#so i can get used to it on my own without fear of being barged in on

[vinylfoxbooks]

September 7 - King | @into-the-jeggyverse | wc: 715 Next Part

Regulus doesn't go out into the town often, for many reasons. The first being that he doesn’t like to be surrounded by people, unlike his brother who goes out all the time to integrate himself with the society that they rule over, he likes the isolation of the castle. The second being that his parents rarely allow him out of the castle. But today, Regulus is out with his brother. Sirius was sent out by their mother so she could have a meeting with Druella without feeling ashamed of him, and she told Regulus to go with him so he doesn’t get into trouble. 

Although Regulus isn’t bothered with that, he lets Sirius wander off into the square. He’s got an eye on his brother, yes, but he’s not his brother’s caretaker. Although his attention is caught by two people at a stall talking in hushed tones, “Did you not hear? He’s not roaming around the village anymore?”

“He’s not?”

“No,” the stall keeper hums, looking back and forth, “I heard that he was caught by the guard last night and will be brought in front of the king tomorrow at dawn.” 

And that grabs Regulus’ attention, so he makes his way towards the two of them, leaning in just a bit, “I’m sorry to barge into your conversation, but who will be brought in front of the king tomorrow?”

The two of them give him a look of confusion before one mutters, “Are you not from here?”

Regulus shakes his head, “I am traveling with my brother, I want to ensure our safety here.”

“The fearsome Captain James Potter was captured last night.” The stall keeper says, “His ship was docked several nights ago and some have dared get close to it, but none have ventured onto the ship.”

“The townspeople have been living in fear that the crew is roaming around, and no one has seen the captain. Several have heard people wandering around the ship but nothing from him.”

“And why, pray tell,” Regulus asks, “Is Captain Potter so feared?”

The stall keeper looks around once more, as though fearing to be overheard, “Why he is the nastiest pirate on this side of the world. He’s known for his ruthless crew that takes down other ships for fun. They have ransacked villages and pillaged and burned towns for their own enjoyment. Villages fear sending out ships for trading in case their ship is found by Captain Potter and his crew.”

The other person nods, “The fact that his ship has been docked at a port nearby for so long worries the people here. What if he plans to take down our city next. What if he plans to kill the King and Queen?”

Regulus nods, slowly, “And he was captured?” 

“That’s the word. Duke Crouch has boasted that it was one of his men that found him outside of the castle gates, and he’s pushing the King for a public execution of Potter and any of his crew that is found. His trial is tomorrow.” 

Once again, Regulus nods, leaning back just a bit, “Thank you for the information.” And with that, he sweeps away from the two, watching them go back to whispering to each other after. Regulus is quick to find his brother in the crowd, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into an alley, “James was captured last night.” 

“What?” Sirius balks.

“One of Barty’s family’s men caught him last night, he’s being brought for trial tomorrow.”

The older takes a second before furrowing his brows, “That’s why he and Remus didn’t come to see us last night.” 

Regulus nods, “We have to find a way to get them out of this. I don’t know how many of the crew were captured, just that James was...”

“But if James was captured, it’s possible that so were the rest of them.” Sirius finishes for him. Once again, Regulus nods and Sirius grabs him by the arm, tugging him out of the alley, “We need to go and see what we can do. Do you think they’d be held in the dungeons?”

“Either that or the Crouch’s holding cells.” And with that, the two of them rush off. They need to get to James and his crew before dawn.

[lakesbian]

welcome to my post about why blake and rose from the wildbow webserial "pact" are doppelgangers of each other, which fucks

a doppelganger is literally defined as someone who looks identical to another person (while being unrelated to them), and while rose and blake look very similar because they are male and female iterations of the same person, no one is going to be mistaking them for each other. so one may ask: then how in the world are they doppelgangers. (it's me, i asked myself that while trying to figure out why i instinctively called them doppelgangers.) to which the answer is: they tick virtually every other box that doppelgangers are associated with so precisely that they've managed to become the world's first set of doppelgangers who do not actually look identical

doppelgangers are frequently written as unnerving due to unclear origin and intent--a doppelganger's lack of appearance distinct from a preexisting character is often associated with lack of a distinct & traceable identity, which is consequently associated with lack of clear intent, which means potential for ill intent. they are often intuitively interpreted as a potential threat encroaching on a place in the world that only one person was supposed to be able to fill. the "evil twin" type of horror story, the idea of being interchangeable with someone or something else who steals your life. maybe they follow the theft up by ruining or hurting who or what you cared about. maybe they just keep living cheerfully in your place while you're locked out. either way, the core idea is the horror of being completely replaceable.

and that's fundamentally what blake and rose are polarized against each other over. the central determining factor in their relationship is the fact that, even before they realize it, they're in a fight over who gets to exist. they used to be the same person, but that person got ontologically torn in half, and only one of the halves can fit in the space in the universe where the whole used to be. only one half gets to have the house, and the friends, and the feelings, and the life.

when rose is first introduced to blake, it's mysteriously and abruptly. rose is clearly frazzled and confused herself, she states clear intent to help blake, and blake quickly receives proof that rose's message to him was life-saving. yet even before anything markedly suspicious occurs, he's still intrinsically afraid of--and right to be afraid of--theoretical hidden intent. rose is slated to replace him in his own life while he acts as a lamb to slaughter for her, she knows it, she hides it from him, and she does take his place as intended. it's only by a sort of cosmically fortunate misfortune that blake still exists afterwards to realize that his paranoia was validated and experience the rage and despair of watching her unknowingly reveal the mechanisms through which she deceived him to his friends, who are none the wiser about the fact that they ever knew him instead of rose.

then it's rose's turn after blake climbs back out of oblivion and barges back into her life--being erased from the universe's memory means that he was erased from her memory too, and now she's the one in the spot of questioning how she could ever prove that this person who looks exactly like her-but-wrong (and knows so much about her life, and talks like her sometimes, and acts like her sometimes) actually has the decent intents he claims he does. and after she learns where he truly came from--the cleaving of the person they both used to be--the fear is only stronger, because she knows that he has impetus to fight to replace her so that he can be the extant one.

and i've said all of this without citing specific excerpts from the book because it is much harder to find pact excerpts than worm excerpts, but i definitely remember multiple of the little moments that highlight these more overarching ideas: blake first seeing rose in the mirror and having to touch his chest and watch as the movement fails to align to verify that it's not him. blake finishing a sentence the same way as rose at the same time as her and rose's following displeasure. rose and blake's former friends standing in front of him once he's the one in the mirror, discussing him as a potential threat. it's Good. they both get their turn on being the doppelganger. they both get their turn on being the threat of replacement. it's good. when will the horror enjoying wormfans read pact and think about blake and rose with me.

[writing-for-life]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN DREAM'S HAIR USED TO BE WHITE!! oh my god. i just saw your post about killala and i have now perished. thanks for breaking my heart.

but also hi!! i'm relatively new to the fandom and it's a great place to be. i haven't finished reading all the comics yet but i'm curious to know:

what do you think are the main differences between TV!Dream and Comics!Dream? i've heard so many people claiming that he is incapable of changing, for instance, and though the show does convey his overall rigidity pretty well, i'm not getting the vibe that he's immutable.

also!! it's clear that he feels a lot. which is always funny to me when the corinthian is like yo, try this and maybe you'll feel something for a change but like. he does!!! or i get the impression that he does. he probably feels too much if anything?? all of it simmering just beneath the surface, barely contained. how would you personally analyze his relationship with his own emotions?

i hope all of this is coherent enough for you to answer lmao, i saw your post about enjoying being asked sandman questions two seconds after i woke up and barged into your inbox. hope you have a lovely day!

Thanks so much for the ask, and welcome if you’re new(ish) to the fandom! 🤗

I’m sorry I broke your heart—much more heartbreak to come I fear if you haven’t read the comics yet, so I’ll try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible.

I am one of those people who believes the differences between comics!Dream and show!Dream are actually not as big as they are made out to be where it matters, and you will definitely find people who disagree. At the end of the day, we all read it through our own lens and will never be fully objective about it.

The main difference I see is that they filed off the rough edges of the comics a bit to make a new audience sympathise more. It’s very hard to do that with a character who is basically in full arsehole mode for most of the first 40 issues or so, and even then only slowly begins to come out of it (although we can obviously see glimmers of what lies below the surface at the beginning of the comics, too, but it’s far more subtle than in the show). I’ve worked in musical theatre for a over decade of my life and understand a bit about bringing the written word to stage/screen, and some things simply don’t translate well from book to stage/screen, and you have to change it. So my personal opinion is we get a more sympathetic Morpheus and certain changes so the audience can do exactly that—sympathise off the bat. You will lose an audience pretty quickly if they don’t care about the protagonist and the universe he moves in, and you can’t be as nuanced about it as you can be in a written work. We’re talking about streaming services thinking about profits here, even if people don’t want to hear it.

Also: The more you sympathise with a character, the deeper the emotional investment and the more you feel, even if it hurts.

Having said this, I don’t think Morpheus is incapable of change, and I never got where that idea comes from. His biggest flaw is that he believes he cannot change (and even he has moments when he admits he might have). In the introduction to Endless Nights, Neil Gaiman says that he was once asked to describe The Sandman in twenty-five words or less, and famously, it was this (you might have heard it):

“The Lord of Dreams learns that one must change or die, and makes his decision.”

And I think some people might have wrongly taken that for an either/or thing. I don’t want to say too much at this point because I don’t know how much you know (if you’d like spoilers or already know how it ends, let me know, I’ll happily expand on it). Only so much:

He is capable of change, also in the comics. Very obviously so. But just like he denies he has his own story (which also isn’t true), he denies he can change. Or at least he thinks he perhaps cannot change enough (it’s actually hard to write about this without giving everything away, help! 🙈).

As for his feelings: He does feel, but again, it is something he pushes down and will deny himself. Until it bursts to the surface and breaks through, and when that happens, it’s usually with, well, let’s say varying results, and that’s putting it mildly. Personally, I’d say he has problems relating to his feelings, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel. Quite the opposite in my view. He holds the collective unconscious—all unprocessed feelings and whatever else floats around in that collective mess, and it’s exactly what he says to the Corinthian in that famous scene: he needs to keep a lid on it and keep that lid firmly closed so all of it doesn’t consume him. But that also means denying himself the feelings that are linked to his own personhood (if you want to call it that). There’s Dream of the Endless, and then there’s Morpheus. And while they’re one and the same and inseparable, Morpheus is also the “point of view”. The character, the person, if you will. And deep down, he craves that personhood so badly. Out of all the Endless, he is the only one who basically collects names because they mean having something beyond his function, which is also mirrored in what he tells Death in “The Sound of her Wings”: he wants something more. He is the only one whose realm is populated with sentient beings (yes, I know Despair has rats, but I think you get my drift). He is desperately lonely and struggles with it. He seeks connection yet denies it to himself. That’s not someone who doesn’t feel.

I don’t know if this answers your questions at all—I was doing the wild “spoiler-free” dance 🤣 But please let me know if you want me to go a bit deeper, I love talking about this stuff.

You can also have a look at my metas if you haven’t already. The headers pretty much explain what they’re about and what spoiler-level to expect, but none of them are truly spoiler-free I guess:

Again, thanks so much for encroaching on my inbox, and feel free to follow up if anything was left unanswered.

@dreamaturgy ask answered

[neowinestainedress]

𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒 — 𝐂𝐇. 𝟐

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 — 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 — 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 — 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: lee haechan x oc ; na jaemin x oc 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: fluff, smut, childhood best friends to lovers, strangers to lovers, exes to lovers, lovers to exes 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: jaemin arrives in korea, and he and hyejin immediately get along. But while he tries to settle in, new doubts creep into his mind, keeping him hooked on her relationship with haechan more than he should. 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: smut, oral s*x (f receiving), unprotected s*x 𝐖𝐂: +5k 𝐀/𝐍: the second chapter is here. things are getting more interesting, so i hope you'll like it! feedback means the world, whether it's a comment, a reblog (it helps to boost the fic so more people can see it), or an ask, please send your thoughts! enjoy ♡

When Friday came, Hyejin had completely forgotten about this new friend, honestly, she couldn’t care much about him. Between her job and other things assaulting her mind, worrying about whoever was going to live with Haechan was the last thought in her mind. They were already friends, so he couldn’t be a bad person, but did she care about knowing him? Not really. 

But maybe he would’ve been a good thing. If Haechan decided to go back to being friends with Zoya, she would’ve visited his place, met his roommate, fell for him, and Hyejin could sleep at night without the lingering fear of Zoya stealing her boyfriend. 

To be honest, Hyejin hated the word ‘stealing’, people aren’t objects, you can’t steal them, but you can draw them to you, and if you know the power you have over them, maybe the wiser choice would be to leave them alone, especially if you already did it once and hurt them. 

But even with that fantasy of setting the new boy up with Zoya, Hyejin still didn’t remember that he was already home when she barged inside Haechan’s place as if it was her own. 

“Honey!” The brown-haired screamed, closing the door with a loud bang as she pushed it close with her feet, “I’m home. Brought grocery.”

“Oh, I thought it was just two of us, here.” A male voice echoed through the place. A tall man with dyed dark blonde hair was standing in front of her, dressed in casual clothes, with a rather surprised expression on his handsome face. 

“Shit!” She screamed, bags full of stuff almost falling to the ground if only the stranger didn’t grab them promptly. When their eyes met, she could feel her heart throb in her chest, the eggs, God, the eggs, what if they broke anyway? 

“Are you okay?” The man questioned, standing up, doing the favour of still keeping the bags in his arms that were surely stronger than hers. 

She nodded, shaking her head and brushing her hair back while a look of panic still painted her face. “The eggs.” 

“The eggs?” His brows raised in perplexity as his head tilted to the side. 

“Yeah, can you see if the eggs broke? I wanted to make a cake and now no cake, and no ramen too with no eggs.” 

The blonde stared at her for a few seconds, studying her eyes and the nervous movements of her fingers before he coughed and shook his head. “I’m sure they’re fine,” he voiced, walking to the kitchen followed by her. 

“I think you crashed them,” she said, lightly jumping up and down on her tiptoes by his side, apprehensively waiting for him to find the containers with the eggs.  

“I think you scare yourself too easily,” he commented with a hint of sarcasm in his husky voice.  

“Excuse me?” 

The man chuckled, and a beautiful, breathtaking, smile appeared on his face. “Didn’t you know I was coming? If you live here, you surely agreed to me moving in, right? You know about me?” He asked while his voice broke into a high-pitched tone full of worries with each question. Haechan couldn’t be so damn dumb to don’t warn his roommate, right? 

“Oh! Oh, shit, it’s you! Yeah, I know about you, you slipped my mind, I’m sorry, but yeah, yeah,” she blurted out, running a hand in her hair before cupping her face. Why was she so forgetful? And why she couldn’t avoid making a fool of herself for once?  

“Great,” he smiled, letting out a breath of relief before grinning at her antics. “And I’ll pay for the eggs if they’re broken.” 

“No, no, it’s fine,” Hyejin reassured, moving her hand in a dismissive move. “And I don’t live here, by the way.” 

“Oh,” he whispered while he was still intent on placing everything on the table to find the eggs and make sure they weren’t crushed. “You… don’t?” 

“No, I’m Haechan’s girlfriend, I just grocery-shopped for me and, while I was there, I thought about doing it also for him.” She quirked a brow when she saw his reaction to her words. Was that a weird thing to do? It was just a nice gesture, and to her, it was pretty normal, just like ten thousand other things she would do in his place. 

“You’re nice…?” He said, letting the phrase hang, waiting for her to fill him in about her name.  

“Hyejin,” she greeted with a bright smile that turned into a shy laugh when she realized they had been talking for so long and did everything but introduce each other. “You?” 

“Jaemin, Na Jaemin, for my friends Nana,” he greeted, his 32 teeth smile on his face again. 

“Nana, that’s pretty,” she said. “So, do you mind helping me?” 

Jaemin smiled and then nodded. “The least I can do after I almost gave you a heart attack for your eggs.”

“Wow, you already became friends,” Haechan exclaimed, entering the kitchen and seeing how close Hyejin and Jaemin were already, chatting about something he couldn’t grasp. 

“He helped with the food. I passed by the mall and thought of you. You would die without me,” she finished jokingly, leaving Jaemin’s side to reach Haechan, and wrapping her arms around his shoulders before kissing him gently. “Missed you.” 

“It was a tough week,” he whispered, pulling away from the kiss, and walking around the table to see what was left in the bags. “Bought some things,” he joked. 

“You would starve without me,” she said. “Don’t have to thank me, by the way.” 

Haechan rolled his eyes and grabbed a bag of his favourite biscuits before walking back to her. “Thanks,” he said, doing pouty lips. “How much do I owe you?” 

“I don’t remember, we can settle it later. Or I could gift this to you, a welcome gift for the new boy,” Hyejin said, turning to Jaemin that was staring at them with an expression she couldn’t name. But he only smiled before looking away when their eyes met.

