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can-of-pringles · 11 months

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King and Lionheart - Chapter 3

Rating: Teen and up audiences

Warnings: Nothing that’s not in the series.

Word Count: 5k.

Summary: Dream, Matthew, and Lee arrive in Hell.

Also Read On AO3

The dream sand surrounding them began to clear once they’d arrived in Hell. Dust gathered around their feet.

Lee ruffled her feathers as the thick fog hung around in the air. Her eyes widened at the sight of skeletal remains laying on the ground; practically embedded in the harsh terrain. Lee, as her raven self, felt small enough as was, but the vast wasteland around her doubled the anxious feeling. She tried sticking as close to Dream as he allowed, standing next to his boot and close to Matthew.

“So, Hell does exist?” Matthew asked, feeling worry in his chest.

“It does. For some,” Dream answered.

“Does that mean it doesn’t exist if you don’t believe in it?”

Dream paused to think of a response. “Did you believe in it? When you were a man?” He glanced down at him.

Matthew sighed. “Yeah. I just didn’t expect Hell to be cold.” He ruffled his feathers.

“I’m not sure what I was imagining… but not this. There’s no lava waterfalls or screams of agony,” Lee added.

Matthew gave her a wary look.

“Not that I want to see that! There’s just some stereotypes about Hell, that’s all. I guess they’re stereotypes for a reason,” Lee cawed.

“So, which way do we go?” He asked.

“I suggest we follow the damned.” Dream said.

“Now that sounds like stereotypically Hell.” She said, following the Endless’ gaze at the long winding path to the palace. Several people walked it; only illuminated by the baskets of fire they held over their heads as they trekked.

“They make you bring your own fire to Hell?” The bigger raven commented.

“Wow, that sucks.” Lee tilted her head.

“There are worse aspects to Hell.” Dream said.

“Okay, you have a point. Now, can we get a move on?” She exclaimed.

---

Dream and the ravens stood right outside the gates, watching as the damned lined up; still holding the flaming baskets.

“We’re not sneaking in with them?” Matthew asked.

“A king may not enter another monarch’s realm uninvited. There are rules, protocols which must be followed.”

“Oh, of course,” Lee muttered under her breath. She tried not to shudder at the sight of the corpse-made tunnel, each body appearing stuck together like a horrific puzzle.

Dream walked forward, not waiting for the hesitant ravens behind. They followed him into the tunnel.

One of the bodies stuck in the wall partially freed itself, causing Lee to jump and squawk in alarm. The corpse held the small mallet to ring the gong for the entrance. It handed the tool to Morpheus. The gong echoed as he rang it, causing all the frozen people to cover their ears in pain. Matthew glanced up at them, cautious of how they moved.

As they waited, Lee could hear thunderous footsteps getting closer to the gate. She tried to remain confident, keeping her feathers puffed out as a way to appear bigger than she actually was.

Dream turned once he heard the steps along with her, seeing a tall demon standing on the other side of the gate.

“There’s one at the door. At the gate of damnation.” The demon spoke. “Is it thief, thug, or whore? There’s one at the door. And there is room for one more. Till the end of creation.”

“Oh, so this is like a twisted version of Doctor Seuss, of course.” Lee thought, fighting off a sarcastic remark.

Dream walked forward through the tunnel toward the gate. “Greetings, Squatterbloat. I seek an audience with your sovereign.”

Squatterbloat chuckled. “And who you might be?”

“I am the King of Dreams. Ruler of the Nightmare Realms.”

“Mm. Yes, my clown. So where’s your crown?”

Morpheus scoffed, frowning at the insult. “Guard your tongue, demon. The Ruler of Hell will not be kind to one who insults an honored guest. And I am a guest in this realm as I am monarch of my own.”

“So where’s your ruby?”

Lee gasped, wondering if a fight was going to take place; though she struggled to imagine Dream actually fighting someone, at least finding it hard to believe he could successfully throw a punch. He just didn’t seem like the type.

Morpheus didn’t hide his shock well. It immediately turned to anger.

“Shall I use it to haunt your dreams? And your waking hours, too?” His tone lowered, appearing more threatening. He walked closer to the gate. “Or will you open the gates of Hell and let us through?”

After a minute, Squatterbloat grabbed his keys and unlocked the gate. He stepped back as the gates opened.

“Now, take us to the palace.” Dream requested.

“There’s one at the door. There’s one at the door.” Squatterbloat muttered. He led Dream in the direction of the palace. The Endless followed.

“There’s one at the door.”

---

Lee tried her best to dodge the bones and ignore how the dust and grime clung to her feathers. She followed next to Dream; Matthew walking slightly behind them, as they all followed Squatterbloat through the fog.

“Any idea where we are?”

“Yeah, good question, because it’s all starting to blend together.” She added.

“The landscape is subject to the whims of the Morningstar,” Morpheus said.

“The morning star? We have to spend the night in this literally godforsaken—” Matthew started complaining before Dream interrupted him.

“Lucifer Morningstar.”

“As in the Devil?”

“The Ruler of Hell is no mere devil.”

“So, you two know each other?”

“I just figured all you powerful guys knew each other or met like once.” If Lee could shrug at the moment, she would’ve.

“We’ve known each other for a very long time. When we first met, Lucifer was the angel Samael.” Dream explained.

“I forgot the Devil used to be an angel,” Matthew remarked.

“Not just any angel. The most beautiful, wisest, and most powerful of all angels. Saving only the Creator, Lucifer is, perhaps, the most powerful being there is.”

“Man… and we’re just going to their house basically at random…” Lee muttered under her breath. “What could go wrong?”

“More powerful than you?” The other raven continued asking questions.

“By far. Especially now.”

“Why now?”

“The last time I was here, I was an honored guest. An envoy from my own kingdom. This time, I have invited myself, and I lack my symbols of office.”

“We really are showing up uninvited! And you were the one to talk about rules and protocols,” Lee exclaimed, mostly out of worry.

Morpheus refrained from frowning. “I will handle this. You need not worry… A raven such as yourself poses no threat.”

“Thanks… I think?” Lee answered.

“But what about you…? You’re still Dream of The Endless, right? You got your sand,” Matthew said, mostly trying to reassure himself.

Morpheus halted all of a sudden, trying to see through the thick fog. He furrowed his brows and clenched his jaw.

“What’s wrong?” Matthew asked.

“Squatterbloat. He’s gone.”

Lee squawked. “What?! He ditched us?”

“All right, don’t panic. I’m just gonna fly up and see where we are.” Matthew opened his wings.

Dream’s gaze followed his flying, watching as he flew up near the trees.

“Nope, nope. Not doing that.” Matthew hovered for a second before landing on the ground again in defeat. There was no way he’d land on the trees covered with moaning corpses.

“What the… really? Tree bodies?” Lee huffed.

Dream turned when he heard the demon, seeing Squatterbloat appear right behind him.

“This way.”

Dream watched for a second before deciding to follow.

---

They traveled up a spiraling pathway, each step winding up higher. On the path, Squatterbloat crushed a skull into pieces under his foot.

“Reminder not to get close to that guy’s foot.” Lee thought.

It felt like they had been walking forever. Out of self-preservation, Lee had been mostly keeping her complaining to herself; trying to be on good behavior. One wrong move and who knew what could happen? She gets stuck in Hell or something. Maybe she’d find the lava waterfalls that way.

“I hadn’t realized how far away everything… is.” She sighed.

“Does this seem like the way to the palace to you?” Matthew asked.

Dream placed his hand against the wall as he continued walking. “A demon has a hundred motives for anything he does. All of them malevolent.”

“Demon.” He got Squatterbloat’s attention, causing him to stop and look back. “This is not the way.”

The demon only chuckled at the accusation. He continued, leaving Dream feeling more suspicious. Despite that, the Endless kept following.

A familiar voice came from one of the gaps in the structure, covered in mangled bars. Dream stopped in his tracks.

“Kai’ckul?”

He froze. His expression gave away the shock he felt. That was a name he hadn’t been called in ages.

“Dream Lord?” The voice belonged to a woman. She sounded just as surprised as he felt.

The stranger walked toward the exposed part, placing her hand on the bar. Her eyes widened at the sight of him.

She gasped. “It is you.”

Her perception of him differed from his usual appearance. His skin was now a similar dark tone to hers. His hair was longer.

“I greet you, Nada,” Kai’ckul spoke, remaining calm in her presence

“Kai’ckul.” Nada whispered in awe. The flames behind her flickered brightly. “How I have prayed for this day.”

Squatterbloat watched the interaction, enjoying seeing the Dream Lord uncomfortable; confronting someone from his past.

“I knew you would come.” There was hope in her voice.

He hesitated for a minute, knowing he would not be the savior she was looking for.

“It pains me to see you like this.”

The flames illuminated the tear streaks on her face. “Then, free me, Lord.”

Kai’ckul remained silent, still too focused on the hurt she caused him all those years ago.

“Only your forgiveness can free me.” She continued. Another tear ran down her face.

Matthew glanced up at them, watching in silence at the two’s discussion.

Lee stood close by, her raven self acting on the urge to tilt her head in curiosity. She looked away for a minute, wondering how much she should’ve been listening.

“Do you not still love me?”

“It has been ten thousand years, Nada.” He stated.

Nada grimaced. Her chest ached as more tears ran down her face. Her bottom lip trembled as she fought back more tears. She glanced down, not able to look into his eyes.

“Yes.”

That response caused her to look up at him. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“I still love you,” Kai’ckul admitted.

She faintly smiled, hoping he’d finally forgive and free her.

He shook his head. “But I have not yet forgiven you.”

Nada’s flicker of hope turned into a flame of anger. She looked away from him, furrowing her brows and clenching her teeth.

Kai’ckul struggled to hold back his own tears. He turned away.

“Come, Matthew, Lee.” Dream, now appearing as he usually did, began to walk away from Nada.

“Kai’ckul, I will not give up hope.” She exclaimed. “I will never give up.” Her voice sounded farther away the more they walked on. Fading into the background.

The demon continued leading the Endless and ravens.

---

The landscape remained relatively the same. Same thick fog and the sky was tinted with a dull grey. Though the forest was thin, fewer trees grew where they were.

Dream and the two ravens walked in silence. One thing that the two birds had in common at the moment was the millions of questions they had in their minds. Matthew was brave enough to ask first.

“So, that woman back there. Anything you wanna share with your friends?” Matthew asked.

Lee waited for his response, curious about what had happened between them.

“Her name is Nada. She was the ruler of a tribe that call themselves the First People.” Dream explained. He became silent again, struggling to speak of the past. “We were in love.”

If only Lee had her eyebrows in this form, she would’ve raised them.

“I didn’t know your kind even had relationships and dating…” She spoke.

Dream glanced down at her.

“Though I guess when you’re living for that long, it’s nice to be with others,” Lee concluded.

“It can be.” He stated, not commenting on it further.

“So, what did she do? How’d she end up here?” Matthew continued asking questions.

“She defied me.”

“Wait. You put her here?” His tone revealed shock.

Lee nearly tripped on a stick in the path. She recovered quickly, flapping her wings to help with balance. Dream of the Endless was powerful, yes, but it had never crossed her mind he would put someone in Hell; let alone someone he claimed to have loved. Her mouth felt dry, and she glanced away.

“The Morningstar is letting me know that Hell has prepared for my visit.” Dream said.

They came to a stop.

“Why are we stopping?”

Squatterbloat turned back to face Dream for a moment. He passed by him, leaving Dream to continue on his own with the ravens.

“We’re here,” Morpheus spoke.

The grand palace was seen in the distance.

---

After walking the long winding path up to the palace, they finally made it to the door. It stood tall over them, resembling a pentagram.

“Don’t know why you’d need a door this tall, who are they keeping in there? Godzilla?” Lee sighed. Her feet ached from the long journey.

“Oh, please, no. We don’t need to see a giant lizard.” Matthew shuddered.

“I was joking. Mostly.” She replied.

Dream walked up to the entrance, looking up at it. The door started to open, and the ground trembled as it did. Blood pooled out of the bottom of it, causing both birds to open their wings and fly, circling above Dream as they made it inside.

It went dark as soon as it closed behind them.

Luckily, the tunnel they were in was lit up by torches. Stairs led up to the throne room, where the being they had been waiting for stood. Lucifer. They stood with their black wings out, looking over a fire pit. Dream walked up the stairs, each step precise. Too small, Matthew and Lee simply hopped up instead.

Dream stood. He kept his hands folded in front of him. Lucifer turned around. Their white dress seemed to shine, a stark contrast to their black bat-like wings.

“Hello.” They greeted, walking down some small steps from the balcony. They reached their arm out toward the fire rising from the pit in the middle.

Lucifer stood in front of Dream, looming over him. Their light blond curls of hair framed their face.

“Hello, Dream.”

“Greetings to you, Lucifer Morningstar.”

His eye glanced towards Lucifer’s partner, Mazikeen, standing near the shadows. “And to you, Mazikeen of the Lillim.”

“Greetings, Dream Lord.” She acknowledged, turning her head to reveal the more hidden side of her face; burned in appearance.

“You look well, Dream. Are you well? And your family, Destiny, Death, Despair, and the others?” They smiled coyly.

Morpheus showed a rare, faint smile, slowly shaking his head. “I presume the Ruler of Hell knows this is no social call.”

“Have you come to join forces, then?” They tilt their head slightly. “To ally your realm to ours?”

Mazikeen smiled shyly.

“To acknowledge the sovereignty of Hell?” Lucifer added.

“You know my feelings on that, Lightbringer.” He kept his tone mostly lighthearted, not trying to get into a fight about it.

“Feelings change. Especially when one has been caught and imprisoned by mortals.” They recalled.

Dream stood in silence.

“We expected better of you, sweet Morpheus.” They put on a particularly sickly sweet tone, taunting him.

“I have come because my Helm of State was stolen from me. I believe one of your demons has it. I should like it back.” He explained.

Lucifer blinked at his straightforwardness.

“Now.” His tone was intimidating.

“Dream, if only it were that easy.”

He furrowed his brows in annoyance.

“But there are rules, you see. Protocols which must be followed.” Lucifer continued.

Lee looked up at Dream, remembering the similar words he said about that earlier.

Dream kept a polite expression, smiling to hide the anger inside.

“Which demon has your helm?” They turned away and moved toward the balcony. “Name it and we will bring it here.”

“I confess I do not know the name.”

They stood on the balcony, looking below into the pit of demons and fire. “Then we will have to summon all of them.”

They made a following motion with their hand, commanding the demons to come closer. At a distance, Dream stood next to Lucifer, looking down at the loud and fiery pit of demons.

“There, now, Dream, you may inquire. Which demon has your helmet?”

The only thing that could be heard were the screams below.

“Shall we interview them one at a time, or…”

Dream looked at Lucifer. “That won’t be necessary.”

He started walking past them. Lucifer stared below for a moment before they turned their head to look at Dream. They then shared a knowing look with Mazikeen. Lucifer turned around toward Dream as he walked away.

“It surprises us how easily you would give up, Dream. We know how you relied upon your tools.”

He stopped.

“But tools are the subtlest of traps.” They moved forward. “We become reliant upon them and in their absence, we are vulnerable, weak, defenseless.”

Lee eyed them suspiciously.

Morpheus looked back out of the corner of his eye. “Not entirely.” He glanced down and pulled out his pouch of sand from his pocket. He crouched down on one knee.

“I have recovered my sand.” He poured some out. “It brought me to Hell and now it brings that which is mine in Hell to me.” He stopped pouring.

Lucifer stood unpleased, frustrated at the Endless’s loophole.

The sand whirled up like before, transporting the past demon that took his helmet. Dream stood back up. The demon looked around before turning around to face Dream. In his hands was the helmet.

“Tell me your name, demon.”

“Do I have to tell him?”

“That is Choronzon. A Duke of Hell.” Lucifer informed.

“Choronzon…” Morpheus glared. “The helm is mine. You must return it to me.”

He shook his head. “No. It’s mine now. I traded it from a mortal for a paltry thing. It was a fair trade. I’ve broken no laws.”

Dream frowned.

“And if the Dream King wants his helm back,” he walked forward, “he will have to fight me for it.”

Dream subtly nodded. “Very well. I challenge you, Choronzon.”

“You know the rules, Dream Lord.” The demon chuckled.

“If I win, you will return my helmet.” Dream recited them.

“And if you lose, you’ll serve as my slave in Hell for eternity,” Choronzon smirked.

He went silent, thinking it over.

“I accept the terms.”

Both birds showed their surprise, cawing.

Lee felt fear in the pit of her stomach. It wasn’t that she thought he couldn’t handle it, but it was such a dangerous deal.

“And whom will you choose to represent you in the battle?” Lucifer asked.

“I shall represent myself.”

“Choronzon, whom will you choose to represent you?”

He faced Dream, treading on his personal space. Dream stared back at him.

“Hmm… I choose you, sire.”

Lucifer smiled, looking forward to the challenge.

Dream remained silent as Lucifer walked behind him. They now appeared to be wearing a similar outfit, but in black.

“Apologies, Dream, but the laws of Hell demand that I become his champion.”

He looked at them.

“But if you would not fight me.”

Dream looked back at Choronzon.

“I have accepted the terms.” He turned back toward Lucifer, his clothes changed similarly as well.

“What is this, a fashion show? Battle of who can be the most emo?” Lee whispered to Matthew, getting a hush in response. She understood, not wanting neither Dream nor Lucifer to overhear.

“Let the challenge begin.” Dream spoke. He stood face to face with Lucifer, looking up at them.

---

Now standing on the balcony, Choronzon held the helm up to show the cheering demons below. “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Today, for your entertainment and delectation, a formal challenge.”

The cheering grew louder.

“The challenger is Dream.”

The demons booed.

“Once the Master of the Realm of Sleep.”

Dream looked back at the ravens, getting an idea. Conveniently, Matthew cawed to get his attention.

“As the challenged, I’ve selected my champion, Ruler of Hell, Lucifer Morningstar…” Choronzon continued.

Dream followed Matthew and Lee back to the stairs.

In the background, the demons cheered Lucifer. They smiled. Mazikeen cheered as well.

“...To represent me in a contest of skill, confidence, and transformation. The oldest game.” The Duke explained.

The demons cheered more.

Dream crouched down in front of the ravens, away from the loud cheering.

“Matthew, Lee, I need you two to return to The Dreaming.”

“What? No!” Matthew protested.

“Why?” Lee questioned.

“It’s the only reason I allowed you both to come here.” His tone grew more frantic.

“So we could leave you?” Matthew exclaimed.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…” Lee worried.

“If I should not be able to leave this place, I would not have Lucienne left alone with no word of my fate. Not again.”

“The sand will take you back,” Dream explained.

“I’m not going back.” He stomped his foot. “We’re staying right here.”

“That’s right!” Lee added.

Lucifer appeared behind them. “Morpheus, am I interrupting a preliminary bout of some kind?”

Dream looked up at them.

“Just a ringside pep talk, Your Majesty.” Matthew bowed.

“Mmhm.” Lee agreed, maintaining her best behavior.

Dream looked at the ravens again.

“We came here for the helm and we’re not leaving without it.” Matthew insisted.

“We shall see.” Lucifer smiled.

Lee glanced warily at them before looking away again, trying not to shudder in their presence.

Before Dream could argue more with the birds, they flew back towards the main area; landing on top of one of the columns.

He stood back up, an annoyed expression on his face due to the ravens not listening to his instructions.

The cheering below seemingly rumbled around the room, clear excitement for the challenge.

“I guess this is all the entertainment they get down here? I could think of worse punishment for them, like watching Riverdale or something…” Lee muttered, watching from above.

“River-what?” Matthew asked.

“Doesn’t matter. Be glad you don’t know what that is.”

“As the challenged, I set the meter and take the first move,” Lucifer spoke. They stood face to face with Dream, preparing for the game.

“Very well. Make your move.” Dream responded.

Lucifer remains silent, thinking of what to start with.

“I am… a dire wolf. Prey-stalking, lethal prowler.” Lucifer smiled.

The Endless prepared for his move. “I am a hunter.”

“Wait a minute, I… I don’t understand. They’re just describing things?” Lee whispered to Matthew, who tilted his head in response.

“I don’t know. Maybe they can see something we can’t.” He suggested.

“I just don’t understand how this is entertaining.” She sighed.

“Horse-mounted. Wolf-stabbing.” Dream continued.

As he described in the attack, Lucifer received the injury. They bent over slightly, groaning in pain. Mazikeen had a worried expression on her face.

“What the… so they can feel the attacks?” Lee sounded baffled.

“I guess so?” The other raven said.

“So that means he can be hurt…” She tried keeping the fear out of her voice.

Morpheus stared at Lucifer. There was a bit of blood in their palm from the wound in their chest. They clenched their fist, looking back up at Dream. He blinked, preparing himself for what they’d throw at him.

