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melzula · 3 months

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Smoke and Shadow

part two

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

notes: final part is here! hope you guys enjoy and thank you for being patient as always

summary: the group is one step closer to finding the missing children and Azula, but that doesn’t mean all of their problems will be solved

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

“We decided to do some investigating after Zuko kicked Aang out of the throne room,” Suki explains to you as your trio runs after the Avatar and Fire Lord. “We wanted to see if there were any clues left behind from Kiyi’s kidnapping or Azula’s Kemurikage attack on the palace last night.”

“And even though we couldn’t find anything, I realized there was something fishy about the way she was able to escape so quickly!” Ty Lee adds with a keen smile. “When we used to play hide-and-seek as kids, she’d always manage to win by hiding in this secret passage way tucked into the palace walls. It must be how the Kemurikage were able to escape so quickly.”

“Good thinking, Ty Lee. Although, I still can’t believe she kidnapped her own sister,” you note with a disgruntled shake of your head. “That’s low even for her.”

“This is Azula we’re talking about,” Suki reminds you, and that in itself is enough of an explanation for her behavior.

You finally skid to a stop after reaching the palace rooftops where Aang and Zuko land. The Avatar carelessly drops your boyfriend on the tile, and you wince on his behalf before offering Zuko your hand to help him back up onto his feet.

“Did you have fun?” You ask with a teasing smile only for the Fire Lord to scowl.

“Don’t ever do that again!” He scolds Aang whilst dusting off his robes.

“Okay, okay, but look!” the boy insists before pressing down on a loose brick that opens up a hidden doorway.

“A secret passageway! So you think this is how Azula and the other Kemurikage escape? How did you figure this out?”

“They searched for clues after you kicked them out of the throne room,” you tell him with a pointed look that has him shrinking guiltily under your gaze. “I think you owe Aang an apology.”

“You’re right,” he murmurs sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I should have been more open to your ideas.”

“Apology accepted!” Aang chirps happily. “Now what’s our next move?”

“Well… Kiyi could be on the other side.”

“Tom-Tom, too. I’m coming along,” Mai interjects firmly, seemingly forgetting Kei Lo’s presence until he corrects her statement with a “We’re coming along.”

Zuko instructs Suki and Ty Lee to stay back and guard the palace, so you bid your friends goodbye before beginning your descent into the narrow passageway. The hallway is cold and claustrophobic, but Aang and Zuko lead the way with their fire bending, cautioning you to watch your step behind them.

You’re quiet for the most part, mulling over your thoughts and insecurities now that you’re given a moment’s silence to think. You’re still feeling a bit insecure about walking in on him with Mai and about his animosity towards Kei Lo, but you haven’t had the chance to talk to him yet. The long distance has been hard on your relationship, and sometimes it’s hard to keep consistent communication when both of you have duties to tend to and entire nations to run, but you never thought it would be a problem. Now, you’re not so sure.

You recall what Azula had told you during your time in the Forgetful Valley, how you and Zuko were an “unnatural” pair that would never work. You hate to admit it or even think it, but what if she’s right? What if you’re just kidding yourself? Maybe Mai really has been the right girl for him all along. After all, she is Fire Nation, and she certainly is more qualified to be dating the Fire Lord than you are. You wish Suki were here to talk to, surely she’d know just what to say and could stop you from spiraling like you are now, but without her it seems it’s just you and your thoughts for now.

“Hey, I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier,” a voice says, pulling you out of your thoughts. “I’m Kei Lo, Mai’s boyfriend.”

“Yes, I’m sorry, everything’s just been so chaotic. I’m y/n, Zuko’s girlfriend.”

“That’s right, Mai told me. Say, aren’t you a Chief? Should I be calling you Chief y/n instead?”

“Just y/n is perfectly fine,” you correct him with an awkward laugh. Unbeknownst to you, Zuko is listening in on every word. He doesn’t trust Kei Lo, not one bit, and he doesn’t want him roping you into any trouble. He doesn’t care if he really isn’t in cahoots with the Safe Nation Society, if Kei Lo so much as looks at you in a way Zuko doesn’t like he’ll be tossed into a cell immediately.

“So how’s a Chief of a water tribe end up dating the Fire Lord?” He asks with a laugh.

“It’s a very long story.”

“Please spare me the details,” Mai says with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah, it may not be the best time for that story,” you note with an apprehensive smile.

“You’re probably right. Still, it’s a pretty awkward situation we’ve all found ourselves in.”

“You can say that again.”

After some time group is finally able to reach the end of the passageway, and the only thing standing in your way from the other side is a solid wooden door.

“This must be it,” Zuko announces hopefully. “Behind this door could be Kiyi and Tom-Tom.”

“And Azula,” Aang adds apprehensively before helping the Fire Lord push the heavy wood open. The creak of the old hinges is deafening, echoing in the silent hallway, and you watch with bated breath as the light from the other side slowly begins to seep in. Carefully, you follow the two out the door only to be met with a disappointing site.

There are no missing children and there is no Azula. Instead, you’re faced with a gloomy and desolate graveyard.

“What is this place?” You murmur in awe, your eyes scanning across the expanse of withered headstones. You’ve never seen anything like it.

“I’ve been here before,” Zuko notes thoughtfully, “this is the royal family graveyard.”

“I thought that’s what the Dragonstone catacombs were for,” Aang questions with furrowed brows.

“No, the catacombs are only for Fire Lords. This place is for everyone else. It’s called the Garden of Tranquil Souls.”

“Really? Well, I hate to break it to you, Zuko, but…” the Avatar begins uneasily, and you follow his shifting gaze towards the clouds of smoke that begin to surround the graveyard. Taking a step back, you reach to unclip your water pouch as the dark figures begin to close in on your group. “The souls here don’t seem all that tranquil!”

The group of Kemurikage don’t hesitate to attack, and immediately your group is split apart as you all begin to defend yourselves against their assault. Blasts of fire are shot your way left and right, but you’re able to deflect it every time with your water bending. You manage to take down two of the spirits by encasing them up to their necks in ice, but your progress only seems to make a dent in their ambush. Zuko and Aang are still corned back to back, and Azula has managed to single out Mai and Kei Lo. She holds the boy by the collar of his shirt, eyes full of malice and hand ready to strike him with her blue flames despite Mai’s pleas for her to leave her boyfriend alone.

Before she can harm him, you send a blast of water towards her with an effortful grunt that shoots her across the graveyard and into one of the pillars. The impact is forceful enough to put a crack in the tombstone and disorient Azula momentarily to allow Kei Lo and Mai the chance to escape.

“Are you alright?” You ask him after rushing towards the couple. Mai helps him to his feet before looking to you, her eyes full of gratitude and sincerity.

“Thank you,” she says earnestly, and you give her an appreciative nod in return.

Rising from the ground with a grunt of pain, Azula is filled with rage at your assault on her. How dare you think you can beat her at her own game?

“Helping out your competition? That’s pathetic even for you, dearest,” she insults, irises aflame with fury. “Perhaps you and Zuko are more compatible than I thought.”

“What’s pathetic is the fact that you’re still obsessed with becoming Fire Lord,” you spit back, water cloaking your arms to form tentacle-like limbs for attack.

“Oh, I’m much past that now. I have a new mission,” she notes airily with a passive wave of her hand. Her eyes harden suddenly then and electricity begins to spread across her fingertips. “One that simply won’t work with you in the picture.”

Before she can raise her hands to strike you with her lightening blast, Zuko is quick to send a hail of flames her way to distract her. “Leave her out of this! It’s me you want!”

“Oh, Zuzu, always so dramatic,” she mocks before creating a cloud of smoke to cover her as she runs away.

“You have to go after her!” You exclaim urgently. “I’ll stay back and help Aang handle the rest of the Kemurikage.”

After ensuring you’ll be fine without him, Zuko gives you one final nod before chasing after his sister. You, on the other hand, rush back towards Aang to see if he needs any help. However, it seems he’s been able to manage the assailants just fine on his own.

“Princess! Where’d everybody go?” He asks, perplexed at the sudden disappearance of your group.

“Zuko went after Azula. I’m not sure where Mai and Kei Lo are,” you note as you scan the garden for any sign of them. “What do we do now? We still haven’t found the missing children.”

As if on cue, a shrill voice coming from the passageway calls out for help. You exchange an alarmed glance with Aang before immediately sprinting back into the doorway. A breath of relief leaves you at the sight of Mai’s father with the children in tow, but your ease is short lived at the sight of the two Kemurikage that hold them captive.

“Look!” One of the kids exclaims. “It’s the Avatar and Chief y/n!”

“Hi kids, we’ve been looking all over for you!” Aang says with an overjoyed wave.

“Are you guys alright?!” You call out protectively. “Is anyone hurt?”

“We’re great!” Kiyi calls back prompting you to let out a relieved laugh. You’re so happy to see her and see that she’s okay, but your joyous reunion is quickly cut short by the two spirits who begin to approach the two of you with whips of fire.

“Hang on, kids!” You tell them before beginning to take on the Kemurikage. There’s two of them, so you and Aang each take on one. They’re powerful fighters, but the safety of the children is on the line, so you use all of your might to fight them off as best as you can.

You counter their whip with one of your own, slicing through their weapon each time before it can strike you. While one of your hands controls the water whip, the other sends constant shards of ice hurtling toward the cloaked woman. You can tell she’s beginning to tire, your attacks too much for her to keep up with, but you’re too focused to notice the second figure approaching closely behind you. The Kemurikage’s whip is raised to strike you in the back, but their attack is halted by the blade that slices through the air and pins their hand against the wall.

“What-!” You exhale in surprise, turning just in time to see Mai swoop in and finish the job. The last two spirits have been apprehended, and you’ve been spared a wound that surely could have been fatal.

“Someone had to watch your back,” Mai explains with a faint smile. “You had ours.”

“Thank you,” you utter with a breathless grin. It feels nice to not hate each other for once, and you actually seem to work quite well together.

“Y/n! Y/n!” A voice calls, stealing your attention away from the girl and back to the children. Kiyi sprints towards you with a gleeful smile, and you’re quick to scoop her up into your arms and give her the tightest hug. “You came back!”

“I promised, didn’t I?” You say with a playful smile, carefully pushing back the hair from her face. “I’m so relieved to see you’re okay, and I know Zuko will be too.”

“Guess what? I’m a fire bender now!” She boasts proudly. “I burned a hole through the door so we could escape!”

“That’s incredible!” You praise with a laugh. “Wait until your brother hears this.”

Across the way, Mai cradles her little brother in her arms and watches you speak animatedly with Zuko’s sister. Your interest in Kiyi’s story is completely genuine, and she can see just how much the girl values your opinion. It’s so different from the way Azula used to talk about you, speaking poorly of your character and diminishing you to nothing but a weak Princess. Maybe Mai had judged you too harshly. After all, she might not have been able to get her brother back without your help.

“Thank you again for your help,” she tells you after setting Tom-Tom down to allow him to bid his goodbyes to his new friends. “I was wrong about you, and I shouldn’t have let my resentment cloud my judgement the way I did. I guess I really don’t hate you as much as I thought I did.”

“I appreciate you saying that,” you express with a careful smile. Perhaps things will always be awkward between the two of you, but this is at least a good start.

After making sure all of the children are accounted for, your group exits the passageway just as Zuko emerges from one of the mausoleums. Kiyi is quick to sprint towards her brother, and you watch on with a smile at the way his eyes seem to light up while hugging her close.

“Kiyi! I can’t tell you how worried I was about you.”

“I wasn’t worried at all!” She notes with a grateful smile. “You should’ve seen it, Zuzu! Y/n helped the Avatar take those nasty ladies down!”

“She did, did she?” He asks playfully, glancing over to you with a grateful smile. You simply give him a sheepish shrug in return. “I’ll have to be sure to give her my thanks.”

“And Azula?” You ask him, but his solemn gaze is enough of an answer. “She said she had a new mission, did she tell you what it was?”

“She wasn’t interested in becoming Fire Lord, she was interested in turning me into the type of Fire Lord she would be. The type that rules with fear, ruthlessness. Just like my father. Azula says I can’t escape who I am, and it will only be a matter of time before I’m just like her.”

“You don’t believe that, do you? You’re nothing like Azula,” you say earnestly. “You never will be.”

“I know,” Zuko murmurs softly, but you can see the slightest bit of doubt in his eyes and it saddens to you to know he doesn’t fully believe it to be true. “But either way she escaped. I don’t know where she is or when she’ll return.”

“We’ll be there to help you if she does come back, buddy,” Aang consoles with a comforting hand on the Fire Lord’s shoulder. “For now, let’s just focus on returning these kids back to their families.”