“Whatever you prefer,” Haechan shrugged, bringing her attention back to him, “by the way, I’m going to the skate park with Jeno, are you coming?” 

Her eyes darkened and a frown formed on her face. “But, we were supposed to hang out?” 

“I know, babe, but…” he sighed, “I forgot that I promised to him and Yangyang before I promised it to you.” 

She sighed but nodded without complaining further. “It’s fine, you had a long week with the moving in and then your job,” her lips curled in a smile and her hand lifted to caress his cheeks. “Have fun and don’t hurt yourself like last time.” 

Haechan chuckled. “It was a mistake and it was Yangyang’s fault.” 

She raised a brow and then laughed. “Sure, whatever. Can we eat together, though?” 

“Sure, I’ll be home before 7. If you want, I can grab something while coming back.” 

“No, I’ll cook something.” 

“Okay, bye,” he said, waving to them and leaving the house. 

When Haechan left, silence filled the room, and Hyejin wouldn’t have found it nerve-wracking if it only wasn’t for Jaemin’s persistent gaze on her. 

“Excuse me, everything alright?”

Jaemin didn’t comprehend she was talking to him right away and hesitated before answering in a mumble, “yeah, yeah, I was just… thinking.” 

“Oh, you wanted to be alone?” 

“What?” He asked, brows furrowing. “No, no, I can’t kick you out of the house,” he said, words followed by a light laugh, “not that I would. I have no reasons; you are so nice.” 

Hyejin’s eyes crinkled up and a small dimple poked her right cheek while a whispered thanks slurred from her lips. “You were thinking about what? If you want to tell me.” 

“No, it’s nothing,” he shrugged, leaning against the kitchen counter and watching as she moved around as if that was her place, cleaning up as if it was her duty, and sure, Jaemin knew nothing about them and their dynamics but something about everything felt off. Maybe it was the jet lag, or the Korean air after years of America, yes, it had to be that. 

Her soft giggle brought him back to earth. “What’s so funny?” 

“You,” she said. “Are you tired?” 

“Do I look that horrible?”

She shook her head while she folded the bags and then placed them under the sink, ready to be used again. “You look shaken. Is your room already set up?” 

Jaemin shrugged. “Partially, the truck with most of my things got lost and I have no idea when I will have my piano, my guitar, and my bed.” 

She gasped, signalling him to follow her on the couch. “Your bed?” 

“Yep, and while you’re here,” he coughed, “did you and Hyuck have plans for a spicy night or can I sleep with him tonight?” 

Hyejin laughed and shook her head. “I’m sorry but that’s hilarious.”

“My tragedy it’s hilarious? I spent years giving that mattress my shape, if I don’t get it by tomorrow, I will cry.” 

His voice and expression only made her laugh more, to the point of tears. “Sorry, it was bad luck, but the good news is you can sleep with my boyfriend.” 

“Great, I hope he stopped kicking with time.” 

She chuckled. “He doesn’t kick me when we sleep together.” 

“So, you’re sure you won’t hate me? He already cancelled plans with you today.” 

“No, don’t worry, I’m used to it,” she said light-heartedly but then her expression changed when she saw Jaemin’s furrowed eyes. 

“You’re used to it?” 

“Yeah, you have no ideas how many times Haechan says we will do something and then forgets about it or changes it to something else like staying at home or… staying at home.” 

While her voice was light and playful, Jaemin didn’t find it so funny but, once again, it had been years he had been with Haechan so maybe he was like this with everybody, maybe he simply changed and also she seemed fine with it, so who was he to judge? 

“What about you? I’ve been friends with Hyuck since we were crawling, but I can’t remember you.” 

“Do you know all his friends?” 

“Mostly,” she said, bringing her knees to the couch and turning to the side to look at him better.  

“I used to travel a lot, so probably that’s why you don’t know me. Also, I was his friend from his grandparents’ town, that’s where we met.” 

“Oh, yeah, it makes sense,” she said. “And why are you here now?” 

“Studied in America and then decided to come back here to see if Korea had something magical for my future, we’ll see if this will be the dumbest idea I’ve ever made or the best.” 

She chuckled, eyes softening. “Are you afraid?” 

Jaemin sighed, rubbing his neck. “Aren’t we all? Shouldn’t we? Fear is not necessarily bad, right?” 

Hyejin hummed. “Well, I’m not sure.” 

“What is it?” 

She chuckled nervously. “The future.” 

“Oh, if you look at it that way, it is scary.” 

“Yeah, but I can’t find a job. I mean I have a job, I work in a library and I managed to create a small book club every Tuesday with adults and another on Friday dedicated to little kids, but my art degree has led me nowhere. I’m losing my passion for painting, I don’t have time for painting, I feel like a failure because my parents warned me about it,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, shit, that’s not what I wanted to show you of me.” Not even Haechan wanted to listen to her rant most of the time, why would a stranger be okay with it?  

“No, keep going,” he reassured her, touching her hand, stopping her nervous movements, and unconsciously rubbing his thumb on her palm. “I love listening.” 

She gulped, briefly looked at their hands and his eyes, and then went on. “I fear I won’t find my place in this world, and I know I’m only 22 and I have time, but… everything spins around so fast, everyone seems better than you, at everything, and… it sucks.” 

Jaemin chuckled, “It sucks.” 

“Are you making fun of me?” She huffed, pulling her hand away and crossing her arms. 

“No, I agree. It sucks. But I’m not sure you want to listen to my talks against capitalism and its damages to people and the environment or other talks about economies and how humans are not made for this stressful, time-ticking life and how at this point it’s just surviving and not living, right?” 

A smile spread on her face, cheeks heating up. “Maybe one day, I’d love to listen.” 

“One day,” Jaemin smiled widely, perfect white teeth in view and eyes full of a hopeful warmth. “Now, any other fears?”

Haechan. 

It lingered in her brain. All the fears about their future. How everything she dreamed of seemed to be secondary to him. How the future she pictured for them seemed so different from the drawing he had in mind. Incompatible. And somehow, they always found a way to never talk about it. 

“Nothing,” she whispered, swallowing the gulp in her chest. “Just that.” 

“Great,” he beamed. “I can tell you one thing my grandma said to me, you have a place in this world, you just have to find it, but you have it, and one day, you will discover it, get comfortable in it, and you’ll realize that everything you had to face had led you to the highest place in your life.” 

She swiftly wiped away a tear and smiled. “Thanks, I will try to remember it when I have my lowest moment. Want to help me think about something for dinner?” 

“Sure, I love cooking!” 

“Really? I love it too!” 

Hyejin had no idea if Jaemin would’ve been a perfect match for Zoya, but for now, that thought didn’t cross her mind, for now, it only looked like she could’ve found a new amazing friend, and that was something that had been missing for a while in her life. 

“What do you mean boiled chicken with no seasoning?” Hyejin asked speechless, stirring the food in the pot while Jaemin finished setting the table. 

“I’m not kidding, that’s when I learnt to never accept invites at other people’s houses,” he laughed, but the thought of that dinner sent shivers down his spine. 

“Well, you’ll eat well here,” she promised. 

“Because you are the chef of the house?” 

She grinned, humming after tasting the food. “Most of the time.” 

“Wait, do you live here?” 

She shook her head. “Nope, but we’re both very busy and I try to spend more time as possible with him. And I love this made-up sense of domestic life I dream to have one day.” 

“And he never comes to your place?” Jaemin didn’t want to pry, but since he arrived there, Haechan didn’t talk about her as much as she talked about him. He wasn’t even sure his friend told him he had a girlfriend. And in the last few hours, he got to see that she acted like a wife. 

“Not as much as I am here, but if you don’t want me around, we can —” 

“No,” Jaemin stopped her instantly. “You care about him… a lot, it’s nice.” 

Her face heated up and she looked away. “Is it so evident?” 

“Mhh, yes?” 

“What’s so evident?” Another voice asked. 

“Haechan!” She exclaimed, rushing to the kitchen door to hug him. 

“Babe,” he groaned, pulling back, “I’m all sweaty.” 

“I don’t care,” she said, hugging him anyway. “I missed you,” she pouted, cupping his face before bringing her lips to his. 

“Missed you too,” he smiled, leaving a small peck on her lips before looking behind her to stare at the pots. “Mhh, it smells delicious here, is it all from you?” 

She scoffed, flicking her ponytail in a bragging motion. “It’s always me.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know, without you I’d be dead,” he laughed. “I’ll go take a quick shower and then we can eat, alright?” 

“Yes, we’ll wait for you.” 

Jaemin coughed. “You don’t really come here every day to feed him?” 

“Oh my god, why do you say it like that?” She laughed but Jaemin’s serious face made her stop another time. “I’m not a maid.” 

“I know, but…” 

“I just love cooking, and my roommates usually have different shifts, so they are home later than me, and I’d rather eat with my boyfriend than alone.” 

Jaemin hummed, lips pressed together as he helped with the other two pots and brought them to the table. 

“Are you sure you’re comfortable with me around?” 

“Yes, I told you, I like you. I mean, I don’t know you much but… I think we get alone, right? At least for now.” 

Hyejin nodded. “I like you too, but if anything makes you uncomfortable don’t be afraid of talking to me.” 

“Yes, sure.” Jaemin smiled warmly, grabbing even the last pan and setting it on the table before placing a hand on her shoulder. “But I don’t think you’ll ever make me uncomfortable.” 

“Jaem, it’s not possible you don’t remember her. Come on, I had a fake phone with her photo on it and I used to always be on call with her, you thought I was crazy and I made her up,” Haechan said. It was mid-dinner, and after talks and talks, the topic focused on their childhood and how strange it was Hyejin and Jaemin didn’t meet before when they were so close with Haechan. 

“Now that I think about it, I remember him talking about you,” Jaemin said, pointing a finger at her. “He really looked insane, and you seemed too perfect from his talks so I thought he made you up and that photo was cut out of a journal or something.” 

Hyejin laughed. “Too perfect? So you really loved me all along?” 

Haechan gulped, eyes dimming a bit of their happy light, but smile still pulled in a line. “I guess.” He wasn’t sure it was love back then, not like what they shared now, at least. They were each other’s half since the start, always there for each other, in the good and bad, and he truly wouldn’t have survived without her, but when he found out how she loved him all along, he felt that what he always felt for her wasn’t enough. 

“Wait, you’re not dating since forever?” Jaemin asked, bringing him back on earth, and making her blush brightly. 

“We were kids,” Haechan huffed, rolling his eyes. 

“Yeah, but you’ve dating for a while, now, right? At least until high school, you used to talk about your girlfriend back then, you were head over heels just as you are now.” Jaemin hyped tone didn’t meet the energy that fell in the room, time freezing and awkward fits of cough coming from Hyejin’s mouth. 

“I wasn’t dating her in high school… well, we started to date during the last year, but I don’t think I’ve ever talked to you about her,” Haechan said awkwardly, and Jaemin’s face filled with sorrow. 

“Oh, I’m… I’m sorry, I just… I made assumptions and I made them wrong,” he tried to joke about it, hoping it would ease the tension, and it worked, making Hyejin giggle and tell him to not worry with a wave of the hand. 

“It’s fine, our story is weird,” she explained, but her mind was going down a completely different path. She wasn’t surprised hearing Haechan was head over heels for Zoya, she was there, witnessing it with her eyes, hearing him rant about how much he loved her. But it had to be a good thing that Jaemin thought Haechan shared the same love for her, too, right? If Haechan talked about her the same way he talked about Zoya, if he looked at her the same way, she was sure he loved her a lot. 

Jaemin wanted to say something more but only limited himself to a fake smile and a nod of the head before hiding behind the glass of wine. 

“What about you?” Hyejin asked, deciding it was better to change the topic and shine the light on him. 

“About me or my dating life?” He asked, placing the glass down, and smiling at her. 

“Your dating life, you look like a heartbreaker,” she joked, tucking a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. 

Jaemin snickered, leaning back against the backrest of the chair. “I’m pretty lame actually. I think I break hearts because people fall for me and I rarely love them back.” 

Haechan scoffed. “If only you weren’t so damn hard to please.” 

“Me, hard to please? Have you taken a look in the mirror?” Jaemin retorted playfully. 

“Uh, uh, I’ve got her,” Haechan replied, indicating Hyejin with a nod of the head. 

“It sounds as if you two gave it a romantic shot and it didn’t work out,” she said, trying to suppress the laugh but when they both turned to her glaring at her, she broke out laughing. “I’m sorry but why did it get so personal?” 

“Because I’m not hard to please, I like simple things,” Jaemin explained, shrugging. “As long as I’m with the one I love, I’m happy.” 

Haechan rolled his eyes, sipping from his glass before leaning into her ear and whispering, “Don’t believe him.” 

“Ugh,” Jaemin gasped offended. “If only I didn’t respect our friendship I’d tell her to put me on a test.” 

Hyejin shook her head, snickering. “You two still act like children, trying to make it up for the lost years?” 

“If he lies, I’m afraid I’ll have to report it to the teacher,” Jaemin joked before poking his tongue out to Haechan. 

“God, you are unsufferable, I had forgotten about it.” 

“Maybe you’ll find love here,” Hyejin said, cutting their bickerings, and bringing a hand under her chin. 

“Who knows, life is unpredictable,” Jaemin smiled tenderly, playing with the shaft of the glass. 

“I hope you will settle in here.”

After a month, Jaemin was more than settled in Seoul and in that house. It wasn’t easy to get accustomed to a new life, find a job and meet new friends, but it wasn’t even that hard. 

Haechan was still the usual social butterfly he was back in time, and his friends were nice, so soon enough Jaemin started to hang out with them too. Life was pretty erratic, but at the same time, something felt cosy about everything when he came home after a long day at work. 

At first, he thought it simply was the warm color of the living room, or the candles scattered on the shelves, or the smell of food that filled the place most of the nights when he returned home. But after two months, he understood that warm feeling was Hyejin. 

At the start, he found it odd that she was at their place so much, it was even annoying because he had imagined having some time and space alone with his best friend after so many years of being away, but he couldn’t hate her even if he tried. 

Something wasn’t quite right, though. 

Jaemin had been studying them for a while; he wasn’t a creep, and he truly didn’t want to get in their personal business, but it was rather impossible when they were always in front of his eyes. Hyejin always made sure to pass by even for a quick hello and a kiss, rare were the days when she couldn’t because she was too busy or too tired from work, and Jaemin had learned that on Friday they had their special night together, that consisted in having a different type of date. And if it was possible, during the weekend, it was as if she moved in with them. 

But if he quickly drew a map of their relationship, he could also easily see all the things that jarred in the picture. 

Hyejin truly was the light of the house, a warm presence, a reassuring hug. She was all over Haechan, and every time Jaemin stopped to stare at the way her eyes would look at Haechan, he could swear he had never seen a person more in love than her. If heart eyes were real, they would belong to her. He couldn’t even not notice her lingering touches, her slim fingers looking for Haechan’s hands, almost shyly, as if for some reason she couldn’t, as if that wasn’t her place. Her fingertips would run on his hand, or his thighs, tracing patterns while she listened to him talk with a lost, in-love, smile on her face, or she would run them in his black hair, playing with it until Haechan glared at her for ruining his style. 

But all that love seemed to meet a cold wall when Jaemin’s eyes landed on Haechan. He was sure his friend loved her too, Jaemin could hear the tender tone behind his ‘babe’ and ‘honey’, and how happy she was when he randomly gifted her something unexpected. For some reason, though, his love didn’t seem just as strong. And sometimes Jaemin wondered if Haechan truly loved her or not. 

He tried not to focus on it, it wasn’t his problem, he probably should’ve focused on finding somebody on his own instead of analysing his best friend’s relationship, but his brain couldn’t help but run miles when they were in front of him. 

Haechan started pushing her gentle touch away, stopping her with a colder tone when she brushed her hair and swiftly pulled away from the kiss. And Jaemin wouldn’t have cared about it if only he didn’t witness her eyes saddening with every rejection. 

“Don’t you think Haechan has been acting weird?” He dared to ask one day. They were alone at home since Haechan went out to buy some drinks. Jaemin wanted to mind his business and stay locked in his room, but when he went downstairs and saw her on the couch, he couldn’t bite his tongue. 

Hyejin lifted her gaze from the phone to him, a cute wrinkle forming on her forehead as she tried to understand what he meant by that. “What are you referring to?” 

Jaemin sighed, walking in fast steps to sit next to her. “Doesn’t he seem more distant and cold?” 

“Oh,” she whispered, locking her phone to let it drop at her side before turning to face him. “A bit…” 

“And… you’re fine with it?” 

“I mean, he’s probably just stressed because of work, he’s going insane over it, so I don’t feel like blaming him. Why? Did he answer you badly? I know it’s not nice, but he tends to get easily triggered when he’s stressed.” 

