#pardon the dust while i figure things out.

[spiderz0mbie]

me doing a complete blog overhaul and changing cass's faceclaim? more likely than you think.

[silence-burns]

The Death of Me //part 3

Fandom: Aquaman

Summary: (very small spoilers for the movie) Finding Orm on your doorstep was not something you expected. Having him move in was even worse. But the effect he still had on every part of your life would be the death of you.

“Try not to drown. It would be awkward.”

Orm watched you disappear into the bathroom, angry or embarrassed to the point of momentarily forgetting about your exhaustion. It was such a relief after spending hours watching your feverish, unresponsive body. He couldn’t help but smile.

He wasn't used to sitting idle, which led him to start cleaning up the house during those few hours and familiarizing himself with the rooms. Orm was now a free man, left to live his life however he wanted. And yet, when Arthur came to him with a certain proposition, he didn't even think before agreeing.

What he's said before was true—Orm did feel indebted to you for everything you'd done over the years. But it wasn't the main reason he dropped everything and allowed Arthur to bring him to the sea house.

Orm used the opportunity of having you out of bed (if it could even be called that) to clean it up and take off the bed sheets. A surprising amount of human medicine rolled out from various crevices of crumpled blankets, which he put on the table to carefully read about later. Human ingenuity managed to surprise him every now and then, and instructions printed on every surface possible were something he appreciated.

He heard the water run in the shower, which was a good sign. So far, no screams, shouts or sounds of a body hitting the floor broke the peaceful evening. Orm wouldn't mind it staying that way.

It took him a few moments to figure out the way human bed sheets were supposed to be used. Everything felt new to him, but he took pride in every step. There was a certain novelty to doing things wrong and not having a whole nation watching.

The lock opened with a mechanical click. You stood in the doorway, looking pale and wet, resembling a wet rat Orm had once seen in a canal. The loose shirt you put on had a lot of soaked spots.

“I can't take it off.”

Orm moved his eyes away from the shirt clinging to your body. “Pardon?”

Your lips formed a thin, anxious line. “The old bandage. Even after I soaked it, I can't take parts of it off.”

Orm knew he'd sooner grow old and turn to dust than hear from you words such as ‘Please, could you help me? I can't do this on my own.’ In any other person, such a trait would endlessly annoy him.

“Let me have a try.” It was a perfectly diplomatic answer that made you walk back into the bathroom.

You leaned over the sink with your back to him and pulled the shirt up. From up close, Orm realized that some of the wet patches on the shirt came from blood. Removing even part of the bandages resulted in aggravating the wounds again, and pulling on the ones that were stuck hard only made it worse.

For a moment, Orm beheld the scale of the task. “What happened to you again?”

“A building.”

It looked as if you were dragged through a few of them. Repeatedly.

“...must've been a big one.”

“Your brother has a talent of making the worst possible choices.”

“Hard to argue with that.”

His heart hurt when he started pulling on the scabbed wounds that had dried with pieces of bandage and dressing inside the wound. He was no medic, but he'd been in enough duels and fights not to overlook unhealed injuries. With lips pressed thin, he tried to be as gentle as possible, but his work was difficult.

He was impressed you didn't flinch or curse. Orm only heard quiet hisses from you and noticed your heavy breathing.

“I'm sorry it's taking so long,” he broke the silence after a while, thinking it would distract you enough. “I wish we had some of the Atlantean medicine that could speed this up.”

“I actually might still have some in the cabinet to your left from that time we fought those necros. Your healers gave me a lot, but I don't remember which is which.”

Orm froze. “And you're only telling me this now?”

“In my defense, I didn't even remember about it until you asked.”

Orm dropped the paper towels he used to wipe the blood off your back into the sink. He found a crumpled bag with a few small, familiar jars. Some of the medicine had already dried out, but the one he was searching for remained intact.

“It's a good thing you didn't throw them out. This one is a special salve; it breaks the bond between dried out wounds and cleans them.”

Orm layered it thickly, working fast and trying his best to focus only on your injuries. Your skin was hot under his fingers and smelled vaguely of soap.

“I tried to soak them under the shower, but it didn't really help.”

“There was not enough water.”

You frowned and raised your head a little to look at Orm in the mirror. He seemed to be engrossed in cleaning the scabs and fabric off. Even though the pain subsided significantly, something still bothered you.

“...I'm pretty sure there was a decent amount of water in the water that I used.”

“Not enough, apparently.”

“In what other terms may I present to you thousands of years of Atlantean technology development that went into producing this salve? Its effects are greatly enhanced.”

“Did you just say my water is too dry??”

“Ah, right. I forgot you're the water experts. Should I start calling you professor?”

Orm tightened the bandage as he caught your eyes in the mirror.

“You can call me whatever you want, as long as it keeps you alive.”

A shiver ran down your spine, and you were sure that despite the bruises and bandages, Orm could clearly see what his words did to you. You cleared your throat, breaking eye contact first.

“I'm sure you think you sound cool, but you might've overlooked the possibility of me abusing such power easily and with a smile on my face, Salve Master.”

Orm chuckled. His fingers lingered around your waist. “You'll be the death of me. But as I've said—whatever keeps you going.”

And then he suddenly turned you around and lifted you over his shoulder. Too stunned to fight back, you found yourself carried out of the bathroom.

[restinpeacedarthsonic]

Guardian Angel AU Ideas

So, you may or may not have seen those pictures a bit ago depicting Lucifer and Lute as Lilith and Adam’s Guardian Angels respectively, and I have some IDEAS for this AU!

1) After Lucifer and Lute fell madly in love with their human charges, Heaven figured that for Eve they had to do SOMETHING to prevent this from happening again! The solution became incredibly obvious. Enter Raphael, Eve’s Guardian Angel. He’s as straight as a circle. Heaven realized, in retrospect, that they should’ve done something similar with Lilith and Adam, but in complete fairness, Angels literally HAD no sexualities until human souls were created. Even the gender of Angels were more or less completely aesthetic until that point, with many Angels simply discarding the whole notion (lots of non-binary folk up in Heaven). God always teasingly told them they’d understand one day. Well, now they did, and now all of Heaven was busy trying to bone each other! Or the humans, in the case of Lucifer and Lute.

2) Lute, at the time known as Segann (Hebrew for Lieutenant), was in fact an Archangel, those second only to God. The other Archangels included Lucifer, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Camael, Uriel, Jophiel, Samael (who would become Satan one day), and Zadkiel. Lute’s initial affair was tolerated as Lilith and Adam had already went their separate ways by that point. However, once Eve was created from Adam’s rib (it was determined that both Adam and Lilith being made from dust was what resulted in their contentious attitudes towards each other; they were both too similar to each other, both incredibly egotistical and stubborn), Heaven made it clear that under no uncertain terms was Lute to continue with her affair. The penalty for disobeying would be for her to be stripped of her status as an Archangel, reduced to a mere Ishim. A basic Angel. She obeyed… for a time. Especially when it seems Adam was happy with Eve. But then the Fall happened, Lucifer and Lilith were banished to Hell, and Adam and Eve were banished from Eden. At that point, the only thing the furious Adam wanted from Eve was children. And so he would find himself back in Lute’s embrace… and eventually they would be found out, and Lute stripped of her rank.

3) Raphael, while obviously never developing romantic feelings for Eve on account of being the queer eye for the straight guys, still came to see her as a sister. And thus when Eve began her relationship with Lilith and Lucifer… he kept his mouth shut. She seemed far happier with them than she ever did with Adam (who he was fairly certain would eventually end up back together with Lute anyways, regardless of the warnings). He came to deeply regret this decision; if he had told Heaven, they might have been able to intervene before the Fall. But alas, the fruit was bitten long before Man was ready, and the rest was, as they say, history.

4) There was one Divine Privilege that every Archangel is given that not even demotion can revoke as it was a privilege granted by God and thus cannot be removed by mere Angels. And that is the Right of a Divine Pardon. This allows an Archangel to get any one soul they desire (and ONLY one soul) into Heaven regardless of what they did in life. And when Adam died, you can bet Lute used this Get Out of Jail Free Card. After all, Adam exemplifies all Seven Deadly Sins, yet he’s somehow in Heaven? Bitch HAD to have cheated! Good to see his Guardian Angel still had his back at the very end!

5) Raphael deeply regretted what became of Eve latter in life. She became bitter, especially after Cain and Abel. When she died, he tried to use his Pardon on her, but she refused him, deliberately sinking into the depths of Hell, setting her Roots there…

6) while not directly related to the topic of Guardian Angels, I should clarify that in this AU the War in Heaven did happen. Lucifer didn’t lead it, as he and his lovely wife were now in Hell, but rather his and Lilith’s followers were the ones who persecuted the Rebellion in order to avenge their leaders. When the Rebels fell, they became the 6 Deadly Sins and the (original) Goetia.

[lilacmingi]

ALICE IN WONDERLAND AU ♤ PART 2: JIMIN

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or my works

Pairing: Tweedle!Jimin x fem reader

Word count: 2,286

The pounding of your heart was so loud it's all you could hear as the man emerged from his hiding place in the cluster of towering plants. Stepping out onto the pathway was a rather innocent-looking man with honey blonde hair and gentle features. Round eyes, a button nose, and puffy, pink lips akin to the delicate petals of a flower. He donned a black and white striped shirt that hung off his shoulders, showing off his prominent collarbones and a pair of dark red shorts. Like Jungkook, this man was incredibly handsome as well. His visuals were breathtaking, like he had been sculpted by Aphrodite herself.

"Jimin." The man beside you vocalized in mild surprise, his body relaxing now that he knew there was nothing to worry about.

"Oh! Hello." The stranger responded, smoothing out his shirt and dusting off any leaves that clung to the fabric. "I haven't seen you around today."

"What are you doing here?" Jungkook asked.

"I was running away from the bandersnatch and needed somewhere to hide. Who's this?" He gestured towards you.

"This is Y/n."

Jimin's brows raised. "The Y/n?"

"The very same." Jungkook not-so-discreetly pulled you towards him, not liking the way his friend's eyes glimmered like that of a hungry animal.

"Ah. She grew up nicely." The blonde noted aloud, a small smirk pulling at his full lips while his eyes shamelessly raked down your figure.

Admittedly, you felt the slightest bit flustered under his gaze, not used to being so obviously (and brazenly) ogled at.

"Well, this is certainly a nice surprise. What brings you back here?" Jimin inquired, taking a step forward.

"Back off." Jungkook warned. "I was sent to bring her here."

"Oh?" Jimin's brow twitched in interest. "Why don't I tag along? I can keep you company."

"No thank you. I've got this under control." Jungkook responded briskly. "It was my job to fetch her, so I'll be the one taking her to the Hatter."

"You don't want extra protection? What if something happens to her on the way? Two is better than one, you know."

"Again, I've got this under control. Besides, if you tag along you'll just be a nuisance."

"Hey!" Jimin grabbed onto Jungkook's ear, pulling on it harshly.

"Ow!" He hissed.

"I was born before you. Have a little respect for your elders."

"Okay, okay! Ouch! Let go of me."

"You'd better be grateful I didn't pull on your precious bunny ears." Jimin huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jungkook merely grumbled in response, rubbing his ear which was pink from the tight grip Jimin had on it.

The blonde then turned to you with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to see you here again." He bowed and took hold of your hand, placing a gentle kiss to the top of it, the action sending a light rush of heat across the apples of your cheeks.

"Ah. Yes, I'm sure it is."

"Where's the other one?" Jungkook asked, changing the subject and providing a good distraction so you could calm your racing heart.

"Oh. I don't know." Jimin shrugged.

"Other one?" You echoed.

"Jimin has a twin but no one ever sees him."

"Ever?"

"No. He's always off somewhere." Jungkook explained. "I only ever caught a glimpse of the back of his head."

Strange. You thought. Then again, everything here was strange.

"We need to make haste and get Y/n to the Hatter before the bandersnatch finds us. If that thing catches our scent we're dead."

"So you're letting me tag along?" Jimin's eyes glimmered with hope.

"If Y/n is okay with it then I suppose I can't argue." Jungkook sighed.

"The more the merrier." You smiled.

"Perfect! Right this way, milady." Jimin bowed, holding his hand out.

You accepted his offer, reaching out to take hold of his hand, allowing him to walk by your side as your journey continued.

"I'm glad you allowed me to tag along or else this little walk would be a bore."

"I beg your pardon?" Jungkook turned his head towards the older male, taking offense to his unprovoked comment.

"Oh come on." He chuckled. "You're about as interesting as a game of croquet with the Red King."

Pure rage burned behind Jungkook's once friendly eyes, the jab clearly striking a nerve for the bunny hybrid.

"This is why I didn't want you here. You always harass me and it irritates me to no end."

"I'm just teasing. Jeez you're so uptight."

"I'm not uptight."

"Hey, I have a question." You spoke up, hoping to distract the two and de-escalate the situation.

"Yes?" The two men turned to you, speaking in unison.

"Can't we just teleport to the Hatter?"

The two shared a look.

"Teleport?" Jimin echoed.

"Yeah. This is a dream, right? Anything is possible in dreams."

Again, Jungkook and Jimin looked at each other, a mildly concerned expression etched into both their features.

"Do you really think this is a dream?" Jungkook inquired.

"Yes. It has to be. There's no logical explanation to any of the things that have happened so far."

"I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion, but this is real." Jimin told you, his tone even and his gaze unwavering.

Come to think of it, every emotion you've felt since falling down the rabbit hole was very much real, though to be fair, some dreams are like that. They're so vivid that they feel as if you're actually experiencing them until you finally wake up and realize it was all in your head. Except you haven't woken up yet. You were quick to pinch your arm as hard as you possibly could with your free hand, wincing at the pain that shot up your arm.

"This is real?" Your voice came out much weaker than you intended.

"Of course it is, silly." Jimin chuckled, ruffling your hair. "I don't know why you're so surprised."

Now you just felt stupid. Of course this was real. Everything felt real but you were in denial, unable to accept the fact that you'd been walking beside a man with literal bunny ears and got chased by quite possibly the most frightening creature you'd ever seen. A creature that you knew didn't exist in your world. So now what? You're in some place called Wonderland that you've supposedly visited before yet you have no recollection whatsoever of being in a place like this. Oh and also there's some guy called the Red King who send that bander-thing after you.

