#shes kept me from walking straight off more than one cliff

[fjordfolk]

roundup while i remember it:

sparta is getting better with river and stream crossings after her little dip last year, and from having to carry her across a (wide!) bridge on Thursday, to her doubting and having 2nd and 3rd thoughts but ultimately crossing a *bunch* of them today, she's really getting her confidence back. she's still cautious re: crossing water (as she always has been) which i honestly appreciate, but it's nice to see her get over this particular thing.

troja did amazing picking and following the trail today! she's never done that seriously enough for me to rely on, but tonight she went ahead a couple of times and once even picked a better route than sparty did (heresy, i know.) these are skills i value, because of hikes like these ones where we didn't get back until 2am and for almost two hours i trusted my dogs fully, because it was too dark to really see the path.

for that last bit it is also helpful to have a light colour dog because sparty? love her. adore her. can not fucking see her.

[himeryu]

God's Favorite (Childe x Reader)

NOTES: unhealthy relationship (codependency), mentions of trauma etc., slight yandere themes, cult themes, religious themes, hurt/comfort, angst, idk fluff????

PAIRINGS: Childe x Reader

GENRE: SAGAU Cult AU Imposter AU to Fatui AU

SUMMARY: Brainrot of Childe x God!Reader where Childe is the only one who receives god!reader’s favor

A/N: tbh im supposed to be sleeping but i can’t stop thinking about childe x God!Reader so im making a post. not proofread

. . . navigation masterlist

The day you realized you isekai’d into genshin you were happy, nervous, but happy. After all, you get to meet your favorite characters!

And God were you able to meet them.

You first arrived in the land of anemo and the moment you stepped within those walls was the moment hell came greeting to you. Then the next minute the citizens and the knights chased you around Mondstadt.

While on the run, you came across venti who looked angry. His bow was pointed at you and then he accused you of Treason for looking like… yourself?! You started running as he shot his arrows at you, one of them managed to cut your arm.

That was the moment when you noticed you bleed gold.

The same thing happened in Liyue, Fontaine, and even Inazuma. Somehow, after trying to run away from the former geo archon by jumping off of a cliff in Liyue, you managed to survive and were washed off on the shores of Narukami island.

As usual, the same thing happened in Inazuma but worse.

The Electro archon herself chased you around Inazuma. You kept running and running. The more you ran the more scars you got, the more insults you received, and the more betrayal you got from your favorite characters.

Betrayed and mistreated, you were tired, but most importantly, angry.

Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? All I did was play a stupid game!! filled your thoughts every day, every night.

You swore vengeance in the land of electro, but your resolve weakened the moment you laid your eyes on him.

You have always wondered where Childe was while you were on the run. He was (and is) after all, your favorite character. You spoiled him. You have his c1, Polar star, amazing build with 70/220 crit ratio, and even have a Serenitea teapot island dedicated to him!

So when you first saw him, you felt weak. Out of all of your characters, he’s the strongest one. Will he kill you? Will you die at the hands of your favorite character? filled your thoughts as he stared down at your terrified self.

But, you’d rather die by his hand than others.

Unexpectedly, he went down on his knees and looked at you straight in the eyes— desperate. You were caught off guard by the gesture. Confused and still terrified, you told him to stand up, but instead, he screamed “Your Holiness!”

After that he took you to a nearby fatui camp; he healed your wounds, took care of you, adored you, and stayed by your side. You broke down in front of him for hours; he was the first one to ever treat you like you were human.

He saved you; He was the first one to recognize you.

You didn’t care if what he was doing is the bare minimum; to you, who has gone through so much, it was everything.

From that day onward, Childe became God’s Favorite.

The moment you two arrive in Snezhnaya, Childe is the only one you’d call. From keeping you company during the day to even keeping you company at night, you’d only ask for Childe. Everyone is envious of him— After all, he’s the only one receiving their God’s affection.

Even the Tsarista herself is envious of the harbinger; You only show affection towards Childe. At most, she only received a head pat from you and a praise, and that’s it!

They watch as you’re walking around the garden hand in hand with Childe; you sitting on Childe’s lap, playing with his ginger locks; you spoiling Childe with all of your love and attention. You just can’t keep your eyes and hands off him, and Childe, oh God, is aware of it.

He walks around the palace every day— head up high— fully aware that only he can worship their God in such manner.

To him, recognizing you was easy. He stayed in the Abyss for three months, surrounded by your temples and statues. While running away from abyssal creatures, he found your temple. He hid behind your statue terrified, hoping that the monsters would leave him alone. And to his surprise, they did. The moment he stepped into the temple, the abysal monsters never bothered him.

He was saved, despite having a monster in him, he was saved by you. After weeks of not taking proper rest, he finally did at your temple.

And the moment he became your vessel was the best day of his life. He could finally prove himself to you, that you didn’t save a useless boy from the abyss.

Sure, at first, when he heard of an imposter waltzing around teyvat he was angry, ready to hunt the bastard who dared impersonate you. So he tracked down your location, traveled all the way to Inazuma, searched you, and when he finally found you– ready to kill– he started kneeling.

Just one look at your eyes, he recognized you immediately. He mockingly laughed at the people who didn’t recognize you at first glance– they dare call themselves your most devoted acolyte yet chase you across teyvat for looking like you.

Childe is willing to go crazy for you. Oh you want to kill someone? ask Childe, he’d do it in a heartbeat! you want the prettiest clothing? Childe would give it to you immediately, regardless of the price! Someone offended you? Don’t worry! Childe would make sure you would never see their face ever again.

You showed the slightest bit of affection towards someone other than him?

…

oh you haven’t seen them in a while?

Don’t worry they’re just on a vacation and will never come back!

At this point, he is your most devoted, bat shit crazy acolyte instead of those wretched Archons.

He is and will always be your one and only favorite, and he will make sure he is the only one; even if it means dirtying his hands.

a/n: i just winged it at the end lol

[tangerinenotions95]

So Much For Normal - A Seth Clearwater FanFic (Chapter 6)

I walked along the with Seth, glancing in his direction every now and again, catching him doing the same on more than one occasion. 

Talking came easy to Seth thankfully as I was much more quiet until I got used to people. He chatted away telling me things about school and the reservation. He told me all about how he and some of his friends love going cliff diving. He told me about his mum Sue and sister Leah, he even told me about what happened to his dad Harry.

"He had a heart attack a couple years ago" He explained, the smile from his face falling slightly for the first time since I had met him. I watched as he kept his eyes focused on the small pebble he was kicking along the damp sand. I didn't know what to say so I walked over to a large group of stones and sat on one, Seth sat down beside me.

"You don't have to tell me all of this you know" trying to reassure him, he looked up at my face and smiled again, "I know but I can't help it, I want you to know everything about me" He beamed and then suddenly became shy realising what he had said.

I giggled, "That means a lot, thank you" I told him. We smiled at each other until I turned my gaze towards the ocean watching the waves coming in and out.

"My mom died when I was little" I said suddenly in a soft voice.

"That sucks" was Seth's reply. I turned and looked at him funny, not the reaction most people gave me when I mention about my mom but it was perfect, "You are right it does suck" I agreed causing us both to laugh slightly.

"I should be getting home though" I told him noticing how low the sun was beginning to get. He nodded, "Of course". He walked me back to my jeep and held the door open for me.

"Hey so next weekend we are having this thing, we do it every couple of months where we have a bonfire on the beach and Jake's dad tells us stories about our ancestors, it's actually kinda cool and eh would you want to come?" He asks me nervously, "and before you say no Nessie will be there so you will know someone" He stuttered. 

I smiled at him and he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck waiting for my answer, "I would love to if I'm not intruding"

He shook his head fiercely, "No you are very welcome" He said grinning from ear to ear. 

"Well then, I'll see you next weekend" I told him and giving him a peck on his cheek. I could see the red rise to his cheeks under his tanned skin, "Bye Seth" I told him closing my door and driving off. I glanced in my mirror and could see him jumping excitedly completely unaware that I was watching him.

****

'BEEP BEEP'

It was the following weekend, the night of the bonfire where I would hear all about the Quileute tribe and most importantly see Seth. I zipped my jacket up and tightened my scarf around my neck because it was going to be cold out. I ran downstairs and said bye quickly to my parents on the way out the front door.

I walked over to the Mini Cooper and hopped in beside Renesmee.

"Hey" I said to her.

"Hi, I'm so excited you are coming tonight" She squealed as we headed down the road. 

I laughed at her, "Are you sure it's not weird that I'm coming?" I asked feeling nervous. She shook her head, "No way you are meant to be there" She said sounding sure, "Besides Seth would be heartbroken if you didn't come" She said glancing at me smugly before she went back to watching the road in front of her.

"Oh shut up, Seth and I are just friends" I told her defensively. "Mm Hm" Was all the reply I got so I just rolled my eyes and fell back into my chair.

"Seriously though, nothing has happened?" She asked me looking surprised, "Nope nothing" I said shrugging.

"Is that disappointment I hear in your voice?" She asked me and I sigh, "Maybe but if Seth just wants to be friends that's okay now I'm done with this conversation" I told her.

"Okay okay, we are here now anyway" She told me as she pulled unto Jacobs driveway and parked. We got out of the car and I straight away noticed an orange glow on the beach opposite the house. The door behind us then opened, "Ness" I happy voice boomed as Jacob came bounding down the driveway and pulled my bestfriend into a bone crushing hug, "I missed you" He told her, "Yeah yeah it's been like eight hours" SHe told him but was as equally happy to see him really. They pulled apart and he turned to me, "Hi Y/N".

"Hey Jake, thanks for letting me in on your tribe secrets" I told him and he looked at me in shock for a minute, "It was just a joke" I explained, "Oh right of course" He said and forced a laugh.

"Well come on I want to get some snacks before the boys eat eveything" a voice came behind Jacob.

"Y/N this is my Billy, resident storyteller and also my dad" Jacob said introducing us.

"It's nice to meet you Billy"

"Likewise Y/N" He said smiling, "Now come on, I was serious about the food" He said as he wheeled himself towards the beach, the three of us following.

We headed along the beach and as we got closer the scene before me became more clear. There was a large golden bonfire surrounded by many people. There were mainly guys who were built like Seth and Jacob, there were some girls who seemed to be with some of the guys and some older people like Billy who I guessed were more parents.

As we got closer I saw a familiar body jogging up towards us, a smiled immediately formed on my face.

"You made it" Seth exclaimed happily pulling me into what was the warmest hug ever, like literally he is hot. In more ways than one.

"Well I did hear there would be food" I told him causing him to laugh. He let me go and said hi to Nessie and Jake, "Come one lets go" Jake said and they headed towards the bonfire, Seth and I following. I held my arms around my torso instinctively as we walked.

"You okay?" Seth asked me looking concerned.

"Just a bit nervous" I admitted. He nodded understanding, "Don't be I promise, they are all big softies really" he told me.

"Hey I heard that" a male voice shouted over to us, "Sorry Embry" Seth called back causing a few of us to laugh. We were near the fire when a woman walked over to us smiling happily.

"You must be Y/N, It so good to meet you Seth has told me so much" She beamed.

"Oh god seriously mom" Seth said face palming. I giggled, "All good things I hope" I replied and she nodded, "Of course" She winked at her son, "I'm Sue by the way".

"It's nice to meet you" I told her ans smiled.

"Oh and you too dear".

"Come on before this gets even more embarrassing" Seth said grabbing my hand and pulling me over to who I presume were his friends causing me to laugh. "I like your mom" I told him, "I do too but I don't want her to scare you away yet" He told me.

We stopped in front of a group of people,

"Guys this is Y/N" He said introducing me and all I could do was give a small wave as they all looked at me.

[theapprenticeofthanatos]

TAoT: Chapter 24: Ultimate Enemy: Part 4

Dan POV:

Dan took a deep breath as he finally left Samantha’s house. Gods, that had been miserable. Sam and Tucker were far more irritating than he remembered. It had taken an amount of patience he didn’t know he possessed to grit his teeth and bare it—to smile and laugh at their stupid jokes and participate in their pointless games.

They had questioned him a few more times about his younger self’s strange transformation, and Dan had found it increasingly difficult to deflect their inquiries, since he knew no more about it than they did. He was fairly certain they were beginning to grow suspicious of him, but that didn’t matter. As long as they showed up at the Nasty Burger when it was time…

That reminded him; there was someone he needed to talk to.

Dan took a sharp turn as he walked down the street, slipping into one of the dark alleyways. He kept his pace as he strolled straight into the shadows at the end of the alleyway, and emerged in a thicket of trees. He had shadow-traveled deep into the woods surrounding Lake Eerie—he didn’t want to risk any interruptions.

A quick scan of the surrounding area revealed that there were no mortals in the vicinity, nor were there any monsters; Dan had likely scared them off with his aura. And that was just fine by him. He didn’t need an audience for what he was about to do.

Dan shed his human guise and took off flying over the surface of the lake, towards the rocky cliffs on the far shore. He came to a stop about twenty feet away, still hovering over the water as he raised his arms above his head and began to chant. It wasn’t English or Greek—it wasn’t any language spoken by mortals, for that matter. A human probably couldn’t even recreate the sounds. The nature around Dan—which was already unnaturally quiet—grew deathly silent, as if all the creatures around him somehow knew that the spoken language was one of ancient magic. One of danger.

And they knew to be afraid.

When Dan stopped chanting, nothing happened… at first. The wind had died and the leaves in the trees had grown still. There was no more rustling in the grass or forest undergrowth. Even the ripples on the water had dispersed, leaving the lake a perfect mirror.

Dan waited patiently. He hadn’t contacted Gaea in this way in quite some time, but he was confident that she would answer.

She was the one who had taught him the chant, after all.

A faint rumble—so quiet that Dan barely caught it—began to reverberate from the earth all around him. The air was suddenly filled with caws and loud twittering as swarms of birds took to the sky, flying far away from Dan and the lake as the rumble grew stronger. The cliffside began to shake right before Dan’s eyes, and he watched as the solid stone shifted as if it were made of melted butter, layers of rock and dirt pouring over themselves to form a face in the crag.

After a few moments, a feminine face formed from the minerals. Closed eyelids and relaxed lips were carved from the stone, looking almost human in appearance except for their texture and size; her nose alone was at least twice the size of Dan’s entire body. The earth goddess was deep in slumber, but Dan knew that he had her attention.

:Greetings, Mother Earth.: Dan bowed his head. :I am at your service.:

Gaea’s brow furrowed slightly, as if she were having a bad dream. Deep vibrations rose from the earth around Dan, and a lulling voice speaking slow words filled his mind; he had forgotten how drowsy Gaea had been when he had first met her. Her lips didn’t move as she spoke, but Dan knew it was Gaea speaking to him—he knew her voice.

“Oh… it’s you.”

Dan… hadn’t been expecting a response like that. He wasn’t sure what exactly he should have been expecting, but… he had thought that Gaea would be at least a little intrigued by someone summoning her using the long forgotten ancient tongue.

But she seemed more annoyed than anything else.

“Uhh… yeah, it’s… me.” Dan suddenly felt rather unsure of himself—a way he hadn’t felt in years—and he started to rub the back of his neck before quickly pulling his hand away. He didn’t do that anymore—he didn’t falter anymore. He instead cleared his throat. “I offer you my aid, Mother Earth. I will assist you in bringing down the gods and returning your children to their rightful thrones.”

He expected Gaea to be pleased. To praise him for his willingness to serve her. He thought she would at least smile.

Instead, she frowned, her face settling into an unimpressed scowl as she spoke. “Your aid is not needed.”

Dan really hadn’t been expecting that. “Excuse me?” He chuckled, but there was no humor to his tone. “I’m sorry, I… must have misheard you. I thought you said that you didn’t… need my help.”

“You heard me correctly,” Gaea confirmed curtly.

“But…” Dan was stunned. Gaea doesn’t need… me? He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. No, that can’t be right. Gaea always said that… I was important to her. She promised that she would never leave me. Not like they did. So why now would she…? “The gods… a-and your children, the Titans and the Giants, they—you need my help to free them. You need my help to strike down the gods! To kill them!”

Gaea hummed pleasantly, but to Dan her voice was almost patronizing. “It is true that I need help, but let me put it this way instead. Your help is not wanted.”

“B-but, wait—you can’t—you can’t do that!” Dan argued, his tone full of disbelief. She needed him. She had told him so years ago, back when he had first met her. It was his duty to bring down the gods—it was his right. After what his… what they had done to him, he deserved to bring them to their knees. To hurt them—to hurt him—and cause even a fraction of the suffering they had caused Dan.

Just like he had before.

“Why?” Dan finally asked, his voice low and full of barely restrained rage. “You know that I am strong. I could—”

“I need not explain myself to you,” Gaea snapped, cutting him off. “But if you must know, it was your own actions that swayed my decision.”

“What?” Dan scoffed incredulously. “What have I done?”

“You know what you have done,” Gaea criticized, her tone accusatory as her face settled into a faint grimace. “You are not from this time. From this reality. And your meddling has interfered with my plans. Your younger self has seen what he becomes under my influence, and has decided that is not what he wants to be. That you are not who he wants to become.”

Anger boiled beneath Dan’s skin, threatening to burst out of him in an uncontrollable wave of rage and hurt and… sadness. But Dan was quick to force those feelings down; he needed to remain calm right now. He needed to remain in control. Dan took a second to steady his breathing. In, two, three, four…

“Gaea, please.” Bile rose in his throat at the utterance of that word—he never said ‘please.’ “I need to see my father—my parents brought down. I need to make them feel the hurt that they caused me. I need—”

“You do not need anything. Your anger blinds you and makes you a liability.” Gaea admonished. “You will not have your vengeance through me.”

Dan stared uncomprehendingly at the protogenos. She had said… no? She couldn’t say no, she had never told him no before.

Dan growled as he glared at her. This wasn’t fair. Didn’t Gaea understand the pain he’d been through? Did she not care that—

“Aww, what’s the matter, :little death:?” Gaea teased, cutting off Dan’s train of thought. “Are you upset?”

Dan had always hated that nickname, but now it was especially infuriating. She was mocking him. Treating him like a child. Flames burst to life in his palms and his eyes flashed red as he snarled at the goddess.

Gaea laughed. “What are you going to do now, :little death:? Are you going to fight me?” An earthquake shook the forest, causing trees to shudder and pebbles to clatter as the goddess chortled.

Dan clenched his fists and grit his teeth, biting back another growl. He was furious, but he wasn’t stupid. Threatening Gaea would be a death sentence, and it would do him no good. His gaze fell to the water below as Gaea’s laughter faded.

“Do not summon me again,” she warned, all the humor in her voice replaced by a cold seriousness. “I will not answer.”

The loud rumbling and grinding of rocks filled the air as the cliffside shifted and settled back into its original state. Within mere moments, it was as if Gaea were never there.

Dan’s shoulders shook as he grit his teeth, until the bitterly sweet taste of ectoplasm filled his mouth. His hands flew up to pull at his flaming hair as he let out a frustrated scream.

How could Gaea treat him like… like a child? After everything he had done for her—would do for her all over again, if she would let him—how could she just… leave him, just like everyone else in his lives? His mother, his father, his mortal parents, his sister, his friends…

Everyone.

Dan turned away from the cliff, balling his hands into fists as he screamed again, causing the lake below him to undulate and the trees to rustle from the strength of his voice. Green fire flared to life in his fists.

The trees swayed in the distance, the shaking of their leaves sounding like taunting snickers and giggles.

Gaea was laughing at him.

Dan snarled, green flames flaring to life in his fists. He threw a fireball at the forest, before his rage overtook him and he began to hurl fireball after fireball into the dense thicket of trees, instantly setting them aflame. How dare she mock him? How dare she treat him like a child?

Dan paused and took in the scene in front of him. Not a single section of the shore had been left unburnt, and the ghostly green fire was quickly spreading throughout the forest.

I am not a child. Dan glared at the blazing forest fire below him, rage filling every fiber of his being. I’ll show her that I don’t need her. I can do this all on my own.

He turned and glared at the cliff. Eerie green firelight danced across the rocky face, making it appear as though Gaea had returned. But Dan knew she hadn’t; he couldn’t feel her presence anymore. She had abandoned him.

Just like everyone else he had ever known.

Fueled by his anger at Gaea’s betrayal, Dan screamed at the cliffside, unleashing his Ghostly Wail. Huge chunks of rock broke free and crashed into the water below as massive cracks formed on the cliff’s surface. Clouds of dust billowed out from the rock face, settling onto the surface of the lake and the surrounding earth as the mountainside crumbled before Dan’s eyes.

After a few long seconds, Dan finally stopped wailing at the cliff. His vision was blurry from the dust in the air, and he blinked to clear it as he brought his hand up to wipe at his eyes. But as his fingers touched his face, Dan was surprised to find that his cheek was wet. With tears.

He was crying.

Dan growled and wiped furiously at his face. No. He was not crying. He did not cry. Crying was for weak people—weak people like pitiful mortals and spineless gods. And Dan was not weak.

Not anymore.

Dan was not in a good mood when he finally made it to FentonWorks. He phased through the window of his old bedroom, landing on the rug with a frustrated huff. Seeing that his bedroom door was wide open, he stormed over and slammed it shut hard enough to rattle the frame. He was sick and tired of dealing with people—mortal or otherwise—for the time being; he wanted some privacy while he got to work.

Dan knew that his past self likely wouldn’t be willing to assist him in his quest, but that was fine. Dan could handle it all on his own, and floating through the wasteland of the Ghost Zone would give his younger self plenty of time to come around to Dan’s way of thinking.

But Dan had to be careful until then. Since this was his past, the Ophiotaurus hadn’t been sacrificed just yet, which meant the gods were still unkillable for the time being. And he couldn’t risk running into his younger self’s mentor before he sacrificed the animal. The god would never be fooled by Dan’s disguise, and he would ruin all of the fun that Dan had planned.

Dan could think about all of that later. First, he needed to find the CAT booklet. This version of his past was a bit different than how he remembered it playing out, but he was sure the answer booklet had still been taken. After all, it was the turning point that had set his future in stone and made him into who he was now. Why else would Clockwork have interfered? Once his mortal family was out of the way, Dan would hunt down the Ophiotaurus. Gaea had led him to the creature previously, but Dan was sure that, given some time, he could find it on his own. He was nothing if not persistent.

And once that was done, Dan would take his revenge a second time. He had already ‘taken care of’ Thanatos once before, but that was only after killing a good portion of the chthonic pantheon (and some of the Olympians, as well). He hadn’t been able to kill Thanatos, obviously—you couldn’t kill Death, after all—but what he had done was good enough.

And he couldn’t wait to do it again.

But that would all need to wait for the time being. Dan still needed to find the booklet, which was most likely in his backpack.

Dan looked disdainfully around the room. Dirty clothes were peeking out of the closet, the bed was a mess, and the desk had literally been destroyed. Where was his backpack?

He started towards the closet, but just then the bedroom door opened. Jazz stood on the threshold, holding a backpack—his backpack—and a boomerang. She tossed the device into the air, and it immediately fell to the floor with a dull thud.

Dan raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. He ignored the faint stirring of melancholy in his core as he scowled at his older sister. “What do you want, Jazz? I’m busy.”

Confusion flickered across Jazz’s face as she glanced down at the boomerang before stepping into the room. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Dan crossed his arms. “About what?”

Jazz sighed and rummaged around in the backpack. Walking closer, she pulled out the CAT answers. “About these.”

Dan growled and snatched both the bag and the answer booklet out of Jazz’s hands. “What about ‘em?” Dan ground out, stuffing the booklet back into his backpack.

Jazz’s eyes widened, surprise written across her face. “Danny, what’s gotten into you? You’re not usually like this.”

“Like you would know,” Dan bit out.

Jazz’s surprised look became a frown as she folded her arms. “Seriously, what’s with you today? You’re acting odd.”

“… what?” Dan gave an awkward chuckle as he tried to calm himself. He was getting out of character, and Jazz was growing suspicious. “I’m acting like a teen, aren’t I? I… was just hanging out with Sam and Tuck. Playing games and… stuff.”