“Good point, Aang. Now,” you say, looking to the children who stare up at you with tired eyes that immediately brighten when you ask, “who’s ready to go home?”

~~~

Peace has been restored in the Fire Nation; the children have been returned safely to their parents, and Zuko has earned the forgiveness of his people for his mishandling of the situation. Everything is almost perfect.

You lean against the balcony of your room for the night and stare up contemplatively at the moon. Yue shines beautifully as always, and you find comfort in her light as you battle against the darkness clouding your thoughts. Your doubts about your relationship still rage on, and you haven’t been able to fight them off no matter how hard you try. You haven’t mentioned anything to Zuko, not wanting to distract him from his duty to his people, but the suffering in silence act you’ve been pulling all day hasn’t been helping your state of mind. Suki had urged you to talk to him, stating you had nothing to worry about because she’s seen firsthand how much he misses you when you’re away, but you were too anxious to follow through. What if you won’t like what you hear when you finally speak to Zuko?

You’re too engrossed in your thoughts to hear your door open or the quiet footsteps that head towards you, and it isn’t until he’s right beside you that you finally feel the familiar warmth that constantly emanates from his body. You don’t have to look to know that it’s Zuko.

“Suki said I should come to talk to you,” he says softly, golden eyes looking to you inquisitively. “Is everything alright?”

“I… I’m not sure,” you admit quietly, nervously fidgeting with your fingers and refusing to meet his gaze.

“What is it?”

His hand sneaks its way in between your own to halt your fidgeting and reassure that he’s right there with you and ready to listen to whatever it is you have to say. Sighing, you finally look to him with uncertainty swimming in your eyes.

“Do you have feelings for Mai?”

He’s stunned to stay the least, eyes widening slightly in surprise at your question. It’s certainly the last thing he expected you to ask him.

“Is this what you were trying to talk to me about earlier?” He presses gently, frowning at the way you slowly nod your head. “I see…”

“Just be honest with me, Zuko,” you plead desperately. “We promised we’d never keep secret from each other anymore, so if there’s something to tell then tell me. I can handle it.”

“I can’t stand here and tell you that it didn’t look bad when you walked in on Mai and I,” Zuko admits with a sigh. “But I can tell you that nothing was going on.”

“I heard you say you care about her.”

“It was out of context. I was trying to make things right for the sake of finding the children- she was obviously still upset over what went down between us, and I was trying to keep the peace so that we could work together to find our siblings. I’ve known her since we were kids, and if it weren’t for her I never would have been able to escape Boiling Rock and come back to you. So in a way I guess I do care for her, but it’s nothing compared to how much I care for you.”

“What about your animosity towards Kei Lo? You seemed… jealous of him.”

“I wasn’t jealous, I just didn’t trust him. I still don’t,” Zuko says adamantly. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled about having to release him because I didn’t want him to try and pull anything. I didn’t want Mai getting hurt, and I especially didn’t want him putting you in any danger.”

“So… so you don’t have feelings for her?” You ask meekly, the slightest bit of doubt still present in your voice.

“I’ve never had feelings for her,” Zuko says earnestly before gently taking your hands in his own. “You’re the only girl for me, y/n. I was stupid enough to let you go once, but I’m never making that mistake again.”

You can’t help but smile at his admission, tears beginning to well in your eyes as you throw your arms around him in a tight embrace that he immediately returns. It feels like a weight has finally been lifted off your shoulders, and all the worry and self doubt you had is finally beginning to melt away.

“I never want you to feel doubtful or insecure about our relationship ever again. I’m going to do everything in my power to do better,” he professes earnestly. “I love you more than you know, and you don’t ever have to worry about someone coming between us again.”

“I love you, Zuko.”

He pulls you in for a kiss, and with the moonlight shining down upon you both, everything is almost perfect.

For neither of you notice the pair of golden eyes that stare down at you from the rooftops with disdain and disgust before disappearing into the shadows.

“Pathetic.”

| atla tags: @sirkekselord @niktwazny303

| zuko tags: @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @taeeemin

| fire lilies tags: @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @xapham @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 @kiwihoee @freggietale @moon-spirit-yue @bubblegum-bee-otch

#fire lilies #atla #zuko #zuko x reader #zuko imagine #prince zuko #prince zuko x reader #prince zuko imagine #atla x reader #atla imagine #avatar the last airbender

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loveshotzz · 6 months

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Is It New Years Yet?

steve harrington x fem!reader ✨Part One✨

Santa Tell Me

summary: When you meet Steve Harrington the first time it’s by accident, the second time a coincidence, and by the third he’s calling it fate.

wc: 8.1k

warnings: 18+ series, a christmas meet cute with steve who’s in his 30’s, smut in later chapters, drinking, smoking, eddie munson is our best friend/roommate, him and steve don’t know each other in this AU.

authors note: this wasn’t supposed to be this big or long but here we are. thank you for all your patience and sweet words, I’m so excited to share this with you.

series masterlist -> ✨ part two

The Marshall Fields feels alive with only three weeks left until Christmas, making it a next to impossible mission to get to your job in the restaurant that sits on top of the seven story tourist attraction. At least on time.

Bing Crosby’s ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ spills from the speakers overhead, the deep baritone of his voice is barely audible over the low murmur of conversation happening all around you. Lush, large boughs of green pine hang pristine from the historically tall ceilings, shimmering tinsel draped with purpose at the ends of them catching in the light. It reflects off the gold ornaments that cover it in a perfect pattern. It’s almost enough for you to forget how annoyed you are.

Your slip resistant shoes catch and scuffle along the deep crimson carpet as you move through the shoulder to shoulder crowd. It doesn’t take you very long to find a break in it, still scratching at your nose that itches from your walk through the fragrance department. Your small victory is quickly diminished when you see a swarm of families standing in front of the golden doors of the elevators.

You silently curse yourself for not leaving earlier, completely forgetting that Santa was on the fifth floor today. As if on queue, a little girl with perfect blonde curls that bounce as she runs smacks into your legs just like your realization, falling back on her butt with a thud. Her pearly white dress flutters around her, and the two of you stare each other down for what feels like an eternity until her mother rushes over with panicked apologies right as her daughter breaks out the waterworks.

The noise makes you grimace, mumbling a ‘it’s fine’ under your breath before turning on your heel. Reaching behind, you pull your phone from your back pocket to see just how late you really are, accepting defeat with having to take the scenic, much more time consuming route up the escalators. The bold white numbers that flash across the screen tell you that you’re already five minutes past the start of your shift. A long sigh slips from between your lips as you give up on trying to rush.

Moving with the flow of the crowd, the beginning jingle of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ starts to play, and with the grand spectacle of the yearly decorations, it’s hard not to feel all the emotions of nostalgia they’re trying to pull from you, making you roll your eyes singing along with her under your breath.

The big water fountain in the middle of the men’s department comes into view from the tops of bobbing heads, one of the many physical markers in this building you’ve had to use so you don’t get lost in the retail maze they’ve created, letting you know that you’re close to your destination. Weaving through the sea of people, you try to gear up to break free from the human traffic jam, the signs pointing to the escalators in your sights. His panicked voice is what you hear first, an obvious friendliness still hidden underneath it despite the way it shakes every time you hear him say “excuse me?”

Your eyes search for the owner, and when you find him, regret buries itself deep in your gut when they land on his face.

A perfect mess of dark chestnut hair, with tips that look like they were dipped in honey sits on top of his head. The hints of gold hidden inside shimmer under the lights, as it curls wildly behind his ears. It almost looks styled that way, that is until you see his big hand run through it twice in the span of a few seconds. Warm brown eyes squint as he turns in a full circle glancing between his phone and the signs the point to the city street exits on either side of him. The hoards of people surrounding him completely ignoring his existence as he looks around painfully lost.

His nose is sharp, just like his jaw that’s dusted with the faint hint of a five o’clock shadow. The two prominent moles that sit side by side on his cheek stick out on his unseasonably sun kissed skin that seems to glow against the dark maroon color of his sweater. It’s snug across a broad chest, just like the washed out black jeans that fit a light too well around his thighs. His chocolate colored peacoat looks tailored to fit his biceps, with shiny gold buttons that match the buckle on his russet leather loafers, and the chain that dangles from around his neck.

You watch him try to ask a few friendly faces for help, only receiving a shrug and a half smile by the ones that actually acknowledge him. He mutters something that sounds sarcastic to himself as you get closer, his hands moving animatedly before he huffs pinching the bridge of his nose.

Maybe it’s the Christmas decorations, or the Mariah Carey, or maybe it’s just the fact that you’d rather take pity on a handsome stranger than go to your job. Whatever reason it is, you decide to make the stupid mistake to help him.

“Hey,” you greet timidly, getting just close enough to smell the cedar and cinnamon that seems to cling to the expensive wool of his coat, ignoring the way your stomach flips because of course he smells good right?

“Are you lost?”

He doesn’t hear you over the internal battle going on inside his head, not even registering that someone is finally stopping to offer the help he’d just been pleading for, quietly grumbling, ‘you wanted to move to the city, now you can’t even find your way through a damn store’.

You clear your throat before it can get anymore awkward, alerting him of your presence while letting your curious gaze wander up his tall broad frame. Those squinted brown eyes look big now as they meet yours, and you can see green inside them that you couldn’t before and it sparkles brighter than the tinsel hanging from the boughs behind him.

Yeah, you’ve made a huge mistake.

He blinks a few times, before a wide smile stretches across his face somehow making him even more handsome as he reveals a set of perfectly straight teeth. The smile pushes up his cheeks, and crinkles the skin around his eyes, and you watch all the aggravation from before melt off of his perfectly sculpted face and you wish you could go back those few minutes in time and abort the mission. This is no damsel in distress.

“Hi” is all that he says, peony’s painting his cheeks as he runs his hand through his thick hair again. It looks even softer up close.

“Hey,” you giggle, nerves taking over and you want to pinch yourself for it. “I just wanted to see if you needed some help, you look a little lost.”

You try to seem indifferent when you catch the way his gaze roams quickly down your body, thankful you did laundry last night and had on your tight fitting work slacks today that showed off your curves.

“So lost!” He groans, the blush on his cheeks deepening with the tips of his ears. “If I’m being completely honest with you, I don’t even know what floor I’m on.”

You try to hide the way you snort, slapping your palm over your mouth.

“Hey, be nice!” He laughs, trying his best to fight it to put on a hurt expression, “this is like my first time here, okay?”

“I’m sorry,” you try to fight off you smile, “I didn’t mean to laugh at you —“

“Steve,” interjects with a grin, those perfect teeth biting at his full bottom lip as he sticks out one of his hands for you to take, a gold band wrapped around his middle finger you didn’t notice before gleaming when it hits the light.

“Well, Steve,” you try not to laugh, which ends up being easy to do when you slip your hand into his and watch it disappear behind his long fingers when they wrap around them. “You’re on the first floor if you can believe it.

“That’s fucking embarrassing. Wow.” He groans, letting your hand go to run his palm down his face, and you hate that you feel the loss in your gut. “Sorry I didn’t mean to cuss.”

“I’ll let it slide this time,” You tease with a wink, enjoying the way it only makes the color on his face deepen. “Where are you trying to go? I work on the seventh floor. I might be able to take you on my way.”

It takes Steve a minute to formulate an answer to your offer, still stuck on the fact a complete stranger was being so nice to him, and the silence between you goes on just long enough to make you second guess everything.

“Or I could just try and give you directions if that’s more comfortable for you.” You offer, adjusting the straps of your backpack nervously.

“I’m trying to get to the women’s department,” Steve finally blurts out, sensing the shift in your energy and quickly tries to recover with another card through his hair and a crooked smile, “specifically the handbags, and I absolutely think you should take me.”

His gaze narrows the color in his eyes darkening into something more flirtatious than nervous.

“Who knows how long it’d take me to get there without a beautiful, clearly smart woman such yourself to help me anyway.”

Your stomach does that thing that you hate again, and all the heat in your body licks at your cheeks like flames. You can’t remember the last time a man actually used the word beautiful. Hot? Absolutely. Cute? Sure. Pretty? Yeah, a few times, but never beautiful. It sits in your chest where it blossoms into another painfully big smile that pushes your cheeks up even more, and you have to look away from his face for a moment when he matches it with his own.

“O- okay, if you just, uh wanna follow me?” Words get lost on your tongue and it comes out more shy than you would’ve liked, but you turn on your heel before you can think too hard about it when he gestures you forward.

You hear him mutter ‘are you kidding me?’ under his breath as you lead him to the escalators just around the corner, making him realize how close they were this whole time and you wonder just how long he was actually looking for them. The smell of mint hits your nose as you pass the Frango chocolate stand and it mixes with the spice of his cologne as he trails close behind. Butterflies threatening to break from cocoons hearing the way his steps match yours.

He stops next to you as you come to halt to wait your turn to hop onto the moving metal steps. You look up at him and there’s an awkwardness that threatens to fill the small space between you that has you giving him a tight lipped smile that he returns with the kind of confidence that makes your palms sweat and you have to look away.

“I say we make our move after white puffer coat comin’ up here.” His voice startles you when it comes out low, close enough to the shell of your ear that you swear you can feel the whisper of his lips. Spearmint stings your nose from the gum that snaps between his teeth, and the heat of his breath makes goosebumps jump along the back of your neck.

Why did you do this?

You meet his gaze from the corner of your eye, letting him see the playful glint that dances in them before giving a curt nod of your head.

“On the count of three…” You play along, despite everything inside you telling you to stop flirting back and it makes Steve’s whole face light up, long fingers flexing at his side with the need to find yours again.

“One..” He starts, and your eyes meet ‘white puffer coat’ who’s now only a few steps away before finding Steve’s again who’s stare very obviously never left your face.

“Two..” You giggle trying to hide the way your body starts to buzz and if it wasn’t for Steve’s giddy expression you’d be more embarrassed than you actually are.

“Thre-“ His final count gets cut off by the feeling of your fingers wrapping around his, tugging him onto the stairs early with a loud cackle that has you throwing your head back and he swears the sound tilts his world off its axis.

His cheeks dust pink under the bright light looking down his nose at you with a wide smile that shows all his teeth. An expensive loafer sits wedged between your work shoes and the other on the step above, caging you against the side as you ride up to the next floor, and he’s close enough for you to see a smattering of more freckles that dot the bridge of his nose and the side of his neck, even one on the tip of his earlobe.

He’s still holding your hand.

Your fingers twist and flex at the realization, dropping from his hold and Steve clears his throat because of it. Adam’s apple bobbing as you land on the second floor, he shoves his hand in his pocket, standing a more appropriate distance from you as you get on the next set of stairs going up.

“So what’s on the seventh floor?” He asks, finally breaking the silence that crackles with something you aren’t prepared for today.

“Oh, um, The Walnut Room.” you know where the big Christmas tree is?” You answer with a small smile and it makes him snort, the noise making your eyes go big and the corners of your lips twist up more.

“I couldn’t find the escalators, you think I know where the big Christmas tree is? Don’t flatter me so much or I’ll think you’re flirting with me, honey.” Steve grins, the cool air of confidence from before coming back and you hate that it makes your cheeks burn even worse the second time around.

“Well,” you start unable to bring yourself to meet his gaze as the two of you make your way to the next set of escalators with nerves rattling in your chest as the new floor brings more people, and it makes it impossible for him to keep his distance this time, “now you know where it is.”

“Is that an invitation?” He smirks looking down at you, teeth gleaming even whiter from this close and butterfly wings tickle at your rib cage.

“Getting a new purse for your girlfriend?” You ask in an attempt to dodge his obvious flirting, doing your best to ignore the way his fingers keep bumping into yours as you share the same step.

“Mom, actually. No girlfriend.” Your obvious prying makes something smug flash behind his eyes. “Is that the answer you were hoping for?”

You huff with a roll of your eyes, unable to fight the way your cheeks push up again despite the shake of your head earning a deep chuckle from Steve who can see right through you.

“I actually just moved here, maybe a month ago,” he starts, your heart sinking a little at his reveal and your walls that had started to slowly retreat quickly go back up the few inches they dared to come down. “M parents, they’re….they’re tough to impress, and I’m just trying to find something nice for my Mom. Something that screams ‘Hey! Merry Christmas! I didn’t make a big mistake moving here!’ You know?”

You nod with the kind of laugh that makes his eyes sparkle at the noise.

“A purse absolutely says that, I think.” Your words drip with sarcasm as the two of you make your way onto the third floor, shoulders bumping as you turn towards the next set of moving stairs, both your feet landing on the same metal step again.

“You know, I thought so too.” He beams, not missing a beat. “What about you? Got any fun plans with your boyfriend for Christmas?”

Before you have a chance to answer, an impatient woman choosing to walk the escalators in the kind of rush you should really be in knocks into Steve’s back with her shoulder, making him lose his balance and stumble into you. Large hands grab at your waist to steady himself, the warmth of his palms spreading through your body as it seeps through the thin material of your slacks. The steady beating in your heart stutters before your pulse kicks into overdrive when the mint on his breath fans against your neck for the second time as he mutters an apology finding his balance again. You bite at the inside of your cheek when he finally lets you go, straightening up to his full height again.

“Gotta love the holidays.” You laugh, letting out a shaky breath that threatens to give you away.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or that’s what they say.” Steve sighs, running his fingers through his hair again.

