#sorry this took so long eeeeek!

[hxzxrdous]

Hi! I really liked the we have each other again story. I was wondering if you could do an alternate timeline in the story when reader and lesso don’t have their reunion until later when reader is an adult. But readers going through their villain era and returns to try and destroy lessos life bc they’ve been angry for so long. But like after they have a fight they have a happy ending. Sorry if it’s worded weird it’s hard to put it into text😭

Eeeeek, thank you for the request and I hope I did it some justice :333 😩 </333

Lady Lesso x daughter!reader

TW: Angst, hurt/comfort, some fluff

FEELINGS NEVER LIE

First your biological parents didn't want you and then you moved from a foster family to another foster family. You started thinking that you might be a problem and not them.

Until you came to the next couple - The Jones'. They were extremely kind the first few months, after they adopted you however, their masks came undone. They took advantage of your situation just so they could get their monthly payment, just so they could provide for their own six kids while your needs were completely neglected. On top of that you had to help with the kids and the farm work. They even made you discontinue your school by the time you were fourteen years old. You started working in a nearby market place in the square, selling the crops of vegetables and batches of bread from your farm.

And you waited.

And you hoped. You hoped that your parents will come back to you once you turn an adult.

Maybe you were a burden and you wouldn't be a burden now that you'll become an adult?

But you knew in your heart, they'll never come and get you. They never sent a single letter. Perhaps they just didn't care? Perhaps they were dead? You didn't know which possibility was worse. The latter one?

Your 18th birthday was getting closer, day by day. And you were hoping that maybe, just maybe... you real parents were on the way, thinking of you, coming to save you. But they never were.

Then you turned eighteen. And nothing happened. Then you turned nineteen and then twenty and twenty one.

You lost all hope. You stopped caring. Maybe it was meant to be for you to rot in this godforsaken place.

You wanted to escape the farm and Gavaldon. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't. Like a magnet pulling you back. Until that one day.

It was a warm spring day. Easter. Your 'siblings' were running around, playing on the backyard after you hid the easter eggs that they coloured it the day before.

"Don't hit your sister, Adam." You pointed to the blonde kid. "Stop stealing the eggs from your sister, Meredith." You ordered the youngest one. "Come inside, it's getting dark!" You yelled out of the window.

"Alright, Ambrose, I see you found the most eggs," you kneeled infront of the freckled child. "Your seven eggs..." you held out the basket as Ambrose put the eggs inside, "for my seven chocolate eggs," you pointed to the bowl with the chocolate eggs. After the kids exchanged their eggs you walked back outside. You haven't finished the laundry yet and your 'parents' wouldblet you go to sleep only until after you finished all the chores.

You just hung the bed sheet on the string when you fell to the floor from surprise as it started moving in the wind. It took you a couple of seconds to figure it out there wasn't any wind at all and suddendly the air around you got colder.

"Y/N Jones," a voice came from behind the bed sheet, so you lifted it up, only to see a man standing right infront of you.

"Excuse me sir, you shoul- How do you know my name?" You tilted your head.

"I finally found you, my child, I've been searching for you," the man spoke, despite his icy voice, you couldn't help but feel warm inside.

"F- father?" Your eyes widened and you froze as he nodded. You immediately knew he was your dad. Feelings never lie. But he felt so frightening. Maybe because you didn't know how it felt to have a parent. Maybe because the feeling was so different.

"What about my mother?" You asked, your voice shaky. "She left you. Her career as a Dean was more important." The man spoke. "You love me? Can you take me away from this place?" You asked. You waited for this moment for such a long time.

"Actually, I have another plan..."

As he continued speaking, you felt a burning fire in your heart. He told you all about your mother, how she hated you, he told you about some School for Good and Evil. He convinced you to take you there and apply for a job as a Never professor. It was time for revenge. Your mother will have to dance on your tune.

It was your first day at the school. You  taught Special Talents. You knew how to deal with group of kids already, so it wasn't hard for you to control the class full of hormonal teenagers. You heard about the Doom Room that the students were sent to. You learned how she hated the students. She hated children. No surprise she left you. She was cruel and vile.