You blinked a few times, bringing yourself back to the present before your thoughts could get too carried away. The last thing you wanted was to have a mental breakdown in front of these two.

In an attempt to distract yourself, your gaze traveled down to yours and Jimin's intertwined hands, taking notice of his adorable little fingers.

"Your fingers are so cute." You voiced your thoughts aloud.

"Are they?" He grinned.

"They are."

"You two should compare pinkies." Jungkook nudged you. "He gets embarrassed."

Now that he had brought it up, your curiosity was piqued.

"Is that okay with you, Jimin?" You asked.

"Of course. Anything for you."

He released your hand, holding his pinkie out as you mirrored his actions. An unintentional giggle left you when you saw the size difference. Jimin had possibly the cutest pinkie you'd ever seen in your life. It was short, pudgy, and oh-so-adorable. His cheeks turned a deep shade of pink at your reaction.

"I know." He murmured, lowering his head to hide his rosy cheeks that now resembled strawberry mochi.

Meanwhile, Jungkook was off to the side snickering at his friend.

You nudged Jimin. "It's cute."

"Thanks. I don't like my hands all that much. They're not manly enough."

"Ah that doesn't matter." You waved a dismissive hand. "Being manly is overrated, anyway."

"It is?"

"Sure. Being yourself is all that matters. Plus, you can't change the way your hands or fingers look. That's how you were born."

Jimin's eyes glimmered, his heart melting at your words. You're just as sweet as he remembered.

Jungkook cleared his throat, gaining your attention and causing you to look over at him.

"Aw someone's jealous." Jimin had a smug smirk on his face.

"I'm not." Jungkook denied.

You reached out and took hold of his hand. "I can hold two hands at once. No need to be jealous."

He cracked a small smile. "Thanks. You're just as kind as you were back then."

"I wish I could remember it."

Jimin's expression fell immediately. "What? She doesn't remember coming here?" He asked looking at Jungkook. "You don't remember coming here?" He pointed the question at you this time.

"Unfortunately no."

"Ah." He frowned. "That's a shame."

"It was a long time ago. That's probably why I don't remember. Then again, I'm not sure how I could possibly forget a place like this."

"There's no use worrying about it. It can't be helped. Maybe it'll come back to you eventually." Jimin gave your hand a reassuring squeeze, offering you a warm smile.

"I hope so."

Silence fell over the group as you walked along the cobblestone path, the quietude punctuated by the sounds of your shoes thumping softly against the flat rocks.

Why couldn't you remember coming here years ago? Was it that irrelevant? Surely not. You couldn't seem to understand how you could possibly forget a place like Wonderland. It's strange creatures, colorful plants, and hybrid inhabitants are something you'd like to think you'd never cease to remember.

"Y/n?" Jimin's soft voice pulled you from your thoughts.

"Hm?"

"You okay? You had this distant look on your face."

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just trying to figure out how I could've forgotten this place."

"Don't worry about that right now." Jungkook said. "Like Jimin said, it might come back to you. And being around familiar things could eventually jog your memory."

"Right." You nodded. "So how long until we get to this Hatter?"

"It's gonna be a while longer." Jungkook informed you. "Sorry."

"Are you alright? Are your legs tired? Do you need me to carry you?" Jimin asked.

"You couldn't carry her, but I could. Have you seen these guns?" Jungkook flexed his free arm.

"We can't see because of your lame tailcoat." Jimin shot back. "Plus, I'm fit. I can carry people." He puffed out his chest.

"I'm fine." You assured them. "My legs aren't hurting or anything."

"Very well then. If your legs or feet get sore let me know." Jimin said.

"Let me know too." Jungkook added.

"I will."

These guys have lost their minds. You thought. Why are they being so protective of me?

A loud thump that rumbled the ground beneath your feet caused all three of you to stumble and nearly fall, a distant roar making your heart drop.

"Oh no." Jungkook's face visibly paled. "The bandersnatch found us."

"Hide!" Jimin shouted and pulled the both of you into the tall plants lining the path.

"What if it gets me this time?" You asked worriedly, your hands beginning to tremble.

Now that you knew this was reality, the fear you felt earlier had tripled. The realization that you could die dawned on you in that moment.

"It won't." Jimin assured you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders.

He surprised you by placing a kiss on your forehead and started to run his fingers through your hair in and attempt to soothe you. Scared out of your wits, you buried your face into his chest and squeezed your eyes shut, a small part of you hoping that this really was a dream, though you knew better.

Another pair of arms wrapped around you and upon a quick glance over your shoulder you saw it was Jungkook.

"It'll be okay." He assured you. "Jimin and I won't let anything happen to you. You have my word."

You nodded, your fearful eyes following the bandersnatch that was now in your line of sight, sniffing the air to catch a whiff of your scent. As it moved closer you tried your best not to scream.

"Y/n." Jungkook grabbed your shoulders, turning you to face him. "You have to go on alone."

"What? Why?"

"It's gonna get you if you stay."

"No." You shook your head. "How am I supposed to navigate this place on my own?"

"You'll find your way."

"What about you and Jimin?"

"We'll be fine. We can take care of ourselves."

You looked to Jimin for reassurance.

"Jungkook is right."

Jimin pulled a slingshot from his back pocket and snagged some rocks from the dirt and grass below, loading one into the pocket.

"Y/n." Jungkook pulled his chained pocket watch out. "On the count of three, run."

"I don't know if I can do this."

"You can." Jungkook assured you while swinging the watch around to gain momentum. "Run and don't look back."

"You'll be okay." Jimin added, kissing your cheek.

"Y/n, you ready?" Jungkook's asked, glancing over his shoulder.

You nodded, swallowing even though your mouth was dry as a bone.

"One."

The bandersnatch grew closer.

"Two."

You sucked in a deep breath and prepared to make a run for it.

"I guess this is goodbye for now. Maybe we'll see each other around."

"I hope so." Jimin said.

"Three."

Jungkook leapt from the plants, swinging his pocket watch and hitting the bandersnatch directly in the eye while Jimin started launching rocks at the beast, reloading the slingshot in the blink of an eye. You took this as your opportunity to flee, scrambling to your feet and bolting down the path, not bothering to look back.

➯ Part 3: Yoongi

Masterlist ᝰ

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

Tag list: @h3arteyes4mingi @weird-bookworm @poppy2007 @parkjennykim @evidive @mxlly143

[sotwk]

5th Day of Yule: “Five Golden Rings”

King Thranduil & Sons

Third Age 491

Bar Lasgalen, Palace of the Elvenking

As the lone rider came into clearer view in his progress up the snowy road to the palace, Thranduil began to descend the steps that led to the main courtyard. He sensed the rushed footsteps of someone coming up behind him, and he took one step lightly to the side to make room. 

“Pardon me, Ada!” Legolas called out, while he sailed down the lower half of the steps in a single leap. 

Thranduil kept walking at his steady, even pace, but watched as his youngest son barreled all the way across the courtyard. The prince paused only to gather up an armful of snow from the covered ground and hastily pack it into a giant clump. Returning to a full sprint, he drew back his arm and flung the icy projectile--with impressive aim, Thranduil noted--in a straight shot toward the approaching rider. 

The rider noticed in time, just barely, and swerved his horse to the right to narrowly avoid having a snowball smash squarely into his face. A bellowing cry rang through the night as the rider leapt off his horse and rushed toward his attacker. Thranduil heard Legolas scream as well, and watched the two figures charge at each other like two stags in rutting season.

In the next minute they were on the ground, only partially visible within the thick blanket of snow as they rolled and thrashed about, grappling until a victor emerged. 

“Yield!” Gelir commanded, pulling his arm tighter around Legolas’s neck as he yanked him upright. 

“I will not!” Legolas grunted, already red-faced as he strained against the merciless headlock.

“He yields,” Thranduil said sternly, finally coming up to the brothers. “Let him go.” He shook his head at Legolas’s groan. “You can seek a rematch tomorrow. Your mother is waiting.”

“We could have had enough time if this one had the decency not to arrive so late!” Legolas laughed, dusting the snow and dirt off his shoulders. “Or is that the custom in your province, oh Lord of Dant-en-Aras?”

“Oho, you shall see for yourself, mark my words, once you move into your own lands next spring, and you have to travel so many miles just to return home.” Gelir gave him a light shove. “Even then you would not have to cross over half the forest like I do.”

Thranduil cleared his throat, anticipating Legolas’s intent to shove him back and resume their shenanigans. At last Gelir remembered himself and greeted his King with a low bow, and then stepped forward to greet his father with an embrace. Thranduil held his son perhaps a little tighter, and a few seconds longer than usual--his now very busy, son-turned-lord whom he had not seen in almost a whole year. 

“You need fresh tunics. Both of you.” Thranduil raised his eyebrow at Legolas, but could not help a smirk. “This will not do for dinner. Not when your Ammë has spent weeks working to make this evening perfect.”

As soon as they entered the palace, Thranduil’s three eldest sons were ready in the foyer to meet them. Loud voices filled the hall to its high ceilings as the brothers happily exchanged greetings, while the Elvenking walked up to the line of servants standing by to attend them. He sent two to collect the things he needed, then went to ask his sons to follow him into a nearby parlor. 

“Is Ammë upstairs?” Gelir asked, tugging off his traveling clothes to slip on the formal garb that had been brought in for him. 

“Yes, with Itarildë and Aranion,” said Mirion, lingering hesitantly by the doorway. “Shall I fetch them, Ada?”

“In a moment,” Thranduil replied. “First, I wanted a chance alone with you all to give you this.”

A butler stepped forward carrying a large coffer and opened its gilded lid.  Inside were five identical goblets, with bowls and stems made of clear crystal and a thick band of gold circling the rim. Thranduil extracted them from the box and one by one presented them to each of his sons.  

“These are for you to toast with at tonight’s dinner, as we mark Legolas’s last Yule as a resident of this palace.” He smiled at their cries of admiration and appreciation for the gift. “Then they are for you to take back to your own houses.”

Arvellas held up the goblet to scrutinize the delicate engraving around the bowl, which sparkled with an inlay of tiny gemstones in green and gold. “I would say this technique looks very similar to something I have seen in Hadhodrond, but the Khazâd never work with crystal in their tableware.”    

 “It seems your cousin has stumbled upon yet another innovation,” Thranduil said. “And another craft he intends to keep a trade secret for our realm.”

“It is a good size,” Turhir grinned at his father. “Enough to hold twice the usual serving?”

“What better to sample the latest arrival of new vintage from Anórien with?”

“Hear, hear to that!” Legolas exclaimed, as they simultaneously raised their goblets to each other. Empty for the moment, but undoubtedly to later on serve as their instruments for draining the King’s wine cellar of half its stock in a single night--and Thranduil would not have it any other way.

Yuletide Series MASTERLIST

Yule Event Tag List: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @auttumnsayshi @blueberryrock @conversacomsmaug @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @entishramblings @freshalmondpandadonut @fizzyxcustard @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @glassgulls @heilith @heranintomyknife23times @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @lathalea @lemonivall @LiliDurin @quickslvxrr @ratsys @spacecluster @scyllas-revenge @stormchaser819 @talkdifferently6 @tamryniel @tamurilofrivendell @acornsandoaktrees @warriormirkwood @emmanuellececchi @minaturefics

[inlocusmads]

gridlocked ~ trystan & nora

Nora and Trystan investigate a case of a missing student, except they realize she might have also gone completely offline; her internet footprints scrubbed off as if she were never there.

wc: 2.9k, warnings: mentions of blackmail

a/n: @choicesmonthlychallenge prompt "new life" // this is the first installment in many case-fics (I'm back writing more case fics!) to come (gonna be very very original here and title this part one of the 'The Casebook of Nora Rose' lmao). This doesn't follow any sort of 'canonical' timeline, so take it however you will

In the cases of missing persons, it is perhaps more important to observe one’s bedroom - especially if they didn’t have a verifiable presence online. The topmost sanctuary on a list of them. (The list went: locked blogs, private social media accounts, bedrooms and boxes, in that order.)

You’d be surprised the number of times Nora found the answer in an unsuspecting drawer. A ticket from a school charity carnival and suddenly the kid is on the run with the fundraising money, not knowing what to do, knowing they couldn’t just give up and afraid to stay in one place, afraid of getting penalized legally.

Maria Palmer’s bedroom was neat. Mrs Palmer had put in extra care in the form of extravagant housekeepers to dust everything with its own scent. Everything had its place. The vanity kit never bled into the verdant mahogany desk meant for working. Books never touched the bedside tables, given their own places on neat shelves. Working stationary was contained to two drawers alone; the ink kept far away from the silk bed sheets. 

Nothing suggested a kid lived there; even if the kid just so happened to come from a line of wealthy corporate magnates. And that’s precisely where Trystan came in.

“I just had a talk with David and Clara.” he said, entering briskly.. “They said they last talked to Maria over the phone when she was en route back to her boarding school. They denied any claims of her ‘acting strange’ over the weekend and were puzzled to hear the news that she wasn’t present anywhere in school.”

“But you call bullshit.”

“Obviously. If anything, Maria would know how to hide well. Part of the whole ‘being a part of a pressurizing family’. Look-” Trystan pulled open the vanity drawer. “- generic brands of high-end makeup, never used. Books hardly ever opened. Everything feels so -- new, preserved like a museum here.”

Nora’s phone vibrated with a series of texts  from Luke. She picked it up, giving it a quick glance:

Luke: Sending you Maria’s student profile from Wellesley’s. Luke: <sent an attachment> Luke: No luck w the social media stuff, I suggest you look for different means. Girl’s digital footprint is scrubbed off. Luke: can’t track her phone either. Tough luck but I'll keep trying.

“Must be one hell of a phone to have Luke not figure its entire schematic diagram out already.”

“Her student records say she was a well-rounded student with good grades. She started at Wellesley two years ago; transferred schools and got in on a soccer scholarship.”