Jaemin wanted to slap himself. Of course, he was just making things up in his brain, reading too much between the lines. It had been too long since he had been so close with Haechan and he didn’t know him as much as Hyejin did. It had to be just stress. “No, you’re right, he told me the new shifts are screwing him and the boss is making him go through hell, I’m just… dumb.” 

“But why? If he said something to you, I can talk to him.” 

“No, no,” Jaemin reassured her, trying to comfort her with a smile. “It wasn’t about me.” 

Hyejin smiled. “Wait, you were worried about me?” 

Jaemin’s eyes widened and she chuckled at his expression. “I wasn’t worried,” he stopped her immediately, “it’s just that… you, oh, never mind, he’s just stressed anyway, you don’t need to hear my useless rants about imaginary stuff.” 

She laughed. “Okay, fine, I won’t torture you. But I think that’s a sign you haven’t found anybody if you’re so worried about me.” 

He pressed his lips together, sighing undefeated. “I don’t know if I want to add a relationship to the mix of moving to another country and starting a new job and obsessing over my best friend not treating my half-roommate like a princess even when his brain is fried.” 

Hyejin chuckled, playfully hitting his shoulder. “Let’s change the obsessing over my boyfriend and me with having time for a relationship?” She teased, placing her hands on his shoulders and batting her eyes at him. 

“Why does it sound like you’re trying to set me up with someone?” 

“Because I am,” she replied resolutely. 

Jaemin rolled his eyes. “Fine, but just because it’s you.” 

“I told Jaemin about Zoya,” Hyejin whispered, hot breath hitting Haechan’s chest, covered in the t-shirt he used as pyjamas as they laid in bed. 

“You did what?” He asked, looking down at her, not able to hide the shock behind his voice and eyes. 

“I didn’t murder anybody, I told him he could meet Zoya,” she explained, not getting his reaction. 

“I know but she will get him killed,” he said. “They will never match.” 

“You don’t know. Jaemin’s sweet and Zoya’s a nice girl, so, why not?” 

Haechan chuckled. “Oh, so you compliment her sometimes?” 

“Shut up, I’ve never said a bad thing about her.” 

Haechan raised a brow, silently questioning her words. 

“Fine, maybe I did, but only when she broke your heart,” our hearts, “and I just called her out for the things she did to you, never went past that. And when she doesn’t break my boyfriend’s heart, she is nice.” 

He chuckled, shaking his head before leaving a peck on her forehead. “You’re cute when you get riled up, but try to keep it down. Come here,” he ordered, pulling her closer to start a heated kiss, surely not with the intention of turning it into hands roaming on skin and whimpers filling the room. 

“We can’t… Jaemin,” Hyejin whispered against his lips when he rolled her over to make her lay on the mattress. 

“We’ll keep quiet,” Haechan reassured her, leaving one last kiss before he started removing her clothes, right before his met the same fate. 

“You’re so pretty, you know?” 

She hummed, watching as he leaned down to kiss her bare breast before his lips reached her nipples to suck on them. She pushed down a moan while her nails scratched the bedsheets. “Can I make it up for making you mad?” 

“You didn’t make me mad, but I’ll pretend to be very offended by what you say, so yes, make it up,” she joked, making him smile. 

Haechan moved down until he reached between her legs and then leaned in, breath hitting her pussy, already sending shivers down her spine. Haechan didn’t add other words, he never did, only started leaving kisses on her inner thigh and slowly dragged his mouth closer to her centre. 

“Please, don’t tease me,” she huffed. 

“I’m not teasing, I’m taking care of you,” he retorted, going on with his soft touches. “Just relax, it was a stressful day, wasn’t it?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Good, so let me take the stress away.” While his lips kept kissing her skin, his hands moved up to touch her body, smiling as he felt her tremble under him, and when enough time passed, he felt like starting to take care of her like she wanted. His tongue laid flat on her pussy, wetting it before he started concentrating on the clit. Haechan was thoughtful and methodical, always following his usual pattern of long strokes of his tongue followed by careful sucks on her clit. And, when he felt generous enough, he even added a finger, just like now. 

“Haechan,” she breathed out, voice shaky as her head rolled back, and fire rushed in her veins.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” He hummed against her, staring at her, only seeing her boobs raising fast, and part of her neck. 

“So good.” 

“’S good? Then come all over my tongue,” he encouraged in a low groan, quickening his movements while his hands moved to cup her thighs and spread her more. “Show me how good I make you feel, baby, come on.” 

And it took nothing for her to come, shaking like a leaf while her legs closed around his head, as he never stopped his movements, teasing his tongue inside before going back at her throbbing clit to suck it. 

“Mhh, fuck,” she moaned, feeling breathless when he pulled away, the high slowing down. “Want you.” 

“Not caring about Jaemin anymore?” 

“I can keep silent,” she pouted, grabbing him to push him close to her. 

Haechan chuckled and then moved her up on the bed to fix her better before he aligned his hips to hers. “Want you so badly, since he’s around we stopped fucking like rabbits.” 

“Haechan! You’re so vulgar.” 

“But we were used to it, you can’t deny,” he said, kissing her neck. 

“Never denied, there are ways and ways to say things.” 

“Mhh, can I be inside you or is it vulgar?” 

“Just fuck me, please.” 

“Boo, vulgar.” 

“Hae — shit,” she cursed when he pushed in, hands reaching his shoulders for support while her legs wrapped around his waist. 

Haechan chuckled, starting to thrust his hips into her. “I’m not going anywhere.”

A moan rolled from her mouth, eyes parting to stare at him. A cute furrow on his forehead while his eyes stared at her face. “You’re beautiful, you know?”

She didn’t reply, only smiled widely before turning her face to the side to hide the blush on her face. But Haechan placed two fingers under her chin and moved her face again, kissing her softly. 

She felt all the stress of the long day leave her body as the pleasure incremented with every snap of his hips, not hard but rhythmic enough to push her closer to her climax. 

“Hyuck,” she whimpered, nails digging into his back, dragging a hiss out of his mouth. 

“Yes, babe? Are you close?”

She hummed, eyes squeezing shut as she felt the orgasm approach. She never had anybody but him, but she was sure nobody else would ever be able to read her like he could. She wished she wouldn’t ever have to feel other hands on her skin, or lips on her body because only his could feel this right. And now that his lips were gently teasing one of her nipples, while his hand was between her leg to stimulate her clit, and he whispered praises right against her ear, she truly felt like nobody else could get her. 

“Fuck, you feel too good,” he moaned, lips leaving her sensitive bud so that his face could drop in the crook of her neck. “Come with me.”

She hummed, sounds muffled into her mouth as she kept her lower lip trapped between her teeth to don’t be too loud. This time the pleasure rushed over her with more force as her hips raised from the mattress to rut against his and chase the high. Haechan had this tendency of being a bit too loud when he came, so she was quick at trapping his lips on her, and kissing him throughout the orgasm, muffling his whimpers and moans, mixing them with hers. 

“Fuck,” he exhaled after a minute, pulling out of her and collapsing to the side. “Look at you,” he whispered, laying on his side while he caressed her hair, pushing it back on her forehead, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “you always look so hot after sex.”

She chuckled, shifting to hide against his chest. “Shut up, I look like a mess.”

“A mess I made, so you’re hot,” Haechan said, pulling her closer. “Shower? Then I could use a snack, you know?”

Hyejin rolled her eyes jokingly, “You already had one.”

© neowinestaindress; all rights reserved. do NOT repost, modify, or translate any work from this blog on any other platform and claim it as yours. you can find my works on ao3 (neowinestaindress) and wattpad (winestaintedress_; currently inactive).

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[sleeplesssmoll]

Self-Image: How comfortable is the Timekeeper in her own skin?

This is purely speculative and more of a list of questions to consider. Food for thought!

Considerations

Scars

How does she feel about the scars on her back? (And scars in general cause I'm sure she has them but they aren't mentioned canonically unless they magicked them away with arcanum antics)

Is she self-conscious about her scars on her back or is it because she doesn't want to make feel people feel uncomfortable?

Is it one of the reasons she always wears long pants and long sleeves, or is that just a fashion choice?

Causal Nudity

This one seems silly but if you've lived with or stayed with other people, things happen. Someone walks into your room without knocking. You forgot to bring your towel. Your working on something and your clothes ride up, get torn, etc.

There are some people who could confidently strut around naked as the day they were born and others who lay awake at tonight 3 years later and get embarrassed by the memory of being walked in on. The there are also people who are apathetic to the whole thing and don't see to care. They won't leave the room undressed but they don't mind if someone walks in on them either.

I'll be honest, I can't see her in the first one and Sweetheart is probably a better example. For those who don't know her, these are some of her lines:

"Hmm... hah... a silk robe? Thank you, but I don't want it. Dress me up with Chanel No.5 (perfume). Only that is my nightwear." (Vertin trying to make her stop sleeping nude. It didn’t work.)

Now, you could say this is Vertin being uncomfortable with other people's nudity but it could also be her playing the part of Suitcase Dad and making sure the little ones (or anyone for that matter) aren't exposed to things they didn't sign up for. However, my question is more about Vertin herself. This exmaple is just to paint a picture.

In the second instance, Vertin would be very self-conscious. Is it shame/fear, and if so why (side-eyeing the Foundation rn)? Or perhaps she doesn't want to talk about the scars on her back/body? Maybe it has nothing to do with her but the way people react. She doesn't want to make people feel uncomfortable.

Or maybe she's just shy about stuff like that and and for once has nothing to do with her trauma 🥹

In the final case, Vertin doesn’t really care. Maybe it's because she grew up in a dormitory where it's common to change in front of other kids. Or she could be used to the medical exams and tests from the Foundation who didn't care about her privacy.

It could be a newer development. For example, Regulus barges in without knocking all the time. The kids scamper in on their own (the Twins, Erik, etc) The ghosts phase in and out of her room. She got used to it.

That being said, the person she's interacting with also plays a part. Levels of comfort are influenced by the other person in the situation. She might not flinch if it's one of the kids coming to her crying about a broken toy or what not. On the other hand, Tennant will be escorted out immediately by Sonetto and Dikke. I'm exaggerating of course, but I think it helps me explain what I'm trying to say. Nothing is all conclusive.

The Self

Unlike the others, this leans harder on perception. Who does Vertin see when she looks in the mirror? Is it someone she's proud of or someone she can't face? These things can warp your self-image and influence many things.

Self love, Self worth, and the extent to what you believe you "deserve". For example Do you deserve to be "loved"? If you don't believe that it might be hard to believe other people could love you either. Maybe you feel like you deserve suffering because you don't value your own worth.

(For anyone needing to hear this, everyone deserves happiness).

I'm curious to know other people's thoughts on this. Feel free to mention things I missed!

On a scale of 1 to 5, how comfortable is Vertin in her own skin? Heck Drop some hcs on me too if you'd like. I eat them up lol

[ravenwitch45]

Can you make a part two to your m&m parent headcannon where they meet their parents and the parents what their kid back and the reader has a panic attack

Oh god well this is some drama for sure, AND a panic attack, full disclosure I've never written a panic attack before, but I'll try my best cause I like this idea. Sorry for the delay on answering.

M&M Meeting Reader's Parents who want "their kid" back and cause Reader to have a panic attack.

It was just a day at the office, Blitz and Loona were out doing something so it was just the three of you, chatting while doing menial stuff as a family would when the door bursts open, a very done up woman strutting in angrilly, followed by a much more messily dressed man, who seems very grumpy being here compared to the woman.

"Y/N! So this is where you've skulked off to, without telling us may I remind you!"The Woman rants crossing her arms, your eyes going wide at their presence "M-Mom? Dad?! What are y-"

"Mother and Father Dear, Be respectful, least you can do after this stunt..."The Snooty woman interjects bitterly, making you frown, looking away, unable to get a word in.

"Y/N here was being respectful, now what are you doing here? This is a buisness establishment, you can't just barge in."Moxxie points, crossing his arms, glaring at the woman

"I'm here for my child, and this is a family matter, so butt out"She replies with a sneer, looking back to you, only for Millie to get up and stand between you too.

"Well you haven't seemed interested in them at all for literal months, you can't walk in like you own them all of a sudden"The wrath Imp notes, her tail flicking aggresively, your birth mother tensing up in annoyance before her husband put a hand on her shoulder

"Look theres no need for this. Y/N... Your mother wants you to come back, she has a position at her firm she thinks you can fill, you should do what she wants."He states tiredly, his wife nodding

"Yes, should be easy enough so that even you can manage dear~"She says passive aggresively, making both Imps glare at her further before you explode

"B-But... No! I don't want to work with you, you can't just ignore me in favor of arguing with eachother and then come back just cause you think I can make you more money to spend on yourselves! I left you guys for a reason!"You state angrilly, finally having the courage to say that with your actual loving parents at your side. Your mother's eyes twitching.

"Oh no..."Your father whispers, looking at his wife in fear

"You BASTARD PARASITE! I give up so much for you and you throw it all back in my face, now you are going to come with us, and EARN some goddamn worth, cause as usual you prove you have none! I should have thrown you away like the trash you act like!"The woman rants loudly, almost loud enough to hurt as tears prick at your eyes and you start shaking, putting your hands on your head to block out the echoing screams, breathing heavily

"Y/N...?"Moxxie says, looking to you and putting his hands on your shoulders in concern, as Millie bares her teeth at your abusers

"Crybaby, come along al-"Your mother states snobilly, reaching for you before Millie slaps it away, hard

"There not going anywhere with you! You toxic bitch! You are going to leave and if you any smarts in that pretty head of yours, you won't come back for OUR CHILD!"Millie yells angrilly, pulling out her knife, just making the woman scoff as her husband tried to tell her to leave, but was swiftly ignored

"They are-"She begins before a bullet wizs past her face, cutting a hole in her finely done hair and she's stunned silent as she looks at Moxxie, holding his kid close with one arm and the other holding a smoking gun as he glares at her

"They aren't your child , you don't deserve the gift they are if your going to treat them like this, and you wonder why they left you..."The Weapons expert says with aged bitterness, readying another shot before the woman screams and storms out, her husband quickly following after another growl from Millie.

The two immediately shifting gears to trying to calm you down while trying not to crowd you, just wanting to assure you, you are safe and loved and safe from them. In the back of their heads there considering figuring out a restraining order or whatever to make sure they don't disturb you ever again. Holding you close and softly.

Okay there it is! I am SO sorry this took so long, I was just having trouble figuring this one out as well as some other stuff going on that delayed me getting to this. I jut hope you enjoy it XP

[nani-nonny]

Reunion with dialogue 22 & 25 as teen leo is heavily injured

Oooo! Mwehehehe >:D

I like this prompt, right up my alley /lhj

Reunion F!Leo referred to as Leo and Teen Leo referred to as Leon :D

22. “Shit. Shit, that’s a lot of blood.”

25. “You scared us all back there. I... Including me.”

Leo barges through the large sliding doors of the lair’s medbay, followed by the other teens. They were close behind, matching his steps so accurately they could have been stepping as his own two feet. Anxiety and nerves etched their expressions, desperate for Leon to be okay and hoping that Leo can save him.

Leo had only intended this to be another one of his visits. He brought old gear that the teens were enthralled by, despite it being the same equipment used from this present but aged and worn from years in the apocalypse. He didn’t get it but he was willing to give.

But he didn’t expect the kids to be coming home from a mission, bloody and bruised and shocked.

They looked relieved that he had appeared so suddenly, as if it were a miracle that he came at the right time. They struggled to find the right words to tell what had happened, but Leo was quick to register that they were all injured but not as much as Leon. He didn’t need explanations when he picked up Leon from the beaten snapping turtle, and he didn’t need anyone to tell him how badly Leon got hurt from how cold the slider felt in his arms.

Leo had snapped into motion, had beelined straight for the medbay, right where they are now.

“Is he gonna be okay?” Raph asked with a limp, rounding the hospital bed that Leo lay the younger on.

Mikey clung to Donnie’s side with shaking hands, the softshell’s gaze hardened on the unconscious slider lying in the hospital bed. Mikey’s eyes are teary, frowning and worried for his older brother’s life.

Leo ignores their questions as he freezes momentarily when he sees the amount of blood staining his front. It’s too much. And without realizing it, he worries under his breath, “Shit,” he swallows and scans Leon’s front. He searches for the source of the blood, but with so much, it’s hard to see the wound. He curses again, a little louder than he realized, “Shit, that’s a lot of blood.”

Mikey’s grip tightens on Donnie, and the softshell shows no sign of discomfort. Instead, the softshell glares, “You can save him, right?”

Leo ignores Donnie’s question and guides them out the medbay, quickly and leaving no room for disagreement. “Get out, now, I need to start immediately.”

The three boys don’t push back, but they try to get better looks at Leon as they are moved by the elder. They trust Leo, but fear and anxiety makes it hard to stay away. They know they can’t help Leo, they know they can’t help Leon. But they wish they could.

