her name tag before finding a booth to himself. MC. Cute name, he thought. She seemed sweet, which was pretty fitting for a girl who worked at an ice cream shop.

A few minutes passed until MC came over to the booth with his ice cream, the same kind smile gracing her features. She placed his order in front of him with a small “Enjoy!” before going to clear another table.

Seven eyed the ice cream curiously.

Three scoops and a note?

He carefully unfolded the note and read its contents:

The extra scoop is on me. Happy birthday! x

How on earth did she…? Oh. Seven laughed out load when he remembered the big-ass birthday badge that Yoosung had given to him that was currently pinned to the front of his hoodie. Yoosung 1, Seven 0.

He turned around to where she was currently wiping down a table, also giggling as they made eye contact. He shot her a wide smile, the first genuine smile he could recall, and mouthed a ‘thank you’ at her.

She simply bowed her head in response before returning to her place behind the counter, still smiling as she started to make other customers’ orders.

Seven continued to spoon ice cream into his mouth as he watched out the window, trying with all his might to not look back at MC. He didn’t want to distract her from her work, but he also didn’t want to make any promises that he couldn’t keep.

He wanted to give her his number. He wanted to take her out for a drink to say thank you, maybe even take her out for dinner. He wanted to have that option. He wanted nothing more than to live a life where he could do those things, but even if he wanted to, it was out of his reach. He had already gone too far by being friendly with her, so all he could do now was leave a sizeable tip and never come back.

Shoving his hands into his pockets he moved towards the door, stopping by the counter on his way, “Thank you again, you really didn’t need to do that, but I appreciate it. It was very kind of you.”

“Nah, don’t be silly,” you said, your smile reaching your eyes, “it’s my pleasure. Have a good evening.”

He’ll try.

“You too.”

And with that, he walked out the door, the shrill ring of the bell over the door mocking him as he left what could have been the best thing that ever happened to him. As an agent, he spent a lot of time considering the ‘what if’s and ‘what could been’s, and he couldn't help but feel that this pure act of kindness from a stranger could have blossomed into something cherishable, something precious. Something real.

Perhaps, one day, he would return to this ice cream shop and pick things up where they left off. Perhaps things would just work out his way for a change. Perhaps he could have a chance with that life.

But life just wasn’t that kind, was it?

***

11th June, 1 year ago

Ray was, quite frankly, bored. He had been sent out to recruit new believers more times than he could count. It was such a dull task, since he rarely found someone worthy or suitable for paradise. However, the saviour had sent him out on a special recruitment mission today, so he knew he had to concentrate.

But, today in particular…he just wasn’t feeling it.

He knew he wasn’t supposed to, but he still remembered. 11th of June. His birthday.

There were only so many doses of elixir he could stomach, so in the end he lied to the saviour by saying it had worked, that he couldn’t remember anything from his past. He was a clean slate, a blank canvas ready for her to paint whatever she pleased. The venom of guilt ran through his blood everyday since he betrayed his saviour, but he wasn’t sure he would have survived another round of cleansing.

However, it was only on this day that, just for a while, he let his mind wander about his old life, or the life that could have been. He never let it wander too far in fear he would run with it, but just enough to satisfy the gaping whole in his heart that grew wider with each year that passed.

He continued to trudge through the streets, his focus diminishing until the glint of a luminous sign caught his eye.

24hr ice cream huh?

Ray considered it for a moment, the venomous guilt stinging more than before. It wasn’t allowed. He would be punished if she found out. She would be so angry.

But really, how would she know? He would be leaving sooner than he arrived, and he could tell her he thought he found a potential candidate but they turned out to be unsuitable. After a rush of bravery, with a trace of rebellion, Ray entered the shop.

The shop was small, quaint. He expected it to be busier, considering the nice weather. But he didn’t complain, it meant there was basically no queue.

“Hiya,” the girl behind the counter beamed, “what can I…oh! Hello again!” What? “How are you?”

“Oh, um, I’m good thanks but sorry I-“

“I love what you’ve done with your hair by the way, the white really suits you!”

The white really…hold on. Did she think you were…?

This…could work.

Ray cleared his throat, “Ah, thank you. I, uh, bleached it recently.”

“Well I think it looks great,” she said, still smiling brightly. Yes, this could definitely work. “What can I get for you?”

“Uh, the salted caramel please. Two scoops, please.” He didn’t know why he said that. It wasn't his favourite. But he knew who’s favourite it was.

He must have been feeling sentimental today.

She raised an eyebrow at him, her lips curling up even more, “Of course, eat-in or takeaway?”

“Uh, takeaway, please.”

“Sure, if you just wait round the corner I’ll make that up for you!”

Rounding the corner of the counter, Ray started to type furiously on his phone. He’d read her name tag, now he just needed to locate her phone. MC, MC, MC…

Gotcha.

“Here you go!”

Ray snapped out of his trance, taking the paper cup out of her hands, “Oh, thank you.”

“No worries. Have a lovely birthday!” she called out as she hurried off to the next customer.

Okay, he could understand the mix up, but how on EARTH did she know that?

Well, there was no time to worry about that now. He had done it, he had found the perfect person. His saviour would be so proud.

She was kind, enthusiastic and, seemingly, overly-trusting. He would be able to lure her to the apartment quite easily. Plus, she would feel right at home with that red-head…

Ray swatted the thought from his mind as he left the shop, only then noticing the extra scoop of ice cream he had been given.

How strange.

Later that evening, he began the first part of the plan. Thoughts of the past left his mind, being replaced by thoughts of the future.

Maybe, life was a little kinder to him then he thought.

***

11th June, Present day

Saeyoung woke up and patted the other half of his bed, only to find it empty and cold. He shot up, sitting bolt upright as he rummaged for his glasses. Upon locating them, he propped them on his face before he focussed his tired eyes on her side of the bed, finding only a piece of paper with her handwriting on it:

A little birdy told me it was someone’s birthday? If that’s true, come to this address at 12 noon. Try not to be late but for the love of God do NOT be early pleeeeeease! Love you! MC xx

He kind of recognised the address, but couldn’t begin to remember where from. Rubbing his eyes, still slightly crusty from sleep, and flinging on a t-shirt, Saeyoung went to take a shower only to meet his brother in the hallway.

“Did you get one too?” Saeran said, voice still husky as he held up a note very similar to the one he found.

Saeyoung couldn’t help but smile.