It was obvious that Jazz didn’t believe a word Dan had said as she looked at him dubiously. “Oh, really? Because I called Sam to see where you were, and she said that you left her place hours ago.”

Dan froze, before his scowl returned full force. What, his friends couldn’t be bothered to cover for him? Of course, it had been ten years since Dan last saw any of his old acquaintances—he didn’t remember how he used to interact with them. Maybe they had noticed something was off.

Whatever. He wouldn’t let them screw up his plans. They could believe whatever they wanted as long as they showed up at the Nasty Burger tomorrow.

“Danny,” Jazz sighed, drawing Dan from his thoughts. Her expression had changed yet again, from irritation to concern. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”

Dan’s core murmured nervously in his chest. “What… are you talking about?” What did she mean, ‘did something happen’? What would she know about anything that had been going on in his life back when… when this all happened the first time around? And she couldn’t be referring to his talk with Gaea. There was no way she could know about—

“Like, with Thanatos?” Jazz clarified. She didn’t notice the immediate change in Dan’s mood as she continued to talk. “Is it your training sessions? If you’re worried about your training interfering with the exam tomorrow, I’m sure Thanatos wouldn’t mind if you took the day off—”

“How do you know about all of this?”

Jazz paused, clearly surprised by Dan’s interruption. She gave him a puzzled look, but her eyes quickly widened in fear as Dan’s facade began to deteriorate. Green smoke rose from his clenched fists and his shoulders trembled as his glowing red eyes bore into Jazz’s shocked gaze. Jazz gasped in surprise and took a step back.

Dan opened his mouth to repeat himself, but faltered as his own shock briefly overtook his anger. Jazz knew. Jazz had known about his secret, all the way back when… And she knew about the Greek stuff as well? How…?

“Wait, you’re…” Jazz took another step back, her voice shaky as she finally realized that Dan was not the little brother that she knew. “You’re not Danny! That’s why the Boo-merang wasn’t homing in on your ecto-signature. You’re not Danny!”

“No,” Dan chuckled darkly as he changed his appearance, returning to his true form. “No, I am not. Not anymore.”

“W-where’s my brother, you monster?!” Jazz put on a brave face, but Dan knew she was afraid. He could practically taste it.

Dan shrugged carelessly. “Floating aimlessly somewhere in the Ghost Zone, ten years from now.” But as he said those words, a flicker of doubt began to nag at him from the back of his mind.

He had tried not to let it bother him, but why was this past so different from his own? It was his past, wasn’t it? But he had never been an apprentice. And he didn’t have his old form anymore—or his laurels, for that matter. His laurels had burnt up back when he killed his mother.

The second time.

Shut up.

And Dan hadn’t encountered any of the gods until after his mortal family had died. And with Gaea now refusing his help…

What does it matter if things happen a bit differently this time around? Dan thought decisively. I’m sure the aftermath will be the same.

Jazz moved, startling Dan from his thoughts as she made a run for the door. Dan moved with inhuman speed, grabbing Jazz by her hair and yanking her back into the room. Jazz opened her mouth to scream, but Dan was quick to clamp his hand over her mouth, his other hand coming up to wrap around her throat. Not enough to choke her—just enough to give a clear warning.

“What, were you going to call for help?” Dan scoffed, amused by the mortal’s feeble attempts. “There’s no point in trying. Once you all are gone and I hunt down the Ophiotaurus, no one will be able to stop me.”

Jazz squirmed in Dan’s grasp, and he rolled his eyes as he pulled his hand away from her mouth. They both knew that with his other hand still around her throat, it would be a very bad idea for her to try anything.

Jazz glared fiercely up at Dan. “My brother will come back,” she hissed. “He’ll beat you back into the hole you crawled out of.”

“How?” Dan smirked. “He’s not going anywhere with a time medallion lodged in his chest.”

Jazz’s bravado faltered, giving way to uncertainty as she scrambled for an answer. “T-the ghost portal!” She stammered. “He could—”

“Destroyed it years ago,” Dan cut her off smoothly. “There’s no way back here, unless he wants to waste his afterlife finding his way back through the Ghost Zone.”

Jazz seemed to be growing more desperate with every second. “S-someone could help him!”

Oh, she was just grasping at straws by this point.

“Who?” Dan cackled, amused by the poor girl’s antics. “I’ve killed everyone who stood in my way. The only one left is that idiot cheesehead, and when I find him…” Dan grinned wickedly as he dragged his finger across his throat.

Jazz paled at Dan’s insinuation. “Cheesehead?” She echoed. Dan could practically see the gears turning in her head as her expression turned to one of realization. “Vlad—”

“You know, I’ve grown rather tired of this conversation.” Dan’s grip on Jazz’s throat tightened, cutting off her airflow. “I’ve got things to do, you know. Old friends to see and kill.” Dan grinned as Jazz gasped for air, her hands scratching futilely at his forearm. “I’m sure you understand.”

Jazz (obviously) didn’t respond, her face turning from red to purple as she struggled. Dan wondered what he should do with her. He could just reap her soul, like he had done with Valerie. But…

Dan glowered as that stupid human feeling flickered in his core again. What did it matter if he killed her now, rather than later? Why didn’t he just get a head start?

… because he… didn’t feel like it. Besides, killing her now would definitely affect how tomorrow turned out. If Jack and Maddie found her corpse, then Dan cheating on the CAT would be the last thing on their minds. Killing her now would interfere with everyone showing up at the Nasty Burger tomorrow for their “grand finale.”

He would spare her for now.

Jazz finally stopped fighting, her body going limp as her eyes rolled back and her face went slack. She wasn’t dead—just unconscious.

Dan turned invisible as he phased through his bedroom door and into Jazz’s room. He dropped her lifeless form onto the bed and threw a blanket over her before turning to leave. Dan donned his disguise again as he reached the door and glanced back at his sister. He faltered for a moment, and then spoke, his voice just low enough that only he could hear.

“Goodbye.”

.

Jazz POV:

Jazz was running. Running as fast as her legs could carry her. Running away from the monster that had replaced her baby brother. Her foot caught on the earth below her, sending her tumbling to the ground. His bone chilling laughter echoed all around her, as claws dripping in blood came slashing down…

“NOOOOO!!!” Jazz bolted upright from her bed, cold sweat running down her back. She looked wildly around her room, confusion filling her mind once she realized that she was not about to be murdered. She let out a hiss of pain as she brought her hands to her throbbing temples. Her head felt like it was pulsing, each throb making her vision blur. She had a terrible migraine. What…

What had happened to her?

Jazz jumped as her door slammed open. She turned to see her father standing in the doorway, the Boo-merang held like a weapon in his hand.

“Is everything alright, Princess?” Jack asked, his gaze darting around the room, searching for any signs of danger.

“Uhh… I’m…” Jazz glanced down at herself, surprised to find that she was still in one piece. “I’m still alive?”

Jazz’s mother, Maddie, entered the room, somewhat violently shoving Jack out of the way as she came to the side of Jazz’s bed. “Well, of course you’re alive, sweetie!” Maddie chuckled lightly, as if she were amused by Jazz’s question. “Why wouldn’t you be?”

“I…” Jazz sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Had it all been a dream? “I thought that—”

Maddie gasped. Before Jazz could react, her mother leaned over and brushed Jazz’s hair away from her neck.

“Jazz?” Maddie’s voice was full of concern. “What happened?”

“Wha…?” What was her mom talking about? Nothing had happened… right? It had all been a dream, hadn’t it? Jazz glanced over at her bedroom mirror, and froze at the image that greeted her.

Her neck was covered in bruises. A clear hand mark wrapped around her throat, purple and yellow against her pale skin. A shiver ran down her spine as cold reality washed over her. It hadn’t been a dream. That ghost…

He was real.

Maddie stepped to the side as Jack came over, and a stormy look passed over Jack’s face when he saw the bruises. He knelt down next to Jazz and placed a hand over hers. “Jazzy, who did this to you? When I get my hands on them—”

“No, no!” Jazz said frantically, cutting him off. “I’m fine, I—” Her voice caught in her throat, and Jazz pulled her hand away from her dad as she was overcome by a coughing fit. Her voice was hoarse and sounded raw to her ears as it scratched against the sides of her windpipe. She brought her hands up to rub at her sore neck, and her dad gently patted her on the back until her coughing subsided.

“Jasmine.” Maddie folded her arms as she spoke sternly. “You are clearly not fine. I would appreciate the truth, young lady.”

Jazz looked away. What could she tell them? ‘Danny’s evil future self came back to our time and is planning to kill us all!’

Yeah, no. She would have to leave out a few details.

Jazz sighed tiredly. “I, uhh, was talking with Danny last night, and I was… getting ready for bed afterwards when… this ghost suddenly appeared and tried to strangle me! I managed to fight it off and, uhh, went to bed afterwards?”

She glanced nervously between her parents, hoping that they would believe her lie. Maddie looked a bit doubtful, but the mention of a malevolent ghost had certainly caught her attention. Jack looked downright furious, his fists clenched as he stood up and stormed out of the room.

“When I find that ghost, it’ll wish it was never born!” He declared, and then paused. “Or, uhh, whatever ghosts are.”

Maddie sighed at Jack’s antics, before giving Jazz a worried frown. “You seem to be alright… But do you want one of us to stay with you just in case?”

Jazz shook her head fervently, wincing at the pain that it brought. “No, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, sweetie. Make sure you take some pain relievers, alright?” Maddie placed a kiss on Jazz’s forehead before moving to leave the room. “Stay home today. Your dad and I will activate the ghost shield before we go and hunt down that ghost. We can’t leave any hostile spirits roaming the streets.” Maddie paused in the doorway, bringing her hand to her chin in thought. “Do you think we should go and pull your brother out of school?”

“No!” Jazz said quickly; she didn’t want that ghost to hurt her parents, too. Or worse… “H-he’s fine. Besides, he has the CAT today. You know, the test that decides his entire future?”

Maddie pursed her lips as she thought for a moment longer. “Well, alright. But you better text Danny and tell him to come straight home after school.”

Jazz nodded eagerly, ignoring the pain that it caused her, and waited until her mother had left the room to let out a sigh of despair. She couldn’t let her parents get hurt trying to fight Evil Danny (that was the name she had decided to call the ghost) on their own. She needed to figure out a plan first. But how could she possibly help? The ghost had rendered her unconscious in a mere minute. If only Danny were here…

But how could he possibly get back home? She didn’t know what Evil Danny had been referring to when he mentioned “time medallions,” but it sounded like her Danny was a bit stuck wherever he was ten years ahead of her. And with no known ghost portals to and from the future, there was practically no way for him to get back, unless there was someone there who could help him…

Jazz paused as a part of her conversation with Evil Danny came back to her: “The only one left is that idiot cheesehead…”

Maybe—just maybe—there was a way for Danny to get back home.

.

By the time Jazz had made it downstairs, her parents were long gone. So she got straight to work. Her first order of business was to call Sam and Tucker. She pulled out her phone and went to Sam’s contact, ignoring the slight shaking of her hands as she pressed the call button.

Sam picked up on the second ring, yet Jazz was quite surprised to hear Tucker’s voice instead on the other end.

“Tucker Foley’s Dating Service. How may I—”

Jazz heard a smack and a yelp before Sam’s voice came over the line. “Sorry ‘bout that, Jazz. Did you need something?”

“Oh, uhh, hi Sam. Are… you and Tucker alone?” Jazz asked hesitantly. Please don’t let Evil Danny be there, please don’t let—

“I mean, we’re in the school cafeteria, but there’s no one close by. We’re waiting for Danny.”

Jazz breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. Put me on speaker. I need to talk to both of you.”

There was a brief moment of rustling and static from the other end, and then Sam spoke again. “‘Kay, you’re on speaker.”

Jazz took a deep breath before telling Sam and Tucker what she had discovered. “Danny’s not Danny. He’s been—”

“Replaced?” Sam guessed. “Yeah, we figured.”

Jazz’s thoughts came to a screeching halt. “How—?”

Tucker spoke next. “Danny’s our best friend. Of course we’d notice if he was acting weird—”

“Well, I noticed,” Sam interjected. “And had to keep this idiot from getting himself killed. Multiple times.”

“Hey, in my defense, those red eyes were kind of hard to notice,” Tucker defended.

“But the forced look on his face wasn’t,” Sam countered. “He clearly didn’t want to hang out with us. I wonder if he was trying to fit in?”

“Well, he failed at that,” Tucker remarked bluntly. “He absolutely sucked at Doomed. Danny’s been playing that game for ages! It was like watching a toddler try to play!”

“It was like watching someone do a bad impression of him,” Sam agreed. “And we have a pretty good idea of who it was.”

“Evil Future Danny?” Jazz guessed.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds.

“How did—?” Sam began.

Jazz cut her off. “It’s a long story. Look, just…” She winced, taking a moment to rub at her sore throat. “Don’t confront him. He’s dangerous.”

“So, uhh… what should we do if he were, say, walking directly towards us?” Tucker questioned nervously.

“Play along,” Jazz told them quickly. “Don’t let him know that you’re onto him. I’ve got a plan.”

Jazz then hung up, putting her phone back in her pocket as she hurried down the stairs to the lab. She had said she had a plan, and she did—it just wasn’t a very good one.

Jazz was relieved to find the Boo-merang sitting on the counter next to the ghost portal. Quite a few of her parents’ ghost-hunting weapons and gear were missing; Jazz guessed that they must’ve stocked up before heading out. She checked the cabinets and found an old research notebook and a pen. She ripped out an empty page and got to work.

Her handwriting was far less tidy than usual as she quickly scrawled a message to Danny. The note was short and concise, letting Danny know that his evil future self had taken his place, and if Danny could find Vlad’s portal—and by extension, Vlad—he might be able to find his way back home. Jazz would do her best to hold off Evil Danny until her Danny came back.

It wasn’t a very solid plan, but it was all she could think of.

She folded up the note and pulled off her headband, using it to tie the paper securely to the Boo-merang. Jazz then walked over to the open portal, stopping just feet away from the swirling green vortex. She looked down at the device in her hands, suddenly unsure if her idea would even work.

But what other choice did she have?

“I need you to find Danny,” Jazz whispered quietly to the Boo-merang, almost like a prayer. It wasn’t voice-activated, but telling it what to do sort of helped to reassure her. “Fourteen-year-old Danny. Ten years from now.”

The Boo-merang didn’t respond—obviously—but Jazz felt a bit less hopeless as she drew her arm back and threw the little gadget into the infinite green expanse of the Ghost Zone.

First: Prologue

Previous: Chapter 23

Next: Chapter 25

[samieree]

Born in Flames || Game of Thrones

OC x ?😏

-> Chapter XV ''Mother''

Chapter XVI ''Happy heart, broken heart''

Shortly after capturing Yunkai, they set out for Meereen. By this time, the dragons had already grown and could only rest their heads on Visenya's lap. They hunted on their own, they didn't have to feed them. On the one hand, it scared her a little to look at it, but on the other hand, she knew she had nothing to fear because they wouldn't attack her.

But she had another question - if she couldn't control them, how could she be sure they wouldn't attack anyone? Hunting a goat is one thing, but what if they start attacking innocent people? She wouldn't want to have to cut them off from the world, but if it was the only way to save people...

She doesn't have to worry about it for now, they've had plenty of opportunities but haven't attacked anyone yet.

She walked among the Unsullied, looking for someone, but she couldn't find the person anywhere. Or rather, two people.

"Missandei, where are Daario Naharis and Grey Worm?" she asked.

"They're gambling."

"Gambling?" she stopped abruptly and turned to her. "For what?" her friend didn't answer her, she just looked expressively at the place where the queen's losses probably were. "I already know who will ride in the rear guard." she muttered more to herself, moving forward in the direction indicated by Missandei.

It took a while for them to get past all the rows of Unsullied and the people who had walked with her from Astapor or Yunkai. At the end of their path, Daario and Grey Worm were actually sitting on the grass, facing each other. They had their arms stretched out in front of them, straight, holding their weapons.

They found an interesting game for themselves...

"How long have you been sitting here?" she asked, stopping in front of them. She put her arms on her hips and looked at them in a reprimanding way. They should have been on the road for at least half an hour.

"From the midnight." Daario replied to her in a casual tone. "Grey Worm is stronger than he looks, but I think his arms are starting to shake."

"And what did you think of as the prize for the winner? Massaging arms that will definitely hurt after this stupid competition?"

"An honor to ride alongside you on the road to Meereen."

"Oh yeah? I know nothing about it." she raised her eyebrows and looked at them. "You can give up, this honor goes to Ser Arthur and Ser Barristan. Especially since none of them kept me waiting in the morning." Daario didn't seem too bothered by these words, well, maybe a little disappointed, but he still smiled slightly. "You will ride at the back and guard the rear. You can have a competition to see who could walk longer without a horse."

"I would win."

She rolled her eyes and was about to leave, but saw that they weren't done with their stupid competition. So she turned for a moment and added:

"The one who holds his sword longer will really go without a horse, but not in the rear guard, but to look for a new queen." after these words, she turned around, but heard both swords fall on the grass almost immediately. "Do men ever grow up?" She asked Missandei with a smirk on her face as they walked back.

"Some don't." she replied with the same smile.

* * *

Suddenly, on the way to Meereen, she was informed that Daario would like to talk to her about something related to the strategy for conquering this next city. Everyone continued walking, and she and Missandei stopped and stood at the edge of the cliff to at least have a nice view, waiting for that smartass. Why do I feel like he has nothing to say about strategy?

"Have you ever been in Meereen?" Visenya asked, finally breaking the silence between them. The only thing she knew about Meereen, apart from the fact that it was another slave-based city, was that it had large pyramids. She even saw an image of them once in a book from which she was learning history. Then she dreamed that one day Lord Tywin would let her go see them. Or that he would take Selaria and they would escape from Casterly Rock and go see the great pyramids.

"Several times, with Master Kraznys." she replied.

"And?"

"A thousand slaves are said to have died in the construction of the Great Pyramid of Meereen." honestly, she expected the number to be much higher, after all, the safety of slaves working on construction sites was not taken care of at all. But still... A thousand people lost their lives so that some Masters could live in the high pyramid.

"And now the former slaves will take this city. Do you think the Great Masters are afraid? Or do they think they can stop us?"

"If they're smart, then the first thing." they smiled at each other.

At that moment, Daario appeared. Missandei retreated to leave them alone.

"Apparently you wanted to talk to me about a strategy for conquering Meereen?" she said, crossing her arms on her chest. "So I'm listening."

"It's the Dusk Rose." she rolled her eyes as soon as he took the rose from behind his back.

"Why did I know you had nothing to tell me about strategy?"

She couldn't say that she didn't like - at least a little - that he was obviously trying to get closer to her and even was flirting. It was nice to feel like someone was pursuing your affections, even though it reminded her of how she treated Jaime. He didn't deserve this, he was always nice to her...

No, enough of this blaming. He's a big boy, he's definitely forgotten about it by now and turned his feelings back to his sister. By the way, she wonders what the situation in the capital looks like now, what do they know about her? Have they heard about what she did? Are they planning to do something to stop her?

Or maybe Tywin decided that she isn't a threat because his pride wouldn't allow him to think otherwise? Ah, she wished she could see his face when he found out she had run away...

"And this is Amine, or Lady's Lace, they call it in a few ways..." he hid the blue rose behind his back and now showed her a flower with white petals.

"I didn't know you were a gardener." she sighed, looking ahead at the stretching sea waters. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"You must know the lands you intend to rule. Plants, rivers, roads... And people." he explained.

She couldn't help but agree with him, so she remained silent. She knew the maps of Westeros by heart, but she actually knew little about Essos, only a little about the most important cities. And she knew people as well as she knew their mentality.

"Dusk Rose tea lowers fever, everyone in Meereen knows that. Especially slaves, for whom such tea is often the only salvation." she turned to him and let him continue. "You can't just walk into these people's lives, set them free, and expect them to follow you. You are a stranger to them. You must become part of their community, not remain some goddess-like figure. And that's what strategy is."

She almost laughed, amused that he actually, in some sense, wanted to talk to her about strategy. The fact that he was clearly trying to seduce her in the process is another matter.

"What else are you holding behind your back?" she nodded at the hand he was still holding behind his back.

"Harpy's Gold." he held out a rather peculiar-looking red flower. "We don't make tea from it, it's beautiful but poisonous." he shrugged, grabbed all three flowers with one hand and gently held them out towards her.

"You're still riding in the back." she said, accepting the bouquet from him.

"Of course, Your Grace." he bowed slightly to her and went back to his horse.

She was left alone for a moment, with a bouquet of flowers in her hand. She felt a special warmth in her heart when she looked at these flowers again. Somehow she was... Happy that she could flirt so freely with someone. No judging glances like in the capital, no plans to marry her off, nothing to limit her, only her own feelings.

She slowly became convinced that this boy had actually simply fallen in love with her beauty at the beginning, and now he was trying to win her heart.

Maybe she should let him? She was tempted to let herself be seduced and see what would come of it, especially since he wasn't completely indifferent to her either...

Her amorous reflections were interrupted when everyone in the march suddenly stopped. She looked up from the bouquet and looked around. No one attacked them, why did they stop? The Unsullied parted, allowing her to pass. Taking big steps, she quickly reached the very beginning and stopped for a moment when she saw what was going on. She had to swallow and take a deep breath before she moved closer to the crucified child pointing the way.

"On every mile from here to Meereen there is one." Ser Arthur explained to her.

What a sick way to mark the way... It seems as if they wanted to scare people away from the city, rather than show the way to lost travelers.

At first she wanted to look away from the body, but she restrained herself. She has already caused the death of many people, and will condemn even more to death. And somehow she endured the sight. She can endure this too, each such slave killed will only give her strength to move forward.

"And how far are we from Meereen?"

"One hundred and sixty-three miles, Your Grace. I'll tell a few people to go ahead and bury them all one by one. You don't have to look at this."

"No." she said quickly, not even looking at him. "I will see worse things in my life, I will not avoid them." she assured. "Don't forget to take off her collar before you bury her."

* * *

I should have died there. It's all my fault, I failed, I should have died, not them. They hailed me as King in the North and paid with their lives for my mistakes. I shouldn't have run away from there, even if they wanted me to, even if they gave me the opportunity.

But then they would have died in vain...

Who am I trying to fool, hasn't everything already been wasted? The war is over, lost. And the North? The North is lost to the Boltons. Who will fight them, condemning themselves to certain death for the honor that I lacked? Mother was right, people won't keep their word if I don't do the same.

Mother... She also died because of me. If I had listened to her more, maybe this wouldn't have happened... And Talisa... She was innocent, she died because I married her. She and our unborn child died. Is this supposed to be my punishment? Living with guilt eating me up inside? Living somewhere in the shadows, seeing my home no longer mine, remembering that one evening at the Twins every day until I go crazy?

It would be wonderful to just lie down on the ground somewhere and wait for death, or inflict it yourself. But then, I will fail the people who gave their lives so that I could escape. I would let them down a second time. What can I do? When they find out that my body is not there, they will search the entire land just to find and kill me. Is there even a place I can hide from them?

Will I ever be able to live a normal life and look at myself in the mirror?

Will I ever feel anything more than disappointment with myself?

All I can do is find my sisters. But how? There's also Jon...

~

-> Chapter XVII ''Meereen'' -> general masterlist -> Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon masterlist

[ellis-in-name]

Chapter 4: A Madman's Run and A Story

Read on AO3

“What! No!” I screamed aloud as I read the letter. Without thinking I turned and ran down the stairs and out of the house. It’s noon now, I wasted three hours cleaning and reading. If I hurry, I can catch up to Miss Valory and get her to explain all of this to me. My feet pounded into the gravel road, but I quickly stopped and ran back into the cabin. Despite the panic and the worry, I knew I would need at least some supplies before running off. I grabbed two rations of bread and a small bottle of water from the kitchen. I threw everything into a satchel and tore off running again. I must have to get to that train! I can’t let her throw Miss Valory’s life away. I don’t know what is going on, but I will stop it!