“Funny. Maria’s parents never mentioned she took an interest in soccer. When I asked them if she liked her time in Wellesley, they said she liked to write and that the school had journalism clubs she was a part of.”

A quick look at the boarding school’s website suggested there was no such thing as a journalism club. A soccer team did exist with everybody’s names and accolades and while Maria’s name was emboldened at the very end under ‘reserves’ - points for trying out and having rich parents, Nora supposed - it still didn’t add up when her student records took her in on a scholarship. 

“I don’t think we can trust their word.” Trystan said. “It is likely Father Palmer made a nice donation and they just had to get something on paper to prove Maria was admitted in on merit. And if I am not wrong, boarding schools pride themselves over obscure polo-esque sports. Hence, the field of soccer - pardon the pun - is open for anyone regardless of their skill.”

“They are usually sometimes right.” Nora switched her phone off, slipping it into her pocket. “Maria might probably enjoy writing. It’s the first thing her parents would have told you about her, right?” - she continued, off Trystan’s slow nod, “I don’t think they’re lying. They wouldn’t want us stumbling into this soccer scholarship. It’s good news for whatever press that keeps writing about them.”

Nora fished her phone out of her pocket. She handed it to Trystan. “I don’t think we’ll find any piece of tangible area to cover more than her bedroom. Can you do a sweep?”

“Right, because you think I am qualified because I stuff my poetry in a tree trunk.”

She gave him a you-dug-your-own-grave look.

Trystan sighed, hand on her shoulder.. “Word to the wise, go easy on them.”

___

“We called for carpenters when Maria came over the weekend. She had a bookshelf built for her.” David cupped his mug of tea, taking slow sips. “She was -- herself. Maria talked to us a lot. She seemed to be really liking her classes this semester. Very focused, you see? The bookshelf was a reward for her good grades. We try not to spoil her too much.”

Clara walked back from the kitchen, taking a seat on her plush couch. Her haunted look from before seemed to have dissipated. “Pardon me for asking, detective but - I have heard many things about your partner. He is the exiled prince, isn’t he? From that -- little city we went on vacation once and never again.”

“Yes, he is.” Nora answered, reluctantly.

“Thought I recognized his face somewhere.” Clara chuckled a little. “The memory - it’s a little finicky.”

“Did life get busy after Maria transferred schools?”

“Um- a little.” David was hesitant but hadn’t lost his temper yet. “She lived far away from us - we barely had enough time to think about ourselves because we were too busy worrying about her. It’s been years since we went back to Europe and even more since we took a holiday.”

“Must be rough, but - c’mon, who hasn’t taken a summer road trip anywhere, right?” Nora tried to make her enthusiasm look less synthetic. Fortunately for her, the parents were too dejected to notice whether she had an interest in the Palmers’ holidays.

“Maria spent her summers in Wellesley.”

“The whole summer? Did she have a project or-”

“We assumed so.” Clara interjected. “Guess we can’t trust our daughter anymore with anything, really.”

“Clara-” David motioned, as if he were trying to tell her to refrain herself.

“It’s true. She only came home for the weekend because she cared so much about that shelf. She doesn’t come home if there’s no little present waiting for her.”

“Clara, that’s enough.” David filled her empty mug with wine. 

“I personally like to believe Maria would have appreciated the present. It is something she got after doing well in school, I presume? Considering you don’t wish to spoil your daughter.”

“No, of course not.”

“What do you generally reward her with? Might be a bit of an odd question to ask--” Nora started.

“No, no, nothing odd about it at all. Thing is, she never really asks for anything.” David replied. “She’s a good kid - easier to understand. We had no problems with her. She owned tons of books, read a lot, so we gave her a shelf. Told her she could customize it however she liked. We encouraged her to try out for the prom committee. Gave her the best dresses, makeup kits money could ever buy. We supported her journalism stint too - gave her the best camera possible..”

“Did she take them to school?”

“Presumably. Had she had the opportunity, she’d have had her bookshelf built in her dormitory!” David exclaimed.

Nora thought of the unused stationery, the makeup that still remained new, the wardrobe she’d only taken a quick look at - unsure what to make of the well-ironed dresses that never were worn. She thought of the books too, what Trystan told her about them - Books hardly ever opened. Six years in the industry and you too could tell if a book had been used or not judging by the fractures in its spine, forgotten bookmarks or creases on the pages. Judging by the parents’ accounts, it appeared they assumed money could fix their absence. 

David purposefully fed his wife alcohol to keep her quiet; exhausted from having to project an image of ‘corporate calmness’ at his daughter’s disappearance. Clara had broken entirely; resorting to blame her daughter because it was easier that way. Nora concluded the mother and daughter wouldn’t have been the thickest of friends, considering how little of Clara appeared on the mantle of framed photos. One parent spoke highly of their daughter, while another shunned her every second they could get their hands on. Clearly Maria had different relations with them.

“Did she have plans after Wellesley?”

“She’d always expressed an interest in the family business.”

“Pfft.” Clara scoffed. “Clearly she had more interest in running away with her imaginary boyfriend.”

“I apologize.” David interjected quickly. “Please go check on the bread. Clara? -” he ushered her away to the kitchen, “I’m sorry for that. My wife is a bit of a cynic sometimes and this has taken a hard toll on her mental wellbeing. Could you give us some time, please? And if possible, could you wrap this up a little sooner? It’s best for Clara that way - if it is okay with you.”

_____

“Have you thought about it?” Trystan asked. The two of them stood staring out of Maria’s bedroom window, at the brilliant front garden. A few books were stacked up on the desk, but left halfway through - something that could be said for Trystan’s “sweep” of the bedroom that had hit a brick wall.

 “If Maria is a writer and the parents believe her to be, you and I do the same, where is the expression? The writers I have met are expressive, are - really out there. Nick Bastion would take part in cult orgies to write a mystery book about the same thing. Writers are expressive people. If Maria had free reign to do - well, just about anything with her parents’ money and them willingly giving her everything, regardless of whether she likes it or not - it is likely she has already expressed herself.”

“But what is it? It’s not in writing. Not on social media. Nothing coherent.”

“The very absence of expression - can we say - amounts to some expression as well?” Trystan turned around on his heel. “The bedroom matches the walls, the hallways, and the rest of the house.  Where does that leave Maria?” Trystan asked. “If she has her parents’ personality bleeding into her space? These books -” he pointed at the pile at the desk, “-are all from the Wellesley Student Library. They all have that slip of paper attached to their covers. She never took them back to her school.”

“Let’s piece together a timeline.” Nora flipped open the first book, then the second, third, fourth and fifth. She noted down the dates of Maria borrowing them and the dates they were due back. It was clear she’d brought them with her, but left with a suitcase lighter than usual. 

Nora went back to the wardrobe, phone in her hand with the Wellesley website open showing her the dates of all the important events the school were to celebrate. Prom was only a few weeks away. The Annual Athletics Meet was only a few days away. All her formals hung limp in her closet. The smoking gun was finding a haphazardly thrown-away jacket with the Wellesley School’s soccer team insignia that had her name embroidered. Boarding schools might be rich, but seldom did they give more than one blazer to their athletes - reserves included.

Suffice to say, the absence of expression amounted to a greater deal than the slightest bit of difference among the gold and silver wallpapers. Maria knew her parents well enough to ensure she left her room in a way that would never reek of suspicion. After all, she was David’s little girl; Clara’s disgraced daughter, the Palmers’ spoiled child who always left with something more than she came home with.

 It was a common unspoken piece of information at this point, that it was safe to assume Maria had run away. Whether it be on her own volition or through peer pressure, it was clear she’d prepared herself for it long before she’d come home.

Nora sat on the bed, scrolling through more details she could gather from Wellesley’s website, only to find a dropdown menu that said - ‘summer programs’. Curious, she clicked and gave the article a quick perusal.

“Trystan, do you have a copy of Maria’s student records? Does it mention she has any history of doing a summer program?”

“No- none at all.”

“Language arts, swimming, Latin-” Nora read off the course list. “It says that students who aren’t involved in summer programs would not be allowed to stay back in the school. The Palmers think that Maria is doing a summer program and that’s why she doesn’t come home for summer. And if you wish to stay back, you need consent from your parents.”

“But it says she’s never done them. At all. No mention of it in her records. Or any history of her staying back.”

“Everything - like you said - with her, concerns an absence.” Nora went over to the desk, picking up the books issued by the library. “No wonder we couldn’t find anything about her online. The books don’t have a barcode sticker, which means they’re not uploaded in the system yet.”

“The titles too.” Trystan highlighted. “New York Subway Guide. Perfect for a girl who is new to rapid transit commutes.. Home Repairs and Improvements. Worthy if you are taking a woodworking class. Worthier if you’re starting a new life. You get the idea. Question is, why did she leave them behind if they are useful guides?”

“They’re books.” Nora answered, which didn’t really prove her point.

 She sighed, substantiating further. “Books are heavy. She can’t take pictures on her phone camera - no, unless she has one of those low-quality burner mobiles. David mentioned giving her daughter a camera to support her journalism hobby. Perhaps she could have taken what she needed, ditched the books back because she didn’t need all that extra weight. And it works out for her because the books don’t land up in her records. She doesn’t need to have her Google searches leave digital footprints.”

“It is a reasoning.” Trystan compromised.

“Another thing that I found strange-”

“Which is?”

“Her parents. Neither of them - in my brief conversation with them - ever wrestled with the possibility she could have been kidnapped. A sixteen year old girl travels alone. That sentence doesn’t end well in many stories. One could say it’s a likely response to trauma or distress but -- like I said, subjective.”

“We can’t rule that out either. The parents have their own differences to settle. The child could have been caught in the middle. Question is, if she really did wish to run away, why do it now?”

“It’s the timing. David said Maria was very excited to come home to customize her bookshelf. He said they had to get carpenters to work on the customizations. Depending upon the commission, furniture businesses usually insist you pay before you get a shelf assembled for you. Typically the package would also cover the costs for carpenters--” Nora searched the bookshelf for any signs of a logo stamped across the side. She emerged with a satisfying smile, giving her phone a couple of taps, pulling up the contractor’s website. “-- like so.”

“Nora I genuinely have no idea where you are leading with this.”

“She needs cash. She needs a nice check so that she can trade for physical cash. What did you tell me about Maria having free reign?”

“If Maria had free reign to do anything with her parents’ money and them willingly giving her everything, it is likely she’s -- expressed herself?”

A quick word with David and Clara only cemented this theory further. 

“Maria told me to address the check to Harriet Trout.” David sunk his head into his hands. “I didn’t -- I thought it -- I mean, it was a couple hundred dollars--”

“Can we get an exact amount?” Trystan queried.

“A thousand dollars. I--- I should have checked, I-- I genuinely thought --”

“We’ll look into this.” Nora told the distraught couple. “We’ll be in touch.” 

Wishing not to engage further with the internal politics in the Palmer household, Trystan and Nora took their leave.

____

“Harriet Trout wouldn’t be that hard to narrow down.” Nora said, as they walked back to their car. “A made-up name at that too. Maria would be avoiding getting her transactions on paper, so she’s traveling with cash. She wouldn’t have gone out of state. Last-minute plane tickets can rake up prices. She needs money for food and living.”

“We’ll have to look into nearby motels with cheap price ranges.”

“Somewhere near Wellesley would do it. If she hadn’t come back home for the summer and likely wouldn’t have gone out of state either,  given her parents would know either way, she would have hung around in motels. Perhaps someone was sponsoring her stay through the summer. Ensuring she doesn’t have to use her card because her parents would come to know if she were to withdraw huge amounts of money overnight.”

“Do you think she might have opened up an account in Harriet Trout’s name?”

“Possible.”

“Nora wait-” Trystan placed an arm on her shoulder. “What if she didn’t run away like we assumed? What if due to this - sponsor, she was forced to go back and repay the money? But a thousand dollars would hardly cover two, three months’ stay. With three meals a day and transport. And that discounts your everyday expenses. It could be well above a thousand.”

“Maria’s father told me she never really asked for anything. It could be her guilt holding her back.”

“Think about it.” Trystan implored. “The sponsor would likely be more experienced than her.. Them telling her how to get the money, how to get it from her impressionable parents. Her father, especially, because they had a good relationship. It is unlikely for a sixteen year old boarding school student to do something like this if they don’t already have a steady hand guiding them through.”

Nora agreed. “The sponsor seems to understand her better than anyone else that she would leave home for it. Something that is holding her accountable somewhere. One which she had no control of.”

He continued. “After all, that is all people want, yes? Someone to understand them better? And they’re more vulnerable then?”

Vulnerable sent shivers down Nora's spine. She immediately took her phone to call Mafalda.

_____

Tagging:

perma: @quixoticdreamer16 @tessa-liam @stars-are-within-me @thosehallowedhalls

crimes: @trappedinfanfiction @ao719 @cassie-thorne @peonierose @moominofthevalley @jerzwriter @dutifullynuttywitch

Also tagging @choicesficwriterscreations

Please let me know if you'd like to be tagged/removed, as always no hard feelings.

A/N:

This is *technically* my first foray into writing short mystery stories and I really hope I did a good job of it and that there are no unaddressed plot holes that makes me want to astral project myself into hell.

I want to bring out bits of characterisation in the story and I loved writing how Nora sees a problem versus how Trystan sees a problem. Nora's rooted in pragmatic explanations while Trystan tends to challenge both pragmatism and abstract-ism with a flurry of "Wh-" questions.

I especially liked writing the last bit because it kind of has them show a lot more sympathy than they originally started off with and both of them can kind of put themselves in Maria's shoes. I didn't plan on writing an end to this, given it would likely exceed 4k words and I did not want this little short story project to just derail into a pit of hopeless nightmares. You can expect Maria to have a happy ending, reunite with her parents and have Nora and Trystan be able to use their assumptions and deduction to derive a thread of a possible explanation to bring Maria home.

Thank you for reading <33

[i--luv--you]

Wine and Gossip.

“What do you mean you’re holding a ball.” Ari says sternly, glaring at the soon to be King in front of her. “You’re joking right?”

“On the contrary, sugar. We’re fiancé’s now. We gotta celebrate.” Adam grins, squeezing her cheeks and leaning down to place a puckered-up kiss on her lips.