“I am a serpent. Horse-biting…”

In their game, a snake slithered out of the shadows; biting the leg of the horse, causing it to neigh and rear up in alarm.

“...Poison-toothed.”

Affected by the venom, Dream gasped; appearing slightly sickly.

The two ravens watched in fear. Lee paced a little.

“I am a bird of prey.” His turn was next. “Snake-devouring, talons ripping.”

Lucifer flinched from the pain. They gasped as they felt cuts on their cheek. They looked up at Dream, feeling anger boiling inside.

“I am a butcher bacterium.”

Dream widened his eyes in surprise.

“Warm-life destroying.”

He fell to the ground on his knees, groaning in pain.

Lucifer smiled.

Lee almost let out a caw but refrained, not wanting to somehow get Dream in more trouble.

Morpheus looked up at Lucifer. His skin appeared paler than usual, almost grey. He had multiple open wounds.

“Are we really just going to stand by and watch this?” Lee hissed to Matthew.

“We have to! We don’t have a choice.”

“Well… it’s hard to watch.” She fretted.

“I know, kid.” Matthew sighed.

“I am a world.” Dream rasped.

In the game, they stood in an open grass field; vast. There was the sound of life thriving in the background.

“Space-floating, life-nurturing.” Now appearing as he usually does, Dream stood opposite of them.

“I am a nova.” Lucifer opened their wings. “All-exploding, planet-cremating.”

Their attack involved a huge fire crashing down, causing Dream to shield his face. In the game, he was destroyed. As he screamed, skin burning, Lucifer stood perfectly fine; fire appeared behind them.

Dream fell to the ground, severely burned. Everything around him appeared to be a wasteland. He tried to get up but failed.

“I am a universe.” He whispered with his little remaining strength. “All things encompassing, all life embracing.”

“I am anti-life.” Lucifer countered. “The Beast of Judgement.”

Everything in Dream’s vision turned to darkness.

“The dark at the end of everything.” They finished.

Outside of the game, Dream lay collapsed on the floor; almost corpse-like in appearance. Lucifer stood in front of him.

“No!” Lee whispered.

“What will you be then, Dream Lord?”

Dream’s breath trembled. He barely had the strength to move, struggling to sit up.

“I…”

He collapsed again. Lucifer didn’t hide their triumphant expression.

“I…” His voice was barely audible. “I…”

“Oh, that’s it!” Lee flew down. Matthew followed. They walked toward Dream.

“Boss?” Matthew sounded worried, standing in front of his face.

“Dream?” Lee tried nudging his arm with her beak, feeling fear in her chest.

“Hey, boss!”

“Still with us, Dream?” Lucifer taunted.

“He is, and it’s his move, Your Majesty,” Matthew asserted, sounding challenging at first. When he remembered who he was talking to, he eased off the arguing tone; bowing his head.

“There are no more moves. What can survive the anti-life?” They pointed out.

Lee held off the urge to glare at them, instead focusing her attention on trying to help Dream.

“Hey, boss. Listen to me. You know what can survive the anti-life? You.” Matthew started. “Dreams don’t fucking die. Not if you believe in them, and I believe Dream of the Endless would never leave his ravens here alone, in Hell with Lucifer.”

“Please, Dream. Get up!” Lee pleaded.

He glanced up at Lucifer.

“I… am…”

Using all of his remaining energy, Dream slowly got back up. The ravens watched, relieved he wasn’t done yet. They both cawed.

“Hope.” Dream uttered.

Lucifer stared, displeased. Light shone brightly as Dream slowly stood back up, face to face with them.

“Hope.” They repeated.

Dream now appeared his usual healthy self. Light shined behind him before it eventually faded. Lucifer seemed surprised at his strength to recover.

“Well, Lightbringer? It’s your move.”

Lucifer furrowed their brows, grimacing.

“What is it that kills hope?” He asked.

They stayed silent.

Lucifer looked at the Duke. “Choronzon, give him his helm.” Their tone was angry. Upset at their loss.

“No. I won’t.” He backed up toward the balcony.

Mazikeen walked toward him, looking happy to cast him back down below.

“It’s mine. Please.” He begged.

Mazikeen grabbed the helmet in one hand and grabbed him into a chokehold with the other. Choronzon struggled in her grasp. The demons cheered, not caring either way as long as they got entertainment in some shape or form.

Mazikeen smiled and dropped him. He fell into the pit, screaming. Mazikeen walked closer to the edge and watched.

Dream walked toward her and glanced down at his helm in her hand. She turned around and handed it back. He accepted it and gives her a short nod in return.

“Thank you, Mazikeen.”

She walked back from the balcony. His gaze followed her and then Lucifer.

“Thank you, Lightbringer. The Ruler of Hell is honorable, indeed. I will not forget this,” Dream spoke.

“Honorable?” They fumed. “You joke, surely.”

Lucifer walked near him. “Look out there, Morpheus.”

He looked back into the pit.

“The billion Lords of Hell stand arrayed about you.” They stood next to him, then turned to look at him face to face. “Tell us. Why should we let you leave?”

Lee’s heart raced. The game was fair. Why were they still challenging him?

Dream stared at them.

“Helmet or no, you have no power here. After all… what power have dreams in Hell?” Lucifer pondered aloud.

He remained silent, thinking of how to respond.

“You say I have no power here.” Going along with it, he nodded shortly; a slight frown in confirmation. “Perhaps you speak truly.”

“But to say dreams have no power in Hell…” He started. His tone was confident. “Tell me, Lucifer Morningstar,”

They glanced down at him, feeling the anger rise.

“What power would Hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream…” Morpheus leaned closer, threatening their personal space to intimidate them. “...Of Heaven?”

Lucifer ignored the urge to fight. However, their expression didn’t hold their anger back. They stay silent.

“One day, Morpheus… we shall destroy you.” They vowed.

Dream tilt his head and bowed slightly, confidently accepting the threat like it wasn’t a huge deal. He smirked. “Until that day, Lightbringer.”

He turned away to leave, leaving an angered Lucifer behind. Now holding what he came there for, he walked out of the palace.

The ravens followed.

---

“You did it! I can’t believe you—well, I can believe, it’s just that… you were awesome!” Lee cheered once they were far enough away. She flew around him before settling on the ground.

They stood on the outskirts of Hell. The wind blew around them.

“I’m so glad you didn’t die or lose. I… um, I got really scared for a second.” She confessed. “But you won!”

“I thank you for not losing faith in me.” Dream replied.

“You think Lucifer will come after you?” Matthew asked.

“Why?”

“Because you just publicly humiliated the Ruler of Hell.”

“Yeah, you did roast them pretty good,” Lee snickered.

“No. Not for now, at least…” Dream said.

The Endless finally placed his helmet on, remembering the familiar feeling of wearing it.

“Can you even see in that thing?” Matthew asked.

“He has a valid point. You look like one of those Kiwi birds, except more… edgy,” Lee added.

He ignored her comment.

“I can see the ruby.” His voice was muffled.

Using the pouch of sand, he teleported them out of there.

---

The sand took them to some sort of storage container full of all sorts of crates and things. The two ravens landed on a shelf.

“Weird…” Lee whispered.

Dream took off his helm. There was a glowing red light coming from a box on the shelf.

“Is that it?” She asked. “It sure is… bright.”

Matthew tapped the box with his beak. Dream took a cautious step forward. He grabbed the box and set it down on the ground. He ripped off the lid, relieved to see the ruby inside; glowing. He picked it up.

“Ooh,” Lee exclaimed. “No wonder you wanted that gem back.”

The ruby glowed more, giving off a strange aura. Morpheus furrowed his brows in concern.

“Something’s wrong.”

“What?” Matthew fretted.

The ruby in his palm glowed brighter. “Someone’s altered it.”

Before he could do anything, it glowed and its altered power launched them all back. Dream crashed into boxes behind him.

---

John opened one of the storage container doors, walking in. He approached cautiously, finding the glowing ruby on the ground. He picked it up and continued walking forward. Both Dream and the ravens lay on the ground, unconscious.

Matthew started to wake up, groaning from the pain. The door creaked shut. Matthew managed to get up, shaking it off. The lock on the door clicked. He glanced at Lee, still lay unmoving. He pecked at her to wake up.

Lee awoke with a start. She jumped up and ruffled her feathers. “What the fuck just happened?”

“I don’t know. One second he was just holding the ruby, and then now we woke up.” Matthew said. “Well, some of us woke up…”

Lee groaned in pain. Her eyes widened at the sight of Dream laying still unconscious.

The birds worked together to try to wake him up. Matthew nudged his arm and Lee pulled on his coat.

“Boss. Boss!”

“Wake up!”

#the sandman #lee quinn #the sandman netflix #the sandman oc #dream of the endless #morpheus #the sandman fanfic #the sandman fanfiction #sandman fanfic #sandman fanfiction #sandman oc #matthew the raven #lucifer morningstar #original character #ocappreciation #allaboutocs #my writing #pringles writing

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bilbobagginshome · 1 year

Text

A Deadbeat’s Journal 20

A Jotaro Kujo x Blackfemreader

Jotaro’s thoughts,

The drive was long but unwinding. I felt the cooling breeze after the three hour drive and absolutely enjoyed the increasing lack of traffic as I drove.Reaching the hotel though is the most relieving . I park, observing the lot.I notice a distinct quietness, only six cars parked and I’m even happier that y/n rightfully thought that the tourism season has just ended.

I think it would be best to just rest today. It's already approaching lunch and the aroma of grilled fish dances around my nostrils. The receptionist checks me in and confirms that the lunch buffet is ready. The room is wonderful with a large spacious and most importantly with a balcony overlooking the beachview. Just as I had confirmed with the virtual room tour.Complimentary fruits that y/n would have begun snacking on are nicely displayed in a sisal basket that she would have insisted we take home.

After a cooling shower and changing to a simple slightly oversized white dress shirt and white linen trousers with some flip flops , I head to the lunch room .There are quite a few more people than I expected, a family of six in one corner who were in calm discussions, two white americans who were loudly conversing although based on the continuous fluctuations of their voices, it seems that they are constantly attempting to adjust their volumes.In the middle sat a older white man who was with his trophy wife, a black woman, considering their rings. The wife shamelessly stares at me. I feel queasy .

I head to the barbeque section , choosing lobster and the mouth watering barbequed mackerel that I had wafted earlier.They offered mashed potatoes and this thick gravy that seemed good enough so I smothered it around my food. Looking back , I discover a vacant seat away from the crowd and as soon as I sit down and only a few bites into my food, one of the Americans comes beside me.

First of all, who approaches someone in the middle of their lunch? Maybe in the pool or even whilst taking a walk but not when one is attempting to alleviate their hunger. Secondly, I absolutely hate that aside from my brooding nature, I also got my good looks from Sadao.

“Hi. I’m Mikayla and you are?” She enthusiastically questions. Now that she’s closer, her voice seems the pitcher of the pair and her valley girl accent makes my teeth knaw.

“Jotaro.”I hope I put enough ‘stop talking to me’ energy in my tone but rather than that , she pulls the chair opposite me.

“Oh how exotic, Are you Japanese?”

“Yes.”

“What are you doing here?”

I answer honestly which leads to an unprompted Ted like talk on how beautiful Kenya is. She isn't wrong and I would have entertained her were I not only hungry but also tired from driving non-stop for three hours. My listless hums seem only to propel her loud mouth and despite the lovely made food, I keep gulping a bitter taste. After the end of another rant, she questions,

“And why are you here alone? I wouldn’t have been able to travel alone.” Her voice suggests faux concern.

“My wife was busy and I left her in Mombasa.”I lie and I can see her eyes sharpen in disbelief and slight annoyance.

“Wife? Who is she then, can I see her?” She asks coyishly though I know she has begun a battle to figure out whether I’m lying . I know that I shouldn’t prove her wrong but for a moment I imagine introducing y/n as my wife and the woman beside me seething with jealousy at the absolute beauty she is so I willingly show her my homescreen of y/n sleeping alongside Samosa.

By now, the family of six quiet mummerings had all but dimmed to listen to our conversations and from the corner of my eye notice the teens silently chuckle at my uninvited guest’s unmasked shock.

“Well I’ll let you carry on with lunch.” She says whilst rising , schooling her face to hide the obvious embarrassment she feels at attempting to flirt with a married man. I go on to add another helping . This time getting some potato wedges and ribs. Suddenly the food no longer has a grey aftertaste and after filling myself with sweets . I head for an afternoon nap.

* * *

Waking up to a wonderful evening breeze is literally luxury living . I don’t think I’d get over the beach even though my apartment is just another beach house.After washing my face , I head to the beach bar and order a tequila to warm me up as the breeze is even more chilling once you leave the room . There are quite a few more people at the beach, most however are not from the hotel . A group of teens are playing beach volleyball. Others are swimming in the deeper areas of the beach whereas some have decided to lounge in the hotel's white gazebos . The Americans seem annoyed at my appearance and whisper to themselves as I lounge. I don’t care. She embarrassed herself when she came over.

I picked up the book y/n gave me and it's so engrossing I didn’t even realise that it was almost dinnertime. One of the staff jolts me back to reality and with a teasing smile, reminds me of the approaching hour. Walking around the hotel while reading would be hindering in more ways than one so I bookmark the page, surprisingly I’m almost halfway done. Granted it's a light novel but still.

I notice the same group as lunchtime, with a few more guests who are only here for the dinner course.The barbeque is even more abundant and the seafood buffet even more appetising .This time I opt for some macaroni and cheese with shrimp , prawns and another mackerel. A salad just to balance out the carbs and I’m off to the table with my room number. I reply to the trophy wife’s husband nod and continue reading my book while eating . Luckily it went without a hitch ,I enjoyed the varying beverages, surprised by the sweet tasting bungo juice and plan to recreate it on my own at home.

As I drift off , I think that I should call her. She seemed a bit sad and the guilt is beginning to settle in. But I need this time away, not only to sort my feelings but to understand where I’m headed in my career. I feel somewhat disillusioned, there is a lot more paperwork than I expected. Moreover, grant organisers are controlling , only interested in the underlined project and are unwilling to be flexible whenever other obstacles or more aid is needed until relentless nagging on my part.The Speedwagon Foundation has been beneficial in connecting me in many aids but I’m tired of it to be honest . I’m not fulfilled nor happy with my current position. I’m thinking that as my grant ends, I should just do research work. The classmates I recently phoned who do freelance research projects seem more fulfilled and besides the huge pay cut , it has little cons. Moreover, I have more than enough to sustain myself. Mom , Dad and Gramps have been funnelling millions in my trust fund since I was a child not to mention my personal investments.

But y/n . She needs me doesn’t she? Or would she be willing to move around with me?But knowing her, she’d need a powerpoint presentation as to why we should live a nomadic lifestyle. Also, a ring. Do I love her enough to willingly spend the rest of my life with her? The fact I’m questioning this is enough of an answer. I know she won’t willingly go with me nor will she stop me. I don’t expect her to wait for me. Why am I even thinking of marriage when I haven’t even taken her on a date yet. Wait, maybe she doesn’t even see me romantically But that’s on her for making me develop feelings for her . She shouldn’t have created domesticity in the quiet home. She shouldn't have made us parents . She shouldn’t be attentive whenever I speak, offer solid advice whenever I’m anxious and smile whenever she gets the dry jokes that others usually don’t.

I love her. But I love myself too.

* * *

That instructor guiding me in Kayaking this fine morning is an equally fine man. Dark, a tad short yet has that lean muscle that is always appreciated and a smile that almost rivals y/n. You can feel the warmth as he guides the interracial couple to their raft and instructs on the least stressful way to row the boat . The boats are two seaters and he kindly seats ahead of me for I am alone. Why is me being alone both cringy and embarrassing ?

He says we are to row to the point where the smaller silky sharks begin residing and at first,it seemed simple but my muscles begin to wear out .The boat is also small and I need to slightly squeeze myself and balance lest the boat will topple over. Moments like this are when I despise my height. Anyway, after a few mishaps from the others, we row back now. I'm facing the approaching shore and he is repeatedly praising my form . If he wasn’t so glaring straight, I would have flirted.

Everyone removes themselves from the safety garments as though they have offended them somehow. After having casual small talk , he says that he knows a guy that can rent him a yacht and teach me how to operate one.After thanking him, I head back to the hotel alongside the other group and after a quick rise dive into the pool. I’m glad this pool is deep enough to dive in . I’ve always hated the usual no diving policy that littered the hotels in Mombasa. Y/n barely knows how to dive and I’ve told her it's because of those policies. If you are building a pool just to make it deep enough to dive, the whole appeal of swimming is also attempting to dive as well as an olympic diver.

Anyways enough about my rant, the two teens who have approached me , fraternal twins fittingly called Andy and Candy want to learn how to dive and after a glance from their smiling parents who nod in approval, I teach them the basics, by the time lunch rolls by , they are practically better than me. The flexibility of youth.

“So Mr Kujo, what do you do?”Candy asks as we approach the buffet this time held outside.

“I’m a marine biologist and just call me Jotaro, you are ageing me with the Mr”

“Ok Jotaro. But what does a Marine biologist do, like anatomy work? I thought we already knew everything about the ocean.” She curiously peers at me , a pout of confusion.

“Well, we are in the midst of a global warming that could be irreversible, our work is to ensure things like coral reefs and what sustains the ecosystem of the oceanic environment plus her inhabitants are not damaged due to this.”I explain, hoping I don’t come off as preachy as I approach their table.

“So that means like work.”Andy responds

“Alot of it” and they groan in despair.

They explain that since joining form 1 , all they have been told is to start choosing their career path and they feel overwhelmed. After a formal introduction to their family , we sit down . The oldest two, another boy and girl, though not twins , are in their second and third year of University. Angel does Accounting and finance whereas John does Business Commerce.

“So, Marine Biology , does it pay?” The patriarch asks with a auto lilt on his voice

“Yeah, if you have grants coming in, which I’m fortunate enough to have.”

“But you need connections to get your applications approved.”The mother considers with a gentle yet deeper voice.

“True.You can’t get far without necessary links and to create such links for some it takes years.”

“Okay enough about that boring talk. I’m on holiday. Why did you not chat up the pretty woman that was talking to you yesterday?” Andy mischievously questions and his older brother, Mwashigadi smacks his head , but not without a slight smirk that was immediately hidden .

“Yeah, She seemed interested.We couldn’t hear all you guys said but we definitely heard her whispering to her friend about how hot you are.”The oldest sister,Chanel, brazenly adds to which Candy eyes her with a disapproving look.

“Well , I’m married.” I lie and the table seems shocked at the revelation. I can feel y/n’s slight tug on the ear at once again misrepresenting our relationship but I can’t lie, she does the same thing and it's a solid enough lie.They ask to see the famed ‘Mrs Kujo’ and I unlock my screen to show them.

“Hold on , and she’s Kenyan too , Jotaro, you just keep surprising us.” Chanel nods at Andy who claims that she's ‘very beautiful’. It feels like a warm towel was on my heart with the way they ogle at her beauty.. I told them that she was a lawyer and the compliments kept flooding in . Martha, the mom, handed me her business card for she works as a consultant in the field.

After slight banter, I leave the hall early, promising the kids to dive one more time with them. I head back to get the book , some shades , a towel and a bucket hat. After reapplying the sunscreen and placing the business card in my suitcase . I head out.

I taught the twins a few more diving skills and as they were content, they let me off their shackles to continue reading by the beach and by the time the lamps of the gazebo are switched on, I’m reading the end of the book. Somewhat ironic she gave me this book unknowing that I’m mulling over making a personal change myself.

Mr Handsome Instructor approaches me and says that he has acquired the yacht for the remaining days of my stay for three hours a day at a considerable rate.I approve of this and he questions why learning how to steer a boat. To be honest, I just want to learn something new and I tell him so. Though somewhat unconvinced , Mutisye shrugs in acceptance and leaves for home after closing up the kayak warehouse.

While dining with the twins' family, they inform me that they were headed to Watamu early in the morning . I exchange numbers with the parents and Candy who is mildly interested in what I do and after another lighthearted dinner filled with funny anecdotes the twins supply on boarding life in high school including a potential arson incident,they bid me goodbye as we head to our respective rooms.

I decide to journal. I bought a small book back in Mombasa and I vividly recall y/n journaling a few times and I thought I should do the same. Reading what I write feels like uncasing my deepest thoughts and it feels relieving . Though still unsure, I know that I don't what my career path to be stagnant and it should evolve as my interests continue to develop.

Third Person Narration.

Jotaro woke up a bit later than expected though not too late to miss breakfast and be late for his boat lessons.He felt the hotel emptier now that his friends had left but the breakfast was absolutely delightful and he was grateful that the chef who was making personalised eggs, had made his omurice perfectly though he did question if eating it with bread is still omurice or just omu.