The scenery around me became a blur as I ran, and time passed by. The adrenaline of my panic kept me going without breaks, it felt like I had all the energy in the world. But all of that can only last so long; I had to catch up to someone walking for three hours, just by running alone. My muscles burned, my lungs were on fire, my breathing was becoming ragged. In the distance I could see the train station and it was getting closer by the second. Come on Calian, you’ve been running for an hour, what's another ten minutes? I thought to myself- chanting it over and over in my head. The train station was close now. Just a little bit farther. My legs pounded into the ground, a steady rhythm. Left. Right. Left. Right. Almost there. The whistle blew and my rhythm faltered as I tripped and flew to the ground. I watched helplessly as the train began to move. I scrambled to my feet and took off running once more. The railing of the last car was just within my grasp. With one last push I leapt for the last car of the train; only to feel my gut clench with horror as I sailed straight past the car, over the tracks, and into empty air. My eyes widen with shock as I kept falling. I forgot. The train is built on the side of a cliff. I’m careening to my death now. I’m sorry Miss Valory, but I tried.

I felt the wind rush by my face as I fell when all of my momentum suddenly stopped, and grit my teeth with pain and something firmly gripped my leg and caused a wave of agony along the limb. I opened my eyes and saw Miss Valory holding onto my leg, hanging out of the last car. All I could do was stare at her with both shock and awe.

“Look, Calian, I know you want to hang out with me and all, but this is just insane. So, if you wouldn’t mind, please get up here before we both fall!” She yelled into the rushing wind. The train had begun to pick up speed, causing my body to sway in the wind. I curled myself up, straining against my own inflexibility and aching muscles, grabbed the railing, and pulled myself up and over onto the train car. I collapsed to the ground as soon as I was over the railing with a sigh and multiple shuddering breaths.

“Miss Valory, how did you catch me? I should be dead right now.” I asked her between breaths.

“Well, I saw some idiot running like a madman as the train was leaving. So, I ran to the back car as fast as I could because I figured they would try to jump onto the train – it wouldn’t be the first time it has happened. You just happened to be that idiot. Also, my friend noticed you before I did to give me the heads up. Only he was laughing at the sight more than warning me.” Miss Valory replied as she reached her hand down to pull me up. “Now, if the excitement is done, let's go back to my seat and you can explain what you are doing here,” Valory stated as she more or less dragged me into the train car. I could not tell if she was happy to see me, or furious and annoyed. Maybe irritated was the right word.

As she dragged me by the arm for another couple of cars, I tried to ignore the curious eyes that followed us from the seats. Miss Valory and her friend were not the only ones to see my idiocy. She finally pulled me into a private car towards the front of the train and practically threw me into a seat across from a man and then promptly sat down beside me. At this point, I was thinking she was a bit more than irritated. I spared a quick glance at the man across from me before looking at Miss Valory again. His hair was dirty blond and his face seemed mundane. But his eyes seemed to pierce through me, a deep emerald gaze as if trying to assess my entire being and life in one moment.

“Calian, meet Michael, he is more of an idiot than you and the person I had left to meet.” Valory told me and ignored the look of fake hurt Michael put on.

“Valory, dearest-” His words stopped there as Valory's fist slammed into the wall next to his head. My eyes widen with shock at the sudden burst of violence.

“You are not starting that, I said no, and I mean no! Accept that fact that I won’t marry you and deal with it.” She growled quietly in the silent train car.

“Look, Valory, I was only joking, you don’t need to kill me for it.” He replied nervously.

“I- It’s nice to meet you, Michael!” I squeaked out as I tried to break the tension hanging in the air. Michael looked at me and smiled.

“I like this kid! He respects me! Finally, some notoriety for what I’ve done!” Michael said, and both Miss Valory and I glared at him.

“I have-”

“He has no idea what you’ve done.” Miss Valory interrupted, “Don’t be so full of yourself.”

“You both wound me,” Michael said as he pretended to pout.

“Oh, stop crying you baby. Now moving on from the formalities that took far too long.

 Calian, why were you trying to leap onto a moving train?” Miss Valory asked. I opened my mouth to reply except Michael beat me to the punch.

“Wait, this is the kid that jumped for the train? That’s hilarious!”

“I almost died you jerk! That’s not a laughing matter!” I cried out and instantly quieted

 down. “I’m sorry Michael, I didn’t mean to yell out like that.”

“You’re fine kid, you should have seen Valory and-” Another slam into the wall silenced him. Seeing the anger on Miss Valory’s face was surprising. She always seemed so calm and collected, even during some of the more trying times when I lived with her. But now, I could see how much of that calm attitude might have been carefully controlled and directed anger and pain. When she was with me, she felt the need to keep everything under control, but here, she was more expressive in that anger. What lead her to be like this?

“Remember Michael? We decided to not talk about him. Or do you want to be out of that window?” Miss Valory growled. “Now, please can we focus on that reason we are even meeting in the first place. But first—” Miss Valory’s face shifted to a pleasant smile, barely containing the irritation and anger that I did not want directed at me. “Calian, why are you here?” I attempted to ignore Michael's comment about Miss Valory being temperamental and emotional as I opened my mouth to begin my explanation.

“Well, I didn’t know how much water to give your flowers, and I didn't know what you wanted me to get rid of in the house cleaning. So, I came to ask you.” I lied. It was a horribly obvious lie, and I tried to hide my own embarrassment. What am I doing! I can’t lie to her! She’ll see right through it! This is a mess, a really big mess. I thought to myself and jumped slightly when Michael burst out laughing.

“You jumped off a cliff for some flowers? And spring cleaning? This is rich! Valory, you have the most adorable pets under your thumb.” Michael said and my heart stopped.

Pet. is that really all I am to her? Maybe he’s right. To Miss Valory I’m just a pet to take care of. I should give up and go home. I can’t do anything... No! I need to help her! Who cares if I am a pet! I won’t let her throw away her life!

“Calian, that is very sweet of you to worry about my flowers and privacy like that; however, you didn’t need to run all this way for something so simple. An explanation would have been enough.” Miss Valory told me after Michael was silenced by another punch and a few angry words. “Michael, could you leave Calian and I alone for a bit, I think he may have been injured in his running and fall. I know you hate blood and gore.” Miss Valory said, and Michael quickly left the room, his face already turning pale at the mention of blood.

Wow. He not only bought my lie, but he also has a weak stomach. I thought to myself.

After Michael had left the room Miss Valory turned to me and looked straight into my eyes, the pleasant smile dropping. I squirmed under her gaze. “Alright, why are you really here, because I know you aren’t here for the flowers even though that's something you would do. You were too panicked to be here for that.” She stated bluntly. “And you’re a terrible liar.”

I felt my face flush as Miss Valory dissected my actions like it was second nature. “Well, um, how do I put this, um...” I started as I struggled to put what I wanted to say into words. Miss Valory let out a sigh of mild impatience and I blurted out whatever had been in my head at that moment. “I saw the letters! The wood chest in your room! It opened while I was cleaning, and I saw the cloak! I got curious and saw the letters, and-” A finger to my lips silenced my torrent of panicked words. I looked up to find Miss Valory with a comforting smile.

“You know, you look like a tomato when you're flustered.” She said with a laugh.

Is she mad? Is she happy? WHY CAN’T SHE PICK AN EMOTION?

“Wh- what? Aren’t you mad at me?”

“Nope. I knew the truth had to come out eventually, I just didn't know when,” she said and leaned back in the chair. “Now then, ask your questions, and I'll answer them,” she said. “After that, I’ll tell you why I moved to your town.”

She has to be joking, right? She can't be serious, to not be angry like that? But she was angry a second ago? I thought to myself and looked at her waiting face. “Who- what, is the resistance?” I asked hesitantly.

“A group of people that should have been disbanded about three or four years ago. They brought about an era of reconstruction for magic and also helped bring down a tyrant that went by the name of Ash.”

“Magic? But that's only a fairytale.”

“Not for some, pull out that bottle of water in your bag.” Miss Valory ordered.

“How did you-”

“Just pull it out.” She demanded. Following her command, I pulled out the bottle of water and yelped as the glass shattered. I dropped the remains of the bottle before I cut my hand on a shard of glass. There's a small thud and I looked down to see a bottle shaped chunk of ice. The ice began to shiver and expand. It then broke and shattered into small pieces that flew through the air and floated around Miss Valory. The ice began to swirl around her wrist and formed into a bracelet as I watched the spectacle.

“Just, who are you?” I whispered. “Miss Valory, who are you?”

“I am a mage Calian. We are littered around the world. Although it’s a very uncommon trait in people; however, it is still there. Next question? I’ll give you two more. Make them count.” Miss Valory replied.

“Oh, um, you referred to the Academy and stopping someone there. What did you mean by that?

“There was a man named Ash, as I said. He wanted to take over the world or something. I didn’t really care at the time... My friend and I stopped him.”

“Your friend? You mean Aran?”

“Yes, Aran was my partner at the time, but he was killed by Ash in the very end of our fight.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,”

“Oh, don’t be,” Miss Valory said and rubbed my head. “That was more than four years ago. It’s time I moved on. You’re also out of questions.” She said with a laugh. The way she tried to play it off was unsettling, because I knew from experience that three or four years was not long enough to just “move on” from someone you cared about; my sister was proof to that.

“Now, show me those legs. We need to make sure nothing is damaged by your stupidity.” She said as she made room on the seat. I lifted my legs up onto the seat and rolled up the pant legs. Thankfully, there was nothing visibly wrong and both of us let out a held breath. “Well, time to tell a story. Get comfortable because it’ll take a while.” She said and began her tale.

 “I’m not a normal child and I never truly existed to begin with. Most children are born by natural means, but I was not. I am the product of malicious intent and the result of a calamity. I am a magic creation called a Vessel, a hollow human that does not have a soul of its own. They don’t live all that long because the soul they do have breaks down after a while.” Valory said and patted my head when I started to panic. “Don’t worry, Aran gave me his soul and more or less saved my life. Speaking of Aran, I met him at the Academy. We quickly grew to be friends until Ash tried to kill Aran. Ash somehow took control of me and forced me to imprison Aran at the Academy. That’s when I met Michael. He convinced me that the resistance had a plan to break out Aran, but only if I joined them. A few weeks later we had saved Aran, but my soul had begun to break down. Which basically made me into an insane person that heard voices all the time. Aran, although reluctant at first, agreed to attack the Academy with me alone. We journeyed from the resistance camp and arrived at the Academy. We met Ash and tried to kill him; however, he was ready for us. He killed Aran and faded to ashes as I swung in anger. After that I returned to the camp and the rest you know from the letters.”

She was breathing a little heavily. In truth, the way she told the story was not that long at all, but it was all rambled off at such a fast pace that there was far too much to process. I could tell that there was more to the story, more details, and Miss. Valory just wanted to give the straight facts.

“Miss Valory, I’m sorry… I didn’t-”

“Don’t give me your pity Calian. I’m a strong woman and I have moved on. You cannot get sappy on me just because you suddenly know so much more about me. Now, you must be tired. Get some sleep.” Miss Valory said as she stood up from the seat. I watched as she walked out of the train car and towards where Michael had gone.

“Wow, I never even knew that Miss Valory had such an exciting past. It almost seems as if she’s from the fairytales Mom used to tell us when we were kids.” I thought as I drifted off to sleep.

*****

All around me darkness swirled. It permeated the air like a dense, black, foreboding mist. Burning air hit my body in waves, one after another. With each breath I felt as if I inhaled toxic waste and was forced into a coughing fit. “What’s going on? This isn’t the train! Where is Miss Valory?” I thought as I frantically sat up. The ground was sticky with a black substance that clung to me like glue and the air burned with every breath I took.

“You… You are the one she has chosen? This is most… Hilarious.” My eyes widened as crimson eyes peered at me through the darkness and I was lifted from the ground by a massive hand made of some sort of gritty substance. “Such a puny human without a single magical ability. How pathetic of her to choose a wimp. Maybe in time you would have been able stand up to me. But I got to you first!” As the creature spoke in its deep baritone voice it opened its massive mouth and I slowly began to move towards it.

“No! Please! Don’t eat me!” I screamed as I beat at the hand that held me. But it was to no avail. As I got closer to the maw my body slipped lower in the hand until I was hanging in the air by my neck. I felt my head growing fuzzy as I began to choke, and I fell unconscious.

Hmmm. You really are useless Calian. Can’t even win a simple fight.

[redfoxwritesstuff]

The Keeping (Offered and Taken, part 3)

AN: And here we go again, showing off how easy I am to manipulate. Ask and you shall receive- more MerDicking!

Pairing: MerTom Hiddles x OFC rating: Explicate- there is sexual content. Warnings: Oral, male and female receiving, dub con that is really more like non con, forced fluid tasting, nudity on the beach, kidnapping, post sex soreness. Religious shame.

Part one and two can be found on my Masterlist with the rest of my works.

Funding Kit!

Kofi and Cashtag: $leeanneduyn (please never call me Leeanne- I hate my name)- To be clear, you're not paying for fanfiction and I will never demand money in exchange for my works.

All donations and Kofi purchased and sent my way will go toward paying down my student loan debt. If every follower were to donate even just 75 cents, I could make my monthly payment when it resumes. I don’t expect nor hope for every follower to donate. But as the USA government won’t follow through on student loan forgiveness, I’m not above asking for help as this is a debt I was forced to take on by my abusive ex-husband. In the meantime, I've personally just paid $200 toward high interest credit card debt.

The Keeping

Selena was tired and sore. She’d spent most of the night shivering on the stones in the cave. Sleep was fleeting but did come when she had managed to gather glowing vegetation into a bit of padding. It was better than nothing but only just.

She woke with the early morning sun, at first believing the events of the night prior to have been a nightmare. Cold air on her naked flesh and the green smell of plant life and algae quickly reminded her of all that she had lost.

Eyes welled and the world shimmered. There was nothing she could think to do at first but to sit on her makeshift mat and cry, so she did just that. While she tried to wash away the sins she had committed the night prior, the sun slowly conquered the sky, beating back the evils of the night once again.

Her stomach rumbled as the morning drew longer. The tears dried on her cheeks not because she had run out of disrepair but because she had to begin somewhere.

With the morning sun illuminating the cavern, she could hardly see the shadow of the magical scene she remembered from the night before. The plants didn’t appear to glow any longer. Or, if they did it was too bright for her to see it.

Looking around, she tried to find something to cover her shameful nakedness but there was nothing. There was only the plants, dirt, rocks… and the water. She kept a watchful eye on the water, fearing any disturbance of the surface.

Standing, she pulled her messy hair forward over her shoulders. With her fingers, she brushed out the knots as much as she could, she tried to cover as much of her breasts with the locks as she could.

It didn’t do enough to preserve her modesty but it was a start. If she was going to survive, she needed to start.

With the benefit of daylight, limited though it was, she could see the disturbed vegetation where she had lost her purity. Shame burned her face as she looked at the holes in the greenery where she had pulled it free.

She was fairly sure she could identify the rocks where he had took her from behind. This beautiful cavern saw the loss of her purity at the hands of a beautiful demon her village had believed to be of the Gods.

Everything between her legs ached as she walked to where the cliffs circling the cavern did not shoot straight up. The slope was not gentle but it looked to be climbable.

She wasn’t a weak woman, though being a modest single woman she was limited in the sort of work she could do within the village. Within the home and on the small plot of land she shared with her father, she did as much as she could to make up for the support of her father.

Still, carrying in firewood and hauling groceries did little to prepare her to scale a cliff face. She made it a few feet off the ground. Failed handholds and footholds sent rocks and dirt tumbling to the ground.

“Where are you going?” Her blood ran cold at the sound.

The voice was unmistakable. The sound of it made her blood run cold. The shock and fear the sound alone triggered made her hands shake. She didn’t pick her handholds as well as she had been and paid for the mistake quickly.

She’d hardly made it another foot from the ground before she had lost both her handholds. Gravity did the rest of the work and sent her tumbling down to the ground in an undignified heap.

With no clothing to offer any protection, scrapes littered where bare skin. Rolling to her back, she searched the water for the cursed almost man. He wasn’t hard to spot, chin resting on his arms as he leaned against the rock surface.

“Away from you.” Selena willed her voice to be strong but was rewarded by wavering.

“Doesn’t look like that’s working out too well for you.” He chuckled and she hated him for it.

“Take me back?” Though she tried to voice it as a demand, it came out more pleading than anything.

“And why should I do that?”

“I can’t stay here. You can’t leave me here.” She inched closer, crawling on her knees with one hand held over her breasts and trying to curl over herself to protect her modesty.

“Why do you hide yourself from me?” he asked rather than answering her questions. “It’s not like I do not remember the look of your body, the feel of it under my hand.”

“Please, just stop and take me home.”

“You hide from me and yet I know the feeling of being inside you. Why should you hide?”

A sob slipped up, strangled by the burning in her throat. “You can’t keep me here. You can’t. I’ll starve. There’s no food, no water to drink. I- You’ll kill me slowly if you don’t take me back.”

His back rose through the water as he pulled his tail up. Water sloshed up and ran off it as the flat fin of his tail crested only to slap down onto the surface with a slap that echoed through the rocky space. “There is plenty of water, have you forgotten?”

“I can’t drink that,” She didn’t want to cry but she was thirsty and at his mercy.

“Why?” His head tilted to the side and the teasing left his face, replaced with curiosity. “Explain this to me.”

“What?” It took her a second to remember how little he seemed to know. “I- I can’t drink that water. It’s salty. Drinking it would kill me. I need fresh.”

“You’re kind are so fickle.”

“I’m not being fickle,” she didn’t know why but hearing him speak as if she was being a picky child made her cry harder.

“Fine.” He righted himself in the water. “Come here.”

“Why? Are you going to take me back?”

“Come here and find out.”

She didn’t want to go to him. She didn’t want to trust him but what choice did she have? Looking back at the rock face that surrounded her, she knew she couldn’t climb out. The idea of being touched by him sent terror up her spine. It took concerted effort to force herself to inch forward.

Hesitation bloomed anew in her as her fingers curled, dipping into the water at the edge of the pool. He was s close to her, a floating head and shoulders above the water. There was no way for her to know how deep the water was at the edge.

It didn’t take long for him to grow bored waiting for her. He took matters into his own hands rather literally. Lurching forward, his large hand wrapped around her wrist. With strength that he didn’t look like he should possess, he pulled her arm out from under her.

She lurched forward with the momentum of his pull. Her hand shot down from where she had been trying to cover her breasts in an effort to stop her fall. There was no ground under where she placed her hand in hopes of catching herself.

Her stomach scrapped painfully against the rocks as she fell forward. Gasping in to scream, she got water rather than air as her head broke the surface. Panic flared to life as she sank deeper uncontrolled into the water.

A strong arm wrapped around her waist. Panic alone drove her to reach out and cling to him. Gasping in air as her head broke the surface, she quickly beat at his chest and arms. Feeling his skin and scales against her made her stomach roll.

“Let go of me! Don’t touch me!”

“Fine.”

The arm around her was gone in an instant. The water swallowed her scream as she realized how much of a mistake she made. With blind hope, she clawed through the water in an effort to find anything to stop her sinking.

The only thing her fingers found was open water and him. Every fiber of her being recoiled at the very idea of touching him but cried out for air more. Fingers dug into the scaly flesh of his tail and the firm expanse of his abdomen. As he wore no clothes, there was nothing for her fingers to grab a firm hold of.

When she was sure that this time she would drown, he pulled her to the surface again. Sobs shock through her as she clung to his arms. Coughing and gasping, she tried to bring herself under control.