“I did. Looks like she’s up to something.”

“Oh God, what on earth has she done.”

Both twins chuckled, they knew what MC was like. She was excitable, cheerful, loving. But she also had a tendency to go a bit overboard, which often made for some very amusing and slightly awkward situations for everyone involved. But no matter the outcome, she always managed to make them smile and they were always grateful for her efforts.

So they knew that either way, they were going to have a good birthday.

After they both showered, ate and were preparing to leave, Saeran disappeared to his room before returning with his hands behind his back.

“Saeyoung?”

“Uh huh?” Saeyoung said as he tied his shoes.

“Um, happy birthday.” Saeyoung swivelled around to find Saeran holding out a small red box, tied together with a white ribbon in a neat bow. Saeyoung stood up, mouth agape as he gently took the box.

He slowly untied the knot and opened it, chuckling when he saw what was a pendent in the shape of an ice cream cone.

“It’s silly, I know, but it’s what connected us for so many years and…I wanted something to remind of us that,” he said quietly, his hand under the colour of his sweater as he pulled out a matching pendent on a chain.

Saeyoung tried with all his might to blink away the tears but it was no use. He unfastened his usual chain from his neck and slipped the pendent through so it sat proudly next to his cross. He leapt forward, catching Saeran in his arms as tears continue to slide down his face. There they held each other, neither willing to be the first to let go. Eventually Saeyoung broke away, darting into his own room and coming out with a medium-sized pink box.

“I was waiting for the right time to give you this, and now seems pretty perfect,” he said as he handed it to his brother.

Setting in on the table, Saeran shyly lifted up the lid and couldn’t contain the grin that creeped up his face as he examined the present. It was a bonsai tree.

“I know that you love gardening but get upset when the plants die, so I thought that you should have one that will live for as long as you take care of it.”

Saeran also felt tears pricking his eyes but was able to hold back, “Thank you, Saeyoung.”

“You’re welcome. Now we better go before MC hunts us down.”

***

Saeyoung and Saeran wandered the streets together, following the GPS on their phones before coming face-to-face with an all too familiar sign.

Surely not.

“Wait…” they both said in sync before hurtling towards the entrance.

“SURPRISE!” the whole RFA cried as they stumbled through the door. The place had been covered head-to-toe in red and pink decorations, and every member had their own party hats and streamers. To an outsider, it would have looked like a children’s party but nobody cared, because the look of pure joy and astonishment on their faces made it all worth it.

The twins were covered in confetti upon entrance, and whilst they were both indescribably grateful and excited, Saeyoung had questions.

“MC, do you work here?!”

“I used to, a little bit anyway. My parents own the business so I would work here in between jobs or when I was visiting. That’s why I was able to close it for the day!”

Saeyoung thought he was going to burst, “Did you work here a few years ago? In the summer?”

MC lips curled into a smug smile. She knew where this was going, “I did.”

“So…you were…this is…”

“Where we first met,” she said gently, intertwining her fingers with his.

“And where we first met,” Saeran chimed in, smiling at MC.

“HUH? Sorry…WHAT?!” Saeyoung yelled, one hand taking a fistful of his hair as he tried to wrap his head around everything.

Saeran and MC couldn’t contain the laughter that bubbled up in their throats. They explained everything to him, about how Saeran had come in a year after he did, how MC thought he was Saeyoung, how that was the reason MC joined the RFA. It was so crazy Saeyoung needed to sit down, but his smile never faltered.

After that was cleared up, they all enjoyed the rest of the celebration. Zen organised the karaoke, Jumin and Jaehee set up the party games, Yoosung and MC were in charge of ice cream, and V took photos of the whole thing. He captured every smile, every laugh and every tear of joy. It was a truly magical day, one that neither twin ever thought was possible for them.

It was stupid late when everyone decided it was time to go home. MC locked up, saying that she would deal with the mess in the morning since it was going to be closed anyway, and the three strolled home together.

MC linked arms with the two most precious people in her life, tugging them close to her side. They walked in a comfortable silence for a while, until Saeyoung spoke up, “One thing still doesn’t make sense though.”

MC cocked an eyebrow, “And what’s that?”

“When you thought Saeran was me, how did you know it was my birthday? Surely you wouldn’t have remembered the date?”

“Well, the one time you came in was on your birthday. I thought it must have been a tradition, since the time of year seemed about right. Lucky guess, I suppose.”

“Okay, I got it…actually no I don’t. I’m sorry but isn’t it just too weird?” he looked to Saeran, “Like, how did we both go to the same ice cream shop on the same day of the year and meet the SAME girl? Then you brought her to the same organisation that I was in and then we got to live like this? After everything that went down?”

Saeran smiled gently, “I think even we deserve a bit of good luck every know and then. It is funny though, that even when we were apart, we were basically connected through MC.”

“The universe has a strange way of working everything out,” MC said softly, “and anyway, I think that’s the thing about twins,” MC squeezed both their arms,

“Despite all odds, they are never stray too far from one another.”

***

Big love for the Choi bois <3 again I am so sorry this isn’t my best writing, but I still hope you enjoyed it! x

Masterlist

[bittysvalentines]

Teenage Dream

From: @jeanjacketbittle

To: @redneterp

Rating: T

Tags: fake dating (sort of?),  friends to lovers, valentine’s day

Summary: Ransom swoops in and saves Holster by telling someone that he is Holster’s Valentine’s Day date. Holster repays his bro for the save by actually taking him out on a Valentine’s Day date. It’s not a real date, though. It’s just a bro-date. Right?

A note to my valentine:

I’ve wanted to write Holsom forever because I love them so much, but I never found the right muse for it. Writing this fic for you pushed me to do it, and I am so glad!! I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

“Adam?”

Holster’s head whipped to find Esther Shapiro, hand on her hips at the end of their booth at Annie’s.

“Esther, hey! Uh, what’s-”

“I thought you said you had plans?”

Holster gestured vaguely to Ransom and the coffees and pastries on the table between them.  

“Plans that you couldn’t change to go on a Valentine’s date with me.”

“Oh. Well, uh...”

Ransom didn’t know what possessed him to say it, the thought hadn’t even stopped in his brain to check with him, just flew right out of his mouth. “Not that it’s your business, but this is a Valentine’s date.”

Ester rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Adam, if you hadn’t wanted to go out you should’ve just told me flat out instead of-”

“Plans on Valentine’s Day isn’t flat out enough?”