After a stomach filling breakfast, he quickly headed to the gym for a light workout.He didn’t get those muscles just for them to deflate during the vacation.After the gym, he headed to the beach and Mutisye was just moving the yacht closer to the beach. He gave Jotaro a warm smile and greeting and after insisting on wearing the heavy safety gear that Jotaro hated, he began teaching .

Jotaro, despite being competent in a lot of things, tends to error a lot whenever he’s learning something new. This was no different. The first hour was solely spent on repeated attempts to manoeuvre the boat and he slowly got the hang of moving the , at first, heavy transportation device during the later parts of the second hour of the boat . Considerable improvement had been made on the third. He wasn’t as loose with the wheel and at least he knew exactly when to pump in the brakes.

Mutisye was a proper instructor, firm enough when giving instruction yet willingly heaped compliments at the slightest display of improvement.After the third hour, Jotaro thanked him, though slightly embarrassed that he hasn’t drastically improved.

“There is a phrase in Swahili that says this, ‘Droplets of water gradually fill a bucket.’Your improvement might seem miniscule now, but will prove to be worthwhile in hindsight.”

The makings of a great teacher Mutisye continues to prove to be.

After a casual conversation once they alight from the boat,Mutisye asked,

“Hey, there’s a club that’s starting to pick up. Want to join me and my friends tonight?”

“I haven’t gone clubbing in a while so I don’t really know.”

“It’ll be fun, I’ll make sure you don’t get scammed out of a couple of drinks and there are really pretty women.”He wagged his eyes as he insisted on the preposition.

“Sure, but only for a few hours.” He finally agrees.

“Let me tell them that I’m adding someone.” He says as he pulls out his phone. Though Jotaro insists, Mutisye refuses to let him help anchor the yacht. After confirming the meeting time Jotaro headed for lunch. There is practically no one aside from the couple. The Americans are no longer there. However the buffet is still a delight. Jotaro decides on rice with coconut creamed fish and tomato soup and despite how seemingly hot it is, it remains comforting enough.

* * *

Jotaro decided on a simple shirt and shorts with sunnies atop his head, The orange sky cast a brillant golden glow in the ocean and as he slowly breathes in the salty air, he noticed Mutisye coming up to him with the most outrageous style he’s ever seen

He simply can’t look away from the distressed white vest and the almost miserable skinny jeans combo. Now that he’s looking at his face, he wears a slick back cap in the most awkward angle. And let's not mention the neon high tops, and the obviously fake large silver cuban chain link.Jotaro pondered whether he was being elitist by considering those are his only white outfits but he himself is wearing the cheapest outfit and does not look like every teen in the horrid early 10’s of the 21st century.

“Why are you dressed so boring? Do you not want girls looking your way?”Mutisye tsks whilst looking up and down in slight annoyance.

Jotaro simply thought that the man had the audacity to question him on his picking up skills despite Mutisye willingly walking out of the house looking like he jumped in a time machine to the present day. He simply answered that he’s not interested in picking up anyone and Mutisye guided him to his parked car at the hotel front.

“Too bad you’re married. The girls here love a man like you. It definitely helps that you are rich and handsome. Total Jackpot.” He stated as he coughed the engine.

Jotaro, attempting to lie the car seat a little lower says

“I’m really not interested. I have a wife you know.”

“Yeah and I have a girlfriend. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

Slimy. He remained silent at that and after a short drive , they pick up two of Mutisye’s friends waiting in an isolated, rusted bus stop after formal introductions and a sligh look of intrigue from one of the boys, they turn up the radio and amp up the pre gaming with cheerful yet heavily explicit dancehall and loud cheering whenever Mutisye overspeeds.

After an almost frightful drive on Jotaro’s part they finally arrive at the club. From outside the base and cheers are clear and despite the beautiful ocean view in the beachside club, no one was outside, too busy enjoying the almost blinding neon lights and sharing the same air. At least it's not too cramped, Jotaro thought as he tried to walk through the crowd.

Some of the patrons look at him and the group with muted smiles and longing stares. As soon as he sits, just barely able to sigh , a waitress in the most skin tight and cleavage showing outfit goes onto them . Jotaro orders a beer , cold and despite the glances sent as she takes the orders of the clearly drooling Mutisye, he ignored her, hard and she huffed while she walked away.

“Bro, that girl was interested in you! You should have flirted with her.” Jonah says .

“Not interested.”Jotaro inwardly questions why guys with biblical names are the most unhinged because Jonah decides to walk up to a girl, attempting to grind on her and she, after she looked back at his cheeky smile , scoots closer to him and he sends a thumbs up to the table. Mutisye is the least interested in his friend's catch and instead sweet talks the waitress, already bored with Jotaro and she vibes with him heavily. After a few whispers and a heated stare , Mutisye rises up and says,

“I’ll be gone for a few.Take care of Mutua for me.”

Mutua,to Jotaro, is an enigma. He seems as lively as his friends yet does not engage in any clubbing activity except dancing . But he's a very pretty boy. Lean .yet muscular and tall. A bit heavier than a Kenyan trackstar but still not close enough to a heavyweight. After he comes back they get into talking. To this point, they are tipsy, Jotaro smiles as he talks and Muua continuously gives him a one up that is extremely provocative.

He finds out that Mutua’s almost done with university and pursues a degree in mechanical engineering.Returns his heated stares willingly and the liquid courage whispered to his ear. Jotaro asks.

“How old are you?”

“26. Why?” Mutua coyishly replies, at this point it's been an hour since they last saw either of the other parties and the smile on his face is enough to tell Jotaro that Mutua is into him.

“Bathroom?” Jotaro asked with a slight smirk and Mutua eagerly rose up., following him with a hand slightly tugging his shirt.

* * *

They walk out of the bathroom more scruffled than they came in.Unknowingly to them Mutisye , who himself was still annoyed that the club owner had demanded him to get out , went out looking for them and found them heavy breathing whilst silently laughing outside the men’s washroom,

“Where have you guys been, I’ve been…oh?”He punctuates the end with a teasing lilt to his voice.

“So you decided to have some fun, where are the girls?” He questions , looking around the nearby area. Mutua’s hitches and Jotaro remained silent, smiles wiped off both of their faces

Mutua accidentally trips and Mutisye quickly helps him up , paraphrasing his anecdote. Turns out he was flirting with the club owner’s girl , complaining that it should be illegal for pot bellied men to still become younger girls sponsors*

“Hey why are you limping? Did you get hurt?”Mutisye worriedly glanced over to Mutua after the long rant that ended in the parking lot. Jonah decided to go home with the girl from earlier and bids them.

“Hey , what happened? I told you to look over him Jotaro, he’s the fragile one here.” He irritatedly questions as he opens the door.Suddenly Mutisye stills, and with a sharp glare looks at both of them. He notices a bite mark on Jotaro’s neck , no lipstick. He realises that they don’t remotely smell like any strong women perfume his entire outfit is currently smothered with . A look of utter disgust stoically remained over his face , then he asked,

“Are you a f*****?”

Jotaro looks back at him with an eyebrow raised, a slight smirk endows his face and responds,

“What do you think?”

Mutua at this point was shaking, eyes downcasted , too scared to look at the glare Mutisye sent him.

“I thought you stopped this shit. It was fine in high school but even now, seriously? Why are you always whori-”

“HEY! What’s that supposed to mean? Can’t you accept him for who he is ?”

“I’m not speaking to you homo, I’m speaking to him . This is Kenya. F***are tortured and killed here. I’ve been telling him to get his act straight but he still doesn’t act better.”

“He chose to come out to you and you repay him by referring to him as a slur?” Jotaro questioned, silently fuming at how Mutisye forced Mutua in the car and locked him in.

“This is my cousin and therefore my responsibility.And It's not natural to act that way . Besides, wasn't he just a one night stand to you?”

At this Jotaro punches Mutisye’s face hard. But Musinya relented despite how his cheek almost hollowed out, he stayed up.

“I’ll not fight with you. Better yet I’m not speaking about this again. You’ll have someone else teach you how to steer the boat. Goodbye .”

“So you refuse to admit that you’re wrong for treating him this way?”

“I’m not wrong. He’s lucky I didn’t beat the gay out of him to begin with.BTW, wouldn’t your wife be disgusted to find her husband engaging in homosexual acts?”

“Firstly I don't have a wife, the woman I’ve been referring to as my wife is my close friend. Secondly ,She accepts my sexuality as it is unlike you, she doesn’t judge.”

“Maybe not to your face but she’s inwardly disgusted.” Mutisye huffed and got in the car, refusing to even say one last word for someone he had at least considered a friend at first.Mutua mouths an apology and Jotaro nods back and watches Mutisye desert him in the parking lot.

Back at his hotel room , he decided to call y/n

“Hey.”

“Hi, how’s your trip?”

“Great, just went clubbing.”

“Really was it fun?”She excitedly questioned

“Yeah” He lied with a wry smile.

“By the way. I wanted to ask you something.” He quickly added

“Sure.”

“You do know I’m queer right?”

“I mean, the ‘queer rights’ sticker on your laptop was a dead giveaway but yeah, I’ve always known.Thought you came out a while back , Is this like a second unveiling? Are you going through an existential crisis?”

“Oh…and you have no problem with it?”His heart beat like it was imploding on his ribcage.

“Your sexuality? Because of my religion? My faith has nothing to do with you or your orientation. Why bring this up? Is something wrong ?”y/n sat up, preparing her body to listen.

Jotaro narrated the incident. she listened keenly,a bit jealous at Mutua,and responded

“He’s the problem. A lot of youths in Kenya are accepting . He’s a relic when it comes to these matters.”

“So you aren’t mad at me for sleeping with him?”

“Isn't it your body ? I’m a bit confused.”

Nevermind. He thought, slightly annoyed at how unphased she was.

“Anyways I’m swearing off sex. I’m a celibate man.When I find the right person,I’ll break my celibacy.”

“Haven’t you been these past couple of months?” She mockingly questions.

“Haven’t you too?” He jeers back.

“I’m actually a virgin.” and the pin drop silence afterwards makes y/n slightly panic.

“Looking back,” Jotaro muses, “ The signs were there.”

And this ensues a collection of highly invasive questions that are completely out of character for Jotaro. But he’s still slightly shocked.

“It's okay , a bit shocking but nonetheless okay.It’s good to wait for the right person. I know I did.”He reassured

“Really, can you tell me who it was?”

“No.”He deadpanned.

“You literally just asked me if I’ve gone till third base.”

“Okay fair enough. They were my high school sweetheart.”

“Was it Noriaki?”She curiously considered

“It's absolutely despicable to make me even ponder about Noriaki as anything but a friend.” Jotaro replied, a slight cough expelling the inappropriate and to him, a tad disgusting, thought.

“Why?”She slowly smiled as she waited in response,

“He started washing his ass in college.” He countered and y/n squealed in absolute laughter, muffled microphone leaving out the hitching of her voice as she attempted to compose herself.

“Nooooo why would you expose him like this?”She rhetorically questioned as she finally got her breathing to be less sporadic.

This cues in an entire onslaught against Noriaki and co. . Jotaro switched to video just to watch her fall to her bed in glee as he narrates bizarre events about his friend group. By the time the call ends, his heart felt like lava, a euphoric rush making his head woozy.

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#Jotaro kujo Jotaro x reader jotaro x reader Jotaro x black reader jotaro x yn jotaro x black yn jotaro imagines jotaro scenarios jjba jojo

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thomine · 5 months

Text

floating under pressure | freminet

RELATIONSHIP | freminet x reader

TAGS | teen and up audiences, suicide ideation (or being dragged into sea by a water nymph), misunderstandings, vague descriptions of drowning, reader is an overworked researcher, not proofread

SUMMARY | you reluctantly return to a place that does little to ease the tension in your shoulders or your grit. however, you chance upon someone who wants to do just that—even after an awkward first impression.

WORD COUNT | 1.4k words

INFO | more

The shores that kiss the remnants of Fontaine's long-lost prestigious institution is uninviting. You have never—and will never—return, which is why you're there, footprints sinking into the sands. Your research partner will notice you're gone, and perhaps he is already searching for you not out of concern or worry, but out of fear for the consequences of you disappearing.

You sit on a rock with a smooth surface and watch as the sun sets. Back at the lab, it was constant work with little yields. It's depressing to be there with a looming reminder of failure. The ruins of the research institution does not quell your fatigue, but the last thing you want to be is found so—against your nagging heart—you are here.

Alone.

At least, until someone appears in your peripheral. The dimming sky makes it hard to make out who it is, but the silhouette is clear. It's not a monster, just a person. A boy, and he trudges towards the waves, as if dragged by a heavy heart.

You pay no attention to him as he does not to you. His body submerges, and so do you in your thoughts, except you're dragged out of your pitiful reverie when you're alone for a minute longer than you thought.

Could he...

As you get up from your rock, you near the area you last saw the boy and gulp. Steambird stories of boys lured by Water Imps resurface in your memories. As a scientist, you aren't one to care for these tales, but the reality of the situation is grim: if you don't jump now, regardless of his reasons for entering the waters, another boy will be in the papers.

Splash!

It's hard to see so you swim faster knowing this is as much light as you can get. The lack of practice has made your body foreign in water, and before you know it, the coldness that bothered you as you dive coddles you in a chilling numbness.

When you wake, the glaring white ceiling back at the lab is not what greets you. Instead, it's a sky full of stars. Your hand lifts itself, sold by the illusion that if you just try to reach it, you'll find one cupped in your hands...

... Only to have a face break that immersion.

Pale blonde hair with a fringe covering his left light blue eye and a small frown that does little to make him any less interesting to stare at. Do the people of Fontaine look this gentle? How long have you been cooped up in your white room?

"Um..." the boy speaks. You hold your breath. Even his voice is soft as his features. "Are you alright?"

"I... I'm fine," you say as you sit upright, still a little giddy from what seems like a crazy dream, although the boy's hand behind your back helps tremendously. "What am I doing here…”

"You... you weren't going to... try something regrettable, were you?"

And then it hits you. The walk down the shore, the silhouette, cold waters. It is not a dream. When you look behind you, the ghastly research institution stands undeterred, and you remember what you're running from.

"There was someone else...!" You get on your feet. "I wasn't the only one who was in the waters. There was someone else. You must save him too."

Your saviour jumps at your loud voice, to which you're quick to apologise. Despite your attempts to calmly display the urgency of the situation—through hand gestures and a pleading expression instead of shouting—he remains still.

"If you're not going to, then I will—"

"Wait."

You're pulled back by his hands against your wrist, head the lowest you've seen as if he's bowing.

"I'm sorry for troubling you but there's no need to save the boy. There might have been a misunderstanding."

"Are you saying..." You squint your eyes, deciphering his features lighted by the fire he set up to match with your faint recollection of the silhouette across the beach. You’re stumped, unable to solve this puzzle, but as you turn left and right, there is no one else around.

"Why did you do that? I thought you were going to...” You look at him. He returns with a concerned gaze, as if you’re the one who should be questioned. You are the one that almost drowned, and he is perfectly fine.

“Well, I should be sorry—" you laugh awkwardly "I'm probably just really stressed. There was the failed specimen, and then my research partner kept insisting that he was right when the results weren't conclusive, and—and—"

Before you know it, your eyes become an ocean of emotions. You let out a sob before biting your lip to prevent anymore from escaping, then fall to the ground on your knees.

You are a scientist, yet you jumped to conclusions. How embarrassing. How shameful. Is this why everything you've done so far failed?

The boy pats your back with uncertainty.

"Thank you," you say in response to his touch as well as the tissue you don't quite know where is from. You blow your nose and try to take deep breathes to calm down. He seems flustered, so you don't want to weigh him any more.

“This isn't very professional of me. I should get going too, or else I'll just make the problem worse. I disturbed you didn't I? I'm so sorry,” you say.

He seems reluctant to answer.

"I still have things to do, but I want to help. You tried to help me too."

You croak a laugh, shaking your head.

"Tried."

Silence falls between you and him as you sniffle.

"Do you want to know?" he asks.

You raise your head, a meek laugh coming out of your lungs to fill up the awkwardness. He is not oblivious to it, and so his eyes once again avoid yours. It feels like he wants to run away too.

"Why I entered the waters,” he says at your confusion.

No more jumping to conclusions, you decide.

"Yes, if you'll show me." You stand, and not long you find your ankles graced by the tickles of rolling waves. The boy is far in front of you, already swimming.

"Are you scared?" He asks, and you almost miss his question if not for how quiet the night is.

"I don't know. Is there a reason to be here?" You turn back and see the lonesome tower with its iconic cubes hanging in the air. When you took up the research offer, you believed it would quench your thirst to understand the secrets behind its disaster. After consecutive failed attempts with a fast approaching deadline, you are starting to regret even trying.

There should be no reason to return, not a single spec of beauty to admire of the desolate institution. It only serves as a sign of pride and fallacy, one which lured you to dig a hole in hopes to find treasure except you end up in your grave.

When you look at Freminet after your tiny adventure down miserable memory lane, he looks disappointed. It's the same face you'll encounter if you report with no results, which propels you to take a step deeper as you're determined to handle only one disappointed individual—there is no room for another.

As you near him, he passes you a diving helmet, which you clumsily place on your shoulders. After he inspects it, he dives and you follow closely.

It's dark. You're reminded of the you in the same waters prior and your breath quickens. It echoes in your ears thanks to your helmet and becomes a reminder you're no longer alone.

Deeper and deeper you go. The glow on Freminet's diving suit is like a star in the night sky which you keep your eyes fixed on.

Soon, you find light. It's attached to some ancient ruin which Freminet swims into. You panic at first, unsure if it's safe, but when he pokes his head out, you chose to believe someone who looks that innocent.

Slowly, you swim towards him. He guides you deeper through turns and mechanisms. He's quick, hinting this isn't the first time he's been here.

Soon, you swim through an arch of a submerged dilapidated building. You recognise the design of the pillars, a signature for the ruined research institute. The place has brightened due to a clearing up front, and you see little critters waddle through the waters around you.

Past the arch is a large circular opening over head, its location perfectly below the moon that shines its calming light. Freminet remains underwater, basking at the sight of the moon. He looks at peace, a state you wish to reach so you do the same and lay on your back and facing the open sky.

You're floating, staring at the stars that beckon you despite the helmet distorting your view of them just a little. In fact, the water grants them a greater glow, making them feel so close to the point you believe you don't have to reach out to them.

You are among them.

You lost count how long you've stayed just staring, but Freminet taps your shoulder and you understand it is time.

When you resurface, you take out your helmet.

Freminet is smiling, and it's only then you realise you are too.

#genshin x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin reader insert #genshin impact x y/n #genshin impact x reader #freminet x y/n #freminet x reader #freminet x you #forget word doc or anything what if i wrote straight in my tumblr drafts #slo.w

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totebagchiqbarista · 3 years

Note

Heyy can i request a luka x fem!reader fic? Like you know how how luka is always calm and cool? What if he turns into a living mess after he meets reader? Like no stuttering or something but hes ranting about her to juleka all the time and cant concentrate when shes around??

what are you doing to me? // luka x fem!reader

request: anonymous

warnings: fluff, swearing?, Luka being a mess

pairing: Luka Couffaine x Fem!Reader

a/n: I really wanted to write some Luka stuff and this kind of stretched out to a good amount of words so I hope you like it! :)

"Dear God, Luka, stop talking!" Juleka shouted at her brother who entered her room uninvited for the 4th time today. She had understood he didn't have anybody really to talk to, but Lord was he getting annoying at this point.

"But I have to tell you something"

Pushing him out of her cabin one last time, Juleka stood at the door frame and stared at the blue boy. "Go out and find a life!" Of course, she didn't mean it like that, but before she could manage what she is doing, she slammed the door shut in front of him.

Luka was taken aback by the change in Juleka's attitude. He didn't flinch though. He was always that one collected and calm person in every group. Anger never fulfilled him in the ways it sometimes filled his mother, for example.

Anarka had never been the type to prohibit them of their freedom, but she tends to let her emotions take over her. When somebody mentions their dad, she turns red, wrathful at the memories that flow across her head. And it's never long until she completely lets rage form her.

But Luka was different. He was always the serene boy you would find in the back of the class writing songs, practicing riffs. When somebody took it out on him, Luka sucked it in, forgetting about the scene in a few days. He had never lost his temper, beat someone up, melted at someone's touch...

He didn't mind it, after all, there was nothing to whine about. He had all his emotions under control, and even though he would never admit it- it made him feel superior to others.

So Luka decided to go to the park. Whenever he had nothing to do, a simple solution always came to his mind- a warm walk through the park.

"Hi, Nino" he exclaimed seeing the familiar couple by the water fountain. "Hi, Alya."

Alya offered him a soft smile, taking a piece of Andre's ice cream. Nino lent him his famous handshake. "I'm excited for tonight!" said Alya, referring to the private hangout at Couffaine's that was yet to come.