A few days later you were making rounds through the dormitories when you walked by Lady Lesso's office. You peaked through the slightly opened door and you noticed Lady Lesso behind her desk. Professor Bilious Manley showed you the Mimicry spell the other evening and you quickly learned it yourself. So you stepped inside... as none other than Lady Lesso.

"You." You grinned as she noticed you. "Me? You?" Lady Lesso was confused as never. "What is this some sort of joke?" She barked. "I'm you, Leonora. Your conscious." You replied, sitting down on the chair, playing with her stuff on the desk and looking down at the papers she was grading. 

"Mmm, so much red. You aren't doing a really great job as a professor, Leonora," you raised an eyebrow. "I-" Lesso let out a deep sigh. "Does the Doom Room even help? You drag the students inside when they are failing. Perhaps you deserve the Doom Room too?" You smirked. She was quiet. The usually load woman was speechless. "You aren't failing as just a professor though. You are failing as a Dean. Not once did Evil defeat the Good." You continued, standing up, walking around her desk. You stood right next to her, leaning down. "You failed as a mother." You whispered in her ear, backing away later.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she shook her head. "N- no- T- that was Raf-" when she paused, noticing you didn't have a cane like she did. "Who are you?!" She turned towards you when you revealed yourself. "Ms Jones, explain yourself-" Lady Lesso sneered. "Well, dear mother... Father told me everything." You turned towards the door when she stopped you. "Rafal? No, YOU listen to me now, Y/N." She stood up. "Whatever he told you... was a lie. He's a manipulative asshole, I bet he didn't even tell you his name."

You stopped in your tracks, thinking for a moment. "It doesn't mat-" "But it does. Y/N, he took you away from me when he found out I was trying to hide you from him. He's abusive. He's cold. He's evil. Did you even trust him when you first saw him? Feelings never lie, Y/N." Your mother tapped her cane standing up. You looked at your mother. And when you looked at her... you felt loved and safe. "Feelings never lie?" You repeated and immediately grabbed onto her, hugging her. "My, my, you have grown into such a beautiful young woman, my darling." The redhead whispered as she held you close. "I'm sorry." The older woman's voice shook with sadness and happines. Proper childhood was stolen from you. You were stolen from her. You were both grieving. And now she finally found you. And this time, she'll never let go of you.

[toujokaname]

Tatsumi Kazehaya Idol Story 2

Author: Akira

Characters: Mayoi, Tatsumi

"Cowards are the ones who live the longest. And instead, people like me, who always have a calm and composed look on their face..."

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Content Warning: Contains mentions of drugging.

Season: Summer

Location: Training Room

Mayoi: Fu, fufu ♪ Fufufufufu...♪

Today will be a fun, fun, fun day of lessons with the members of ALKALOID~♪

We had a lesson yesterday, and we'll have another one tomorrow! Until we overcome this harsh situation, day after day after day... I'll be able to see you all! Aah, I'm so luckyyy... ♪

Ahh, you mustn't, Mayoi! You're filling your heart with delusions! You caaan't, you mustn't wish that this time could last for eternity!

Everyone is trying so hard to crawl up from rock bottom! I should be helping them, putting all my efforts into it!

And yet, I want to pull them down, from the depths of darkness...! I want to see those children clinging to me in their miserable circumstances!

Forever and ever! I want us to melt into each other in this lukewarm prison, and be eternally entangled together...!

Ah, I mustn't! This is a despicable, wicked line of thought! But, if things go on like this, I... I'm afraid that one day I really will desire such a future!

I'm sorryyy! Even though everyone else is trying so hard and being so earneeeest!

Mayoi: Fufu, fufufu ♪ But as long as everyone is saved in the end, it's okay for me to make some adjustments, right...? Or at least stretch it out for as long as I can?

Will they forgiiive me, I wonder?

F-First, I'll just add a little bit of "medicine" in the sports drinks...♪

Tatsumi: ...... (Forcefully opens the door and bursts in)

Mayoi: ...Eek?!

Tatsumi: Begone, Satan[1]...!

Mayoi: Gyaaaah?! I'm sorry I'm sorry!

You're mistaken! A sinister idea almost took a hold of me, but it wasn't what I really wanted to do?!