He somehow leaves it even messier than before, and you have to fight the urge to fix it for him, as the top of the fourth floor comes into view along with the end of your time with the man you only half way regret helping now.

“The answer to your question is no, by the way.” You finally speak up, a mischievous glint in your eye that matches your smile.

“No you don’t have any fun plans? Or No you don’t have a boyfriend?” He tries to clarify, with the kind of lopsided grin that has your knees wobbling under it.

You don’t have time to recover when the ground underneath you stops moving as you both hit the bright red carpet of the women’s department. The fast moving crowd and the fact that you’re pushing nearly twenty minutes late for work is the perfect escape you need to get yourself out of making the mistake of staying long enough for the charming new to the city bachelor to ask for your phone number.

“Handbags are over there.” You point to the giant Michael Kors logo that shines gold against a hot pink wall behind him, and you seize the moment he turns to follow the direction of your finger to hop back onto the escalators without a word.

You laugh echoes and bubbles over the even happier sounds of the Christmas music when Steve turns around to find you already half way up to the fifth floor.

“Really?” He throws his hands up, watching as you climb higher.

“I’m late for work! I hope your mom likes her gift!” You wave with the kind of smile that he’s sure will haunt his dreams tonight, that makes the corners of his lips twitch despite himself. “It definitely screams you didn’t make a mistake! Nice meeting you Steve!”

It had been four days since your run in with Steve, and much to your dismay that disheveled head of hair didn’t want to leave your mind no matter how much you tried. His breath stealing smile, and freckled skin invaded every day dream and even found their way into the ones in your sleep. No matter how many times you tell yourself that a man who looks like that has endless opportunities in a city like this, and he’s not going to tie himself down with a waitress who still splits her rent with a roommate.

A change of scenery and a day off spent alone at the Christmas market is almost enough to do the trick as you search for ornaments to put on the tree your roommate Eddie tried to stop you from getting, arguing that he’d have to be the one to take care of it if you got a real one. Which to be fair, ended up being true, but when you catch him reading Lord of the Rings under its twinkling lights, you don’t think he minds it all that much.

A few ornaments, two hot ciders, and a record shop later, you find yourself waiting for the train home looking at the sunset that paints the skyline in sherbet orange and red behind shimmering buildings. Lost in the music that spills from your AirPods, flashing lights catch at the corners of your eye, and the sounds of the holiday train start to get louder as its bright presence rolls up to the platform. The Santa that you know has to be freezing waves at everyone that’s waiting as it pulls in, and you can’t stop the way your cheeks push up despite the annoyance you would have normally felt if you were actually commuting somewhere in a rush.

The workers dressed as elves greet you with baskets of candy cane’s and bright smiles when the doors open, and relief floods your system when you see the train car is mostly empty. You give them a friendly wave and a nod, accepting the sweet treat before claiming your seat for the nine stops you needed to pass to get home. Red and green string lights flash strung up from the ceilings, and the silver metal poles that stick through the middle now resemble the candy they're passing out. The white fluorescent lighting that usually washes everyone out is replaced with a deep blue, and the faint sounds of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ battles for dominance with the music in your headphones.

Relaxing into your seat, you let the steady rocking of the train lull you back into your thoughts, disappointed when they inevitably go back to the man you’ve been trying to forget. Thighs pressing at the memory at the feeling of his hands grabbing at your hips on the escalator, you huff and cross your arms in a silent pout. How can you have a crush on someone you don’t even know?

The car starts to fill up more and more as the stops go, and by the third one you’re squeezing your tote bag to your chest with people surrounding you as they hold onto the plastic handles above your head. It’s hard to see anything above anyone’s waist, and you shuffle a little awkwardly in your seat. The spot in front of you frees up by the next stop and at the same time your AirPods die, a sigh of relief slips past your lips at the brief reprieve before the group waiting outside scurries in. That’s when you hear him…again.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. First the damn bus, now the train? Jesus fuck- exuse me, god, I’m gonna be so late.”

The familiar smell of cedar and cinnamon envelopes your senses when a pair of black dress slacks fill your vision with a gold belt buckle on his waist that matches the chain you already know is dangling from his neck, and the ring on the hand that’s gripping the handle above you.

You curse under your breath, taking your AirPods out and the muffled sound of Dean Martin’s ‘Let It Snow’ becomes full volume, along with the clinking of the metal tracks when the train lurches forward. Leaning back in your seat, you let your eyes wander up his broad torso you’ve reluctantly thought so much about. Steve’s a little more dressed up than the last time you saw him with a white button up tucked into his slacks. You can still make out the outline of his tank top underneath, despite the dim lighting, and the way he leaves the top two buttons undone flashes you a little bit of chest hair. The chocolate peacoat is replaced with a black one that has buttons to match. It fits around his arms just as good as the other one.

His five o’clock shadow is gone now, and he somehow has even more freckles than before. Too distracted by him to scold yourself for having the urge to find and kiss them all, his messy bed head look he had the other day is replaced with something a little more controlled, and you wonder how much product he needed to use, especially that despite it all, a stray still threatens to fall across his forehead.

“Not a fan of the holiday train are we?”

Steve jumps at the sound of your voice, his eyes looking every direction but down until you clear your throat. They widen when they land on you just like the smile that spreads across his face, wiping away any signs of annoyance that plagued his features just seconds before.

“You!” He almost laughs, and he’s even more handsome than you remembered and you wonder how long it's going to take you recover this time, “Oh wow —“ even in the blue light you can see the way the color in his cheeks redden when he realizes that his crotch is unintentionally in your face, “let me just -“

He scoots back as far as he can which isn’t much but it’s enough to make the position the two of you find yourselves in less awkward.

“Well, well, well so we meet again.” He practically beams taking in your appearance now that you’re not dressed to go wait tables, catching the way he licks his lips before bringing his eyes back to yours.

“It would appear so Steve.” Your smirk, proud of yourself for keeping up the act of playing hard to get.

“What do they call these things? Christmas Miracles?” His confident demeanor reappears and you’re disappointed that it sets your body on fire just like before.

Your snort loud enough for him to hear, earning you a deep chuckle from his chest that gets him that smile of yours he can’t stop thinking about.

“You think you’re so smooth don’t you?” You tease, biting at your bottom lip, meeting his eyes from under your lashes watching the way it makes the green and gold inside them turn into something darker.

“Not really, but I think it’s working for you.” He winks, closing the space he made between you to let someone off behind him holding your stare from down the slope of his nose.

You narrow your eyes at him before you roll them but the twitch of your lips gives you away making his grin turn Cheshire.

“Where are you off to this dressed up? Hot date?” You question with an arched brow.

“For someone who’s pretending not to have a crush on me, you’re certainly fixated on if I’m dating someone aren’t you?” Shaking his head, he’s even more smug than he was on the escalators, “but no, beautiful, I’m on my way to meet a business partner for dinner.”

There he goes using that word beautiful again.

“What about you? The missing uniform tells me it must be your day off, spend it with that boyfriend of yours?�� Steve smirks trying to get the definitive answer you refused him a few days ago.

“You’re calling me fixated? I’m not the one obsessing over an imaginary boyfriend I made up for someone else.”

Steve throws his head back in a booming laugh as a bright smile lights up his face in a way that rivals the train.

“I bet you think you’re so funny don’t you?” He mimics your previous sentiment with an intensity in his gaze that has you squirming in your seat.

“Not really, but I think it’s working for you.” Biting your lip as you wink, his hold around the handle tightens, and the gold in his eyes darken more. “I’m surprised you’re heading out of the loop so dressed up, where’s this hot business date?”

Steve’s smile falters, and the color you’re so used to warming his face drains along with the intensity of his gaze.

“What do you mean out of the loop?” That panic you’d heard shaking his voice a few days ago returns, as he tears his eyes away from you to look at the map above your head.

“Oh no, Steve.” You realize the mistake he’s made before he does.

“No, no, no, no,” he groans, stomping a shiny wingtip oxford on the dirty ground. “God, Richard, fuck - he’s going to be so pissed at me.”

He says the last part more to himself, regripping his hold on the handle, brows furrowing as he pinches his eyes shut in frustration. His chest heaves a few times, and the veins in his neck start to show before you hear his quiet exhale over the sounds of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’.

“Hey,” You start, and sweetness drips from your tone as you resist the urge to reach out and comfort him, “I’m getting off on the next stop, you can come with me if you want and I’ll help you get on the right train. It’s an easy mistake, really. We’ve all done it.”

He doesn’t open his eyes immediately, and you can tell that he’s trying not to completely break down but slowly they blink back open and meet yours. The teasing edge behind them is gone as they soften around the edges with exhaustion.

“I think I owe you my life at this point, honestly.” He huffs with a weak laugh and you know if his hair wasn’t done his hand would be running through it right now.

“Just a little bit.” You tease pinching two fingers together with a scrunch of your nose.

“Thank you,” he holds your stare, sincerity painting his features with something that makes you want to stand up and hug him.

“Anytime,” you shrug and it’s harder to fake being nonchalant when he looks at you like that.

The train starts to slow down as it approaches your stop, and the people around you become restless as they prepare to push through the crowded car to get off. Your body reacts like muscle memory when it comes to a halt with another lurch, and you stand up without thinking about the little bit of space that separates you and the man you haven’t been able to stop thinking about all week.

Your chest brushes against a hard set of abs before and even harder set of pecs, the cedar and sandalwood of his cologne is stronger than the last time it took over your senses like this. Fresh. The faint smell of his aftershave tickles your nose, and the heat of his breath warms against the berry chapstick on your lips. The realization of your mistake hits right as you lose your balance, and your body falls flush against his.

“Whoa, honey.” Steve chuckles, one of his big hands grabbing firmly on the soft curve of your hip to hold you in place, and you swear you can taste the spearmint of his gum against your tongue from his proximity.

Your hands reach out on instinct grabbing at his waist, making the muscles underneath flex from your touch and you can just faintly hear his sharp intake of breath because of it.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m so sorry.” You bumble, instantly regretting looking up to meet his gaze. The smirk of his pink full lips has all your blood rushing to your cheeks as you quickly try to untangle yourself from him.

“You’re fine,” he laughs in your ear as you push past him, and it sends a shiver through your bones, especially when you can feel the heat of his body behind you as he follows.

The wind hits your face stepping onto the platform and the chill in the air feels good against your skin. People rush and zoom all around you as they try and make their next connection while you and Steve stand under the sign that flashes the next train times. In a loud roar, the holiday spectacle departs with jingling bells that ring off into the distance along with the whir of the crowd leaving you and Steve alone. You try to ignore the tension that bubbles under his stare against the back of your head, threatening to spill over any second as you pull out your phone.

“You live around here?” He’s the first one to break the silence stepping next to you, his gaze shifting curiously to your phone screen.

“Yeah, like three blocks away.” You answer absently, scrolling through the train lines too distracted by your search for the right directions to give him.

He hums quietly in response, pulling out his own phone from his coat pocket. His energy shifts from the panic on the train to something calmer, and you can’t quite put your finger on it. A nervousness still lingers in his shaky exhale that pushes through his nose, rocking back on his heels before shoving his phone in his pocket.

“What if we went out to dinner instead?” Steve blurts out, and his hand that’s been itching to run through his hair finally does, “I mean if you don’t have any plans right now.”

“Didn’t you say it was a work dinner Steve?” You laugh, finally daring to look up at your phone at him. Big mistake.

The wind catches his hair, and that long dark honeyed strand falls against his forehead while his teeth gleam at you in a hopeful smile.

“I feel like I kind of already missed it,” he chuckles, “I’m supposed to be there now and if I read those directions on your phone correctly it said what? - 45 minutes to get there?”

You glance down and see the bold numbers that only seem to go up as the minutes pass and rush hour starts to kick in.

“Besides, I owe you dinner for coming to my rescue twice in one week. I think the universe is really trying to get us to go get drinks if you ask me sweetheart.”

You laugh a little nervous, rolling your eyes to try and hide how you aren’t immune to his charms but the glint that sparkles in his stare tells you that it’s not working.

“I mean, I guess it’s only fair. I don’t want to mess with fate and all.” You sigh, and it makes his whole face light up, “but if Richard fires you, that’s not my fault.”

“You have my word, if this dinner ruins the entire reason I moved out here. I will not blame you.” He raises his hand in the air like he’s swearing under oath.

“Steve!” You gasp, shoving his arm, and it has him throw his head back in a loud laugh that echoes through the empty platform.

“I’m kidding, that’s not going to happen. I don’t think.” He grins, earning another eye roll from you, but he’s too giddy to care.

You choose the cozy little Ramen spot on the corner called The Furious Spoon that’s only two blocks from the train station. It’s a close enough walk to easily brave the deep chill that follows with the setting sun and casual enough so that this doesn't feel like something you’re telling yourself it’s not.

A date.

The warmth of the restaurant hits your frozen cheeks, thawing the parts of you that got bitten from the cold. Ainese hangs thick in the air, making your mouth water while the two of you make your way to the empty seats at the end of the long table that lines the side of the restaurant. You pretend not to feel his hand on the small of your back despite it burning a hole through your jacket as you push through the puffy coats that drape over the stools on either side of you.

Shrugging your layers off, both of you follow suit finding a home for them on the wide rectangular seats. Steve tuts at you when you go to pull your seat out waving your hand away.

“Seriously? No.” You half whisper yell, but the corners of your lips twist up and he decides it’s an empty objection pulling your seat out for you with a wave of his hand gesturing you to sit.

“My mom would kill me if I didn’t,” he swears but his smirk tells you not to believe a word he says as he puts both his hands on either side of your stool, spearmint hot on his breath against the shell of your ear. Cedar and clove on the fabrics of his clothes, it feels like he’s everywhere as he gives you two pushes in.

His knee bumps into yours as he takes the seat next to you, and another waft of his cologne hits your nose. Biting your lip, you decide to distract yourself with the menu as you actively try to make sure your leg doesn’t bounce with anxious energy. The restaurant is more crowded than you expected and Steve’s closer than you wanted. Your heart thumps wildly against your rib cage, scaring the butterflies that laid dormant for the few days in his absence right as they had started to stretch their wings.

“This all looks so good,” he hums, eyes scanning over the menu before bringing his attention back to you, chestnut and gold shimmering in the low light as he looks down the slope of his nose, licking his full lips, “Do you have a favorite?”

You can’t stop your gaze from flicking down to his mouth, words threatening to get caught on the tip of your tongue watching the way the corners curl up into a grin, small dimples pushing into his tan skin when he catches you.

“Depends on what you like protein wise, but my go to is The Mother Clucker.” You manage to get out, trying to clear out the nerves out of your throat.

“Excuse me,” he snorts, “the what?”

Rolling your eyes, you tuck your bottom lip between your teeth as you lean over tapping a red polished nail to the chicken option on the top.

“Do you need glasses Steve?” You giggle watching him squint to read it.

The question makes him look at you out of the corner of his eyes with a narrow stare.

“I’ve had perfect vision since high school. Thank you very much.” He scoffs holding the menu further away as if to help him focus on the small bold lettering.

“Sure looks like it, my mistake.” Raising a hand in mock surrender, the gesture makes him knock his knee with yours earning him a giggle.

“Here I am skipping out on an important work dinner to spend my night showing you how grateful I am and you’re just bullying me.” Steve only manages to keep a straight face until you hit him with a soft smack on his shoulder, a full bellied laugh escaping him when whatever retort you’re ready to give gets cut off by your server finally coming to the table.

Steve’s charm flows from him with ease as he speaks to the young guy with a big septum ring and spiked hair. He talks to him like they’ve been lifelong friends when you place your orders and it reminds you how easily he got that same genuine smile from you just a few days ago at work, and again now as you sit next to him for dinner instead of writing him off like you told yourself you would. Your stomach twists in knots when his knee bumps against yours and stays there, the warmth of his body seeping through the fabric of his slacks and your jeans.

“So did you end up finding your Mom a gift that screams ‘I didn’t make a mistake’?” You question resting your cheek in the palm of your hand as you lean on the table with your elbow, you lift your chin up a little at him and it makes him flush.

“Oh yeah,” he laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck, “I-I didn’t actually, so that's great. I’ll probably just get her a nice set of earrings or something, it won’t matter in the end anyways.”

His eyebrows knit together and for the first time all night he purposely avoids your gaze with a sip of his water. Your eyes follow the movements of his throat as he swallows.

“What do you mean it won’t matter?” You press, curiosity getting the best of you watching his confidence slip.

“My parents aren’t exactly thrilled that I moved out here to help with this start up, instead of taking over their family business back home. It’s a long story, but it was a big argument, well - multiple big arguments when I told them I was leaving.” He sighs, and you can see the dread of their arrival start to hang over his head like storm clouds. “Besides we never really spent Christmas together my whole life anyway, they were always traveling for work, so this whole thing is just -“ He rubs at his temple, “a thing.”

He runs his fingers through his hair without abandon this time.

“Ahhh,” you hum as missing pieces of Steve’s puzzle are revealed and you hate yourself for finding him more attractive because of it.