“I thought you wanted me to let go of you?” he teased as if she were not crying in his arms, shaking from the fear of drowning. “Get yourself under control, won’t you?”

~~~~~<3

He swam leisurely after surfacing on the other side of the rocky cavern. The surroundings which had been hidden in deep blues and washed out by the pale moonlight was now illuminated by bright sunshine.

The water was crystalline. Sunlight glittered on the surface, stretching for as far as she could see. The only sign of land was the island housing the cavern she had finally been freed from,

Slowly, he swam around the island. The rocky side of the mountain shot up high and steep through the sky. It reached high, topped with white in a way that seemed impossible for the small size of the island.

As they made their way around the island, a rocky prison gave way to a small but thick forest, a small grassy field and at the small coast, a beach unlike any she had ever seen.

The water surrounding it was a deep blue, deeper in color than it should have been so close to the coast. If not for what she saw on the beach, she would have questioned if the ground had simply dropped off at the water’s edge based on the darkness of that water alone.

And what did she see on the beach? Rich, dark sand unlike any she had ever seen. Though she had not traveled much, she had heard tales of beaches as white as the winter snow. The beach she had spent her whole life next to was a soft tan. Not once had any sailor uttered a hint that a beach such as this could exist.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” She had forgotten about him in the moment and startled at the sound of his voice. “Islands such as this are scared. None will find you here.”

“Why?”

“Molten rock flows into the water from the mountain side. It makes the waters warm. When it cools, it is black as night. The sand is of that rock.”

He swam up the steep incline of the beach, only letting go of her when he needed his hands to pull himself through the sand. She scurried away, up the beach and out of his reach. On the land, she had no issue outrunning him.

“You can’t leave me here.”

“There is a spring, up and to the left.” He seemed to not hear or care about what she had said. “There’s no one else on this island.”

She didn’t want to believe him. The sand was warm under her feet. It coated the wet skin of her feet and legs as she ran up the beach. Legs tangled around each other in her exhaustion and sent her tumbling to the ground.

Sand gives way to grass under her feet. Small pebbles and vegetation bit into her feet. She didn’t want to believe he was telling the truth. Running through the field and through the trees, she tried to find signs of humans.

It didn’t take her long to find the spring. The water bubbled out of the rock in clear and pristine rivulets. She drank greedily from it, feeling the thirst of nearly a full day without anything to drink in sudden ferocity.

She drank until her stomach rolled with cramps and then kept drinking. With a final roll, the water was forced out of her stomach in crippling waves as her body punished her for flooding it with water so harshly.

Sitting on her hands and knees and gasping for air, the reality came crashing down around her. Perhaps for the first time, she really understood the situation. There was no one else on this island. If she wanted to survive, she needed him.

As her stomach settled, she again tried to drink. Instead of gulping down water this time, she gathered palm fulls of water and sipped at it slowly as she sat and cried. It was hard to say how long she sat but when her thirst was sated, she finally pulled herself to her feet.

It felt like she was walking through quicksand as she drug herself through the forest. The night was quickly approaching. What animals hid on this little island? Would there be something to fear in addition to the monster of the sea?

Would she survive the night?

“You came back.” There was a trail up the dark sand from where he had dragged himself from the sea. He had nearly made it to where the grass claimed the sand where he sat and waited.

She hesitated in the grass. This was the first time she had seen him without the cover of darkness and water. The not exactly a man was resting on his back, soaking in the sun on a bed of black sand.

Thanks to the sun, his hair was dried and the slight breeze off the ocean ruffled the dark stands, lit with a touch of gold. The curls danced in the air. Tan skin seemed to glow against the dark sand.

She hesitated as she took him in, crossing her own arms over her chest to try and hide what of her she could. His chest and abdomen was lean but covered in defined muscles, pulled taught as he laid with his arms up and crossed her the back of his head. As her eyes traveled lower, tan skin gave way to tail.

Where his hips transitioned and the V line of his pelvis dipped, skin transitioned to scales of the same color. As the scales traveled down and around what should have been hips and thighs, they transitioned from the warm tan to a deep blue.

Smooth tail stretched down, far beyond where legs would have ended if he had been a man. The tail narrowed as it extended before flaring out in a wide fan. The fan of his fin was thick with muscle that then gave way to a thin membrane.

In the grass, just above his head sat a large fish.

“Did you find water that fits your exacting needs?”

Cringing back, she hesitated before stepping closer. “Yes, thank you.”

“Took you long enough.” He sat up and turned to her. “I brought you a fish.”

“I-” She sighed, stepping closer still. “Thank you. How am I to cook it?”

“To what?”

“Cook it. I need fire- I can’t eat it. I can’t stay here.”

“You cannot eat this? Than why do your kind pull countless from the sea if your kind cannot eat them?”

“We can, do eat them but we have to cook them first.”

“Again with this word.”

“Fire- I need to use fire to make it so I can eat it.”

“Than make what you need.” He snapped.

The frustration in his voice brought tears to her eyes. Would be get annoyed and leave her here to starve? Would he kill her for not being thankful enough? Would he hurt her again?

“I- I can’t,” Stumbling over her own words, she rushed to try and soothe his frustration. “I never was good at it. I don’t know how.”

“It’s amazing your kind have managed to infest the land,” he signed. “Would having fire please you?”

“Yes, please. I- I need to go back to where my own people are and where I can have the things I need and-”

“Than come and please me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come here and please me, if you want fire.”

On numb legs, she inched forward on the sand. Falling to her knees in front of him, she begged “Please don’t make me do this.”

Reaching forward, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to the ground. She spilled into what should have been his lap. His tail was strong under her, full of muscle. While it was dry in the sun, it didn’t feel dried out.

Reaching out, be cupped her breast and tweaked a nipple as she pulled away from him. Laughing, he clamped his hand around her wrist. “It’s not like I’ve not touched you before. Why do you pull away? Do no not want fire?”

“I do- I need-”

“Than please me.”

“I don’t know how.” She sobbed as she sat weakly as he reached out and caressed her breast.

“You pleased me last night.” He mused. “I wish to learn more of how your kind give and seek pleasure. To learn pleases me.”

“I don’t know-”

“I’m aware you don’t know how your kind mate. You’re useless in that. Your body knows however, you showed me as such last night.”

He pulled her to him. Timidly, she followed his urging grasp. The hand left her wrist and instead wrapped around, pressing flat against her back. She braced her hands against his firm chest. Heat radiated off of him as his fingers tangled into her hair.

He kissed her firmly on her lips. It felt somehow more shameful for him to be touching her in such a way, to be kissing her in such a way with the bright sunlight shining on them. His tongue slipped into her mouth as the hand not tangled in her caressed the skin of her sides and cupped her breast.

Against his chest, her hands balled into fists as she fought the urge to pound them against his chest. His lips left hers and worked down the line of her neck as his hand pawed at her ass.

“You’re so soft,” he mused into her neck. She was straddling his tail, holding herself up over it with her knees in the sand as she left his hands and mouth go where they would.

Pulling her back by the fist in her hair, her back arched and though she didn’t wish to, she presented her breasts to him. He was greedy in his tasting of her, long tongue swirling around the bud of her nipple. Pink and red marks littered the swell of her breasts from his attention the night prior and he found that he liked how easy it was the mark up a human.

His hand ran down the soft planes of her stomach. The pads of his fingers slipped between her folds and caressed her.

“You have no slick,” he pushed her back, guiding her to the sand with the hand still in her hair. She fought him but still he was able to pry her legs open. “I wish to see you.”

She cried as her opening was exposed in the harsh light of day. His breath washed over her exposed flesh as he examined her, fingers prodding and caressing her folds.

“You’re redder today.”

“It hurts,” She whimpered as he slipped a finger into her opening.

“You’re sore from last night. I expected as much- It was your first time and your canal was so tight. You’ll need to heal some.” He sighed, disappointment clear on his face.

Before the thought of celebration so much as crossed her mind, his long tongue lapped a long slow stroke up her folds. The pointed tip of his tongue wormed into her hole, tasting her tainted insides before he sucked her bud between his lips.

She tried to squirm and fight her way back from him as his mouth worked over her. It delighted him when he was able to work her to slick again and he moaned at her taste. First one finger invaded her only to be joined by a second.

“Oh god.” She moaned through her tears as his mouth brought her closer to the edge. His chuckle vibrated against her nub and broke the dam inside her. Her back arched as he worked her through her orgasm. She was lost in the feeling of his mouth on her and her walls fluttering around his fingers.

When her walls stilled, he allowed her to relax into the sand. He pulled his fingers from inside her. They departed with a sick wet sound that made shame burn inside her. She sat up slowly, curling around herself.

He presented his wet fingers to her and ordered, “Taste them.”

“Wha-” the question was cut off as he shoved his fingers inside her mouth. The taste of her slick covered her tongue. She gagged as his fingers worked into the back of her mouth.

“Clean them.” And so she did, trying to keep her tears and breathing under control.

He held himself up on one arm as he watched her. Storm clouds seemed to gather in his blue eyes. Every time she was sure she couldn’t feel any more fear, it seemed he proved that it was perfectly possible to fear even more.

“You taste lovely, don’t you agree?” He let his fingers slip from her mouth and she nodded in the hope that it was what he wanted.

“Please, can we go so I can cook?”

“You haven’t pleased me yet. If anything, I’ve pleased you.”

Breath caught in her throat. There was a slight bulge in the scales of his upper tail just below where man gave way to fish. A slit became noticeable her worst nightmare slipped forth.

His member looked nothing like the male human’s she had seen- not that she had ever seen the member of an adult man ready for love making. It was smooth and shaped ling a long fleshy cone, more reminiscent of a fat tentacle of a sea creature.

It was a dark pink and iridescent in the sunlight. At its tip, it was not very thick at all but it grew thick quickly. It was long and covered in a thin layer of slime- his slick, he had called it the night before.

She watched as his member pushed forth from the protective sheath of his tail, extending forward until the tip rested near his naval. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. She hadn’t realized that she had been scooting away until then,

“No, no- please.”

“I’m not going to put it inside your mating canal,” He sighed in a passive attempt to soothe her, “This time, at least.”

He pulled her hand forward. Though she fought to avoid it, he brought her hand against his member. “Stroke it.”

It was slimy as she ran her hand up and down his length. He sighed as he guided her hand from tip to base. At his widest, her fingers couldn’t wrap around him. He was as strong as steel under her hand.

“Taste it.” He ordered, grabbing her hair and pulling her face down toward it. She opened her mouth to protest and choked on him as he pushed himself inside. The slick that covered him was sweeter than her own had been and not at all unpleasant.

The only thing unpleasant about it was the knowledge that she was being forced to commit a sin. With a guiding hand in her hair, he coaxed her down his length until she was choking on his tip. Her saliva was running down his member as he pulled her up before guiding her down again and again.

He moaned as he worked himself into her mouth, using her mouth. Most of his length could not fit within her mouth. He used his other hand over hers to guide her hand caressing his length.

Pulling her off him, he sighed as he laid against the dark sand. “Well, Pet- who’s slick tastes better?”

“Why are you asking me?” Wiping at her mouth, she tried to control her breathing.

“Because you’ve tasted both.”

“And you haven’t?” She snapped.

“Getting feisty?” He teased as if she were a harmless pet. “I have not. Our kind do not use our mouths on one another in such a fashion.”

“Than why did you do it to me?” A sob ripped from her chest before she could strangle it.

“Because I’ve seen humans do it. You enjoyed my mouth on your mating organs. I enjoyed yours on mine.”

“Are you pleased?” The words made her want to vomit.

“I will be, when you answer my question. Which was more pleasing?”

She hoped that the sinful black sand would open up a void under her and swallow her whole. “Yours.”

“How so?”

“It was sweeter. Please, can we go? I’m so hungry and I just-”

“Come on.” He sat up. She watched as his member slipped inside, slowing sinking down into his tail. The slit in the tail closed so tightly around it that she could only see it because she knew it was there.

He turned in the sand, heavy body sinking into the rut he made in the process before beginning to drag himself down the beach and toward the water. It felt like a dream as she walked next to him.

He wasn’t fast on land but the moment the water swallowed him, he was anything by slow. Tears streamed down her face as she walked slowly into the ocean behind him. Water swallowed her ankles, knees and thighs while she questioned of she was walking to her death.

Salty tears dripped off her chin only to be claimed by the salty sea. The water stung between her legs where her opening ached from the intrusion of his fingers. When the water covered her breasts, he took her in his arms with care she wasn’t sure was genuine.

He swam with her in his arms slowly, holding her to him with one arm while the other assaulted her curves. While she cried into his neck, he palmed her breast and ran his hand over the curve of her waist.

“Here, pet.” He said after a fairly short trip to where the mountain met the forest. There was a line of glowing red. He brought her to a beach that was more black rocks than sand. “Be careful, the rocks are sharp.”

“This is the same island.” Her voice was choked with tears.

“Yes, pet. Go up to the trees and get a branch from the ground. Press it to the molten rock and you’ll have fire.”

“Okay.” Her sniffles were loud and ugly but he appeared to not care about them or her tears. “We left the fish…”

“You can walk with the fire back to the beach. Or you can come here and we can swim. Which do you prefer?”

“I’ll walk.” She didn’t want him to touch her more than he had to.

“As you wish, pet.” He disappeared under the surface.

Sharp rocks bit into her foot as she carefully walked of the beach. The wind was cold against her wet skin. It didn’t take long to find a downed branch. Heat poured off the molten rock running in a thin river from a split in the mountain. She soaked in the warmth before lighting the stick.

As she walked along the beach, she gathered dry wood. By the time she reached the smooth sand beach, she had to use the branch to light another as it came close to burning out.

By the time she built a fire roaring with warmth on the beach, he had finally returned. He watched her from where he lay with his tail partially submerged. She skewered the fish on a stick and cooked it over the fire.

He said nothing as he watched her, taking note of the feeding needs of his new pet human.

~~~~~<3

Again, if you’ve liked this or another work of mine, any donations to pay down the student loans are welcomed and very much appreciated but absolutely not required.

Tag List: @dangertoozmanykids101, @alexakeyloveloki, @theoneanna, @alcoholic-muffin, @bambamwolf87, @j-u-s-t-4, @wegingerangelica, @winterisakiller, @missaphrodite23, @nonsensicalobsessions, @tinchentitri, @xoxabs88xox, @queenoftheunderdark, @theheartofpenelope, @myoxisbroken, @faemapfae​

One time tags: @gabesprincess​ and @tilltheendwilliwrite and @allthecraftandthings

[shotofire]

Impulse

LEVI ACKERMAN x F!READER

Overview: In which you have trouble respecting Captain Levi, and he shows you whos in charge

Warnings: cursing, filthy smut, hair pulling, spanking, dirty talk, choking, degrading, angst, toxic relations, biting, oral, creampie

Season: Not specified

-

Most would jump off a cliff before they even thought about talking back to the Captain Levi. Then there was you, the girl who sure had a mouth on them. At first you treated the Captain with respect and followed orders, but then he became too pushy. You’d never liked when others barked orders at you, or told you to do one thing after another. It was common sense that things were done more sufficiently if you take your time and not rush. Captain Levi wanted things done quickly, no questions asked.

Personally, you didn’t like the guy. One could not deny that he was extremely attractive, and when you had first saw him he’d sparked your interest. Then he decided to open his mouth and it ruined the entire fantasy you had playing out.

He expected way too much out of his squad sometimes, and you really wished Erwin hadn’t assigned you to him. You were incredibly skilled but lacked discipline and could be lazy at times. There was a reason he’d put you with Levi, but you had yet to realize it.

To you Levi was a ego driven asshole who thought he was better because of his rank. He always had your squad out late running laps, and cleaning whatever he wanted you to. Purification of whatever he found unfit had to be your least favorite thing in the world. You’d been raised on a farm and constantly had to clean, then you joined the scouts thinking it’d be all action. Then your Captain has you shoveling horse shit several times a week, and for what exactly? You had no clue. There was no way this was benefitting to your skills at all, it’s not like you had to clean titan shit.

The worst part was that Levi would only make you clean it all by yourself. The rest of your squad got the  luxury of sweeping, dusting, or mopping. Then there was you trying not to throw up every five minutes while the smell of shit and piss is filling your head. It was hell and you about had enough. You’d kept your mouth shut at that point telling yourself over and over to be the bigger person. You had reached a breaking point when a horse nearly kicked you in the face, you had to get off of Levi’s squad.

That day you stomped to Commander Erwins office full set of getting assigned to a new squad. Erwin had a weird soft spot for you, mainly because he knows your tragic past. He tried his best not to let it show, favoritism wasn’t something he liked to reveal. Harsh knocks echo through the mans office and he flinched, “You may come in.” There you are bursting through the door out of breath and cheeks flaming red.

The sight was somewhat scary, but only because you looked like you were about to rip someone’s head off. The first thing you saw, that only added to the anger, was Captain Levi himself sitting across from Erwin. Why the hell does he have to be here? You thought as your hands balled into firsts.

Everyone knew you had a temper problem. That was another reason Erwin saw you fit for Levi’s squad. Levi didn’t like people who couldn’t control themselves, so he wanted to put you in your place. So far all he’s done is increase your irritability and make you want to punch him in the face. “I want to be on another squad, I can’t take anymore of Captain Levi,” you stare ahead at Erwin, not even acknowledging Levi. The raven-haired man look at you with narrowed eyes and a scowl, someone really needed to put you in your place.

“Coming into my quarters without stating your name or business will get you nowhere, neither will that tone,” Erwin said, he couldn’t believe the way you were acting. You huffed at his words, patience wearing thin. “To hell with my tone!” Levi and Erwin’s eyes widen and their mouths fall open.

Not once has a cadet talked or acted in this manner of disrespect, you had some nerve. Levi was infront of you in almost an instant, backing you up against the door as his breath fanned over your face. “You need to learn how to respect your Captain and your Commander, or i’ll have you sent to the military police. Stop acting as if you’re entitled to be treated like a princess when all you are is a brat,” he spits in your face.

It took everything in you to not knee the man in his groin. You look away from him to Erwin, seeing his armed crosses at his chest. All of you knew your actions just now we’re not justified and you shouldn’t be talking to your superiors that way. But what Levi was doing right now was completely degrading. The Commander wasn’t big on Levi’s approach, but he let him follow through. He was your Captain after all, he treated you how he saw fit. You grabbed the knob that was pushing into your back and opened the door, causing Levi to stumble back a bit. “I hate men,” you mumbled before slamming the door.

A few cadets stood outside the room with wide eyes and jaws ajar. They had heard the whole thing, some wondered how you were still alive. “What the fuck do you want?” You yelled with gritted teeth. They didn’t say a word, only scattered away. If you could talk to the superiors like that and not get your ass kicked there was no telling what you were capable of deep down.

Levi and the Erwin looked at one another with shocked expressions. “She needs to be put in her place,” Levi grunts. No cadet had pushed his buttons like you have. Erwin held the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger, eyes pressed shut. “She’s a lot like the way you used to be, you know. You gave me a hard time, I guess she’s your karma,” Erwin said somewhat amused. Levi didn’t find anything funny, not even in the slightest.

It had been a few weeks since the incident and Levi hadn’t let you catch a break. If anything things got worse, and you were doing more shit back to back. He went as far as to make you do dishes at breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a straight two weeks. Your attitude had gotten worse as well and insulting the Captain to his face had become a regular occurrence. “(y/n), I want you to clean the stables and then strip all the cadets beds. The sheets need cleaning,” he said to you with a smirk on his face. Your squad stood in a side by side line as he gave you each a chore. Everyone’s was simple and would only take maybe an hour, but yours would cost the rest of the day. “You’re such a prick,” you said with an enraged tone.

Some of your squad gasps while the others had already grown used to it. Levi wasn’t going to stop until you did, it was stubbornness against stubbornness. Even if you did insult him and yell profanities in his face you’d still do as he said. He got such joy out of ordering you around. “And you’re such a brat,” he said back with an amused smile. Before you could think your hand was starting to swing through the air, your squads face watched in horror. He grabbed your wrist right before it made contact with his face, his eyes never left yours. That was kind of hot, you thought and automatically wanted to slap yourself.

His hand remained on your wrist and his grip tightened, causing you to whimper in pain. “Go to what i’ve asked of you cadets,” he says with that same shit eating grin on his face. They all run away with startled expressions. “Let me go,” you tried to rip away your hand but it was no use. “After you’re done with your tasks come to my quarters, no matter how late it is. Also take a shower before you get anywhere near me, you smell like shit.” You scoffed at his words, “Eat fucking shit, Levi.” Calling him by his name really pissed him off, you hadn’t call him Captain since the Erwin office visit. He let go of your wrist finally and walked off, leaving you vision blurred with anger.

Your fellow cadets didn’t say a word as your sweaty form stripped their beds. The smell coming off of you was gag worthy, but they didn’t dare provoke you. If you could talk to Levi in that manner there was no telling what you’d do to them.

One wrong look and you’d knock their teeth out, no questions asked. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t half-ass clean those stables. But the afternoon was coming in and you still had to clean and hang everyone’s sheets. That would take longer than anything, and you’d probably miss out on lunch and dinner. You sat out in the sun pushing one smelly sheet into the bucket of soap and water after another. The boys bed linen almost made you throw up a few times. Did they ever bath?

After soaking them they were hung up to dry, and with the beaming sun hopefully it wouldn’t take too long. You thought about the whole reason you’d basically became a maid, Captain Levi. The man had his mind set on making your life a living hell, and you returned the favor. The threat to send you back to the military police didn’t scare you one bit, it wasn’t going to happen. You were more skilled at killing titans than anyone else on your squad, and almost all the others. Loosing you would be a great loss for the scouts, and you knew it. Some thought, if it came down to it, you could totally kick Levi’s ass. He had heard that one day and it only exasperated the man further. His ego was bigger than a mountain and that chipped the top off of it.

As the sheets dried you were able to attend lunch, but just barely. Most had already finished and were doing combat training. You managed to stuff down a few pieces of bread to keep you moving for the rest of the day. When you returned back to you duties over half of them had dried and you jumped up and down with joy.

You celebrated too fast, and Levi was coming towards you quickly. The sight made you want to vanish in thin air, what could he possibly want now? “I took a look at the stables, you didn’t even clean half of it.” Of course he went and checked. “I’ll finish it,” you grumbled. He was shocked that he didn’t get a smart response, you just didn’t have the energy to deal with him right now.

The rest of the sheets dried and you returned them to each bed. You had never felt like such a maid before, having to make beds for grown adults. Knowing you had to finish cleaning the stables almost brought you to the edge of tears. All you wanted was to lay in your bed and sleep, to relax the pain filling out your lower back. Pure stench filled your senses as you entered the stables, each horse eyeing you. To be honest these horses scared you, their beady judgemental eyes reminded you of Levi. Thinking about that made you snort out loud, your next insult was definitely going to be telling him he looked like a damn horse.

The sun had set by the time you’d finished, and you wouldn’t be surprised if most had already gone to sleep. Thoughts of your bed made you crack a smile before letting out a deep yawn. You headed straight for the showers, stripping yourself of your sticky clothing. As the satisfaction of hot water ran over your body you sighed and closed your eyes. It was a great feeling that you truly needed.

The happiness was short lived as you remembered that Levi wanted you in his office once you were finished. You wanted to scream at the thought, why the hell does he want to see you? The man can’t stand you so why would he spend his after hours to talk to you? There was no point if he was just going to insult you, but you had no choice.

After getting dressed and somwhat drying your hair, you drag your feet to Levi’s office. You stare at the door for a few seconds, contemplating just going to bed. That would ensure a even more hell filled day tomorrow, so you went ahead and knocked on the door. This shouldn’t last long anyways, right? He’s gonna throw a few insults and you’re gonna leave, easy as that. “Come in,” his deep voice says. You open the door, shut it behind you, and start walking up to his desk. He didn’t expect you to state your name or salute him, so he wasn’t too fazed. You sit down in the wooden chair on the other side of his desk, eyes laced with annoyance. He takes in your state, you looked completely beat.

“Do you know why you’re here (y/n)?” He questioned, his fingers interlocked as they sat upon his desk. The man was trying to be all serious but you weren’t in anyway intimidated. “Nope, but i’d appreciate it if you’d hurry up. See I just did all your dumb chores for you and i’m fucking tired.” The Captain presses his lips in a straight line. He stands up from his seat, moving to your side of the desk and sitting on the edge of it.

He’s close to you now, frame above yours. You look up at him, feeling small under his gaze. “That right there, the unnecessary attitude. I’m tired of you thinking you’re better than everyone, when i’m reality you’re just an entitled brat.” So he’d called you here to argue? You didn’t care how tired you were, this man wasn’t going to walk all over you.

You stand up, eye to eye with him, and growl in his face. “I’m the one who thinks i’m entitled? You order everyone around like some King, Well guess what your highass, no one likes you! You’re just some higher rank motherfucker who thinks their life is more valuable than anyone else. When will you face reality and see we’re not different!” You yell in his face, not holding back at all. Your faces were so closer, barely touching.

The air fell silent at your words and he looked into your eyes. Maybe what he was about to do was pure impulse and should be thought over. But he’s already slamming his lips onto yours in a hungry kiss before he can really think it over. He was baffled when your lips moved with his, tongues already slipping against one another. You couldn’t believe you were kissing him right now, but you couldn’t find it within you to stop.

In one swift move Levi had your back pressed on his desk as he hovered over you, the kiss only intensifying. His fingers pressed at your sides and you let out lights moans onto his lips, only boosting his ego. When his lips moved to your neck you realized what was happening, “What the hell.” Levi heard you mumble and only chuckled. His lips bite and suck at your nape and you can’t hold back the sounds coming from your lips. “I fucking hate you,” you said through clenched teeth.

It was aggravating that you couldn’t bring yourself to tell him to stop, you didn’t even want him to. His pillow lips felt like heaven against your skin and you already felt your core start to dampen. After those words pass your lips hes pressing his hand to your neck, stopping any air from making its way in. “Hate me all you want, but I know you’re dying for me to fuck you right now. I bet you’d even beg me,” he said with a smirk. His hand stays wrapped around your neck as his other hand pulls your shorts down your legs. “See, you’re already wet.” He eyes the visible mark on your underwear with a devilish smile.

He lets go of your neck and you immediately start coughing, he was for sure insane. Before you could collect yourself he was biting the inside of your thigh, causing you to yelp. He sucked harshly at the delicate skin and you wince away from his touch. He’s fast to grab your thighs with a firm grip, and you’re unable to move away. You gasp as he licks a long stripe on your still covered core. “So sensitive,” he coos.

You’d die before you admitted it, but Levi looked so incredibly sexy right now. His eyes were sparkling with lust and his lips were a light shade of red from the kissing. His fingers loops on the sides of your underwear and he yanks them off. You watch as he bites his lower lip, eyeing your wet pussy. Before you can even think, his lips are attaching to where you needed him the most.

A long high pitched moan slips past your lips and you’re positive someone had to have heard you. His mouth works against you and you’re a complete mess. You fall onto your back and raise your hips, but his arms are fast to push you back onto the surface. His left hand leaves your waist, and soon he’s plunging two fingers into your hole. “Holy fuck!” You yell in complete ecstasy, eyes rolling into the back of your head. You feel your high approaching as his fingers and mouth continue to work. “Yes, yes! Please don’t stop,” you say with tears forming in your eyes. He smiles at your words, feeling accomplished. His lips wrap around your bundle of nerves and it send you over the edge. Your legs shake as he sends you through your orgasm.

Before you could even collect yourself he was ripping your shirt over your head, and then his own. He nearly breaks your bra trying to get it off, and you snort at him. You sit up so he doesn’t have to struggle, “I still hate you.” He ignores your words and flips your body over so that you’re facing away from him. The sound of his pants being pulled down makes your stomach drop, shit. You were really about to have sex with this asshole. He enters you without any warning and you let out your loudest moan yet. The man doesn’t bother giving you time to adjust as his hips start moving at a ungodly speed. Your nails dig into the desk at the feeling. Levi was much bigger than you anticipated, definitely the biggest you had ever been with.