Leo closes the doors on them, locking the medbay shut and immediately gets to work. He makes a mental note of the blood that transferred from his hands to the doors, realizing there’s too much to be wasting time.

“Leon, if you can hear me, just know im going to help you,” Leo assured aloud, making sure his voice is heard through Leon’s unconscious state and from outside the doors.

It took almost two hours. Two hours to stop the bleeding, close the wound, patch up said wound, and ensure Leon’s vitals remained stable. It was touch and go, fear spiking within the elder slider when the younger’s heart stopped. CPR was performed twice, and only sent the surgery back when the wound opened and a new flood of the younger’s blood spilled.

But now, everything is okay.

Leon has been asleep for two hours post-surgery. And not once did Leo allow the others to come in, afraid of the off-chance that Leon might spontaneously scare the crap out of Leo again with another moment of cardiac arrest. And not once had Leo’s eyes shift from the sleeping younger slider. He didn’t want to miss anything.

And it proved to be fruitful when movement was made.

Leo stands at Leon’s bedside, eyes wide with relief when Leon finally stirs awake.

The elder slider forces a large smile, hiding the smile of relief as he leaned into view. He greets happily, “Hey, Champ! Welcome back to the realm of the living!”

Leon frowns as he squints. The lights weren’t on, not since Leo turned them off to tell the younger sleep. But the squinting could be from the pain, and Leo was quick to over a pill, a bag of chips and a water bottle.

“Does it hurt?” Leo asks as he props Leon’s body up slightly with a small pillow.

Leon doesn’t respond, still squinting but opens his mouth slightly, waiting for the pull like a baby bird.

To this, Leo snorts, “Here, bub.” The elder carefully slips the pill into the younger’s mouth and aligns the water bottle to carefully pour water in.

Leon swallows slowly, painfully it seems from the wincing, and closes his eyes when he finishes.

Leo offers a few chips and says, “You need something in your system. And this is all that’s in here.”

Leon eats them slowly, only about three chips but it was fine. Leo would feed him more food later, and better food at that.

But for now, seeing Leon alive and somewhat well was all he could ask for.

And the relief was so large that Leo fell on top of the neighboring hospital bed. His hand raises to his forehead, massaging the stress that accumulated. He sighs with deep relief and in a shaky voice admits, “You scared us all back there. I... Including me.”

Leo remains silent after, not expecting Leon to say anything. He closes his eyes and takes a much needed deep breath. “I’m too old for scares like these, Champ. Take it easy, okay?”

A small hum from Leon was enough as an answer.

[observeowl]

This is as far as I would go N.R

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: R refuse to take actions on her feelings about Natasha and Natasha has to take things into her own hands when she realises

Your POV I had a huge crush on Natasha ever since I was in SHIELD. So when Fury asked me to transfer over to Avenger together with Natasha I was more than over the moon. 

Of course, Nat was better than me in every possible way, so she went on missions more than I did. I used the extra time I had training with Clint since regular humans understand regular humans better. He ended up noticing that I had a crush on her since I was staring at her every time she was in sight. He threatened to tell Nat himself if I didn’t admit it so I caved. 

Ever since then, he kept teasing me about it whenever he had the chance.

“Nat! Do you want to watch Fear Street with me?” I barged into her room without notifying her.

“Sure.”

“Great! Because I already brought the snacks and drinks.” I pulled them out from behind my back. I wasn’t sure if she was going to agree since she’s rather busy these few days. I put the movie on the TV in her room and sat next to her. 

Because of Nat, I have been watching horror movies more often. I still hide and flinch when the jump scare comes but it wasn’t as bad as in the beginning. 

“I think there’s a sequel for this movie. We should watch that next time.” I said as the end credit was rolling. 

“Sure. See you tomorrow morning for training?” 

“Yes. I’ll be there. Goodnight Nat!” 

“Goodnight. See you tomorrow. DON’T BE LATE.” I chuckled as she shouted the last part while I was closing the door.

This was enough for me.

>next morning<

Nat swiped at my feet and I was knocked to the ground. She pinned me to the ground and her fist was mere centimeters away from my face. 

“You still have more to work on.” Nat patted my shoulder and got up. I regained from my shock and bounced back up. 

“One last time?” I asked panting, in a position ready to attack. Nat threw a punch and I blocked it and threw one of my own. Nat dodged it easily and did an uppercut which I took it before punching her shoulder.

“You can’t always just take the punch.” Nat expressed.

“Why not? It is a strategy.” I passed a bottle of water to Nat.

“Whatever. Lunch?” Nat invited me.

“Sure.” I would be a fool to turn that down.

I was walking back to my room after Nat offered to clean up the equipment when Clint suddenly pulled me into an empty meeting room. “What are you doing?” 

“So? Did you make any move?” Clint wiggled his eyebrow asking for information.

“What move?” 

“On Nat!” 

“That’s enough Clint. You know I’m never going to do anything.” 

“But you’re going to regret it.” 

Natasha POV I was packing the gloves and putting them in their respective places after our training when I heard Clint’s and Y/N’s voices coming from a meeting room. Both of them have a really close friendship. If she’s not around me, she’s around him.

“I have a lot of things I want and things I can never get. This is as far as I can get and this is as far as I will go. As long as I don’t make her hate me it’s fine. As long as she doesn’t distance herself from me it’s fine. As long as I am able to have a conversation with her it’s fine.”

It sounded like a heated argument that I shouldn't be listening to. But who was the ‘she’? 

She opened the door and I was standing right outside. We looked at each other for a few seconds before she walked off. I looked at Clint being shocked speechless in the meeting room. 

“Who were you guys talking about?” Asking about the unidentified person since the subject was pretty much clear. 

Clint shook his head. “No one.”

“Y/N was practically shouting, just tell me who it is.” 

“She told me not to say.” 

I pushed him to the wall and choked him with my arms. I was staring daggers at him but he still refused to say anything. I pushed even harder and he was getting paler by the second. I raised an eyebrow at him showing him I was serious about getting an answer. 

“You! It was you.” He tapped arm arm, asking to be released. 

Me? It was me!

“If she comes to kill me, you gotta protect me.” He said as he put his hand around his neck trying to get his breath back.

“You know I’m going to stand by her.” I said as I was walking out. 

Since I was dealing with Clint, I had to hurry through my shower and change into a fresh set of clothes as Y/N was waiting for me in the living room. 

“Are you okay?” I saw her holding her forehead, thinking about something.

“Yup.” 

Since I was the one who invited her, I offered to drive. I could instantly feel that ever since I overheard her conversation with Clint, she was a lot more silent. I didn’t want to make the meal awkward so I decided to get this out of the way.

“I could meet you halfway.” 

She snapped her head and scrunched her eyebrow in confusion. I was already bringing her to the restaurant so she didn’t understand what I meant.

“You don’t have to go all the way, I could come and meet you halfway. I like you too, romantically I mean.”

“You heard everything?” 

“Only the last part. Clint snitched who it was about.” 

“Damn Clint.” She mumbled under her breath.

“You really think Fury will ask you to transfer to Avengers? I’m pretty sure there were other people to choose from.”

“Ouch.” 

“Sorry babe.” She widened her eyes at me. “Sorry, was it too fast?”

“No. I love it.”

We arrived at the restaurant and were about to head in when she suddenly pecked my cheeks. “I’m going to kill Clint.” She whispered in my ears as she pulled away.

“I already told him I’d do it with you. I can’t wait to show the world you’re mine.” I held her hands in mine and kissed it before opening the door. 

[subtlehysteria]

My prediction (re: deep dark wish) of how GOmens S2 Episode 1 is gonna go down

Okay so

From the season 2 sneak peak audio clip with Muriel, Aziraphale and Crowley, we hear Crowley barge through the book store’s doors carrying what sounds like shopping bags, complaining about having to drive all the way to get whatever it is he got when Aziraphale could have taken the train because “You like trains.”

And people are saying Crowley and Aziraphale are already living together by the start of season 2 which I love

BUT, what if instead these two idiots are caught in some miscommunication nonsense in which Crowley is practically living with Aziraphale already but is unwilling to admit it to himself (cough cough commit). He’s got more than half his plants there, the spare room is basically his by now with almost all his closet and personal belongings there. They eat dinner and drink wine and chat late into the night in Aziraphale’s study and Crowley always uses the excuse of not wanting to sober up to drive back to his apartment to stay the night and Aziraphale always goes along with it. But when Crowley fears he’s taking up too much of Aziraphale’s space or time or he’s just overwhelmed with the love he has for his angel and has nowhere to direct it without giving his full feelings away, he escapes to his now very barren flat and complains to his remaining plants that he’s yet to move.

On the other hand, Aziraphale thinks Crowley’s already moved in and is not-so-secretly very happy with this new arrangement with his friend. They’ve never been closer, are truly creating their own side, and it is rather wonderful having company most nights. Aziraphale figures the reason Crowley still has his old flat is because sometimes he needs space away from Aziraphale. Aziraphale knows he can be a bit much sometimes, all the other angels have said so more times than he can count. So if Crowley needs a break from him from time to time that’s perfectly alright. And he figures by now the little “don’t want to drink and drive” routine is simply a fun little inside joke between them, nothing more.

And these two idiots have been living together under these presumptions about the other’s feelings about it for MONTHS until a certain bright eyed not-a-real-copper Muriel comes knocking on their door. And of course they’re confused by this arrangement Crowley and Aziraphale have going on and so ask rather bluntly, “Sorry, but, are you two living here… together?”

Aziraphale replies a very confident “Yes,” the same time Crowley gives a more wishy-washy, “Kind of.” To which they both stare at the other in shock because You think what???

And I can imagine you know other plot things happening in the episode that stops them from talking it out right away but at the end when things are more settled and it’s late in the evening and they’re both indulging in some wine, Aziraphale asks rather quietly, “What did you mean by ‘kind of’?”

And Crowley, who is far too sober for this but can’t stand the kicked puppy look his angel is giving him tries to explain how he doesn’t want to intrude on Aziraphale’s little safe haven, that he appreciates being let in but understands that obviously this is first and foremost Aziraphale’s home.

And Aziraphale’s sitting there shocked and also totally enamored because how stupid can his dear demon be?

“Crowley, I told you when we first started this arrangement that my home is your home. You are always welcome here, in whatever capacity you’re most comfortable with.”

And Crowley can’t not be at least a little vulnerable right now. “I like living here. With you.”

“I like it too,” Aziraphale agrees. “Immensely so.”

“My, uh, my flat’s lease ends in a week,” Crowley coughs nervously.

“What perfect timing,” Aziraphale remarks. “I’m sure that’s plenty of time to fetch the last of the plants.”

And the music rises as they share knowing looks and they’re leaning in and then—KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Crowley grumbles as Aziraphale, ever polite, rises to answer the door. He saunters closely behind him to give some dirty dagger eyes to whoever decided to interrupt whatever the hell it was that was happening

Aaaand it’s amnesia-Gabriel looking totally confused asking if this is where he can find an Aziraphale

END ON CLIFFHANGER

[thelightofthebane]

through the good and bad and all in between

Summary: Magnus was born a warlock. Magnus became a mundane for love and by self-sacrificing tendencies. Magnus turned into a vampire after an act of spite and revenge.

A story about survival, new identities, love through adversities, and accepting changes.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e17 Heavenly Fire, Vampire Magnus Bane, Turned without consent, Major Character Undeath, Immortal to Mortal to Immortal, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Good Boyfriend Alec Lightwood, Soft Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Cat & Alec friendship, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending

Rating: E

Chapters: 10

Words: Around 23k~

This fic was created for the Shadowhunters Mini Bang 2023: Presented by the @malecdiscordserver

You can read it on AO3 or the eighth chapter below ~

Chapter 8 - You taught me to live each day like it's my last

“Are you really a vampire now?”

“I am.”

“And you only drink blood now?”

“I do.”

“And no magic? No more extra chocolate sprinkles?”

“No magic. But I can still give you extra chocolate sprinkles. In secret, or else Uncle Alec will punish us with a lot of tickles.”

Madzie giggled.

Children were so simple. In the best of ways. Although it hurt admitting some harsh truths out loud - like not being able to use magic anymore -, it was nice doing it only to fulfill an honest curiosity, full of wonder and awe.

Magnus wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t nervous at finally meeting Madzie again, but he missed his goddaughter too much to keep pushing back a visit. Since the successful mission against Camille three weeks before, Magnus was making more visits to the New York Institute - and New York overall. He was slowly trying to get used to the city again with his new senses and also going to the Hotel DuMort to talk to the clan.

If he was also using the opportunity to keep an eye on his very, very stubborn fiancé who was still healing from the mission, well, nobody but him needed to know that.

“Are you okay with this new me, Sweet Pea?”

“I am.”

See? Simple.

“I like your fangs. They are cool. Much cooler than Uncle Simon’s.” Then, as if telling him a secret, she lowered her voice and came closer to him. “But don’t tell him that. Or he will have puppy ears.”

“Puppy ears?”

“It’s puppy eyes, kiddo.” Cat corrected her after snickering.

Madzie shrugged, then went back to play with her dolls in what seemed to be an imaginary tea party.

Magnus, who was drinking a special blend of blood tea, turned to Cat then.

“I know that I shouldn’t be surprised, but she took this change better than I anticipated.”

Catarina took a sip of her own actual tea, not bothering to hide a grin afterward.

"Your little brood of Shadowhunters plus Simon took it upon themselves to play with Madzie and distract her while her Uncle Magnus was away. But she spent more time with Simon. Alec’s idea. This way she could get more used to vampires and not feel uncomfortable when visiting your future clan."

Alexander…

“Anyway, vampire or not, that boy was a perfect babysitter. He talked so much, that even Madzie got tired. She never napped so quickly in all the time she has been with me.”

Usually, Magnus would make a teasing comment about that, but his mind was still processing what Cat told him about Alec’s idea.

"Cat, how the hell did someone like him choose me? If we weren’t already engaged, I’d barge into the Institute right now and ask him to marry me."

"Magnus Bane finally settling, huh? In all the centuries that I know you, you never mentioned wedding bells, not even with the demon."

Magnus chuckles. Everyone around him stopped saying her name - not out of fear, but because they believed it could erase her from their memories sooner than later.

"Alec makes me dream about things that I've given up a long time ago, Cat."

Marriage. Family. Children.

"I want everything with him."

“I’d say you’re already halfway there.” His friend wiggled her eyebrows, jutting her chin towards the ring he was wearing.

His real engagement ring. A couple of days after Alec was discharged from the infirmary, he received a message from the warlock jeweler to let him know that the enchanted pair of rings were finished. Even without his powers, Magnus could feel the magic pouring from them - it was very powerful.

He knew Alec had ordered them specifically for Magnus, to keep him safe, but Magnus was glad and relieved to know it went both ways - Alec would also have an extra layer of protection and he would know if the Shadowhunter was in true danger.

“Have you chosen a place to hold the wedding?”

“Not yet. Alexander and I are still discussing all the details. He said he wanted to get involved in the planning this time.” Magnus smiled, then chuckled. “But I called dibs on the decor. I love Alec, but his concept of color is black and different shades of gray.”

The warlock frowned. “I thought you would go with the traditional gold of a Nephilim wedding.”

“No. In another time, we would’ve gone with a mix of Nephilim gold and Warlock blue, but now…” Magnus sighed before putting his teacup away.

Suddenly, Madzie piped in.

“Are you and Uncle Alec marrying like those princes and princesses of fairy tales? Uncle Alec looks like a prince.”

Magnus laughed. “And you’re absolutely right, my love.” He picked her up, and she immediately snuggled with him.

“Auntie Izzy told me I could be a flower girl. Does this mean I’ll wear a dress full of flowers?”

“If you want to wear one, we can arrange that. But being a flower girl means you’ll create a path full of flowers for me and Alec. This way, our marriage will start more colorful, fragrant, and beautiful.”

“I like that.” Magnus could hear the smile on Madzie’s voice, and his heart couldn’t help but melt at that.

“Me too, Sweet Pea. Me too.”

~*~

“Alex reminds me of you,” Magnus commented, earning a deadpan look from Alec.

They were sprawled on the couch, Magnus bracketed by Alec’s legs, his head resting on the Shadowhunter’s chest - the sound of Alec’s beating heart still being Magnus’ biggest source of comfort.

Lately, this was how their date nights went by. A movie or a show, a nice meal, cuddling - or a delicious session of make out - until they fell asleep. It was a good way to keep the nightmares at bay, and gradually Magnus has been feeling more relaxed and settled again.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t share popcorn anymore - Magnus had his own snack soaked in blood.

“Because we both are called Alexander?” Alec drawled.

“That too, but you two are very good with politics, always trying to help others, born leaders, adorably oblivious when it comes to crushes, and have a dangerous public sex kink.”

“I don’t have a public sex kink!”