Don't worry, I'll earnestly do my beeest!

Tatsumi: ...Oh, Mayoi-san. Forgive me, I must have startled you.

Fufu. You always arrive at the practice room before anyone else, I admire your enthusiasm.

You have so much talent and ability, it baffles me that you got lumped into the same "underachiever" category as the rest of us.

Mayoi: E-Eeek...! That's because I am a stupid and hideous creature!

Because the root of my rotten heart is determined to dye the future of shining children with darkneeess!

Tatsumi: That's not true. You're quite self-deprecating, Mayoi-san.

In that regard, it would be good to follow the example of the younger generation, such as Aira-san and Hiiro-san.

Fufu. For a while, I once thought of retiring due to my injury...

But when I look at those children, I feel inspired to keep on going.

Don't you feel the same way, Mayoi-san? By working together, we can overcome these trials...

Oh?

Mayoi: .........

Tatsumi: Mayoi-san? What's the matter? Crouching in the corner like that... Are you feeling unwell?

Mayoi: Eeeeek, I'm sorry I'm sorry! I'm sorry for being aliiiveeeee!

Tatsumi: Fufu. It is true that we human beings carry the original sin, and some believe that the very act of being alive is a sin.

However, it's only through living that we can atone for our sins, right?

Just by being alive, and for as long as we live, we are bound to commit sins. But only by living are we capable of redeeming ourselves. Do you understand, Mayoi-san?

Mayoi: Y-Yeees...? I understand, I'll do my best to reform my heaaart!

Please don't annihilate me, I've been converted! I'm not a demon, so please don't kill meeee!

Tatsumi: I won't kill you. We're comrades, are we not?

Fufu. Earlier, I felt something ominous coming from outside the door, causing me to chant a few words of the scripture...

But it seems that Mayoi-san is the only one here. I may have been mistaken.

However. Mayoi-san seems to be acting strangely... So after all, is there really something evil lurking in this room?

Just in case, I will pray to the Lord for His divine protection. O Lord, I implore Thee to purify by Thy power—

Mayoi: Eh, that's not Shinto... Um, Tatsumi-san, are you Christian? Your choice of words seems to suggest that—

Tatsumi: Aah, I am a descendant of the Kakure Kirishitan, the hidden Christians.

Long ago, they used Shintoism as a front, so our church was registered as a Shinto shrine, and there are some lingering remnants of Shintoism in some of our secret rituals and so on.

But nowadays, religious freedom is recognized. The shrine I live in was remodeled several generations ago, so now it looks exactly like a church.

Because of that, I often call myself a pastor, instead of the priest of a Shinto shrine.

Though admittedly, it makes me sound rather suspicious. Therefore, the ominous atmosphere I felt earlier must have been my misunderstanding, since it was something vague and without any religious backing...

So please, don't be afraid. I apologize for saying such strange things, Mayoi-san.

I knew you were a timid person, but I wasn't considerate enough.

Mayoi: R-Riiight... I'm sorry for being so, um, timid? It must be depressing to see me being so cowardly all the time, right?

Tatsumi: Not at all. Cowards are the ones who live the longest. And instead, people like me, who always have a calm and composed look on their face... are the ones who get hit the hardest by unexpected disasters.

After all, carelessness is our greatest enemy.

Let's both look out for each other. The devil is always looking for a chance to exploit our carelessness and openings.

Mayoi: T-That's right! I think so too! Don't worry, I'll always be on my guard so that I don't succumb to the devil's temptatiooon!

Tatsumi: ? Yes, that's a good attitude to have...?

From the bible, Matthew 4:10.

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[shadowriel]

if you can believe it, i’m still VERY slowly working my way through the gwynriel weeks content. i’m sorry it’s taken me so long 🙈🙈 BUT I JUST READ OUT OF THE STORM. my god- chef’s kiss!! i loved it <3

smut was hot, banter was amazing, mean gwynriel makes me feral

Eeeeek thank you thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Gwyn and Az as rivals is always so much fun to write, especially when they're being their peak banter-y, smutty selves.