Luka had completely forgotten about it. How could he do such a thing? Still, he kept his cool exterior, nodding his head in agreement. "Me too"

"Oh shoot! I forgot I was supposed to meet Y/n tonight" Alya looked back on her schedule.

"Who's that?" Luka questioned, having never heard of that name before

"An old friend of mine. She just recently moved here"

"She can come, too."

"Really?" Alya's face lit up in joy "You would do that?"

The blue-haired boy laughed "If there's one place in Paris everybody is welcomed, it for sure is the Couffaine's ship!"

"Great, we'll see you there soon!" Alya added before collecting her phone and her boyfriend, running to meet up with her long-term friend.

Luka was left alone by the fountain, staring faintly at the water drops in the pool. Hot summer day took a toll on him and his eyes closed slightly under the pressure of the beaming sunshine.

A wooden bench called out to him and so he sat underneath the cooling shade of the trees. Moments passed and Luka grew to be more impatient. Guests were to come tonight, maybe he should return and help Juleka set up for the evening hang out...

Just on a mark, a girl ran to the park, out of her breath. She seemed worn out as she breathed heavily from the excessive physical activity. She looked at the phone in her hands, it responding with a typical GPS lady voice.

"Shit" she mumbled as she frantically tried to get the directions from the small machine.

"Hey" Luka called out to her from his sitting position in the corner "Are you lost?"

The girl looked around, making sure the blue boy was talking to her. "Yeah, I guess I could say so." Just as she returned him the look, Luka was struck by her beauty. It seemed like such a cliché, really. And Luka hated clichés. Yet, he was mesmerized by the girl who stood before him.

"Right... Where do you need to go?" He asked, collecting himself by her feet.

"Uh," she let out an unknowing hum "Here"

The picture she showed was blurry but Luka figured the place. It was a place he liked to visit sometimes, too. He showed her the directions, making sure she knows all the tracks.

"Thank you so much" The girl beamed with happiness in her eyes "Thank you for helping me"

Luka nodded, and the girl turned around to leave in the direction he just showed her. Luka contemplated for a second before asking a question just as she was about to leave "Can I know your name, at least?"

Hope in his eyes, he stared at her for a full moment until she broke the silence. "We only just met. Besides, where's the fun in that?" Sending him one last wink goodbye, she disappeared into the streets of Paris.

Juleka wasn't a person one could easily talk to. Except for Luka. Luka knew his sister was quite an introvert and a rather shy soul. He respected it and grew to watch over her, protecting her privacy with others. But with him, she was sometimes an extremely cheerful and bubbly person. Hell, there were moments he wished she could stop talking!

So when the two of them collaborated in decorating the harbor for their friends, they finished rather quickly. In under 2 hours, the duo managed to make the best party ship anyone has ever seen.

"Alya is bringing a friend," Luka said as he and Juleka tried to put the last fairy lights around.

"Really? Who?"

"An old friend who just moved here. Y/n as I recall."

Juleka nodded, trying to remember the name "Oh yes, Y/n. Alya told us about her. I'm glad to finally meet her."

Soon enough, the guests started to gather and their home was erupting from chit chats and music. Luka talked to everybody, getting lost in the crowd. His mind always found its way back to the silhouette of the lost girl from the park. There was something he couldn't get enough of in her...

"Luka, could you play us something?" asked Marinette to what Luka only nodded, heading to his room for the guitar.

"Alya is here!" Rose exclaimed when she noticed her friend at the entrance. Next to her stood a girl, a girl Alya has told them almost everything about.

"Hi, guys! This is Y/n" everybody welcomed them, all eyes prying on the newbie.

Marinette came closer and hugged her "I'm Marinette" she addressed as she offered her a soft smile "I've heard so much about you!"

"I could say the same" Y/n returned the sweet gesture.

"What took you so long?" Nino asked looking at his watch and then back at them.

"My bad. I got kind of lost."

The moment Luka stepped on the ship, the last thing he expects to see was the girl he couldn't stop thinking about. The girl that has been playing in his head all day, since the moment they met. Well, not exactly met.

"You" he blurted without thinking as he set his guitar down.

The pair of orbs he remembered from this morning, looked up at him, as surprised as him. "You" she joked back, not breaking the eye contact.

"You two know each other?" Marinette asked looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Not really. He helped me find the way this morning" Y/n explained

"And she didn't even tell me her name"

"It's more fun this way, don't you think?"

Luka chuckled offering her a handshake. "I'm Luka"

"Y/n"

The night moved slowly and Luka found himself growing more and more nervous whenever Y/n was around. This can't be! He's always the calm one, the collected one, the untouchable one. No, no. It's just a mire admiration. Nothing much, really. He's as steady as ever...

"Spin the bottle!" Alya shouted out of nowhere

Numbers of confused faces turned to her in a moment. She proceeded, explaining her outburst. "Let's play spin the bottle"

The teens looked around, meeting with other's sights, nodding in agreement. Soon enough, the group was sat on the floor. Upon choosing a seat, Luka looked around. There were 2 left: beside Y/n and opposite of her. He wanted to sit beside her, really. Oh, just how he wanted to sit beside her, their knees touching... But he was so nervous. His palms sweat just for the thought and his heart raced with a speed unknown to man.

So he sat opposite of her.

"Right, so, we are playing spin the bottle combined with truth and dare. A person spins the bottle and they ask "truth or dare?" the one who the bottle has sat on." Alya explained.

Marinette went first, the bottle landing on Y/n. The bluenette smiled softly and asking the question. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth"

"Are you happy to be in Paris?"

"Very!" The two exchanged graceful smiles earning a groan from Nino.

"Where are the fun questions! C'mon dudettes!" he cried obviously disappointed in his friends.

Marinette looked at him in confusion "What do you want me to ask?"

"I don' know, something interesting. Like, describe your perfect type, or something"

Y/n laughed for a second. "Well I don't really have a type but guitarists hold a special place in my heart"

Luka looked at her in surprise but wasn't met with her gaze. That was it. He'll lose his mind because of this girl and there's no turning back. He'll be defeated, if only he wasn't already.

Y/n grew to be a great addition to the class and the friend group. And she grew closer to Luka's heart, more close than he liked to admit. When she was around, his mind was rollercoasters, when she was away her melody played in the back of his head. It was exhausting, really. Luka had never acted this way, especially not for a girl. It was all new to him.

It had been almost two months since Y/n's first day in the city of love. Never had she imagined that she would fall so in love with the people, the culture, the capital of France in general. She was standing on her balcony, looking at the most beautiful sightseeing- the Eiffel tower.

"Mom, Dad, I'm leaving, see you later!" she shouted as she closed the front door behind her. Juelka had invited her to help her out with band stuff. She was a bit surprised to say at least for Y/n wasn't much of an intellectual in that field.

The traffic was light and soon enough she stepped foot on the magnificent ship. The boy she already knew very well was strumming his guitar in the corner.

"Nice tune" she whispered, coming behind him

Luka jumped a little, taken aback by her unexpected figure. "Y/n? Why-"

"I invited her, I need some help," said Juleka from the door. "I'll be back in a second" and with that, she disappeared.

Y/n sat on a chair beside him, feeling the tension rise. Luka's melody became more insecure, more unsteady. It felt as if he was trying too hard.

"What happened?"

"I don't know" Luka answered, regretting holding the guitar now. It was true, when she was around, it was not much he could do. His mind always wandered elsewhere.

An uncomfortable silence took over them. Juleka was nowhere in sight. After some minutes of complete dull, Y/n stood up eager to leave. "Tell Juleka I'm sorry, but I just remembered I have to go."

Luka wanted to say something, but he couldn't. He was afraid of blurting out something way more stupid. So he nodded, regretting his decisions. What has she done to him? He can't even think straight, what to do, what not to do. He's a mess and it's all because of her.

"What are you doing you, idiot, go after her!" Juleka stormed out of the ship, scolding her older brother.

"What?"

"Go after her! Tell her how you feel! God!"

"What are you talking about?" Luka played it off dumb

Juleka's anger only grew "Oh please, mister untouchable, you're not so secretive about it. You can never concentrate when she's around, when I mention her, you grow all impatient. You talk about her ALL THE DAMN TIME. I can't listen to you anymore!"

Luka shifted in his spot "I don't talk about her that much"

"You literally stormed in my room last night talking about her humor and how cool she is. Go tell her how you feel, Luka"

He contemplated for a minute making Juleka impatient "Now! Go!"

The blue boy nodded, setting his guitar aside, and running as fast as he could. He ran the way he remembered Y/n to go. His legs could sprint only so fast but somehow he managed to run it all the way through.

Just by the bridge, she saw her walk by herself. It was already getting late, the sun was just around the corner, held by its fingertips to not yet say goodbye. She was looking to the river, calm and alone. "Y/n!" he shouted, putting all the energy he had to pull it through.

"Y/n!" he screamed once more to what the girl turned around. Just as she was about to ask what was happening, Luka panted taking her hand in his the moment he got the chance.

"No, no, I talk." He said taking a deep breath and looking right into her eyes. "Y/n from the moment we met in the park, I couldn't stop thinking about you. You took a tool on me, god, I'm wrapped around your finger! I can't focus when I see you, I lose all my senses when you smile"

Y/n smiled at the ongoing love declaration. "And no matter how hard I tried to cover up my feelings, to forget you, there just is no escape. I am lost, I'm losing my mind. God, what are you doing to me? I rant about you to Juleka, dear Lord. You made a mess out of me, Y/n, and I love, I love, I love you."

And before thinking, Y/n pressed her lips against his. She kissed him long and lovingly, making him melt under her touch.

"That makes the two of us"

#luka x reader miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculous marinette #miraculous au #miraculous luka #fanfic #oneshot #luka couffaine x reader #luka couffaine #adrienette #adrien agreste #chat noir #marinette dupen chang #miraculous #miraculous fanfic

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ravennm84 · 4 years

Text

Lyre Festival Fraud

This was another prompt that I found and just ran with it. The prompt itself was based on the Fyre Festival Disaster that happened in 2017 where 5,000 people were scammed out of thousands of dollars per ticket for what was supposed to be a luxury music festival. I didn’t take the story to quite that scale since most middle schoolers don’t have that kind of cash. There will be a sequel to this coming out soon. Warm-Fuzzies and please enjoy!!

Over the past few weeks since Marinette had come back to class, she couldn’t help but notice that Lila seemed to be up to something new. For one, the Italian girl hadn’t been bothering her as much as before. There was still the occasional quip and barb thrown in her direction, but nothing compared to what she had been doing before. She wanted to write it off to the deal Adrien had made with the girl, the blonde had confessed the truth to her after the photoshoot and promised her that he would never let things get that out of hand ever again. But something just didn’t seem right.

Lila was sticking to a single story about a party that she was planning on an island south of Venice over the long weekend next month. She was going on and on about it being a private island, with beautiful scenery and a rich history. Her mother was setting it up for a bunch of politicians, and all of the celebrities Lila knew were coming. A five-star chef would be there to make everyone the most amazing food. Many of the musicians she knew were planning to do jam-sessions, so there would be live music. The way she described it, it was going to be the biggest private event that Lila had ever been involved with.

Marinette and Adrien kept keen ears pointed in her direction, more than they normally would. Something about this particular story seemed different from her usual lies. It didn’t sit well with either of them

They could admit, the Italian was smoother with this lie than she was with any other she had spouted since joining their class. She had started mentioning the party a little here and there, then the different celebrities, then the hotel and bringing in the chef. How expensive it all was and how her mother was planning everything. Then, the following week, Lila dropped a bomb that had almost the entire class squealing and scrambling.

“You won’t believe it! Mama said that I could invite all my friends to come to the party so I’ll have more people my age to talk to!” Lila gushed as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

“Seriously! That’s awesome, girl!” Alya cheered excitedly.

“But I have to be up front with all of you about something, and I want you to know that if I had my way I would never ask, but my mom insisted.” Lila’s expression quickly turned uncertain as she looked around at her ‘friends’ before taking a breath and continuing. “Whoever wants to come, has to take care of their own travel and pay €300 up front for the food and accommodations. I really wish I didn’t have to say that, but there was nothing I could do to change her mind.”

“That’s completely understandable, dudette.” Nino grinned as she slung his arm around Alya’s shoulders. “But still, for two nights in a swanky hotel and all our meals handled, that’s a total steal. When would you need the money?”

Lila’s face lit up again saying that she would need the money at least a week before the party so her mother could book enough rooms and make sure there would be enough food. Mylene asked if they needed their parents to escort them, and Lila promised to get them the needed forms to travel. She also asked Alya not to post anything about this on her blog, as this was supposed to be a private thing with a lot of big-name people and they couldn’t risk word getting out. The journalist readily agreed but made Lila promise that she would be allowed to post pictures after the weekend was over, which Lila readily agreed.

Marinette and Adrien looked on with worry as their classmates began making plans for the weekend in a few weeks. After class let out for the day, Adrien convinced his body guard that he needed to study with Marinette for an upcoming test. Since the man liked the girl, her parents, and had a soft spot for their bakery’s salted caramel scones; he allowed it. Up in her room, the two teens set their homework aside and jumped on Marinette’s computer to see what was going on with the Italian.

“What do you think she’s up to?” Adrien asked her.

“Not sure, but it’s strange that she kept saying how I shouldn’t ask for money when I do commissions, then turns around and asks for €300 per person.” She says, looking up private islands near Venice. “I mean, she has to know that she can’t just ask for money from everyone and then not follow through since she would have to give all of their money back.”

“Agreed, she could try and say that the money was non-refundable, but I don’t think they would accept that.”

She hummed in agreement before pulling up a map. “The only private island I can find close by is Isola Santa Christina, but that’s North-East of Venice, not South. And I checked the availability for that weekend, and it’s not reserved. The only island South of Venice that could be considered ‘private’ is Poveglia.”

The blonde’s brow shot up when he heard the name. “Isn’t that the haunted island that’s been closed off to tourists for a long time?”

“Since the 1960s, when the mental asylum closed.” She nodded, as she continued to read. “And before that, it was where they sent people dying of plague and other diseases to die and be buried. It says right here, there’s over 160,000 people buried there in ‘plague pits’ and it’s nearly impossible to walk five meters without walking over someone’s remains.”

Adrien’s lip curled in disgust as he read the information and history of the island over the French-Asian girl’s shoulder. “Well, she did say that the island was private, historic and had a view. And the island does have a lot of history and it’s private.”

“And there was a plan to turn the old asylum into a luxury hotel a few years back, but that fell through.”

They continued reading the different articles on different islands around Venice, but none of them seemed to fit. Adrien agreed that Lila wouldn’t be so sloppy with her lies to invite everyone to a weekend party and then have to give everyone their money back… but what if she never had to see anyone again?

“Do you mind if I look something up really quick?”

“Did you think of something?” She asked while standing from her desk chair so he could take a look.

“It’s just a hunch,” he muttered, his fingers quickly typing at the keys. “I think you’re right, Lila wouldn’t ask for money if she was just going to have to turn around and give it back, even if she used the ‘deposit’ excuse to keep part of it for herself. That can only mean that something else is going on.”

It took a few minutes, but he found what he was looking for on the Italian Embassy’s website and twitter page. Different people wishing Ambassador Rossi a fond goodbye before she transfers back to Italy before the holiday weekend. “She’s not coming back,” he said between gritted teeth while Marinette looked over his shoulder.

“I want to say that I can’t believe Lila would do something like this, but she purposely got me expelled, almost got me akumatized, and almost caused another Scarlet Moth incident. Stealing from people she won’t see again is well within the boundaries of what she can do.”

Adrien turned the chair to look Marinette in the eyes. “What should we do? We tried the high road, that was a mistake and I’m still kicking myself for saying that, but we can’t just sit back and let all of them get scammed for €300.”

“It will be more than that,” worry evident in her voice. “It will be the €300, whatever they have to spend on their tickets there and back, and whatever money they’ll spend on someplace to stay while they’re there, if they stay in Venice.”

“We have to try,” Adrien said, just as determined when he forced Lila to lie to get Marinette back into school. “Maybe if we talk to everyone, one person at a time and explain what we found, we might be able to convince them to look into things a little deeper and figure it out themselves.”

Marinette hesitated. “They didn’t believe me before, why would they believe me now?”

“Because I’ll be with you every step of the way to show them that it’s not just you, I promise.”

~oOo~

Adrien kept his promise, he stayed with Marinette as they pulled their classmates aside to show them what they found. Nathaniel, Juleka, Rose and Chloe seemed to really listen to them and agreed that it seemed a little too good to be true. The others were more hesitant to listen and turned their questions to Lila, who was quick to spin her lies about the comments on Twitter being taken out of context, that her mother’s coworkers were only saying goodbye for the weekend. Then she turned on the fake tears and accused them of spreading rumors and lies when she was just trying to do something nice for her friends. That resulted in the majority of the class shunning Marinette and Adrien for the weeks leading up to the holiday.

Nearly the entire class gave Lila €300 each before the deadline she had set. Adrien and Marinette had been ‘uninvited’ to the party; Chloe scoffed and said that she wasn’t about to waste her time with a bunch of people she didn’t even like; and Nathaniel, Juleka, and Rose all claimed that they couldn’t afford it. Lila was leaving school a couple days before the weekend to “help her mom prepare for the party” but gave everyone instructions on which dock to meet at for the boat to pick them up and ferry them to the island.

Friday morning, the two of them tried again, practically pleading with their friends not to go, that it had all been a scam. This was met with a lot of harsh words, insults, and Alya declaring that she could no longer be friends with someone as vindictive and jealous as Marinette. That left the girl in tears, but the four that stayed behind were quick to comfort her and took her back to her house after school for a movie night. After the others left, Marinette sent a quick email, hoping for a positive response.

The movie night was followed by a jam-session on Saturday at Juleka and Luka’s place. It was a blast to have Adrien on the keyboard with Kitty Section again, it was a little difficult without a drummer but it was still fun. When Marinette got home, she was relieved to see a response to her email waiting for her and read it before she went to bed.

They had a picnic in the park on Sunday, along with Marc, where Adrien was having a photoshoot so he could sit and eat with them during his breaks. The photographer liked the natural energy and look of the group so much that he took multiple pictures of the three couples, as Vincent put it. There was another email waiting for her when she got home, she read that one twice and rewrote her response three times before sending it.

On Monday, the six of them hung out at the bakery with Tom showing Marinette’s friends how to make the perfect croissant and the best way to pipe frosting onto cupcakes. They had a blast and ended up having a frosting fight at one point, which ended with a large round of giggles and Adrien striking a victory pose since he had gotten hit with the least amount of frosting. Everyone had a great time and went home with the goodies they’d made. The final response in Marinette’s email put a smile on her face, knowing that she had done the right thing.

~oOo~

Tuesday morning and the five of them weren’t sure what to expect. They had decided to go with a united front and met at the Dupain-Cheng bakery so they would go to school together. Sabine gladly handed all of them fresh pastries before they left and wished them luck. Marinette’s parents had been made aware of Lila’s deceit and how she had likely scammed their classmates out of a lot of money. Hearing this, the two bakers had been making multiple calls to the Board of Governors about their daughter’s expulsion and other incidents that Adrien had brought up that had to do with Lila. From what they had heard, it was likely that their school, M. Damocles, and Mme. Bustier would be under heavy scrutiny very soon.

Entering the classroom, none of them were prepared for the dead silence from the rest of the class. Everyone looked to be experiencing different levels of confusion, anger, and absolute exhaustion. Everyone except Chloe, who looked smug as she grinned at everyone in the room. When the five of them came in, her smile grew as she looked directly at Alya. “So, how was your weekend on that private island in Venice? Was it as fabulous as Lie~la said it would be?”

Mylene, Sabrina, and Kim all started crying; Nino ducked his head to hide behind his hat, Max's head dropped to the desk with a thunk, and Alya’s fists clenched so hard that her nails cut into her palms. But it was Alex that had the most colorful reaction as she slammed her hands on the table and practically screamed.

“Shut up, you blonde shrew! Grrr! I swear, if I ever see that liar again, I will hit her over her head with my skates until she apologizes.” Her eyes turned to Marinette and Adrien, still angry but with a bit of self-loathing. “You were right. We all waited on that dock all day until the police came and took us to the station. We had to spend the night in the police station and wait for our parents to come get us. Alya tried to argue that it was just a private party and even pointed out the island that bitch said it would be on. But no~, that island was closed to the public and has been for 50 years!”

“We tried to tell you,” Adrien said hesitantly when Alix stopped ranting to breathe.

“Dude, I don’t think I’ve ever seen my parents so mad,” Nino said, barely lifting his head to look at his friend. “They’re talking to a lawyer about what they can do, but the law dude said that the most they can do is file charges against Lila for the scam and that none of use are likely to get any of the money back.”