“Augh! Gross!” Ari says, pulling away and wiping her mouth in disgust.

“Oh, come on babe. What are you? Five?” Adam rolls his eyes. “I’m bringing some friends to the ball. You’re welcome to do so too if you wish, princess.”

“Ugh! I hate him! I hate him so much!” Ari seethes, throwing her hands up in the air, pacing the floor of her chambers. Lute and Jaime’s eyes follow her every movement with a slightly amused gaze. “He. Is. Insufferable! “Hey babe. How are ya tits? Nice ass hot stuff.” Eguh. What do people even see in him?” She looks over at Lute who shrugs, going back to stroking Jaime’s hair.

“While you may not like him, Princess-” 

“Ari.”

“Princess.” 

“Whatever.”

“Ahem, pardon me. While you may not like him, Princess, he is to be your wedded husband. You may dislike him, sure, but in order for peace to continue gracing our lands and your land too Princess, you will need to learn to control him.”

“Yes yes I will need to learn to tolerate him- I’m sorry Commander what did you say?”

Ari says, turning to meet Lute’s smug grin.

“You will need to learn how to use those womanly powers of yours Princess, try to woo him.”

“You want me to do what now?”

Jaime huffs, “Stupid.”

“Hey!”

“She’s telling you to try and seduce him.” Jaime rolls his eyes and Lute nods. “Now if you’ll excuse me-” he says, sitting up and pulling Lute into his arms, said woman letting out a small shriek and Ari laughs, “Me and my lovely girlfriend have important things to get done. Have a wonderful day, Princess.” Jaime bows and Ari waves, giggling. 

“Have fun you two!” She says, shutting the door, smiling at the loud ‘Put me down!’s coming from Lute.

“Now then… Seduce him… hm… let’s see…”

—

Soft piano and violin echo across the large ballroom, nobles and royalty talking and chatting amongst each other and smiling. 

Ari finishes embracing Ray and Blake, stepping back to let Lute and Jaime meet with the pair. “Thank the stars you came. It would have been such a bore all by myself.” Ari sighs, shaking her head. “Come come, refreshments, have you eaten? Did you eat?” 

“Princess everyone just got here, and dinner hasn’t even started yet, no-one’s eaten.” Lute chuckles, shaking her head.

“Sorry. Force of habit.” Ari mumbles, waving her off. “Ok come sit, tell me, any new gossip lately? Any news.” 

Ray grins, “You remember that whore I mentioned last time?”

“Yea?” Blake says, sipping their champagne.

“Oh my god. She had another baby!” 

“Stars! Isn’t five enough??” 

“Clearly not, and this one doesn’t even look like her husband!”

“Oh my… again? How is he so naive?” Jaime whispers, interested.

“People are saying that it’s the tailor's baby.”

The group continued whispering, not noticing the tall figure slanting towards them.

“Princess Ari.” A voice calls, smooth like silk. The woman turns her head, confused. “Yes?” She says, standing up and brushing invisible dust off her dress. The man bows, “Congratulations on the engagement Princess. You shall make a splendid Queen one day.” 

“Ah Baron Valentino, you are too kind.” The woman replies, bowing in turn.

The man smiles, looking at each of the other guests seated at the table before his eyes widen, walking over and kissing the back of the palm of one of the guests. “And who might you be amor?”

“Ah Valentino, my closest friend, Ray.” Ari smiles.

“Ray? What a…. Beautiful name… fitting for such an individual…” He grins when Ray’s face explodes in pink. “I’ll see to it that a dance between you and I happen soon, amor. Maybe later… It is a little crowded. How about it?”

Ray lets out a little squeak before he nods quickly “Y-Yes! Of course! Ahem... pardon me…” she mumbles and Valentino plants another kiss on their hand, whispering something that no-one else catches before walking off, melting into the crowd.

“...”

“Oh my god.” Ray whispers, touching their face, “Am I red? I’m red, aren’t I?”

“When’s the wedding?” Jaime grins, laughing when Lute whacks him on the arm, mumbling something about that being ‘rude.’

“You didn’t notice him eyeing you up the entire time we were here?”

“No!?”

“Oh, wait hold on...” Ari whispers and the group goes silent. “Mammon!” Ari grins, embracing the man, “How are you?”

“Good... I’m here for ah...” He juts his thumb in Blake’s direction. 

“Ah. Yeah go ahead.” Ari nods and Mammon walks up to them, fiddling with the hem of his suit. 

“Uh. For you.” He mumbles, handing them a small pure gold tab into their palm before awkwardly shuffling away and Ari narrows her eyes while the rest of the group stare, confused.

“That is not how you fucking- Mammon get back here!” She exclaims, following behind him.  

“I got nervous!” He whispers. “You got- nervous??” Ari whispers back and Mammon groans. “I’m going to go talk to Adam ok?” Mammon whispers. “Alright I guess…”  

Ari mumbles walking back to the table. “Hey. Did that… actually happen?” Blake mumbles “I guess so..” Ari sighs. “How about we go outside for a bit. All this wine is making my head stuffy.”

“But you were the only one that went and drank wine.”

“Ray. I didn’t fucking ask. Get the fuck outta here.”

“Yes ma’am!” Ray snorts as the group move the gardens. 

“Fuck me, my head throbs.” Ari sighs, looking up at the stars. 

A sound of a twig snapping and the group turns, Valentino smiles. “Ah. Come on guys, let’s leave those two alone.” Blake whispers, and Ari pouts.

“But I wanna watch the drama.”

“Our friend’s love life isn’t some romance show, Ari.” Jaime whispers, pushing the woman to a different part of the garden. Leaving a red Ray and a grinning Valentino.

“My dear, what are you doing here? Away from the party?”

“Oh! We came out to enjoy some peace… I was just watching the stars…. Would you like to watch them with me?”

“If that is what you wish, firefly.”

—

Ari lays on the soft grass, looking up at the moon. “You’re gonna ruin your hair.” Lute frowns and Ari huffs.

“I’m sleepy….”

“Me too….” Jaime yawns, letting Lute brush grass off his suit. “Shall we retire for the night?” the woman asks and Jaime nods, standing up and following his girlfriend. “You two have a nice night.” He says, nodding at Ari and Blake who both wave.

A moment of silence passes until a gruff voice calls out “Oi! Ari and uh…. What's your face… Blake? I think?”

“Mammon please.” Ari sighs and the man scoffs. 

“Adam’s lookin’ for ya.” He says and Ari nods, getting up to leave. Standing quietly with a small grin as she overhears the conversation the pair are having.

“How about a dance?” Mammon says, shuffling his feet.

“That would be nice...” 

“Just uh… know… I’m not a very good dancer.. I will step on ya feet.” He chuckles and Blake smiles.

“I don't mind.” Blake smiles and Mammon goes red, taking their hand.

A pair of arms wrap around Ari’s waist and Adam leans his head against the crook of her neck, pressing a soft kiss to the dip of her shoulder.

“Hey babe, you keep runnin’ off when I try to talk to ya…” He whispers sighing. “Have they told you that you look amazing in that dress babe?”

“Adam…” Ari whispers as he continues to kiss down her arm.

“Come on babe. Give your fiance at least one dance before the night ends.” He looks to her, smiling.

“Ok.. fine…”

“Atta girl.”

Taglist: @ray-simphouse @lovejaime @blake-lovesmany

[fruit-of-infidelity]

♱  DIABOLIK LOVERS: Haunted Dark Bridal ー Sakamaki Ryuuto | Maniac 01  ♱

⌜ Scene: Hallway ⌟

ー Yui walks down the hallway. ー

Ryuuto: ーーI see you’re admiring my portraits, Pet.

Yui: Kya!!

Aah... Please, I’ve asked you not to spook me like that!

Ryuuto: Fufu, pardon me.

I just couldn’t help but notice you lingering in this hallway on your way back to your room. Do you like them?

Yui: I guess I couldn’t help myself. They’re beautiful.

Ryuuto: I would hope so, after putting much effort into them all.

Yui: I knew you painted… I just never realised how much! You must have spent hundreds of hours doing these.

Ryuuto: As a Vampire, what else is there to do after several decades?

Yui: ( I suppose it makes a lot of sense to have such a time-consuming hobby, in Ryuuto-san’s case. )

So, are these all people you know, that you’ve painted? …Are they all Vampire’s too?

Ryuuto: These? Oh no.

Most of them aren’t even real people.

I was very young when I took up this hobby, you see. As the only child around these castle wings, I had quite the overactive mind.

The portraits served as my friends.

Yui: Aah… I see…

Ryuuto: …Goodness, what is the matter?

Yui: Eh…?

Ryuuto: That sudden gloomy expression; Spit it out, won’t you?

Yui: Well… It all just sounds a little lonely, to me.

Ryuuto: …You think so?

Yui: I mean, I had imaginary friends when I was little but, I had the real deal too. 

Were you really all on your own out here? With no other children to play with? Not even your cousins? I mean, I figured…

( The look in his eyes is kind of intimating… Maybe I should quit while I’m ahead… )

Ryuuto: … …

Yui: ( I don’t like this silence… I’ll change the topic, quick! )

…Say, did you ever paint a girlfriend of sorts?

Ryuuto: Fufu… Why do you ask?

Don’t tell me you’re curious about my type.

Yui: D-Don’t twist my words!

I-It’s just... I’ve only seen two of your paintings that have a lady in them. And, come to think of it, it’s always the same person...

That beautiful woman, with the long, purple hair.

( It makes me wonder if she might be Ryuuto-san’s girlfriend or something... )

...Do you have any different ones?

Ryuuto: Why don’t I just show you?

ー Ryuuto leads Yui to a storage room. ー

Yui: In… a place like this?

Ryuuto: It’s for the best if it’s kept tucked away here and kept from being hung.

Yui: ( It’s kept hidden? I wonder why? )

Ryuuto: Whatever you do, do not touch a thing. After how clumsy you’ve proven to be, I’d rather you keep your hands to yourself. There are precious family heirlooms and antiques in here.

Now… …A-ha.

ー Ryuuto pulls out a painting. ー

It is still here, after all this time…

ー He uncovers it from under the cloth. ー

Yui: Ack...!

( So much dust! How long has it been covered for? )

Gasp…!

( It’s not at all like the lady in those other paintings. She’s just as beautiful, though! )

Ryuuto: Quite a sight, is she not?

Yui: ( Ryuuto-san seems really bewitched by her… She is definitely very beautiful, but... )

( For some reason, my chest… feels all tight all of a sudden… )

Uu...

…Wait a moment, Ryuuto-san. Is the other figure in this painting you!?

Ryuuto: Observant. It is, indeed.

Yui: And you and this woman… are dancing together?

Ryuuto: Dancing? Fufu, should I be concerned for your eyesight? One moment, you make a good observation and the next, a second terrible one.

We aren’t dancing, but blood-sucking.

Yui: E-Eh? Blood-sucking?

( I see it now…! I thought that “blood” was just dust on the surface from being stored away! )

Uu...

( Despite that, it still looks so romantic… )

( And she… got to experience that with Ryuuto-san… )

Ryuuto: I can only imagine she tastes delicious.

Yui: …Imagine?

Ryuuto: She is hardly leaping from the canvas, is she? How could I possibly taste my food when it is made from oil paints?

Yui: You mean…

She isn’t a real woman?

Ryuuto: Good grief, no. That would never have been allowed.

Yui: Allowed…?

( For some reason, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my chest! )

Ryuuto: Really, I’m beginning to believe you’re having a range of conversations in your head without me. Your pout has suddenly become a smile.

Oh my? Could it have been that you were… jealous?

Just like Her...

Yui: Wha…

━─┉┈◈ Selection ◈┈┉─━

　　❈  No way! 

Yui: J-Jealous…? No way!

Ryuuto: Your blush certainly betrays you〜

Yui: ( Is my face really that red? )

What is there to be jealous of, anyway?

　　❈  I can’t explain it ⎨❤︎⎬

Yui: I guess that is the only way to put it. I don’t know why, though…

This feeling… I just can’t explain it. Why would I be jealous?

━━─┉┈┈◈◉◈┈┈┉─━━

Ryuuto: You tell me, fufu. A beautiful woman, being embraced by the likes of me… Feeling my fangs sucking from her so lovingly.

ー He creeps closer to Yui. ー

Feeling absolute ecstasy override the unique pain only I can give her…

Yui: …! Wait… J-Just a moment!

ー Ryuuto suddenly pulls her against him. ー

( N-No way! His grasp is too strong… I’m trapped! )

Ryuuto: Tell me, Yui. Do you wish you were that woman?

Yui: I...

( Oh no! What happened to my voice...!? )

( I feel like I can barely speak!! )

Ryuuto: Fufu. Your silence is enough of an answer in itself. 

I have been waiting for this moment for an eternity, to finally pierce you; To awaken something deep within you with this familiar feeling.

As a vessel, you should count yourself extremely lucky for me to even consider giving you such pleasure. You have no right to deny me…

Yui: …!!

Ryuuto: You’d do well to not forget my imprint.

From my lips to my fangs, savour every moment. Remember it well. Remember your very first experience with a Vampire…

ー There is a struggle between them. ー

Yui: …!

( No matter how I squirm; this way or that, I can’t shake him off! )

Ryuuto: Fufu. You’re aroused〜

And so am I.

ー Ryuuto bites Yui. ー

Yui: O…Ow…

P-Please…!

☆ Limited V Edition/Grand Edition Roses ☆

“Fight against me all you like for now, but you will soon learn to submit. You’ll soon come begging for me to suck you, on your knees.”

“Your skin is already hot to the touch and your cheeks are bright red in anticipation. You’re even holding your breath…〜”

Ryuuto: Nn… …Mmh…

Yui: ( The feeling of fangs in my neck… I-It stings! It hurts! )

Ryuuto: ...Haah…

Oh my. Your taste… Your blood is…

Flowing through me〜!

Yui: Ryuu…to-san…

Ryuuto: It’s really true… Fufu… Ahahaha!

You can feel it too, can’t you? This exhilarating feeling!