“Darling, Underhill has to deactivate the training room’s cameras every time we’re there.”

Alec grumbled under his breath, and Magnus snickered.

“Well, I’m sorry if it’s too hard to keep my hands off you, Your Royal Highness.”

This time, Magnus gasped.

Then, they both broke into a fit of giggles.

Alec let go of his popcorn in favor to hold Magnus closer and took the opportunity to nuzzle against the side of the vampire’s head. Magnus closed his eyes for a moment, sinking into that warm feeling so uniquely Alec, and only after a couple of minutes he went back to pay attention to the movie.

It was only when they were in the middle of the second movie, some underrated rom-com, that Magnus noticed how Alec was distracted.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Lydia.”

“Ah, I see. You’re thinking about your ex-fiancée while I’m right here with you.” Magnus teased.

Alec rolled his eyes. “It’s not that. It’s just…” He waved a bit upset to the TV. “I can understand that guy being afraid of coming out, but does he need to treat the guy he loves like that? Like a dirty secret?”

“Sometimes you don’t have a choice if you want to be with the one you love the most,” Magnus whispers, and there is an underlining of a past experience there.

Alec sighed. “As much as I hate how I treated you in the past when we first met, I think it was better than treating you as someone who should be hidden. No one should, but especially not you, Magnus. You are too big to conceal. If someone did that, they were a major asshole and didn’t deserve you. People should be proud to show you off, not hide you.”

Magnus looked surprised at Alec who was still fuming and cursing the main character of the movie.

“Even when I lost everything and was a mere mundane, you never minded, did you?”

“Of course not. I love you. All of you. And I accept any version you choose to be.”

“And if I became like one of those villains from superhero movies?”

Alec shrugged. “Some villains are hot.”

Magnus fully grinned by then.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Maybe I am. But that’s okay. I got you.”

I will always get you.

They stayed in silence for some more time, until Magnus broke it.

“Alexander?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m ready to move back to New York.”

[draiochteve]

A continuation of my new step in life

I know I've been scarce, but I've been so busy I just haven't taken the time to drown myself on socials like I use to.

It's been almost a week since he landed and my world has changed so much. My parents are upset he didn't stay with us longer and wanted to rush to the apartment, but as stated before he can only handle them for so long. He's settle in and despite being homesick and having his frustrations (it is a culture shock for sure) he is adjusting well. All of his things arrived and we are slowly filling up the apartment with our lives.

I've spent nearly every day with him, only coming home when my family demands which is at night. Why the fuck they thing preventing me from spending the night will stop us from fucking is beyond me and my uncle also finds it ridiculous, but he's at least helping protect us and giving us plenty of time alone before my shifts. I've honestly really considered walking over to the courthouse and just getting shit done to avoid having to come home again, but I know that will cause more issues than solve problems rn.

I've gotten to play more of FFXVI and I'm just falling in love with new inspirations again. We can watch whatever movies and shows we want pretty openly without fear of someone barging in. I get the joy of finishing work and easily walking over to our apartment to settle into his arms and relax. We are as content in doing our own things as we are snuggling on the couch. It's very peaceful and it makes me mourn how long it's taken to get to this point.

As embarrassing as this is to admit (and this is pretty traumatizing I will warn), I am a touch starved person. I am in the situation where upon developing enough in my AFAB body around 13, all the men in the family (which is most of everyone in the house) were ordered to no longer touch me. It's a long conversation about how easily sexualized I was and considered a temptation to even my own brothers 8+ years older than me, and there is an even longer conversation to be had about how fucking common this is in evangelical households, but I have not the energy.

That background, however, has always left me in an odd spot with intimacy and relationships. I am easily overwhelmed yet crave the physical. I've never been able to find a happy medium in past relationships and this one was hard for me to prepare for as we've been dominantly long distance for so long. I knew when we were together that I felt more comfortable than with anyone else, but with what fleeting time we had there is no proper judge of how that will be in the long term. But this...there is a balance I've needed all this time I finally have. Dalton is patient and attentive. He is understanding and we compliment each other well. Maybe it's just because we are two traumatized, anxious people that it just ends up working out idk. But whatever it is, it's working.

To top it off, we've done so much exploring around town it's amazing. Something that's always fucking bothered me is my family sheltered me terribly after I was born and seemingly forgot they did so. Where my brothers grew up walking around the town I will be living in, I never did. My biggest outings were shopping or when my old friends would sneak me out way outside of the range my parents agreed to. This means I know next to nothing about the town I will be living in despite living not so far away from it and my parents have a habit of looking at me shocked when I say I never have been to that local drug store or the coffee shop around the corner. It's because I haven't because I was rarely if ever able to. They did it a million times growing up and just lost touch I suppose.

But today, I got to finally have those firsts. We walked 2-3 miles today. I found paths and walkways I've never seen before. Explored stores I never knew existed. Got to see so much that always been right here yet I never got to see. To Dalton it was a pretty boring walk to get his general bearings around town, to me it was an adventure. And he realized as much really fast and ended up walking way more than he really wanted to just so I could get a better taste of what freedom will be. I have blisters, but each one was worth it. And soon, I'll be able to walk these ways on my own. Why aren't I already you may be asking? Because I can't risk family or my father driving to a customer seeing me alone because I am not allowed to walk anywhere in town alone (I've done it a couple times secretly but they were brief and I more or less jogged to get where I wanted and back before I was missed). I can only have that should my husband decide it's okay and unfortunately Dalton is not yet. The entire situation really pisses him off and I know how frustrated he is by it, but I appreciate him deeply taking the time to navigate that and spend a day wasting time exploring.

September 30th and these stupid fucking games will be over with. September 30th and I am released from a fucking life I never asked for.

So why am I typing all of this here? To document it I suppose. To scream out to the world this is happening and did happen. This is where I am right now -- on the cusp of what should have been mine a long time ago.

I'm sorry fic updates are not coming, but I need this release and relief. I feel like I'm finally living. And while I will eventually return to my keyboard and phone, that is not what I am to do right now. I've spent most of my life escaping in my head. Now, I don't necessarily have to. So, I thank everyone again for the patience with me. And I thank everyone for their well wishes last update. I'm sorry I startled/disturbed some with the details of my life. I haven't been too secretive, but they've been said in places easy to miss or lose. This is a little more solid.

I've been in a fucked up place for so long. I've been suffering for so long and not rocking the boat for my own safety. It has to be known because this is a part of me even if it's one I am finally moving passed.

It's finally happening.

[legends-of-time]

Amelia’s Story (BBC Merlin Story)

Chapter 29: The Witch's Quickening

Masterlist

Amelia's POV

One night Amelia is awoken by warning bells and it is only the next morning that she actually finds out why the warning bells were sounding.

Amelia sits in Morgana's Chambers when said woman suspiciously, well to Amelia anyway, sends Anne and Gwen out of the room.

"Morgana?" Amelia questions.

Morgana chews her lip and looks anxiously towards the door as if worried about being overheard. "I need your help. We need your help."

"We?"

"Last night Mordred came to visit me." Morgana confesses.

"Mordred?!" Amelia exclaims before realising that she needs to quieten in case someone passes the door and overhears. "Is that why the warning bells sounded?"

Morgana nods. "But don't worry he wasn't caught despite Arthur barging in my Chambers."

Amelia sighs in relief. Her own attachment to the boy is still there and she can't bear the thought of something happening to him. "Why was he here? How did he get in?" She asks.

"A man called Alvarr helped him," Morgana explains.

Amelia frowns, she doesn't recall that name. "Alvarr?"

"Yes. He's been looking after Mordred, protecting him from Uther."

"That's good."

"Yes, but you see he has also been hunted by Uther as well," Morgana tells her.

"He has magic?" Amelia feels sorry for the man as he has likely been through a lot of trauma as a child.

"He wishes to walk free and without fear," Morgana explains. Amelia nods, understanding the feeling, "and many are joining but he needs our help." Amelia is unsure. "Come on Amelia! Do you not want to live without fear?"

"Of course, I do!" Amelia insists.

"So, you will help?"

"I don't—"

"Please Amelia. Do it for me, for Mordred." Morgana pleads.

Amelia feels her resolve faltering. "But what is it that we need to do?"

"There's a Crystal that is locked within the Vaults," Morgana tells her.

"Let me guess, it's magical," Amelia concludes.

"It is and they can't get it themselves so we need to."

Amelia looks at her sister, though said sister is unaware of their shared mother, in alarm. "What if we're caught?"

"No one will suspect us! We are the King's wards." Morgana reassures. "Come on Amelia we are their last hope."

"We need the keys." Amelia points out.

"Yes, Arthur's Chambers," Morgana notes.

"I'll do it." Amelia declares. She feels that she should do this for her sister.

"You will?" Morgana looks at her with wide hopeful eyes and a beaming smile. Honestly, how can Amelia say no to that face?

"Yes," Amelia says determinedly though nerves are already creeping in. Can she really do this and is it the right thing to do? Especially when she doesn't know what's going to happen anymore.

Though Amelia realises that she shouldn't be afraid of not knowing the consequences anymore. With what happened to Freya, Amelia feels like she's not doing enough. Maybe what Alvarr is doing is the right thing? This will give her more of a purpose?

——

Amelia finds herself heading to Arthur's Chambers and is hoping and praying that she doesn't come across Merlin and have to lie to him. She knows Arthur is out training and hopes Merlin is there with him.

Amelia sneaks in and takes a set of Arthur's keys from a drawer. She turns around and Merlin is standing there.

"Jesus Christ Merlin!" Amelia exclaims in fright and one of her hands goes to her rapidly pounding heart while the other hides the keys.

"What are you doing?" He asks. It is odd to be on the other side of Merlin's suspicions.

"I needed to talk to Arthur." She says. Well done, Amelia. Don't say too much or overdo when lying or it'll give the game away. This does nothing to reassure the pit in her stomach.

"He's out training." Merlin's expression doesn't change and Amelia doesn't like the tense air around them.

Amelia rolls her eyes and laughs as if to laugh at her own silliness. "Of course." She steps forward as if to leave.

Merlin stops her. "He, er, he trains every day. The same time, same place."

"I-I just wanted to talk about how Morgana feels bad for last night. Another time, perhaps." Amelia tries to leave again.

Merlin stops her again. "Did you know Mordred and someone else was here last night?"

Amelia decides then not to tell Merlin the truth as he doesn't trust Mordred and she doesn't know what he'll do. Her eyes widen in false shock. "Mordred?! What was he doing here? How did you know?"

"I heard him in my head," Merlin explains. "I thought I heard them going to Morgana's Chambers but they weren't there when we got there."

"Odd." Amelia tries to say casually. "Are you sure it was Morgana's Chambers and not somewhere else?"

"Maybe." He looks like he doesn't believe her.

"Well, the important thing is that he wasn't caught." She says, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Yes."

Amelia nods and darts around him and out of the room.

——

Amelia and Morgana don their cloaks and make their way down the stairs beneath the Castle that night. They quickly hide behind a wall to let a couple of Guards pass. Amelia clings to the keys in her hands while Morgana picks up a torch from its holder. When they reach the gate that leads to the Vault, Amelia pulls out the keys and unlocks the door and both of them step in.

There is another door at the end of the corridor where the Crystal lays so Amelia unlocks it, cringing at the loud creaking noise it makes, and there is the Crystal lying on a dusty cushion.

Amelia shares a glance with Morgana and she knows the other woman can feel it, feel the Crystal calling to them. She reaches out and slowly picks it up.

Warning bells sound once they reach where their Chambers lie and the two quickly dart into their respective Chambers. Amelia quickly takes off her cloak and places the Crystal, which is in a bag, into a drawer where she knows Anne doesn't look.

——

Anne's POV

"Amelia and Morgana stole the Crystal?" Gaius asks as he, Merlin and Anne sit at a table in the man's Chambers. Anne sits there in disbelief after what Merlin has just told them.

"I'm certain of it. Well, Morgana less so but I caught Amelia in Arthur's Chambers. She must have taken his keys." Merlin affirms.

"Amelia wouldn't do this!" Anne insists, though why would Merlin lie?

"Well, I saw her!" Merlin shoots back.

"Can you prove any of this?" Gaius asks.

"Not exactly, but..."

"Merlin."

"She did it. I'd bet my life on it."

"Merlin, you go accusing one of the King's wards without proof, that's exactly what you'd be doing." Gaius points out logically to Anne's relief.

"I know. You're right." Merlin agrees.

"Doesn't make sense," Anne mutters in deep thought. "Why would Amelia steal it of all things from the Vault? Why would she steal from the Vault in the first place?"

"Uther said it was an instrument of magic," Merlin explains.

"There are many legends about the Crystal," Gaius says.

"Is it some kind of weapon?"

"That I don't know," Gaius admits.

"You've heard of it?" Merlin asks.

"Indeed." Gaius attests. "The Sorcerers of the past believed it held the secret of time itself."

"What does that mean?" Anne asks.

"I'm not sure. The Crystal's an artefact of the Old Religion. There is only one who could tell you more."

The Dragon.

——

Anne and Merlin go down to the Dragon's Cave, the creature turns to them to see what they have to say.

"We need your help," Merlin tells him.

"I'm sure you do, young Warlock and Sorceress, but first you must honour your promise, young Warlock." The Dragon replies.

"I said I would set you free, and I will." Merlin retorts.

"When?"

"When we know that Camelot is safe." Anne pipes up. "Do you not trust him?"

"Why should I?" The Dragon retorts.

"Because you don't have a choice." Merlin snaps.

Anne knows they have him when the Dragon asks, "What is it that you wish to know?"

"What is the Crystal of Neahtid?" Anne asks.

"To those who know how to use it, the Crystal holds great knowledge." The Dragon explains.

"What kind of knowledge?" Merlin asks this time.

"The knowledge of what is, what has been, and what is yet to come."

"Do you mean it can show you the future?"

"Amongst other things, yes."

"The Crystal has been stolen." Anne worriedly informs him.

"By who?"

"The Lady Amelia and possibly the Lady Morgana." Merlin reluctantly admits.

The Dragon laughs. "The witches do not have the power to wield the Crystal."

"You can't call Amelia that! She's a good person." Anne exclaims.

"She's taken the wrong path; she had the choice between the two and she's chosen." The Dragon replies.

"You don't know that!" Anne snaps.

"Does the Druid boy have the power?" Merlin asks, bringing them back to the point of why they are down here in the first place.

"Mordred? It is possible." The Dragon admits. "Why do you ask?"

"I believe that they're all involved in this together," Merlin confesses.

The Dragon reels at the news. "Once before I warned you of the Druid boy. It is his destiny to bring about Arthur's doom! It may be that time is upon you."

"What do you mean?" Anne asks testily.

"The ancient prophecies speak of an alliance of Amelia, Mordred and Morgana united in evil, but this union must be stopped, whatever the cost."

Amelia in a union of evil??!!

"Amelia wouldn't! She's helped us." Merlin argues.

"Her loyalty to her sister may lead to her downfall. You need to be careful." The Dragon warns.

——

Anne turns down Amelia's bed for the night as said woman sits at her vanity. Anne watches her cautiously as Amelia has not looked at Anne the entire time she has been in the room.

"You know you can tell me anything," Anne says causing Amelia to finally look at her.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Amelia asks quietly.

"Just that you can talk to me," Anne says. She cannot accuse her of anything because she still feels that maybe Amelia isn't involved or that she'll drive her away if she does.

"I know that, Anne."

However, she does not say anymore. Anne feels saddened that Amelia feels like she cannot trust her.

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia feels awful about not talking to Anne about what she's up to as she re-dresses and meets with Morgana. They both sneak out of Camelot under the blanket of darkness and into the forest towards the camp. It's early dusk when they reach the camp.

"Amelia!" Mordred cries, running to Amelia and hugging her. Amelia laughs at his enthusiasm and clings back.

"This is Alvarr." Morgana introduces the man standing behind Mordred. She can see that while she herself doesn't find him particularly attractive, she can see how others might.

"Hello, My Lady." He greets, bowing his head and flashing her a smile and Amelia smiles back. He seems quite a charming and charismatic man, no wonder Morgana has been taken in by him. Amelia throws her a smirk causing Morgana to roll her eyes.

"Hello," Amelia replies, "I believe I have something for you." She gives the Crystal to Alvarr, who pulls it out of the bag to stare at it. Amelia can't blame him as it's likely an important moment for him.

Amelia is soon left with Mordred as Alvarr goes to put the Crystal away and Morgana is offered a drink, which Amelia had declined.

"Oh, it's been a while since I've seen you," Amelia says as she sits next to Mordred. She ruffles his hair and he smiles at her.

"I'm happy to see you, Amelia," Mordred tells her.

"As am I Mordred," Amelia replies. "You've grown more since I've seen you. Have these people been treating you well?"

Mordred nods. "They have."

"Good."

Amelia sits and talks with Mordred a little more but she knows they can't stay long and they'll have to leave.