“My parents grounded me until the lawsuit is settled or I pay back all the money they spent on coming to get me,” Ivan told them, his large shoulders drooping almost half-way down his back.

“By my calculations, that is unlikely to happen,” Max said, not even bothering to lift his face from his desk. “When taking into account the amount of money that she took from each of us, that she had us go to Venice of our own accord, the fact that her mother is an ambassador and therefore bestowed Lila with diplomatic immunity for her actions; there is not much the law can do.”

Unable to help herself, Marinette turned to look at Adrien as a small smile graced her lips. Adrien gave her a bigger smile that confused everyone, even Nathaniel, Rose, and Juleka. “You should tell them.”

“Tell us what?” Alya asked, not sure if she could deal with any more surprises for the rest of the school year.

“Well, after Adrien and I figured out what Lila was up to, we recorded one of the times she bragged about the trip and how much money she was getting from you. I emailed the video, your names, the dock where she told you to go, and all the other information to Ambassador Rossi on Friday night to let her know what was going on.”

All of their jaws dropped as Marinette continued to speak. “I don’t think she believed me at first; but then she got a report about a bunch of unaccompanied minors from her daughter’s school being detained in Venice and that she had apparently allowed them into the country. She was shocked and confused that any of you got through customs without an adult, but then Ambassador Rossi noticed a stack of documents were missing and figured Lila must have taken them and forged her signature to make the scam more believable. I talked to her again last night; she’s forcing Lila to plead guilty to fraud and forgery, any charges that the Italian government was going to file against you are being dropped, and she's clearing out Lila’s savings to pay the money back to your parents.”

Now the entire class was crying tears of joy and relief. They knew that they’d messed up when it came to Marinette and Adrien, Alya especially towards her best friend. But they were more than willing to work their butts off to make it right, no matter how rough the road ahead of them might be.

#lila salt #class salt #alya salt #ml prompt #ml fic #lila gets exposed

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kitkatfat15 · 3 years

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IronStrange Cinderella Au Fanfic

Hey guys I did a thing. I saw a post about an IronStrange Cinderella Au and I saw some art so I decided to write it. I hope you guys like it, I worked really hard on it. It also has Peter and Harley in it.

“Stephen!” He heard his father yell. “Have you swept the kitchen yet?” Stephen nodded, then realized that his father couldn’t see him. “Yes father! I did.”

His father scoffed. “It looks filthy! Come do it again! No doubt it’s because of your broken hands…” His father had said the last part quietly, but Stephen still heard it loud and clear, still felt it pierce his heart.

Stephen used to be one of the most upcoming healers in all the land. But… That was before his accident. Stephen had been riding a horse through the woods to the village over when something in the woods spooked his horse.

His horse had bucked him off, throwing him into a bramble bush. In his panic, he had struggled to escape the bush, tearing his hands and damaging them. By the time someone found him, his hands would never again be the same.

They were covered in scars and constantly shook, making him incapable of doing healing or anything else worth while, like farming. He was stuck at home being a disappointment to his family while his brother worked the fields and his sister worked at the local tailor’s shop.

Stephen grabbed the broom and went to the kitchen. It looked spotless. Well, except for one place where there was a pile of dirt next to a bucket. His father walked back in the room. “I forgot something.” He tells Stephen, before kicking the pile of dirt, sending it flying.

Stephen winced but didn’t say anything, knowing it wouldn’t do anything. He sighed and started sweeping, his father leaving the room.

It was a few hours later when his brother and sister got home. “Look at this Victor! An invitation to the ball. From the prince!” Victor grabbed the invite from his sister. “It has both our names on it.” Stephen looked up and Victor scoffed. “Not yours. Mine and Donna’s. It’s this weekend.” Donna danced away from the door and towards the dining room. “I can’t wait! Maybe the prince will choose me as his bride!”

Victor scoffed again. “Yeah right. I heard he doesn’t even like girls! He’s going to choose me! Not you!” Donna scowled at her brother and stomped off to her room. Victor turned to his brother. “Even if you were invited, I don’t think anyone would even want you to go.” With that he left, going to his room to change.

***

The weekend had come fast. For the ball, Donna had bought herself an orange dress with a low back. It was modest, but not eye catching. Victor had bought a white suit with a red trim. It made him look like a prince, which Stephen thought the actual prince wouldn’t appreciate.

Stephen watched his siblings and his father leave with an air of sadness. At least his father had given him the weekend off. Stephen thought with a sigh. Stephen was walking back towards his house when he spotted something shimmering in the dirt.

When he got closer, he realized that it was a wand of some sort. He bent down in the dirt and picked it up. There was a shimmering in the air in front of him, and Stephen heard two voices arguing.

“I can’t believe you lost your wand Parker!” A young male voice said. Another boy huffed. “It’s not my fault! I think it’s over here.” The shimmering grew strong and two boys appeared. Both boys were wearing baby blue robes and had wings coming out of their backs. They both had dark brown hair and seemed to be teenagers.

“Who are you guys?” Stephen asked. The two boys turned towards him. “My wand!” The boy Stephen thought was called Parker cried. Stephen held it out for him and the other boy grabbed it.

Parker pouted at him. The other boy turned to him. “I’m Harley. This is Peter. Have you seen a man called Stephen Strange?” He asked. Stephen nodded at them. “I’m Stephen Strange.” Peter broke out into a smile. “Perfect! We’re your fairy godfathers!” Stephen raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Peter cried. “We’re here to get you ready for the ball.” Peter told him. Stephen sighed. “I wasn’t invited to the prince’s ball. Even if I was, my brother was right, no one would want me to go.” Harley huffed. “Do you know how many people we’ve gotten into a ball uninvited?” He asked.

“But Harley, we’ve never done that-” Harley turns and scowls at Peter. Peter just blinks. Harley turned back to Stephen, a dangerous look in his eyes. “I’m not failing our first assignment because you want to stay here and feel sorry for yourself! Now are you going to corporate or am I going to have to force you?” Peter looks scandalized. “Harley!” Stephen shrugged.

“I guess I can go. At least I can help you boys.” Both teens smiled at him. “Let’s get you ready for the ball!” Peter says, grabbing his wand from Harley and dragging Stephen into the house.

Harley grabbed a few things from different rooms as they headed towards the sitting area, which had a large mirror in it. “You can work on his clothes and I’ll work on getting him a ride.” Harley tells Peter before going back outside.

“Let’s try to find you an outfit! Bippity boppity boop!” He says waving his wand at Stephen. Stephen felt his clothes transform into a pastel pink suit with a baby blue trim. Peter shook his head. “This doesn’t match your eyes at all!” He tells Stephen. “Bippity boppity boop!” He says again.

This time Stephen feels his clothes shift again and now he is wearing tacky multi color pants and a flower printed shirt. Both of them grimace. “Nope.” Peter says and waves his wand. “Bippity boppity boop!” Stephen feels his clothes turn into a beautiful flowing blue gown. Peter sighed again.

“I’m sorry. I always seem to get dresses.” He tells the man. Stephen smiles. “Peter, I think this is perfect!” He tells him. Peter perks up. “Really? No one seems to like my dresses.” Someone made an offended noise from behind them. Harley was leaning against the door frame. “I always like your dresses!” He tells Peter. “Well you don’t count.” Peter tells Harley. “Why not?”

“Because I said so!” Peter says loudly. Stephen decides to interject, not wanting an argument to start. “I still need shoes.” He tells them. “Shoes? I can do shoes.” Harley says. “What kind of shoes do you want? Boots, sandals-”

“I want stilettos.” He interjects. Harley looks at him before shrugging. He takes two small stones out of his pocket and puts them on the ground. “Abra kadabra!” He waves his wand. Nothing happens. “Wrong words.” Peter tells him. Harley, being mature, sticks his tongue out.

“Bippity boppity boop!” He waves his wand and the smooth stones turn into baby blue stilettos. Stephen grabs them and puts them on his feet. “Do you know how to walk in those?” Peter asks. Stephen scoffs. “Of course I do. Let’s go see my ride, shall we?” Both boys nod and they all head outside.

In front of the small house there was an elegant carriage with a horse and a horseman. However, looking closer, Stephen could tell that the horse’s fur was more like scales and the horseman’s eyes seemed too large for his head. Stephen turned to Harley. “Is that horse a snake? And is that horseman a frog?” He asked. Harley shrugged. “I worked with what I had.” He tells him.

Peter snaps his fingers. “Before we forget! You have to be back by 12 o’clock. That is when the spells will unravel. Your shoes will turn into stones, your dress will turn back into your normal clothes, and your carriage will turn back into a potato.”

“You made my carriage out of a potato?” He asked incredulously. In response Harley shoulders him into the carriage and nods towards the horseman. “Have a nice night!” Peter calls as Stephen begins his trip to the palace.

***

The journey to the palace was quite long, but very worth it. When Stephen layed eyes on Stark palace, he could not hold back a gasp.

The palace had tall towers and large walls. Banners with the Stark emblem were flying high on flag posts. Stephen could hear the sound of horses through the left side of the wall.

As they drew closer to the palace walls, the carriage slowed to a stop. There was a knock on the door and Stephen stuck his head out of the window.

“Business?” A large guard asked him. “I’m here for the prince’s ball.” Stephen says. The guard nodded and waved to someone to open the gates. “You’re good to go sir.” The guard tells him, and the carriage starts to move again.

As they come to the entrance of the palace, the carriage slows to a stop. Stephen opens the door and carefully steps out. He only stumbles for a second before finding his balance on the high heeled shoes. He picks up the bottom of his dress so it’s not dragging, and walks up to the large doors in the front.

“Are you here for the Prince’s ball?” The one of the guards by the door asked him. Stephen nodded. The guard nodded and opened the door. “If you’re nobility go to the left and someone will announce you, if you're not, just go straight in.” Stephen nods and goes straight towards the open door and into the ballroom.

Stephen looked around in breathless awe. The ball room is huge- big enough to fit multiple medium sized houses and still have room for more.

He scanned the room, looking for familiar faces. He spotted one or two people from his own village, but most were faces he didn’t recognize, probably from other villages in the kingdom. A waiter walked up to him, holding a tray of drinks. “Would you like one, sir?” He asked. Stephen was about to say yes, until he looked down and caught sight of his shaky hands. He shook his head. “No thank you.” He says and the waiter turns and walks away.

Stephen had been wandering the dance floor when he caught sight of his siblings staring enviously at a group of people. He decided to move closer and see what they were talking about.

“I should be the one over there with him.” He hears Donna say. Victor scoffs. “As if. No, I should be the one over there.” Upon closer look Stephen could see a man in a well fitting red suit with gold trim in the middle of the people. Everyone in the group seemed to be focusing on him. It was the prince, Stephen realized.

Now that Stephen had seen the prince, he couldn’t seem to look anywhere else. Even from a distance, Stephen could see that he was extremely handsome. He had honey brown eyes and a smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts. His red suit was perfectly tailored, with gold stitching around the waist and on the ends of the sleeves and coat.

Stephen was wrong when he thought Victor looked like a prince. Victor looked like a beggar next to the star that was Anthony Edward Stark. Their eyes met across the room. Anthony smiled at him from across the room and Stephen felt his heart skip a beat. He blushed and turned away, heading to one of the waiters.

The waiter handed him a glass and Stephen started sipping at it, willing his face to cool down and his hands to not shake. When the glass was empty, Stephen handed it to a waiter and was about to start walking again, when someone came up behind him.

“Hey.” Stephen jumped and spun around, both things a hard feat in high heels. It was Prince Anthony. “H-Hello Prince Anthony.” The prince waved his hand in the air. “Call me Tony, Anthony sounds too stuck up.” Stephen smiled. “I thought Anthony was a noble name.” Prince Tony snorted. “Oh I like you. You’ve got spunk. So, what’s the name, my fine fellow?

Stephen blushed. “My name is Stephen.” The prince smirked. “Well then Stephen,” The prince practically purred his name, making Stephen want to swoon, “Would you care to join me for a dance?” Stephen shrugged, suddenly embarrassed. “I-I don’t really know how to dance.” He tells him. “Why not? Surely everyone is lining up to dance with such a handsome man as you.” Stephen shrugged. “People don’t like my hands.” The prince looked quizzical and Stephen held up his trembling hands.

The prince gently takes one of Stephen’s damaged hands in his calloused work hardened ones. “I think they’re beautiful.” He tells the man, before lifting the hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss to it. Stephen fights the urge to swoon.

The prince looks at him playfully. “And besides, I can teach you how to dance.” He tells the man. Stephen agrees and Prince Tony leads him to the dance floor.

The prince gently guides him through the moves and steps. They were now almost effortlessly going through the steps when the prince brings up a topic Stephen was perfectly happy to ignore. “You know, I’m sort of looking for someone to get married to.” Stephen snorts. “You don’t want to marry me.” He tells the prince. “And why not? You seem like the perfect suitor.” Stephen moves away from the prince. “I’m really not.” He tells him. “I think I should be able to decide for myself who I want to marry.” Tony says. Stephen sighs.

“And I agree with you, but still, you deserve someone better than me. Someone that’s still functional.” Prince Tony looks like he’s about to start arguing, when Stephen catches sight of the clock. Five till twelve. Stephen pales. “I have to go.” He tells the prince, before hurting to the door. “Wait!” He calls, but Stephen isn’t listening. He makes it to the door and runs outside, losing one of his shoes.

Stephen barely notices the lost shoe as he runs towards his carriage, the Prince still cashing him. Stephen trips over his long dress before throwing the door open and telling the horseman to drive. The carriage starts moving and the prince chases after it until it becomes too fast. He watches it go with a heart broken look on his face. Stephen wants to go back and tell him that it isn’t his fault, but he can’t bring himself to do it. The prince deserved better than him.

A few minutes later the carriage slowed to a stop and started to shrink. Stephen quickly pushed open the door and threw himself out. When he turned to look back at the carriage, he saw it had turned into a potato with pins sticking out where the wheels were. He felt the clothes he was wearing shimmer and shift until; he was left wearing his dirty work clothes. He sighed. Good things never last for him.

He picked up the pin filled potato and the stone sticking to his foot and put them in his pocket, along with the frog he had seen hopping around. He looked around for the snake and found it was still a horse. He looked around and sighed. He was still too far from town to walk home, and he couldn't leave the snake here.

He steeled his nerves and approached the horse. He quickly hopped on and started off on a slow trot. When he got home he was tired from the ride and his nerves were fried from jumping at everything that seemed to move in the forest. He carefully slid off the horse and it immediately became a snake that slithered out into the garden. Stephen sighed and let the frog go, before going inside the empty house.

His family had opted to stay in an inn near the palace, so he was going to be alone tonight and tomorrow. He trudged up the hall to his room and didn’t bother putting on clean clothes, simply opting to fall down on the bed and go to sleep.

***

Tony sat down at the table, head in his hands. It was all going so well. What did he do wrong? He felt his butler, Jarvis, put a hand on his back. “Sir, maybe you should try to find him. Even if he doesn’t want to get married, you can still get to know him better.”

Tony sighed again. “But how can I find him again Jarvis? The shoe was fairy magic and turned back into a stone.” Jarvis seemed to ponder this for a moment. “Isn’t Thor’s brother Loki a fairy godfather?”

Tony nodded and sat up. “So what?” He asked Jarvis. “Why don’t you ask Loki if he can replicate the spell for a time so we can see if it fits anyone.” Tony looked at Jarvis incredulously. “Why would I do that? Plenty of people have the same sized foot in this kingdom.” Jarvis nodded. “I suppose you’re right. Was there anything that made him stand out?” Tony pondered this for a moment.

“His hands were injured and he seemed to like the healing arts.” Jarvis seemed to ponder for a moment. “Why don’t we check the records for someone who is- or used to be- a healer near his age.” Tony nods. It was the best bet at finding him. “His name was Stephen.” He tells Jarvis.

Jarvis nods. “I’ll make sure to tell them that.” He says, and leaves the room. Tony sighed. He really hoped they were able to find the handsome man who had taken a place in his heart.

Tony jumped as a heavy stack of paper landed on his desk. He looked up at Rhodey, who had dropped the paper. “What is this, Honeybear?”

“It’s a list of men who match your description, all nobility.” Tony furrowed his brow. “I don’t think he’s nobility, Rhodey.” The prince says. Rhodey sighs. “Just look through the paper. One of them might be him. And Pepper worked hard on getting those.” Tony sighs and nods. “I’ll look through them.” He promises.

Rhodey leaves and Tony looks at the large stack. He sighs. This is going to take forever.

Tony was still going through the papers when he spotted a familiar name on one of the records. The record was for a woman named Christine Palmer. Tony didn’t know how it got in there, as he was looking for men, but he was glad it did. “Christine Palmer, age 23 blah blah blah trained under Healer Helen Cho alongside Stephen Strange.” Tony smiled. He had a name. “Jarvis!”

***

“I can’t believe the prince didn’t choose me! He spent the entire ball looking at some jerk in a dress.” Stephen smiles a little as he hears Donna rant. Even if he’s never going to see the prince again, it doesn’t take away the satisfaction of hearing Donna and Victor complain about being ignored for him. Not that they knew it was him, mind you, but still.

Stephen heard a knock at the door, and saw Donna get up to answer it. He heard a gasp when it opened and Donna started stuttering. “H-Hi! W-What are you doing here? My name’s Donna. What's yours? Wait, that's silly, I already know your name.” Donna trails off and a familiar voice starts to talk.

“I’m uh… I’m looking for Stephen Strange.” Stephen can practically feel Donna’s scowl. “STEPHEN! GET OVER HERE!” Stephen sets down the rag he was using to clean the counter and walks over to the door where the prince was standing. Tony grinned at him. “Hey.” Stephen smiled slightly in response. “Hi.”

“So, I know we might not know each other very well, but I just- I just have this feeling. Stephen Strange, will you marry me?” Stephen smiled softly and walked towards the prince. “Yes.”

Tony smiles and leans forward, before hesitating. Stephen, however, doesn't hesitate and grabs the lapels of his jacket, pulling him into a kiss.

It wasn’t an automatic happily ever after, as they still had to get to know each other better, and there was the matter of Stephen’s family, but it was close, and they were happy.

#ironstrange #ao3 author #au #crossposted on ao3 #prince tony stark #tony stark #Stephen Strange #happy ending #Stephen is afraid of horses #Stephen kinda hates his hands #fairytale #Fairytale Au

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myemergence · 3 years

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I Know You Can't See It

Pairing: Mateo Chavez & Marjan Marwani

Series: 911 First Kiss Week @911firstkissweek

Rating: Teen

Summary: After a win at her roller derby match, Marjan is excited to see her friends were able to make it, but immediately notices Mateo’s absence. It turns out his date didn’t go well and he’s heartbroken. Marjan knows she can’t fix it, especially not in one night, but she can remind him that he’s enough.

Read it on AO3

thanks for the beta, love! @nurse-buckley

“Hey guys,” Marjan called with a smile, adjusting the bag on her shoulder, having just assisted the Annihilators in defeating the opposing team for the third time. They were on a roll, and while Marjan knew they weren’t actually unstoppable, it sure felt like it tonight.

She spotted Paul with TK, but her smile slipped when she didn’t see Mateo.

“You really kicked some ass out there tonight, Marj.” Paul grinned, taking a sip of his beer. Marjan thanked him, glad that they were able to make it to a match, especially one where her team had done so well. It was disappointing to not see Mateo there, especially since he’d told her he’d be there, and he definitely wasn’t one to break his promises.

“Where’s probie?”

“He had a date with that girl, Angela tonight,” Paul said. “Bet it’s going real good.”

TK made a sound beside him, making Marjan shift her gaze to him. Once he realized he had her attention, he said, “I don’t think that’s actually the case.”

“TK?” Marjan said impatiently, waiting for him to continue, shifting the bag on her shoulder.

“I knew he’d been nervous, and we all know he gets stuck in his own head sometimes. So I texted him a little while ago to check in.” TK glanced over at Paul, then back to Marjan’s expectant gaze. “I was messing with him during the date, and when he didn’t say anything I asked him if he needed me to bail him out because it was going badly. He said ‘yeah right, that would mean I’m actually on a date’.”

“What? That doesn’t make any sense. Have you tried calling him?”

“He didn’t pick up when I tried him half an hour ago.”

“I’ll try him,” Paul said, taking his phone out of his pocket and pulling up Mateo’s info, the phone ringing as he brought the phone up to his ear. He waited for a few seconds before he sighed, leaving a voicemail to have Mateo call him back when he got the message.

“He’s been talking about this girl non-stop for a week. He basically has her profile memorized, telling me how right for each other they were after their first few dates.” Marjan frowned, running her hand over the back of her neck, fingers brushing against the bottom of her hijab. “You still have keys to your dad’s place?” she asked TK.