“What about you?” He nods his head in your direction, mimicking your stance resting his head in his hand, “What are you doing for Christmas?”

“Well,” you start, more nerves settling deep in your chest as you start to lay some of your cards down, “I don’t go home for the holidays cause I usually have work. But me and my family get along fine, I guess. But my roommate usually goes to visit his uncle so I’ll probably order something really expensive to eat and watch a Christmas movie I don’t hate.”

You shrug trying to hide that sometimes it does get to you, not having a full house of loud laughter or even someone to spend the day with, but the look in Steve’s eyes makes you feel like he sees you. He gets it.

“Favorite Christmas movie?” He asks without missing a beat.

“Oh, easy, The Grinch.” you snort.

“Fitting for you.” he winks, despite the tips of his ears turning red when your shoe finds his under the table.

“Rude. What about you? huh?” Your lashes flutter as you bite your lip feeling him start to play footsie with you.

“Jingle All The Way, Arnold’s my guy.” He smiles big at the giggle you give him, and it warms your face just like his hand that slides further down his thigh, dangerously close to yours.

The bubble you find yourselves in pops abruptly when the smell of your soup hits your nose. Two large bowls get set down in front of you, steam pouring off the tops so much it fogs the glass window.

“You would like Arnold,” you manage to whisper yell over your servers arm and it’s Steve’s turn to roll his eyes, ignoring you giving the waiter a pat on the back with a ‘thanks man.’

The rest of your dinner is filled with easy conversion and touches that linger more than they should, just like the secret paths heavy lidded gazes make to each other’s lips that aren’t so secret in the dim lighting with your feet still intertwined. You hate that as you learn more about him, the more you want to know. The questions come with follow up questions as he tells you about the life that he left behind, his best friend Robin who he hasn’t spent more than six hours without for the last five years and how it feels like he’s missing a limb.

It feels mutual as both of you sit there long after your bowls are empty, snow falling from a now completely dark sky as Steve listens to you tell a story from high school like it’s the most interesting thing he’s ever heard. Just like the stories about you and Eddie before that, or the one about how you lost your I.D on a crazy night out. All of them felt like he was hanging on every word, and having his full attention like this made your stomach flip. The buzzing of your phone is what ends the night when your eyes catch how late it really is.

“Oh my god, is it really almost nine?” You gasp, but Steve seems unfazed, just like the tip of his shoe running up your calf.

“I’m actually surprised they didn’t kick us out,” he smirks, chuckling to himself before straightening his back. Deep crimson filling his cheeks when you both can hear the loud pop.

You’d tease him but you were too busy already missing his touch. God. Dammit.

“I should really get going, I didn’t realize we’ve been here for like three hours. I gotta be at work super early for this breakfast with Santa we’re doing,” You huff, standing up and the change in energy is almost enough to make Steve’s head spin.

“You live like a block away, I think you’ll get home fairly quickly.” He looks at you confused as he stands up, watching you stuff your arms in your coat with a struggle with tangled sleeves.

“I just, I promised Eddie I’d be home at a certain time and he gets all worried when I’m not,” It’s a lie but you aren’t going to tell him that your panic is from the fear that spending this much time with him has now pushed you past the point of no return.

He’s never going to leave your mind now.

“Let me walk you,” He insists, slipping on his coat with ease, broad shoulders filling it perfectly.

“I think you should worry about getting yourself home,” you tease, buttoning your coat that you won the fight with.

“Yeah, I can’t chance it, not without my good luck charm,” he winks and your knees wobble, “I’m calling an Uber. Can’t get lost that way.”

“Let’s hope so,” you smirk, bumping shoulders with him despite yourself as you walk past.

“Hey! I thought we were friends now.” He whines following close behind, both of you giving a small wave to your server on the way out.

The cold air hits you the moment the swinging glass door opens, sending a shiver up your spine, tugging your coat closer, you silently curse the hint of cedar you catch on the fabric.

“Are we friends now?” You arch a brown turning on your heel to face him as you both hit the sidewalk.

“I was hoping,” he gives you that smile, the kind that you know always gets him what he wants, and god do you want to give it to him. But the gold shimmering on his belt and the reminder that he just moved here makes you stubborn and weary. “Maybe if you give me your number, we can do this again sometime and find out?”

“How about this,” you suck at the inside of your cheek loudly, and you almost feel bad when you see how his face drops, “If we run into each other again, you can have my number.”

Steve stares at you for a second, disbelief painting over all of his pretty features, but he’s quick to recover with a hand through his hair and a new poker face.

“Deal.” He sticks his hand out and now it’s you who has to take a minute to recover, “What? I accept.”

You narrow your eyes at him before you place your palm into his, that charming smile outshining the white snow that falls onto his long lashes. He purposely holds it longer than he should, the butterflies in your stomach coming to life when the warm pad of his thumb starts to rub small circles into your soft skin.

“Till the next time beautiful, who knows, maybe I won’t take an Uber home. Take a gamble. I wonder who could possibly show up to rescue me.” He starts, earning another shoulder slap and a gasped ‘Steve!’

“Do not do that, Uber home you maniac.” You pull your hand away no matter how much you don’t want to, especially when he trails the tips of his fingers down your palm as he lets go.

“You win this time,” He grins pulling out his phone, and you watch him click the app before you start to walk towards the direction of home.

“I win every time, Steve.” You wink, taking a mental picture of the way it makes him bite his lip before you turn away hoping you didn’t just make some huge mistake.

Secretly hoping Steve Harrington gets lost again.

#steve harrington #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x you #steve harrrington x reader

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stariikis · 3 months

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𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 | 𝐤𝐬𝐧

synopsis ; you're definitely sunoo's number one photographer, said so even by himself. usually you're the first to be pointed out by him, but today he doesn't even spare you a glance before walking in his concert venue.

pairing ; guitarist!sunoo x femphotographer!reader genre ; hurt/comfort, fluff, established rs, oneshot disclaimer ; this is NOT an smau, i just included these two texts for context ^^ enjoy reading!

(click to expand pictures)

Hurriedly fishing your digital camera out of its pouch, you alight the bus and rush towards where hundreds, nearly thousands of people are congregating. There's a good mix of male and female fans, but they all have one thing in common - they're here to see your boyfriend perform.

Two teenage girls whisper behind hands to each other, barely concealing their excitement. You can feel their gazes burning your back alive as they try to subtly point at you, but it's no use for them. Before they can scurry off, you turn and wave at them.

As much as you would like to have your own meet and greet with Sunoo's fans, you slip past the blinding camera flashes, huge tripod set-ups and the bustling groups of fans to reach the front of the crowd. Hoping to catch a glimpse of your boyfriend before he makes it into the venue.

After apologising to several mildly annoyed fans, you finally stumble out of the crowd. And there, a little ways away, Sunoo turns to face you. Everyone around you starts to scream, when the artist begins to tug his guitar case from the back of the van.

While everyone marvels at the sight of Kim Sunoo right before their eyes, all you are looking at is the sticker you pasted on the back of his case. The signature he asked you to put, hidden next to the zipper. You wonder if everybody else sees it, too, or if it's a secret for you to keep.

Girlfriend privileges, you joke to yourself.

When Sunoo successfully heaves the case over his shoulder, a surprisingly loose grip on the sling, he turns back around to greet his fans.

Usually, his gaze scans the crowd to search for you. His eyes will visibly sparkle with an eagerness that can't be explained when they land on you. He'll grin to himself, do a tiny little wave of glee and continue walking to his destination.

However, this time, he seems either oddly sure that you're not around, or is plain ignoring your presence. Dramatically, like a scene in a movie or tv show, time seems to slow. Sunoo's eyes skip past you, moving with the crowd. And as the crowd moves with Sunoo and his bodyguards, the only barrier a few mere cones, you stand still.

You're fortunate that the strap connected to your camera is looped around your wrist when you drop the whole thing abruptly.

No. This can't be. You're not only Sunoo's girlfriend. You're his tip-top personal photographer. The highest HD qualities of him come from your digital Canon camera, and your camera only. You're not going to go home with an empty camera roll.

Relying on the hope that the security guards recognise you, you enter the area marked by the cones and dart after Sunoo.

"Yah!" You yell out, to nobody in particular as you enter the restricted zone in the stadium. It's a huge recreational area, off boundaries just for today's concert. Breaking through the crowd for the second time definitely stalled you for too long, because Sunoo is nowhere to be found in the empty room.

Across the dark, foot-ball field sized room, there's a staircase, leading to the backstage. You assume that's where Sunoo is, since he needs to rehearse with the two others in the band in about... you check your watch. About ten minutes.

You can hear Jungwon's voice trailing from the floor above, and that's what helps you make the decision to take the stairs up.

Why you decided to run, slip and fall at the first three steps of the staircase, however, you're not very sure. An agonising pain shoots up your ankle while your camera skids across the ground.

Letting out a hiss, you bring your hands to grab the base of your leg, willing the sharp pain away. Your head's a little dazed, but you can recognise Riki as he rushes down the stairs upon hearing the loud crash.

"Y/n!" He exclaims, doing a 360 to see if Sunoo's nearby. "What did you do? Are you okay?"

"No, not really," you wince a little sarcastically, trying not to break face in front of Sunoo's bandmate, who has assigned you as his punching bag of teasing remarks. Riki rolls his eyes and straightens up to call your boyfriend over.

"Sunoo! Your girlfriend's injured!"

Your eyes squeezed shut to block out the pain, you don't notice when Sunoo flies down the stairs and materialises right next to you after a few minutes pass.

"Hey, y/n, what did you do to yourself?" He presses an ice pack against your right ankle in lieu of your hands gripping it desperately.

"It's okay, I think it's just sprained," Riki sighs and continues unhelpfully, "you're such a bad boyfriend. I was the first one down here."

"Yah!" Sunoo glares his way. "You took one look at her and didn't know what to do and called me!"

"I'm joking, hyung," Riki raises his hands in a surrendering motion, the laid-back grin on his face never dissipating. With that, he spins on his heel and walks back up the stairs, leaving you and Sunoo in silence.

When you can't take the chilling quietness anymore, you blurt, "what did I do?"

You're prone to overthinking, yes, but there must be a reason warranting why Sunoo refused to acknowledge you there outside the venue.

"What did you do?" Sunoo echoes in confusion, tilting his head and adjusting the ice pack on your ankle. "What do you mean?"

"Did you not see me earlier?" you hiccup, and it hasn't even occurred to you that you're crying. The ice is doing little to numb the pain, and with Sunoo acting so off, you're not sure how to feel okay. "You didn't greet me, didn't wave. You just walked away."

"Y/n," Sunoo laughs, "I really, truly, didn't know you were there." He whips his phone out of his pocket and opens your chat, continuing to chuckle quietly to himself. "I'm so sorry I didn't see your texts. I had already reached the venue and had no idea you were there too. I assumed you were going to be late."

Your voice cracks embarrassingly when you say, "you could have at least tried," before shoving his shoulder gently.

"I'm sorry, baby," he murmurs, half-amused. He does not sound sorry at all. But then he leans back, pouts, and then kisses the top of your head. "I'll let you get even better resolution pictures, okay?"

Although Sunoo's interpretation of what an apology is... may be a little warped, he's still your boyfriend, and the show must go on. As promised, when you take your front row seats next to both Jungwon's and Riki's respective plus ones, you take the best, most satisfactory pictures you've ever taken.

you're just the best at photography aren't you 🥰

thank you for reading!! feedback is always appreciated.

more of my works >

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multifandomfix · 6 months

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Perfect Presence — Tenth Doctor

Summary: The Doctor is set on finding you the perfect Christmas present and he traverses time and space to do so, though maybe he really didn’t need to try so hard.

Word Count: 744

Warnings: None, just fluff, so much fluff

With all the swirling depths of time and space at his fingertips, the TARDIS hums with anticipation as the Doctor embarks on a quest to find the perfect Christmas present for you. The familiar wheezing sound echoes through the air, signaling the beginning of his search. He promised himself that he will not rest in his pursuit of a gift that will capture your heart, no matter how many tries it takes him to find just the right gift.

The Doctor's eyes sparkle with determination as he sets out, arriving at one of his favorite planets, known for their eclectic collections of rare and valuable objects. He navigates through the chaotic energy of the bustling alien market, many a trinket catching his eye, but none quite right. Vibrant colors and exotic scents surround him as vendors peddle unique baubles and artifacts from distant galaxies. His sonic buzzes, matching the buzz of his own anticipation, as he scans over the myriad of possibilities. The Doctor weaves through the crowds, searching for that one elusive item that will bring a smile to your face.

Turning up nothing, he decides to try somewhere and somewhen else. In a leap through time, the TARDIS materializes on the gas lit streets of Victorian London; another of his most favorite spots. He wanders for a while, recalling a shop that may have what he’s looking for. Finding it, one street over from where he could have sworn it to be, he explores the quaint shop filled with curious oddities. There, he discovers a pocket watch adorned with intricate engravings, a piece of history that might resonate with you and add a touch of timeless elegance to your collection, but then again, it didn’t quite feel like the right item.

Undeterred by the ticking clock, seeing as he could be back at your door a minute after he left, the Doctor propelled the TARDIS into the far future, landing on a planet where technology reigns supreme. In a bustling metropolis, he finds a device that translates thoughts into art, envisioning it as a canvas for your creativity. The hum of the cityscape fades as the Doctor imagines the endless possibilities of this unique gift, one that mirrors the boundless imagination of the universe. It was wondrous, surely, and he’d no doubt you’d appreciate it, but as cool as it was, it lacked any sort of sentimentality for him. Onto something else then, he thought.

Journeying through medieval castles, futuristic landscapes, and distant planets, the Doctor's quest continued, each locale offering new possibilities for the perfect present, but each coming up short in some way.

Finally, in a moment of quiet reflection amidst the celestial beauty of a distant galaxy, the Doctor discovers a rare, star shaped crystal, half hidden in pink sand. Its ethereal glow reflects the wonder of the cosmos, capturing the essence of his travels with you and the magic of Christmas. With a satisfied grin, the Doctor cradles the crystal in his hands, its radiance a testament to the extraordinary journey he undertook to find the ideal gift for you.

Returning to the TARDIS, the star-shaped crystal held securely, the Doctor anticipates the joy in your eyes as you unwrap this extraordinary present he’d chosen with care and love. The TARDIS dematerializes, leaving behind a trail of stardust as it hurtles back through space and time, all the way back to you on Christmas morning.

You’re barely awake when he knocks on your door, not having checked the time, as he was too excited to bestow upon you his perfect gift. His big, goofy grin filled your tired vision as you greeted him at the door.

"Merry Christmas," he beams, pausing just long enough to reach into his coat and pull out the crystal. "This is for you, a little piece of the universe I thought you might like."

You watched the crystal sparkle in the morning light, reflecting the pure joy in his eyes. As you take the gift, he leans against the doorframe, eager to share the tale of his journey in finding it.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it. But Doctor,” you began, and in that fraction of a second his smile faltered, briefly thinking that it had been the wrong gift after all. “All I really needed this Christmas was to spend it with you.” His smile returned and you invited him inside. “Now tell me how you went about finding this.”

Forever Tag: @baubeautyandthegeek, @ghostsunderstoodmysoul, @immyowndefender, @valencethefriendlychangeling, @crimsonwidow666, @rebelbossheart, @thedailyspiritualist, @orangeisnttheonlyfruit, @woman-simp, @aperol-with-izzy, @leonoralessoem, @ellepossum69, @lakita-fisher, @nclgsticore, @ayanthegreat28, @analuw, @luvlesavyy, @malfoyfeed, @aliciabrower, @bitchr-mkay, @sparrowspixie

Tenth Doctor: @dancingwith-sunflowers, @riveranddoctorsong123, @randomfandomimagine, @danzalladaggers, @keepfloatingaway, @casserole-from-dads-asserole, @little-bean99, @littlefoxgirl-13, @becomingthedreamversionofme, @storytelling-timelord, @chaos-and-food, @callsigncrash, @mxacegrey, @sammus-white, @lokabrenna0801, @m-rae23, @geekyandgay98, @sassykittenjellyfish, @cardinalalignedtiefling, @magpie6322, @aceofspades0064, @thekirbishow, @scriptershifter, @kirimilliagnhalden

#tenth doctor #tenth doctor x reader #doctor who #request

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haziwritesstuff · 4 months

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My little rose, part 3

"You are meant to be the love of my next life."

Pairing | Aemond and Aegon x reader Wordcount | 4.2k Warnings | Medieval misogyny, Aegon isn't the nicest Previous chapters | Part 1, part 2

You make your way to Dragonstone, landing on the stone steps of the castle. Your family isn't there yet. It's quiet as you approach alone. You feel like you're walking into an empty castle, with nothing but your own footsteps echoing in the vast halls. The air is still and you feel like you're walking through a desert of stone and silence. You find it oddly peaceful and tranquil in a way, despite the solitude. The change in environment was refreshing and cleansing, after the tense atmosphere that you've just exited. You feel like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders, a sense of calm and contentment wash over you as you look around at the vast halls and empty rooms.

You find yourself wandering through the gardens, your attention being drawn to the roses as the vivid colors and sweet smells fill the air. You feel your heart skip a beat as you take in the sight of the lush foliage and vibrant petals, and you can't help but feel a jolt of nostalgia. These were the roses that you've always loved, the ones that used to bring you joy and peace when you were a child. Bittersweetness washes over you as you remember those years growing up in solitude, with only Silverwing and the roses for company. You feel like the roses were like your faithful companions, always there to bring you comfort and joy during those times when you felt lonely and isolated. The roses remind you of those comforting moments of companionship and the bittersweetness you feel is a reflection of the mixture of feelings that those times brought to you. You feel a bit of anger and resentment towards your father for keeping you hidden away from the world for years. You feel like he robbed you of a proper childhood, leaving you alone and isolated with no real friends in your life, he deprived you of so much, he was selfish and callous in his treatment of you. Although you made peace with it, you haven't forgotten it either. You've learned to accept and come to terms with your past, but you haven't let go of the bitterness and resentment that you feel towards Daemon for what he did to you. You've learnt to live with this injustice, but the anger and hurt still remains deep inside your heart.