"We have to go now Mordred." She deduces.

"But you'll be back?" Mordred stares at her with his big blue eyes that are full of worry and hope.

"Yes of course." She reassures him. Amelia leaves him to find Morgana, who she spots next to the fire pit talking to Alvarr. As she walks over, she sees that they're leaning in towards each other and Amelia cringes at having to break them up.

"Morgana?" Her voice causes Morgana to hurriedly pull away. "We need to leave."

Morgana nods quickly. "Yes, we must be heading back. The Castle will be waking soon." Morgana stands.

"Farewell then, My Lady Morgana, Lady Amelia," Alvarr says and they walk away to their horses.

"What was that?" Amelia whispers to Morgana.

"What was what?" Morgana says dismissively.

"You know," Amelia replies not intending for this to be let go. "The two of you seemed close."

Morgana sighs. "I don't know Amelia. I just want to help them."

Amelia nods. "He seems very nice." She says once they are on their horses and leaving the camp.

Morgana rolls her eyes. "Oh, shut up."

"What a terrible attitude!" Amelia exclaims in fake outrage. "What would your old governess say?"

Morgana laughs.

——

Anne's POV

Anne and Merlin had followed Amelia and Morgana to the camp and are disclosing what they had discovered to Gaius. Anne is disheartened that her fears were realised though after watching Amelia with Mordred, she cannot see evil nor can she see it with Morgana.

"Alvarr has a fearsome reputation," Gaius says once they have finished.

"You know of him?" Anne asks.

"I know he's a Sorcerer, and that he and his band of renegades have threatened to overthrow the King." Gaius answers.

"He sounded pretty determined," Merlin remarks.

"He's a fanatic, and his supporters follow him unthinkingly, blinded by his charisma," Gaius tells them.

"Well, it worked on Morgana." Merlin states.

"So it would seem."

"And Amelia in a way," Anne adds, "but she seemed to be there more for Mordred and Morgana."

"Alvarr's using Mordred too. He seems to think the boy can harness the power of the Crystal." Merlin says.

"We can't let this happen." Gaius declares.

"But we can't go to Uther so what can we do?" Anne wonders.

"We can bend the truth a little," Gaius replies.

——

Amelia's POV

Both Amelia and Morgana sit on Uther's left in the Council Chambers where the man sits in his own chair while Arthur leans on the back of his chair on the other side.

"You know the whereabouts of the Crystal?" Uther asks Gaius, who stands in front of him, as he stands up. Gaius had been the one to call the meeting and what he had announced had made Amelia's stomach drop.

"I believe so, Sire."

Amelia's eyes flicker to where she can see Merlin and Anne standing near the back of the room. She can tell by their faces that they are the cause of this.

"I see. How did you come by this information?" Uther asks.

"In my capacity as Physician I have dealings with many people. They hear things, Sire, and they see things." When Gaius says this, Amelia knows for certain that Anne and/or Merlin have told him. "Last night I was confronted by one such man who told me that the Crystal had been stolen by a band of renegades led by a man called Alvarr."

Morgana grips Amelia's hand. Amelia understands that she's worried but trying not to show it. She herself worries about the danger this places Mordred in. She's upset with Anne and Merlin doing this, these people just want freedom.

"Who exactly was this informant?" Uther questions.

"I think it would only be fair to protect their identity, Sire," Gaius argues. "If news of the betrayal were to reach the renegades, it could indeed endanger their life."

"Very well."

Arthur walks forward to stand next to his father. "Where is this Alvarr hiding?"

"He was last seen in the Valley of Chemary, Sire." Gaius answers. Amelia swallows thickly, trying to not give anything away in her expression.

"Summon the Guards, Arthur. I want this matter investigated without delay." Uther orders.

"Yes, Father." Arthur leaves through the main door. Morgana quickly stands to leave the room through the door in the corner of the room where they sit and Amelia immediately follows.

——

Amelia and Morgana quickly catch up with Arthur in the Central Corridor.

"Arthur, you're not seriously thinking of going on this mission, are you?" Morgana asks hurriedly.

"No, I'm not thinking of going on this mission. I am going on this mission." Arthur quips.

"But it's a bit pointless don't you think? I mean how do you know that the person who spoke to Gaius was even telling the truth?" Amelia points out as casually as she can hoping these will be seeds of doubt in his head.

Arthur replies undeterred, "True, but for now it's the only lead we have to go on."

Morgana stops causing the other two as well. "You're wasting your time. I assure you."

Arthur has a smug look on his face as he looks at the two women in front of him. "Morgana and Amelia. I never knew you cared."

Amelia huffs. "Arthur that's not what we mean."

Arthur smirks. "I can look after myself, you know. It's a combination of raw talent and hard training that makes me..."

"Yes, I know. That makes you so utterly obnoxious." Morgana interrupts. Amelia snorts while Morgana and Arthur do weird grins at each other before Arthur walks away.

Morgana stares after him worriedly then turns to Amelia. "What do we do now?"

"We have to warn them." Amelia states and they both rush off to their horses so that they can get ahead of Arthur's party.

——

Amelia and Morgana ride out at night ahead of Arthur's party that rides out the next morning. The two of them walk to the camp, where by now the sky is lighter. Suddenly Alvarr and his men spring out of hiding, ready to attack.

"Morgana? Amelia?" Alvarr exclaims in surprise.

"Alvarr," Morgana replies.

Alvarr sheaths his sword. "What brings you here?"

"Arthur's been sent to capture the Crystal. The Knights of Camelot are almost upon us." Amelia answers.

Alvarr sends his men away and walks with Morgana and Amelia. "How has this happened?"

"I don't know. I only know that we've been betrayed." Morgana replies.

"How much time do we have?"

"Maybe an hour or two?" Amelia guesses. She realises her hands are shaking and knows it's not from the cold.

"We cannot say for sure," Morgana adds.

"Then we must be prepared for them." Alvarr declares.

"But what about Mordred?" Amelia asks. She worries about a child being in the middle of battle.

"Do not worry, we'll protect the boy," Alvarr reassures. "The two of you need to flee while you still have the chance." They stop walking as Morgana and Amelia had slowed when they heard what he said.

Morgana scoffs. "We should help."

"Morgana, Amelia, I am grateful for all that you both have done, but a battlefield is no place for you." Alvarr kisses Morgana's cheek and walks away leaving the two gaping after him, though for different reasons.

——

After they return to Camelot, Amelia hears that Arthur has returned with the Crystal and Alvarr. She's relieved that there's no mention of a young Druid boy.

Alvarr kneels before Uther and the Court in the Council Chambers. Amelia watches Morgana carefully, as said woman looks upset, from where they stand on the left of Uther but slightly behind him.

"So, you admit to stealing the Crystal of Neahtid?" Uther asks.

"I do." Alvarr calmly replies.

"You admit to plotting against your King?"

"I do."

"And you acted alone? You were not aided or abetted by any citizen of Camelot?"

"I acted..." Amelia tenses, "alone." She relaxes.

Amelia's heart breaks at him taking all the blame. It shows a sense of honour by not telling Uther about her and Morgana's involvement.

"Then I find you guilty of treason. You are an enemy of Camelot, Alvarr." Uther sits down. "You are sentenced to death."

Amelia sees Morgana try and hold back her tears and Amelia feels anger begin to simmer inside herself at how casually Uther is causing Morgana pain, whether it be indirectly.

"Then I die with honour. To be an enemy of Camelot is no crime." Alvarr replies.

Uther looks completely unbothered as he gives his order to the Guards. "Take him away."

Guards pick Alvarr up as he speaks. "You, Uther, you are the criminal." He is taken out of the room.

Uther pats Arthur on the shoulder as if to say well done. Amelia, along with Morgana, can't hold back her glare. The Court members exit and instead of doing the same, Amelia and Morgana walk to the door and wave the Guards to leave and shut the door.

Once that has happened, they turn and Amelia can't believe what she is seeing. Uther stands there having a drink and acting so casual as if this is just a regular Tuesday for him as if he hasn't just sentenced someone to death.

"How many more must you kill before you're satisfied?" Morgana says in a calm voice that is simmering with barely controlled anger.

Uther turns to them and replies as if he is talking to two children who don't understand the difficulties of the world. "He was guilty. He confessed his crimes. You heard him as well as I."

"His only crime was to defy you." Morgana retorts.

"Why are you defending this man?" Uther questions as he places his cup down on the table and walks to stand so he's directly across from them. "He was a sworn foe of Camelot. You know this."

"Is it any wonder he wanted you dead?" Amelia coldly replies though her volume rises as she speaks. "You, who have persecuted his kind day after day, year after year? All he wanted was to be free!"

"I will hear no more of this from either of you!" Uther declares loudly turning away from them.

"Because you're an arrogant fool." Morgana spits out as she steps forward. "You were deaf and blind to the very needs of the people you profess to serve and protect!" Uther angrily charges toward them. "The people will tolerate it no longer!" He grabs Morgana's arm, turning her to face the door and him, but she yanks it away. Amelia steps up to her side defiantly. How dare he grab her!

"I said enough!" Uther yells.

"They are rising up against you!" Amelia yells back.

"From this day forward, we do not know you." Morgana declares. "From this day forward, we disown you." And with that, Amelia and Morgana head for the door.

"You both will go to your Chambers!" Uther yells.

They pause at the door. Amelia's hands clench where they lay on the door next to the handles.

"And you, Uther," she looks back at him with a stone cold look on her face, "you will go to hell."

And with that, the two of them storm from the room.

——

Anne's POV

Amelia has been refusing to talk to Anne ever since Arthur and the Knights had returned with Alvarr and the Crystal and she does not know what to do.

Anne has retreated to her house in the Lower Town to give Amelia space. She has been there for a while when there is a knock on the door. She leaps, hoping it is Amelia or a Guard telling her that Amelia wants to see her, however it is Merlin looking anxious.

"Merlin?"

Merlin looks to the floor. "Can I come in?"

"Oh of course." She steps aside to let him past and closes the door. He sits at her table.

"Merlin, what is it?" Anne asks cautiously. She had seen that he seemed a bit off in Council Chambers when Alvarr faced Uther as well.

"Something happened when we were retrieving the Crystal," Merlin admits.

"What?" She sits next to him

"It compelled me to look, I-I tried not to, I uh, I knew no good w-would come of it but I couldn't resist and saw the future, a t-terrible one," Merlin confesses.

"Merlin... what did you see?" She sees he hesitates at her question and places a reassuring hand on his arm. "Please."

"The Great Dragon flying and, um, breathing fire, myself surrounded by fire then crying, er, Camelot smoking in destruction. I'm scared Anne, I'm scared of what the future may hold." She rubs his arm.

"You know this does not mean it will happen." Anne points out.

"That's what Gaius said."

"Well, maybe he's right."

"Yes but—" Merlin stands abruptly pulling her hand off his arm. "What if he isn't? It felt so real. Gaius insists it's only one reality."

"He's right!" Anne exclaims, standing and walking over to him. "Nothing's set in stone, there are so many different paths open to us! So many possibilities. You have to have faith in that."

Merlin reluctantly nods.

——

Amelia's POV

Meanwhile, Amelia sees how hurt and pained Morgana is and desperately wants to help her. So, when Morgana asks for help to get Alvarr out of the Dungeons, Amelia agrees.

Since Anne will likely be suspicious, it's up to Morgana to get Gwen to give her a sleeping draught, citing that the nightmares had returned. This is needed for their plan to incapacitate the Guards.

Amelia and Morgana, now dressed, go down to the Dungeons. The Guards stand and bow when they arrive.

"Please, this is not an official visit. We'd like to see the prisoner, if we may." Morgana says pleasantly.

Patrick, one of the Guards, looks uncomfortable and regretful. "Sorry, My Ladies, the prisoner's to see no one. The King's orders."

"That doesn't apply to the King's wards, surely?" Amelia speaks, trying to emphasise how silly it is that he would refuse them. "It's not like either of us are on our own."

Patrick then steps aside, indicating that they can pass.

"Thank you. This might help to ease the long night ahead." Morgana pulls a pitcher of wine from beneath her cloak and hands it to the Guard.

They walk past the Guards and into where the Cells lie and they find Alvarr sitting in his own.

He abruptly stands when he notices them. "My Ladies. I was not expecting you."

Amelia looks cautiously over her shoulder and her and Morgana step back. "We've come to say goodbye."

Alvarr gets the message and replies, "It was gracious of you both to think of me."

"It will not be easy, but you must prepare yourself for what lies ahead," Morgana tells him.

"I am prepared," Alvarr replies, realising there's a plan.

"We've done what we can to ease your passage," Amelia adds, trying to tell him of the plan indirectly.

"I could not ask for more."

Morgana steps closer again and puts her hands on the bars. "Good luck." Amelia notices Alvarr place his hands on top of Morgana's. "Our thoughts will be with you."

"Thank you, My Lady."

Morgana looks down tearfully and Amelia knows she needs to interrupt. "We need to go. We cannot stay long."

Morgana nods and pulls her hands away. The two walk upstairs and out of the Dungeons.

——

Morgana stares in the distance anxiously as she stands in her own Chambers. Amelia puts her hands on Morgana's shoulders and rubs them.

"He will be okay." She tries to reassure her sister.

"You do not know that." Morgana spits out harshly then glances at Amelia apologetically.

"You are right but I know we have done all that we can." Amelia amends.

"What if we are not successful?" Morgana asks, now fully turning her whole body towards Amelia, who drops her hands.

"We will be. Do not worry."

The warning bells being sounded startles them.

"Too late now," Amelia mutters. They hold hands as they listen to the bells.

——

"How? How has he escaped?" Amelia hears Uther say as she and Morgana walk to Council Chambers.

"It appears that the Guards were drugged." His son answers. Amelia and Morgana enter. Amelia sees Arthur and his Knights gathered in front of Uther.

"That means he had help. Someone..." Amelia sees Uther look at her and Morgana and he falters slightly. She simply stares back at him with a blank expression. "...here in Camelot."

Amelia's eyes catch Merlin and Anne's from where they stand on the other side of the room and she winces as she doesn't like the disappointed looks they are sending her. Did she do the right thing? No of course she did! She is just trying to help people plus Uther is the awful one.

"Afraid it looks that way," Arthur replies, not noticing his father's gaze. Uther looks away from them.

"Let this be understood, whoever has done this, they have betrayed me." Uther looks directly at Amelia and Morgana. "They have betrayed the Kingdom." He looks away. "If I ever discover who it was, they will rue the day they were born."

Amelia swallows thickly at the threat but knows that Uther won't actually do anything.

——

Anne's POV

Anne enters Amelia's Chambers to see said woman quickly stand when she sees her enter.

"Anne."

"Amelia."

Anne sees Amelia chew her lip and her blue eyes are cautious as they flitter around the room, showing her anxiousness.

"Anne, I... I'm sorry for what has happened, for what I've done but I want you to know that I never intended for you, Merlin, Arthur or Gwen to be harmed. I just wanted to help my sister." Amelia pleads.

"And Mordred?" Anne asks.

Amelia nods. "Yes, and Mordred, you know that connection I feel with him."

"It's okay Amelia." Anne wonders if she should be forgiving her. Amelia beams and they hug.

Amelia pulls back. "I just... I did it for Morgana, I'd do anything for her."

This normally would have reassured Anne, but now, knowing what the Dragon said about the path Amelia might go down, all it does is fill her with worry.

——

A/N: What motivates Amelia a lot in this chapter is her love for her sister so it varies on how much she agrees with what Morgana is doing. The issue for Amelia is that she doesn't know what she needs to change to make things better.

Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

[themerriweathermage]

Wrath and Ruin: Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Quinn

A few days after the party, Quinn showed up, but this time, I was in no mood to banter with him. 

“I’m sorry; I--” Sarah was cut off by Quinn barging into the office with a trail of Clippers behind him, one of them bleeding from what was likely a broken nose. I quirked my eyebrow up at him, almost dangerously, as he stormed to my desk. Sunny moved from his position at Nix’s desk to restrain him but I simply shook my head.

“I want my horse back.” Quinn started. I looked up to him from my pile of paperwork and answered calmly.

“I don’t know why you assume I have your horse.”

“Don’t play dumb.” Quinn might not have snapped at me but his voice was like ice. “You’ve made your position very clear on how I treat my animals.”

“And I didn’t make that position very clear for their benefit alone.” I replied. “A beaten animal will turn on you.” I stood then, reaching across the desk to unbutton his shirt and examine the bruising. His hand caught my wrist and he growled, baring his teeth at me. I let out a soft sort of half-amused and half-not amused laugh. “I’m not responsible for your lost property, Baron Quinn.” 

“Shall I look elsewhere, then?”

“Do that and you may find that you have more than just broken ribs and a bruised ego.” 

“Is that a threat, Baron Bren?” He mocked. There was something dark that stirred in my chest, something almost mocking. 