“Marj, do you think—”

“She either stood him up, or something went bad, really fast. Either way, he’s gotta be upset.” Marjan bit down on her bottom lip for a second. “I just need to check on him.”

“Let’s go,” TK said as they walked toward the exit, tossing their drinks out on the way.

Paul stopped halfway to his vehicle, looking at Marjan as she unlocked her car, TK hopping into the passenger seat. “Call me? Let me know if he’s alright or if there’s anything I can do.”

“Of course. I’ll call you later,” Marjan said, tossing her bag into the back. She climbed into the driver’s seat, turning over the ignition, hoping that the way her stomach twisted with growing worry for Mateo was unnecessary.

TK opened the front door, letting Marjan into the seemingly empty house. She’d have thought that nobody was home if it weren’t for Mateo’s car in the driveway. It was a little after ten, so it was possible that he’d just gone to bed early. Marjan hesitated in the doorway.

“Come on,” TK urged, walking towards the kitchen and noticing the [liquor cabinet] was open. TK’s mouth fell open a little, like he wanted to say something but he wasn’t sure if he should.

“I’ll go knock, see if he’s okay.” Marjan eyed the cabinet. “You alright out here?”

“I’m fine.” TK said, offering her a reassuring smile. “Promise.”

Marjan took a deep breath, then knocked lightly on Mateo’s closed bedroom door. Although he didn’t answer, she could hear the TV playing quietly on the other side, but nothing else. “Probie?”

She heard what sounded like a gasp or a sniffle, but she didn’t feel right just going in uninvited.

“Can I come in?” She tried again.

“Do what you want,” Mateo said instead. Marjan took a steadying breath, then pushed open the door and while she wasn’t sure what to expect, an array of takeout containers scattered across his bed wasn’t it.

“Cap is gonna have a fit when he sees all the GMOs you’ve been eating.” Marjan left the door open a crack, her gaze settling on the liquor bottle that was positioned precariously at the corner of his night stand. “Can I sit down?” She motioned towards the bed.

Mateo shrugged, his focus not wavering from the television. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair ruffled. If she didn’t know better she’d think he hadn’t slept or showered in days, like he was carrying the world on his shoulders. Mateo’s jaw tensed as he continued to watch the movie with great focus.

“What’re you watching?” Marjan cleared some of the containers from the bed, making space for herself beside her friend.

“I-I don’t know,” Mateo answered distractedly, still not looking at her.

“Hey,” Marjan said gently, taking the remote from his hands and muting the television, her forehead creasing more when he still didn’t look at her. “Mateo.” The use of his given name had the desired result, brown eyes filled with anger catching her gaze.

“What?” he snapped, then he visibly cringed, presumably as he realized she wasn’t the one he was angry with. “I—sorry.” Mateo’s voice wobbled on the last word.

“What happened?”

“She stood me up. Didn’t even text or call to tell me,” he said, lowering his gaze to his hands. “When I tried to call her for the third time because I was worried that something happened to her, she answered her phone—clearly annoyed—said I wasn’t what she was looking for. And that I started to suffocate her after one date, which she said was a record.”

“Mateo—” Marjan reached out for his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, wanting to physically reassure him that none of this was on him.

“Don’t.” Mateo’s anger crumbled, his expression turned to one of hurt, tears falling down his cheeks. “I’m always gonna be too much, or not enough—not smart enough, or good looking enough—too different to ever be the right guy.”

Marjan scooted over so she was sitting closer to him on the bed, opening her arms to him, hoping that he’d take the cue and let her comfort him. He didn’t move right away, so instead she placed her hand on top of his.

“I know you can’t see this right now because you’re angry and hurt, but you’re such a great guy. This is on her and not on you.” Marjan paused, her thumb rubbing over the back of his hand, watching as his jaw clenched and more tears rolled down his cheeks.

“You’re more than enough,” Marjan said. “You’re one of the greatest guys I’ve ever known, and that big heart of yours holds so much love for everyone you know. You dive into everything with your all. With your family, and your friends, at work when we’re on calls—and in relationships too. Someone is going to be so incredibly lucky to get all that you have to offer.”

Mateo’s body shook at her words, and she reached out for him, gently tugging him into her embrace. “Shhh, it’s okay. Let it out,” she murmured.

“H-how did you know—how did you get in here?” Mateo managed between sniffles.

Marjan’s hand rubbed over his back soothingly. “TK said something was wrong. He still had a key and I wanted to check on you.”

“I’m sorry I ruined your night.”

“You didn’t ruin anything,” Marjan chided, though her tone was soft as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I wish you would’ve called one of us. You don’t have to take on all this hurt alone. I’m here for you. We’re all here for you.”

“Thank you,” he whispered, his body sagging against her, finally letting the tension bleed out.

“I know it’s late. You should go,” Mateo finally said.

“No.” Marjan shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay but…” Mateo was quiet for a long time. “I never had dinner and I’m kind of hungry, do you mind if we grab some food?”

Marjan laughed softly as she climbed off of the bed, Mateo sliding off of the opposite side as her. “What’re you in the mood for? I’ll cook.”

“It’s almost 11:30,” Mateo argued.

“Probie.”

Mateo held his hands up in surrender. “Grilled cheese would be great.”

Marjan nodded, grabbing the bottle of alcohol from his nightstand on her way to the door, hearing Mateo’s feet padding against the floor behind her. She set the bottle on the counter, then walked toward the living room. “Hey T—” Her sentence cut off as she felt Mateo’s hand cover her mouth.

“Shhhh, he’s sleeping,” Mateo said. Marjan laughed as Mateo’s hand slipped away, and he skirted around her, walking over to TK and covering him with a throw blanket.

“You know,” Marjan said, unable to stop the way that her lips curled up into a smile. “We came here to take care of you.”

“We’re family,” Mateo said when he was satisfied enough with how well he’d covered TK, walking back to where Marjan was pulling out the ingredients she needed for the grilled cheese, “and family takes care of each other.”

Marjan smiled, feeling the tension ease with the knowledge that he would be okay, because he was right. They had each other and no matter the circumstance, they could get through it, because they always had each other to lean on.

#911firstkiss #911 first kiss week #atnight #marjan marwani #mateo chavez #911 lonestar #911 lone star #marjan & mateo

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rohad93 · 4 years

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Moonlit Masquerade: High in the Mountains Pt 1

Part 9 of the Moonlit Masquerade Series

"What if we went camping?" Willow suggests as they all sit around in the living room of the owl house.

"Camping?" Luz asks, tilting her head as she looks at her two friends sitting across from her and Amity.

It's Friday after school, marking the beginning of fall break, a whole week off from school.

"Yeah, we can go out and enjoy the weather for a couple of days, hang out, no school or stuff." Willow grins, any outdoor activity is one she can get behind.

"And you two can be as gross as you want!" Gus smiles, directing his comment at Luz and Amity.

"We are not gross!" The green-haired girl barks and Luz agrees.

Willow and Gus look at them, Amity is sitting on one side of the couch with Luz laying across the rest, her head in her lap while Amity mindlessly runs her hand through dark brown hair. Willow cocks a brow at them.

"This proves nothing…," Luz grunts, crossing her arms but makes no move to extract herself from Amity, who rolls her eyes.

"You kind of are… but in a good way!" Willow quickly amends. "What we mean is, you won't have to worry about hiding while we're camping."

"I do love camping." Luz hums "Seems like it wouldn't be as much fun if we do it with magic though," she says.

"Oh, what if we do it the human way? Everything by hand…. That is how humans do it right?" Gus looks at her.

"Yup, setting up tents and making the fire and all that fun stuff." Luz grins.

"Sounds good to me. We could leave tomorrow morning and come back Monday?" Willow asks. Gus and Luz nod and then they all turn to Amity.

"I'll have to see if I can go somehow first, but I'm good to go otherwise.

"Hey, if you can't it's no big deal, we can figure out something else to do," Willow assures her, and Gus nods.

She looks down at Luz who just smiles up at her and Amity nods, smiling softly. It's been months since she started hanging out with all of them as part of the group, but sometimes it still feels strange after the years of being 'friends' with Boscha and the other girls in that clique. Having friends like Willow again, who actually listen and care, care about you and not what you can do for them.

"We still all have to get permission too," Gus reminds.

"Oh, right. Hey, mom!" Luz leans her head back and shouts making the others wince at her volume. She barely flinches when she realizes what's come out of her mouth, and she knows her friends have noticed the slip but they have the good grace not to say anything about it, they’ve talked about it.

Every day it becomes more common, and she pushes aside any guilt that comes with it. For all intents and purposes, Eda is her mom, she’s coming to accept that, and she's realized by watching that she actually seems to like it when she calls her that, though she tries to hide it. Something she kept forgetting to talk to Lilith about.

Barely half a second goes by before Eda is yelling back from the kitchen.

"What?"

"Can I go camping with everyone tomorrow morning?"

Eda sticks her head out of the kitchen to look at them.

"Where and for how long?"

Luz's lips twitch up at that. Used to, she could just leave the house and not come back for hours, and Eda wasn't bothered. For the most part, she still could, but with every week that goes by she starts to ask Luz where she's going and when she thinks she'll be back; like a parent.

"We haven't decided yet, and we'll be back Monday."

"You gonna be there?" She turns to Willow who blinks at her.

"Yes?"

"Fine then." She nods.

"What does Willow being there have to do with it?" Gus asks, brow furrowed between his eyes.

"Someone with some sense has to be in charge." Eda crossed her arms and shrugged.

"I have sense!" Amity frowns.

"Me too!" Luz sits up enough to roll into her stomach to look at her.

"Luz, you let yourself get carried away too easily, and you…" her eyes turn to Amity. "Will go along with just about anything Luz asks you too." She grins wickedly at them and both turn bright red at the declaration. Willow and Gus both snort and snicker at them.

"So yeah, if flowers is going, you can go, and dinner's gonna be ready soon." With that, Eda turned and walked back into the kitchen, leaving two embarrassed teens and two barely holding it together.

"I'm working on the getting carried away thing…," Luz mumbles. Dropping back down, her chin smacking against Amity's thigh with a grunt and she pats her head.

Amity has no words for her own defense. She certainly doesn't let Luz do anything… too stupid, but she can't deny, no matter how embarrassed it makes her, that Luz has a way of getting her to agree to things. She's just too cute to say no too sometimes.

They discussed the plan a little bit more until Eda is calling them all for dinner.

Dinner at the owl house is a loud, messy affair of constant talking and laughing with plenty of food with King standing on the table and laying claim to anything in sight while sometimes the sisters argue. Other times she talks to Lilith. Their interactions ease more every day.

It's loud, bright, warm, and homey.

Which makes going home to Blight manor all the more depressing. It's so quiet most of the time.

Amity closes her front door softly, based on the oppressive quiet, she knows her parents aren't home. The twins are probably in their rooms. Her feet make quiet taps on the wooden stairs, echoing off the cavernous halls.

She's sure she's not going to be able to get permission to go but didn't want to say as much in front of everyone else and bring down the mood.

She waited till Gus and Willow had left when she and Luz had been laying on her bed, door open, of course, to say as much.

“It’s okay, mi amor, we all get it. It’s not like we can’t figure out something else to do if you can’t go. We can all be together anywhere,” she had assured her, running her fingers through mint hair, but Amity still feels bad.

She sits at her desk and pulls out her scroll, sending Luz a quick message that she was home safe and sound. She smiled to herself as a message immediately came back.

'Good, Gus and Willow said they can go. What about you, mi Amor?'

'Let me ask…'

She swipes away her girlfriend's message and opens the contacts, scrolling down to her mother's.

She looks at it a long time, finger hovering over her mother’s contact. She has to at least try, she could tell how much Luz wants to go, but she knows that there's no way she can cover her tracks for two days, even if the twins helped, she doesn’t want to ask that much of them anyway. They would be in just as much trouble as her if they’re caught. She’s managed to cover a few things over the last few months by telling them of her rekindled relationship with Willow.

Though maybe revealed, would be a more appropriate word, because she didn’t tell them, so much as her mother found out from Boscha’s parents after the grudgby match. Surprisingly, they hadn’t been upset at all.

Willow had proven herself to be plenty powerful and capable since switching into the plant track, in fact, she was the head of the track now. Her mother was actually thrilled by the turn of events.

She rolls her eyes at that, bitterness welling up in the pit of her stomach. Willow had been her best friend, her only real friend for so long, and then her mother had made her get rid of her and now she was glad they were friends again!

Her fist clenched atop the desk, nails digging into the flesh of her palm as she stared darkly at the contact still sitting open on the screen.

She had thought that wound had long been scarred over, but here it was, bleeding again.

She's so lost in thought she doesn't hear her bedroom door open or the soft footsteps approaching.

"Hey, Mittens."

Amity shrieks, nearly jumping out of her skin as her sister grins at her.

"What!?" she snaps, snarling, lip curled and fangs poking out and Emira blinks, gold eyes glancing at the scroll and seeing the contact pulled up and understanding flashes behind her eyes.

"You okay?" she asks. Amity stares back at her for a second before turning back to the scroll and she's tense for a few long seconds before she sighs, deflating.

"I'm fine…," she finally mumbles sourly.

"Mhmm" Emira hums and struts across the room, and uninvited, as she did most things, sits on Amity's bed and leans back on her hands to regard her sister from across the room. "Want to try that again, but less morose?" She cocks her head.

Amity gives her a tired and annoyed look.

"Come on, just tell me." Her sister smiles. Amity sighs again.

"My friends want to go camping tomorrow, and they're all really excited about it, especially Luz, but I don't think there's any way I'm going to be able to get permission to go…" she frowns down at her knees.

"Yeah, that is a problem…," Emira hums, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully and Amity grunts in response. They're quiet for a long couple of minutes before Emira smiles to herself and looks back down at her sister.

"What if we told her something else?" she says slyly.

"Like?" Amity arches a brow at the devious look on her older sister's face, one she's intimately familiar with.

"Like, what if we asked if we could go camping with my buddies from the illusion track?" She says and Amity frowns, brows furrowing between her eyes.

"How does that help?" Amity asks.

"Because, oops, my friends couldn't make it, but we ended up running into some classmates from school and camped with them instead, and since we got all the way out there, we decided to just stay." She grins and slowly Amity's doubtful face morphs into something hopeful.

"That… could work," she says, sitting up.

"So?" Emira asks, grinning.

The twins have been more than helpful ever since she and Luz started dating, though especially since her and her girlfriend's little encounter with the two upperclassmen from the illusion track, but something about Emira's smile, for the first time in a while tells Amity that her sister wants something out of this. Maybe she's just being paranoid and hates to look a gift horse in the mouth by calling out her sister's intentions, but rather than just covering for her, Emira would have to spend the next two days camping with them, and that is suspicious.

"What's in it for you?" she asks finally, and Emira gasps in mock offense, resting a hand on her chest, and Amity immediately knows what she's hit the nail on the head.

"I can't just do something nice for my baby sister?" She bats her eyes at her. Amity glares.

"You can, but offering to spend the next two days camping with my friends and girlfriend seems a little bit of a stretch for you…"

Emira laughs.

"Quid pro quo, Mittens." Emira holds up a finger. "I don't see why we can't both get what we want," she starts. "If Viney happened to be one of the classmates we ran into, what would it hurt?"

"That's it? You want your girlfriend to come with us?" Amity blinks, wondering why she didn't think of that, of course, that's what her sister wanted.

"That's it." She nods.

"Let me ask the others," Amity says, turning back to her scroll and typing out a quick message in their group chat.

All three agreements come in within five minutes. She expected Luz's answer, Viney was a friend of hers after all.

"They said yes." She turns back to Emira who brightens up and draws a spell circle, her own scroll appearing and she hits a button before holding it up to her ear.

"Hello, Mother…," she starts and Amity turns back to her own scroll, half-listening to the conversation between her mom and sister, it's fairly quick and within a minute she hears. "Yes, thank you." She's grinning and then it's over and she sets it on the bed. "We're good to go," she says and smiles brighter at the way Amity's face lights up with a joy that has been far too infrequent until she started dating Luz.

Amity turns back to her scroll and announces she can go to cheering messages from her friends and Luz.

The exchange a few more messages in the group chat, finalizing plans before it goes silent, but then her personal chat with Luz pings.

'See you tomorrow. Love you, G'night!'

She quickly types back the sentiment and spells her scroll away before turning to her sister.

"We're going to meet at the owl house at seven," she tells her, and Emira nods before making a call. This one's so vastly different in tone from the one with their mother that it almost causes whiplash.

"Hey, honey," Emira says into her scroll and Amity snorts, making her sister glare at her and she just grins

Turnabout is fair play, she thinks, and Emira seems to come to this conclusion as well aa she huffs silently and carries on her conversation with her girlfriend.

She's smiling stupidly into the distance by the time she hangs up.

"We're all set," she says, standing and making her way to the door.

"Thank you," Amity says to her back and Emira pauses in the doorway only long enough to smile over her shoulder.

"Don't mention it." Then she's gone, shutting the door behind her.

They are outside the owl house at seven sharp, backpacks packed and ready.

Amity and Emira are the first to arrive, the first wide awake and buzzing with excited energy and the second a walking zombie.

Lilith lets them in with the warning that Eda is still asleep, and they set their bags on the couch before Amity heads quietly up the stairs to Luz's room.

The door is hanging open when she peeks around the corner. Luz is facing away from her, shoving things into her bag and humming happily to herself. Amity smiles to herself as she sneaks quietly, even in hiking boots, across the room and wraps her arms around Luz's waist, making her jump.

"Morning, querida," she mumbles, pressing her face in between sharp shoulder blades.

"Hey! You scared me," Luz chuckled, resting her hands over the ones wrapped around her.

"Sorry," is her muffled response. Luz spins in her hold to throw her arms over her shoulders and Amity meets her halfway in a good morning kiss. They might as well get it out now, as much as they know their friends don't really mind their sometimes, overly affectionate nature, much as they like to tease, and are all for them being themselves when they're with them, they don't want to subject them to it all weekend. That, and Emira was here, and the last thing Amity needs is her sister's constant teasing in the background for the whole trip, though it's probably going to happen anyway.

"All ready to go?" Luz asks, resting her forehead against Amity's.

"Yeah," she smiles and Luz grins.

"This is gonna be so much fun." She bounced on her toes, vibrating with energy, it's infectious.

"You're going to jinx us," she warms with a grin.

"Naw, sides, you heard Eda. Willow is there to 'keep us out of trouble'," she says mockingly and sticks out her tongue. Amity snickers.

"No one can keep you out of trouble," she says, and Luz grins, shrugging.

"Maybe, but you all do your best," she says and kisses the tip of her nose, making Amity go cross-eyed even as she giggles before she untangles herself from the witch and grabs her bag.

Amity steps back and finally, actually looks at her.

Luz is wearing jeans and boots like hers, but a weird button up purple shirt with black and white stripes making square patterns across it over a tank top.

She reaches out and pinches the sleeve between her thumb and finger. It's soft and slightly fuzzy.

"What is this?" She tilts her head.

"Oh, it's a flannel. I accidentally packed it when I left for 'camp', but it's finally cold enough to wear it." Luz smiled, watching Amity rub the material between her fingers. "Flannel is actually supposed to be the material, but in the human world, any shirt with this pattern is usually called a flannel." She shrugged. She really wants to make a joke about lesbians and flannel given how interested Amity is in it, but she knows it would go over her head since they don't really define sexuality in the Boiling Isles.

Damn it.

"Willow and Gus should be here soon," she reminds and Amity nods before they make their way back downstairs.

Emira looks up when they come back and lifts a hand in greeting.

"Hey, cutie." She smiles. Amity makes a face at her but doesn't say anything. Maybe early on when she first caught feelings for Luz, she had been worried about her liking her siblings more than her, but now the thought is so ridiculous to her she almost snorts. Besides that, Em has her own girlfriend and Ed has never shown any serious interest in anything but practical jokes and pastries.

"Hey, Em." Luz greets as she sets her bag on the floor before walking into the kitchen.

"Morning Lilith," Luz greets the elder Clawthorne sister as she grabs a bag off the counter and digs through the fridge for the foods she was taking with them, tossing it in the bag. She'll throw some ice in there and take some ice glyphs to keep it cold over the weekend, but that's about the extent of the magic they're going to be using since they don't have coolers on the Isles.

"Good morning, Luz. Are you all ready to go?" Lilith asks as she flips through a book and sips on her morning tea.

"Just about, we're just waiting for Gus and Willow," she says that she throws the rest of the food into the bag and picks it up.

"Well, have fun," Lilith says.

"We will." Luz grins and darts back out to the living room.

Just as she walks back into the room, a knock on the door makes her grin and she rushes over to open it, not wanting to subject her friends to Hooty any longer than necessary.

"Hey guys!" she greets.

"Hey!"