Also - no need to apologize for taking your time reading! The fandom has countless amazing fics, so I'm incredibly flattered that you took the time to read mine <3

[jeysbvck]

Hiii mateee

Eeeeek another week of samijey!!😍 Be still my beating heart...Haha sorry had to get that out 😆😆

How are ya!? Hope you're doing okay! 😊 Just thought I'd wish you very happy birthday! a lil earlier in case you're too busy on the actual day 😁 I'm hoping you have an absolutely wonderful birthday full of joy and fun and excitement and at the very least at least have one thing you'd hoped for!! 🥰🥰

Ta

🐨

Ahhhh hii 🐨!! Thank you so much for the birthday wishes! (sorry this took so long to reply to!!) I'm going to watch WWE live today (wednesday) so I am very excited for my birthday this year!🤭🤭

It was so lovely of Hunter to give me not only samijey, but also codyjey as an early birthday present!!🥰🤭🤭

[allieisacrybaby]

hey there! list five things that make you happy, then put this is the askbox of the last ten people who reblogged something from you! spread the happiness and positivity ☺️❤️

eeeeek this is so stinking cute!!! this couldn’t have come at a better time because my friend was just asking me “what makes me happy?” so i’m very well prepared!! sorry this took so long to get to!

1.) Live music!! I’m a sucker for any live music. Concerts, bars, garbage bands!! Give it all to me!!

2.) My dogs!! (I have 4 and they are my everything)

3.) A book that immerses you so deep in the story you lose track of time.

4.) A good breeze!!! It’s been so hot recently which I love but when the wind blows ooooooh

5.) Walking!!!

[smallblip]

okay but levi being a softie for hanji???? he's so intimidating despite of his height (the cadets learned to not make fun of his height. ever again.) and nobody tries to piss him off because they're scared of him but when he's with hanji he's so sweet???? like he braids their hair, makes them tea, holds hanji's hands and it's so sweet yk? i imagine the new cadets accidentally finding levi sitting under a tree and he has his head resting on their shoulder while hanji's reading their research and he's just staring at them, counting hanji's little freckles and he has the softest look on his face 🥺

and the cadets are like ???? because they thought "Captain Levi was mean???" some of them would even go gossip with the 104th kids and they would just look at and start laughing and the cadets would just be confused 😆

Ugh! Sorry this took so long bb! Embarrassingly, it was because I was trying to find and edit this meme and I got distracted doing it!

LEVI:

I’m living for this? On the surface it’s kinda hard to tell when Levi is ACTUALLY being affectionate, because resident emotionally inept bb whom we all love and cherish. So it’s like-

ALSO LEVI:

Every time he calls Hanji four eyes/idiot/tells them to shut up/pulls them closer by the collar, everyone just holds their breath because oh god! Levi is going to kill them this time! He’s going to kill them and we don’t even know what Hanji san wants on their headstone? But Hanji always responds with laughter and they’re so at ease and comfortable around Levi and they just put their arm around his shoulder? What’s going on?

So everyone (because everyone gossips during down time, there’s nothing else to do goddamn it!) starts observing them a little closer. Levi sitting with Hanji when they’re reading a book, Hanji always looking for Levi to talk to him about their new discoveries, Levi making tea for Hanji while nagging at them, the two of them just sitting and chilling on a bench under a tree in fall like an old couple. They’re not touching but they’re sitting so close and Levi’s got his arm where Hanji is leaning against the bench. Levi is also looking at them with said /soft look/, which is worlds apart from the scowl he usually sports on his face? (/Reiner’s voice/ You stare too much...) Gross? Another time Levi has his head on their shoulder and Hanji’s looking at him like ☺️ (lil blushy baby)? Extra gross? And when Hanji finally decides to get up from where they’re reading her book in the mess and head to bed, Levi gets up soon after and goes in the same direction? This is the era of relatively carefree buntaicho Hanjo so maybe they rocked up to work in a braid! But after an intense day at work their braid comes loose by the afternoon and they spot Levi in the mess for lunch and they skip over and yell out an unabashed “Levi! It came loose!” They point to their head and beam. Levi mutters something under his breath that vaguely sounds like “the screws up there have always been loose...” but he’s redoing their braid with so much care that the kids just gawk. And Hanji is so casual about it. Adorable.