“Does it need to be?” I finally asked. By now, there was more than just Sunny at my back to support me. Sebastian was behind Quinn, ready to block his escape should he try something, and Nix had Dark Sister laid across her desk, ready to grab it should the need arise.

“Does it need to be a threat, Baron Quinn?” I asked again. “You come into my home and show no respect to my rules. You beat my soldiers, and you disrespect my house staff, and you have the nerve to ask me if I’m threatening you?” I reached through his grasp on my wrist and grabbed his shirt, yanking him forward over the desk, drawing my other hand back for a punch. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.” His face was that of shock, because I’d so rarely used my position and power around him, because I was so rarely the hard man that being baron often required, especially around him. I leaned forward, intentionally and dangerously brushing his cheek with my own.

“Why don’t you write off Valiant as a loss in your records, before I take so much more from you than just a horse?” I asked. “Hm?” When I let go of his shirt, he growled, keeping his hand circled around my wrist.

“You think you can threaten me and get away with it?” He asked, incredulous.

“I would speak carefully, Baron Quinn.” I replied in the exact same incredulous tone. “You are not in a room full of allies, and you are alone.”

“Fuck you.” Quinn snarled. I didn’t even think about the punch that I threw, only aiming for an already sore spot and absolutely slugging him with it. He yelped, stumbling backwards, bumping into Sebastian.

“Go fuck yourself. Clearly you need it.” I replied. “Get. Out.” When he scrabbled backwards, a note of fear in his eyes, I knew then that my eyes had changed, without me noticing that the change was upon me. 

Nix jumped in between us and leveled her sword at him. “Leave. Now. Before not even we can save you from what will come.”

“As if you would save me,” Quinn scoffed.

“We both know it wouldn’t be for you, but to stop what will happen if he becomes what will destroy you.”

Quinn looked over her shoulder and it was clear then what she was referring to. She wasn’t trying to save Quinn. She was trying to save me from doing something I could regret. 

I managed to make it out to the back gardens before I blew a fuse, grumbling under my breath. I knew two things: one, that I was in pain, and two, that pain had a way of making me into a person that I wasn’t. The gardens were nice, but unfinished, so a quiet place to get away where most people wouldn’t go wandering. We had chosen to focus our time building essentials that would benefit our people, and restoring the gardens wasn’t particularly high up on that list of things that needed attention.

Nix frowned, putting Dark Sister away, and Sunny took notice.

“What is it?” She hesitated a moment, speaking quietly.

“I know how much my brother loves Quinn. This behavior, it’s... it’s not like him.”

“He’s shown Quinn this form before.” Lydia started.

“I gathered that by Quinn’s reaction at the party.” Nix murmured.

“But he was never violent. Just used his stature as a Dragon Lord to either scare Quinn or intimidate him into cooperating.” Lydia finished. 

“He’s shown before that he internalizes trauma differently than the rest of us. Could this just be left over from the party?” Sunny asked. Nix considered this for a moment.

“It could be. Or he could be hiding something.”

There were days when I hated my Wrath and this was one of them. I knew why it was there-- to protect me-- but that didn’t give me an excuse to lash out at Quinn the way I had, even if he rightly deserved it. I paced back and forth across the gazebo, trying to burn off some of the excess adrenaline running through my system and caught the sound of Nix approaching. I mean I didn’t think it would be long before she found me out here, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. I wrinkled my nose and bared my teeth in her direction as she made her way up the steps.

“You won’t frighten me with that display.” Nix started. I growled, but it wasn’t at her and I hoped she could sense that.

“I can hear your heart beating from all the way over there, and it is LOUD.” I snarled. “Everything is loud, so damn loud, and I can’t turn it off. The stupid thing is here to protect me, and I can’t turn it off, and...” I grumbled. “It’s like hearing people work in the kitchen from across the Estate.” Because I knew she would be able to make the comparison to what was happening in my body right now. I watched Nix carefully, trying to gauge her reactions. There was... understanding in her expression, so at least my point had come across clear. And then she sighed quietly.

“Stay here.”

“I have a favor to ask of you.” Nix murmured.

“Don’t tell me you’re asking me to fetch Quinn.” Sunny started.

“No. He wouldn’t understand, and after the display in the offices, I’m not sure Bren actually wants to see him.”

“What favor?”

“Go hug my brother. As tight as you can.” Sunny tilted his head to the side, not quite understanding why. “Trust me; it’s what he needs.”

“If it’s anything like what he was going through after Quinn’s initial betrayal, he doesn’t want anything to do with me.” 

“Please.”

I honestly wasn’t sure how long Sunny had been there, too busy distracting myself with the activities within the Estate that another, closer heartbeat didn’t immediately register. At least, not until I felt his arms come around me, holding me close in an almost vice like grip. It wasn’t painful, just firm and entirely very grounding. I couldn’t count how long we stood there, together, but it was enough to pull me apart from my Wrath, the armor fading back into my skin. I heaved a sigh, digging my fingers into Sunny’s arm, keeping him there a moment longer.

“Nix asked you to do this.” It wasn’t really a question, but I was curious about the answer.

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” I murmured.

“Sorry I’m not Quinn.” I wondered if he was remembering that time in Quinn’s office, where I’d broken down and wished I could have gone home. He’d seen the aftermath... or some of it, at least. Seen Quinn care for me at least once.

“You never have to apologize for not being that man.” I replied softly. “And besides, he wouldn’t have helped. We would have just ended up yelling at each other.” Now I was starting to register Sunny’s grip on me, with my armor gone, coupled with the fact that it already hurt to breathe. I sucked in a sharp breath, and he must have realized because his grip loosened.

“I’m hurting you.”

“It’s nothing.” I replied, probably a little too fast. I would have called it due justice, retribution at this point, for bringing Lydia and Sunny to the council at Gideon’s. I’d hardly realized that I’d been thinking out loud until Sunny spun me to face him, the most incredulous look on his face.

“I went because I wanted to be there.”

“You went because of duty, because my sister asked you to be there.”

“I went because I wanted to be there. And Lydia is a grown-ass woman. There is no forcing her to do something she doesn’t want to do. Not even Quinn could, so trust me when I say, she wouldn’t have gone if she didn’t want to go.” He said quietly, tipping my chin up, so I could see the sincerity in his eyes. “I--” Something in his expression shifted, and he stepped closer, almost into me, backing me up against one of the gazebo posts and trapping me there. “Tell me that Quinn didn’t do this to you.” I followed his gaze, his hand dropping to my shirt collar and tugging it down to reveal the bruises. “Believe me when I tell you that I will happily ride out behind him and hunt him like one would a wild boar.”

I ducked under his arm and out of his reach, frowning.

“Quinn didn’t do this. And even if he did, it wouldn’t be your business.”

“Are you serious?!” Sunny asked. 

“Yes, because what happens behind closed doors with me and him isn’t your business, Sunny. But he didn’t do this!” I tried to gauge his reaction. “No one did.” I added quietly. “It’s just... there.”

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you. Those are signs of abuse.”

“I know how it looks, Sunny. But leave Quinn out of this, because for once, he is blameless.” I turned back around, looking out over the railing. “He’s right though.” I could almost feel the disbelief radiating from Sunny behind me. “He told me once that taking this barony would kill me. At this point, I’m starting to believe him.” It was quiet for the longest time, and when I looked over my shoulder, Sunny wasn’t there anymore. But Nix was.

“I don’t have an answer for you.” I finally murmured.

“Sunny told me you were hurt.”

“Hm.” I didn’t immediately reply. I knew his loyalty was to Nix, and I would never be able to put him in the position where I demanded his silence on my issues. I didn’t even bother to face her to show her the truth, tugging my shirt over my head, to reveal a back full of bruises, bruises at every bone, bruises that were deep beneath the surface.

“Jesus H. Christ.” Nix swore under her breath. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything like it.”

“Well that makes two of us.”

“How long have you known about it?”

“Not long.” I replied quietly. “I noticed it the morning after your engagement party. And really it could be anything. The stress of the barony, the shapeshifting, the magic...”

“Quinn?” Nix supplemented, and she got a begrudging smile out of me for it.

“Much as he causes me a headache at times, I don’t think he’s responsible for whatever,” I gestured, “this is.”

“Have you seen Veil? Been to the healing wards at all? Are you taking anything for it?” I shrugged with a wince, pulling my shirt back over my shoulders. No one else needed to know at this point and I didn’t want a bunch of sympathetic stares in my direction.

“I tend to mitigate the pain with my gift.” Nix gave me a pointed look.

“Have you considered not using your gift to mitigate things?”

“I like being able to get out of bed in the mornings.” She snorted at that, know damn good and well I hated getting out of bed, in the mornings especially. But my point wasn’t lost.

“I know you do. But I wonder if you suffer needlessly using magic to make things better.” There could be a truth to what she said, but it would be a bitter one if that were the case. “Do you remember what I said, about the blood-magic of Game of Thrones?” I frowned.

“That only death can pay for life? I haven’t forgotten it for sure. But I’ve never known druid magic to have such a price.”

“That you know of.” She had a point. As much I hated to admit it, she had a point. Perhaps I had made one too many assumptions about the gift that had been given to me. 

For a moment, the two of us just stood there in silence, lost in our own thoughts. “You should leave the Badlands.” I blinked, glancing over at her. “Don’t give me that look, not permanently. Just, you know, get away for a while. I can manage the barony.”

“I know you can.” I murmured, “But...”

“You’re not doing yourself any favors here. Much as you try to hide it, to mask it, you’re clearly overwhelmed and probably one step away from a serious shutdown. Get out of the Badlands. Go home, even just for a little bit.”

Home. Even just thinking about it left me with a dull ache in my chest. Had I even stopped to think about what I’d lost when I came to these Badlands? Home was a million miles away; home was unattainable. 

Nix must have read the look of despair on my face. “I didn’t mean...” I took in a shuddering breath, wiping at my eyes.

“It’s fine.” I lied, and knew she knew I was lying. I offered her a weak smile. “I’m fine.” But that was a lie too, my lips quivering, blinking away the tears, trying to save face. Not that there was really a point to trying to save face in front of Nix. Sometimes I thought she knew me better than I knew myself.

“You punched Quinn... twice. Not that it wasn’t entertaining but... it’s not you.”

“Ugh.” I scoffed. “Stupid man.” I took a seat next to her. “Stupid man with his stupid arrogant attitude.”

It was silent for a few minutes before I could take in a deep breath and analyze the situation. “I don’t want to go alone.”

“Why not take Lydia?” Nix asked. “She’s familiar with your dragon form, and--” She raised an eyebrow in my direction, and somehow I knew that look was about what had happened in the mountain pass. “She makes an excellent support system.” That was true. “When will you leave?”

“I don’t know. I’ll need a flight suit commissioned from Hasaan for her. As soon as that can be ready, I’ll leave.”

[saga-project]

💜

💜- A memory about one of their loved ones, happy or sad

Well. Saga was back in the lair, and he remembered his brothers, and they'd gotten the empyrean out of his system. And things were....good! Fine. Better than fine, even. He was....settling in. He thought, at least. They hadn't hauled him out on his ass yet, so clearly he was doing something correctly, something that didn't make them hate him or see him as a burden the way everyone else seemed to at some point.

No, no. He couldn't think like that. That was....what was it. Skewed thinking? Seeing the negative in everything? Whatever term Mikey had used for it, really. Everything would be fine. He....he didn't have to fear being punished for things around here. He knew that. So why....why did he somehow feel like he was going to be. Like at any moment, they were going to say that he was doing something wrong, or--

Raph wouldn't. He knew that for a fact. Raph would never hurt him. Saga remembered how distraught he'd been when they'd been children, when they'd been sparring and a spikey bit of his shell had poked Saga in the shell the right way, and the fact of the matter was that the snapper would rather have plucked his own eye out before he willingly hurt a single member of his family. Saga knew that to be true. It was just that sometimes.....

Sometimes Raph looked at him like he was....fragile. Like he was something worth pitying, or.....it felt that way, at least. And Saga knew he was unlearning many bad behaviors that he hadn't realized were bad, knew that Raph would be patient with him above all else and likely didn't see him that way, but it still made some small part of him bristle defensively. He wasn't weak. He wasn't a failure. Was he? It was just that things were hard sometimes, and he was trying, and--

It had come to a head that one evening, at dinner. Mikey had made him a generous portion of....some food that he couldn't remember the name of, and Saga still wasn't used to having portion sizes that big, or even thinking that he deserved to eat freely, and it looked so good but his brain was trying to convince him that it would be repulsive if he dared to eat it, and all he could do was sit there and stare and try to will his stupid brain into actually letting him shovel food into his face hole, because he was going to let Mikey down if he didn't and--

He finally managed to at least choke down a bite or two, pushing it away from himself, but when he looked up everyone was looking at him in that same sad way, especially Raph, and he couldn't stand it anymore, he left the table and muttered some excuse and shut the door to his rather spartan lab space behind him and tried to involve himself in work so he wouldn't concentrate on how he was failing all of them--

Settling in well, his ass, what did Three know, he still felt like such an outsider and now he couldn't even eat anything without feeling panicked and--

There was a form in the room when he swiveled around again, and he gritted his teeth, trying his damn hardest to not let out an irritated hiss. "Leo, if I've said it once I've said it a million times, do NOT barge into my--oh. Raph. Kind of in in the middle of something, what is it."

"I....just noticed you didn't eat much at dinner." Despite his huge bulk, Raph seemed to huddle in on himself then, fidgeting nervously.

Ah. So that was it. Saga glanced away, then, his voice suddenly tight. "I'm. Not hungry."

"We can save it for later, then?"

"That won't be necessary, Raph. Really. I'm fine. I had a snack earlier in the day." And he had. He'd tried to convince himself that maybe food was fine by having a granola bar, earlier in the day. Sure, he'd squirreled it away out of Leo's personal stash and hadn't told anyone and had hidden it for fear that it was going to be taken away from him, but....a snack was a snack, right?

"Yeah, but you can't last entirely off of snacks, Don." Don't get angry. Don't get angry, he reminded himself as he stood there. Raph was just looking out for him. Raph was just showing care, in his usual way that never really managed to stray into being patronizing or coddling. So why did he feel his hackles raising anyway, the longer he stood there and listened to his big brother's words, the longer he--

Ooooooh, you're going to be PUNISHED, he's going to take you away and lock you in a room or BEAT you or--

No. No, shut up, Raph would never--

"It's alright. I'm alright. It was too big of a portion anyway."

"Well, how much of a portion are ya used to havin'? 'Cause I can tell Mikey to make it a little smaller. Or you should tell him, actually, he thinks he didn't make the food good enough for you and he feels bad-"

Great. As if this day couldn't get any better, now he'd made Mikey disappointed in him. He was letting them all down, he was being a disappointment, he--

"Can we just drop it, please?" He hadn't meant for his words to come out so sharp, or to make Raph minutely flinch at them, but Saga kept forging on anyway, the shame rising up in him like a tidal wave. "I'm fine. I'll eat something later, if I'm hungry."

To his credit, Raph didn't try to push it--only muttered a quiet agreement, turning to leave almost as quick as he'd come. Which somehow made Saga feel worse, as he sat there and tried to swivel back towards whatever he'd been working on. He almost would have preferred if Raph had screamed at him in that moment, or done something other than just numbly going along with--

No. It was fine. Everything was fine. Surely he could....find a solution to this. Start with smaller portions, or keep sneaking snacks throughout the day, or just force himself to eat, or something. Then they wouldn't look at him like he was broken anymore. He'd be doing something right. He--

....it would all be fine.

***

Until it wasn't. Until low blood sugar from too many missed meals had him turning to do something or lurching upright far too suddenly, and his vision tunneled distressingly and then went black and then there was nothing--

Wait. Now there was something. Ow. Wait, what the fuck. Why were the lights in his room suddenly so bright and why was Maias hovering around and looking so worried and why--

Oh god oh god there was a NEEDLE in his arm there was sharp sharp sharp bad BAD no no NO get it out get it out GET IT OUT--

Hands went over his, then, gentle but firm, and he hissed, almost snapping out before he realized. "Hey, hey, Don. I know you hate needles, but you gotta leave that in, okay?"

"Raph?" His voice coming out shaky, Saga barely paid any attention to Maias huddling into his arms comfortingly, glancing around the medbay. "What the....why am I. Why is there a NEEDLE in my....get it out, please get it out-"

"I know it sucks, but we can't, Don. Not unless you start tellin' the truth." Raph sat next to him, then, leveling him with a stare that made him feel uncomfortably like a bug under a microscope. "You haven't been eating, have you. Or at least not eating enough."

Oh god. Oh god, oh god, he'd worried them, they all knew, he...he had to play this off, somehow. Quick. Do what Leo does. Disarming smile, quick. "Uh. No, Raphela, I've definitely been eating and meeting all my nutritional parameters. He said, without a hint of falsehood."

"Don."