You've been so deep in thought that you haven't realized someone else has joined you in the gardens. You're startled by Rhaena's sudden appearance and you feel a surge of relief as you realize it was her. "Where have you been? We almost started a search party!” "I'm sorry, I was just..." you stop short, realizing that you don't have an explanation for your absence. You feel like Rhaena's sudden appearance has caught you by surprise and you feel a bit embarrassed to explain why you were away. Rhaena’s staring at you and she’s not willing to let this matter go. There is still more to be said, but there is a certain level of awkwardness and tension and between you two right now. You didn’t want to make a bigger deal out of it than it already has been, so you keep your answer brief and simple. "I just flew alone, I wanted some time to be alone with my thoughts..." Rhaena nods her head, seeming to accept your explanation and she doesn't press the issue any further. “So what did you think of King’s Landing? And what did you think of your other family members?” "Well... it was certainly an experience..." you respond nervously, not sure exactly how to answer the question.

“Mmh. Did you manage to fix your issues with Aegon?” You feel a wave of awkwardness wash over you as Rhaena brings up the topic of Aegon. You're not sure what to say, or how you would even begin to explain the situation between the two of you. “Sort of.” You whispered, feeling like you haven't really fully resolved your issues with Aegon. The two of you still have some things to work out, but the tension is not as bad as it was before. Perhaps kissing him wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Rhaena's observant and perceptive, noticing that you're holding something back when you give your answer. You're not sure if you should give more details to her, you wanted to. You wanted to scream that you’ve kissed Aegon, that you hugged Aemond. That you were utterly confused. This was your first ‘experience’ with the other sex and you weren’t sure what to do now. You wanted to tell her everything that’s going on inside your head, but you decided against it.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

It's been a couple of weeks since you had your experiences with Aegon and Aemond in King's Landing. A lot has happened since then, and things have shifted and changed in your life. Viserys is dead and they have crowned Aegon as King, stealing Rhaenyra’s throne.

"You're going to King's Landing and you're going to give Aegon this.” You are caught off guard by the sudden declaration of your father. You're not sure what he's referring to, but you feel your heart beating faster at the prospect of meeting King Aegon and giving him something. You struggle to contain your anxiety as you look at your father, wondering what he has in mind for you. You're being thrown into a dangerous situation, and you're not sure if you can handle it. There are so many ways this situation could go wrong, you're being pulled into a situation that is bigger than you are ready for. “I don’t think I’m ready… For th-“ his eyes narrow and his voice becomes more demanding. "You must go. It is your duty as my daughter." He stares at you intensely, his eyes sharp and piercing. He's not giving you a choice, you must do his bidding. Daemon's eyes narrow even more as he glares at you. "I am not giving you a choice," he says harshly, "You will go to King's Landing and you will give Aegon this." He leans forward and holds up a small black pouch. "This is the message that I want you to deliver to him. Do you understand?" The intensity of Daemon's gaze leaves you feeling scared and intimidated, as if he's determined to not let you refuse or refuse his demands. You realize that you have no choice but to go, and are left feeling like a pawn in this game of power and politics. “Yes, I understand." you say softly, having no choice but to comply with his orders, since he is your father and you have been raised to obey him. Daemon doesn't respond. Instead, he hands you the small black pouch and begins to walk away, his walk slow and measured.

Daemon's words leave you feeling scared and uncertain about your upcoming trip to King's Landing, where you are expected to deliver a message to the new king. You don't know what the message contains, and you feel a sense of anxiety and unease about the situation, as well as a sense of trepidation about the journey ahead.

It turns out you weren't the only messenger. You learn later that same night that Rhaenys, Jace, and Luke were also sent off with messages of their own. Thinking about the message you're carrying, you can't help but wonder what it could be. It's a heavy burden, with your life potentially hanging in the balance. Every step you take on the road to King's Landing is a step closer to danger and potential confrontation with the new ‘king’. The gravity of the situation suddenly sinks in, and you feel like you're walking into the unknown. Aegon wouldn’t hurt you, would he?

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

It's a long journey to King's Landing, but after countless hours of flight, you finally make it to the city. You land in one of the city's landing spots, feeling both relieved and exhausted as you finally made it. That sense of relief and exhaustion is quickly replaced with a sense of anxiety and uncertainty as you realize that you still have the task left: to deliver the message to the new King, Aegon II.

You make your way to the castle in King's Landing, walking up to the gates. There are guards stationed on both sides of the gate, who keep watch over the castle grounds. You feel anxious and fearful as you approach them, they keep an watchful eye on you as you draw closer. Eventually you find your way to the throne room of the castle. Aegon is sitting in his throne, his piercing eyes looking down at you. He is flanked by a handful of guards and advisors, forming a circle around him. As you enter the room, the quiet conversations and whispers stop instantly, and all attention is focused on you. His gaze is like a blazing flame, his look burning into you as he waits for you to speak. The guards and advisors stand close by, as if they are ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Everyone in the room is watching you intently, and you feel the pressure of everyone's eyes bearing down on you.

“I brought you a message from Queen Rhaenyra.” Your voice sounds small and strained as you speak, the weight of so many eyes upon you is overwhelming. The atmosphere in the room is thick with anticipation. After a pause, Aegon speaks, his voice calm and measured. "And what is the message?" "The message is personal and private, and it is to be delivered only to you and no one else." Aegon’s eyes narrow and his expression becomes more intense, as if deep in thought. He's silent for a moment, before finally speaking. "I see. If the message is personal and private, then why are you delivering it instead of Queen Rhaenyra herself?" The tension in the air increases as he speaks, his tone is stern and his face is fixed in a serious expression. He's awaiting a good reason for him to accept this message as legitimate and not a trick or ruse. "There must have been some reason for you being sent here, rather than Queen Rhaenyra coming herself," he says, "Is there a reason why she wouldn't have come here herself? If this message was so personal and private, why didn't she come herself to deliver it?" “I’m not sure.” Aegon raises an eyebrow, his expression becoming even more skeptical. "You're not sure?" He asks in a skeptical tone, "That's a rather unsatisfactory answer, don't you think?" After a few moments, you finally speak again. “My father sent me as the messenger.” “And why would he have done that, I wonder?!”

Aegon stares at you for a few more moments, with a stern and intense expression, before finally speaking again. “Well, I suppose we shall just have to read the message for ourselves, and see what Rhaenyra has to say.” He finally reaches for the small black pouch in your hands, and begins opening it. He removes the message inside and examines it, reading what is written on it. After a few moments, he looks back up at you. "That cunning bitch," he mutters under his breath. His fury seems to be reaching a boiling point, as he speaks again. "Everyone out!” As the room falls silent, you look at Aegon, who is now standing in front of you, still clutching the message in his hands. His face is contorted with fury, and his expression is like the face of a raging bull, ready to charge at a moment's notice.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, he speaks again. "How dare she send you here with a message like this!" He shouts, his voice full of rage and anger. "She thinks she can tell me what to do? Who the fuck does she think she is!?" He stares at you for a few moments, his eyes narrowed and his face full of rage. "And does she think I'm just gonna let you walk away after this?!" "Pardon me?" Your face began to grow darker. "I will not let this pass. I will not let her disrespect me in such a manner. And I'm not going to just let you walk away either. I will not let you go. You're going to be my prize of war, and you'll stay here with me, where I can take my time with you." The threat of violence is now very evident in the king's tone. He continues to stare at you, his expression growing darker and more intense.

This was probably a big mistake. You can feel the weight of his glare digging deep into your skin, and you feel like he's considering what he's going to do to you even more seriously now. After a few moments of silence, Aegon takes a deep breath and starts to speak again. "You're going to stay here with me, and I'm going to take my time with you. Your queen might think that she's being clever and making a request, but I'll show her just how foolish she is." "The fuck I am! You can't keep me captive!" Aegon takes a deep breath and nods his head slowly. "Oh, can't I?" He responds calmly and politely, but his tone is one of pure menace. “I can keep you here for as long as I like, and there's nothing you can do about it.” His face grows even darker, and he slowly steps towards you. He moves in closer and closer, getting right into your personal space. He's so close that you can feel his breath on your neck, and it's an unbearably intense feeling. His face just a few inches away from your ear. You feel his breath tickling your neck, and it sends a shiver down your spine. His voice is like a whisper, but it's a whisper of pure threat and power. "You're mine now." His breath tickles your skin, you feel like you can't move, like your body has frozen up and you can't even scream.

Aegon’s breath continues to tickle your skin as he pulls you close to him, his lips just brushing against your skin. You feel powerless to move, as if your body has been frozen in place by the fear he is instilling in you. "Worry not sweetling, we'll have a good time." He whispers into your ear, his voice is like a snake slithering its way into your head. "N-no..." His breath continues to whisper into your ear, and his voice is full of a predatory kind of sensuality. "Oh, yes.." He replies slowly, dragging his next words out for a long time. "You are mine, there’s no running from me now. I’ll take good care of you..." You try to break free from the his grip, but it's hard to get away from him. He holds you close to himself and his hold on you is tight. He seems to be enjoying himself far too much at the prospect of taking you for his own. Your body is filled with fear and trepidation, but you also feel a strange sense of excitement and arousal. Your body is responding to his touch in a way that is both terrifying and pleasurable at the same time. Aegon’s hands are caressing your skin softly as he pulls you closer to him, holding you even tighter and not letting you go anywhere. You let out a whimper as the caress of his touch sends a tingling sensation down your spine. You're being consumed in a very intimate way, your body being overwhelmed by his presence and you feel yourself melting in his grasp. Your attention was completely focused on Aegon that you didn't notice Aemond entering the room.

Aemond sees the two of you, and you can tell from the look in his eye that he is absolutely furious. He walks up close to you, and you feel the heat of his anger radiating off of his presence like a fire. Aegon finally notices Aemond's presence and looks over at him with a dark expression, his mouth curled up into a sneer. His grip on you becomes even tighter, and you can feel the heat coming off his body like a furnace as he stares at Aemond. He seems very protective of you, and he is not going to let anyone interfere with his plans. Aemond's eye was burning with fury, staring down at Aegon, his voice is a low and menacing growl. "What do you think you're doing with her?!" Aegon looks up at Aemond with a dark and menacing expression, he continues to hold you close to himself. "I'm taking her for my own." He replies in a cold voice. Aemond's eye is still fixated on Aegon, and the two men seem to be locked in a fierce staring contest. You can feel the tension in the air increasing as both men glare at each other, their hostility and aggression rising even higher. Aegon’s grip on you tightens even more, and you feel like you're being smothered.

"I will not let you touch her!" Aemond snaps, and you can tell he's barely holding back his anger. His face is a mask of fury, his body is tensing up, as if he's preparing to attack at any moment. He seems absolutely determined to protect you, and you can feel the raw power and aggression coming off of him like a storm of fury. Neither man wants to back down in this stand off, and they continue to glare at each other with a sense of simmering fury. You're trapped in the middle, with all of this tension and hostility growing around you. Your body is being overpowered by Aegon’s grip and you can't move away. "Please let me go..." Your voice is completely being ignored by both men as their confrontation becomes more intense and heated. You try to plead with both Aegon and Aemond to let you go, but they both seem to have lost all rationality and their sense of logic. Now all they're focused on is fighting over your possession. You’re trapped, scared and helpless as you continue to plead with him to let you go. But his resolve is like iron, and you can't help but feel like this is the endgame for you, and that you're going to be carried off in the king's arms at any moment now.

Aegon finally releases you from his grip, and you fall to the floor at his feet. You can feel him looking at you with a cold and menacing glare, but you're also relieved to be free from his grasp. You have a few seconds of hesitation and fear before Aemond pulls you behind him. You cling onto his back as he faces Aegon and you can feel his anger overflowing like an overflowing cup of wrath. "A-aemond..." you whimper, clinging onto him for support. He's the only thing in this room that seems like it could protect you right now. You feel like you're safe with him, but you still can't help but feel terrified at what might happen next.

"I am going to escort her to a guest room and then I’ll deal with you, Aegon." Aegon stares at Aemond with a deadly look of fury, but he doesn't resist. He lets Aemond lead you out of the room, and you're still clinging onto him for support. You feel safe and protected in Aemond's arms, but you still can't help but feel a bit of hesitation and uncertainty. Aemond's tone is stern and authoritative as he leads you out of the room. He doesn't look back at Aegon, and he keeps his eyes focused on the task of safely getting you away from him. You can feel him breathing softly next to you, and you can feel his muscles flexing slightly with each step he takes as he leads you out of the room. He leads you through the halls of the castle. Your body still clinging onto him as a source of protection and comfort, and you’re slightly trembling with fear and nerves. Despite being stern and authoritative, he's also being very gentle and careful with you.

The two of you finally arrive at a room, and Aemond closes the door behind you. He turns to face you, and you can see the intense look in his eye as he stares at you for a moment. You feel like you're being scrutinized by that penetrating gaze, and it makes you feel a bit uncomfortable. He's not smiling or being friendly like before, but instead he seems to be assessing you in an oddly intense way. Aemond stays silent for a minute, continuing to look at you with that intense gaze. You feel like he's looking at you like a stranger, and you feel like he's judging you based on what happened back there. You feel a bit nervous under his intense stare, and you feel like he's not being friendly at all. You have no idea what sort of reaction he is going to have to this situation, and you feel very vulnerable as a result. You still feel like a trembling nervous mess under his stare. After a minute of silence, he finally speaks in a stern voice. "So...what happened back there?" His tone is very serious and stoic, there's no hint of friendliness in his voice. His eye is penetrating, looking into your soul. You don't know what to say, and you feel like your words are being scrutinized heavily. "I, I gave him a message from Queen Rhaenyra." Aemond’s face remains stoic and unchanged, and he waits for you to say more. His face show no hint of a reaction to what you've said, and he continues to stare at you with that piercingly intense gaze. "I have no idea what it says... But I can only imagine... Aegon isn't the rightful king." His face still remains expressionless, studying you intensely. He still seems very cautious and distrustful. He seems suspicious of your reason for delivering the message in the first place. "So, you're trying to steal my brother's crown?" Aemond finally spoke, and your heart skipped a beat when you heard his voice. His tone filled with a suspicious kind of disdain. His words were loaded with malice and anger as he accused you of trying to steal his older brother's crown. You could not help but feel your heart beating in your throat at his accusation. "Your queen is a usurper, and a thief. She is trying to steal my brother's crown."

Your heart skipped a beat when Aemond moved closer and caressed your cheek gently, your body shuddering slightly at the touch. You could feel the heat of his breath and his touch on your skin, and your whole body felt like it was trembling under his grasp. "I'm afraid your our prisoner now, dove." His touch made you shiver and tremble in a way that you found both thrilling and frightening. The way he caressed your cheek with his thumb was so tender and gentle, his touch was like a gentle caress sending butterflies through your whole body. "My father will have your head for keeping me hostage!" Your words seem to be have a profound effect Aemond's stance as he stops caressing and backing away slightly. His eyes are filled with a sudden flash of anger and hostility, and he seems to be glaring at you with a mixture of distrust and fury. He then speaks in a harsh and stern voice. "My brother will also have your so called queen’s head for being a traitor to the throne! You should be grateful that I have chosen to keep you safe." His sudden outburst of anger and hostility took you off guard, and you had no idea how to handle his sudden change of mood. You felt like a small and powerless creature facing off against a giant beast. His tone was menacing and he seemed so much stronger and more frightening than you remembered him to be. As he spoke, his anger and hostility made you feel even more vulnerable and scared. This was not the gentle and friendly Aemond you remembered, this was a whole different beast entirely. "I am protecting you. Your so-called queen would never treat you with such care as I have." He took one step closer again, his tone sounding more insistent and authoritarian than before. You could feel the heat of his breath and the intensity of his gaze, and your heart was beating out of your chest. "I will take care of you. I will protect you." He spoke softly this time, almost sounding like a whispering voice. You felt like your whole body was trembling with fear and nerves, but you felt a strange sense of comfort underneath the intensity of his gaze. You felt like a small animal being held tightly in the grip of a predator, but in this predator's eyes you found a hint of kindness and tenderness. "Do you see how I am treating you? Like a precious jewel. Like a delicate flower. Like my little rose."

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond x you #aegon targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #aegon x you #aemond targaryen x you #aegon targaryen x you #aemond x reader #aegon ii targaryen #house of the dragon #aemond one eye #aemond fic #aemond x oc #aegon x oc #hotd

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https-furina · 1 year

Text

✎ 4:47am.

ft. diluc x fem!reader