The sound of skin slapping together fills the air, mixed with your constant moans. His hand comes down to smack you ass, making red handprints in your skin. The stinging sensation brought you pleasure, and he noticed. His hand cracked down harder and you yelled out in pain and pleasure. “Fuck, if I would’ve know you were such a slut I would’ve already fucked you,” he says breathlessly. He grabs that hair at your scalp, pulling you back into his chest. He fucks up into you harder and you can’t think straight. His fingers stay tangled in your hair as his lips attack your neck, leaving small purple marks on your skin.

“Tell me how much you love it,” he whispers in your ear, “Tell me you love my cock.” The filthy words made you shiver even though your body was on fire. You didn’t answer, mustering up words as fucked you ruthlessly was nearly impossible. He lets go of your scalp, making you fall forward. He grabs ahold of your waist and pushes himself into you deeper, making your mouth fall open. “Tell me, now,” he says before pulling back and shoving himself deeply again. “I love your cock,” you say with tear filled eyes. He smirks in gratification and somehow manages to move his hips even faster. Soon your legs are shaking once again as you reach your second orgasm.

Levi pulls out of you harshly and you’re left limp on his desk. Arms wrap around your frail body and carry you into his bedrooom that was connected to his office. The feeling of the soft bed makes you sigh, it was a lot better than your own. He’s already back between your legs, and you finally get to take in his toned body.

You sit up to run your fingers up and down his stomach, feeling him flinch under your touch. His breath hitches when you keep moving down, fingering wrapping around his still hard dick. You pump your wrist a few times and his eyes shut at the feeling. You guide him back to your aching hole, wanting more. As he enters you, you throw your head back.

He starts moving, hips hitting yours harshly. His elbows sit on either side of your head as he fucks you into the mattress. Foreheads press against one another and his eyes stare into yours. The sight was new to you, his eyes were sparkling differently than in the beginning. You’d never seen this side of Levi, he actually looked loving. “God, you’re so beautiful,” he said breathlessly. Your stomach flipped at his words, it was the first nice thing he’d said to you. To be honest, you didn’t even know he was capable of being nice. Yet he’d just let a compliment slip past his lips.

You legs wrapped around his waist, helping him go deeper. The feeling of your third orgasm approaching had you seeing double. Levi pressed his lips against yours in a sweet kiss as you moan through your high, and he comes undone inside of you. The room is filled with heavy breathing as you two try to compose yourself.

Levi is the first to say something, “I’m sorry.” You sit up quickly and look at him confused. “I ordered you around like a dog and it wasn’t right. You just have so much pride,” his eyes look at the ceiling, “I wish I could be like that.” You smile softly, he was just damaged more than you knew. “I’m sorry for shit talking you in front of everyone,” you say and can’t help but let out a light laugh.

He smiles and closes his eyes, “you’re still a brat.”

[nothoughtsonlynat]

Resurrect Me: Part 2 (N.R.)

Part One

Huge shoutout to @confusinggemini612 who requested this a loooong time ago and I’m just now getting to it (I am so sorry for the wait). I hope this is what you had in mind :)

Warnings: swearing; PTSD; mentions of suicide/self-sacrifice

Word count: 2.6k

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

The cool breeze blows through my hair, the hand in mine being the only source of warmth in the chill of the Russian countryside. As we walk closer, a chorus of pigs snorting fills my ears. Natasha had given me a brief rundown and a quick pep talk before taking me to meet her family. Now, it was game time.

“Are you ready?”

“Not in the slightest,” I respond to the redhead.

“Let’s do it then,” she says with a smirk, to which I reply with a scoff.

We walk through the gate and enter the small house, immediately hearing three distinct voices, each laced with a thick Russian accent. The voices hush as the door closes behind us, and a blonde woman is the first to greet us.

“Ah, сестра! Mom and Dad are flirting again, let’s make a run for it,” Yelena whisper-yells.

“So put a sedative in their vodka or something, I don’t know,” Natasha replies. I’m not sure if I should introduce myself or not, so I just stand there awkwardly.

“They are both spies, they’re not going to fall for- actually, Alexei would, but Mom would never fall for that,” Yelena pauses as she notices me. She looks me from head to toe and squints before her lips quirk into a smirk. “And who might this be? Is this your little girlfriend?”

“Yelena, don’t be an ass,” Nat grumbles with a scowl.

“Hi, I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you.”

Yelena hums before turning back to Natasha. “She’s definitely your girlfriend.”

“Oh shut up,” Natasha whines, walking further into the house. I look at Yelena and nod in confirmation before following Nat. I hear her whisper “I knew it” from behind me, causing me to laugh. Natasha turns to give me a questioning look, but I just brush it off with a shrug and a smirk. She narrows her eyes and opens her mouth to say something, but is cut off by a deep, booming voice.

“Natasha! Welcome home! Look at this, all my girls back together again! It is so nice to see you,” Alexei says, moving forward to pinch Natasha’s cheeks. She gently pushes him away with a scowl, and I can’t tell if she’s really uncomfortable or not. Either way, it brings my guard up, ready to defend her.

“And who might this be?” Alexei questions, turning to face me.

“Dad, this is Y/N,” she says before I can answer. I offer a kind smile.

Yelena, who had made her way to the kitchen table with a bottle of vodka, says “She’s Natasha’s girlfriend.”

“Thank you for the input, Yelena,” Natasha says with a tight-lipped smile.

“Girlfriend, huh? When did that happen? Natasha, I was not aware that you, uh, how do you say? Swing that way?” A dark-haired woman slaps his arm for his comment and he exclaims, “Ow!”

“Pay him no mind, Natasha. He is a bit slow, but Mama always knew. You were not very discreet about the way you looked at that Hannah girl in Ohio. And as for you, it is nice to meet you. I’m Melina, what is your name?” Her demeanor is friendly, but her gaze is skeptical. She’s probably already planning how to kill me if she decides that I’m not good enough for her daughter.

“I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you, too,” I say with a nervous smile.

“Alright, guys, that’s enough. Please stop harassing my girlfriend,” Natasha says with a sigh.

“Come, sit,” Yelena commands with a wave, still sitting at the kitchen table.

I sit across from her and Natasha sits next to me. Melina and Alexei follow soon after, with Alexei sitting at the head of the table and Melina sitting next to Yelena.

“Here you go,” Yelena says as she slides me a shot glass full of vodka. I clink it against hers in the air and down it in one go, grimacing at the burn. “Are you alright?” Yelena asks with a smirk, clearly enjoying my agony.

“Oh, yeah, I’m great. Just not used to Russian vodka, that’s all.” Yelena nods, satisfied with my answer, before going to pour me another shot.

Natasha stops her by saying, “Yelena, no more vodka. You’re going to kill her.”

“You’re no fun,” the younger sister says, but complies, nonetheless.

“Natasha, you are slouching again. Sit up straight,” Melina interjects.

“Mom, I’m not slouching. I told you I don’t slouch,” Nat protests.

“So how did you two meet?” Yelena asks, interrupting the banter.

“Oh, we met in New York during the invasion, when the Avengers were formed,” I answer.

“You are an Avenger! I knew you looked familiar. Tell me, does Captain America ever mention me, the great Red Guardian? I could kick his ass, you know. I’ve done it before,” Alexei says, causing the three Russian women to groan and complain.

“That never happened, Dad,” Yelena mumbles at the same time Natasha says, “He doesn’t talk about you because you guys have never met.” 

I raise my eyebrows at them. They seem awfully familiar with this conversation; how often does Alexei say this crap?

“So, Y/N. What happened when you guys brought everyone back? How did you do it? Natasha won't tell me,” Yelena questions. I chuckle nervously, glancing at Natasha, who is clearly uncomfortable with this topic of discussion.

“Um, I don’t know if I should… It’s complicated, really,” I say, trailing off.

“Yelena, stop. It doesn’t matter. And don’t put her in the middle of things,” Natasha responds, defending me. An awkward silence fills the room until Alexei speaks up again.

“He really hasn’t mentioned me? Have you even asked him about me?”

<//>

“Why won’t you tell them what happened?” I ask quietly. It’s nighttime now, and I’m lying in bed next to Nat in the guest room. She seemed so uncomfortable, and it’s been worrying me since.

“They just don’t need to know,” she replies shortly

“But they got snapped away, Natty. Don’t you think they deserve more of an explanation than what they’ve seen on the news?”

“Don’t tell me what to do with my family, Y/N.” Her sharp tone feels like a blade to the heart, but I take a deep breath and soften my resolve, knowing that she’s only snapping at me because something else is upsetting her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push. I just, I can tell that something is upsetting you. You can’t just bottle stuff up, Nat. It doesn’t have to be me if you’re not comfortable, but you need to talk to someone about it.”

She doesn’t respond immediately. “I’ve told them. I gave them the basics: Thanos snapped people away, we time traveled, got magical stones, snapped people back, and then killed Thanos. That satisfied my parents, but Yelena wants to know the whole story.”

“And you’re not comfortable retelling it?”

“Parts of it are bearable, but… I can’t think about it. You almost killed yourself for me, Y/N. You did die for me. I can’t think about that day, let alone tell my baby sister about it,” she says. Her voice is quiet, breaking as the tears flood her eyes. I pull her head into my chest and run my fingers through her hair.

“I’m right here, Natty. I’m not going anywhere, I promise. You don’t have to tell anyone about what happened. I was terrified of losing you on Vormir. I hate talking about it, too.”

“Is that why you went to Dr. Garcia?”

“Partly. There were other reasons, too.” I hesitated before continuing. “I kept hearing the tortured screams. When I slept, in my head, everywhere I went. I heard them all the time. And I would get random whiffs of burning flesh. As you know, I went to the Underworld when I ‘died’ and I guess it just affected me more than I had originally thought.”

“Angel, why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped.”

“I didn’t want to worry you, or freak you out. The whole thing was pretty weird. For a while, I honestly thought I was haunted. It was probably pretty selfish, but I didn’t wanna scare you away.”

“You could never scare me away. But just to be clear, you aren’t haunted, right?”

I laugh quietly. “No, I am not haunted. A mild case of PTSD, but I’m doing better now. The therapy helped a lot.”

“Do you think it would help me? I still get nightmares sometimes...of you going over that cliff. I just, I close my eyes and you’re gone, and I hate it.”

“I’m so sorry, my love. I hate how much pain I’ve caused you. But I do think it would help. We can find someone when we get back home, yeah?”

“Yeah. I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, Natty.”

<//>

“Just do it! It will be fun! I will go easy, I swear,” Yelena begs.

“Okay, fi-”

“No! No way in Hell. You are not sparring with her,” Natasha argues.

“I’ll be fine. Worst case scenario, she kicks my ass,” I say.

“Actually, I’m pretty sure the worst case scenario would be if I accidentally killed you,” Yelena says flatly. “But that won’t happen! Please, Natasha. I want to see what she’s got,” she pleads with a pout.

Natasha sighs and rolls her eyes, muttering something under her breath about us being a bunch of children. “Fine, but if you so much as scratch her-”

“Y/N will be fine. Come on,” Yelena says, grabbing my hand and dragging me into the backyard.

Thirty minutes later, I’m flat on my back in the grass, wheezing. I groan as I attempt to sit up, the whole world spinning as I do.

“Yelena! What the hell did I say?! You literally threw her,” Natasha yells.

“No, no. I’m good,” I say weakly.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting her to be so...defenseless.”

“I am not defenseless,” I counter.

“You cannot even throw a punch,” the blonde deadpans.

“That doesn’t make her defenseless,” Nat says as she helps me to my feet. “She could take every single one of you out right now without even moving.” 

From a few feet away, Melina quirks an eyebrow and Alexei mumbles “she could not take me out.”

“You are delusional, Natasha. How are we supposed to trust this woman to protect you when she cannot even protect herself?” 

“She can protect both of us just fine, Yelena. Not that I need anyone’s protection.”

“Your sister has a point,” Melina tells Nat. “Sorry, Y/N,” she adds. I open my mouth to speak, but don’t even know what to say. This is my worst nightmare.

“You must be able to punch when you are in trouble! Much like I did to Captain America back in the day,” Alexei adds.

“Alright, enough. I’ll have you know that Y/N is one of the most powerful Avengers. Actually, she’s a literal goddess,” Natasha snaps.

“Well, of course you would think so. You are her girlfriend,” Melina says.

“Guys, I’m being serious!”

“Do not get snappy with us. We are just looking out for you,” Alexei says.

“I don’t need-”

“Somebody has to be there to keep you safe, and this girl could not bring harm to a plant,” Melina remarks. 

“I’m literally standing right here,” I mumble under my breath.

“She literally saved my life! How is that not keeping me safe?!” My eyes widen; what happened to not revealing that tidbit of information?

“What do you mean? You saved her life?” Yelena asks as she turns to address me.

“If it wasn’t for her, I would be dead right now. And you guys never would’ve come back,” Natasha retorts, clenching her jaw.

“What? Why? What happened,” Yelena rambles. I can see the worry etched on her face, and it makes her look oddly childlike. It almost makes me want to pull her into a hug, but I’m fairly certain she’d throat punch me if I tried.

“On a planet called Vormir. A life needed to be sacrificed to get one of the Infinity Stones. It was me, Clint, or Y/N. I tried, but Y/N stopped me. That’s what I mean.” Natasha is seething. She clearly didn’t appreciate her family’s doubts.

“You tried to kill yourself?” Yelena addresses Natasha, but no one has the chance to answer her before Melina speaks up.

“If you sacrificed yourself, then how are you here?”

“It’s complicated,” I say with hesitance. “I am technically a goddess. I have many different powers, but most of them deal with death. When I died, I went to the Underworld, where I met my mother, Hecate, who is a goddess. Then, I came back. Resurrection is one of my powers. I know it’s a lot to take in, but that’s the truth.”

It’s silent for a minute as everyone processes my words. Everyone is staring at me with bewilderment, except for Yelena, who hasn’t taken her eyes off of her sister. Her eyebrows are furrowed, and a deep frown rests upon her lips.

“You tried to kill yourself?” Yelena repeats, this time only a whisper. Natasha finally turns to look at her younger sister and her mouth bobs open and closed, seemingly unsure of what to say.

“I didn’t have a choice, Yelena,” Natasha finally says.

“You saved her?” the blonde asks me.

I hesitantly nod my head. “Yes, I guess I did.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, giving a curt nod before turning and walking mechanically back into the house. I awkwardly clear my throat and turn my gaze to the ground.

“Will you show us?” I raise my head to look at Alexei, confusion crossing my features at his request. “Will you show us your powers, I mean.”

“Dad…” Natasha warns.

“No, it’s okay. I can show you a little bit,” I say, right before teleporting away. I watch from a hill in the distance as Alexei looks frantically around him. I can hear him asking where I went, which makes me laugh.

I teleport into the house and walk around, looking for Yelena. I walk into a bedroom and find her sitting on the floor with a bottle of vodka. “Hey, are you okay? We didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m fine. Because learning that your sister almost died and there was nothing you could’ve done to prevent it is so much fun,” she scoffs.

“I’m sorry. We probably could’ve broken the news a bit softer.” I sit on the ground next to her, leaving about a foot of space between us.

“It’s not your fault,” she murmurs. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“Don’t be. I am a horrible fighter,” I joke. She chuckles slightly, nodding in agreement.

“That you are. Can I see some of your magic, or whatever it is?” I hold out my hand and black mist dances above it with eerie elegance. I close my fist as it fades away, lowering my hand.

“Cool,” she says with a crooked smile. We hear the front door open and three sets of footsteps entering the house. I hear Nat calling my name.

“You okay?” I check one last time.

“I’m good. Thank you, Y/N, for saving my sister.”

“I’d do anything for her, Yelena. You don’t have to thank me for it.”

The bedroom door opens and Natasha’s head pokes in. “Y/N, we thought you’d completely left for a minute. Everything okay in here?”

Yelena and I look at each other and I look back to Natasha, overwhelmed with love for the redead. I smile and say, “Yeah, everything is just fine.”

[nobodylivesson]

Hi!! How are you doing? I hope you're fine with the pandemic going around, so I want to request Jin-woo x fem reader, where reader is a guardian spirit in a dagger he got from clearing the demon castle and she's attached to Jin-woo now cuz he's really strong? It's fine if you don't want to 🤗 anyways remember to drink water😘

The Silver Dagger

Fandom : Solo Leveling

Paring : Sung Jin-woo x Guardian Spirit! GN reader

Requested? Yes

»»————>❃<————««

Jin-woo huffed a little as he examined his now red-stained clothes

“Ah it has become such a mess but they weren’t matching my size recently. Guess have to buy new clothes soon” Jin-woo thinks as his eyes look at the bodies of Hwang Dong-Suk and his companions

“The association won’t let this slide, have to come up with an excuse and also have to make Jin-ho quiet about this” Jin-woo thought eyeing the orange hair guy who seemed to be puking from the look of the bodies

Jin-woo and Jin-ho eyes meet for a slip second causing Jin-ho to puke more while Jin-woo sighed

Suddenly something silver caught Jin-woo’s eyes and tilted his head to see a dagger at the corner of the dungeon. After walking close to it he could finally see how the dagger looked

The dagger was a mix of silver and black, with the handle having a very beautiful carving of a person dancing and a person standing at the tip of the dagger’s cover. The whole thing was made of fine metal which was intact without any scratches or marks

“A dagger? It doesn’t seem like a drop so what is it doing here? And it seems to be in very good condition….Was it one of those guys? Hmmm…..” Jin-woo wonder after he picked up the dagger

But he couldn’t ponder much as the dungeon started to shake making him snap his head towards the ceiling

“The boss has been defeated so it means the dungeon is going to close soon. Let’s get out of here” Jin-woo says towards Jin-ho who just meekly nods before getting ready to leave

Not thinking much Jin-woo decided to take the dagger with him and inspect it at home since leaving such a good looking dagger here would be a waste

But it seems this decision of Jin-woo is going to give him much more than what he would have thought

»»————>❃<————««

Jin-woo looked at the dagger at his hand with raised brows as it doesn’t seem to enter storage and Jin-woo had to wrap it at a cloth provided by Jin-ho before bringing it in his hoodie’s pocket

The more Jin-woo examined the dagger the more his curiosity grew and new questions raised

“Where did this dagger popped out of? Was it really from one of the guys from the dungeons? If so, then why didn’t they used this against him during the fight? Why wasn’t Jin-woo able to put the dagger in the storage if this dagger was a part of the system?”

Jin-woo just sighed and plopped down on his bed as his hands moved from the top of the dagger to the bottom when he realized he hadn’t taken the blade out of its cover

So bringing his right hand to the handle, Jin-woo tried to pull it but was surprised it didn’t come out

Yet he still shrugged it off and now with much more strength tried to pull it again which much to his relief finally came out

The blade was shinning as if it was made just a few moments before Jin-woo found it and when he brought it close to his face, the blade reflected his face as clear as day

“Well no matter how weird and mysterious, I can’t leave a good thing behind so I guess I can use it in my next raid” Jin-woo thinks and tilts his head when for a second he thought he saw something appear on the blade

Jin-woo jerks himself straight and examines the blade carefully but as one expected nothing was there

“Am I tired and hallucinating things? Well today was an eventful day, guess I would be sleeping early today” Jin-woo mumbles while massaging his eyes

A sudden knock to his door made Jin-woo stop what he was doing and immediately put the dagger at the table before covering it with the cloth he brought it in

When he looked at the door again, Jin-woo saw Jin-ah was peaking through the door

“A guy named Jin-ho has called and asked for you” Jin-ah says to which Jin-woo nodded before saying “Understood, I’m coming” as he started to walk towards the door

Suddenly Jin-ah screamed causing Jin-woo to quickly look at her to see his little sister looking at something behind him with utter shock

Jin-woo turned around in time to see a shape forming which with each passing second seem to turn more and more into a person

And in 1 minute, a person appeared in Jin-woo’s room out of nowhere who looked like a foreigner and was wearing clothes that looked like were of the medieval time?

But Jin-woo realized that the appearance wasn’t important now and in an instant Jin-woo was standing in a defensive position before Jin-ah

“Who are you and how did you enter my room?!” Jin-woo cautiously spoke with a straight face and cursed inside that there was no weapon in his hand at the moment

Jin-woo didn’t know what kind of a being this person was they just appeared out of nowhere. So a tense atmosphere spread across the room as stayed behind Jin-woo and gripped his cloth in fear at what might happen while Jin-woo thought of what he can do to make sure Jin-ah got out of there safely if the situation got messy

But all the tension broke down when the intruder suddenly smiled before saying “Hey, hey, you don’t need to be so cautious I’m not dangerous and it’s you who brought me here” while pointing at Jin-woo

“What?” Jin-woo says when he feels a stare towards him making him look down to see Jin-ah looking at him with questioning yet suspicious eyes

“Hey, you saw him appear out of thin air so how could I have brought him?!” Jin-woo says in panic as if everyone has turned against him to which Jin-ah says “I don’t know what you hunters can do so….suspicious” causing Jin-woo to shout “HUH?!”

This caused the intruder to laugh before they in a cheery voice said “What I meant was you’re the one who brought this dagger, so it’s you who brought me in the house cause I live inside the dagger”

A silence fell between all three of them before Jin-ah and Jin-woo shouted “Eh?EHHHHHH?!”

»»————>❃<————««

“Well let me introduce myself, I’m [Y/N] [L/N] and I have been trapped in this dagger for more than 100,000 years due to some kind of curse. But I guess I can also be called a ‘Guardian Spirit’ of the dagger” the intruder or [Y/N] says cheerily as they sat in seize-style

While Jin-ah and Jin-woo who was sitting opposite to them on the sofa were intrigued and baffled respectively

“How do you expect us to believe you like that?” Jin-woo says with a frown to which [Y/N] chuckles before saying “Yes, believe or trust isn’t something that could be gained just by a mere talk and we need evidence to prove it. But unfortunately, I don’t have the means to prove myself trustworthy yet maybe if you heard my story then I can gain some of your trust?”

“Story doesn’t give anyone the right to be trusted” Jin-woo says his face becoming serious now with a cold gaze to which [Y/N] without even being fazed says “But I want you to believe me” while tilting his head to the side, happiness shining in his eyes

Jin-woo gets taken back and blushes a little because [Y/N] look kind of cute so he brings his left hand to cover his face

Jin-ah who has been nervously watching all this jumps at the chance and says “Hyung, let’s listen to what they have to say. I don’t think someone bad would say they can’t be trusted and then ask us to trust them with a story”

Jin-woo wasn’t convinced but a tiny part of him wanted to know about this person called [Y/N] who appeared out of nowhere and now was sitting in front of him with a smile

“Okay” Jin-woo says with a sigh causing [Y/N]’s face to relax a little, a nostalgic look now replacing his smiling face as he says “This is the first time I ever told anyone…….I was from the [C/C] but I was orphaned and I was owned by a wealthy merchant. I knew my fate was to be sold to some people long enough but then one day he arrived, my master. He was a scholar from South Korea who had come to [C/C] for some work and saw me being displayed by my owner. I still don’t know why he did it but he brought me that day and took me along with him back to South Korea. I thought he only brought me so I can do work for him but he taught me how to read, write, cook, and skills to live. My master was someone who saved me and gave meaning to my life, so I decided I would for the rest of my life serve my master. But then one day at night, my master took me and brought me to a cliff before thrusting that dagger into my hand. He said ‘Please live on and forgive me’ before pushing me down the cliff. I don’t know what happened after that as I was enveloped in bright light but then I woke in a dark place. Over years I realized I somehow got imprisoned inside the sword, would never age again, survive any kind of disaster, and my master long dead. I wasn’t able to draw out of my cover by anyone and was constantly sold. So that’s how I moved from different parts of the country and saw all this from inside the sword. But then you came and drew it out, being able to give me the opportunity to at least come out. I don’t know how he was able to do it and I don’t know why he did it but I have long accepted I won’t ever get answers to these questions. Well, that’s my story.”