The sharp tone made him huddle into himself, hissing under his breath as he glared defiantly. "So...so what if I haven't been? What, are you going to punish me? You....you think I can't take it, somehow?"

His eyes would hopefully tell Raph what he couldn't, though, in that moment. Please. Please don't punish me. Please don't yell at me or throw me out or treat me like I'm some broken useless thing, I'm trying, I swear to god I'm trying so hard to be perfect for all of you, please.

Thankfully, Raph seemed to realize that, both his tone and gaze softening. "No. No one's gonna punish you. But it's not 'so what', either. You passed out, Don. We're worried about you. We need you to start tellin' the truth. Why haven't you been eating?"

Saga shrank into himself, the gentle tone somehow making him feel even worse as he twiddled his fingers together. "It's....it's not because Mikey's food is terrible or something, before you say anything. It's....actually kind of the best food I've ever had."

"Is it sensory stuff?"

"No! No, I went over a list of all my potential sensitivities with Mikey, he knows better than that. No, it's...." He rubbed at Maias's shell briefly, hissing under his breath out of exasperation. "It's stupid."

"Tell me anyway."

And the tone was so soft, so non-judgmental, that Saga found himself opening his mouth even in spite of himself. "I'm....I don't....I don't feel like I....like I deserve to eat so much, which is stupid, I know I can eat here, I know it's safe and it won't be taken away from me or something, but....but I had to be in good physical condition to fight and carry out their commands, food was.....few and far between, I never got a meal that nice, and it was wasteful to eat that much and my brain keeps telling me it still is, so I just eat a bit and have snacks between because I'm convinced it's going to be taken away from me, which you guys would never do and I know that, I do, so why--"

Breathe. Breathe, you idiot.

"--and I don't know why, but my brain keeps convincing me that if I put it in my mouth it's going to taste horrible, and I know that's not true because I've tasted Mikey's food before and I just...I know I should be eating more than, like, two bites of it, I know, but I just can't, I'm trying to, but I just can't eat that big of....that's what the snacks were for, to try and force myself to eat, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm trying to be better and my STUPID brain won't-"

"Don. Don, hey, breathe for a sec, bud, okay? It's okay. Watch what I'm doin', okay? Try this. Make your hands into little fists, like this, see? Now squeeze and release...."

Right. One of the techniques that Raph had learned a long time ago, to try and control the anger issues he'd had as a young child. Maybe it would work with....oh. Hey. It actually did. That, combined with Maias's musical chirping as she sat in his arms, was actually helping him to regulate his breathing and keep his surging emotions to a low ebb instead. Saga inhaled, shakily, turning his gaze up to the ceiling and screwing his good eye shut. Breathe. Inhale, exhale. "I....I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No, Don, I'm sorry. We shoulda noticed that you weren't....none'a that's your fault, okay? 'M not a scientist, but I know brains are....weird sometimes. And I know you went through a lot. So you'll probably need reminded, but we're not gonna take your food away or punish you or think you're lettin' us down if you can't eat it. Okay? We'd just like you to say something about it, so we know. That's all."

"But I....I'm trying so....I'm disappointing Mikey, he probably thinks his food sucks and it doesn't, I'm sorry, I can't eat that big of....I want to, but my brain keeps saying it'll make me sick, so that's why I keep eating snacks but I didn't think it would....I--"

"So we can get Mikey to make you smaller portions and work you up to bigger ones. Okay? Whatever you need. You're allowed to have issues with food, but you're also allowed to eat whatever you want when you want it. Mikey'll understand."

".....It'll stop being this way eventually. I just. It's."

"I get it. Not a hundred percent, but I get it. Just....just maybe eat enough that this doesn't happen again, okay? We'll make you peanut butter toast. That's what Leo eats when he gets a stomach bug. Nice simple food."

"....that does sound nice. I....I'm. I won't scare you like this again. I promise. I was being dumb."

"You're okay. You're allowed to have good and bad days, okay?" Raph pulled him into a hug before he could stop him, chuckling at Saga's mock-offended squawk. "Just let us know about them sometimes, bud."

"I can do that. Thanks, Raphi---I mean. Raph."

"Awww. You called me Raphie again--"

"I did not! It's the IV fluids making me loopy!"

"Don, IV fluids don't make you loopy. Even I know that."

"Well, maybe I'm having a rare allergic reaction to them or someth--NO NOT THE NOOGIES ALRIGHT RAPH STOP MERCY--"

And as Raph put him into an affectionate, brotherly headlock to keep him from wriggling away, and as he sputtered in mock offense, Saga found that he suddenly didn't care so much about being a disappointment. About whether or not he was measuring up.

....Raph always knew just what to say, didn't he.

[mirceakitsune]

The great bunny insurrection

Happy Insurrection Day! Or in our case, insuwwection might be more appropriate. After getting approval from the secret service in my bedroom, I can finally share a broadcast and witness account of what truly happened on January 6th 2021 (if fucking only) and break the silence after two years. As CNN was busy spreading lies about sweet little Trumpy-Dumpy, the true forces of darkness tried erasing this to cover up da truth but hath failed. The bunny task force seen in this footage are some of our top agents: On that day they were on a mission to find the sewer valve in the basement of the main building, which upon pulling the plug would result in a giant whirlpool sucking everyone who works there inside... took us a while to realize they took draining the swamp a bit too literally. The job was made easy thanks to officials jumping in voluntarily, after a bun designated it the secret tunnel for politicians needing to flee their own people... guess you could say it self-drained! At the time it was unclear what had happened to the new president: Many thought he was still alive, others were more optimistic. The cries of little children, some as young as 60, could be heard echoing throughout the nation muffled only by their face masks. Just as liberals feared their bribes lobbying and Dominion voting machines were in vain, president Brandon reemerged from... you don't wanna know. He soon held a speech addressing a bunch of flags in an empty garden surrounded by tanks soldiers and barbwire fences, standard procedure in every human democracy for a fairly elected president. He was accompanied only by his good friend and owner Barack Osama and a famous singer known as Lady Caca. Little did the world know he was but a drone resembling president Letsgo, the real one still boiling in bunny hell shall we say. Due to the AI being programmed by a slob of a rabbit who used Windows Millenium on Gameboy hardware, he forgets who or where he is and malfunctions on a daily basis. Fortunately this matches the exact level of intelligence everyone expects from the president of America which helps divert any suspicion. Extra fans had to be installed on the exoskeleton under the suit after he overheated while attempting to read off a teleprompter and parsed the command line instructions as plain text, after which the pattern recognition identified a non-existent person and went on to shake hands with the air, raising concerns the components would melt and cause an explosion. Several tests were preformed consisting of smelling different womans hair samples while the gyroscope was calibrated by climbing up the stairs of various airplanes without falling, after which the droid was deemed strategically unfit once more. To this day the order of the naughty bunnies secretly rules over America... if fucking only.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:210112-Z-NI803-2562_(50884625323).jpg Le government, CC0: Image of the masked lunatics... sorry I mean lunetists, we call people who work with snipers that. It was a long day and the bunnies didn't have anything to eat. Daddy government was nice and handed it to me under the Public Domain so I took it from Wikipedia... they truly care for me after all!

https://polyhaven.com/a/ballroom Sergej Majboroda, CC0: Our makeshift US capitol cuz I'm too cheap to get a HDRI of the real one. I actually imagined this render looking a bit different with larger rooms, but since it's the best background I could find I had to improvise. You can still lay back close your eyes and imagine the politicians fleeing its corridors like ants as the people barge in... you can also do other things while imagining that, just saying.

https://blendswap.com/blend/12035 Hervert Pimentel, CC-BY: Original bun model. It was still screaming while being downloaded knowing what it will be used for. Only took 8 years to find and 8 days to redo almost completely: Proper IK new head shape particle fur and so on, at some point I'll probably put it on Blendswap. At the moment it's missing essential features for a cartoon bunny, such as exaggerated realism in the crotch area and a lovecraftian alien digestive system for no reason in particular.

https://blendswap.com/blend/19271 Jonas Dichelle, CC-BY: Model of the agent getting bunned throughout the building. He's seen shit in his life but nothing could prepare him for this. Like many artists on Blendswap, its author is currently curled up in a corner crying, regretting the day he ever posted the model. Obviously I'm just joking... I hope.

Render itself is CC-BY-SA MirceaKitsune. Share and repost this freely, or else I will insurrect your house when Donald Trump gives the signal by telling me to be peaceful and go home... hey it's not my fault he didn't specify which one! And of course you can help support my insanity on Patreon and Subscribestar, do it while you can before the former has me on the stake for progressive heresy:

https://patreon.com/MirceaKitsune https://subscribestar.adult/mirceakitsune

Posted using PostyBirb

[fuwushiguro]

Better Than a Milkshake

𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

Tomura Shigaraki x f!reader

Genre: Smut Notes: It just feels like something he'd be into tbh Warnings: 18+, consensual encounter, cheating, reader has a child, lactation kink, mommy kink, handjob (m receiving), bratty!Tomura, (does this count as dom!reader? idk), name calling, use of 'good boy', praise. Words: 1.6k

Shigaraki doesn’t envy anyone as much as he did Touya. How could he stop himself from feeling the agonising jealousy he feels coursing through him whenever he thinks about you? The girl Touya won over at college. The girl who’s virginity he took. The girl who let him knock her up. That’s the worst part of all, Tomura thinks. The fact that you’re bound together for life because of a fucking kid that looks exactly like his father. They’re identical. A perfect mini me. But you know all about Tomura’s jealousy. He gets so worked up about how things turned out between the three of you. You don’t regret being with Touya and you definitely don’t regret your child. But there is one thing that satiates his frustration for a few days.

He likes it when you play mommy.

And he loves it when he’s your baby.

He knows Touya is out. And whenever he knows for a fact your true lover is out of the picture, he bursts into your home as if he owns the place. You can’t quite remember why you and Touya decided to give him a spare key. But regardless, he doesn’t care that you have chores to do. He doesn’t care that your child is sleeping in his cot upstairs. You’re being pulled up the stairs by your wrist and forced into your bedroom.

The bed you share with Touya.

He thinks it’s funny, doing it here, where you fall asleep beside the supposed ‘love of your life’. But, do you fool around with other people when you’re meant to be in love? You only do it because he’s such a God damn brat. It makes him happy, calm. And it just makes all of your lives easier.

“Why is your shirt still on? Take it off.” he demands as he stares at your hideously plain t-shirt. Although the baby gave it a slight upcycle by covering it in food stains. “Now.” he adds, pulling his v neck over his head and beginning to unzip his trousers.

“Ask nicely, Tomura. You don’t barge into my home and start barking orders. I don’t have to do this, you know.” you remind him. You see a fleeting fearful gaze from burning red irises. You can’t do this to him. You can’t give him a means of satisfying the fiery jealous hatred seeping through his organs and then threaten to tear it away from him.

“Please.” he mumbles. “Take it off, please. I… need it. You. Need you—”

It was good enough, you thought. You followed his actions of pulling your shirt over your head and tossing it aside. He was at least relieved you had gone without a bra today. Your perfect milky tits flopped free. They’re even leaking a little. They must know he’s here. They must know how badly they’re needed, by him. If only Touya knew your offspring was sharing the gift your breasts provide with Tomura. What a filthy, cheating bitch you are.

You situate yourself on the left side of the bed. Your back is against the headboard and your legs are crossed. You pull a plump pillow into your lap for Tomura to rest his head. You curl your finger inviting him to join you, and you’re sure you can see a little drool at the corner of his mouth.

“C’mon baby, don’t you wanna take your pants off and let mommy take care of you?” you ask him, a warm smile on your face and bleaching through your words. He nods, excitedly, stepping out of his clothes and getting on the bed to join you. “Thaaaat’s it, there we go.” you coo as he gets comfortable exactly where you want him. He’s lying on his side facing your chest, legs spread open to reveal his aching red cock.

“They look… sore. Heavy.” Tomura comments as he looks at your nipples. The hardened buds positively red raw. He tweaks them, only a little, and you can’t help but hiss.

“Sensitive, careful now.” you explain. He nods.

“C-Can I help, please?” he asks, so sweetly, so nicely. You’d never believe this was the same man who entered your home unannounced and dragged you up here.

“Mhmn, I’d like that. What do you wanna do, baby?” you wonder. He clears his throat. His eyes are a little watery, it’s like he’s overwhelmed by the situation he’s in. As if you haven’t done this dozens of times before. He just loves it so much, you suppose.

“I wanna… I want to suck mommy’s tits.” he says, confidently. And yet despite his tone, he’s blushing. Face flushed red and looking prettier than ever. You take his cock in your hand and begin to masturbate him, his head falls back into the pillow and a hearty sigh flees from his lungs. “O-Oh, fuck.” he stutters.

“Gonna take care of you, make you feel so good. So do what you want to ‘em. Take what you can before you cum all over mommy’s hand, alright? No more milk after you cum, that’s the rule.” you tell him. There’s no weight behind it, of course. You love it when he suckles on you almost as much as he enjoys doing it. But the fear incentivises him to work harder. To do better.

“N-No fair,” he mutters.

“Wasting precious time, Tomura.” you whisper. You’re right.

He grabs a handful of your left breast while he latches onto the other. Your hand working his cock slows as the feeling of him nursing on you rushes straight to your cunt. The way he laps and laves over your nipple is intoxicating. He’s moaning into it, too, the vibrations feeling oh so sinfully good.

“Mmm, g-good boy, Tomura. Feels so good…” you mewl, lacing your fingers through silvery tufts of hair and pulling him closer into your chest. It’s unnecessary, you couldn’t get him away from your chest even if you wanted to. “Gonna make me cum just watchin’ you…” you laugh. He smiles into the fat of your chest. Teeth nibbling soft on the teat.

“Meant to be taking care of me, mommy. Not the other way around.” he reminds you. He’s right. You find your rhythm jerking him off again. The way his legs shake like a new born deer is truly delectable. His cock pulsing in your hand as he humps into your hold to gain more friction is a mouth-watering sight. There is drool at the corner of your mouth as you watch pearly pre leak from the tip.

“B-Baby, your cock is so big. So heavy. You’re gonna cum aren’t you? Poor thing, not gonna last while I’m touchin’ you like this.” you tease him. He shakes his head as he begins to suck at your opposite tit with more determination and ferocity than ever before.

“Not gonna—! P-Please, I don’t w-wanna… not yet. Slow down a l-little, I don’t want t-to.” he stammers over his words as he tries to hold back his impending orgasm. But you don’t slow down. Not even close. If anything, you’re going faster. His teeth are gritting and glittery tears freefall down his face as he feels himself getting closer and closer. “M-Mommy, please.”

“No Tomura, I want you to cum. Make a mess all over mommy’s hand. Be a good boy for me and cum right now.” you torment.

“N-No! Nggh—!” he moans as he betrays himself entirely. Balls tightening and releasing his pent up release everywhere. His sticky cream drooling all over your fist. His head falls back into the pillow on your lap as he twists and moans through his high. You brush his hair away from his face as he cums, getting a better view of the milk speckles around his mouth. He apologises again and again for cumming so quickly. And you do nought but shush him. Your velvety voice and melodic hums lull him into sleep. He came a lot. You’re not surprised he’s so tired.

You slip away downstairs to use the bathroom and clean yourself up a little. You can’t help but smile at yourself in the mirror. Both proud of yourself for how quickly you made Tomura cum, and feeling happy that you made him feel so good. You’re startled slightly when you hear your phone ring in the pocket of your sweatpants. No one calls you, except for him.

It's Touya.

“H-Hi, sweetheart. Is everything okay, how’s work?” you ask him, still panting and a little out of breath from working so hard to make Tomura orgasm.

“It’s alright, thought I’d check in with you. How’s the baby doing?” Touya wondered. You nod, smiling, even though he can’t see.

“He’s just napping upstairs, being a little angel as always.” you tell him. You hear a sweet chuckle in his recognisable tone hum down the line.

“Always, you’re right about that,” he nods, agreeing with your sentiment. “And how about the brat? I’m guessing he decided to pay a visit today since I’m out. Did you give it to him again?”

“I let him nurse on me and jerked him off. He didn’t last too long, he rarely does. But he’s napping now too.” you giggle.

“Fuckin’ incel. Alright, I’ve gotta go back to work so I’ll see you tonight when I get home. I love you.” he tells you, and it melts your heart to hear him say it. He’s so understanding. It was a great arrangement that you came to. You were both sick of Tomura being so pouty and miserable because he got the girl. Why not give him a little taste if it keeps everyone happy? What Tomura doesn’t know can’t hurt him.

“Okay, Touya. I might have to let him have another round if he wakes up grumpy… but I’ll just tell you about it when you come home. I love you, babe. So much.” you speak, bashfully. He clears his throat again, and you hear him tell his boss he’s almost done talking.

“’m feelin’ a little left out. Your tits must be dynamite. Maybe I’ll have to try when I come home.”

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