w.c. 1k words

content: short fluff, mildly angst btw! established relationship, perhaps reader has a little past trauma, they were childhood friends, diluc 100% has anxiety, unedited + not proofread

notes: i promise i’ll get around to editing and adding word counts soon, i’ll slacking a little. this turned out more angsty than i was hoping it would but i just wanted concerned husband!diluc. i’m definitely not proud of this one cries

when you had first settled down amongst the rows upon rows of vines, hidden by the leaves, the sky was a deep indigo. it had been littered in specks of stars, all different shapes and sizes and all glittering in their all individual ways; a lot like the beautiful ring now settling on your ring finger. the thought sends your gaze down to the jewellery, a smile crossing your face. two days feels like a fever dream now but it had in fact happened.

he had let you choose location above all else - or else you would have been marrying at the winery - and you quickly settled for the waterfall just south of springvale. diluc had no room to disagree when he saw the way your eyes lit up, sparkling in ways that no jewels could ever compare to. it was like he fell in love with you all over again, the exact way he did years ago having watched you spar with his brother.

a sigh escaped your lips at the thought that kaeya brought this together and diluc still couldn’t completely drop his malice towards the cryo vision. your eyes fall back to the sky, fading into a lilac as morning begins to dawn on mondstadt. how long had you been sat out here? you scowled at the thought of your peace coming to an end however that’s not how your better half reacted when he rolled over and felt a lack of presence beside him.

ruby eyes open, squinting momentarily as his large hand wanders the silk bedsheets imported from liyue and finds that his beloved is nowhere to be seen. a feeling akin to fear sends electricity through diluc’s body, his body rushing to sit upright so quick he gives himself whiplash for a moment. where in celestia was you? had you been taken? no, you couldn’t have been - adelaide would have came running by now to wake him.

he still finds himself rushing out of bed, throwing his hair into a messy ponytail as he saunters the halls of his home, checking every room he’s known you to settle in. where could you be so early in the morning, when the light is beginning to filter through large glass windows as the sun awakens. dread is coursing through his veins, careful when he slams open a door as to not disturb the resting souls still within the manor.

diluc is in the vineyard within moments of searching his manor, looking around for your familiar head of hair or your sweet scent - but even then, the thousands of grapes are strong enough to drown it out.

“why do you look so concerned, my love?” your voice draws him out of his mild panic, his eyes landing on you finally. you’re perched between rows of grapes, cross legged as the leaves cover you. it would be a perfect hiding spot, had you both been kids again. diluc sighs out, a little dramatically as he holds a hand out for you to take, raising you to your feet. you’re still wearing your nightshirt, insinuating you was either going to return to him in bed or be back in the manor shortly.

“it’s not every day i wake up and my wife is missing,” diluc mumbles, albeit embarrassed that you caught him looking so flustered, “don’t do that again.”

you giggle, pressing a chaste kiss to his calloused knuckles before leaving one on his lips too. you laugh but you know diluc is right to be worried as such, he has been ever since you were children. it’s what made you two so inseperable at a young age but you were kidnapped as a child. as the daughter of one of the dawn winery’s most beloved ingredient suppliers, you spent a lot of time at the winery with kaeya and diluc. your disappearance threw the brothers into a fit belittled with anguish as they ignored their father and tracked you down.

ever since, they’d never parted you from their sights for any longer than a few hours and diluc had partially developed anxiety if you were missing out of the ordinary or for longer than usual. while he’s working, he usually has - begrudgingly - kaeya or adelaide at your side. diluc makes a soft noise, brushing hair from your face with his spare hand as he takes in the way your lower lip has jutted slightly and your eyes have softened despite your laugh moments prior.

“you’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” he needs not say it very loudly for you catch his words, nodding a little with a exasperated sigh. sometimes you can’t help but think back on it, diluc has even caught you multiple times having nightmares about the memories. the redhead says no more, strong arms wrapping around your shoulders and pulling you into his chest. you had already noticed how he was barely dressed saved for the ponytail he’d thrown his hair into, pulling a frown onto your lips. you truly had worried him that badly again.

moments pass before the two of you are looking up at the sky, adorned in hues of oranges and pinks as the sun begins to peek over the horizon. you shiver and diluc instinctively tightens his arms around you.

“come, let’s go back to bed.”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

curled up against your husband’s resting form, head laid on his chest as you listen to his steady heartbeat, you realise just how much he cares for you. your legs brush against those familiar silk sheets and you cherish the moment as much as you can before diluc must rise again, going about his work as if he hadn’t shown his most weakened state in the early hours of the morning to anybody awake to witness it.

#꒰꒰・♡ soft pillows #diluc x reader #genshin fluff #genshin diluc #genshin impact #genshin #genshin x reader #genshin headcanons #genshin x female reader #afab!reader #https-heizou

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cherthegoddess · 11 months

Text

His Sunshine

Summary: Who knew a girl with such bright waves could catch the storminess of Bucky's eyes.

Pairing: BuckyxSuperhero!Reader

Warnings: This was written with a black reader in mind, but anyone can read it.

Word Count: 3.1k

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A/N: Heyyy everyone and welcome to my very first One-Shot! I really hope you enjoy it. I'm super excited for everyone to read it! Thank you so much to @novanitee for the dividers!

His Sunshine

Bucky was already exhausted from the day and it was barely 11. He did his early morning run with Steve and Sam. He tried to avoid Tony to the best of his ability. Got unfortunately caught, with that one Parker kid. And now some alien losers decided that today was a fantastic day to try to invade the Earth for whatever reason. He just wanted to return to his bed, read some books, and be away from everyone, but luck was not on his side. He dodged the punches being thrown his way landing a few with his metal one. There just seemed to be too many. He watched as Steve killed one with a few more coming behind him. Bucky ran to help him swiftly getting away from the debris of the battle. He pulled a gun out of his holster when he knew he wouldn’t get there in time, killing two and alarming Steve of their presence. He fought back-to-back with Steve. This battle wouldn’t be over for hours. Every time they killed one another popped up and every Avenger they could gather was there.

Not long after the brush of defeat was starting to come into the air, a few of the aliens were screaming in pain from suddenly being lit on fire, others having branches growing out of their noses. The UFO that was in the air was being broken down piece by piece. The Avengers searched for their unknown hero. “Heyy guys sorry I’m late” Their heads quickly turned to the sky looking at the woman in the air wearing all blue, her identity hidden with a mask. The woman salutes before finishing off the rest of the aliens with bursts of fire, winds, and poor plants that have seen the back and front ends of the aliens. Bucky watched in awe with the others at her speed and effectiveness, all while not even lifting a finger. The others gathered in a small huddle and the woman began to finally hit the ground in front of them. “Whew! Those aliens were really something huh?” Their eyes train behind her as the city begins to rebuild itself. The woman looks behind her to see what they are staring at. “How in the…” She laughs. Waving her hand. “Oh, that’s me! Just doing a little cleanup!” Bucky looks at Steve confused, Steve shrugs his shoulders in response before stepping up. “Ma’am, who are you and where did you come from?” The woman grins. “Oh, my god. The Captain America is talking to me! Sorry, who am I, was your first question right? I’m Y/n. I don’t exactly have a cool superhero name yet. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to pick one, especially with two powers, you gotta honor both. Sorry, I’m rambling! Second question, I’m from Harlem born and bred. I was actually building up the courage to come to tell you guys about me and hopefully become an Avenger, but then you know aliens! Now I’m here!” The woman, who long-windedly, explained her name to be Y/n finally finished with a proud grin on her face. “Okay, Scrappy doo, how did you do all of this?” Tony motions to the buildings that were freshly repaired. “I would love to explain, but repairing buildings and fighting aliens is kind of a draining task, is it possible we could go to the tower? I can explain everything there especially if you want to test me to see all the cool things I can do as well?” They eyed each other, Bucky more weary of Y/n. She was too… nice. Too happy even after being in the face of danger. And even more worrisome, she was powerful. “Fine, kid, but you have to stay by Barnes’ side until we get there, we don’t trust you quite yet,” Bucky’s eyes shoot to Tony glaring harshly even after Steve places a hand on him so he doesn’t say anything. Y/n’s eyes for the first time since her appearance, meet his, she grins and waves. She makes her way over to him. He rolls his eyes at her cheeriness. Tony tells F.R.I.D.A.Y to send a quadjet.

“I’ve never seen anything like this! An Elementalist and you’re telekinetic! People should definitely be scared of you, Scrapy!” Tony exclaimed after running a physical on Y/n. Bucky, Steve, and Nat were watching from a window, while Peter, Tony, and Bruce were in the room with her. “Yeah! How did you get your powers, Y/n?” As she began explaining her story about how she got her powers, (which she got after almost drowning in a lake full of alien artifacts) Bucky still had a sour look on his face. “What’s wrong pal?” Steve asked. “I don’t know, man. I just don’t trust her. She comes out of nowhere with all these powers. And her happiness and all that positivity. No one‘s that good.” Bucky grumbles out. “Bucky, not everyone is after us. She literally saved us all,” Bucky watched as Nat rolled her eyes at him. He shook his head. It was just something about her that he couldn’t put his finger on. She was just pure sunshine but he could see clouds behind her eyes.

It had been 4 weeks since Y/n had moved into the tower. 4 weeks of everyone saying how much they loved her, 4 weeks of her constant humming and singing, 4 weeks of Bucky avoiding her as much as possible. Every room that she was in he left, and every word spoken to him by her was ignored. He watched from afar as everyone enjoyed her company as he isolated himself even more from her. No matter how much he enjoyed looking at her he couldn’t find himself to get close to her.

“Peter! I will not shoot ice at you to see if you could dodge it! You will not have Tony or Aunt May breathing down my neck if you get hurt!” Peter and Y/n got close when she arrived. She was about 4-5 years older than him and she treated him like a little brother. Bucky, however, teased Peter (even more than usual) about him flirting with Y/n. “Y/n/n, I promiseee, I’ll be okay! Plus I heal fast!” Peter exclaimed. Bucky sighed as he realized that he had to walk past the two in the living room to get to his destination of Steve’s room. Bucky begins to walk swiftly. Peter notices realization hitting his eyes. “I train with Bucky all the time! You can just ask him!” Bucky groans internally the two looking at him for confirmation. “Kid leave me out of your drama” The storm in Y/n’s eyes began to brew in disappointment. An urge to make that sunshine come back. He sighs, “Don’t throw ice at the kid, he bruises easily,” He turns and continues on his journey, not before hearing her whisper. “Peter, I can’t believe he actually talked to me! Maybe he’d finally give me a chance!” He rolls his eyes and knocks on Steve’s door.

Fury finally let Y/n go on missions 5 months into her stay. It was her fourth mission and of course, Bucky was the one who was a part of the team that would go with her. He had successfully avoided joining her until now. Luckily everything was going well, for the most part, a simple infiltration of one of Hydra’s bases by getting information from their computers. They had all split up and somehow Y/n ended up paired with Bucky. He guessed it was some sort of plan from Steve to get the two closer. Y/n was surprisingly very tech-savvy and was placed in charge of hacking the first computer to make it easier for Nat and Steve to get access to the others. It was easy until it wasn’t. Everything happened so fast and she was distracted and Bucky so stupidly wanted to keep as much distance as possible from her rays. So before he could get to her a shot ran out hitting her side and making her fall to the ground. Bucky ran quickly the Hydra agents getting wrapped in vines in response to Y/n’s pain. Bucky called into his comms for help, his hands on the wound. “Y/n, Sunshine can you get up?” His voice was soft surprising even himself. “Yeah, yeah, I just need to- grow some vines to keep myself alive. I think that’s all I can get my powers to do right now.” her voice is breathy and light. “Okay Sunshine, I got you.” Bucky watched as Y/n begin to grow vines around her body protecting it from any harm she may face. Her light eyes began to close, Bucky picking her vine-covered body when he saw Steve and Nat rushing their way. “Is she okay? What’s going on?” Bucky held her close. “She covered herself in vines to protect herself. I should’ve been protecting her” Bucky said with a whisper. Nat and Steve look at Bucky and then at each other. “She’s going to be okay Bucky. This isn’t your fault. We need to get to the quadjet before more come.” Bucky didn’t say a word but made his way to the door.

Bucky didn’t leave her side not once since they got back to the tower. He watched closely as they took her out of his arms and into surgery. He was there every step of the way. Something clicked for him. All of his distrust dissipated the second the bullet pierced her skin. He promised himself from that day forward he would always protect her. It had been a week since he saw the sunshine that was slightly covered by storm clouds. He would sit as everyone came to check on her, bringing her favorite flowers and teddy bears. The shot was almost fatal but luckily Y/n’s vines did some of the healing for her. Chamomile and echinacea grew around her wound. The doctors promised that she would wake up soon but even with that promise Bucky stayed.

Bucky squeezed her soft hand. “Sunshine you gotta wake up for me. I miss your eyes. Everyone misses you. Please come back to us, to me.” He whispers to her. He sighs when she doesn’t move. He gets comfortable in his chair again and begins to hum You Are the Sunshine of My Life by Stevie Wonder, a song that he heard Sam and Y/n singing the other week. He didn’t tell anyone but he had the song on repeat for weeks and it reminded him of her. “I didn’t know, you like Stevie Wonder,” Bucky’s closed eyes popped open at the sign of her voice. He took over to her laying form to see Y/n’s smile and bright eyes. “Hey Bucky,” He had to hold himself back from hugging. “Hey. Are you alright? Do you need some water? I’ll go-” An angelic laugh broke his rambling. “I’m okay, Buck. I promise.” Before he could say anything else Dr. Chen entered. “I knew I heard a familiar voice in here. How are you Y/n?” She gave the same response she told Bucky. “That’s good, hopefully now that you’re up, Bucky will leave and go take a shower for the first time in a week.” Dr. Chen laughed. Bucky’s eyes downcasted. “I’ll leave you guys to it. I’ll be back after your check-up,” He left the room swiftly, heading to take a shower. He was so relieved that she was up. He had never seen her eyes shine so bright.

Ever since Y/n woke up his and her relationship had taken a complete 180. They hung out all the time, had *platonic* reading dates, and watched all the movies that Bucky had yet to see. Everyone was shocked to see Bucky’s complete change in mood. It had been 3 months since Y/n fully recovered, and it was almost time for Tony’s annual Christmas pajama party. He had never seen Y/n more excited in his life. She loved Christmas. She explained that it was because she lost all of her family, and Bucky found out why all the clouds were there. There was also something else that he learned while being with her, that he was slowly falling in love with her. Steve tried many times to get him to tell her. But Bucky convinced himself that no one that bright could possibly like him back let alone love him. Little did he know she did.

He was waiting on the couch with Tony, Steve, Vision, Peter, Thor, Clint, Sam, and Pepper when he heard a series of giggles come rushing into the room. There was his Sunshine burning brighter than ever. Y/n was adorable in a bright yellow bear onesie which she somehow convinced everyone else to participate in. He ended up being a cloudy one which got some teasing from Sam, but he didn’t care because it got her to smile. Y/n plopped herself right next to Bucky where he had a cup of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows waiting for her. “Thanks, Buck!” She said with a kiss on his cheek. Over time it became a habit of her that Bucky couldn’t complain about. Tony stood up when everyone sat down. “Now that everyone is here, let the fun and festivities begin,” Tony said with a clap and everyone cheered. “Our first activity is a gingerbread building contest. Get into pairs and may the best team win,” Bucky and Y/n of course paired up, and they almost won the contest but Vision and Wanda cheated by using their powers.

They also did hide and seek which Y/n won, they decorated the tree, did some Christmas karaoke and now finally they were doing some drinking and talking well until Tony spoke up. “I have a game for us to play… 7 minutes in Heaven!” A few people groaned. “Tony isn’t that a bit childish,” Steve asked. Tony winked at him. “Yes it is but it’s also fun. So everyone writes their name on a piece of paper and then you’ll pick a name, and then heaven!” Tony exclaimed. Everyone sighed but did it anyways. Tony took two of his old helmets (one for boys and one for girls) and moved them around the room as they placed their papers in. Tony shook the helmets to mix the names. Everyone grabbed a name except Clint and Sam. Bucky’s widened in shock when he saw his person. Y/n, his sunshine. He looked at Y/n to see her reaction and there was a smile on her face. Disappointment crossed his mind, she liked someone else. Who could it be? Probably that Spiderkid. He thought. The first to go was Thor who picked Nat. They were both slightly disheveled after they left the room. Nat got Steve, Steve got Wanda, Wanda got Vision, Vision got Pepper who did absolutely nothing with a threat from Tony, Pepper got Tony, Tony got Carol Tony got threatened by Pepper, and Carol got Peter who was shaking and nervous before he entered.

Bucky and Y/n were the only ones to not get anything. “Since Peter also got Carol that means, Bucky and Y/n got each other,” Nat said excitedly. Everyone had a knowing grin on their face as Y/n pulled him up into the closet. Before Bucky could fully close the door, Steve mouthed ‘Tell her’. He shook his head. Some string lights were hanging around the room so each person could have some light. Tony yelled that he started the timer. “So,” They said at the same time after a moment of silence. They both laugh quietly. “You go first,” Bucky said. He could tell that she was nervous as she played with a loose string of her onesie. “Bucky, I-” Bucky began to worry. “We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to Sunshine.” She sighed finally looking him in the eyes. “Bucky it’s not that. I just have something to tell you.” Bucky nodded his head hope slightly filling him. “Bucky, I like you. And I have since I’ve shown up here, but you avoided me when I first got here, so I figured there was no way that you could possibly like me back, but then the whole me getting shot thing happened. And you actually started showing interest in me, but I thought it was just because I was hurt, no matter how much Nat, Wanda, and Peter tried to convince me. There’s no way someone as wonderful as you could like me. You’re literally perfect, Buck. I-” Her words fell flat when Bucky covered her lips with hers. He could feel her shock before she settled into the kiss. She pulled back slightly “I guess I was completely wrong huh?” she said teasingly, her lips now slightly bruised from the kiss. “You couldn’t have been more wrong Sunshine. I’m not the perfect one it’s you. I didn’t think you could ever love someone like me. I’ve literally killed people, Sunshine.” Bucky shook his head before she could protest. “Y/n I’m so sorry for how I treated you when you got here. I’ve never met someone who brought so much light before and I was scared. I like you too, Y/n and you’ll never have to doubt that ever again, Sunshine.” She grinned before kissing him again deeper and longer this time. After a while, they were interrupted by a knock. “Okay lovebirds, time to get out! We even gave you guys an extra minute” They pulled away quickly when they heard the door begin to open. A few whoops and cheers followed when they saw their warm faces. “So who made the first move?” Tony asked. Y/n hid in Bucky’s shoulder as a few people groaned. “Y/n/n, you were supposed to let the old man tell you first ‘cause he’s old fashioned,” Nat said with a groan sliding Tony, Steve, and Wanda $100. Sam and Clint doing the same. “You guys did not bet on us!” Y/n exclaimed. Tony shrugged, “What can I say? I believe in you, Y/n.” The group laughed as Y/n playfully shot water at them all. Bucky kissed her head.