Esther blinked between them. Then, shockingly, she smiled. “Well, of all the people to blow me off for, I guess I’m glad it’s him.”

And then she left.

Holster looked at him, seemingly trying to blink the shock out of his eyes. “Bro, nice save. Thanks.”

Ransom chuckled. “C’yeah, well, you were floundering, and I didn’t want you to get dragged on a last-minute V-Date by Esther Shapiro.”

“You were right, I’d prefer a V-Date with you anyway.” Holster winked.

Ransom choked a little on his coffee. “Holtzy, I didn’t mean-”

Holster cut him off despite his mouth full of lemon cake. “Dude, are you about to no-homo me? We’re better than that.”

Ransom snorted. He was right, of course. They were way past no-homo both in their lives and in their friendship.

“So, what are we doing for phase 2 of our V-Date?”

“Holtz, we don’t have to.” His heart was beating a little faster in his chest.

“We were hanging out anyways, right?” Holster asked.

Ransom nodded.

“We can just tweak our plans a little, then. Oh!” Holster’s face lit up, and Ransom’s heart skipped a beat. "We could go to that new karaoke bar we’ve been wanting to go to. And then I’ll walk you home at the end of the night. Bam! Rans and Holster V-Date.” Holster explained.

It wasn’t like Ransom was surprised that Holster was so comfortable with this. They’d been best friends for three years. They did everything together and knew everything about each other. Including Holster’s new-found pansexuality.

It was stupid that it changed things. It shouldn’t, Ransom knew that. But it did. Because he was bi, and somehow he’d never even considered Holster in a more-than-bros way until Holster had come out to him and now it was all he could think about. It made things like a spur of the moment Valentine’s Day date fill his stomach with butterflies.

“Only if you want to, man. If you’d rather us have chips and Mario Kart like we planned that’s cool, too.” Holster assured him. He knew this was an out, and that he should take it. Holster really wouldn’t care either way, he knew that, but the look on his face when he’d thought of the karaoke bar…

“No, it sounds great. We should do it.” Ransom smiled, and Holster did an excited fist pump. “We do have to go back to the Haus and change, though. We are not dressed for karaoke.”

Holster let out a laugh. “Good call. I’ll get us some to-go cups.”

Ransom took a breath to get himself together once Holster was gone. He could do this. It wouldn’t be weird; it was just like any other night they spent together. It wasn’t a real date, after all. It was a friend date. A bro date. They’d literally been on bro-dates before. This was no different.

He stood up and cleared their table while Holster waited for their drinks. Ransom had a hold on himself again just in time for Holster to come back and hand him his tea. “Thanks,” Ransom said.

Holster smiled and they were on their way.

It was normal until Holster took Ransom’s free hand in his when they got outside Annie’s.

Ransom blinked at him, and Holster shrugged. “I always think February is going to be warmer than it is.” He explained, looking down at Ransom’s gloved hand in his.

“Gotta start using that weather app of yours, bro.” Ransom laughed.

Holster made an indignant sound. “When it’s been 15 degrees for a month and a half, 30 sounds like summer!”

Holster’s hand remained in his for the rest of the walk back, but it was easier after that. Holster had always been his tension diffuser, Ransom just hadn’t thought it would apply to situations where the tension was caused by Holster, too. It was a relief to find out he was wrong. Maybe he could do this after all.

Ransom had gotten ready for quite a few dates in his life, but he’d yet to get ready for one with the person he was going on the date with. He decided he liked it better, though, when Holster turned to him holding up two different shirts. Ransom couldn’t help but grin. “Dressing to impress, Holtzy?” he teased, pointing to one of the shirts.

“Don’t know why, you’re already coming home with me.” Holster smirked.

Ransom chuckled, turning back to his dresser to dig around for his own shirt so Holster wouldn’t see the flustered look on his face.

They split fare for the uber to the bar, and Holster talked Ransom into signing up for an act before eating anything.

They had a few drinks and watched the other acts while waiting for their turn, and Holster refused to tell him what song he’d signed them up for.

“Come on, Holtz, I need to prepare!” he protested.

Holster chuckled into his drink. “Trust me, you know the words. Besides, there’s no studying in karaoke. That’s the point, it’s just fun.”

Ransom sighed. “Okay, you’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just…” Just what? He didn’t even know.

“It’s okay, Ransy-poo, dates make everyone nervous.” He said it so casually that Ransom just nodded, not fully absorbing. By the time it processed, Holster was smiling at him and taking his hand, and he knew he couldn’t say anything about it, not when Holster was pulling him up to the stage and someone was handing him a microphone.

Ransom took the stage next to Holster, who was grinning at him as if there wasn’t a bar full of people watching them.

He heard the familiar guitar start to play and Ransom couldn’t help laughing as there were a few cheers at the song choice from the crowd.

Holster began to sing Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream to him, and somehow despite his anxiety and nerves about the date, everything faded and there was only them, Ransom and Holster. It was his favorite way to be.

“Now every February, you’ll be my Valentine. Valentine,” Holster sang, and it was right to him, like a question, a confirmation, and Ransom grinned.

Holster took to the next lyrics more like he usually did- an absolute karaoke ham, performing now more than he had been before. And Ransom fed off of his energy, joining him enthusiastically for the chorus. They danced around each other and Ransom practically forgot they were on a stage until people cheered after they belted out the last notes.

They definitely weren’t the best that night, considering Holster was practically tone-deaf, but the bar-goers were loving them anyway and they were having a goddamn blast. It was like when they sang at Kegsters- off-key and energetic and giving a Ransom a feeling that he couldn’t describe even if you paid him, but he swears he could live off of it.

Holster hugged him once they got off the stage, and Ransom couldn’t wipe the grin off his face even if he wanted to.

They ordered dinner, finally, and enjoyed the other acts as they picked off of each other’s plates. It didn’t feel like any date Ransom had ever been on, but… that wasn’t a bad thing.

It definitely felt more date-like, though, when Holster reached across the table and took one of Ransom’s hands in his. He just played with it idly as he ate his food, rubbing his hand with his thumb, toying with his fingers. If Ransom couldn’t literally feel him doing it, he wouldn’t even have noticed. But he had, and his heart was fucking racing again, and he knew he should be trying to listen because Holster was mid-story about something that had happened in one of his classes but Ransom just couldn’t think about anything besides the thoughts using his brain as a fucking NASCAR track.