"Morning"

Willow looks ready to go, pack slung over her shoulders, and wearing a hat that reminded Luz of something she'd seen in movies of people on Safari, and Gus has a backpack nearly twice his size towering over him. He wobbles a little under its weight.

"You look… prepared?" Luz says and he beams at her.

"I wasn't sure what all we would need to camp like humans so I packed for any possibility," he says like it should be obvious. Luz chuckles to herself.

"Well, I guess we're just waiting for Viney then." Luz steps aside to let them in.

"She's going to meet us at the ribs," Emira says and stands from the couch.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Gus bounced excitedly, though it appears more like a twitch under that weight of his bag.

"Let's go then!" Luz declares, pointing toward the door and everyone shoulders their bags and files out.

Eda chooses that moment to shuffle down the stairs, mid-yawn with King following behind her dragging a stuffed animal, eyes still closed.

"You kids ain't left yet?" she mumbles.

"Leaving now," Luz says, trotting over to hug the older witch.

"Stay outta trouble," she grumbles.

"No promises!" Luz grins up at her. Eda snorts at that.

"That's my girl." Eda smirks, reaching up to ruffle her hair before Luz leans down and kisses the top of King's head.

"Bye, ya little cutie," she says before turning and running out of the house. "Love you, bye!" she calls over her shoulder.

Everyone is waiting in the yard for her and Hooty is beside himself with all the people to talk to. He's stretched out between them, unable to decide who he needs to talk to first, and gets uncomfortably close to Emira who is making a face at the house demon.

He stays clear of Amity.

"Sorry, Hooty, we gotta go," she tells him and he slumps.

"Aww… well okay!" He slithers back into the door and they shiver before hurrying away from the house.

Luz hurries to match stride with Amity and laces their fingers together. They smile at each other as they all trek through the woods.

They meet Viney at the base of the mountain they've planned to climb, she's leaning against a tree, bag at her feet.

"Sup guys." She waves.

Amity watches the change in her sister with fascination as she lights up and jumps into the shorter girl's arms, who grins and lifts her off the ground, making Emira giggle before she leans down to kiss her.

“There’s more of them…” Gus leans in to whisper horrifyingly to Willow, who chokes on a laugh, holding a fist to her mouth to stifle the noise.

"Caramba," Luz mumbles, drawing her gaze. “Is that what we’re like?” she says quietly to her and Amity laughs under her breath.

“Yes…” Gus and Willow answer.

“Probably…” She smiles and Luz makes a face.

“Aww man… we are gross,” she grumbles and Amity laughs quietly behind her hand.

“Maybe, but you’re cuter than Viney,” she whispers, making Luz grin.

“So, we going or what?” Viney asks once she’s set the oldest Blight daughter down.

"Onward!" Luz shouts, pointing to the faded, partly overgrown, dirt trail that leads up the mountain.

"To adventure!" Gus throws up a fist before the weight of his bag makes him teeter back and fall flat into the dirt. He kicks his legs helplessly. "Uh, little help?"

They haul him up before making their way up the path.

Half the trees have grown bare in the last month, but some still stubbornly cling to their leaves even in mid-fall.

They create a chorus of crunches under the teenagers' feet as they walk up the trail and climb over rocks. The air is cool even in the bright sunlight.

Gus struggles at times with his oversized bag.

"How long are we going to be camping for again?" Viney asks, looking at the giant blue backpack.

"Just till Monday," Luz assures her.

"Then what's with him?" She jerks a thumb at Gus.

"I packed for any situation, we're camping like humans after all!" He pants.

"Well, I know backpackers try and pack as little as possible so they can hike for longer, like, weeks. That's a little rougher than I think we want," Luz tells him. "You still might have packed a little much though…"

He just grunts and after a while, Willow trades him bags and carries on at the same place as before.

By afternoon they reach the top and find the clearing on the cliffside where they plan to set up camp and drop their bags.

There's an empty stone circle in the middle, an abandoned fire pit, but not much else.

"This is perfect," Luz says, dropping her bag and running over to the edge on the far side of the clearing. They can see most of the Isles from here and she takes a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. She grins, the wind whipping at her face and tousling her hair.

She never did get that haircut from Eda. It's getting long, reaching down the back of her neck and laying over atop her head. She kinda likes it, Amity seems too also, so she's just letting it grow, though she has had Eda trim the ends when they get a little ragged.

She enjoys the way the cold air feels in it right now.

"Luz, come help us get set up!" Willow calls and she turns with a grin.

"I'm coming!" She walks back over to where everyone is digging through their bags.

Willow, Gus, and Viney have started setting up their tents while the Blight sisters watch, realizing that the two of them have forgotten one essential piece of camping equipment.

"You two gonna set up your tents?" Luz asks, looking at them. Both turn slightly pink.

"Say, we don't… have… tents… what would we do?" Emira asks, and across the clearing Viney snickers.

"You can sleep in mine, babe," she calls.

"Oh, nevermind, good luck, Mittens." Emira grins before hurrying over to her girlfriend to help her set up the dark green tent.

"Hey!" Amity shouts at her back, face red. Luz laughs.

"It's okay, mi amor, you can sleep with me," Luz says with a grin, and Amity nods, carefully avoiding the look she knows Willow is sending them as she sets up her own tent.

Luz pulls out the poles and tarp and they get to work putting it together.

"Does it go here?" Luz mumbles, shoving a pole into a slot.

"No, I think it goes over here." She points, looking at the directions with a furrowed brow. They squabble lightly about the placement before getting things in the right place.

It takes them nearly half an hour to put the thing together, but they eventually manage.

"Perfect." Luz smiles, standing back to eye their work.

"Perfect is a strong word… I think we're missing a pole…," Amity mumbles, still looking at the paper.

"Eh, it's fine." Luz waved a hand and Amity hummed.

"So long as you two aren't too rough in there it'll be fine." Emira is suddenly standing behind them, making them jump. They both turn red at the implication.

"Don't you have something better to do than bother us?" Amity snaps at her grinning sister.

"Not at the moment, no," she says.

Amity growls at her.

"Hey, Luz!" Gus calls. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Uhh…" she gestures to the woods.

"Okay, I know we're supposed to be camping like humans, but no." Emira huffs and spins a finger and an outhouse appears at the edge of the clearing.

"Thank you!" Gus calls before running over to it.

"Fair" Luz shrugs. That was always her least favorite part of camping anyway. "Well, I'm on to my next order of business!" she declares and digs through her bag, pulling out an axe.

"Where did you get an axe?" Amity questions.

"Eda" is the simple answer. They can hear Willow sigh across the camp.

"Of course…," Amity mumbles. "And what are you going to do with an axe?" She holds her hand out to the tool.

"I am going to chop down a tree!" She slings it over her shoulder and puffs out her chest.

"Why?" Amity stresses and Luz shrugs.

"Well, we need something to sit on right? I've also kinda always wanted to…" she grins. She looked around the clearing before finding one, maybe sixteen feet tall, barren, and about two feet wide, autumn had stripped it of all its leaves already, just beyond the tree line. "That one!" She says, pointing the axe at it.

Amity crosses her arms and looks at her.

"Don't worry, mi amor, I'll be careful," she promises and somehow that doesn't make Amity feel any better, but she just sighs and she knows this is exactly what Eda was talking about last night.

"Luz…," Willow says.

"It's fine, you all worry too much!" She turns and heads for the tree in question.

"Hold up, killer!" Viney chased after her. "Let me show you how to start it so it doesn't fall onto camp."

"You know how to chop down trees?" Luz asks.

"My family owns a beast raising farm, sometimes it's easier to clear a few by hand then by magic since the spells are for large areas." She shrugs and turns to the tree and explains to Luz how to cut an angle at the bottom of the trunk so they can control where it falls.

The Blight sisters watch as Viney hacks a notch into the wood before handing it over to Luz and giving her tips on grip and stance before leaving her to it.

"Let's get started on lunch." Emira nudges her sister and she hesitates, afraid the second she turns away her girlfriend is going to lop off one of her limbs but eventually nods and they start digging through the bag of food Luz brought, the echoing of the axe hitting the tree sounding at regular intervals across camp.

Willow and Gus wander off to collect wood for the fire pit while they do.

The sisters and Viney finish unpacking before starting on lunch.

The mountain is quiet, except for Luz's chopping, and Amity relaxes in the calming atmosphere as they put together sandwiches for everyone.

She decides to take one to Luz when they are all finished and walks over, sandwich in hand, she rounds a tree to where Luz is and freezes, dropping the sandwich into the dirt at her feet.

Luz is still working at the tree with long swings of the axe.

She must have gotten hot, because she's taken off the flannel and has it tied around her waist, leaving her in her tank top as she works to chop the tree down.

Sweat is dripping down her brow, making her hair stick to her face.

Amity's whole body heats up, watching her girlfriend swing the axe with a grunt. Has Luz always had those muscles she can see flex just beneath the dark, flushed skin of her arms and shoulders?

Luz stops with a sigh and mumbles something to herself as she wipes the back of her arm across her forehead before going back to it.

"I'm going to go see what's taking Amity," Emira says as she stands and walks over to where she knows Luz is, still working on the tree by the sound of it. She peeks around a tree and sees Luz still working and Amity standing a few feet away, watching, face red, and seemingly frozen.

Emira watches for a second before she realizes what's happening and grins before walking up quietly behind her sister and leans down to whisper in her ear.

"See something you like?"

Birds fly out of the trees, startled by the scream that echoes through the woods.

Amity sits in front of the fire pit, arms crossed and scowling at the dirt.

Emira is still snickering to herself fifteen minutes later, it's a lot better than the gut-wrenching laughter from earlier.

Viney is smirking and shaking her head, choosing much like Luz to not interject herself between the stuff that goes on between the Blight siblings.

Willow and Gus have returned and they wonder what happened, but based on the dark look Amity is sending Emira they choose not too.

They eat their sandwiches and are almost through when they hear the sounds of loud splintering and cracking followed by Luz shouting.

"Timber!"

Then the ground shakes and shudders with a loud crash and snapping noises. They all jump up and run to check on their friend, but before they can get there they hear her loud whoops of joy, which eases their worry.

When they round the trees they're treated to the sight of Luz, standing with one booted foot on the felled tree, axe slung over her shoulder and her other hand fisted against her hip. She looks sweaty and exhausted but is grinning brightly.

"I did it!" she declares triumphantly.

"Nice!" Viney grins at her.

"Good job Luz!" Gus cheers. Willow is smiling but shaking her head.

Emira holds up her scroll and takes a quick photo, tapping a few buttons.

Amity feels her scroll vibrate and ignores it for now.

"Good job, now come eat," she says, hand on her hip.

"Yes, dear!" Luz grins to herself and Amity pinks at her teasing.

They make their way back to the clearing, but Amity lags behind and spells her scroll out and opens the message from her sister.

A photo of Luz comes up, standing triumphantly over the fallen tree, sweaty hair pushed back from her forehead, and axe slung over her shoulder, the rays of sunlight filtering through the foliage are lighting her from the front, she looks almost heroic. No doubt copying something she saw somewhere.

She rolls her eyes but smiles.

She's so cute…

She taps it and saves it to her album.

I have 3 not including this one planned out, and one of them is VERY important, but I’m not gonna say which one....

#Lumity #Luz Noceda #Amity Blight #Willow Park #Gus Porter #Emira Blight #Viney #Eda Clawthorne #Lilith clawthorne #fic #the owl house #toh #moonlit masquerade

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multimetaverse · 4 years

Note

did the love victor pilot that leaked turn out to be real?

Yes it did anon, most of what was in the leaked script ended up in Love Victor 1x01, though there are some differences. If you scroll back under my love victor tag you can find a link for the script. The biggest difference by far is that in the leaked script there are numerous references to Victor being pretty sure he’s gay whereas in the aired pilot he was much more unsure about his sexuality.

Victor’s first message to Simon is largely the same but in the leaked script after he tells Simon ‘’screw you’’, Victor mentions Simon having the world’s most amazing coming out story and that for some people there’s no way in hell that they can tell people (that they’re gay) but those lines are cut from the actual pilot

In the leaked script we see a flashback of the Salazar’s driving into Atlanta where Victor gazes at a Shawn Mendes ad for Calvin Klein. The aired pilot did keep Pilar’s line to Victor about him understanding why she hates moving if he had girlfriend back in Texas and in the leaked script it mentions that it’s clear that no one knows that Victor is pretty sure he’s gay

Victor telling Simon that he was happy to start at a new school was largely the same though Victor says it’s because ever since he was a little kid he was expected to be one way while in the aired ep he says it’s because there wasn’t a lot of room to be different back in Texas

The flashbacks to Victor’s life in Texas was changed substantially. In the leaked script we get a flashback to a young Victor playing with a little girl and their moms watching and wondering if they’ll get married one day with Victor narrating that everyone was real excited about him being that one way (ie straight). Victor later narrates that he always suspected he was different as was see a 14 year old Victor at a basketball game while his teammates ogle female cheerleaders while we see that Victor is actually eyeing a handsome basketball player on the other team. Both scenes were cut in the aired pilot and replaced by a brief scene of teenaged Victor eating lunch with his friends while they mock one of the boys for eating a salad instead of ribs. The church scene is largely the same and Armando’s flojito slur is kept in (perhaps not surprising that the homosexuality was trimmed down but the homophobia was kept intact)

Victor’s first convo with Lake and Mia is the same in both scripts but in the leaked script after Lake asks Victor again if he has a girl back home, Victor narrates that all he had to do was tell them that there was no girl and that he actually thinks he might be gay which leads into what the script says is Victor’s coming out fantasy as Lizzo’s Good as Hell plays and Victor strides into school and introduces himself by saying, ‘’Hi I’m Victor. I like basketball, dog rescue videos, and dudes. I think’’. A passerby titled as ‘’accepting girl’’ tells Victor she supports him (interestingly enough there was an actress credited as accepting girl on imdb very early on in the production process which suggests they may have actually filmed a similar scene before cutting it)

Later in the fantasy sequence a teacher comes up to Victor and asks if he’s the new maybe gay kid and Victor replies, ‘’I am! I mean, I’ve never kissed a guy. But when I think about kissing, it’s always a guy. Usually Nick Jonas.’’ (hard to see the Victor of the leaked script being in a relationship with a girl the entire first season)

When Simon messages Victor back in the leaked script he says he’s sorry that Victor feels like its impossible to come out right now while in the aired pilot he says he’s sorry that Victor doesn’t have anyone to open up to. At the end of the leaked pilot script after Victor walks past Benji to ask Mia to ride on the Ferris Wheel with him he replies to Simon that maybe he does deserve a great love story but that doesn’t mean he’s going to get one whereas in the aired pilot Victor tells Simon that maybe he does deserve a great love story but he’s not sure what that looks like for him

A minor but telling change from the leaked script is that Mia Strauss becomes Mia Brooks. The original actress for Mia was a 16 year old white girl who was let go during the filming of the pilot as production team wanted to take the character in a different direction and then cast Rachel who’s black and one of the oldest of the cast members. Brooks is a much more common surname among black people than Strauss is which explains that change. I think we can guess that the different direction they wanted to take Mia’s character in was both dating Victor the whole season but also being romantically involved with Andrew. Michael was 19 during filming and still looks young but Mason was already in his 20s and can’t really pass for a teen so they may have felt that that original actress looked too young and perhaps didn’t have enough chemistry with either Michael or Mason

Andrew’s character had a lot of his dickishness toned down in the aired pilot as compared to the leaked script. A scene where Andrew calls Felix poop dick was replaced by the VP calling Felix lone stone (poop dick was funnier imo). Andrew is less of a dick to Victor during gym class and most notably in the aired pilot he doesn’t wolf whistle when Benji helps Victor with his lunch, they gave that role to a random extra. It’s hard to imagine the wolf whistling Andrew of the leaked script being someone who would tell Victor in 1x10 that he would never out him. It seems like they were originally planning to make Andrew much more of a villain then he ended up being which I think also ties in with them deciding to go with Mia and Andrew; Mia doesn’t seem like she would go for a guy who was as bad as he was in the leaked script

Felix meeting the Salazars is largely the same though in the pilot he was supposed to creepily appear uninvited in their apartment rather than meeting them on the front steps. Adrian has more lines in the leaked pilot including a few that set up the Abuelos visiting later in the season and a brief gag of him peeing in the bushes that got cut. Isabel tells Victor that marriages are hard sometimes even the good ones but in the leaked script she adds that Victor shouldn’t worry as her and Armando have a really good marriage. It seems like the plan was to always have the Salazar’s marital conflict come to a head but I wonder if they settled on having the parents announce their separation before Victor comes out so that Victor doesn’t feel responsible for it. There’s also a brief mention of Benji being Jewish which we may learn more about in S2. Other than that they were aiming to have Tony Hale back as the VP which didn’t pan out. There are lot’s of references to the show being on Disney + which are hilarious in hindsight

#Love Victor #Love Simon #Victor Salazar #Venji #Andrew Spencer #Mia Brooks #Felix Weston #Benji Campbell #Love Victor Asks #Asks #Answered

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pandawritesmanythings · 4 years

Text

(A Medieval!AU Loki x Stark!Reader Story)

Chapter Summary: Where our adventure begins...

Word Count: 2,018

Warnings: Angst? Breakups?

Masterlist

A/N: Thank you so much to those who liked the idea and decided this story was worth your time! I hope you enjoy!

Loki found himself looking out the window, while the woman on his bed slept soundly. He took a breath of the salty air that belonged to that dark and secretive night. A night of caresses and whispers, always aware that anybody could walk in but fully devoted to each other.

The northern star sparkled brightly against the dark sky and he found himself staring at it. At the millions of stars that he had explored yet still so many, he had out of his reach. He couldn't map further from what he could see. But there was no brighter star than the one that he had left to rest on his bed.

He approached her quietly and sat beside her. A hand petting her hair to wake her.

"Time to go love." He whispered as her eyes fluttered open.

She let out a heavy and sleepy sigh. "Must I?"

"I wish you hadn't. But you must."

"If only this wasn't so complicated..."

"Yes... If only." Loki stared out of the window. He knew this night was the last with his true love. "But despite what happens tomorrow, you must know that it was you. It was always and will always be just you."

They pressed their foreheads together, him trying to transmit his love for her and her trying to suppress the tears. After tonight these secret rendezvous and quiet cuddles would be no more. The dark prince was going to marry someone else, and there was nothing either of them could do.

"Promise me you'll never forget me." She asked him.

"I promise. But you also have to promise that you'll move on."

She kept quiet. Her golden hair was messy and it had fallen off her braid. Despite her disheveled look, she was still the most beautiful creature to Loki. His angel was struggling with her words, but he couldn't blame her. This was for the best, but it didn't mean that it wasn't hard.

Finally, she conceded. "I-I promise..."

That night they would finally admit their love to each other, but they would have to painfully part before that love could ever be consumed.

The day of departure was extremely stressful for you. You paced around your room and Wanda helped you finish going over your luggage.

"Are you sure I have everything? Maybe double-check the list." You nervously paced as you pulled your dress to make it neater for the umpteenth time.

Wanda bit her lip in amusement. "Darling, this is the third time we have gone over about what you are taking and what you aren't. You have to take a breath. Everything will be fine."

You sat in front of your vanity and looked at the bags under your eyes in the mirror.

"Alright. Yes. Everything will be fine." You placed your head in your hands, and even though you tried to convince yourself, you had to admit that you really weren't feeling confident.

"This just needs to work Wanda. It does. I can't afford to slip up."

She kneeled next to you, and understanding look on her face. "I know my dear friend. But it will do you no good to worry like this. Come, you must speak to your brother. If you are nervous I can't begin to imagine how nervous he is."

You nodded and led the way to your little brother's room. After knocking, his brown eyes met yours and he beamed at you before tackling you into a hug. Not very princely like, but you loved him a lot so who cares.

"You came!" He beamed at you.

"Of course I came!" You smiled back. "I wouldn't want to leave without saying goodbye!"

A sad look crossed his face. "Do you really have to go?" He sheepishly asked.

"I know it's not ideal Peter, but it will only be for a little while, with some luck I'll be able to come back here soon." You tried to remain positive but the teen remained with a worried expression etched to his face.

"But you won't come back alone, will you?"

You hesitated. Your parents had been adamant about not letting Peter know many details, but you couldn't lie straight to his face.

"Best case scenario I won't."

"Why does that have to be the best-case scenario?" He grumbled, becoming slightly more annoyed.

"You know full well why Peter." You straightened up. "This is my duty and I'll fulfill it if I have to."

"But what about-"

Your glare and stern look shut him up immediately, especially after noticing a pair of guards walking nearby.

A sigh fell from your lips. "I don't wish to fight you."

"Me neither."

"Then please understand. I just want you to care for Morgan. And don't worry about me. I'm the royal heir. It's my obligation to worry about arranged marriages, not yours."