But when the new cadets come in of course they wouldn’t notice! They see harsh Levi, Levi who is cold to everyone, Hanji who NEVER stops talking, and Levi just tolerating it. Wait! Levi? Tolerating? What’s up with that?

And by this time, the 104 are veterans when it comes to observing Levi/Hanji. So I imagine Jean to be a complete smartass about it- “oh? You didn’t know? Silly young things! Isn’t it obvious? They’re lovers. /eyebrow wriggles/“

And the new kids would be so confused and just wtf? We need more information?

And the 104 kids will milk this power. Connie puts a hand on the shoulder of one of the new kids and says, “one day you’ll get it... Maybe when you’re a little older...”

[drmmyrs]

Dropped (Becca x MC) Part 4

Soo this is the final part of this fic, thank you guys for following their journey till the end. Hope you enjoy 💕💕

tag list: @wlwplaychoices  @alexlabhont @woltk @alexroyard @red-queen1013 @gluten-free-yogurt @uselesslesbianfr @noixngn @dopeyouth @falloutdc-blog @samanthadalton @crazzyplays @baexpoppy @veenast (including some of those who reblogged and replied to the 1st & 2nd & 3rd parts. If you want to be included in the tag list just let me know 😊)

Read Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Pairing: Becca x MC (Emily)

Word Count: 1378

Warnings: none

Becca had been pacing back and forth outside the door for the past several minutes. She already knew what she was going to say. She already went through it in her head countless times. But actually saying it out loud... Maybe I should just do this another day? Becca shook her head. No. She needed to do this. She was there now. Any day later, she wouldn't be brave enough. She let out one last anxious breath and knocked on the door.

A few moments later, the door opened. And then there she was, the woman that consumed her thoughts by day and haunted her dreams at night.

"Becca?"

Emily looked tired. Dark circles formed under her eyes–eyes that once wore a fiery sparkle now replaced by a dull glint. At that moment, all of Becca's previous thoughts went out the window. All she wanted to do was hug her, comfort her, take away all the pain, all the hurt. But then she remembered she was the reason for those.

"Don't worry. This–this won't take long."

Becca thought of their anniversary night. How Emily waited for her, alone, while she got herself drunk, without a care in the world. How she brushed her off when she got home, ignoring all her shouts, her pleas, her cries. And then she remembered that night—the haunted look in Emily's eyes when she saw someone else kiss her.

"I'm sorry, Em. I am so so sorry for everything. I was an idiot. I–you didn't deserve any of that."

Emily avoided her gaze, her eyes drifting down the floor.

Becca continued. "But you're wrong. I never–even for a second–stopped loving you. I know you probably won't believe me, but I never cheated on you. Hell, I never even thought of cheating on you." Becca bit her quivering lip. "I love you so much which is why I–I–"

Becca closed her eyes as her next words came out almost as a whisper. "Which is why I'm letting you go."

At her words, Emily's eyes trailed up to meet Becca's gaze, and the look on her eyes almost made Becca question if she was doing the right thing.

"I–I won't bother you anymore." Becca stepped forward and pressed her lips on Emily's forehead. "Goodbye, Em."

Becca walked away as tears started streaming down her cheeks, not once looking back.

***

The next few weeks passed in a blur. The finality of their breakup left a dull, hollow ache in her heart even though Becca knew she did the right thing. She busied herself in school in an attempt to brush away thoughts of Emily while doing her best to ignore Chloe and her friends, leaving her once again alone and friendless on campus. But maybe that was for the best. She didn't think she could be all social even if she wanted to.

One afternoon, Becca was about to go home when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Yes, hi. Is this Rebecca Davenport I am speaking with?"

"Uhh, yes. This is she."

"This is Samantha Winters. We met on the mock trial? I was calling to see if you'd be interested in an internship here in California."

*** Emily's POV

"'... Not all college relationships last. But even so, the love you shared, the stories you created, even just for a passionate while, will stay with you for a lifetime.' Eeeeek, this is so beautiful, Em." Kaitlyn looked at Emily, pretending to wipe tears from her eyes.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Anywaay, I guess I better show this to James then."

On the way to the campus, Emily had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice the blonde heading straight towards her. At the collision, books scattered all over the floor.