The group turned on Home Alone after a while of teasing Bucky and Y/n and drinking spiked hot cocoa. Y/n was cuddled up on his side giggling as one of the bad guys got hit with an iron. He wasn’t watching the movie at all he was watching her. He kissed her forehead, snuggling closer to her. “My Sunshine”

Fin

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fuxuannie · 1 year

Note

REQS R OPEN can i please get a sampo wampo cutie patootie pookie wookie babygirl any prompt uwaah🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 thank u uwuwuwuwuuwu ��💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋 xoxo bob

* pairing : sampo x gn reader

* prompt : request ♡

* authors note : cale i hope u know everyones gonna see that LMAO.. inspired by a drawing requester sent me

You groaned a little as Natasha informs you on where your partner had snuck off this time. "Seems like he's once again snuck off to the snowy plains to do.. whatever it is he does." She chuckled, watching you massage your head as you prepared yourself for the headache that is exploring the area. "Thanks, Nat. You're always the right person to ask for this kind of thing."

You had taken the hidden route that SAMPO showed you, which was a path that would lead to the land of endless snow just outside Belabogs walls. As you walked, your boots made no prints onto the snow which was convenient for expeditions like these with all the Silvermane Guards around. A neat little trick your boyfriend had taught you, speaking of which, that also made trying to find him much harder.

You were about to begin your search, but the sounds of Silvermane Guards up ahead catch your attention. You have nowhere to go nor hide, if you turn back they'll see where you came from and you'd rather not get scolded for ratting out your boyfriends one way ticket out of Belabog. Just as you were going to get caught, a pair of hands emerge from a pile of snow that you initially assumed was a snow covered rock and pulled you in.

The comfort that comes with your partners arms around you keeps you warm. You turn a little, already recognizing that shameless smile of his as he's hiding in the snow. "Sam-" But he quickly hushes you, listening to the distant sound of Silvermane Guards talking before they begin to walk away.

He falls to the floor, dragging you along with him as you're trapped between his arms and legs. Snow falling onto the heads of the both of you as you can hear him chuckle. "Not funny." You mumble, but he only hums in what you can assume to be amusemement, his hand running through your hair to get the snow off it.

"We might be here for a while.." He says softly, a kiss to your cheek as he rests his head on yours. "Wanna take a nap?" You turn a little to face him, not a hint of sarcasm and a face that was fully serious about what he suggested.

You sigh in disappointment, and turn your head away from him again. "Are you seriously about to sleep inside a pile of snow?" But his soft snores behind you are enough of an answer, you grumble a little but it's not like you can do much, and he was right too. There were a handful of guards at this hour, so you may as well wait for nightfall when they have a specific time period of changing guards. You use his arms as a hugging pillow, and fall asleep with him.

++ BONUS

"What shall we do with them, sir?" One of the guards asked Gepard. Who sighs at the sight of you, his dearest sibling, snuggled up to Belabogs most wanted criminal. "I'll handle it." He answered, signalling that they may leave and he'll deal with you.

But as the guard leaves Gepards sight, he only crosses his arms and huffed. "You owe me one." He'll say, turning a blind eye and walking away from the scene. Informing the other guards to avoid the area for the time-being.

#✹ ִֶָ ꐑꐑ entos paw prints #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #sampo hsr x reader #sampo koski x reader #sampo x reader

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watatsumiis · 1 year

Text

The Winged Yaksha - (Xiao x gn!reader)

A little drabble I decided to do, based on the idea of if Xiao had wings in his more humanoid form!

Content: gender neutral reader x xiao (with a pre-established relationship, can be read as platonic or romantic), xiao has some funky adeptus powers and a big nest in Wangshu Inn, Xiao is kind of dismissive/withdrawn (as usual).

Word count: ~2k

The Dihua Marsh is dark and gloomy today - the tension in the air promises an oncoming storm as well as the bouts of rain that have been pouring down intermittently throughout the day.

You pick at your food restlessly, watching people walk in and out, but none of them the person you are searching for.

After a while, somebody finally approaches you. You recognise her as Verr Goldet, the owner of the inn. “If you’re searching for the adeptus,” she tells you, her voice a low murmur. “He prefers not to use the main entrances. Check up on the roof.” She cocks her head in the direction of the stairway leading up.

“Ah.” You sigh out, setting your empty bowl down as you nod. “Thank you.”

With your new destination in mind, you set off immediately. Stepping foot outside, you’re met by a strong wind - not too bad yet, but it’s easy to tell that it will only get worse as the night wears on.

The top balcony is void of people. Seems like nobody wants to be out here on such a dreary night, when the moon is hidden behind a thick veil of clouds. You’ve seen Xiao loitering here a few times in the past, keeping a careful watch over the surrounding lands.

You stand close to the boughs of the tree, sheltering from the wind and occasional rain.

Luckily, it isn’t long before you hear someone join you. A noisy, clumsy fluttering, followed by the rustling of branches and the fluttering of leaves as a figure all but crashes down onto the balcony with you, grabbing ahold of the railing for balance so that it doesn’t knock you over.

“Xiao?” You ask hesitantly, turning around as you try to pinpoint exactly where the noise came from. You see a hulking figure somewhere to your right, and take a small step back.

“I am here.” The voice is unmistakably his, but the figure you see before you isn’t one you recognise. He seems shaggy and bulky, an imposing silhouette against the rapidly darkening sky where he sits, perched precariously on the railing.

“What’s…What happened to you?” You ask before you can stop yourself. You catch a glimmer of his amber-coloured eyes on you.

“Ah.” With a rather violent jerk of his shoulders and a grunt of effort, the large protrusions seem to fold in on themselves, disappearing from sight entirely. “...Apologies.” Is all he says as he drops deftly onto the balcony, walking right by you without so much as a hello.

“What was that?” Curiosity is burning inside you as you follow quickly in his footsteps. You’ve known him for long enough that you know full well he’ll disappear from any social interaction at the first given opportunity.

“It’s…none of your concern.” He sounds a little less annoyed than he usually might when telling others to keep their noses out of his business. If you didn’t know any better, you’d probably assume he was… embarrassed?

“You can tell me.” You reassure him kindly. Though you dislike pressuring him, it’s nigh on impossible to get him to tell you anything otherwise.

Xiao sniffs as he turns and steps up onto the railing once more, setting one hand on a thick tree branch before stepping off and seeming to disappear entirely.

“Wait, come back!” You’ve been waiting so long to see him that you can’t help but feel distraught at his sudden disappearance. “Xiao!” You call out, after a few moments of no response.

The adeptus pokes his head out of a bushel of golden-brown leaves and blinks at you expectantly. “Are you coming?” He says expectantly before ducking back out of sight once more.

You learnt long ago not to even begin questioning the strange things that adepti can do. You clamber awkwardly onto the railing, holding the branch tight as you lean forward. Immediately, there’s a difference in the air - a strange kind of stillness, accompanied by that odd, fuzzy feeling that comes hand-in-hand with the magic that illuminated beasts possess.

Your legs shake as you step out onto the thick branch, tip-toeing your way across and ducking under a large tuft of leaves. You’re pleasantly surprised to realise that Xiao seems to have set up a nest of sorts in the treetop. A rounded platform with raised edges, filled with all manners of material belongings that you’d always figured Xiao had found were beneath him.

You reach up to brush your fingers over a delicate set of wind chimes, sending them tinkling softly in the still air as you step onto the thickly padded platform. Despite how high up you are, and how windy you know it is outside, something about this place gives you a sense of security and warmth.

“Wow…” You murmur softly. “This is… This is so lovely, Xiao.” You say. Xiao has his back turned to you, but the way his shoulders stiffen and his pointed ears twitch up and down makes it almost painfully obvious that he has no idea how to respond.

“You’ve decorated it so well.” You turn a circle as you look around. The roof is open to the sky, the cloud cover you’d seen outside is gone entirely, replaced by a clear view of the moon, which casts gentle beams of moonlight onto the ‘nest’ around you, dappled by the still leaves of the tightly woven branches that surround you.

Xiao still doesn’t even look your way, but you can tell by the slight arch of his back that he’s puffing his chest out proudly.

“How did you get all this stuff?” You know from experience that sometimes it takes a few tries to prod Xiao into a fully fledged conversation.

He ducks his head and sets something down on what looks like a small stone shelf jutting out of the branches in front of him. “Offerings. From mortals.” His voice catches in his throat somewhere in the middle, and he won’t meet your eye.

“That’s so sweet.” You smile warmly. “Do you mind if I sit?”

Xiao dips his chin and gestures to a corner of the nest filled with various soft things, laid out neatly upon a woven reed mat.

You wordlessly nod in thanks and make your way over, pulling a pillow out of the strangely stacked pile to sit on.

“Is there… a reason you’re here?” He asks, grimacing as you unbalance his secondary nest of bedding.

“I just wanted to visit you.” You blink innocently up at him and try to manage a smile, but it’s a little hard to do when he’s staring so intently at you, as if you might disappear the moment he pulls his gaze away.

“Visit me.” He echoes, as if utterly unfamiliar with the concept. “I see.”

You sit in silence for a little while as he paces back and forth a few times, rearranging several things that had been hanging off of the upper branches around his nest, mostly manoeuvring them to different places, even swapping a few out for ones that had been sitting in a small wooden box beneath his shelf.

After a while, he seems to settle down, walking over quietly and stepping into the pile of pillows in a slow, deliberate way, then sinking down until he’s crouching with his knees to his chest, pausing for a few moments before he begins to adjust his pillows and blankets, patching up the gap your current seat had left behind.

“So, uh…” You begin hesitantly once he’s fallen still again. “What was with the…?” You make a vague gesture with your hands, trying to imitate the strange, looming shapes you had seen coming off of Xiao when he’d first landed on the balcony.

He looks away so quickly that it almost seems like he’s dodging an attack of some sort. You watch him cross his arms over his chest, the almost down-featherlike hairs on them reflecting in the pale moonlight. “Those were…” He hesitates, then gulps, before spitting the words out like a foul taste. “My wings.”

You stare for a few moments, utterly awestruck as you question how you never knew this before. “Wait, really?” You can't help but be a little taken aback at this newfound fact.

“Mm.” The noise isn’t particularly helpful in discerning a clear answer, but you figure that Xiao has no reason to lie to you.

“Can… I see them?” The question is out of your mouth and hanging in the still night air before you’re able to stop it.

“You’ve already seen them.” Xiao mutters, hunching his shoulders as he roughly pokes and prods at a blanket, using it to fill in any draughty little gaps in his nest of bedding.

“I bet they’re gorgeous.” You sigh wistfully, trying instead for a gentler approach as you aim for what you want. It’s easy enough to tell the difference between Xiao being annoyed versus him just being bashful, and you’ve quickly deduced that he’s displaying symptoms of the latter.

“Hmph.” Xiao puffs out an annoyed noise, turning away as he sits up a little straighter.

It’s hard to explain the way Xiao’s wings seem to fold out of nothing and into existence, surrounding you both with large, soft feathers. The colours are a little difficult to distinguish in the dark - the moonlight makes them seem wispy and silvery, but on closer scrutiny you can make out hints of the same shades of blue-green that are in his hair, and the golden-amber of his eyes.

“Woah.” You breathe out, a little taken aback by the sheer size of his wings. They only just have enough space to unfurl fully in this nest of his, and even then his left one is almost suffocatingly close to you, curled inwards ever so slightly as if to protect you from the elements that don’t seem to be able to get into this little pocket-dimension Xiao resides in. His feathers seem a little ruffled, some even bent in places, but overall they seem well-groomed and shiny. It seems as if he takes a lot of pride in how they look.

“They’re amazing, Xiao.” You tell him gently, a smile tugging at your lips as you realise how much trust the adeptus must have in you to be willing to show you something he seems to want to keep so private.

You watch a few soft, downy feathers fluff up close to where his feathers meld into his shoulder blades, and one of his wing-spurs clanks against the same wind chime you touched when you walked in earlier. A soft sort of crooning noise escapes from Xiao’s throat as he opens his mouth to speak, and he clears his throat quickly to try and cover it up. “Thank you.” He says softly, making fleeting eye contact with you, only to look away the moment he spots the unadulterated admiration in your eyes.

He straightens up where he sits, and his wings flare out for a brief moment before folding back in on themselves rapidly and disappearing once more - you can hear a few of Xiao’s belongings clanking about due to the disturbance of the air, but he doesn’t seem to care, too busy looking your way as he tries to gauge your reaction.

You can’t help but be a little disappointed, but you can understand his shyness about them. “Thanks.” You smile at him as you catch his eye.

He tilts his head to the side ever so slightly as his brows furrow.

“For showing me your wings.” You specify, blinking slowly as he stares you in the face.

“Ah… I…” he seems to fumble a bit for the correct thing to say. “You’re welcome.” He mutters finally, tearing his gaze off of you to look up towards the moon, perfectly framed by the branches surrounding you that reach up towards the stars.

Please don't repost, steal, copy or otherwise plagarise my writing! This includes posting translations to other sites.

#xiao #xiao x reader #genshin xiao #alatus #alatus x reader #xiao fluff #xiao drabbles #winged!xiao #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin imagines #genshin self insert #my writing #genshin headcanons #genshin fluff #platonic genshin x reader #hehe oops i stayed up to finish writing this :3 but it was fun honestly

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umthisistheonlyusernamenottaken · 2 months

Text

Day 3: Mates

So, this is love?

Tamlin races to the Spring-Autumn border, spurred on by a mysterious message, unaware of what will meet him there.

《》《》《》《》《》

Tamlin yawned, flexing the fingers of his left hand as he finally set down his pen and tossed the last sheet of parchment onto the finished pile with a flourish. The mound of paperwork on his desk had taken the entire day to complete. He winced. Never again would he 'just set it aside for another time'.

He'd planned to finish earlier, so that he could at least take a walk around the gardens before nightfall to clear his head, but by now his limbs were so weary from sitting on his arse and writing page after page that he couldn't find it within him to do anything other than draw a bath.

Resolute in his decision, he pushed his chair back to do just that when a flash of flame appeared in the air, making him jolt as it disappeared to reveal a slip of parchment.

“What in the Cauldron…”

Trouble at the Spring and Autumn border. GO

He stared down at the hurried words, mind whirring. Distantly, he wondered if this could be someone's idea of a joke, meant to alarm him into useless action. But something roiling in his gut told him to go investigate. He folded the slip of parchment and tucked it into his pocket.

With a crack of magic, he winnowed out of the study.

He reappeared at the top of a hill overlooking the Spring and Autumn border. He strained his eyes, searching for any signs of disturbance. There was nothing. The land was perfectly still, the sun beginning to set low over the horizon.

False alarm, a voice chided. You've been played for a fool.

But wait, he turned his head. There was a rustling to his right, sharp cries of breaths… there.

It was a male, staggering through the wall of thorns that divided Autumn and Spring. He was obscured by a heavy cloak of cobalt blue, but even from where he stood, Tamlin could see the blood smeared across his face, the arm that hung limply by his side.

Something flared in his chest, and then he was moving. As he ran, he twisted his fingers and the tangle of thorns began to recede, winding back to create a hollow for the male to pass through easily. But even with Tamlin's magic, the male was still moving far too slowly.

Just as he was about to break through, two flame haired males appeared in the near distance, just visible through the magicked opening in the thorns.

“Oh fuck... HURRY!”

Tamlin skidded to a halt fifty feet shy of the wall, planting his feet as he drew his arms out wide, the wall of thorns shifting and roiling into an even greater barrier than before, forcing the two males farther back. All this not a moment too soon, as the strange male finally stumbled into Spring.

Tamlin ran to the male, golden light already flickering at his fingertips. He was barely moving, guttural cries of pain tearing loose from his throat.

“You’re alright now, you’ll be alright.”

By the mother... He was bleeding everywhere.

Tamlin sucked in a deep breath, then began with a blood slowing spell. The male writhed and cried out, his body instinctively seeking to shy away from the stinging effects of the healing magic soaking into his skin.

He gritted his teeth, "I'm sorry."

Slowly but surely, the pool of blood at his stomach began to recede. Then, all that was left was to knit the skin back together. Tamlin glanced up at the male. His head was turned to the side, ragged breaths punching free of his throat. His face was still hidden.

"I'm going to cut your shirt so that I can see the wound, is that alright?"

Tamlin touched a hand to his shoulder, nudging gently, "Alright?"

The male turned his head and jostled the hood of his cloak, then Tamlin was staring into golden eyes and suddenly his world was enveloped with nothing but light.

It tore the breath from his lungs and made his head ring, beat in his veins and sang in his ears, filled his heart with something lovely and devastating all at once.

He opened his mouth to speak, to put into words the exhilaration that had just wracked his body.

"Who are you?" he asked instead.

His mate’s eyes were the most beautiful gold, and they were shimmering with tears. He closed his eyes, shaking his head softly.

"Lucien."

Tamlin's mind raced, his heart slammed against the walls of his chest, howling.

His mate was here, and his mate didn’t want him. His mate was here and he didn’t want him, his mate was here, here, here, here-