“Why did you tell Esther you had plans?” He interrupted.

Holster stopped talking and gave him a look, eyebrows knitted. “Because we had plans, dude. She asked me, like, two days ago.”

“I would’ve understood. You know that.” Ransom insisted.

Holster nodded. “Of course you would have, but I didn’t want to cancel. I wanted to be with you.”

Ransom blinked at him. Holster’s voice was like fucking velvet and he finally let himself think that maybe Holster meant that like he wanted him to. “Holtzy, is this a real date?”

“I’d like for it to be.” Holster grinned at him, and Ransom felt both excitement and relief spread through him.

He let out a sigh. “Me too,” he said, smiling back at Holster. His grip on Ransom’s hand tightened, and they just looked at each other for a few moments. “I really want to kiss you right now, but I hate those stupid separated-by-a-table kisses.” Ransom admitted.

Holster chuckled. “Same. Are you finished?” he asked, gesturing to Ransom’s plate.

Ransom looked down and found the plate empty except for a few fries stolen from Holster’s plate. Holster’s was in a similar state.

“Wanna sing again, or?” Ransom asked.

Holster smirked. “I mean, I always wanna sing, but we can come back another time.

“Agreed.”

They paid at the bar and went outside to wait for their uber. “How about that kiss?” Ransom asked as they waited. “There’s no table in our way now.��

“Not yet.” Holster said, “if I start now, I will not want to stop, and I don’t think our uber driver will appreciate us making out in the back seat.”

Ransom laughed and agreed. It was a relief, to find out that Holster wanted this as much as he did. That he wanted him.

Once they were back at the Haus, though, they practically raced to the attic. They knew they were the first ones home, since all the lights had been off and all their other Hausmates were out with plans of their own.

And it was there, in their shared attic bedroom that they had their first kiss. And second. And third. And Ransom thought maybe they might have every kiss ever here in this room in this moment because he never wanted it to end.

They ended up on the bottom bunk, just kissing and hands roaming over clothed chests and backs, but Ransom felt the need to clarify, for both their sakes. “Despite what we sang about earlier, I don’t think we should go all the way tonight.” Ransom said between kisses.

Holster chuckled and nodded. “Agreed, I don’t want to go too fast and fuck this up.”

Ransom grinned and kissed him. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

He moved his mouth down to Holster’s neck and began kissing there when the blond spoke up again. “Katy was right about one thing, though.”

Ransom looked down at him, eyebrows raised.

“You make me,” he did this strange mix of a whisper and singing, “feel like I’m living a teenage dream,”

They laughed softly into each other’s necks before finding their rhythm again.

The next morning they woke up to the alarm clock, that beeped a few times before turning to the radio.

Holster almost fell out of the bed laughing, and Ransom shot out an arm to catch him.

Teenage Dream was playing on the radio.

-

“So, that’s why Teenage Dream is our song.” Ransom finished.

Their friends were all sprawled around Jack and Bitty’s living room, smiling at him and Holster, their hands clasped together.

“That’s sweet, y’all. But as your wedding planner I just can’t let Teenage Dream be your wedding song.” Bitty protested.

Jack put his hand on Bitty’s, still chuckling. “Come on, Bits. Settle on this one. Aren’t you just happy they aren’t asking to sing it?”

There were groans around the room as Holster whipped his head to Ransom. “Can we?” he asked excitedly.

Ransom could feel the death glare Bitty was giving Jack without even looking their way. But really, he knew that’s what they’d do from the beginning. He knew it would dawn on Holster eventually, and that he’d look at him with that same sunlit smile that he was giving him right now, and that Ransom would do absolutely anything for Holster, especially if it made him smile like that.

“Of course.”

Holster cheered, and their friends laughed and chirped them, and Ransom could barely hear any of it because just like that night all those years ago, it was just him and Holster grinning at each other like idiots, and that was all that mattered.

[pastellarts]

To the edge of your sky - Chapter 2: Hope is what we need now

Warning: Scenes of violence, death and grief in this chapter.

A big THANK YOU to all my readers! Words fail me to express how happy I am for all those who have taken the time to read Chapter 1, to follow/like my story and of course to leave a comment.

Special thanks to @bustedflipflop​ for her beta reading. I love you lady!

Chapter 2 has 6 scenes separated by ~oOo~ The author recommends listening to the following music tracks for certain scenes:

For scene #3 (Battle), listen to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80VIgVJor_4 For scene #4, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eDTRkCcMmE For the last scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kSOWfFrw_0

“Does it trouble you?”

Cassandra’s question caught him off-guard, but it was enough to break the awkward silence. He might have pissed her off last night in the tavern. He didn’t exactly regret it because he had to make it clear he was a free man now, not a Circle mage.

But his attitude could become more temperate. If he were honest with himself, she had treated him better since the battle with the demon at the big rift, fairly even. His gut told him he was dealing with a decent and honorable woman. He couldn’t recall any negative rumors circulating about Cassandra back in Ostwick so she definitely wasn’t one of the infamous Seekers.

“It’s stopped spreading, and it doesn’t hurt. I just wish I knew what it was. Or how I got it.” Alexander replied with honesty. No point in withholding any information about his mark. It was the most valuable weapon to the Inquisition.

“We will find out.” Cassandra’s voice came with a certainty of conviction. “What’s important is that your mark is now stable, as is the Breach. You’ve given us time, and Solas believes that a second attempt might succeed – provided the mark has more power. The same level of power used to open the Breach in the first place. That is not easy to come by.”

“What harm could there be in powering up something we barely understand?” Alexander dared to retort in a sarcastic tone.

“Hold on to that sense of humor.” Cassandra’s lopsided smirk surprised him even more than her concern.

Well. It seemed the Seeker was quick of wit under all this armor. He could work with that.

They entered the War room where Leliana, Cullen, and Josephine were already waiting. After a brief explanation of the roles and responsibilities, Cassandra went straight to business.

“I mentioned that your mark needs more power to close the Breach for good.” Cassandra said.

“Which means we must approach the rebel mages for help.” Leliana offered.

“And I still disagree. The templars could serve just as well.” Cullen suggested. A shiver ran through Alexander’s veins.

“We need power, Commander.” Cassandra intervened fast. “Enough magic poured into that mark—”

“Might destroy us all. Templars could suppress the breach, weaken it so—” Cullen pressed on. He couldn’t be suggesting…

“Pure speculation.” Leliana cut Cullen off.