Emily rushed to help pick them up. "I'm sorry I–Madison?"

Madison looked up. "Emily! Sorry, didn't see you there."

When Madison stood up and faced Emily, there was a distant and sad look in her eyes. "Thank you," Madison said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Are you... okay?"

Madison hesitated. "Yes, I–" She sighed. "I just got back from Becca's place. She said she wasn’t leaving till later, but when I got there, her car was already gone. I didn't even get to say goodbye..."

"Becca... is leaving?"

Madison shot Emily a sympathetic look. "You didn't know."

Emily shook her head.

"She was offered an internship at California. I–I'm not even sure if she's coming back," Madison said dejectedly.

Emily shifted from one foot to the other. "I see."

Emily and Madison stood there silently for a moment until Madison spoke up.

"I probably should get going. It was nice bumping into you, Emily."

"Same to you."

Emily continued to walk towards the campus, each of her steps getting shorter than the last until she finally came to a complete stop. She then turned around, knowing where she needed to go.

*** Becca's POV

Becca sat near the edge of the hill, surrounded by trees covered in snow as cold air wafted all around her. She took a sip of the hot coffee she brought with her, hoping to regain some warmth.

"You know, I never understood why you didn't just leave your blankets and pillows here. I don't think anyone else knows about this place."

Becca turned around in surprise at the voice.

"Emily..."

Emily gave Becca a small smile as she sat down beside her.

"I couldn't risk it. Decent blankets and pillows are expensive, you know."

For a while, they just sat there, gazing at the city lights below. The only sound heard was the gentle rustling of leaves and the occasional breeze.

"Madison said you were leaving."

"I was going to, but I said no. It was a corporate law internship. I didn't think it was right for me."

Emily nodded in understanding. Soon, the silence grew again between them.

"Becca... what happened to us?"

Becca's gaze drifted over to Emily. Her expression was indiscernible as she continued to observe the stream of tiny movements on the city below.

"What happened to me, you mean," Becca muttered before returning her gaze back in front of her. "Working at Uskea and being at law school at the same time, after a while it just gets to you."

At the corner of her eye, Becca saw Emily turn her head to face her. "Why didn't you tell me you were having a hard time?"

"I–I was scared, embarrassed. I didn't want to look weak. I didn't want you to see me weak" Becca released a shaky breath, creating a misty cloud that rose into the air. "Because then, you'll see that I was never good enough for you."

Becca continued, "Instead, it became easier to fall back on old habits. And before I knew it I–" Becca squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears away, before opening them again.

"At first I thought, somehow, I was protecting you, protecting us." Becca let out a humorless laugh. "It was too late when I realized that I wasn't. I was–" She clenched her fist, digging her nails into her palm, "I hurt you."

"Becca..." Emily reached out and unclenched Becca's fist, interlacing her fingers with hers. Becca held Emily's hand tighter with her head held down as hot tears started to prickle her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Becca whispered.

Emily took Becca's chin and gently tilted her face up. Becca could hardly meet her eyes. "Becca, look at me," Emily said softly.

Slowly, Becca met Emily's eyes, her gaze warm but piercing. "You don't need to pretend for me. Not now. Not ever." Emily held Becca's face, wiping away Becca's wet cheeks with her thumb as she pulled her closer. Their lips met hungrily, filled with longing and passion. When they pulled apart, their foreheads rested against each other.

"Can we... try again?" Becca breathed.

"As long as you promise me no more secrets."

Becca kissed Emily again. "No more secrets."

Becca and Emily spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's arms. They watched as the sun began to set, basking the city in a gorgeous shade of orange. And when the lights began to dim, they regretfully decided to descend the hill, braving the cold, hand in hand.

[fandomtookoverlife]

Friday night

Pairing: Hotch x reader

Gn!reader (if I missed anything please lmk) 

summary: you are a part of the bau and dating Aaron Hotchner, after a long week you go to the bar with the “children” of the bau. 