It was a long story and [Y/N] was already past the age of grieve, learned to go over it with passing time. Their personality and the things taught by their master was what kept them true to themself

When [Y/N] was amused to see Jin-woo looking skeptical and Jin-ah looking like she is going to break into tears any moment

“I think that-” Jin-woo started by Jin-ah interrupted him by saying “It’s very sad that it happened with you,[Y/N]!! If you’re the guardian spirit then do you take care of the dagger as well?” making [Y/N] laugh a little before saying “I’m fine, Jin-ah. It’s been a long time and I’m very happy that I could come of the sword in my physical form after so many years. And yes! It’s because of me living inside it that the dagger is so shinny and sharp even after so many years”

Jin-woo sighs and says “Jin-ah don’t we need to make sure he is telling the truth?” to which Jin-ah huffs before saying “Hyung, you don’t need to be cruel. I have been observing [Y/N] since the time they came out and they don’t look like someone who wants to harm!!”

Jin-woo sighs even louder before saying “Just because they look innocent doesn’t mean that they would be innocent and why are you so adamant that this person isn’t a bad person?!” to which [Y/N] quietly adds “Well one more thing I forgot to add is that I can’t do much except getting out of the dagger in a physical form and make sure it’s always in a great form. Also to come out I need to be very near the dagger or else I would be forced again inside the dagger, it seems. So you can have control over what I can do” while showing how taking the dagger away from them starts to make them fade slowly

“We can’t be a bad person to someone who looks very happy to be finally being able to come outside. And if [Y/N] can’t do much in this form of their then it’s not a problem right?? If you still have doubts keep [Y/N] with you for few days and take them around Seoul so you can see if they are telling the truth! Won’t you do that hyung??” Jin-ah says while giving puppy eyes

[Y/N] suddenly perked up when they heard this and looked at Jin-woo with shining eyes before asking him “You would do that for me???” happiness radiantly from them

Jin-woo moves back a little with an unbelievable look as his little sister and [Y/N] bring their faces close to much

“Okay okay fine! I would do that!” Jin-woo says while covering his face out of frustration in a tired face as his sister cuteness along with [Y/N]’s cute eyes were too much for him

Jin-ah and [Y/N] jump around the room in victory, the dagger still in [Y/N]’s hand as they talked about what [Y/N] can look at around Seoul

Jin-woo eyes the dagger before it travels to [Y/N] face which he finally has to admit is very cute

Even if he wasn’t sure about [Y/N] he can’t just dismiss after looking at [Y/N] through this whole ordeal that they are indeed very cute not only face wise

A blush rose to his face at what he was thinking before he sighed and rested his face in his palms before thinking “What have I gotten myself into??”

»»————>❃<————««

Hello everyone this is my first ever request and I'm so happy that I'm finally done with it!! Thank you for re-reading my rules and changing your request as well! I didn't wanted to miss the chance to write for Jin-woo as my first request. I don't know how it is and if it matched what the requester wanted to miss writing this me to write(I hope so for even a little bit it did) Anyway if you want a re-written version of the request you can drop by in my ask box, I won't mind!! Also in a few days, I would be done with the other request as well so stay tuned!

[nationalharryleague]

In the Long Green Grass

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Genre: the fluffiest fluff with husband!harry  

Word count: 2K

A/N: Hi everyone!! Merry Christmas to all that celebrate!! this is my Secret Santa (run and organized by the lovely lu (@meetmymouth​) gift to the sweetest angel who walks among us miss hasibi (@peachybloomss​)!!! I hope you enjoy it my love!!! More of my writing can be found in my masterlist and I would love to hear what everyone thinks in my ask! Thank you so much for reading!! 

*** 

You were stirred by the sounds of the waves crashing against the cliff outside the home as the early morning sun streamed in through the windows. A small huf and whine left your lips, always one to ask for just five more minutes in bed, before you climbed from underneath the warm plush blankets and your toes hit the icy and worn wood floors beneath you.

The buttery yellow sunlight thwarted your plans to fight yourself back to sleep for those last few moments, prompting you to reach out your arms in a longing stretch. You released a light and sleepy hum of surprise when your arm hit a tiny furry body, and not the arm of the man who loved to sleep late in the bed beside you. Peeping one eye open, you made eye contact with Piper, Harry’s small jet black cat with glowing green eyes who was laying next to you, curled up on sheets that still held the indent of his body in them.

Piper wore a face of annoyance, obviously blaming you for interrupting her precious beauty sleep, and her eyes followed your body as you forced yourself out of the bed with one goal: find Harry.

Harry had a habit of disappearing, especially in a new place where there was just so much to explore. He was a wanderer (and an aquarius); always on the move, carried along by a thought or idea he just couldn’t resist. It was hard for him to sit still, a trait he probably picked up after tour after tour after tour, never allowing himself the luxury of rest or relaxation after it was never allowed to him. That was why you had insisted he needed time away from the city, finding a perfect spot in a small cottage that sat on the edge of a cliff along the ocean with a back garden full of sweet smelling flowers and tall cushony grass.

You tiptoed carefully down the spiral staircase that lovingly let out groans underfoot, still rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, into a kitchen that looked straight out of a fairytale. It was small with moss green cabinets and large bay windows that filled the space with light that kept the seemingly hundreds of plants in the house happy and thriving. A cool ocean breeze came in through the open windows of the small breakfast nook, bringing along the scent of a fresh pot of coffee that sat on the butcher block countertops like it had been waiting for you to wake all along. While you felt a jump of excitement within you for the coffee, it still hadn’t been what (or who) you were looking for, even though you were very glad you found it.

A sweet cup of coffee was thoughtfully prepared in a tea cup you had found in the cabinet with small wisteria flowers painted around it’s rim. You knew Harry would poke fun at your cup choice if he were there. “Tea cups are for tea,” you could hear him say, perking up the edges of your mouth into a gentle smile as you sipped it carefully. But the flowers reminded you of the beautiful wisteria tree that flowed in the wind and scattered it’s petals all over the back garden; you just couldn’t pass it up.

It took you quite a while to find him, even with the new found caffeinated energy running through your system. You had run into the two other cats at the house, both rather chubby tabbys named Jack and Gus, that called this back garden home on your search and you obviously had to say good morning. The two rubbed themselves up against your legs, begging for a scratch behind the ear and a bit of attention, and you obliged. Who were you to deny them of it?

The garden the cats got to call home was a dream. It was filled with every variety of colorful flower imaginable and blanketed in a sweet air that always hovered over the space. Your favorites were the small peachy blooms that smelled of sugary perfume. A stone fence ran the perimeter of the yard, a white picket fence in the middle opening to a swath of overgrown grass that swayed in the wind on a hill. If you squinted, you could see the house of the couple you were renting the cottage from, but they were far enough away it felt like you were the only people around for miles.

When you spotted a Harry-shaped hole in the tall grass up the hill, you had a sneaking suspicion you had found your missing husband.

The tall grass squished beneath your feet as you climbed the hill, creating a soft padding below, and the long blades tickled against your bare legs as you made your way towards him, still only dressed in one of his perfectly worn t-shirts from the night before.

“There you are,” you hummed happily when you reached him, standing above him as he layed in the grass. “I thought that I lost you.”

He looked like a renaissance painting as he laid in the grass that was dotted with small pink and purple wildflowers. His curls had gotten a little longer during his much needed break and they splayed out around his head in delicate ringlets like a halo. The light from the still rising sun bounced off his slightly dewy skin, giving him a glow that lit him up even more than usual. Stubble danced across his cheeks and jaw, framing his perfectly pink lips that held a gentle smile as he looked up at you from the ground. And his eyes squinted slightly, shielding his pupils from the ever growing brightness of the sky, creating delicate little wrinkles around his sea glass green eyes that looked so vibrant in the light.

A worn book that you hadn’t seen before, bound in dark green leather with gold detailing, sat on his chest; Poems for Lovers: A Collection was embossed delicately across the cover.

“You’ll never lose me,” he mumbled up at you, a gravel in his voice like it was the first time he had used it that day. You had been married for almost two years and had been together for five, but your cheeks never failed to redden when he spoke sweet nothings like that. “Good morning, angel,” he said softly, reaching his hand up for yours.

You moved to place your hand in his, but ended up only linking your pinkies together in the process; a light tug from the man below you signaled for you to join him on the ground. You couldn’t resist, sitting yourself down with your legs crossed in front of you on the slightly damp ground next to him, pinkies still locked together.

“Morning,” you greeted. “I missed you in bed. Piper isn’t much of a cuddler,” you chuckled while absentmindedly playing with his fingers, twirling his wedding band.

“She’s not very nice, is she?” he smiled, opening his eyes fully to meet yours as you strategically moved your body to block his delicate eyes from the sun. “I’m sorry my cat’s a bitch,” he joked. “She still thinks she’s my number one girl.”

“I tell her I’m sorry that I stole her spot in bed all the time, she never listens. Won’t even have a civil chat with me about it,” you teased sarcastically.

Harry let out an enthusiastic giggle at your words; it was high pitched, and came from his belly in loud bursts of air. His cheeks scrunched up and forced his eyes closed because he was smiling so wide, crinkling the corners of his eyes once again. His laughter was infectious and you couldn’t help but join in.

You two must have looked insane, sitting in the grass in a field in the middle of nowhere just after dawn, laughing like idiots. But you wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Well, a few more hours of sleep wouldn’t have hurt.

As your gigges died down, you turned your attention to the book resting on his chest. “You ditched me in bed for a book?” you teased, letting the remaining laughter escape your body.

“I couldn’t sleep and I found it on one of the bookshelves. I thought it would be nice to read in the grass and watch the sun come up.”

“You should have woken me up. I could have thought of a few things we could have done to tire you out.” A smirk played on your lips as you tapped your chin, pretending to think, as you watched his eyes grow in amusement from your innuendo.

“You looked too peaceful sleeping. Also, drool and bedhead don’t really turn me on if I’m being honest.” It was your turn to react to his teasing.

Your jaw dropped in feigned offence and your finger flew over your shoulder to point back at the cottage. “I can go back if you’d like your privacy,” you said incredulously and with dramatics, until a few chuckles broke through and your resolve softened once again.

“Oh no no no,” he spoke with a grin, “come here,” moving the book and tapping his chest for you to rest your head on. You turned yourself around to lay yourself on the ground, placing your head on his chest and listening to his steady and calming heartbeat.

“How are your poems?” you asked, referencing the book he was now holding in his hands.

“They are very good. I’m glad I found it.” His voice reverberated under your head as he spoke, and you rose and fell softly with his breath.

“Read me your favorite.”

“Okay,” he began, thumbing through the pages as he held the book above both your heads. You listened as he let out a small “ah, here it is,” before he dramatically cleared his throat. “You might remember me talking about this one already, but I love it.”

You knew he loved it before he even began reading anything. He loved his poetry, especially when they were about love. Harry was a hopeless romantic at heart, often saying to you and interviewers “I just love love.” He loved falling in love with you and becoming a team, just as much as you did with him.

“It’s called The Wait,” he spoke gently, his voice taking on a deeper and more enunciated quality. You recognized the poem immediately, as it was the one referenced on his pants for the Vogue cover shoot. He had dedicated it to you then, and was doing it again now in the grass. “It seemed like years before I picked a bouquet of kisses off her mouth and put them into a dawn-colored vase in my heart,” he began. He spoke slowly and smoothly with the consistency and sweetness of honey. “But the wait was worth it,” he continued. “Because I was in love.”

You couldn’t help but think of your own story as he read. He had chased after you for years, with you always insisting that he was your best friend and you were afraid to ruin that. But gradually, your best friend became your lover, and your lover became your husband.

“I like that one a lot too.” You spoke softly and with reflection. “It reminds me of us.”

“That’s why it’s my favorite.”

You two layed in the grass for hours, not a care in the world, as he read from the book. Every poem took you two on a journey into a love story, one that for the two of you only existed on the page, but told of a very real love that couldn’t have been dishonestly written.

But with how you felt in the moment, with the joy and loving warmth you felt in your belly, you were sure you could write a million poems about the love you had with him.

Thank you so much for reading!! Reblogs/feedback mean the world!!! 

[yanderenightmare]

Ok hi again, I may be over doing it......idgaf I like ur shit! Good shit grade A writing. Aha

Aftercare, does it happen? What do they do?

Also....are these guys aware of their s/o limit if so do they stop😈

Pressing X for doubt

yandere ! BNHA thirsty headcannons

Support me at KO-FI if you feel like it<3

goodiebag WARNINGS: yandere, noncom/dubcon, abuse, manipulation, mind control

BAKUGO KATSUKI - KACHAN

He’ll at least ask. He’s always careful to ask. The actual response isn’t too important. Protest that are drowned out in a moan can’t be seen as an actual protest anyway, and he always makes sure that her words are chocked in her throat. Bakugo knows his worth, he knows that each and every thing he does to her in that bed, it’s guarantied she likes it. Her pride makes her a liar, she can’t be trusted with her own pleasure, not when he knows and has proven time and time again that he knows her body and her limits better than what she does. When he has her bent over his lap, that cute little ass that he knows belongs to him, aiming to make sure that she knows it too, each time his hand comes in harsh contact with the soft flesh, feeling it up like putty in his hand as she winces and cries for him to stop. Her protests can’t be taken seriously, not when two fingers gliding up her pussy tells him all he needs to know, feeling how soaked she already is for him, all warm and velvety and ready. That’s all the answer he needs to keep going.

As far as aftercare goes… it can vary. Sometimes he’ll draw a bath with bubbles and lavender oil and light scented candles. Other times he’ll make food, where he’ll bake desserts more than anything. But there are days he won’t do much more than keep a painfully suffocating grip on her as he drifts rather quickly off to sleep. Exchanging no words except for those growls of good night and I love you. Leaving the rest for after they wake up, having an early morning where he’ll never let her sleep in, dragging her with him to shower before he has to leave, where afterwards he’ll treat her to more tender care on the bed with his face buried between her thighs in a way of apologizing for having to leave her alone all day.

DABI - TODOROKI TOUYA

She shouldn’t worry her pretty little head about anything. Dabi might look like your worst nightmare, but you’d be surprised how soft the darkness really is. He can be persuasive and disarming if and when he wants to be, or he can be foul… He likes finding a mix between the two though, they work better together anyway. Make her feel safe, but only if she obeys, and make her feel fear if she doesn’t. He won’t bite… at least not for any longer than to make her cry for him, for those precious little water-works to bubble up to the surface. Making a chew toy out of that pretty swan-neck of hers, paint it with purple, resembling what hue of mulberry-wine found on his marred skin. Nibbling on that cute button between her legs, feel her tremble in his hold and hear her gasp out his name. Or grinding those perfect little nipples between the rows of his teeth, watching her blubber out her pleas when the pressure he applies threatens to bite the flimsy nib off, feel her pussy clench around his shaft upon the anticipation and fear. Fear does such peculiar things to people, especially in the form of threats, especially when walking hand in hand with pleasure. His darling doesn’t know what to make of herself, left completely like putty in his hands, all for him to toy with and tamper and tease. Where she doesn’t dare try and make him stop, she doesn’t dare allow herself to enjoy what he’s doing either, because only mad people run into things they already know to be a trap.

He’ll hush and coo at her to stop crying afterwards, her little mind on the verge of breaking and her pitter patter heart standing on the cliff’s edge ready to jump with nothing but Dabi to hold onto, the knot in her lower abdomen already having exploded time and time again because of him. She’s such a mess, such a cross-eyed wet hot mess, his little mess and that always manages to bring a smile to his face.

SHIGARAKI TOMURA

If Tomura’s in a mood, as in a childish fit, she can expect no rest, because the wicked as we know get no rest, and the unfortunate sweet thing kidnapped by the wicked get no rest either. Tomura’s mood, quite like his morals, change like tidewater. Sometimes he’ll behold her precious beautiful body as though she’s made up of fine porcelain, meant to be touched and worshipped softly, where the fact of her wanting the worship or not is irrelevant. He’ll still touch and touch and let himself get carried away by how insanely soft her skin is as opposed to him. He’ll fuck her slowly, each hump meaningful and hauled out to the max as so to feel every single inch of him filling her up… Then there’s his other mood… The feeling of opposition is no less there, how unfairly gorgeous she is in contrast to how appalling he is, however… instead of it evoking worship… it evokes humorous triumph. Gut-wrenching nasty despicable satisfaction, where it brings him such inane pleasure to think that someone as disgusting as him has the power and the will to corrupt something so pure, something so pretty, and how there is quite literally nothing she can do to stop him, nothing at all… it gets his blood rushing in sadistic glee when he pushes her down on her stomach, fisting her hair while jutting into her from behind, every little salacious depraved thought growled into her ear, with no regard to her choked screams except for a wild grin, spiked to go even faster.

Not much tender aftercare here I’m afraid, he thinks it’s best to leave her alone, getting in his chair to game, taking one long last look at his cum seeping from her hole, his handprint red across her ass, still looking so pretty even with all those bruises… maybe even inspired to go for another round.

SHINSO HITOSHI

Aww. Little kitty is at her breaking point? The collar is too tight for Master’s precious pretty pet? Pussy-cat wants a break? But good kittens deserve good toe-curling eye-crossing world-shattering rewards, and bad kittens will be punished however Master chooses, won’t they? If she screams no, he’ll hear yes. If she screams stop, he’ll hear more. If she screams please, well… he’ll still hear please… It’s so unbearably cute to see her stutter and frustrate over how her words come out all wrong, as if someone’s picked her brain, pulled on her strings as though she were a puppet, changed what she wants to say, to what he wants to hear. What’s even cuter is when those large eyes of hers go all ditzy, crossing paths, that crinkle between her brows furrowing, with her tongue falling over her lips. But, the cutest thing is when her tail wraps around his thigh and leg, holding onto him in such a soft embrace when her bliss strides over her body, reaching all the way to the tip of her plushy soft tail, when her wrists and ankles are too busy being kept tied snug and firm together, as he continues to slam himself fast-forwardly into her.

He’ll erase his mind-tricks afterwards, careful to restore anything he might have disturbed or broken during their playtime. Her fluffy tail still slithered around his thigh as he pets her over her soft ears, telling her what a good little kitten she is and how proud she’s made him, feeling her shiver and jolt against him, small little spasms followed by short acute hiccups, proof of how bendable those so-called limits are when Hitoshi takes control. Proof of how good he can make her feel, so good she loses track of where she is, so good she loses contact with her mind, so good the only thing she’s still able to do is purr.

TAKAMI KEIGO - HAWKS

Oh… She can’t blame him when his rut rolls around the corner. He can’t control those urges. Not when she’s there, so plain and defenseless and a perfect fit for him to take all that cooped up frustration out on. He just needs to fill her each and every crevice up with his seed, make sure she’s well bred, pump her full of his cum until his balls no longer have anything left to give. He’ll hump like a frenzied pup, hands gripping her hips so tight her feet don’t even touch the ground. He’ll pound until he’s exhausted, until she’s left a swollen sweat-slicked mess, no longer able to stand straight without her weak and wobbly knees giving out beneath her. She wishes his rut and her heat could line up, so she doesn’t have to go through the same thing twice, but she isn’t that lucky, and Keigo is. He’ll be counting down the days until finally picking up those sweet tones in the air, that aroma that makes him go feral. She does him a favor by acting so shy, so ashamed, it makes it that much more fun when she’s struggling against both him and herself. All it takes is for him to put his thumb in her mouth… how she’ll begin to drool at the very first taste, her eyes losing that feral fight and falling prey to the feeling of her nerves being set on fire. He gladly indulges her needs, his heart fluttering at how clingy she becomes, how sweet, blubbering out gibberish, shapeless words that are such a good replacement for what vile things she’ll yell at him most other times.

He’ll be so hungry in the mornings after, disappointed for the lack of food in the house, but he can’t blame his darling for not cooking, not when he’s rendered her lame, she can’t very well cook if she can’t stand. He’ll order so much take-out the smell of sweat and juices soon gets coated and overwhelmed by the smell of spice and broth. Eating, regaining all his strength… that was only day one of two weeks… the rut is only just beginning.

MIDORIYA IZUKU - DEKU

Don’t worry, Izuku knows how much to give and how much to take, just as he knows when to give it and when to take it, and how to give and how to take. He knows what punishment is due for what crime as well as he knows when rewards are in order. And if he so happens to need to punish her… he’ll make sure she does something in need of punishment. It’s not often he needs to act on those sadistic carnal vulgar yearnings, but a bad day gets a whole lot better if he can come home and take it out on someone, especially when he gets to play with her beforehand, poke and prod until she slips up, allowing him to pounce on her the second she fucks up like a fox finally done playing with his food, his little bunny. The ends justify the means after all. He knows that it’s unfair to take his frustration out on his little darling… but… it being wrong… somehow makes it feel better. Having her blubbering on choked sobs and quaking beneath him, under his blood-soaked scarred hands, her little hole serving as such a snug and no doubt painful fit for his cock to abuse. Hearing her apologize for doing absolutely nothing at all, just to satiate his craze, all because he decided he wanted to exercise his dominance.

One thing that’s good about Izuku is that once is enough, and though that one time might feel like a million times stretching over a million days, where she’s left unable to walk properly… once he’s done, she can be sure he’s done… at least until the next day. If she hasn’t passed-out, he’ll let her cry it off when he’s done, offering no words but still comforting her by stroking her back or fiddling with her hair, twirling it about his fingers as she rests on his chest, her tears making his bicep itch with irritation, but he’ll allow her that much.

CHISAKI KAI - OVERHAUL

He tries being sweet, he tries being gentle, he tries mimicking the same type of softness as his darling bestows upon him, yet… although she’s sweet, she’s also so aggravatingly reluctant, and Kai doesn’t have the time nor the patience to second-guess every single little thing he wants to do. It’s impractical, it’s wasteful, it’s stupid, and stupidity as we know is a disease he can’t risk being infected with. No, better then, for him to just take the lead, for him to make the decisions for her, for him to decide her limits, up to him to decide when she’s ready to take his cock, how fast and hard he can thrust into her, how tight he can grip her wrists when she starts pushing at him, how many bruises are too many, how many times she can cum. Besides, if things go too far… he knows how to piece her together again. He hasn’t studied every single detail of her just to let all that valuable information go to waste. He’ll see to it that she’s as good as new once their done, if not, maybe even better, maybe even less reluctant to give into what he wants next time, maybe a bit more respectful of the rules, maybe a bit more understanding of who there is the boss and who there is the brittle brainless little toy.

Pain is a good cleanser anyway, despite it being bloody and gory and mixed in with tears and drool and snot and whatever else may occur once the need for his quirk arrives after his aggression causes something to bruise or break. She might think that it’s cruel that healing her has to hurt more than the wound itself, but what she needs to learn is that prosperity always comes at a price, a price that he’s all too willing to pay when she fails to live up to her potential.

TODOROKI SHOTO

Limits are made to be broken, to be conquered, in order for us to prosper. She should be grateful she at least gets the liberty to be with the one she loves, the one who loves her. She should at least be grateful that it’s not just anyone who’s breaking her limits, but him. Him and his hands and his tongue and his cock and his frostbite and his flames and his smile and his biting laughter. She knows by now that there is no stopping him when he starts, she knows that her only hope is to wait for herself to achieve that opium-blown ecstasy and ride that insanity where her skin feels like fire and her insides like ice and every touch, no matter how feather-light or how brutish and bruising, is god’s touch.

Shoto is unprecedentedly thorough and dreadfully talented at aftercare. While his darling is lying all limp and numbed-down, holding onto the prickling feeling dancing like fire-ants on her skin, she can barely even capture the feeling of Shoto wrapping her up in a fuzzy robe. His cold lips pressing onto her forehead and by the time she comes to, when she finally and woefully breaches the surface and gets reeled back into reality, right when she’s at the verge of collapsing from having all her hormones crash, her adrenaline fizzing out into nothing and she’s left feeling all cold and so dreadfully sad, Shoto’s right there, making her feel warm and appreciated and safe. He’ll light candles, scented with rosehip, he’ll already have picked out a movie, he’ll have the chocolate ready, the tea brewing in their matching cups, swiftly braiding her hair into a neat loose setup to keep it from falling into her face as he knows she’s much too drained to lift her hand, resting between his legs, her head using his chest as a headrest. If he’s being honest, he isn’t quite sure what he loves more, the play-session or the aftercare, all he knows is that one is impossible without the other… yet again proving the importance of balance.