An ugly crackling sound reached his ears. The two Autumn males, they had broken through. They were burning down the wall of thorns.

A low, seething anger began to bloom deep within him. He could feel his claws extending from his fingers. These males had hurt his mate, had almost killed him, and now they dared to invade his lands.

He got to his feet, magic whipping at his fingers. Blind with rage, he charged towards them, allowing the beast to take over his body, enveloping his mind and roaring for blood.

<><><><><>

Beads of scarlet dripped through his fingers as he made his way back to his mate.

The slashes on his arms and chest began to weave back together, healing within a matter of moments. He ran his tongue around his mouth, dislodging small slivers of bone and gristle that he spat out in a bloody gob. The flame haired males had put up a fight, but they had been doomed from the beginning. They were nothing more than tatters now.

Tamlin dropped to his knees beside him. Lucien's face was scrunched, sweat beading on his brow.

He held his breath and laid a hand on Lucien's chest, closing his eyes as he strained to hear the mating bond.

Tamlin's heart dropped into his stomach.

They needed to get back to Rosehall.

He gently guided the unconscious male up into a seated position, letting his head fall into the crook of Tamlin's neck as he slowly stood.

Lucien made a small sound at the back of his throat and Tamlin's arms tightened around him.

"You'll be alright. You're safe now."

Alis started with a cry as he winnowed into the kitchen, stumbling backwards into a rack of utensils.

"Tamlin! Oh, you're a mess, what in the h-" A sharp cry escaped her and she clapped a hand over her mouth, rushing over as he gently laid the injured male onto the large preparation table.

"Is he-"

"He's alive, but I had to put him under a sleeping spell. He was in too much pain otherwise."

"Good, good, but what happened? Tamlin, tell me."

Tamlin couldn't tear his eyes away from him, could barely keep himself from taking his mate's hand in his. He forced himself to focus on Alis's words, to answer her question.

"I- I was near the Spring and Autumn border. He was being hunted. Two males. I dealt with them."

"He is of Autumn, then?"

"Yes. He is Lucien Vanserra, son of the High Autumn family."

His voice began to waver.

“He’s my mate."

<><<><><><><>

Some extra? I felt that that was a good place to end the ficlet, but I couldn't NOT include some soft Alis moments.

<><<><><><><>

"Oh, sweetling." Immediately, Alis was by his side, tugging him down into a fierce embrace. One hand stroked along his back, the other wrapped firmly around his shoulders. He buried his nose into her small shoulder, breathing in the scent of earth and rain.

"What am I going to do, Alis?" he asked hoarsely. "He doesn't want me."

She cooed soothingly, squeezing him in her arms even as his tears seeped through the fabric of her bodice. Suddenly, he was a little boy again, crying into Alis's skirts, and all of his hurts could be shooed away with a kiss to his brow and a mug of warm milk.

"Patience, sweetling. You must have patience. These things take time, you'll see. He will grow to love you, just as I do."

#tamlin week 2024 #pro tamlin #tamlin #lucien vanserra #pro lucien vanserra #tamcien

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marvelmusing · 1 year

Text

Keep Your Judgement

Chapter Four

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova x Fem!Reader

Summary: During a walk around the Sanctuary, you share some theories with the General, and a familiar face makes an appearance.

Warnings: mentions of canon level violence, minor spoilers for season two.

My Masterlist • Series Masterlist

“Well, that was pathetic.”

Huffing a sigh, you stare at the tiny scratch on the bark of the tree directly in front of you, then you glance over at Fruzsi. She raises a brow wryly at you as the corner of your mouth twitches as you say,

“Once we get back to the Little Palace, I hope you consider becoming a teacher. With an attitude like that you’d be a good replacement for Baghra.”

She scoffs a laugh.

“Thanks.” The questioning tone of her voice makes you laugh as you shake your head at her.

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

Whilst David and Vladim are both content to work for hours at a time, you find your thoughts to be most productive during a walk in the fresh air. Which is how you had ended up attempting the Cut on a tree after talking with Fruzsi about whether it is something only a summoner can do. She thinks it is, while you theorise that any Grisha should have the ability, it’s only a case of directing your power in the right way.

She had given you some pointers, explaining how she summoned her power, which you will admit helped a little, but you could barely compare your attempts to the feats you had seen the General accomplish with his power.

As if your thoughts of him had drawn him closer, you spot the General making his way through the trees, shrouded in the mist that Fruzsi and her fellow tidemakers have been maintaining to keep the Sanctuary hidden from your enemies.

He nods at the two of you, saying your names in greeting. To Fruzsi’s credit, she doesn’t bow this time when he addresses her. Plenty of the Grisha considered the General a saint-like figure after his return from the Fold and supposed death.

“Might I discuss something with you, sir?” you ask him.

He regards you for a moment, assessing you once again, before he nods slowly.

“Of course.”

He gestures in the direction he had been walking, his palm open to the skies, and you step over a large stone to join him.

As the bottom of your boot meets dew covered moss, your balance shifts and you skid slightly. Half over the rock, you stumble forwards, landing against a firm chest as the General steps closer. His arm wraps itself securely around your body, keeping you pressed steadily into him.

“Careful now.” His voice is low, an indecipherable edge to his tone. His dark eyes betray nothing of his thoughts, but your cheeks warm at the thought of him scolding you.

Swallowing hard, you shift you gaze quickly away from his lips, unaware that your gaze had fixated there.

“Thank you,” you whisper.

Once you’re steady on your two feet, he withdraws from your space, and the two of you begin to walk through the woodland that surrounds the Sanctuary.

Around you, tidemakers maintain the mist and plenty of stray Grisha make their way towards the building to seek refuge from the persecution that continues throughout Ravka.

The General is the first to break the silence between you.

“How goes your search for the fox?”

After he had mentioned the fox that lives in the nearby woods, a potential amplifier for you to claim, you had read up on both amplifiers and the story of the Too Clever Fox. Even foxes themselves had become an element of your studying, to the point in which you’ve even been dreaming of the fox.

“There’s a few burrows I’ve been investigating, and I think I’m getting closer.”

Almost every day, you journeyed to the north, finding tracks, and scouting over hunting trails. Like the General, you also believe that a fox lived in the woodland, unlike any other.

He hums thoughtfully, and you glance at him before you add,

“But that’s not what I wanted to discuss.”

He meets your gaze, lifting a brow at you.

“Oh?”

“I have a theory, about how to improve your condition.”

At that, he halts in his steps, forcing you to face him directly. He inclines his head, a silent invitation for you to continue.

“Vladim seems to think the only thing that can counter merzost is more merzost.”

As always, he studies both your words and your expression, reading through them to find what you truly mean, nestled underneath.

“You don’t agree with him.”

Looking away, you share your concerns with him.

“I believe that more merzost will only make your symptoms worse. To increase your suffering for the sake of studying merzost would be too much of a risk, with no guarantee of us finding anything helpful.”

He’s silent, a curious glimmer in his eyes as he studies you, and you begin to fear that you’ve overstepped in some way. Then his expression smoothens into something neutral, but not cold.

“What is your theory?” he asks.

“Merzost is drawn directly from the making at the heart of the world – it requires balance. I think you need something equal but opposite in power, to counteract the effect of merzost.”

“Opposite,” he repeats distantly.

Nerves fill you, watching his face carefully as you say your next words.

“The sun summoner.”

He straightens, dark eyes losing whatever distance had clouded them previously. Now he stares sharply as he looks down at you.

“I beg your pardon?”

Despite the shift in his temperament, you persist in your explanation.

“There already exists a link between you both, strengthening it might allow you to draw on her power to balance the merzost. But it would require physical proximity.”

He nods, shoulders rigid with tension.

Yesterday, scouts posted near Kribirsk had brought reports of a huge light event inside the Fold. Alina Starkov had survived. From an unnamed source, the General had discovered that she has claimed another amplifier. The sea whip.

Combining two amplifiers was unheard of, a contradiction to everything you know about the limits of Grisha power.

The General hadn’t told any of you about what happened in the Fold, and whilst you had heard rumours of the Fold expanding to destroy half of Novokribirsk, you have no idea what occurred between the General and the sun summoner.

When the General had asked you and David about the possibility of him being able to sense Alina through their connection – the one created by the stag amplifier – you had noticed how his voice had softened when he said her name.

Only a month ago, you had seen the two of them at the Winter Fete, the stoic General smiling gently at her as he held out a bunch of beautiful blue irises. The look shared between them, as she accepted his arm, is playing over in your head as you stare at him now.

At the news of her survival, you thought he would be relieved, perhaps even overjoyed. But instead, he had carried on as usual, organising your forces to free more Grisha from prison camps. There has been no word of seeking the sun summoner from him.

There aren’t many places she could go, after all the Little Palace had been raided and surely she wouldn’t side with the monarchy. Not after they had turned on Grisha so quickly.

“I shall take your suggestions into account,” he says, appearing rather lost in thought. His brows are drawn together, pinching the skin of his forehead where one of the dark scars traces through his skin.

When you nod in acknowledgement his attention snaps back to you, as the movement of your head appears to have pulled him away from his thoughts.

Holding his gaze, you scramble to come up with some sort of response. Instead, you settle on changing the subject. Looking away quickly, you take a step back, continuing your walk around the grounds.

“I have a theory about my amplifier. Once I have it, of course.”

As you spin lightly on your heels to see if the General is following, you catch a glimpse of an adorable mixture of confusion and amusement crinkle at his features.

Then he lifts a brow at you, falling into step by your side.

“Do tell.”

“Some of the books I brought from the Little Palace spoke of how gaining an amplifier was originally considered an exchange of power, between amplifier and amplified.”

He nods.

“Ideas about Grisha power have changed dramatically over the years.”

Over the last week, Baghra has been held captive in the cell that sits by the windows in your workshop. Luckily your desk is rather tucked away, giving you some distance from the old woman’s scornful eyes and snide comments. But you cannot help overhearing the conversations between her and the General – her son.

It's no surprise to you anymore that he is far older than any of you had previously believed. It had taken you a day of contemplation to realise and accept that he is the Black Heretic.

He had created the Fold, but you don’t know why.

Perhaps it had been a mistake. Perhaps he had been curious about merzost and wanted to experiment like Morozova. Perhaps he had wanted to create something for the otkazat’sya to fear – a tangible and undeniable proof that Grisha are powerful.

Without the skills of a heartrender, you have no idea if he was being genuine when he pleaded for his mother to help him, to not turn away from him as he tried to protect his people.

All these years, he has used his power to build a safe place for Grisha, when he could have walked straight into the throne room and killed the king where he sat.

If the General had wanted the throne for himself you fully believe he would have claimed it centuries ago.

“A lot of the books mention becoming one with the amplifier,” you tell him. “Plenty of our folktales feature animals with human traits or saints who are also animals.”

Once again, he reads between your words, deciphering exactly what you are leading up to.

“You believe you could merge form with the fox.”

He doesn’t sound doubtful, but the questioning tone in his voice makes you worry.

“It’s just a theory,” you add hastily. After a few glances at his frown, you stare down at the grass beneath you dejectedly. “You don’t think it’s possible.”

He shakes his head.

“It’s not that.” He hesitates for a moment, and you wait for him to continue. His next words are slow and calculated carefully. “Perhaps the risk of attempting it would not be worth the consequences, should it not work how you anticipate.”

There’s something familiar about what he’s saying. Then you realise it’s a near mirror of your sentiments regarding the use of merzost to alleviate his pain from creating the nichevo’ya.

But you aren’t as valuable as the General. Why does he care about the consequences of you being stuck as a fox for the rest of your life or turned into some frightful half-fox creature?

He catches your eyes once again, but you have no idea how to ask him to explain himself.

Then movement in the corner of your vision captures your attention.

Another Grisha, looking worn and beaten down in ordinary civilian clothing as they make their way to the Sanctuary for the hope of some safety.

The man is tall and seems familiar. It’s only once your eyes focus properly on his face that you take a hesitant step forward.

“Feyda,” you whisper. Then louder, “Fedoyr!”

Hurrying towards him through the trees, you see the moment he recognises you and begins to move quickly in your direction. The two of you barrel into one another, his arms wrapping tight around your body as you cling frantically onto his clothing.

From the very beginning, Fedoyr has been by your side. Before the testers had discovered your power, you had been living in Os Kervo, while Fedoyr’s family lived in one of the smaller villages just before Novokribirsk.

Almost as soon as Fedoyr joined the small travelling party you were a part of, on the way to the Little Palace, the two of you were friends. The first time you entered the Fold, at only nine years old, was with him by your side.

He is the closest thing you have to a family and both of you are teary eyed as you draw back to look at one another.

“How did you survive?” you ask.

“I stuck to the edge of the Fold, deep enough in to be hidden but close enough to run from the volcra. I decided to come out around a mile away from Kribirsk.”

“I thought you were dead.”

“How did you get out?”

“Managed to unlock my cuffs, freed some of the others at the camp, then the General arrived.”

“Ivan?”

“I haven’t seen him.” Worry twists at your stomach. Ivan is well known as one of the General’s most valued Grisha, if he is still alive he will be in danger. “But he was on the skiff with the General.”

Fedoyr’s expression shutters slightly. All this time spent travelling, you know he will have already run through every possible outcome in his mind, that a reunion with Ivan might never happen.

He keeps his arm around you even as he straightens at the sight of the General approaching. Warmth flushes over your cheeks as you realise you had just practically run away in the midst of a conversation with him.

“Fedoyr. It’s good to see you.”

“General.”

Something heavy hangs between them, questions and answers weighing in their eyes.

“I should go,” you say softly, pulling away from Fedoyr.

The General nods in agreement.

“Fedoyr and I have some matters to discuss.”

Those words have your stomach plummeting, but you nod nonetheless, giving Fedoyr’s arm a reassuring squeeze before you step back towards the house.

The General meets your gaze for the few seconds you have before you have passed him. There’s countless feelings you could use to describe what you find in his eyes – curiosity, sympathy, and something darker, almost possessive.

Shaking yourself, you push the thought of his eyes away and focus back on the work that awaits you in the workshop.

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity @slytherheign @ellooo0ooo @vixenofcourse @dumb-fawkin-bitch @jane-arthur @ilikefictionmen @budugu @watersquirtpewpewboomm @mysweetlittledesire @dhampiravidi

S&B Tag List: @motheroffae

Aleksander M Tag List: @nyctophiliiiiaaa @jazmin2211 @wooya1224 @seronsalk @housekeeperjjswife

BB Characters Tag List: @rachlovesactors @noortsshift @aikeia @weallhaveadestiny @two-unbeatable-beaters

KYJ Tag List: @tartiflvtte @weepingwitchofthewest

#keep your judgement au #aleksander morozova #aleksander morozova x reader #the darkling x reader #the darkling #the darkling au #shadow and bone au #shadow and bone x reader

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loveshotzz · 6 months

Text

A sneak peek of part one to make up for not posting today. 🎄coming 12/20

series masterlist

Moving with the flow of the crowd, the beginning jingle of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ starts to play, and with the grand spectacle that the holiday decorations are every year, it’s hard not to feel all those emotions of nostalgia they’re trying to pull from you, making you roll your eyes singing along with her under your breath.

The big water fountain in the middle of the men’s department comes into view from the tops of bobbing heads, one of the many physical markers in this building you’ve had to use so you don’t get lost in the retail maze they’ve created letting you know that you’re close to your destination. Weaving through the sea of people, you try to gear up to break free from the human traffic jam, the signs pointing to the escalators in your sights. His panicked voice is what you hear first, an obvious friendliness still hidden underneath it despite the way it shakes every time you hear him say “excuse me?”

Your eyes search for the owner, and when you find him, regret buries itself deep in your gut when they land on his face.

“Are you lost?”

Yeah, you’ve made a huge mistake.

“Hi” is all that he says, peony’s painting his cheeks as he runs his hand through his thick hair again and it looks even softer up close.

“Hey,” You giggle, nerves taking over and you want to pinch yourself for it, “I just wanted to see if you needed some help, you look a little lost.”

“So lost!” He groans, the blush on his cheeks deepening with the tips of his ears. “If I’m being completely honest with you, I don’t even know what floor I’m on.”

You try to hide the way you snort, slapping your palm over your mouth.

“Hey, be nice!” He laughs, trying his best to fight it to put on a hurt expression, “this is like, my first time here, okay?”

“I’m sorry,” you try to fight off you smile, “I didn’t mean to laugh at you —“

“Steve.” He interjects with a grin, those perfect teeth biting at his full bottom lip as he sticks out one of his hands for you to take, a gold band wrapped around his middle finger you didn’t notice before gleaming when it hits the light.

“Well, Steve,” You try not to laugh, which ends up being easy to do when you slip your hand into his and watch it disappear behind his long fingers when they wrap around it, “you’re on the first floor if you can believe it.

“That’s fucking embarrassing, wow.” He groans, letting your hand go to run his palm down his face, and you hate that you feel the loss in your gut, “sorry I didn’t mean to cuss.

“Or I could just try and give you directions if that’s more comfortable for you.” You offer, adjusting the straps of your backpack nervously.

His gaze narrows the color in his eyes darkening into something more flirtatious than nervous.

“Who knows how long it’d take me to get there without a beautiful, clearly smart woman such yourself to help me anyway.”

Why did you do this?

You meet his gaze from the corner of your eye, letting him see the playful glint that dances in them before giving a curt nod of your head.

“One..” He starts, and your eyes meet ‘white puffer coat’ who’s now only a few steps away before finding Steve’s again who’s stare very obviously never left your face.

“Two..” You giggle trying to hide the way your body starts to buzz and if it wasn’t for Steve’s giddy expression you’d be more embarrassed than you actually are.

He’s still holding your hand.

#my writing #steve harrington #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x reader smut #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fic #steve harrington imagines

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