Note: italics are readers thoughts 

Warning: drinking, mention of guns, swearing 

Words: 2200

Category: fluff

A/N: idk what this is 😂😂 a short little cute thing about a night with the team and being loved by Hotch, what more could anyone want 😂 I hope you enjoy 

Don’t mind the fact that I am horrible with names when I say this is the only name I could come up with I’m not joking, I couldn’t for the life of me even think of another name. 

Other blog: @mac99martin

Masterlist

---

You looked over at the clock- 8:30. “Fucking shit.” 

Derek chuckled beside at his desk beside you, “you just realise the time sweetheart?” not even looking up from his report. 

You scoffed at his mocking tone, “whatever” bitterly you shot him a glare and stood up. ugh god, you haven’t stood up like 3 hours, internally whining you get up to get even more coffee.

“Oh! Hello, there my beauty!” the one and only, sunflower of a woman; Penelope Garcia, with a bright smile on her face despite being still being here at 8:30. She wrapped her arm around you into a tight side-hug as the two of you walked into the break room, smiling, because how could you not smile with someone like Penelope around. You rest your head on her shoulder letting yourself relax into her warm hug.

“Pennnny, why is there so much work?” you look up at her from your spot on her shoulder and give her your puppy dog face.

“Oh baby, I don’t know” she smooths down your hair, something you absolutely adore. Unsatisfied with her answer you sigh and fill your cup to the brim and take a very long sip. “Ooo! I know” you raise your eyebrows amused at her sudden outburst, “we are going drinking tonight!” 

You considered it a moment, it was Friday, you did just get back from a case yesterday, and you have been doing paperwork-all day… “Okay! I’m in!”

“Eeeeek! Okay, let’s go tell every else their Friday night plans!” 

You grab her hand and run out to the bullpen, yes your team was the only one left in the building-Again. No! No bad thoughts, only thoughts of drinking! “Alright, everyone!” you and Pen glance at each other smirking before turning back to the team whose attention you have now grabbed. “Penelope and I have decided what we are all doing tonight,” you say playfully but firmly.

“And what’s that sweetheart?” 

You direct your attention to Morgan as Rossi comes out of his office, “We are going drinking.”  

Derek smirks “Hell. Yes.” 

Penelope claps her hands and squeals  “Yes! Okay who else is in?” excitedly you both look around the room. 

“Well, I sure as hell am.” 

“Yay! Okay, we got Derek, Emily, who else, JJ?”

She considered it for a second while you started at her with an eyebrow cocked. “Okay okay, I’ll come.” 

Doing a 180 looking above the bullpen at Rossi, “how about you? And before you answer just know, there are no adults allowed.”

“Ya only stressed out sexy workaholic FBI agents that are going to act like teenagers all night”

Laughing you look back at Rossi, “Sorry kiddos, not tonight.”

“What? You’re seriously not coming?” Penny said in the saddest voice 

“Dave, come on, I was just kidding, pleassse.” you give another puppy face. 

“Sorry Bella, not tonight” sending you a smile before going back to his office.

Shaking it off you look at Spencer who is the last to answer in the vicinity, “and you?”

“Umm….I-” he looks like he’s about to say no when Derek claps his shoulder,

“Pretty boy’s in!” 

Spencer looked around at the team, “um, okay I guess I’ll come.”

“Okay everyone finish your last report and then we gettin our party on!”

“Alright, will do babygirl.”

Everyone turned back to their work while you climbed the stairs, knocking on the door and opening it, “Hey!” Aaron smiled at you and stood up as you closed the door behind you, and with the blinds already closed you put your arms around your boyfriend’s neck and pulls him in for a kiss, 

“hmmm” comes from both of you as you pull apart smiling. The team definitely knew about your relationship with your boss to some degree but the two of you hadn’t slipped up so no one has caught you-yet. Some of the team, more confrontational than others will give you looks, snide comments, but they don’t know anything. And you guys aren’t keeping it from the team, you’re just, riding the wave while it lasts. “So did you hear the plan?” playing with his hair at the base of his head. 

“Plan?” 

“mhmm, we’re all going for drinks,- minus Rossi.” he gave you a pointed look at that last part. 

“Is that why I heard Emily yell something about ‘sexy workaholic FBI agents’” 

You drop your head on his shoulder, shake your head and laugh, “Um...yes?” 