Yui: Uu… …

Ryuuto: How I held out this long, I’ll never know… This familiar taste; I feel finally at home. Don’t you? From now on, I won’t hold myself back.

Forgive me, Father… I must be selfish.

I... love you*.

Yui: L...ove...

( I’m… burning up! )

( He’s finally bitten me. I’ve finally become prey to a Vampire… )

( It still stings… Not just the bite, but my heart too... )

( So why am I holding him so close? )

⌜Monologue⌟

“I love you”,

Was the phrase he whispered into my ear as he sucked the blood right out of my body, like a monster.

But his eyes looked right through me,

As if he was talking to someone else...

✥ TO BE CONTINUED ✥

─────── ≪ °♛° ≫ ───────

←  [ ✥ Maniac Prologue ✥ ] ⎥ [ ✥ Maniac 02 ✥ ]  →

━━─┉┈┈◈ Notes ◈┈┈┉─━━

　　1.  Unlike when usually referring to Cordelia over Yui subtly, Ryuuto doesn’t use another word for “you” here. Instead, it is the scenario in which he says this that should tip you off. And he uses the plain form “愛してる” instead of the masu form, which should have struck Yui as odd. Also her little monologue at the end should clarify this too. ^^

━━──┉┈┈◈ ◉ ◈┈┈┉──━━

[rebeccathenaturalist]

So I finally broke down and got car magnets for my tours and classes. I figure as much as I'm out and about I may as well up my visibility some while I'm at it. I ended up accidentally ordering the largest size of magnet without realizing the doors have that decorative thing running down the sides, so I had to take a piece out and trim them to make them fit. Though really it works, because it's pretty easy to see from a good distance away, which is the point.

(Pardon the dust and bird poop--this is what happens when you have gravel driveway and deliberately make your yard attractive to birds and other wildlife.)

[biohazard-inevitable]

Lost

The dragon and the fox S2P2!!!! Pardon this one is just a short scene but its funny as fuck and i had to write it

S2P1 here

Very beginning here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zayne remembered now why he hated government buildings so much. Of course he was stupid to insist to Winston that he cluld figure out his way to the cafeteria on his own, and yet somehow he had ended up on the roof of all places, still entirely clueless as to where the hell he was.

“Fuck. Gods if only this were a heist! Then I could just bust my way through walls until I got out.” He mumbled to himself before a slow, honey-sweet voice sent a startled jolt up his spine.

“Whats a little thing like yourself doin all the way up here? Thought only I had dibs on this little lookout.”

Zayne swiftly whipped around to face the sudden voice that had come from behind, his feet casually sliding into a firmer stance as he prepared to fight for his life if needed.

“Woah there pardner, didn’t mean to spook ya!” Chuckled the stranger as he stepped out of the shadows hands raised and a cigarette between his teeth.

The man wore a loose fitting flannel and a pair of worn jeans held up by a tacky belt with a buckle that read “BAMF” in all it’s clichéd glory. His face was ragged with stubble and his hair was a deep auburn, curling around his ears in bed-ridden waves. His eyes shone a deep sienna in the warm light of noon and a tattered red shawl fluttered in the breeze kicked up by the waves that slammed against the rocky cliffside gibraltar sat upon. He would be rather attractive if it werent for the smokey stench of tobacco and the hilariously cliché cowboy hat atop his head, or rather, his entire costume of an outfit.

“And who are you supposed to be?” Zayne scoffed, loosening his posture slightly but not dropping his guard. “Some hillbilly lost from their cheesy western movie?”

“I ain’t a hick like that.” The man chuckled softly as he removed the cigarette from his mouth. “Name’s Cassidy, Cole Cassidy.”

“That supposed to be a Bond reference?” The little ninja remarked snidely as he crossed his arms.

“Hey James Bond was an excellent action hero!” The cowboy snapped, a twinge of redness brightening his cheeks as he flubbed around, caught off fuard by the sass. “That’s besides the point though, who are you supposed to be then sugarcube?”

“Zayne Shimada, Overwatch’s newest recruit.” Zayne introduced with a small, prideful smirk.

“A Shimada huh?” Cassidy smirked as he continued his approach, looming over the shorter man. “Lil small to be a proper agent aint-“

Cassidy’s words were swiftly cut off into a high whine as Zayne’s fist went rocketing into his crotch with the speed of a viper-strike, bringing the cowboy down to his knees, tears sparkling in his eyes as a familiar shape rounded the corner of the rooftop.

“Ibotei! There you are,” Genji called as he approached the two boys. “I figured you got lost and- oh what happened here?”

“He called me small in a mean way.” Zayne shrugged as if he had done nothing wrong, which, in his mind, he didnt really.

“Uncle-“ Cassidy whimpered breathlessly as he glared up at Genji. “Fuck Gen- yer brother’s got one hell of an arm-“

“That he does! And I thought I taught you better than to pick a fight with a shimada when we sparred.” Genji laughed as he extended his hand to help the cowboy up.

“Didn’t know that extended to family!” Cassidy groaned as he was hoisted up by his teammate. “But damn! Taught me better for sure! Didn’t know such strength was hidden behind such smokin looks though-“

“Don’t make me hit you too.” Genji warned less than playfully as he gave Cassidy a light shove. “Though it has been a while since we last sparred, I’m glad you stuck around after all that happened.”

“Well, not like I had much of a choice as an active outlaw y’know.” The cowboy laughed dryly, dusting himself off. “Though from what I’ve been hearin, Zayne aint so innocent neither.”

“Did what I had to, and had a bit of fun along the way.”

“Aint that right?”

“Alright you two, enough ‘bonding’, I need to show my brother around the base, maybe have him meet less annoying people.” Genji teased with a firm jab to Cassidy’s ribs.

“Hey will y’all quit beatin on me already?” Cassidy chuckled, giving Genji a soft jab in response. “I don’t need to be beat any further to hell today.”

“Sure, sure.” Genji chuckled, the roll of his eyes implied from the shake of his head, though hidden behind his visor.

“Seriously though, its nice to have you back Genji. Even if you are way more talkative than back then.”

“A lot has changed since then, for example, I’ve got better jokes than your stupid puns now. Learned from some of the best around.”

“Well I for one can’t wait to hear em.”

[wellbehavedyeti]

Extra Baggage

Tabletop orc OC’s collide  Thrug/Zeke (Zeke belongs to @axelwarriorvs )

Thrug gets world flipping news and Zeke makes sure he doesn’t fall off the planet. Things get spicy.

“You have to come with me!”

“Pardon?” “To this lunch thing…”

Thrug gestured wildly leaving Zeke to stare at him, bewildered. Or as bewildered as Zeke cared to look. 

“This is a weird way to ask me out but A for effort.”

The withering stare might have had more of an effect if it weren’t for the bright shade of red that bloomed around Thrug’s ears and reached down around his nose. Zeke’s confident smirk only marking his satisfaction of, in his mind, a job well done. 

“I’m serious!,” he continued, taking a seat opposite of Zeke with a huff, “This guy could be trouble, dangerous even.” “So don’t go,” Zeke said plainly, glancing at Thrug over the edge of his glasses.

“But what if he’s telling the truth!?” 

“Statistically improbable, but not impossible.”

Improbable indeed, Thrug thought. It was also improbable that a half-orc who was even bigger than Zeke in every conceivable way (presumably) wandering around town shouting Thrug’s birth name at the top of his lungs. Which is exactly what happened, nearly getting said half-orc arrested after he was asked by authorities to stop and threatened to snap one of them in half. And by either his own bad luck or the stranger’s good fortune, Thrug not only heard this happen but was able to convince the authorities to ease up and leave him alone until he could figure out why the hell this man was here.

As it turned out, the man’s name was Brendan, and he was looking for Thrug because apparently they were brothers. Half-brothers, as a matter of fact. Followed by a whole tirade of words that Thrug could not remember because at that moment he had blacked out. White noise had filled his head while flashes of a life he’d rather forget came out of doorways long since closed and thought locked forever. Anger rose like bile, choking his response in his throat. For his part, what the larger orc lacked in apparent sense of direction he made up for in reading the room. He offered Thrug a card for the hotel he was staying at with his room number to contact him and invited him for sandwiches someplace. The whole thing was dizzying, even now in the gentle warmth of their room. 

A warmth that became a roaring heat as thick hands laid upon his shoulders and traveled down his body, leaving trails of fire over his skin. His eyes opened reluctantly against the brightness, but as focus found them they fell upon the face of the man above him. Zeke stared back down at him with the same intense gaze he wore when he was deep in a book. Thrug let out the breath he’d been holding, reaching up to touch the powerful arms that worked his flesh. Rougher fingers by far traveled up and held onto Zeke, whose eyes darted downward, back towards Thrug’s. Sets of amber locked in a moment, deafeningly loud in its silence and heavy with a need for touch. After what seemed like hours, his hand caught Zeke’s in the trail of little hairs below his navel. 

“Come with me?” his voice quiet against the sunlight dust. 

Zeke frowned slightly, but didn't pull away. “I don’t know…”

Thrug’s hand traveled up the arm against his body to Zeke’s neck, pulling him down gently until their lips met. They stayed like that until air was once again important and barely parted, staring once again. Only the druid was grinning slightly, certain in his victory as it was Zeke’s turn to shift a shade of the most beautiful red color Thrug had ever seen. His lover could dish, but he couldn’t take it. 

“Fine,” Zeke replied, slightly short of breath, “But I’m borrowing your v-neck.” “But it doesn’t fit…?”

“Exactly.” 

Thrug chuckled at the new smirk on Zeke’s face as he stood. It was to be a game for them, then. Hardly something the druid could complain about as one arm wound around the other’s neck and his hand traveled down a wall of defiant muscle until it found his core. Soft and plaint at first but quickly changing as he tugged gently, leading Zeke back towards the bed and cushions by his sex. “Deal.”

[alchemist-of-thebes]

Weekend Story Snippet #8

It feels a bit misleading to keep calling it a "weekly" story snippet when I've been missing so many weeks this past month. I've still been posting my chapters (mostly) on time, but have just felt too burnt out to do much more.

This week I've posted Chapter 16 of my in-progress KH/FFXV fic "Return to Eos", following my character Velcia. With this chapter now uploaded, we are two-thirds of the way through the story. I have to admit, it is getting harder for me to find small snippets to share. There are lots of small little things that might be fun, but I was mostly wanting to do this to share my favorite parts - and this late in the story most of my favorite parts that aren't heavily spoiler-ridden are just a little bit longer than what I was hoping for. So I guess this is when I should start making use of that "after the break" thing I've been informed of. So, after the break, here is a somewhat longer snippet in which Velcia is traveling through Lestallum to reconvene with her party but ends up meeting someone else entirely.

--- As she came past one of the side-alleys a large figure suddenly rushed out and crashed into her, the pair of them tumbling to the stone-paved street in a frenzied confusion. Velcia sat up quickly, rubbing her head as she looked towards the strange man who'd run into her.

He sat up slowly with an embarrassed expression, picking up his dark-black hat and placing it back over his brown, scraggly hair.

"Ah, terribly sorry for the trouble, madam," he said hastily as he scrambled back to his feet. He leaned over, offering his hand to help her back up.

Velcia looked up at him, noting his odd attire. He wore a long gray trench coat over what appeared to be suit pants, with a pair of scarves around his neck. It was a complicated and flamboyant looking affair, but his earnestly apologetic expression won her trust and she reached up, taking his hand and regaining her footing with a refreshing ease.

The man gasped as she stood, motioning towards the charm around her neck. "I am so terribly sorry, such carelessness on my behalf is inexcusable in any circumstances, but to have so inconvenienced an Acolyte of the Oracle-!"

Velcia, who'd been brushing the dust off her clothes, lifted her head to him with some confusion. "A what?"

"Excuse my presumptions," the man said with a respectful and deeply humble bow. "I couldn't help but notice the Tenebraen rune adorning your chain. As it is a symbol associated with the Oracle, I naturally assumed an affiliation."

Velcia glanced down to the charm around her neck. "The Oracle… Oh, do you mean Lady Lunafreya?"

"The one and only," the man told her. "Pardon my fascination, but am I correct to presume some connection between you?"

Velcia smiled at the curious man. "Well, of a sort. I have yet to meet her in person, but she has been helping me work towards a mutual goal. I'm afraid our relationship isn't any more than that."

The man's eyes lit up with interest. "Ah, I see. Well, the more people Eos has working towards the end of the darkness that plagues us, the better."

Velcia nodded. "Indeed. If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

He chuckled softly. "I assure you, I am a man of no consequence. A traveler, passing through on a journey to see the world before it ends. Though, perhaps with help such as yours the world may yet live a while longer."

Velcia tilted her head curiously. "That is the hope."

"Well, don't let someone like me keep you," he said, bowing earnestly and removing his hat, flourishing it out to the side. "You've got a lot of work ahead of you."

"Y-yes, I do," Velcia said, her mind spinning. Her skin felt clammy, and though everything about the man in front of her seemed friendly enough, the longer they talked the more she found him deeply unsettling.

"Another time, then," the man said, spinning around on his heel and beginning to walk away.

Velcia shook her head and turned around, back towards the market.

A low voice spoke, as if right beside her ear. "Time's running out."

Velcia's hair stood on end and she whipped quickly around to see who had said this, but there was nobody in sight.

--- Of course, I would hope that anyone familiar with FFXV should be able to guess who this odd yet somewhat menacing figure is. Though not the primary antagonist of this story, Ardyn's influence is pivotal to the plot and his actions have surprisingly far-reaching consequences for someone who downplays himself so heavily. If you would like to read more of this chapter, or this story, here are links to where you can do so! Archive of Our Own - Chapter 16 Fanfiction.net - Chapter 16 Thanks for stopping by!

[almost-a-class-act]

Tag game SidMaryEugene (Auto Recovered)? God bless autosave

GOD BLESS AUTOSAVE FOR REAL. I had thousands of words written and then my computer restarted. I never fixed the title primarily out of laziness but also to remind myself of my own hubris.

Okay, secret time: This fic might be one of my favourite things I've written in this fandom. I am very excited to finish and post it but there's so much left to do on it and I'm in school so we'll see when that ends up happening.