“I was a templar. I know what they’re capable of.”

Alexander bit his tongue. He could not let his nervousness show. Didn’t Cullen know he was talking to a rebel mage?!? How could he ever suggest they should appeal to the templars for help?

Remember, cooperate. Calm yourself.

“Unfortunately, neither group will even speak to us yet. The Chantry has denounced the Inquisition – and you, specifically.” Josephine managed to ease the tension and pull him back to the meeting.

Cassandra remained silent. Did she also share Cullen’s opinion?

They continued with their planning for the upcoming trip to the Hinterlands to meet Mother Giselle. Scout Harding’s report was grim and left no doubt about how harsh the situation was. It looked like both apostate mages and templars had become far too aggressive, not giving a care about hurting and killing innocent people as a result from the clashes between them.

If Cullen had read this report, and Alexander was certain he had as soon as Leliana had received it, there was no doubt he proposed to seek the templars for assistance.

Alexander left the room, followed by Cullen and Josephine who went straight to their working posts. He looked back at the war room only to see the darkened silhouettes of Cassandra and Leliana engaged in a deep conversation.  Cassandra listened with her head and shoulders hanging downward. Her right hand kept rubbing the lower part of her face as she nodded once, twice to the what Leliana was telling her. Leliana stopped talking and ran a palm along Cassandra’s arm in a comforting way.

The moment ended when the Spymaster noticed him. She got lost in the shadows and Cassandra straightened herself and exited the war room. There was a somber light in her eyes, and her lips were slightly trembling, but she walked towards him with the determination and the unyielding posture he had come to know of her.

He would not ask if she was ok. He didn’t feel entitled to share her troubles and what led to that moment of weakness. He was an agent of the Inquisition because he could close the Breach.

“Herald, please visit Master Harritt to acquire a pair of gloves. Your hands need protection from weather and other threats. I have already spoken to him.” Cassandra said in a professional tone. A pragmatic suggestion from her side.

“I… thank you Lady Pentaghast.”

He spent the rest of the day preparing for the trip to the Hinterlands, choosing supplies and potions, trying on the gloves from Master Harritt, and getting to know more of the people who had also joined the Inquisition. It was a welcome revelation that most of them were determined to overlook their past prejudices and biases against mages but not to ignore the threat of the Breach and contribute towards their common goal.

Before sunset, he exited the gates of the village to the training grounds where Cullen was still running drills to the recruits. He was not yet ready to talk with him, even though the Commander had shown no signs of animosity against him. He should remember that not all templars were bad people, and Cullen had left his order to be part of the Inquisition. Perhaps another time.

A familiar grunt grabbed his attention and he noticed Cassandra whacking at a training dummy with a sword, displaying what looked like the collective force of ten soldiers. Her moves were most impressive; however, he wouldn’t dare a compliment at her current state.

“I think you need practice dummies made of sturdier stuff.” Alexander commented from a safe distance.

“That would be nice.” Cassandra rolled her shoulders and gave another hit.

“Like maybe iron.”

Cassandra walked to the next dummy. “Did I do the right thing? What I have set in motion here could destroy everything I revered my whole life.” She paused her training and her voice cracked with emotion. “One day, they might write about me as a traitor, a madwoman, a fool. And they may be right.”

“What’s going to happen now?” he asked.

“Now we deal with the Chantry’s panic over you before they do even more harm.” The grit was back in her words, accompanied by a good hit on the dummy. “Then we close the Breach. We are the only ones who can.” Another hit. “After that, we find out who is responsible for this chaos, and we end them. And if there are consequences to be paid for what I have done, I pay them. I only pray the price is not too high.”

Cassandra was willing to sacrifice her entire career and lifepath to the Inquisition. She made him feel like his own level of commitment to the cause was lacking passion and honesty. But her steady and resolute guidance was indispensable. Any doubts from her were a luxury the world could not allow.

“You didn’t have any choice.” Alexander attempted to reassure her.

“Didn’t I?” Cassandra hit the dummy with two precise blows, and it smashed in pieces. She dropped her sword to the ground. “My trainers always said, ‘Cassandra you are too brash. You must think before you act.’ I see what must be done and I do it! I see no point in running around in circles like a dog chasing its tail. But I misjudged you in the beginning, did I not? I thought the answer was before me, clear as day. I cannot afford to be so careless again.”

Her apology and regret were welcome like a deep breath he had forgotten to take, but his gut guided his response to her. Again. “It wasn’t like you had no reason to suspect me.” Alexander couldn’t but acknowledge the fact.

“I was determined to have someone answer for what happened. Anyone.” She started for the gates but paused. “I’m curious… Do you even believe in the Maker?” she asked.

Her question was simple, yet it felt like he was about to give a loaded confession and he could not lie to her. “I think so. I am not certain about many of my beliefs lately.” Alexander replied.

“I suppose it doesn’t really matter now. I have to believe we were put on this path for a reason, even if you do not. Now it simply remains to be seen where it leads us. See you tomorrow at sunrise at the gates, Herald.”

~oOo~

Two and a half days later Alexander, Cassandra, Solas and Varric reached the Hinterlands by horse relay, making use of the staging posts for Leliana’s scouts. They left their mounts at an Inquisition post with some soldiers to avoid attracting any attention from the conflicting parties and headed for the Outskirts Camp on foot.

“It occurs to me that I don’t actually know much about you.” Cassandra was walking by his side and was once more the one breaking the silence between them. Her bluntness should disconcert him, and yet the simplicity of her ways made him less tense.

“What do you want to know?” Alexander said.

“I’m… not sure. Where are you from?” Cassandra asked.

“I thought you knew that.” He was taken aback by her inquiry.

“I suppose I could ask Leliana. She has collected a frightening amount of information on you. But I don’t want to ask her. I want to hear it from you”, insisted Cassandra, kindly. This was not the ‘take-heads-first-questions-later’ Seeker, this was his companion and bodyguard.

“I was born in Ostwick, and that’s where most of my family is.” Alexander said. No point in hiding personal information that she could access elsewhere.

“The Trevelyans, is it not? A large clan with a rather clever coat-of-arms. Tell me, do you consider the Free Marches your home? Are you eager to go back?”