Both of your foreheads were pressed against each other. Both trying to draw strength from the other and still show your love, because you knew that in public you wouldn't be able to.

"I love you, little brother."

"And I, you."

The realm consisted of 9 kingdoms. Towards the ocean, was Asgard. A beautiful and towering kingdom. Rich in resources and culture. It was one of the biggest and most prosperous of the kingdoms.

To it's right was Vanaheim, which was a series of hunting tribes that had their own system of government. It was unusual for the Vanir to leave Vanaheim, and the thick vegetation and merciless fauna rendered it almost impossible to travel through it if not guided by a local.

To Asgard's left was Alfheim. An illustrious monarchy that made its home on the edge of the mountains, and had made itself rich for acquiring the precious gems and stones that decorated their palaces and streets. They lived quietly isolated and had refused for centuries to trade with any of the other kingdoms. But they had accepted to do so thanks to the Yggdrasil Accord.

Deeper into the mountains was Svartalheim. Their kingdom was to be found inside the mountains. Not much was known about them since they had remained isolated from the other kingdoms and despite the Accord, they still mostly kept to themselves.

At the top of the mountains and the subsequent valleys was Jotunheim. This kingdom was hostile. They bred warriors from infancy and were terribly dangerous to the other kingdoms. They were the strongest in the military sense. They had the best strategist and fiercest warriors. It was no surprise that anyone who approached the kingdom uninvited had gone missing and never heard of again.

In the valley below the mountains, there was Nidavelir. A kingdom of artisans and poets. A stark contrast to their Jotun neighbors, they were a complete opposite to them. Being mostly unarmed and interested only in refining their craft and methods of farming, they were the kingdom most defenseless yet with the most resources of the bunch.

Next, there was Niflheim. This was a neutral zone. A zone that was for the rulers of the kingdoms to come together in peace. As a result, the people of the place were pacifists and tried to share their ways with the other realms.

Then there was Hel. It had once been a powerful kingdom. But a raging fire had turned the green and beautiful forest into a barren and ashy wasteland. The people who lived there were ruled by their queen who barely had contact with the other kingdoms. Their system works like any other tribe would.

And finally, right in the middle of all the kingdoms, there was Midgard. The youngest of the kingdoms. This was your home. And this was yours to protect. Once you were old enough to understand your responsibility you took it with honor. Your small but resourceful centric land was everything to you. And you would protect it against the other kingdoms with your life.

"You've been looking at that map for a long time." You heard your father's voice.

He was coming towards you. His confident stride contrasting with the worry lines and sad smirk.

You smiled back at him before you looked back over the map. "Just making a mental list."

"For?"

"Well. If I am to go to Asgard I must make a good case for my visit and arrangement, must I not?" You smirked back at him, hoping it would lighten his mood.

To your delight, he seemed to relax a bit, but it didn't last long before he took a good look at you and smiled sadly.

"You've grown so much, you know?" He cupped your face in his hands and brought you in a hug. "I'm proud of you."

You couldn't cry. You wouldn't allow your self. It wasn't fair to him. He needed you strong.

"I love you, dad."

"And I love you, my little girl..."

The doors opened and you saw your mother stride in. Her strawberry blonde hair flowed as her cream dress did. She was the image of perfection and grace. Oh, how you wanted to be like her when you grew up.

She called your name softly and embraced you. You felt her love in the soft hug. She looked at you with the same fondness as your dad.

"She's become such a wonderful woman, hasn't she, Tony?"

He nodded in agreement. "Almost as beautiful as her mum."

"Oh, hush you make me blush." You teased.

"You'll be a wonderful queen when the time comes my dear." Your mother nodded towards you, disregarding your last teasing comment.

"Thank you, mother."

"That's why I keep saying that you don't need to go to Asgard!" Your dad tried to sway you once more before you left. "You're absolutely capable of managing Midgard by yourself! Just saying!"

Your mother tried to interject, but you beat her to it. You held your dad's hands and looked earnestly into his eyes.

"I know that, dad. I truly do."

"Then why go?" He basically breathed out, it was painful for everyone, but you knew that for your father it was probably the hardest.

"You know why. There is no other option. At least not one that would want to make an alliance with us. We have the common ground, and benefits to profit of." You lowered your head in slight resignation. "We both know that this was not what we had planned. But I'll do whatever it takes to keep our people and my family safe. Please... You have to trust me."

He looked back at your mom, searching for her to correct you, tell you there was another way, anything. But when he saw the resignation on her tired eyes he knew there was nothing he could do. You were going through with this. Like it or not, you were going to do it.

"I trust you. I just don't trust the Asgardians."

You pulled a section of your skirt where there was a hidden knife and he raised an eyebrow at you. "How many?"

"Three more under the skirt." You flipped a thin razor from your long sleeve dress. "One right here, just in case."

"Attagirl." He smirked back at you.

"Now those are for emergencies, alright dear? We don't want war. Please reconsider taking so many." Your mom tried to interject.

You gasped exaggerating your expressions. "Me, by myself at a strange kingdom and you prefer I go unarmed? Mother, you wound me worse than any Asgardians ever could."

She raised an eyebrow at you, unimpressed. "I'm just saying choose your battles, child. You go to make peace, so avoid inadvertently causing a war between us and Asgard."

The three of you went over the plan and the proposal once more, before they escorted you outside the castle and let you off to the mysterious land than was Asgard.

As your home and family faded in the distance you saw Peter hugging Morgan to his chest who cried for her big sister. You finally allowed the tears to run. For you, your family, and everything that was about to be taken away from you.

TAG LIST (OPEN)

#loki fanfic #loki x reader #loki odinson #Loki Laufeyson #medieval!AU #loki x sigyn #steve x reader

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dumbkiri · 5 years

Text

Fate Changes

Parts: [ Here, 2, 3, 4, 5 ]

Summary: [Name] along with the rest of the Batfamily is stuck in Gotham fighting bad guys. She gets pulled along when the Arkham Knight and his military guys barge into her home uninvited.

Pairing: Jason Todd x Female! Reader

Genre: Slight Angst

Word Count: 3.3k// 8 pages

Warnings: Attempted suicide, guns, curse words, death

“Fly me to the moon…”

It was that song again. That dreaded song.

“Let me play among the stars…”

Oh, how she hated the song. It reminded her too much of him.

“Let me see that Spring is like on…”

She remembers being in his arms. The smiles on their faces bringing happiness to one another.

“A-Jupiter and Mars…”

She felt his lips on her forehead and heard a chuckle leave them.

“In other words, hold my hand,”

They were dancing along the beat of the song. His hands leading her and his blue eyes lingering on her form.

“In other words, baby, kiss me…”

Then he brought his hands up to her face. He let his fingers trace along her skin.

“Fill my heart with song and let me sing for ever more…"

Slowly, he came closer to her face. She could feel his breath against her face.

“You are all I long for...”

It smelled of chocolate and mint.

“All I worship and adore…”

She held her hands close to her chest, anticipating his next move.

“In other words, please be true…”

“How long?” He asked her. She gave him a puzzled look, “How long for what?”

“In other words, I love-”

Her hands trembled and the song completely stopped. The record no longer moving. “How long did it take for you to replace me?” His question stung and she didn't know what he was saying. He waited for her to answer and she could tell he was getting impatient. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. How was she supposed to answer him.

He backed away from her and the room around them grew cold. His body was hiding something behind him. She could see the pool of blood around his feet. She closed her eyes wanting to wake up from this nightmare. When she opened them up again, he was no longer in casual clothing. He was wearing his costume. The costume he wore proudly. The costume he died in.

“How long did it take for you to find me!” He yelled at her. His voice made her flinch and she kept her hands close to her chest. Her lips trembled, “I never replaced you.” Then she heard beeping. It was like a countdown. “I waited for you to save me from The Joker. But you did nothing!”

He walked into the shadows and revealed what was behind him. It was himself, tied up to a chair. His breathing was labored and his costume had dried blood on it. Suddenly, she heard footsteps from behind her and Joker appeared with his sickly grin.

“Fill my heart with song…”

The record was playing again and her heart raced.

“Let me sing for ever more…”

The green haired male walked with a hop in his step.

“You are all I long for, all I worship and adore…”

Her right leg took a step forward.

“In other words, please be true…”

Joker raised his right arm high in the air.

“In other words…”

She had to stop him from killing the person she held dearly.

“In other words…”

She ran in front of Joker, his gun pointing at her chest. Where her heart resided.

“I love you…”

Joker pulled the trigger and on instinct, her eyes shut tightly. She heard a thud behind her, the sound of a body dropping to the floor. Quickly, she looked down at her chest and saw that the bullet didn’t go through her. She turned her body around and saw Jason laying on his back with his eyes shut like hers earlier. Tears fell down her cheeks and she choked up.

“It felt like years with him,” Jason’s voice echoed around in the dark room. The only light source was focused on his dead body. She fell to her knees, too weak to bring herself closer to him. “But I still waited for you.”

She nodded her head, “I know. But Bruce held me back, he said that my emotions would cloud my judgement. So that’s why Tim-”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, [Name]!” Jason yelled, “I want to know why you replaced me so easily. I thought you loved me?”

Her hands balled up into fists and she hit her thighs with them, “I still love you!” Her declaration rang in the room and her sobs followed after.

……

[Name]’s body shot up from her bed and her hair stuck to her forehead. Her revealed skin covered in a light coat of sweat. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. Once every week, that song would play in her dreams and slowly turn it into a nightmare. A nightmare that reminded her of how her boyfriend died and by who. She heard her alarm go off, now she knows why she heard a beeping in her nightmare.

She threw her blanket off her body, welcoming the cold air. She then reached for her phone turning the alarm off with a sigh. She rubbed her tired eyes and got off her bed to start her morning routine. After taking a well needed shower, she got dressed and walked into her living room where Tim Drake sat on her couch typing away on her laptop. “Good morning, Tim,” She lazily greeted the teen and began making themselves coffee.

Tim nodded his head, “It's still night.” He paused his typing and stared at the female in the kitchen. She wore a regular white shirt and a pair of shorts. Her legs were lightly covered in scars which she received from patrols. Her feet covered with red socks. He resumed his typing when [Name] glanced up from her cup of coffee. She knew something was on his mind.

“Alright, Drake.” She swished the coffee in her cup, “spill it.”

He didn’t hesitate. “I heard you talking in your sleep,” His eyes looked for a reaction. She stopped messing with her drink and set the cup down on the counter. She didn’t know she was capable of talking in her sleep. “You mentioned a Jason a couple of times. Who is he?”

[Name] gulped and wondered if she should tell him. Bruce had told her to keep Jason a secret, but sooner or later, Tim was going to find out. “An old boyfriend,” She concluded and took another daring sip from her coffee. Tim squinted his eyes, “He seems important to be an old boyfriend.”

“Sometimes, old lovers become a part of you that you can’t forget. Sometimes, there are regrets.” [Name] walked over to him and gave him a cup of coffee. Then she sat next to him and placed her feet on the stand in front of her.

“You regret loving him?” Tim asked shifting in his spot to make room for her. He was glad that she made him a cup, she was finally getting used to his company.

[Name] denied him, “God, no. Jason was very sweet. Annoying, yes. But he knew how to love even if our relationship was young love. Alfred would always say that-”

“Alfred knew him?” Tim cut her off with his question and [Name] knew she screwed up by letting the young Robin know that Alfred knew Jason. How can she fix this stupid problem. “Yeah, Alfred knew Jason very well," She said remembering.

"Ah, Master Todd, how is the book?" Alfred questioned looking over the black haired male's shoulder.

Jason smiled and waved the book in the air, "Shakespeare never gets old. He has his ways of defining love." He pondered about his feelings with [Name], the new Batgirl.

Alfred nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Well, yes. Shakespeare has no problem making a couple star-crossed. It's a tragedy unlike most others."

Jason was going to respond to Alfred until [Name] declared from on top of the stairs, "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" She had a playful side which Jason was grateful for. Bruce was moodier than usual and she seemed to lighten up even his darkest days. She wore her costume, but didn’t have her mask on. Was it already patrol time? Alfred backed away from the couch Jason was casually reading on and greeted [Name], “Miss [L.Name], is it time to patrol the city already?”

[Name] happily replied, “Of course and guess what? Batman is allowing me to patrol a section by myself!” She ran down the stairs and jumped over the last few. Her cape flew up before resting on her back. “I guess I proved myself to him during training. Who would have known I was capable of putting Jason in a lock.”

Jason scoffed, “I let you win that match. It won’t happen again, babe.” [Name] blushed profusely at the name he called her and swiftly chucked a pillow at his face to which he nearly dodged. She put her mask on and let her hands rest on her hips, “Well, Jaybird, have fun cleaning the Batmobile.”

“[Name],” Tim called out waving his hand in front of her face, “hey, [Name].” She was brought back to the present and chuckled. It was embarrassing that she left herself vulnerable. Bruce would always reprimand her for daydreaming. “Are you okay?” Tim asked setting her laptop on the table in front of them. He rested his hand on her shoulder and concern was etched onto his face.

“I’m okay, Tim,” She reassured him and looked at her laptop, “I see that you’re sending coded messages to Barbara, huh? Anything cool happen yet?” He removed his hand off her shoulder and typed away on the laptop. Batman had removed him from the scene and had him focus on the cure for the impostors.

"She hasn't messaged me in an hour. I'm getting kind of worried," Tim stated truthfully, his eyes trained on the computer. [Name] quirked an eyebrow. Barbara was always quick with her responses. "Batman probably has her doing some important things right now and you need to find a cure, remember? Tonight is going to be a long night."

Suddenly, an alarm buzzed through her house. It was a trigger alarm meaning that someone had entered her house without permission. Tim stood up from the couch ready to fight the intruders while [Name] didn't have time to change into her costume. "Shit," she cursed and grabbed her laptop shoving it into Tim's chest, "take this and go."

Tim shook his head, "You're not even dressed and I'm not leaving you alone to fight them by yourself. There's probably-"

"I'm not arguing with you right now," [Name] glared at him and pushed him toward the window. She gave him one last look, one that was filled with determination, "Find the cure." The front door was blasted off its hinges giving Tim the opportunity to climb out of the window with a heavy heart. He didn't want to leave [Name] behind, but she was right. He needed to find the cure.

[Name] closed the window after him and ran up the stairs to enter her bedroom. She ran down the hallway and quietly shut the door behind her. She heard orders being yelled down stairs and she had to hurry. Quickly, she walked over to her closet and moved the clothes on hangers to the side. Behind them was a secret door. She placed her hand in the center and the scanner beeps before the door hissed signaling that she opened it.

Lo and behold, her Batgirl suit waited for her to be put on. Without wasting any more time, she slipped into the costume and fixed her hair. Then she placed her mask on. At this point, it didn't matter if she put it on. They knew where she lived, they know who she is. But for the sake of feeling safe, she put it on. The secret door closed and she walked into the closet sliding the wooden doors closed.

She heard a pair of footsteps walk into her room and heard the creaking underneath the person's feet. She had the advantage of knowing where they were. The man slowly walked over to the closet and he opened it with one hand on the door and the other on his gun. [Name] jumped on him before he could yell and hurry to subdue him. The man closed his eyes and fell to the floor gradually with [Name] holding him up. She laid him on the floor and sighed, "I need to find a new place now."

She peeked out of her bedroom and looked down the hallway. So far, she saw no one. [Name] walked out of her bedroom and down the hallway listening out for any other thugs. She saw something out of the corner of her eyes, to her right and when she faced that way, a big man lifted his foot and planted the bottom of his shoe onto her chest. He kicked her with so much force that her back broke the wooden railing behind her and she fell backwards. She fell for at least five seconds before her back fell onto the floor with broken pieces of wood making the fall hurt more.

"Found Batgirl! She's down here!" The big man yelled to his fellow comrades. He wore black and red and the uniform gave it all away. He was a part of the militia that the Arkham Knight brought into Gotham. She coughed and coughed, wanting to breathe the air that was knocked out of her lungs. She rolled onto her side and used her right arm to push her off the floor. She heard more than ten men run at her with their guns pointing down at her.

"Move and we will shoot you!" One man yelled and [Name] froze in her spot. She hadn't fought in weeks and now here she was. Sitting on the floor with guns trained on her from all sides. Maybe she should have let Tim stay by her side. Or maybe she wanted to get caught.

The big man jumped down from where he kicked her and landed right in front of her. "The boss said to bring her in alive, but he didn't say we couldn't break anything." [Name] looked up from her fetal position and glared at the man. If he dared to lay a finger on her, she wouldn't hesitate to kick his ass. He raised his foot and went to slam it on her left leg, but she quickly moved it to the side. He nearly missed her and he scowled.

She was ruining his fun. But he was ruining her night. "You come into my house and you expect me to suddenly surrender," She jumped to her feet, "you should have brought more men." [Name] jumped on the guy and put him into a choke hold with her legs then she used the jump as an advantage to bring him down. The force of her toppling and slamming him against the floor made another guy watching pull the trigger on her.

A bullet lodged itself into her shoulder barely missing her heart and the big man yelled at the noob, "You idiot, don't kill her!" [Name] would have laughed because the big man was on the floor with his head stuck between her thighs. She had the power to snap his neck. "Move and I'll kill your lieutenant," She groaned out and felt blood leave her bullet wound. The men didn't move and [Name] hurriedly knocked the big man out and went onto another guy.

She took his gun away from him and slammed the butt of it onto his face rendering him immobile as his head snapped to the left. His body dropped onto the floor and she dodged an oncoming hit from behind her. Still holding the gun, she swung the weapon like a baseball bat and it broke on impact. The guy groaned out and in a daze, stumbled backwards. Before she could land a couple hits, someone had shot her in the leg.

[Name] cried out and threw a batarang at the happy trigger guy. It successfully knocked him out and she evaded a guy whose intentions were to tackle her onto the floor. When she landed on her right leg, it sent a wave of pain throughout her body. And it wasn't like her shoulder wasn't in pain either. She turned around and threw a punch at the guy behind her, but her fist was caught in one swoop.

Her eyes widened at who was standing in front of her. It was the one and only Arkham Knight. He chuckled, but it sounded darker due to the voice modifier he wore to mask his voice. "You have grown so much," He commented and let go of her hand. [Name] limped away from him, but kept her eyes trained on his form. How did he know her? She racked her brain for some answers, yet she couldn't find anything.

The Arkham Knight took a step forward each time she took one backwards. He was taunting her. Her back hit the book shelf behind her and she looked to her left. Romeo and Juliet in big gold letters caught her attention and she took the book out. The Arkham Knight stopped in his tracks and looked at her. Her hands shook while holding the book, she hasn't held the book in what felt like forever and in her mind it weighed a lot in her hands.

"O Romeo, Romeo," She rasped out and opened the book, "wherefore art thou Romeo?" [Name] slid down to the floor and examined the pages her boyfriend left on. His bookmark was a photo of the two of them on Christmas. She gulped and let her bloody fingers hold the photo. The bullet wounds didn't ache as much and she knew she was slipping away. She let a few tears escape and she wiped them away. Jason wouldn't want her to succumb to an enemy, but she didn't want to live.

Maybe the Arkham Knight was giving her a chance to finally be with Jason. She looked up from the photo and to the man in a very advanced suit. He was staring down at her with his men standing behind him, their guns aimed at the floor. She put the photo back in the book and closed it. Then she set it next to her without giving it a glance. [Name] coughed into her hands and blood specked her [s.color] hands.

"I suppose that you're here to give me away to Scarecrow. Make me have a taste of his fear toxin and let Batman watch as another one of his sidekicks die in front of him, huh?" She questioned and let her right hand reach behind her. [Name] had guns hidden around in her house and death was better than being one of Scarecrow's baits. The Arkham Knight didn't respond instead his eyes were set on the book.

[Name] felt the cold weapon and almost flinched from the temperature. "You a fan of Shakespeare or something?" She asked to keep him distracted. Again, he didn't respond. This was her chance to pull the trigger on herself. "O happy dagger," [Name] revealed the gun and cocked it, pointing the barrel at her head with her eyes closed. She was accepting death. "This is thy sheath."

She pulled the trigger without hesitation and the ringing in her ear was loud. [Name] opened her eyes and saw the white symbol in front of her. She looked up at his blue mask and no words were exchanged for what felt like minutes. She didn't understand why she wasn't dead. She looked to her right and saw that the Arkham Knight had placed his hand over the gun. His suit allowed him to deflect bullets. He ruined her plans of reuniting with her love.

"I fear too early, for my mind misgives," The Arkham Knight started, removing the gun away from her weak grip. "Some consequences, yet hanging in the stars-"

"Why?" [Name] asked with tears blurring her vision. "Why couldn't you let me die!"

"Shall bitterly begin," The Arkham Knight finished knocking out the girl successfully with a syringe in her neck.

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