The premise is that Sid, Mary, and Eugene were a little trio of besties as children. Sid and Eugene were competing for Mary before the war but these two dumdums didn't realize that part of what made the competition so heated is that they were also into each other. Now, after the war, Eugene is having one hell of a hard time and his friends invite him to come and live with them, to get out from under his parents' roof for a while.

Here's a snippet:

And yet here, in the heat of the day, pulling up stubborn clover and dandelion, she is saying it now, and it’s not as difficult as she had thought.

She hears Eugene take a breath. “Mary.”

“Sid wasn’t even eighteen,” she tells the root of the nearest tomato plant. “You were sick half the time we were growing up. No one would have thought any less of either of you for not being on the first boat out.”

There’s a beat. “I know,” Eugene says at last. “But we had to go.”

Hearing it said aloud, the exact reason why she hadn’t said anything to begin with, annoys her unduly.

“I know that.” She wipes her forearm blindly across her forehead in the heat. “But you asked me what aggression I have to work out when I pull weeds. And sometimes when I pull weeds, that’s what I think about.”

You and Sid, going to get yourselves killed. Like your lives were just yours to sacrifice. So excited to go, you didn’t look back once.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “I know what it was like when Sid was gone, and we were here. Left behind.”

She settles back onto her heels and looks through the plants at him. “We had each other,” she points out. His eyes are dark, fixed on hers, and then the breeze picks up and gently stirs the leaves, and it breaks the contact. “And then you left, and it was just me.” It suddenly feels like she is alone in the garden, speaking to the clear blue sky. It makes the final admission easier. “Figured I’d be lucky if I got one of you back. And there was nothing I could do about it but wait for bad news.”

There is a faintly stricken pause. “We didn’t mean for it to be like that.”

“I know that. Wild horses couldn’t have kept you from going.” She absently dusts her hands, wiping away the dirt clinging to her gardening gloves. “I just wish none of it had happened.”

“We’re back now.”

Mary doesn't scoff, but it's close. “Not quite.”

“No. I suppose we aren’t.” A beat. “Sid seems to be managing okay.”

“Sid has the same part of his soul ripped out as you,” she says.

Eugene hesitates. “Does he talk to you about what we did over there? What we saw?”

“No,” Mary says. “Of course not. I see it in his eyes sometimes, when he doesn’t know I’m watching. And he wakes up in the night in such a terror that I don’t need a blow-by-blow account to guess how it was.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know what to do with it except try to put enough happy memories between us and the war that eventually we bury it.”

“It’s funny. He said the same kind of thing to me. That you just have to get up every day and try not to think about it.”

“I don’t like it,” Mary admits. “Dealing with something by not dealing with it and hoping it goes away isn’t my way, as you well know. But I don’t know what else to do.”

Eugene doesn’t immediately say anything. “Is that why you married him?” he asks.

Mary stops in her tracks with a fist-full of torn up clover. “Pardon?”

“Because you thought you’d be lucky to get one of us back,” Eugene says, intent on his work, not looking her way. “And you got Sid back.”

“I married Sid because I love him,” she says firmly, a warning in it. “And because he asked.”

She knows that there are myriad reasons why Eugene never did. They had been very young, before he had gone to war in Sid’s wake, and he had been so preoccupied with the idea of joining up that surely marriage and settling down had seemed like a very distant priority.

“I won’t ask if you would have said yes if I’d asked first,” Eugene says.

“Good,” Mary says, plunging a spade into the earth and digging away ferociously at a stubborn root. “Don’t.”

[theunquenchablethirst]

Hooked (Jerome X Reader)

Ok, so this is a thing. I was kinda surprised nobody had used this scene yet, because the Gotham fandom seem to collectively agree that Jerome is BIG KINKY and yet the one scene where he canonically has people cuffed up and hung from the ceiling... nobody has touched??? Y'all have been sleeping on that scene! It's fanfic gold! Anyway, enjoy the hedonism. Much love xxx

Warning: SMUT, 18+, GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT, BDSM, bondage, cuffs, dom/sub, vaginal fingering, oral sex, biting, spanking, slapping, pussy slapping, light choking, spitting, belt whipping, praise/degradation, marking, mention of scratching, Jerome is big meanie pants mean man

The new mayor of Gotham is having a meeting with his council members, but things take a turn when the Legion of Horribles show up to kidnap them and reader. When the victims are being unloaded from the truck, Jerome Valeska notices reader, because she isn't exactly on the guest list.

Tag list of lovelies: @gabile18 @valeskaduh @fangirl--writes @persephoneblck

Masterlist

I had been working as a housekeeper for the new mayor. It was a good job, but I wasn't appreciated. I was just there to clean and serve when needed. I don't think he even knew my name. I was just hired help to him. To all of them.

He was hosting a dinner for his council that day. I had been placed in the corner of the room with a bottle of expensive wine where I was to wait until wanted. He gestured for me to come forwards and fill their glasses while they started talking about their displeasure with the rising foul play in the city, like it was anything new for Gotham. The chairwoman wanted to know what he was going to do about it. Very little in my opinion. He was just coasting. In too deep over his head. He had been appointed far too fast and everyone knew it. He wasn't going to last.

He made an attempt to save face and talk about how he too was disturbed by the recent goings on and was doing everything he could. Trash, utter trash. As he rose from his seat, the lights fizzled out. I stopped pouring. Had this been any other city I would have assumed it was a simple power outage, but nothing was that simple in Gotham. The security guard closed us in and went to see what was happening. The air turned icy. No, this was not good. Gunshots and screams came from the hallway and everyone rose from the table terrified. We quickly started walking towards a door hoping to make an escape, but there was something about the windows. They were freezing over.

The doors burst open and I dropped the wine. It smashed into pieces as a blueish man in some kind of robotic suit and a weird looking, but huge gun stepped into the room. Was that Victor Fries? Then through the second set of doors another man in a top hat who I recognised as Jervis Tetch burst in with some other strange looking friends.

Before I could comprehend the situation, we were all being cuffed and taken outside. Our kidnappers pushed and pulled us towards a huge truck, all the while the mayor tried to buy his way free. He was showing just how little he really knew about the underbelly of Gotham. I knew just by looking at them that they were probably Arkham escapees and couldn't be bought like a sane man could. They had their own plans and you can't bargain with crazies.

We got to the truck and they opened the back door. My blood ran cold when I saw that standing there waiting for us was Jerome Valeska. Of all the criminals Gotham had seen he had been the only one that had scared me, truly and thoroughly. He didn't have any kind of reason for what he did. He just enjoyed death and chaos. And after his last escapade he looked like madness personified, his scars circling his face and eyes and giving him a permanent evil smile. Dread consumed me as I realized that he was no doubt the leader of this operation and if that was true, we were already dead.

I felt myself jolted forwards. The mayor had pushed me in front of the rest of the council to get whatever was coming first. If I wasn't cuffed, I would have turned around and broke his nose. I was lifted into the truck, my hands were pulled above my head and fixed to two hooks. I had to stand on my toes to keep standing which made it awkward and difficult as they pushed me to the back of the truck.

Was that Penguin? What was he doing here? He didn't belong here. I had gone to Penguin looking for a job in his club when I was 16. He was impressed with my audition, but when he asked my age, he rejected me.

"This establishment is not a playground for children. It's a nightclub." He had told me. At the time I had been steaming mad, but in hindsight he was probably right. Even if he was rude. So, after that, I found it hard to understand why he was here and working with Valeska. Maybe he had been kidnapped too?

The rest of the council were loaded on and hooked. The mayor was still trying to offer them money and pardons. When he saw it wasn't working, he resorted to empty, unintimidating threats. Jerome was completely unfazed and even a little disappointed in the lack of smiles.

"Nobody knows how to have fun anymore, right?" He said putting his arm around Penguin. So, he was a part of this.

Jerome pointed to a scary looking figure dressed like a scarecrow. Johnathan Crane? Crane released some kind of purple gas in the face of a member of a council. She started laughing and convulsing violently.

"What have you got to lose? Except your sanity?" Jerome joined in the crazy laughter. So, this was his plan. He'd figured out a way to forcefully drive everyone insane. With a gas.

I silently prayed to God in my mind for any kind of help.

After sufficiently terrifying us half to death, they left us in the back of truck. None of us could say anything and after a few minutes the truck started moving.

"Is she ok?" I asked looking towards the victim of the insanity gas.

"Who cares?! We have to figure out what they want and get out of here." Replied the mayor.

"Maybe they want publicity for whatever that gas is. Offer them some TV time." Guessed the chairwoman.

"Don't you get it?! This isn't a situation you can buy your way out of!" I snapped, frustrated with their idiocy.

"These aren't normal criminals. They don't want your money. They want chaos and madness." They stood there silently stunned. They had never heard me speak with such confidence, but in that moment, they knew I was right.

After what felt like hours the truck finally stopped.

"What's going on?" The mayor whispered.

Everything was quiet. We listened for any noise or sign of life. All we could hear was our own breath.

Then suddenly the doors flung open once again and in hopped Valeska, Tetch and Crane.

"We're here!" Jerome grinned.

The other two started to pull the council one by one off the hooks and walk them out of the truck, closely watched by Jerome. Until they got to me.

"Wait..." He stuck an arm out to stop Tetch from unhooking me.

"Who's she? She wasn't on the party list." He took a few steps closer to me.

"This poor young girl is an unlucky maid. Wrong place, wrong time. Very bad day." Jervis explained looking at me.

"Would you like me to... dispose of her?" Asked Crane, stalking close to me and lifting needle covered fingers to my throat.

"Not so fast, Mr Potato Head." Jerome said pulling him away from me.

He came so close that we were only inches apart. He looked down at me as if he was thinking for a few seconds then smirked and turned around to the others.

"Guys, go and see that our guests are comfortable, will ya? Get everything ready." He ushered them out of the truck. Fear travelled up and down my body. This had all been a bad situation, but being alone with Valeska scared the hell out of me.

"You're lucky I have a soft spot for pretty little girls." He closed the truck doors and turned to look at me.

"Freddy Krueger there... not so much." He relaxed, leaning back against the doors with his hands in his pockets. "You got a name?"

I stayed silent, more out of fear than defiance. He sucked his teeth and stood up straight.

"I get it. You're scared. Who wouldn't be, right?" He started slowly walking closer. "But things will go a lot smoother if you just play nice."

I still couldn't find any words.

"Aw, come on, doll! I'm getting awful lonely over here." He brought his hands up out of his pockets and leaned against a wall of the truck.

He was quiet for a few seconds and I noticed that his eyes were making their way up my legs. Being held up by my wrists on my tip toes had pulled my uniform skirt up and almost all of my thighs were exposed. I blurted out my name in an attempt to distract him from my bare legs. He smiled.

"What a pretty name. Now, was that so hard?" He pushed himself off the wall and came a little closer.

"So, you're the mayor's dust bunny, huh? I gotta say, doll, I can see why he keeps you around." He chuckled, eyeing me.

My whole body flushed and my face turned hot and red.

“But, uh, the thing about mayors in this town, they don’t last very long.”

"Please let me go." I whimpered.

"Oh, but we're having such a good time! Plus, if I did that, you'd scamper off to the GCPD and I can't have good ol' Gordon crashing the party early."

I scoffed at his suggestion. Not likely. I had a distinct distaste for the GCPD. They hadn't helped me when I needed them. I would never need them again.

"What's the matter? He book ya before or something?" Jerome smiled with intrigue.

"My parents... they... did things to us. When I ended up in the hospital one too many times..." Tears stung my eyes as I remembered. "They left me there and disappeared with my little brother. No one ever managed to track them down."

I didn’t fully understand why I was opening up to Jerome, but for a second, I saw a spark of humanity in his eyes. Like he understood my pain. I'd heard his first kill had been his mother, so maybe he did?

"I'd give anything to see him again." I sniffed and a tear rolled down my cheek.

"Yeah, I had shitty parents too." He sighed. "I killed them both."

I had thought about what I would do if I ever saw my parents again. What I would say, what I would ask. I could never think of the right words. But the thought of killing them, well that made me smile.

"What was it like?" I asked.

Jerome grinned from ear to ear and stepped closer so that we were toe to toe.

“Have you ever stood at the edge of a really tall building? You know that little voice in the back of your head that says ‘Jump! You can fly!’ even though every other part of you is screaming ‘No you can’t! You’re gonna kill us!’”

I nodded shakily.

“It’s like finally giving in to that voice. Like jumping off Gotham Bridge and finding out you can fly. And realising you never have to walk again.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and my heart felt like it was going a million beats per minute. His eyes were locked on mine and it felt like he was looking straight into my soul.

“You wanna fly, doll?” He brought his hand up to cup my jaw and ran his thumb along my bottom lip.

It wasn’t humanity I saw in Jerome Valeskas eyes. It was freedom. A freedom that I had wanted for as long as I could remember. And I could have it right now. He was offering it to me. The only thing standing in my way was myself.

“Yes.” I breathed. “Yes, I do.”

The next thing I knew, his lips were crashing into mine and he had hooked his hands under my thighs and was holding them around his waist. His kiss was desperate and hungry, like he had been starved for days and his grip on the bare flesh of my thighs was rough enough to leave bruises. I locked my ankles together behind him to steady myself from swaying underneath the cuffs. When I did, he drove his crotch forwards, grinding into my centre, a quiet moan escaping me as I felt him.

He slowly trailed a hand from my thigh, up my back and to the nape of my neck, before balling my hair in his fist. I gasped as I felt the sudden, sharp tug of him pulling my head back.

His eyes wandered down to settle on my exposed throat, before yanking my head to the side and nestling in the crook of my neck. He must’ve left a hundred open mouth kisses, but as he started to suck, I felt his teeth sink into my skin. I pulled back with a hiss at the sting, but he wouldn’t let go. He just kept on leaving harsh, red bitemarks and pulling my hair, all the time grinding harder into me.

He licked over the bruises he’d left and gently kissed them, before trailing his tongue up my neck to nip at my ear. He smiled darkly and pulled back away from me, dropping my legs back to the floor. He stalked around me, eyeing me up and down like a predator. I felt him behind me, his hands softly holding onto my waist, pulling me close to his chest.