They spent the rest of their trail talking about their families and the places they grew up. He shared some facts about his Circle that he was certain she was aware of already. Nevertheless, she showed genuine interest. She claimed her own story about becoming the Right Hand of the previous Divine Beatrix ‘isn’t as exciting as some drum it up to be’ but he wanted to hear the longer version from her perspective. Perhaps another time, when they would not be rushing to stop the fighting between mages and templars from getting any worse.

The Inquisition banners of the Outskirts Camp became visible and a dwarven woman, apparently Lead Scout Harding, came to greet them. According to Harding, the situation was dire, with templars, apostates and bandits striking anyone, making it impossible for everyone else to travel any distance with safety. Harding’s clear and urgent tone made Alexander extremely nervous about what they could discover.

As they took the path down to the Crossroads, he cast a protective spell on their party and readied himself for upcoming attacks, wishing for enemies that did not bear any familiar faces.

~oOo~

The apostate mages were desperate. They had hired mercenaries for their protection and had setup ice mines everywhere. Despite his calls and Cassandra's pleading to listen to the Inquisition representatives, they seemed to consider any mage who wasn't openly allied with them as their enemy that should be killed. Their party had just located the apostate stronghold in Witchwood and things had gotten very ugly.

Avoiding stepping on an ice mine just in time, Alexander saw a spellbinder preparing to cast a fire mine upon Cassandra who was fighting against two other mages. He took advantage of the cave setting and cast an energy barrage spell to lower his opponent’s resistance. The projectiles bounced across the cave walls, sweeped across like whisps and hit their target. Seeing the barrier down, Varric fired an explosive arrow and finished the job.

"One down!" yelled Alexander and cast a protective barrier on Cassandra before turning his attention to Solas. Trevelyan was running out of mana and there was no time to catch his breath. Perhaps he should join Cullen's recruits for some morning drills to improve his stamina. The explosion and closing the rift had taken a lot from him.

Physical strength had never been his forte. Spells, potions, knowledge, studies, those he could do well in the Circle of Magi in Ostwick. The Circle was no place for restless mages and his conscientious personality and noble birth allowed him to have a relatively uneventful life there. He had grown into a strong and promising scholar senior Enchanter who could still raise a mean spirit blade if he wanted to. But as soon as the mage rebellion started, he turned into a survivor, a protector of the weak in a time of need. A battlemage for the rightful fight against years of oppression.

Until the Conclave.

"I need some help here!" Solas yelled.

The elven mage's call caught Alexander unprepared. The battle was endless. The barriers by Solas were getting shattered by two very formidable spellbinders. Alexander drowned a lyrium potion and cast a dispel and a barrier on Solas. Sweeping his sweat, he turned to Varric who was aiming for a long shot against a mage hidden behind some bushes. Alexander felt the veil changing in a familiar pattern and focused on the hidden figure. The aura and the robes were... No, it couldn't be...

"Varric, no! Stop!"

Too late. Alexander abandoned the battle and ran towards the injured apostate. The arrow was impaled in her stomach. Blood was spurting everywhere.

Shit.

"Olivia! Olivia! It's me, Alexander!"

Cradling her in his arms, he opened a healing potion. The wound was fatal, there was no way to control the blood loss, but Alexander prayed the potion would give her a bit of pain relief and some time to say goodbye.

She coughed weakly, twice.

"Trevelyan... Word spread only you survived the explosion in Haven. I'm glad..." Olivia regarded him with a sad smile.

"You should have come with us Olivia, you would be safer." Alexander stroked the hair out of her face.

"I got to see the world Alexander, the real world. It's beautiful..."

Olivia coughed some blood spots on his sleeve. Not much longer. Not the time for regrets.

"Were you with Rian?" he asked her.

"Templars in red killed him last month..."

"I am sorry."

Olivia took hold of his hand and focused on him. "I am with child... Love is easy, beautiful, lazy, free... We were free Alec... Finally, free…" 

The fighting sounds had stopped. Cassandra seethed her sword and ran to them. She immediately pulled out a handkerchief from a pouch and applied pressure to the wound. Alexander nodded to her to leave it be. Olivia started shaking. Any time now and the pain would be over.

"Tell me about the child. Where would you raise it?" He smiled down to her.

"If it were a girl, we would name it Leanna, after my late sister. If we had a son, Rolf. We wanted to reach Orlais... Alec, you got some strong magic now... Be that Herald if you must, but live my friend, live... and love... You can do so much good..." Olivia uttered between violent coughs.

Gone was the colour on her face, and blood started to flow from her mouth. Alexander kept stroking her hair.

"I would never be alive without you Olivia. Maker bless your soul, old friend."

He didn't cry when her last breath came out of her body. He eased her eyelids down and stayed for a while like this, holding softly her lifeless bloody torso, praying silently for Olivia, for Rian, for their unborn child.

Cassandra was still there, silent and calm, keeping some kind of vigil. Her demeanor offered him a comfortable sense of safety and support. It felt strange but not unwelcome. 

"I would like to bury her before we leave. Properly." Alexander uttered in a wobbly voice.

Cassandra got up and went to meet the others.

"Of course, Herald. You have my support. I will send for a Chantry sister."

"Thank you, Lady Seeker."

Exhaustion overwhelmed him and for the first time since the explosion that ended the Conclave, Alexander wept.

~oOo~

 Cassandra dismounted her horse and after nodding to Master Harritt, she made a break for Leliana's tent outside the Chantry. She glanced back at the Herald who kept mostly silent since the fight in Witchwood. He had turned out to be a fierce mage in action and left a positive impression on her about his skills during their travels. 

The Left Hand of the Divine was talking with two of her agents but dismissed them as soon as she acknowledged Cassandra.

"Welcome back. I take it your trip was successful, based on the reports I have received."

"We made contact with Mother Giselle who should be arriving later or tomorrow and refugees should be safer now. The Herald's actions have been rather effective so far." Cassandra affirmed.

"But?"

Leliana grabbed a paper parchment and a small pouch from a table and motioned towards the Chantry. This was a conversation that had to be done in private. 

"Nothing bad. On the contrary, I am quite pleased so far. We have allied with 3 agents, the fighting between templars and mages is much less and the refugees are no longer in danger, Master Dennet will probably agree to provide us with horses as soon as we build some watchtowers and there is promise for further support."��

But he was close friends with a blood mage. 

They entered the war room and Leliana shut the door behind her. 

"Spill it Cassandra, I don't have all day."