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[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Hollow Pass (Part 2)

Summary: When the reader has to spend a day in the mines for work, she’s less than thrilled. When the miner showing her around for the day, Dean Winchester, is an ass, she’s even less thrilled. But an accident will change all of that and if they want a chance of getting out alive, they’ll need to put their lives in each others hands, literally...

Pairing: Miner!Dean x reader

Word Count: 3,700ish

Warnings: language, injury, frightening/claustrophobic/near death situations

A/N: Enjoy!

_______

“You’re slipping, you’re slipping,” you said, sliding closer to the edge.

“Y/N,” said Dean as you finally stopped moving, feet jammed against rocks under the surface.

“Okay. I’m good. You’re good,” you said. You swallowed and heard Dean grunting. “Dean? Talk to me.”

“I-I’m okay,” he said. “Fuck. Fuck. Oh fuck. I looked down. Y/N, fuck. It’s gotta be a couple hundred feet.”

“Dean climb up the rope,” you said. “I can’t pull you up.”

“I can’t move,” he said.

“Yes you can. Climb up, Dean.”

“The rope. The knot will slip if I move,” he said. 

“Dean. Grab the rope,” you said, hovering your hands over the end attached to your belt. “I’ll take this end and you don’t have to worry.”

“Y/N. I don’t...I don’t…”

“Sweetheart take the rope. It’s okay. I got you,” you said.

“Fuck it’s so far down,” he said. You took a deep breath and grabbed hold of the rope.

“Come on Dean. You owe me a date.”

“What?”

“You owe me a date so you gotta grab that rope and climb out,” you said.

“I’m slipping, I’m slipping,” he said as you saw the top knot in the rope go cocked and start shifting.

“Dean! Grab the rope!”

You heard him shout, the other end of the rope sliding up over the edge. It was slipping through your hands and you wrapped your fists around it, Dean’s weight all in your hands now.

“Dean climb up. I can’t hold you forever,” you said, arms already straining.

“I can’t get a grip,” he said. You knew what he meant. The silky rope was hard to hold onto let alone climb straight up. “Y/N.”

“Can you...can you walk up? If you hold on tight and lean back, can you walk up if I keep moving back?”

“You want me to lean over the giant hole to my death even more?”

“Dean. Trust me.”

He grunted and you held on tight to the rope, Dean breathing hard. 

“Okay. I’m okay. I just-“

You heard a thud and he swore.

“Dean?”

“Slammed my face into the cliff. Shit I can’t do this. The rock is crumbling.”

You sat up and leaned back, daring to take a step back.

“Y/N, I’m too heavy. You can’t hold me.”

“You owe me steak and lobster for this,” you said.

“Y/N,” he said. You took another step back and another, moving back quickly. You grunted and saw the peak of his helmet, practically running backwards when Dean was able to get a hand over the edge. You kept the rope taut and knelt down at the edge, pulling him back over the edge. He climbed up and you fell back, Dean panting and pulling you further away from the edge.

You breathed hard and fell back against the rock floor, Dean laying back beside you.

“T-Thanks,” he said. You held up your hands, Dean instantly shooting up. “Y/N.”

You sat up, Dean reaching into his overalls and pulling out a bandanna. He wrapped it around your cut opened palm, looking around before he unzipped his overalls and took off his shirt, ripping it and wrapping it around the other one.

“Ow. Ow,” you said. He zipped himself up and held your hands to your chest.

“Keep them up, try to stop the bleeding. Sit for a minute. We don’t need the both of us in shock.”

“Are you?” you asked, resting your hands against yourself. 

“Yeah. I might throw up fair warning,” he said. 

“Sit with me,” you said. He swallowed and sat beside you, his body shaking. “Hey. You’re okay.”

“I know. I can’t help it.”

“Here,” you said, your hands feeling a little better. You moved your arms around him, pulling him to lean on you. “Take a deep breath.”

He took a deep breath and then a few more, most of the shakes leaving him.

“Thanks,” he said. “I don’t know how you pulled me up.”

“Adrenaline mostly,” you said. “I’m exhausted.”

“Rest,” he said. “I’ll carry you when we’re ready again.”

“I’m okay. Just tired,” you said. You shut your eyes, resting your head against his own. 

“Thank you,” he said. 

“Steak and lobster, Dean,” you said.

“Alright. Big steak and lobster once we’re out of here.” He lifted his head and took your arms. “Looks like the bleeding stopped.”

“That’s good right?”

“Yeah. We gotta be careful though. You have to try to keep these clean, no touching anything.”

“I will avoid anything involving my hands if I can. Is the rest solid ground?” you asked. Dean stood and took a few careful steps around the corner, letting out a big sigh. “Fuck.”

“The wood looks a little better,” he said. You tried to squeeze your hands and sighed. “You can’t grab a rope if you needed to, can you.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Okay. Okay,” he said. “I can...I can go ahead and once I’m past the next hall-“

“Nothing has changed,” you said. You got to your feet and kicked the rope with your feet. “Tie us back together and we'll go walk down the halls together.”

“Y/N,” he said. “We can’t handle another slip like that.”

“I know.”

He bent down and grabbed the rope, looping it through your belts, double knotting it that time.

“Let’s go,” you said. You started to move and he followed after, not slowing down when you stepped onto the first wood planks again. They creaked and groaned, Dean taking deep breaths behind you.

You made it around two hallways, Dean taking the lead by the time you hit the third hall.

He walked fast, stepping onto the solid rock when you felt the ground give out. Dean’s arms shot out and he grabbed you as you fell, tugging you up and over the edge quickly.

“Okay,” you said, leaning back against his chest. “Okay.”

“You’re okay,” he said, holding you to him. “It’s okay. I think we’re past the hard part.”

“That’s...Dean,” you said. You sat up and looked down the next hallway, part of it caved in on the side. “It’s collapsed.”

“It’s...it’s partially collapsed. We can get through,” he said.

“Dean. There’s hardly any space.”

“Not quitting now,” he said. He stood up and helped you up, walking the two of you over to where dirt and rock was spilling out. “It’s not stable. Probably shifted in the explosion.”

“What’s your plan?” you asked.

“We could dig it out,” he said. You knew that was a bad idea and poked at the dirt with your boot. You looked up, taking a deep breath. His head tilted up and he was soon shaking it. “No.”

“My hands are torn. I can’t lift you up. You can lift me and-”

“So you can crawl up there in that hole in the ceiling? Y/N. It could be caved in or it could cave in or maybe it goes nowhere.”

“Or there’s enough space to crawl through and I can slip down the other side and maybe dig you out.”

“Alright,” he said. You were expecting more push back but didn’t get it. He didn’t say a word before hoisting you up. “Be careful.”

“It’s rock up here from the looks of it,” you said. “Give me your hand.”

“You’re too far up to reach,” said Dean. You stared down at him, Dean smiling back. “Sorry sweetheart. I don’t fit up there. If you get past the other side okay-“

“Dean. You owe me that date,” you said.

“Gonna have to miss it,” he said.

“I can get help.”

“Y/N. They won’t come in here if it’s unstable. They were never coming up here. You gotta...you gotta go sweetheart. Get out of here.”

“I’m not leaving-“

“You’re hurt. The second you stepped foot in this mine, you were my responsibility. I can’t get you farther than this. You have to do the rest on your own. I’m sorry.”

“I’ll get you out of here.”

“No you won’t. They’re not letting you step foot in here once you’re out and they are not coming in with walls collapsing. Not until later.”

“Take my water,” you said, unclipping it and dropping it down to him. 

“Y/N, you still might not make it out. You should-”

“You’re taking it and I’m getting you out because in case you haven’t realized, you can’t stop me or what I do once I get out of this tunnel so deal with it.”

“Y/N-”

“I will talk to you shortly Dean. Count on it,” you said. He called your name but you started crawling through the gap in the rock, wincing when you kept hitting your helmet on the rock above you. You swore you felt something move and quickly scrambled forward until rock was falling out in front of you. You landed on the edge of a dirt pile and coughed, glancing back to see the pile filling the hall.

“Y/N!” you heard muffled.

“I’m okay!” you called back. You sat up and got your feet under you, looking around. You didn’t hear Dean again and swallowed. It felt much darker than before, the air thick.

“Dean is right there like five feet away,” you said to yourself. “You’re okay.”

You saw a hallway in front of you that split left and right, solid enough looking ground in front of you. You’d been heading right the whole time time and figured that was the way out. A quick glance to the left showed it caved in, the right clear. You spotted a metal bucket in the hall and rushed over to grab it, jumping back when it broke in half. You didn’t want to go much further but you needed something, a spare piece of wood or-

You looked around the corner of the right hall way and saw part of the hallway dropped off just after the next junction. Something was laying on the ground over the edge though. You took a careful step forward and another, smiling when you saw a small hand shovel there. You reached down to grab it, the ground shifting. You weren’t entirely sure why you went forward instead of back but you got a hold of it and managed to scramble back to firmer ground. 

“Okay. Okay. Get to jump around the corner. That’ll be fun. That’ll be fun.”

Something shifted in the corner of your eye and you screamed, Dean coughing and holding up his hands.

“Jeez, how the fuck else could be down here?” he said, wiping off his face.

“How-”

“I improvised,” he said, holding up the rope. “Threw it up around the wood support. Figured it would either bring the whole mountain down on top of me or I could pull myself up high enough to reach the tunnel. My ass is so heavy. I don’t know how you did it.”

“I found a shovel,” you said, holding it up.

“Nice to see you’ve had as exciting a time as I did,” he said, walking over and looking at the hallway. “So. Go back left with your new shovel or try to swing around that corner quick before the ground falls out.”

“My gut says go right.”

“Same. Eventually the mountain thins out over in this direction. Plus left would send us more into the core which is where they’d go for mining.”

You tossed the shovel over to the next hallway and Dean nodded for you to go first. You stepped lightly and moved fast, stepping on the little bit of edge there was left into the hall.

“Follow. Now, now,” you said, grabbing his hand as you felt something shift. You jogged forward and pulled him with you, dragging him practically as more dirt fell away. You made it farther down the hall before you looked back, Dean sitting up on his knees. “I lost my shovel.”

“I’ll get you a new one, sweetheart,” he said. He stood and looked at your hands, sighing quietly. “Bleeding again?”

“Just the one,” you said. “I’m fine.” 

“At least this hallway is pretty straight,” he said. “Could be the way out. It was a pretty old mine so they came in through the east side, would have made it as simple as possible.”

“I hope so.”

“We should-“

You both heard a rumbling, Dean turning and looking behind you.

“Move,” he said. He pushed on your back and you started to run, Dean right by your side. A loud boom thudded overhead and you glanced behind you, the end of the hallway looking a whole lot closer than it should.

“Hallway,” said Dean as he ran. “Left or right.” 

“I’ll follow your lead,” you said, a big poof of dust appearing from the left. “Right. Definitely right.”

You saw dust come from the right as well but Dean was already moving that direction, taking hold of your hand. You didn’t even see the sharp turn left, Dean yanking you behind him. The end of the hall looked different, the rock smoother and Dean started laughing.

“That’s it. That’s it, oh thank you, thank you,” he said. You saw an old metal ladder and Dean did a quick look around before he stopped and bent down. You climbed on his back, tapping his arm.

“Hallway, hallway,” you said, looking back, the whole hall caving in. Dean scurried up the ladder with you, wheezing when you clung too hard. You relaxed your death grip and looked down, the ground filling with dirt. He didn’t stop moving until you met metal above you. 

“Please don’t,” he said. He took one hand off the ladder and pushed against it, the thing not budging. “No, no, no.”

“Dean?”

“It’s welded shut,” he laughed. “It’s fucking welded shut.”

You looked down, dirt and rock filling up the bottom of the ladder, trapping you and Dean in the ladder shaft. 

“We’re gonna run out of air,” he said. “Maybe an hour or two. I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

“I have a really stupid idea,” you said, staring at the wall to your left. “We’ll probably die quicker, or getting buried alive.”

“I’m up for stupid ideas,” he said. You climbed off his back carefully, Dean hanging around the side of the ladder. You climbed down a few feet to where the concrete on the left was cracked. You took your pickaxe off your belt and shined your light at the crack, Dean stepping down. He looked above you both and back at the crack. “You want to break the concrete.”

“Gotta be dirt on the other side. We’re probably not too far down from the surface, maybe a few feet. Either we break it and the concrete collapses-”

“And the ladder breaks and the concrete above us does and sends us down to our deaths.”

“Or, we crack it enough and dig out a hole through the dirt big enough to climb out through to the surface.”

“It is a stupid idea,” he said. He took his pickaxe out of his belt and smiled. “Just might save our asses.”

“If we get out of this, I am so quitting my job.”

“Same,” he said. 

“Good. Maybe you can do something you actually like,” you said, Dean putting your pickaxe back in your belt.

“I’ll take the grunt work,” he said, smacking the crack with his axe. “Ain’t much around here but mine work. We might just have to take this date somewhere else.”

“Where’s this brother of yours live?”

“Little coast town in California,” he said. “Between LA and Santa Barbara.”

“Sounds a hell of a lot better than here,” you said.

“You mean trapped underground all day with me ain’t your idea of a dream date?” he chuckled, a piece of concrete breaking off and falling below on his next hit.

“Let’s go for not so much constant danger next time,” you said.

“How’s a home cooked meal and a movie sound?” he said.

“Pretty damn good,” you said. “You want to grab a bite when we get out of here?”

“After your hands are cleaned up, I’ll take you wherever you want to go, sweetheart,” he said. “Steak and lobster was it?”

“I will take a freaking big mac so bad right now,” you said. 

“That I can do,” he said, another big piece of concrete breaking off to reveal a patch of dirt behind it. He smacked the concrete a few more times, plenty enough for you to squeeze through if it was clear. He turned his axe around and started scooping out the dirt, letting it fall below. “Fingers crossed we’re not like ten feet under the surface.”

“Let me know if you want a break,” you said as he started tugging the dirt down, covering himself but most of it falling downwards.

“Just hang in there. We’re still on a time crunch with the air,” he said. “Fingers crossed.”

The air felt thicker and the ground below was significantly closer, Dean pouring sweat as he dug and dug and dug. He’ been going for close to an hour and he was breathing hard. 

“Dean. You need to rest, let me take over,” you said. He nodded and you swapped places with him, taking the axe and digging away, more and more dirt filling in the space. You got winded quickly, Dean breathing loudly behind you.

“We’re running out of air,” he said. “It was a good idea, Y/N.”

“Must you always be the pessimist in this relationship,” you said. 

“Oh we’re in a relationship now? At least I won’t die single,” he chuckled, leaning his head on the ladder. You rolled your eyes and pushed down more dirt, freezing when you saw a glimmer of light. You dug out more, the light getting brighter, your eyes adjusting to seeing the sky.

“Dean.” He raised his head and soon he was reaching over, taking out your pickaxe and helping you dig as best he could, more and more dirt caving away. You took a deep inhale of cool fresh air and laughed, Dean throwing his head back. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Ladies first.” When enough dirt was out of the way you climbed up the ladder more and leaned over, Dean pushing you up and allowing you to get up on the dirt. You shimmied your way up, and popped your head out of the hole, smiling when you saw trees and sky and air. You got up and out, turning around to lean down. You grabbed Dean’s arm when you saw it, Dean climbing out fast before he was tugging on your arm and walking down hill with you. When you got to even ground again he collapsed to his knees, laying back and ripping off his helmet.

You sat back and took deep breaths, Dean started to laugh beside you.

“What?” you asked, glancing over to him.

“I would have died ten times over today if it weren’t for you.”

“Well, same,” you said, your stomach grumbling.

“Time for lunch,” he said.

“That was only four hours?” you said.

“Probably. Wanna take a break for a hot second before we walk over to the entrance?”

“Hot minute instead?” you said, closing your eyes. He leaned over and kissed you, plopping down when smiled.

“Sounds good, sweetheart. Sounds good.”

Three Hours Later

“Hey, look what I snagged,” said Dean as he ducked into your hospital room. He had a big paper bag with him and sat down on the end of your bed, pulling out a burger. “One big mac as requested.”

“You get fries?”

“Fries. Nuggets. McFlurry. More cheeseburgers than is humanly possible to eat.”

“You’re doing very well in this boyfriend department,” you said, unwrapping your burger carefully, most of your hands wrapped in bandages.

“Oh so that still stands even though we’re no longer actively dying?” he asked, crossing his legs and taking out a few burgers and a carton of fries.

“Why’d you get me food?”

“Why you giving me a chance after being a dick this morning?”

“Why’d you quit in a glorious fashion earlier?”

“Because I’m gonna sue the shit out of that company along with you and I can go work on cars like I always wanted.”

“Is it safer?” He rolled his eyes and smiled. “Good.”

“I don’t think I’m sticking around here, Y/N.”

“You heard my dad. He quit too. My family has no reason to stay here anymore. Cali don’t sound so bad.”

“Alright. You’re on, sweetheart,” he said. “As long as you promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Never step foot in a mine again?”

“Deal, Winchester,” you said, holding out your hand. He lightly shook it before taking out the chicken nuggets. “What sauce did you get?”

“All of them. I ain’t no dummy,” he said, tapping his head.

“No, no you are not,” you said, taking a bite of your food. “Hey, Dean?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks for today. For everything.”

“You too, sweetheart. You too.”

________

[johnsamericano]

𝓓𝓪𝔂 7:

тєи ℓєє

23 days of NCT masterlist.

taglist: @notbeforelong @curieouscapt @whathamelon @unknown5tar @ajhdr @silent-potato

warnings: the reader is soon-to-be engaged to someone 12 years older, virginity loss, extreme lack of experience from the reader, dirty talk, Ten’s a sweetheart 😭

“He’s here!” Your mother clapped her hands excitedly, asking the butler to answer the door.

You sat with both hands squeezed on your lap. You’d never seen a male tailor, let alone be dressed by one. Would it be uncomfortable? Just as your mind was about to drift away, a man with at least four rolls of fabric entered the room.

“Good evening, my lady.” Was he even real? He looked straight out of a painting, just like the ones hanging on your wall.

“Good evening, sir.” You bowed your head gracefully, just like you'd been taught to do.

“There’s no need to be so formal.” He smiled cheekily, his eyes disappearing just the slightest and making your heart flutter with excitement. “Let us have a seat and chat a little about what kind of dress you'd like.”

Everything went so naturally with him, from sitting down and talking about the event you'd be wearing the dress to, to his hands surrounding your waist, taking your measurements.

“I was thinking of something white, my lady. After all, the goal is to get a certain gentleman to ask for your hand, isn't it?”

“How did you...?”

“Your mother is quite a chatty lady.” You sighed. She certainly had trouble keeping things a secret, the whole town probably already knew by now.

“Then I guess you already know we've known each other since we were kids, well, since I was a kid. He's twelve years older.” You sounded so excited talking about that guy that it made him smile. “Are you married, sir?”

“God, no!” He was quick to explain. “I want to devote myself to work, that's what makes me happy.”

“But imagine yourself, waiting for your beautiful bride at the church, ready to join your lives for what is left of them. Just to think about it gives me goosebumps.” To him, what you'd just said sounded like agony. Dedicating himself to another person for the rest of his life? He’d rather jump off a cliff.

“I just don't think I'm good husband material, that's all.”

As the days passed by, you got to know him better. He’d often tell you about his job, how many dresses he'd confectioned that week, how much money he'd earned, every single little detail of it. He made it sound like a dream, he spoke so passionately about it that you wondered whether you'd ever find something that would make you feel that same way.

“Good morning, my lady.” He kissed your knuckles, a devilish grin extending through his lips as he admired your flustered face. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

He extended a big, white box with a red velvety ribbon keeping it closed.

“That was fast!” You opened it to reveal a pretty, lacy dress. It was exactly what you’d asked for, but then why did you feel so sad?

“What is it, my lady? Do you not like the dress?”

“No! I love it.” He smiled, pulling out the dress from it’s confinement to let you have a better look at it. It was, indeed, beautiful.

“Would you like to try it on?”

You soon found yourself behind a room divider, slipping the soft dress on. The texture was marvelous, like wearing a cloud. It would definitely draw Johnny’s attention, that’s for sure.

“How do I look?” You stepped out, spinning around to let his critic eyes have a look at his masterpiece. He squinted his eyes as if he wasn’t pleased. “What is it?”

“Your corset.”

“Huh?”

“Truth to be told, I knew this dress wouldn’t work with a traditional corset, so I might have made a special one for the occasion.” You walked to the full body mirror, taking a look at yourself.

“It looks fine to me.”

“You look too innocent, my lady.” You furrowed your eyebrows, eyes connecting with his through your reflections. “This dress wasn’t made to make you look innocent, but to make you look like a sophisticated, upper class woman.”

You went through your options and finally decided to listen to the expert.

“Do you happen to have that corset at the moment?”

“Yes, but the problem is, only I know the right way to adjust it. Would you be okay with me doing that?” You could feel cold sweat running down the back of your neck.

Only your mother and some servants had seen you naked, but never a man. It wasn’t supposed to happen unless the couple was married. However, you felt the urge to accept his proposition.

“A-alright.” He nodded, keeping a straight face as he started undressing you.

He slowly started undoing the ribbon that kept your corset in place. Still in front of the mirror, you could see his concentrated features, not looking at anything but your back. Your mounds were finally liberated, and for a split second, you could see the tailor’s eyes staring at them.

“Raise your arms please.” Was he really not going to do anything? This was the part when the two main characters exchanged a heated session of kisses according to the novels you'd read. But he kept the same stoic face all the time.

“Ten?” This was the very first time you'd called him by his real name, well, his nickname.

He didn't seem bothered by it, concentrated on adjusting your corset.

“Yes, my lady?”

“Am I not attractive?” His hands accidentally tightened the ribbons too much, making you wince.

“Sorry.” He apologized, loosening the piece of clothing. “But why are you asking me this?”

“Well...” You were ashamed to admit it, but your curiosity got the best of you. “Aren’t men supposed to go wild over breasts? At least that's what I heard.” Ten would've never expected such an inappropriate comment from you, though he couldn't say he didn't like that new boldness of yours.

“I guess so.”

“Then why didn't you go wild over mine?”

The room was filled with nothing but silence for a couple of seconds before he finally found an appropriate answer for your question.

“I’ll ask you something first.” you nodded. “If you knew men had a thing for breasts, then why did you let me do this?” You would've liked to say that it was because you deeply trusted him, but you both knew that deep down, it wasn't completely true.

“I don't know.”

“Did you want to seduce me or something like that?” You were about to reply, but his deep laugh interrupted you. “Well, since you answered my question, I shall answer yours.” he finally finished adjusting your corset, placing his hands above the curves of your waist and leaning down to whisper something. “You have the most beautiful breasts I've ever seen. They look round and soft, the perfect size to hold them with my hand. But I can't allow myself to go wild over you, not when you're about to get engaged to someone else.” So the things wrote in novels weren't entirely fantasy, things like that did happen in real life. “Trust me, I wish nothing but to pinch those pretty, perky nipples and have you begging for more. But we can't.”

“Yes, we can.” With a newly found courage, you guided his hands up until they reached your mounds. They did, in fact, fit perfectly between his hands.

“My lady-”

“Y/n.” You held his hands against your warm body. “Please, my name is y/n.”

“Stop playing with fire.” His voice had become lower, hands shaking the slightest under yours.

“I want you to play with me, Ten. Use me, do whatever you want with my body. Alleviate the ache I'm feeling between my legs.” That was his breaking point.

His expert fingers quickly undid the knots, allowing his hungry eyes to have a look at your naked torso.

“Touch me.” he turned you around, so you were directly facing him.

“So greedy.” His hands covered your chest once again, this time with no fabric in between. His palms felt so warm against your skin, you couldn’t help but sight. “Tell me, how does your little cunt feel?”