“You know what’s great about this?” He cooed. “You’re already pre-cuffed.”

I flushed and my core swelled hot, his breath so close to me made my skin tingle all over. He pulled at the top of my skirt and dragged it down my hips, letting it fall down around my feet. He caressed my thighs and then stepped back, tugging at my underwear, playfully letting the elastic snap back to me.

“Y’know...” He said, before the familiar sound of a belt unbuckling. “Marquis de Sade said ‘sex without pain is like food without taste’...”

My eyes widened at his words and my heartbeat quickened.

“So, let’s make this... delicious.”

A million thoughts raced through my mind, but before I could process any, I felt the sharp snap of leather against my ass. I jolted forwards and let out a high pitch yelp.

Even though I couldn’t see him, I could tell he was smirking. I could hear it in his voice. I bit my lip in an attempt to brace myself and he landed the belt across me again.

“Please, Jerome...” I whimpered at the sting, closing my eyes.

He brought it down again, making me arch my back in a gasp. A couple of tears rolled down my cheeks and I realised there was little point in resisting the torment. So, I gritted my teeth and prepared for another lick of the belt.

He whipped me once more, harder this time and a small scream escaped me.

“Please!” I begged.

I heard him chuckle with dark delight. The bastard was enjoying this. Of course he was. What else had I expected from someone like him? I tightened all my muscles for the next sting...

But it didn’t come. Instead, I felt him pulling my underwear down. Relief washed over me when I heard the belt drop to the floor and I realised Jerome was finished and was now crouched, ready to inspect his work. He ran his fingers over my burning flesh, taking in the bright red lashes he had left on me.

“What a pretty picture?” He said, landing a spank. “I wish you could see too doll, but having you cuffed is half the fun.”

His voice was dripping with venom and arousal and I could practically feel his grin in the air. He traced the marks with his fingers a little longer, before grabbing my flesh in fistfuls and sinking his teeth in. I gasped loudly at the hard bite. I wasn’t sure how many more of Jerome's surprises I could take. He laughed and ran his tongue over the new bruise.

“Yep. Definitely a pretty picture.” He smiled, giving me another spank. “I like those little noises you make, doll. Why don’t you make some more for me?”

He snaked his hand up my inner thigh and began stroking along my slit, relighting the fire in my stomach. I moaned, biting hard on my lip and tried to bring my thighs together, wanting friction.

“Naughty.” He said, landing a swift slap on my entrance causing me to let out a little yelp. “I need you to keep those legs open for me.”

It wasn’t as bad as the belt. In fact, it felt quite good. The heat inside me swelled as Jerome returned to running his fingers back and forth in my slickness. I hummed softly in my throat, fighting the urge to close my thighs again, my knees starting to shudder underneath me.

“Look how wet you are and I’m barely touching you.” Jerome chuckled darkly. “I wonder what happens if I do this?”

Jerome plunged two fingers deep inside me and slowly started pumping them. I let the warmth roll through me, moaning blissfully. He gently started to pick up speed, making it nearly impossible for me to keep my thighs apart. The faster he got, the deeper he dove, making me tighten around his talented fingers and struggle to keep steady on my toes.

My legs were shaking and despite my best efforts I just had to squeeze them together. As soon as I did, Jerome removed his fingers from me, leaving me feeling empty and spanked me hard.

“What did I say about that?” He barked, laying down another spank.

His spanking felt different this time. It felt pleasurable and sent a thrill up my spine.

“Sorry.” I whimpered.

“Sorry for what?” He spanked me again. “For being a needy little whore? Hm?” Another spank.

“Yes!” I gasped. “I’m a needy little whore! I just...”

“What? You just what?”

Jerome landed another slap at my core. It made my muscles clench, but it also aroused me so much more in a way I’d never thought I’d experience.

“What? What do you want, whore?”

“Please...”

“Big words, princess. What...” Spank. “Do you...” Another spank. “Want?”

“I want... I want you...” I forced, breathlessly.

“You want me? What do you want me to do, princess?” Jerome teased, tracing a finger along my burning entrance, just barely touching me.

“Please... Make me feel good, Jerome... Make me cum.”

“Are you gonna be a good girl?”

“Yes...”

“Are you gonna do as I say?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Exactly as I say?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Just please...Jerome.”

I couldn’t take it any longer. I felt so pathetic and needy. I needed him to touch me.

“So desperate.” He giggled sadistically. I supposed he loved seeing me beg.

Then, finally, he spread me open and dove his tongue deep into my wanting warmth. I closed my eyes and bit down hard on my lip as he swirled his tongue around inside me. I wanted to grab his hair and feel it in my fingers, but all I could do was squeeze my fists together in empty frustration.

Jerome grabbed a hand full of my ass, gripping it tightly, digging his nails in and rose his other hand to my pelvis front, pulling me down further onto his tongue. I squealed, a delightful mixture of pleasure and also pain from the tugging on my aching forearms. He ran his front hand down to play with my swollen clit, circling his fingers around beautifully.

He grinded his face deeply into me, sliding his tongue up, down, around and around inside me. He pressed his fingers down harder on my clit, forcing a loud moan out of me. I felt the pressure inside me build, coiling and tightening like a burning spring. I squeezed my thighs around his head in a desperate attempt to pull him deeper, his tongue nestling inside finding all of my sweet spots and lighting them on fire.

I could feel myself ready, ready to burst. He was pulling an amazing orgasm out of me and I wanted nothing more than to just let it go. All it took was one more upward jolt of his head, pushing his tongue that last little bit deep enough to push me over. I screamed out in erotic pleasure, letting the feeling flood me like warm water. My back arched and my legs convulsed until I withered, letting myself dangle from my cuffs in a breathless defeat.

Jerome slid his tongue out of me and pulled his face back away.

“You sing so pretty, dollface. Like a little birdie.” He said, squeezing the flesh off my ass.

He gave me one more light bite and a spank, before he rose back up to stand, snaking his hands along my sides all the way. He let his hands wander up to cup my breasts, massaging them softly. He leaned in close and began leaving wet kisses in the crook of my neck. I shuddered, his touch sending a cool tingle down my spine. He let his hands squeeze my breasts slightly harder, then pulled away and crept back around in front of me.

He stood facing me, his eyes locked on mine. They seemed to burn holes right into my flesh, creating a sense of fear in me. I was scared of Jerome Valeska, I truly was. But everything he was doing to me right now... The way he touched me, kissed me. I wondered how he managed it. How he was able to both terrify and arouse me in equal amounts.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t register his hand rising until it was firmly wrapped around my throat. He leaned down to kiss me, dominating my mouth with his tongue, making me taste myself. Once again, I felt the familiar warmth build in my core as I sensed we were not quite done here. He finished the kiss with a little nip to my bottom lip.

“Are you scared of me, doll?” He purred.

I swallowed hard, unsure if truth was wise here. Then I felt him increase the pressure around my throat, not wanting to wait for an answer.

“Yes.” I breathed.

“Good.” He said through an evil smirk.

He crashed his lips to mine once again, his free hand picking up my thigh to wrap around him. I locked both my legs around his waist, wanting to feel him close against me. I felt his erection hard, under his clothes, grinding into me and I wanted it. Badly. He pulled away from the kiss, leaving his taste on my tongue and raised his hand from my throat to grab hold of my face. He took his other hand away from my thigh and pulled at his tie. I didn’t drop my legs this time, instead I gripped tighter as he slid his tie from around his neck and scrunched it in his fist.

“Open your mouth.” He ordered.

I did as he said and he smiled, before spitting into my open lips and gagging me with his tie. I’d never had anyone do that before and it shocked me a little, but then again, I’d never had anyone like Jerome Valeska before.

He backed up slightly, just enough for him to reach down and unzip his trousers and pull down his underwear, freeing his erection. I couldn’t help but look down at it. It was bigger than any I’d taken before and I wasn’t sure how prepared I was. He started to slowly stroke himself, lifting up my chin to look at me.

He gently stroked a single finger across my jaw and then, suddenly, landed a harsh slap across my cheek. I yelped at the slap, causing a dangerous smile to form on Jeromes mouth. I should’ve been repulsed by him. He killed people and was aroused by my pain and fear, so why was I so attracted to him?

He angled himself underneath me so he was lined up and ready. He wrapped his hand back around my throat and then pushed forwards into me, causing us both to let out deep moans.

“You like that?”

I nodded and whimpered through the material of the tie. Jerome giggled darkly and with his free hand, gripped onto my waist.

“Brace yourself, princess.” He warned, through a poisonous smile.

He pulled back slowly, until he was almost completely out of me and then, like a bullet, ploughed himself right back in, jolting me backwards with force. He continued his thrusting rough and fast, making me whimper and bite down hard on the tie. I closed my legs tightly around him, pulling him closer and forcing him in deeper.

He let out a low, guttural groan and moved his hand upwards from my waist to slap me again, spitting at my face as he did so. I closed my eyes to endure the onslaught of him pounding inside me like a raging animal. I felt like a toy, dangling there for him to use as he liked, but still the searing pleasure of it all made me moan lustfully.

“Open those peepers, princess.” He commanded. “I want you to see exactly who’s in charge here.”

I opened my eyes and saw him grinning at me like a man possessed.

“You like this? You like me fucking you?” He growled, gripping my throat tighter.

All I could do was whimper and moan in response.

“I cuffed you and hung you up, hurt you, spat on you... even made you cry! And you still let me fuck you?” He laughed through shallow breaths. “You’re pathetic, you know that? A pathetic little whore.”

Jerome threw another slap at me and I felt myself tighten around his considerable length, taking him all deep inside me. He drove up into me like he was trying to break me open with his girth and I welcomed every inch of it.

“You’re so fucking tight.” He moaned.

I clenched my walls around him, the feeling of being filled by him sending flutters through me as he pushed in deeper and laughed.

“I don’t think your pussy ever wants to let me go, doll!” He grinned. “But I already know you like taking my cock like this, cause you’re such a good girl for me... I like that.”

I flushed at his words. I didn’t know why, but it made me feel good to please him and, in that moment, I would have done anything for him. I could feel my ecstasy creeping up on me, like magma rising inside a volcano. I cried out wantonly, the heat rising as he worked me, exploring every detail of my canal with his thick shaft.

He let go of my throat and moved both his hands to grab onto my ass and squeezed, steadying me so he could pound me harder and climb to release. His thrusts became erratic and sloppy and I could tell he was just as close as I was. I moaned loudly as he rammed into me harder and faster, burying himself deeper and making my arousal burn.

I could feel it coming, so close. I was about to boil over and all I needed was him. Just him. He continued thrusting like a raging animal, digging his nails into my flesh and scraping them along my ass, stinging sweetly. I whimpered at the sensation and tightened my legs.

“Cum for me, doll.” He panted. “I wanna feel you cum on my cock.”

He plunged into me, pushing the magma higher and just so close to bursting. It was coming. I could feel it.

He pounded again. So close. Again and again, so hard inside me. Just a little more...

I screamed out, closing my eyes and letting everything go. The feeling of my orgasm washed over me like a tidal wave of pure elation. My whole body shook from the force of it and I trembled like a leaf. Jerome continued to thrust into me until he too reached his climax. He growled like a beast and I felt him throb, releasing his hot load of sticky lust deep inside me.

We both relaxed, catching our breath and he stared down into my eyes. He unlatched his hands from the flesh of my ass and brought one round to gently stroke my cheek with his fingertips. It was quiet, but only for a minute.

He threw his head back and laughed like the madman he was, before pulling out of me and stepping back. My legs dropped to the floor and he began to put himself away and zip his trousers back up.

“Well, that was fantastic, dollface. Thanks for playing nice with me.” He said, throwing me a wink.

There was a loud metallic knock at the truck doors and I guessed whoever it was, was trying to get Jeromes attention.

“It’s been fun princess, really. But time waits for no man and I’ve got a party to attend” He said, smiling at me. “Well, more like crash.”

When he turned to leave, I tried to speak, but all that came out was intelligible muttering. He wasn’t going to leave me here, dangling, half naked and gagged like this? Was he? He began walking to the truck doors and I tried to call out.

“Oh! Wait, almost forgot.”

I felt a flood of relief when he began walking back to me.

“I’m gonna need this back.” He said and pulled the tie out of my mouth.

I was glad to finally be rid of it, but my joy was short lived, because he was starting to leave again.

“Hey...” I croaked; my mouth dry.

“Yeah, I’ll have someone come get you later.” He said, too nonchalantly for my liking. “For now, you can just... well, why don’t you just hang out?”

He laughed at his joke and opened the doors.

“Hey! You can’t leave me here!” I tried to shout, but my throat was too dry.

And then... he was gone. He really did just leave me alone, half naked in the back of a truck. How long would it be before someone found me? An hour? Two? The rest of the day?

All alone with my thoughts now, I decided the only thing to do now was wait. Wait and try and go over what the hell just happened between me and Jerome Valeska.

[jromanoff]

The Captain’s mistake II W. Maximoff

Pairing: Queen!Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Warning(s): Sword fighting, kinda suggestive at the end

Summary: Queen Wanda doesn’t appreciate insults and threats being thrown at her by her Captain and lover.

Word count: A little under 1.4K

It was another cold day in Sokovia, not cold enough for snow to fall, which you were grateful for at least. Wearing a formal military uniform in this weather wasn’t ideal.

You spent your day in the courtyard trying to learn a batch of new trainees some basic sword moves.

Keyword: trying

They are incompetent fools, to say the least. So with your mood ruined for the rest of the day, you decided to retreat to your room for a bit.

While coming in and slamming the door behind you, you didn’t notice the figure sitting on the edge of the bed. You took your baret off and threw it against the floor out of frustration.

“What did that baret do to you?” the voice of the queen sounded through the room, effectively startling you.

“I’m sorry, your Majesty”

“Don’t be, I’m sure the baret deserved it.”

“It’s just… we’ll never win a war with these trainees, they’re completely useless!” you told the Queen while starting to pace through the room.

“I don’t want to waste my time training some incompetent fools! And don’t get me started on your knights!” you exclaimed, throwing your hands up out of frustration.