"One of the apostates we fought was a friend of his from the Circle. The Herald called her Olivia and mentioned she had saved his life. Varric shot her and Lord Trevelyan only managed to give her some comfort before she died. I sensed a blood magic spell on the making before she got shot."

"My agents have mentioned nothing of blood magic practices for Trevelyan." Leliana frowned.

"I also don't believe he is one. He didn't even yell at Varric. He said he never believed in this war and Varric couldn't have known."

"Sensible and matter-of-fact. Good." The Spymaster smirked with satisfaction. “Has he mentioned if he belonged to any of the fraternities?”

“He did mention the Aequitarians but he could be a Libertarians sympathizer as well.” Cassandra knit her brows.

“Pure speculation at this point. It will come up sooner or later, especially if he decides to meet with the rebel mages in Redcliffe.” Leliana remarked.

"He brought back with him some of her possessions. He claims them to be notes and books on magic and astronomy. Could you—"

"Of course."

Cassandra breathed a relieved sigh and nodded. How she had wished for Leliana's presence in this trip. Her insight and ability to see though everything and everyone was uncanny and the Seeker needed the reassurance of her old time companion and friend. She turned for the doors.

"Cassandra. A moment."

Leliana's hesitation was very brief but enough for Cassandra to guard herself against the news she was about to hear. The Spymaster left the pouch on the table and unfolded the parchment.

"While you were away, we have managed to identify some more victims of the explosion. I have their names here if you want to take a look."

Cassandra reached for the list. Leliana never took her eyes off her.

"Still no sign of Justinia's body or what is..." Leliana trailed off.

The Seeker felt her legs give away and leaned on the table. Her hands trembled. One drop and then another fell from her eyes and stained the parchment. She pushed it away. Leliana remained by her side.

"We recognised him from the seal and the blade he carried with him. It was as you had described it to me." 

Cassandra let a sob and broke down. She had no idea how long Leliana comforted her but she was grateful for doing this away from everyone. They could not see her as weak, helpless, lost, alone. She was Lady Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast, the founder of the Inquisition. There was no time for mourning. There was nobody left to mourn. Every person she had loved was dead.

"I will leave first and keep away anyone that might give you trouble. You‘ve had no time to mourn for Regalyan and Justinia. You have now. Take as much as you want, my friend." The doors closed with a soft click when Leliana left.

Cassandra opened the pouch and took the blade in her hands. It was her last gift to Regalyan, to protect him against any danger whenever they parted ways. It was part of every single staff he had owned since that day. 

But the blade had not saved her former lover from the explosion. Nothing could have saved him from it. 

The Divine, Galyan, her brother, her Order, her purpose. All gone.

For the first time since the Conclave, Cassandra let her tears and her loneliness beat her.

~oOo~

"What about the supply caches?" Alexander pointed at the map where the Crossroads were located.

"We received news yesterday that they were distributed immediately. Again, thank you, Herald for looking into this matter", Cullen nodded at Alexander.

"It was just the right thing to do and I wasn't alone. But before we go," he exhaled heavily and paused before addressing Leliana. "Did you have any luck locating the bodies of my fellow Enchanters?"

Cassandra turned to look at Trevelyan. All these weeks she had been so focused on the Inquisition matters and her own grief that she had forgotten to ask him if he had lost someone close to him in the explosion. He had not been there as a spy or out of curiosity, he had been a member of the delegation from the Circle of Magi of Ostwick. They were working together with a man who had lost people who mattered to him and yet he had not hesitated to cooperate with their cause and do the right thing even if they had treated him as a mass murderer at first. He wanted to be a free mage, but he also wanted the war to end and the Breach to close.

“We have recovered two bodies that bore the seal from the Circle of Ostwick. Sister Jeanette can tell you where they are.” Leliana informed him.

“Lord Trevelyan.” Cassandra ventured to interject. “Some clerics will perform a burial for many of the victims. It can include your friends. Of course, if you wish for a specific ritual, it can be arranged.”

The Herald gripped on the desk with both his hands and let his head hang low for a moment. He then pushed himself off and focused on her. His gaze exposed a conflict of emotions, vulnerable and determined.

“I appreciate that, Lady Seeker. Thank you, thank you all.” Alexander cleared his throat and when he spoke again, his voice was no longer brittle. “I will go see researcher Minaeve.”

The door closed behind Cassandra’s back and Josephine began to speak.

“We have received some letters from the Trevelyan clan about—“

“It is a matter concerning the Herald’s family and it is only fair he should be present as well.” Cassandra interrupted her. She- They had to show him respect.

“I suppose you are right, Lady Cassandra.” Josephine acknowledged her and checked her tablet. “One last thing before we leave. Marquis DuRellion…”

~oOo~

Cassandra held the urn with Regalyan’s ashes as she looked for a place to bury them. Long after his pyre had died out, she simply stood staring at it for a while, tears coursing down her cheeks. She thought of scattering them, but then she recalled how the terrible smell after the explosion in the Temple had burned her nose. She should write to his friends in the White Spire—

If there was anyone left alive. Or had they joined the rebel mages in Redcliffe..? Perhaps they had become apostates. She didn’t know.

‘Cassandra, you are the bravest person I've ever met. And the most beautiful. ’ (*)

Many had called her brave, but nobody had called her the most beautiful person ever again. At least not like him. The young love they had shared for years never ceased to warm her heart and the remembrance of their relationship gave her courage in dark times. They had eventually drifted apart and remained distant friends since Justinia’s appointment as the Divine. Had he survived, she doubted they would ever become lovers again. Nevertheless, when she had learned he would attend the Conclave, she had looked forward to meeting him. It was the best news she had heard for a long time, an opportunity to catch up with each other, listen to his vivid laughter, shove his arm at his insatiable need to flatter her any time anywhere, make fun of the wrinkles around his bright green eyes, hug him...

His loss would ache for the rest of her life.

She spotted a tree that reminded her of the adventure that brought them together, placed the urn on the ground and started to dig with her sword and her hands. Each jab was loaded with anguish and the urge to revenge for his death, for all those deaths. She was so lost in her mourning she never heard Trevelyan approach.

“Need any help?”

She gasped and almost lost her balance. Alexander raised both hands slightly up and made an apologetic grimace.

“I am sorry if I scared you. I was just passing by.”

“It’s alright.” Cassandra gave an indifferent nod with her head and continued with her digging. She was soon joined by the Herald who used a small shovel to help her finish her task.