“I-I’m sorry?” His right hand went down, rubbing circles over your undergarments. Immediate relief washed over your body.

“Do you know what an orgasm is?” You shook your head, gasping as his fingers pinched your hard nub. “It’s the only way to relief the ache you feel here.” He tapped your entrance with his middle finger, feeling your wetness under his digits.

“How can I have one?”

“You’ll have to trust me, alright?” His dominant demeanor had changed to a softer one, kissing your jawline as hands sneaked inside the fabric, a new, pleasant feeling making your legs shake. “How does this feel?”

“Nice.” He retrieved his hand, you whined at the loss of contact. “Hey!”

“Jump.” He instructed, lifting you up with both of his hands below your thighs. He guided you all the way to the nearest wall, your back pressed against the concrete surface. “Sorry for this.” He muttered before ripping your undergarments apart.

Skillfully, he lowered his pants, his hard member springing up. The moment his tip started slipping into your whole, an immense amount of pain made you scream.

“Stop!” Ten frowned, pulling away but still holding you against the wall.

“Have you changed your mind about this?” There was a hint of pain peeking through his voice.

“It hurts a lot.” As if to back up your words, a small tear rolled down your cheek.

“I know, sweetheart. But that's the way it's supposed to be.” If it hurt so much, then why did people do it so often? “You just need to get used to it and it'll start feeling better, I promise.”

“Really?” For you, it didn't make any sense.

“We can stop whenever you want, just give it a try.” You hesitantly nodded, letting him align with your entrance once again. “Deep breaths, darling.”

It was the worst pain you'd ever felt, even worse than that time when you fell off a horse. But just like the tailor had said, that unpleasant feeling was soon replaced with something else...something that made your tummy feel warm.

“You're doing so well.” He praised as if he wasn't the one doing all the hard work while you held onto his shoulders. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I need to pee.” You gasped, letting your head rest against the wall.

“Don't hold it back, darling. It means you're close.” His large hands caressed your sides, holding you tightly.

“Ten...” You whimpered, biting his clothed shoulder to stop yourself from screaming in pleasure. Something inside you exploded, making your body shake in ecstasy.

“Y/n.” You both whispered your names, pleasure taking over your minds.

“May I kiss you?” There was no response from him, his length still pulsating inside you. “If you don't want to that's-”

“Kiss me.” Your lips came closer to each other, barely millimeters away when a loud knock abruptly interrupted the moment.

“Miss y/n, Mr. Seo is here to see you.” Johnny, you'd completely forgotten about him.

“I guess you better get dressed.” He pecked your cheek, setting a fire inside you.

“I'm sorry.” He helped you put on your dress again, smiling at the sight of you trying to stop your and his essence from dripping down your bare thighs.

“Don't be.” Ten fixed your hair, proceeding to gather his stuff before sending a wink in your direction. “I guess I'll see you in a week to help you get dressed...my lady.”

[meenah-chan]

Safe Haven ~Epilogue~

A Barbatos x GN! MC fanfic

1.98k words

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Trigger warning: None

Requested by: @romaissa Thank you for waiting for this. I apologize for the wait. This turns out the way as I imagined it to be, more or less. I felt so fluffy as I edited this for the last time. I hope you'll like this last part. Enjoy~~ 😚✨💖💖💖

Part 1 (Safe Haven) | Part 2 (Safe Haven ~Another Story~)

Masterlist

A Barbatos x GN! MC fanfic

1.98k words

Genre: angst

Trigger warning: None

It was the same cliff… trees and breeze... The same dusk… But the voice calling them were not anymore...

… sensitive yet capable... One that withstand pain and hardship yet kept their gentleness.

Despite it being in the middle of the day, the sky enveloping the Devildom is dark. Very unlike that place. A place where the sun would shine so brightly even from the back of their mind. Not the human world where they grew up. Not the Celestial realm they visited once. It was only the Devildom whose light came from the moon and not the sun. Should the moon doesn’t exist in this kingdom, it’ll surely be pitch black.

Yet, in the dimness of the kingdom they’ve suddenly been to... Who would have thought I would meet my sun in such a place? A smile formed on their face as they delved deeper in their thoughts.

As they did so, a strong wind blew past them. It was strong, they didn’t notice someone approaching them.

“Oh!” a pat on their shoulder snapped them back from their deep thoughts.

“Y/N? What are you doing?” They flit their head behind and meet with the same, familiar eyes.

“Lord Diavolo... Nothing. And Queen Rose? Did something happen?” Their surprised demeanor was replaced with a confused one. Why wouldn’t it? Since unless some responsibility on the Kingdom required to, the royal couple is technically attached at the hip. Which is still pretty rare.

“Stop with those formalities. You’re making me sad.” As if he were not such a tall, well-built demon, Diavolo looks at them like a weeping dog.

“Alright, I’m just teasing you... So, what happened?”

“Rose got angry over one of my posts on Devilgram.” His pout becomes more obvious as he complains to them like a child.

“Oh, that picture.” Diavolo didn’t have to elaborate further for them to guess which one it is. It was a picture of Diavolo pecking the Queen on her cheek on their bed chamber.

“Even if I were her, I would be mad. You’re the rulers of Devildom after all. You can’t afford showing any vulnerability to your people.”

“But love is our strength!” He emphasized the last word with his hand gesture and furrowed brows.

Which only received a giggle from the human. “You sound like those princesses in the movie we watched yesterday.”

“Hey, I’m being serious… Since when did you take her side anyway?”

“I’m just speaking with reason.”

“You’re so harsh these days. Where is the angel I knew? Barbatos is rubbing on you a bit too much.”

“I won’t be if you were a bit more reasonable. And remember, Simeon can be scary too sometimes.”

Diavolo paused for a moment to think. “Right.” And let out a sigh. “Why can't I win a debate with you? I'm the King, you know.”

“Then be glad I'm an ally.”

“But Y/N...” Diavolo stared at them for a moment. “I noticed you're becoming more beautiful. More than ever.”

“...Where’s Queen Rose? She needs to know the king’s flirting with his ex—”

“Hey, I don't mean it! I mean, not that way! You're beautiful as a friend.”

“Beautiful more than ever as a friend, yes?”

“I mean it with pure intention! And Rose is the most beautiful! You know that!”

“Most beautiful. Favorite line, huh…” They sassily fiddled with their nails as they stared at it.

“Let's settle this here? I-I'll even grant you a wish.”

They glanced at him from their nails and stared at him. “Pfft— Hahaha!! I'm kidding, I’m kidding, pfft— hahaha! You should have seen your face, hahaha!”

“Are you messing with me again?” He frowned at them.

“I was but, hey. A wish from the King is rather enticing.”

Looking straight in their eyes, “Are you still mad because of our past?” he asked. As if he's been holding this question back for so long. In guilt of what they have been through because of him.

And with a smile, they replied “No.”

It was the truth.

They could never hold anything against Diavolo. They can never hate the man they fell in love with…

“Your face is just so hilarious I can't help it.” Rather, they wanted to see that expression one last time. That expression I adored way too much, as I fell beside the cliff.

“Since when did you become so fickle?” Yet despite his words, a sense of relief emanates from the Royal Demon.

He is now certain. He is finally free from the shackles he created himself. And they...

“Spare Barbatos some slack. Some regular day offs will do too and you’ll be absolved of your offense.” Without Diavolo being able to snap a last glance on their face, they turned their back to him and started walking. Despite it, a smile formed on his face.

“Consider it done...” He said as they wave as a response before disappearing from his sight.

I see you’re finally free from my curse... Diavolo chuckled as he left to return to his queen, ready to ask for another forgiveness.

---------

“Y/N.” It was the same cliff. The same trees and breeze. The same dusk who witnessed everything. But the voice calling them were not the prince’s anymore.

“Barbatos, you’re early.”

“I apologize for always making you wait for me but,” worry was showing on his face as he looked at them. “...do you always wait here this early?”

“Don’t mind it. I love waiting for you.” Barbatos’ heart skipped a beat from their words, a tint of pink forming on both person’s ear tips.

“A-Ah, right. You didn’t tell me you'll plant some flowers here.” They touched the petals of the Forget-me-not flowers as if to avert the butler’s attention.

It was as healthy as the one they took care of or perhaps even healthier.

“Were they not to your liking?”

“No, I… love them.”

“Then I'd be glad if that were the case. I raised them with the thoughts of you after all.” Even though Barbatos’ remarks were always like that, they couldn’t help but feel bashful everytime.

“Seriously, how can you say some cheesy lines so smoothly?”

“Hmm? I don’t recall saying such things.” He lifted a knuckle under his chin while glancing upward as if in thoughts.

“This guy..!” All they could do is shut up and frown. They couldn’t remember a time where they actually won on Barbatos’ wordplays.

“Is there something that displeases my flower?” Barbatos moved towards them when the frown they wore turned into a sad smile when they glanced again at the blue flowers.

“Well...” they sighed, Barbatos now stepping in to caress their face. “I just remembered the poor flowers I destroyed that day. I cared for them for a long time only to die from my own hands.”

Barbatos brushed his thumb to their cheek, fondness reflected in his eyes. “But they didn’t.” It was still like a dream for him to be able to hold them freely as he wished.

“What do you mean? Of course they will. I pulled them all off the ground myself.”

“Would you believe me if I said this plant was your flower’s seedlings and roots?”

“Y-You mean..!?” The human’s eyes snapped back to the Forget-me-nots. That’s probably why the flowers have the exact same shade and size as back then.

“I thought it’ll be a great gift for you.” He let them go to squat and check the flowers closely.

It took a while as they observed and admired the lush flowers. It was a comfortable silence, as Barbatos watched his favorite bud.

“Hey Barbatos.” Finally satisfied from staring at it, they rose on their feet. “I had some silly idle thoughts a while ago.”

“What is it?” He asked. But unlike them, the demon butler’s eyes never left his favorite flower. He could spend another millenia just gazing at them, and still say it’s the best sight he's ever seen.

“Devildom is a dark place no matter how I try to think of it.” He watch their back across the nightfall. The way the cold breeze brush through their locks. Those subtle shivers they give off as chills bites at their sensitive yet capable arms. One that withstand pain and hardship yet kept their gentleness.

“Then how come of all places, I’ll meet my sun there?” He tread beside them, not minding their words.

Not even the fondness in Barbatos’ eyes yields. Not in the slightest.

He knew. It was Diavolo. It will always be his Young Master. “He was so bright. So dazzling yet I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Diavolo will always be my sun.” And he… He already accepted this fact a long time ago. Staying by their side, until they found their happiness, is more than enough for him.

So instead of reacting, he removed his coat and placed it over their shoulder.

“I won’t forget. I will cherish the memories he left, no matter how painful it is. After all, he and the memories,” but they were thinking differently from Barbatos. They spun on their feet, suddenly facing him, who was just a few inches away from them, “...they all led me to my moon.” Their eyes were glistening, with him reflected in it. It took his breath– his words away.

“Shining through my darkest nights. Cradling me with its gentle light. Brushing off the tears from my eyes. My precious moon, who helped me remember that there’s still happiness beyond my sorrow.” They reached for his face. “Nights were supposed to be cold, yet he brings warmth instead. And you know what’s the most amusing thing?”

“In Devildom, whether it is day or night, you can see the moon in its brightest.” He never wants to assume anything, yet the way their thumb runs across his cheek so tenderly… The hope he hid with all his might, surges out wanting to be freed.

“Oh, but there is just one problem with my moon. He was so selfless, he wouldn't take me to himself.” The hand next to his cheek moved and brushed to the tip of his nose.

“Pardon?” He thought he finally sealed it away so perfectly, so why… With just a single touch…?

“I don’t wanna be single forever yet he keeps on ignoring my signs...”

“Wait, you mean…” But his promise… his vow to them...

“I still can’t say I don’t have any more feelings with Diavolo but I swear, I mean it. That’s why I’m already taking this to my hands… Hey–!” The knot within Barbatos’ heart came undone, along with the stream of tears he’s holding back due to their dreamlike words.

“Barbatos. Hey, don’t cry.”

They tried scooping his face with both hands only to stop by his own.“I’m so happy.” He placed one of their hands on his chest. It was warm, with his heart practically drumming crazily fast.

He never knew it’s possible to feel happier than the day they allowed him by their side. Incomparably so. It was at that moment he felt so… alive.

“I thought it’ll be a great gift for you.”

“This is the greatest gift I’ve ever received in my life.” He pulled their other hand and placed a tender kiss on its palm.

“I wonder if I can surpass this next time.”

“Then how about a kiss? Can I kiss you?”

“You don’t have to ask,” They took another step towards him, “I love you, my Luna.”

“I love you more, my Flora.” Barbatos sewed the space between them and soon, two breaths became one. All the words dissolved between their lips. Yet, all the emotions bottled up within poured out.

Of loneliness. Of longing. Of elation. Of attachment and inclination. With a spice of passion and devotion. All swirling together, filling the gaps in their hearts.

They parted just to converge again, like how their threads of fate crossed, unraveled and intertwined together.

The coldness of the night now utterly nonexistent within their moment, as they were embraced by the vivid rays of moonlight.

Part 1 (Safe Haven) | Part 2 (Safe Haven ~Another Story~)

Masterlist

[spices-and-cherries]

Don’t make me wait (James Bond x Reader)

This was a request by the lovely @iamcavainna​! I’m so sorry it took so long, but life was being a bit rough. I also wanted to at least try and make this good, so I thought that it would be better if I took some time with it... There is a fluffy ending!

I did not reference race, gender, sexuality, or physical appearance. If I missed something, please let me know so I can change it! 

Warnings: drinking wine, a gun, angst, anxiety, mentions of potential accidents that could happen in a snowy mountain

It’s not uncommon for your partner, James Bond, to be traveling abroad for weeks on end. While it can get lonely, he does try to call regularly from whichever hotel he’s staying in. After a while, you became used to it. Why? Late or not, he always kept his promise: 

I’ll be back.

The last time he had called, he had said that he wouldn’t be able to contact you for a week at most due to a strenuous business conference at a ski resort in the Alps. Seeing as this was normal routine for him, you thought nothing of it and just reminded him not to accidentally hurt himself (yet again). 

But today, you’re worried. In fact, you’ve been worried for five days straight. It’s been over a week - eleven days to be exact - and now you feel as though something is off. 

Had he flown off the side of a cliff? Did he get lost? Was he trapped under an avalanche of snow?

James had given you an address to go to in case of emergency, but would this be the right time to use it? How can you be sure that you’re just not being paranoid? And if you did go, what would you say? James has never taken you to his place of work and barely talks about his colleagues, so who would you even be speaking to?

Hundreds of panicked questions circle your mind as you pace around your living space, phone in one hand and address in the other. You had barely slept the night before and hadn’t eaten all day. 

You missed James. He’s been gone for almost a month now and no number of phone calls could replace the feeling of his warmth on his side of the bed. His laugh, his miserable cooking, his rough hands...  You needed all of that and more back at home next to you. So you had to go. 

You check the time. It’s just before four o’clock. If you hurry, you just might catch someone on their way out.

---

Without a second thought, you slip on your coat and hurry to the closest bus stop. The trip there was a bit of a haze, between the times you were navigating and transferring. The haze dissipates pretty quickly as you walk up to what was supposed to be some office building and not a glamourous apartment complex with a Rolls Royce being unloaded in front of the main entrance. 

You have to double and triple check the address written down and your GPS on your phone. It seemed to be the right place...

Tentatively, you walk into the lobby, feeling very out of place and small. The floor looks like it all marble and there’s a little fountain in the middle of the space.

Anxious, you manage to sign yourself in at the front desk. There were some complications due to your ID, but after a quick phone call, it was sorted out and you were free to go up. You speed-walk to the elevators, feeling like someone was watching you. Looking around, you didn’t see anyone but the uptight attendant you had just spoken to making another call. The elevator doors open and you walk in. 

As you get closer and closer to your destination, you feel more anxious and your palms start to sweat. You furiously try and dry them as the doors open into what looked to be someone’s home. 

And that someone was straight in front of you.

“Who are you?” She was an older woman with short, salt-and-pepper hair and a fitted pantsuit.

“Uh...” You hear the elevator doors close behind you. There’s no escaping now.

“Well? I don’t have all day, you know.”

“My name is (Y/) (L/N)... I think my husband works for you.” One of her eyebrows raised. “Uh, he said that in case of emergency that I come here...” You pull out the piece of paper and she takes it. “I don’t really have anything urgent, but he’s unusually late in checking in and I-”

“Good lord.” She muttered furiously after scanning the note and crushes it.

“Pardon?” You ask, somewhat alarmed by the unexpected response. 

“Please, have a seat.” She waves to a chair and you comply. 

“Do you know-”

“Your husband? Yes. He’s one of my men.”

“Men?”

“...Well I can see that that fool did follow my order for once, not that it makes much difference...”

“I’m not sure I understand...”

“Normally, you wouldn’t have to.” She sits down across from you. “What is it that Bond told you about his job?”

“...Well, he’s one of those people who are the intermediaries between large company deals...?”

“Close. In reality, he’s the exact opposite.”

“I don’t-”

“Bond is an agent trained in the art of infiltration in order to stop certain kinds of ...businesses from expanding more than they already have. In short, your... husband... is an international spy.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“But that is not the issue here.” She stares at you with eagle eyes. “The issue is this address. Did Bond give it to you?”

“Yes!” You squeak - to say you’re terrified would be an understatement. “He said to come here in case of an emergency while he wasn’t home.”

“And the emergency is?”

“It’s been over a week since he last called. He promised that he would contact me once the week ended. He’s five days late. He’s never late for that long!”

“Right.” She rests her head in the palm of her hand as if she were dealing with some trivial issue. “Has anyone seen this address or followed you here?”

“No one has seen it and I don’t think so?”

“You don’t think so or you don’t know?” She snaps, but her face softens after seeing the look on your face. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Do you - do you know where James is?”

"...We know just as much as yourself. It seems the only thing that man is good for is causing me trouble.” She was standing up again and pacing.

“Is there anything I can do to help? I have this awful feeling that something happened!”

“I am afraid not. We are already doing all we can.” She sighs. “...Did he tell you anything last time he contacted you?”

“He said he was going to a ski resort with a client in the Alps...”

“Nothing else?”

“Not that I can remember.” She takes a good look at you, then turns away. 

“We were told the same. Any longer and we’ll may have to consider him MIA.” 

“MIA?” You feel slightly faint. “Is - is he in danger?”

“If he wasn’t he wouldn’t be doing his job.” You slump back into your seat, unsure of how to take all this information in. Not only has your husband lied to you about his profession, but that profession is putting him in danger!

“Is there anything you can tell me?” You start fiddling with your hands. “I don’t think I caught your name...”

“That would be because I didn’t tell it to you. You may call me M.” 

“Right.” You nod awkwardly. “Seeing as all this is top secret and I’m-”

“A civilian.”

“...What’s going to happen to me?”

“That would be for upper management to decide. Though it shouldn’t be anything too harmful. Bond was the one who brought you into this, after all.”

“Will he be fired?” Alarm rushes through you at the thought. 

“Oh no,” M looks at you with surprise. “James has done much worse than this. They’ll just give him a light spanking and send him off. He’s too good to be let go of.” She looks at you with a penetrating gaze. “Too damn good.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” You smile awkwardly. “In all honesty, this whole situation is a bit much for me.”

“I can imagine.”

“Does this happen with James often?”

“Missing a check-in or finding out about secret marriages?”

“Missing check-ins?”

“Yes, yes it does. Although it seems as though he contacts you more than us. It’s been two weeks since he last called in. It does seem like he’s taking longer than usual...” 

---

Out of supposed security concerns, M told you to stay with her until James comes back. As a compromise, she sent some people to keep surveillance in your neighborhood and on your flat. Of course, this meant a couple of days (or more) living with this mysterious woman. M never talked unless necessary and most certainly did not bring her work home. While she trusts you enough in her home, she cannot afford anything leaking out, no matter how harmless.

That being said, she did try to update you on any word (or lack thereof) from your husband. The more time past, the more anxious you became. You could no longer sleep and M would find you in your room just staring at the ceiling. You had confided in her just once about how much you were missing him when you had one too many glasses of wine. Despite your loneliness, you really did try and keep strong. If the two of you were eating together, you’d ask her questions about your husband’s job. M couldn’t answer more than half of them, but did try to help shed some light on this new side of James. 

She couldn’t go into a lot of details, both due to how classified it all was, but because she thought that James should be the one to explain everything.

On the third day, M had informed you that James had sent a message. It was short and didn’t disclose his whereabouts, but you were so relieved that your knees just about gave out from underneath you. 

He was safe.

He was safe and that was all that mattered to you. Several more days would pass before you’d be reunited. 

---

It was the dead of night and, like usual, you couldn’t sleep. M wasn’t home - she said that she would be late - so you had eaten by yourself. While her suite is beautiful, you can’t help but wish that you were home in your little flat. You used to be annoyed about how much the building settled or your neighbors snoring during the night. Now, the lack of noise unsettles you. However, every noise you do happen to hear makes the hairs on your arms stick up.

Especially when you hear the elevator open awfully early in the night.

Somehow, you knew that it wasn’t M. Maybe it was because you didn’t hear her toss her handbag on one of the chairs or that her usual heels didn’t sound like they should. Either way, you had to make sure that everything was okay. You quietly get out of the bed and grab an empty wine bottle. 

Carefully, you slowly twist the doorknob to ease the door open by just a crack. You can just make out a figure that was much bigger than M shuffling around her desk. Unsure of what to do and not wanting to blow your cover immediately, you stay right where you are. He - for it was most definitely a man - straightened himself out and proceeded to make himself comfortable in one her chairs with his back towards you. 

Why would a burglar make himself at home?

As he begins to pour himself a glass, you gently open the door wide enough that you could slip through it. You bless your lucky starts that it doesn’t squeak. 

One, two, three, four steps forward when suddenly two unexpected things happen at the same time.

The man had gotten up, spun around and pointed a gun at your head. 

The elevator doors open to reveal M.

“Good heavens! What is happening?” You watch M hurry in, throwing her bag on a chair. “Bond! Put the gun down!” Your head snaps back around. The look of surprise and alarm was reflected in your husband’s bright blue eyes. You drop the bottle and it shatters. His gun was swiftly tossed aside. 

“James.” You choke back a sob as you run into his arms. He hugs back just as fiercely. 

“(Y/N).” He softly tucks your head into his shoulder and seems to relax in your arms. 

“I missed you.”

“I know.” 

“While this is awfully touching, you have a lot of explaining to do, Bond.” James lifts his head when he hears M say his name. 

“Ah. Yes. I forgot you were here.” You didn’t need to see M’s face to know the look of annoyance she was most likely sporting. 

“Just sit down.” M snaps, but you can tell that it’s half-hearted. James lets go of you, but grabs your hand as he sinks down into the couch. You curl up on his side, his hand still in yours.

You would never know what it was that the two talked about after that because you had fallen asleep as soon as your head settled on his shoulder. 

When you woke up, it was bright out and you were on the couch. Your pillow shifts, making you do a double take. Your pillow was in fact an arm. You shift to your other side and find yourself face to face with your husband’s sleeping face. Gently, you caress his face then plant a kiss on his cheek. 

“That’s hardly what I would call a good afternoon kiss.” James smirks, suddenly wide awake.

“Afternoon?”

“It’s just after one.” He gently pulls you closer to him. “Now, don’t make me wait more than I already have...” 

“That makes two of us, doesn’t it-” You kiss him squarely on the mouth then pull back - much to his obvious displeasure. “-Mr. Secret Agent?”

Needless to say, the two of you would take the time to talk things out and bring everything (that’s not classified information) into the light.

I tried really hard with this one, so I hope you all enjoyed it! I kinda feel like the start and the end were rushed... I plan on doing some Jake Lonergan headcanons this week, so that will be fun. Please feel free to send me ideas or requests! It might take a while for me to finish it, but I’ll try my best!

- Simpy