“I’m sure-“

“You don’t understand Wanda! This is all your fault!”

“Pardon? If you think this is all my fault you should think again, and watch your tone. We might be betrothed, but I’m still the Queen.” Wanda told you in a deadly calm tone. One that should’ve made it clear to you that you messed up, but you were too frustrated to notice.

“You won’t be Queen for much longer if you don’t get your act together and find me some decent fighters. I’m not a miracle worker, Wanda!”

“That sounds an awful lot like a threat, Captain. Be careful now.”

“Whatever.”

“I’m leaving this room before you say even more questionable things to me.” she told you before slamming the door shut behind her.

You put your head in your hands and kicked the foot of your bed, not knowing what else to do with the pent up frustration. It wasn’t until you looked out of your window to see Ser Barnes in the courtyard that you got an idea.

You were known for being a true master at swordplay and being swift on your feet. The only person that came close to your skill and experience was Ser Bucky Barnes, which is why he’s the best person for you to spar with right now.

“I see you haven’t been sticking to the diet. That ball you hide underneath your armour probably doesn’t help during fights.” you teased Bucky while approaching him in the courtyard.

“I manage to fight just fine.”

“I beg to differ.”

“Are you challenging me right now?”

“Depends, are you accepting?”

“I would never miss a chance to humiliate the Captain” he told you with a wink.

Both of you drew the blunt swords from their sheaths and got in position. As you circled each other you studied his movements, noticing everything and missing nothing.

Bucky makes the first move. You deflect his blow and swing around to counter it with rapid slashes of your own, effectively pushing him back.

“Is that all you got, Barnes?”

The wall was very close to Bucky now as you drove him back even further. He continued to retreat, yet you kept advancing. Then he countered with his sword. You blocked him.

You dive forwards, striking hard and sending him sprawling backwards.

“You’re getting slow, Barnes” you smirked as he got up, dusting off his armour.

“Or you’re just getting faster, Captain”

“Well that’s something I can’t deny”

“As fun as this sparring session was, I have to get back to my duties. I’m assuming you do as well.”

“You’re right, Barnes. I’ll probably see you later.”

Now that you blew off steam, the feeling of frustration made place for regret. That feeling got even worse as you realised you had to face Wanda again during dinner. You never dreaded standing guard more than right now.

There was no way Wanda would even spare you a glance, let alone give you an opportunity to apologise to her during dinner.

Quickly, you took your position next to the Queen’s throne-like chair. It wasn’t much longer until she entered the room, causing you and your guards to bow down in greeting and sign of respect.

It was deadly silent after the regent sat down, not even the clattering of cutlery resounding through the room. After a few minutes the Queen looked up to you, before breaking the silence.

“What is this, Captain?” she asked you with a raised brow while pointing at something on her plate.

“Olives?”

“And?”

“You don’t like olives?”

“Precisely, get them out for me right now.”

“Can’t the cook just prepare another plate, your Majesty?”

“No. Now don’t make me ask you again, Captain.”

Instead of doing as she asked, you just stared at her in bewilderment.

“Are you deaf, Captain?” she asked while slightly tilting her head, making her look even more terrifying.

“No? I’m just… surprised. That’s all.”

“There’s no need for that. Just do as your Queen commands. Right now.”

You slowly blinked at her, completely dumbfounded. Letting out a deep sigh, you started to pick the olives out of her meal.

“And don’t you sigh at me, you are in no position to complain.”

“Yes, your Majesty.”

“I do hope you usually follow orders a lot quicker, Captain.”

Night fell quickly after the dreadful dinner with Wanda, but you couldn’t sleep just yet. The way she treated you at dinner made you feel even worse for yelling at her earlier that day.

Because she wouldn’t talk to you properly the rest of the day, you’d have to find another way to communicate with her; sneaking into her room. You might lose your job as a result, but that’s a risk you’re willing to take.

The only problem was that the Queen’s room was always guarded by a guard, so you had to lead him away from it without raising suspicion.

You made your way along the corridors to Wanda's chamber, not even bothering to be quiet. As you approached the guard, he abruptly straightened up when he saw you.

“Captain.”

“Soldier. I’ve noticed that you’ve been fatigued a lot recently, so I’m ordering you to get a good nights rest. You may now depart from your post.”

“But, the Queen-“

“Are you seriously questioning your Captain? Besides, I’ve already found you a replacement. It will be fine.”

“Thank you, Captain.” he said as he walked back to his barracks, offering you an appreciative nod.

To be honest, you didn't think it would be so simple to convince him to abandon his post.

Quietly unlocking the door to Wanda's chambers, you double-checked the corridor to make sure no one saw you go in. Immediately, you went for the bedroom.

From beneath the sheets, you could make out her form. You gently shake her, being cautious not to startle her.

You failed, however, since Wanda shot up and was about to scream bloody murder. To silence her scream, you put your palm in front of her mouth.

“Shh it’s me, Wanda. I’m not an assassin trying to kill you.”

“What are you doing here in the middle of the night, you imbecile.” she whisper-yelled at you the second you removed your hand from her mouth.

“I came to apologise, my Queen”

“How thoughtful of you, do you want me to applaud you now?”

“I’m serious, Wanda.”

“Go on.”

“My behavior earlier today was unacceptable, to say the least. You deserve to be treated with a lot more respect than I did in that moment and I’m sorry for that…”

“And you only realised it now?”

“No, I realised I messed up after you slammed the door on me.“

“I accept your apology, but if you dare say those kinds of things to me again I will have your head. Understood?”

“Yes, my Queen. I’m truly sorry, again.”

“How about you show me exactly how sorry you are?”

Taglist:

@diaryoflife

[the-anxious-stargazer]

Tulips? || Yelena Belova

Pairing: Yelena Belova x FormerAvenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: After the events in Endgame reader visits Natasha's grave to pay her respects and encounters an interesting blonde woman when she arrived.

Words: 1.8k

Warnings: BLACK WIDOW POST-CREDIT SPOILER!! also just fluff!!

A/N: loved yelena in black widow!! i just end up flustered or laughing whenever she was on screen!! can't wait for her in hawkeye honestly :D

[Masterlist] [Part 2]

・ ‥…━━━━━━━━━━ ⧗ⴵ⧗ ━━━━━━━━━━…‥ ・

The cool wind blew around her fairly and autumn was right around the edge. Y/N didn't mind the cold since it wasn't too extreme for her to handle but she still wore a coat to keep herself warm. Ohio offered its fair share of beauty and one of them being the nature around the area she was in. So as she parked her motorcycle near the pathway she neatly removed her helmet and fixed her hair a bit. She was grateful that the bouquet that she brought wasn't harmed on the way since it sat on the back seat. The last thing she wanted was to have most of them fly away during the ride. Y/N smiled at how beautiful the tulips were while she walked her way to the spot. Natasha wasn't the only one who was settled here. There were others, but most of them were nameless or graves are just carved with quotes. It didn't bother her. She only came for her friend after all. There was a tree in the middle and there she immediately spotted it and she came to a halt, sighing at the sight of the stone.

Natasha Romanoff. Daughter, Sister And Avenger.

Y/N read and smiled sadly at her infamous Black Widow logo that was plastered on the middle. Her grave was filled with flowers, pictures, and letters from what it seems to be from fans. Natasha saved the universe after all, but sadly it came with the price of her sacrificing herself for everyone else. That included Y/N. She stood there quietly with a small smile on her face while remembering the moments she had with the Russian. All the shared laughs, missions, and meals will always be something to cherish. It saddens her that she was unable to see her again after coming back with the rest of the people who were dusted. Y/N was in Wakanda with the others and the last person she saw was Wanda silently crying while holding onto the corpse of Vision. For her, it was a frightening experience. One moment she was shoved by a mad Titan and the next was that she felt the worst twist in her stomach before disappearing.

But here she was now, alive, and have no absolute idea on what the hell she's supposed to do with her life. Tony and Natasha were dead and Steve is actually old, but the rest of her friends continue to do their jobs. Clint and Scott lived happily with their families, Bucky was pardoned for his crimes, Sam and Rhodey were working, Carol, Thor, and the Guardians were back in space, and she had no idea where the hell Bruce, Maria, Fury, and Wanda were. Y/N could go back on saving people though she felt conflicted. While the former Avenger was stuck in her thoughts, she barely felt the presence beside her. The person froze at first when they saw her earlier, but when they were able to understand that Y/N was too deep in her world and figured that she seemed harmless. Though even if she wasn't sending bad signals, the stranger still kept a cautious approach. It was only when words were spoken that she snapped out of it.

"What did you get her?" The voice was feminine and had a recognizable accent. 

Russian.

"Oh uh-" Y/N blinked a couple of times before she looked at the flowers she held in her arms and blushed all bashful.

"She never really told me what her favorite flowers were so I just bought white tulips." She continued before looking back at the person and was rather caught off guard with the sight of a beautiful young woman. The way her blonde hair blew a little from the wind made it feel a little magical, to begin with. Like she was some fairytale princess. She had multiple piercings on her ears and her hazel eyes radiated curiosity, but also a hint of heedfulness. Y/N noticed them but was too occupied with admiring her appearance. She did admit, the woman before her was undeniably stunning.

"Tulips?" The woman questioned with what seemed an amused tone before shoving her hands in her jacket while Y/N placed her flowers down to her friend's grave.

"I mean I only knew a quarter of her life since she chose to keep it and I don't see a problem with that. All that mattered was that she was a good sister figure and a temporary partner to me." Y/N shared as she smiled at the moments Natasha had her back.

"She had my back and I had hers."

A hum was heard from her company. It seemed she was interested or maybe she was just trying to be genuine, she didn't think about it deeper and just appreciated that she wasn't alone. Y/N could have predicted that she would have probably cried and talked to the stone about how she was feeling at the moment. Even if she didn't look at her Y/N could tell that the blonde studied her closely. She didn't mind her at all and at the same time, she couldn't blame her for being suspicious of her presence. Right now all she could care about was how much she had shared her life with the redhead.

"I met her when she joined Shield. Everyone kept their distance as if she was the plague and so did I at first. But slowly I felt bad for how she was treated and tried offering her company now and then." Y/N reminisced about her early days with the organization. The woman tilts her head at the story of how they were introduced and listened carefully.

"She was hard to approach, but I put up a tremendous amount of patience and trust in her even with what everyone whispered."

Natasha was indeed a challenge. Y/N was aware that the redhead disliked her being around on the first week. One notable thing that she kept in her mind was to be careful of physical touch because when she tried to slap her back in a friendly matter the redhead's defensive instinct immediately pinned Y/N on the floor. Needless to say, she was quick to learn her lesson after that incident. Even Maria laughed when she heard what happened and Fury was shaking his head in a disapproving manner. But even if the progress felt slow in the early stages of their partnership, the results were rewarding to experience. Getting to encounter Natasha initiate conversation first and talk about herself without asking her meant she was starting to trust her.

Though those memories seem to only keep her grief grow. Y/N took a deep breath and puffed. Curiosity then struck her about her company.

"What about you, what's your story with Nat?" Y/N asked as she turns her head to the blonde and there she earned a skeptical look. It made her laugh and raise her hands in surrender.

"Not to be suspicious, but you appear to be someone close to her." She watches as her face relax a little.

"Sister." The woman softly answered.

Y/N then had her eyes widen from the response with her lips forming an 'o'. She could have sworn she was probably an old Shield agent or a friend from her home, but sister? That was definitely out of the options she thought. Y/N felt a little sheepish now that she realized she thought Natasha’s sister was attractive. She could feel Nat’s burning gaze from the afterlife. It was the blonde's turn to chuckle this time at her reaction and shake her head. Y/N took a mental note to try making her laugh more for how adorable her eyes crinkle a little.

"Technically we were pretending to be sisters, but it felt like she was my real sister to me." She added with a sigh.

"And if I remember correctly, you're the one with the water abilities. She mentioned you when we met again." Y/N awkwardly laughed and rubbed the back of her neck before facing her to reach out her hand.

Y/N was an enhanced individual with hydrokinesis. She uncovered it when she was younger and it was one of the things that got her a good position in Shield and later on came in handy when she joined the Avengers. There was never any explanation for her to have such abilities, but she was not one to be unappreciative of them.

"I-I'm Y/N, but I figured you probably already knew that." She stuttered as she introduced herself, blushing a little from facing the blonde.

"Yelena, I mean it definitely wouldn't be weird of me to casually call your name."

Yelena had a small smirk when she took her hand and shook it softly. It seemed to Y/N that the world slowed down from the handshake and could cause her entire face to go tomato red. Just the touch of her hand caused a spark in her veins. Y/N thought it was such an unbelievable to encounter. Though as she wanted to keep that moment longer for her, sadly the world went back to normal speed, and that something barked near them. The sound quickly snapped her out of her thoughts and looked for the source. A dog came into her vision and she watches as the furry fellow ran to Yelena.

“Oh and this is Fanny.” She introduced her dog who barked at the mention of her name. Y/N giggled at the sight of her.

“Hello, there little cutie!” She greeted before looking at Yelena. “May I?” Y/N asked for permission and saw Yelena nod. She then excitedly bent down to match Fanny’s height and petted her. The dog seems to like the attention as she scoots closer to her.

Yelena couldn’t help but smile at what she was seeing. A cute girl smiling while petting her cute dog. It was a rare sight to see. A thought then came into her mind and could not help but ask Y/N.

“Hey, do you want to grab a drink?” Yelena shoots her shot and the girl looked up with bright eyes.

“O-Oh uh- I don’t mind at all.” Y/N stammered while internally cursing at herself for being so flustered around the blonde. Though she could have sworn that Yelena was slightly blushing when she heard her agree.

Y/N wouldn’t have ever thought she’d get to meet anyone from Natasha’s family, let alone a sister and her adorable dog. Now that she thought about it she was glad to come all this way just to visit her. Yelena comes across to be a good company to have around and was also someone intriguing to get to know. Little did Y/N know that the blonde assassin felt the same as well about her.

・ ‥…━━━━━━━━━━ ⧗ⴵ⧗ ━━━━━━━━━━…‥ ・

[Part 2]