“Where did you find the shovel?” she asked him.

“Master Harritt gave it to me when I asked if he had any. Apparently, he made a few due to the circumstances.” Alexander replied and stood aside when the hole was large enough.

Cassandra took the urn and placed it in the ground. Trevelyan’s presence had distracted her from her sorrowful thoughts, and she finished covering the urn with soil without shedding any more tears. Not in front of him.

To his credit, the Herald had stepped aside to give her the privacy the moment needed. She used a blade to carve Regalyan’s initials on the tree, taking a silent oath to make a proper grave for him as soon as she found the time. When she finished, she placed her palm on the trunk of the tree and whispered her parting words and a quick prayer. And just like that, it was done.

She met the Herald and they started walking back to the village.

“Have they found the Divine’s body?” It was Alexander who broke the silence this time.

“No and I don’t think we will find anything. If your memories from the rift were right, she was at the center of the explosion.” Cassandra replied.

“Have you lost many people at the Conclave?” She appreciated his tactful inquiry; she could not handle talking about Galyan now. And Trevelyan wasn’t her friend to share more.

“People who I knew from the Chantry, as well as templars and some Enchanters.” Cassandra gave a vague response. “And you, Herald?”

He looked at the shovel and sighed. “Derrin and Amethyne, both Senior Enchanters, both good mages. I was friends with Derrin, not so much with Amethyne.” Alexander paused and his face broke into repressed laughter. “The irony is that those two hated each other’s guts so much, they couldn’t stand being in the same room for more than what was necessary. And now they lie next to each other in ashes inside their urns in the ground, forced to coexist in peace, both in the Maker’s side.”

His words brought a small smile to her face and she began to snicker. “I am sorry, I should not be laughing, it is not the right time or place.” Cassandra attempted to restrain herself.

Alexander wore a wide grin and amusement danced on his eyes as he watched her fighting her own smile. “I am sure our friends would laugh with us too, if they were here.”

Galyan would. And he would coax her to relish the moment, in his unique dashing way.

Cassandra followed Alexander in the tavern, hoping to wash away the sorrow of the day with some rye. When Flissa came to take their orders, Cassandra asked her to leave the bottle.

“Was Olivia a good friend of yours?” Cassandra let out the question that had been troubling her the past days. The mist that covered his eyes could have been from the large gulp of rye, but she suspected that was not the case.

“She was like a sister to me in the Circle. She saved my life when I got there. There was— I would never pass my Harrowing without her. I owe her my life, literally. The war broke us apart, I remained with the rebellion and she and Rian joined the apostates, eager to fight in the Mage-Templar war.” The Herald kept his gaze fixed on his drink and didn’t look up. It was noticeably difficult for him to speak about her so the issue of blood magic would have to wait. She would get her answers some other time.

“What about the rest of the Enchanters from your Circle?” Cassandra changed the subject. What roused him in lowering his guard only appealed to her curiosity. She did not want to let his mood for sharing go to waste.

“All Senior Enchanters are dead. Two of them were killed when the rebellion started, along with First Enchanter Lydia. The other three you already know. I assume some mages have joined the other rebels in Redcliffe.” Alexander professed with a grim expression.

“I wish the Seekers and the Chantry had done more for the mages.” Cassandra admitted.

“What will happen to the Chantry now?” Alexander asked her.

“It is difficult to say. They have no templars, no leadership, and no one left who is worthy of succeeding the Divine.” Cassandra finished her glass with one gulp and served herself a refill. “It has fallen apart when everyone needs it the most. I ache to think what this will mean in the days to come.”

“I’m surprised you rebelled against the Chantry.” Alexander was now leaning on his left arm, his eyebrows pulled slightly together.

“I left my own Order when they took the wrong path. It is no different. But in neither case did I stop caring. Indeed, I care so much that I feel drastic action is necessary. I suppose history shall one day judge my actions.” Cassandra hoped she didn’t sound like a zealot.

“Would you serve a new Divine?”

“That depends on whether she would have me. I’m a rebel now, remember? And even if she would, I… do not know.” Cassandra stared at the rye as she swirled it in the cup. She started to contemplate her life so far. Would she remain the Right Hand to a new Divine? Would she return to the Seekers? For all she knew, it could be time for a new direction in her life.

“I first met Divine Justinia two years ago when I was presented to her as a newly appointed Senior Enchanter in a ceremony in the Grand Cathedral. She left a positive impression to me, aside from her speech. It was a bit boring.” Alexander interrupted her musings and she took a peek at him. He was still leaning on his arm, looking to his left as if reminiscing.

“She was never a big fan of speeches.” Cassandra assented with a half chuckle. “I think I was absent from that ceremony…”

“You weren’t there.” Trevelyan said quickly and leaned towards her. “If you were, I would definitely remember you.”

Cassandra stared at him with mouth slightly open. Did he just..?

“You flatter me.”

“I’m trying.” Trevelyan shrugged with a pleased expression and leaned back on his chair.

Cassandra let a disgusted noise and took a large sip. He had done it again, set her off-course and let her trip on incredulous notions that she had absolutely no need of right now.

“Lady Pentaghast.” The Herald dispersed her confusing thoughts, his voice fearless and crisp, his gaze clear and hopeful like a fresh breeze. He straightened his pose and raised his glass. “A toast to all the rebels who never stopped caring and will always care to do the right thing, who defy chaos and hope to make the future a possibility.”

She should be more wary of that silver tongue of his. Yet, at that moment, she couldn’t help it. Cassandra’s face lit up with a small smile that he returned in full. “To allies that join causes with honorable goals.” She raised her own glass and they both savored their drinks without breaking eye contact.

He was not her friend, no. But he was earning her respect with each passing day and she dared to have faith that he would be a kindred spirit in the struggle against these troubled times.

His fetching smile made it also not so terrible.

_________

Note: I always wondered what happened to other people that were along with the Inquisitor in the Conclave, no matter the race. There was no cut scene or mention of any loss, so I decided to give Alexander some backstory with friends from his Circle that died in the explosion or in the Mage – Templar War.

(*) It bugged me that they didn’t mention anything about Regalyan’s death and how it affected Cassandra. It was not only Justinia that she lost. If you don’t know who Regalyan is, “Dawn of the Seeker” is an anime movie and I love the penultimate scene where Regalyan and Cassandra look at each other with those dreamy eyes of young love. This quote is from that scene.