“Ya, I think I’ll pass.”

“Babe, come on, it’ll be fuunnnn.” 

“Mhmm, no”  

You went on your tippy-toes, moving closer and closer to his lips, whispering, “pretty please” 

He closed the gap between your lips softly, but deeply “no.” 

You dropped down and gave him a slight glare, which he smiled at. He kissed you again and went back to his desk, “if you’re not coming, you’re definitely not staying here all night.”

Sitting down at his desk, “I’m not, I’m simply waiting on the last of the reports, if a certain agent would hurry up and finish hers…” 

“Alright alright, I’m going,” walking over to his chair, “seriously don’t stay too late alright?” 

“Alright.” kissing him one last time, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course.” smiling before making your way to the door, 

“Hey,” you turn towards him at the loving sound of his voice, “be safe?” 

“I will. I love you”

“I love you too” 

-

You return to your desk hoping you can finish your last report quickly and get out of here, “Hey, sweetheart,” 

“Yes Morgan?” replying sightly animated.

“Anything fun happen in there?” 

“No.” you glare, “I asked him if he was coming; he’s not.”

“Mhmm, sure.” turning back to his work and you do the same. 

-

“We got shots!” 

“Hell ya!” 

“Gimme gimme gimmie!” 

“Patience babygirl” 

“No.” penny grabs a shot and take it while the rest of you laugh, “woo!” 

“Alright our turn!” 

You all let loose enjoying some fun and each other’s company. Your look at the people around you, yesterday you had guns and people’s lives in your hands, right now, you were all smiling, enjoying yourselves and life to the fullest, you couldn’t ask for better people to do it with. 

-

It’s so loud in the bar and you’re all laughing so much you barely hear your phone ring, seeing it’s Aaron calling you is a little worrying, “Sorry, I’ll be back in a sec.” everyone looked around suspiciously but didn’t say anything. “Aaron?” walking outside,

“Hi Y/N!” 

A little taken back, especially with the alcohol in your system, “Jack?” 

“Hiiiiiii Y/NNNNNN” 

“What are you still doing up mister?” 

“Well daddy said since it’s Friday I can stay up so we watched a movie”

“Oh ya what movie did you watch?” 

“Well first we watched frozen and then we watched spiderman!” 

You laughed, you’ve watched each of those movies with him at least three times yourself, “that sounds fun, did you have popcorn?” 

“YA!” 

Oh my god isn’t he just the cutest fucking thing? you think your heart actually melts at his cuteness “So where’s your dad now?” remembering he’s calling from his dad’s phone, 

“Ummmmmmm….” 

“Jack?” 

Jack whispering, as if he wasn’t just yelling a few seconds ago, “he said its bedtime,” even quieter, “so I’m hiding”

You cover your mouth with your hand trying your very best not to laugh, composing your self, “well Jack that’s not very good of you” 

“Ya… but I don’t wanna go to bed” 

At that, you let a little laugh, “I know buddy… but what made you took your dad’s phone?” 

“I wanted to call you” 

You paused you were a little taken back, “and why is that?” 

“I don’t know, I like you, and my daddy likes you too!” 

That makes you smile, “well, I’m glad you both like me-” you were cut off by a gasp from Jack “Jack, you okay?” 

He whispered into the phone, “he found me.” and yet again having to put your hand over your mouth to stop from laughing, “I have to go” in a very rushed voice, “I love you.”

Your mind went blank for a split second, he had never actually said that to you, “I love you too” 

“Jack who are you-”

“Goodnight-” and the line cut off

Sitting down, your minds a little fuzzy and it’s not from the alcohol. A minute or two later your phone starts ringing again, “hey Aar,” you said, still smiling, you also expected this call. 

“Hey baby, sorry about that, um, what exactly was that?” 

You both laugh a little, “well apparently daddy was making him go to bed, so naturally he stole your phone, hid and called me.” 

“Naturally, sorry about that I know you’re out.”

“Oh don’t be he’s cute... he said he loved me”

“I know”

“I like that”

“Me too”

You both sat there smiling for a few seconds, what did you do to get such a perfect life? “alright I got to go, have fun, be safe, call me when you get home?”

“I will, love you.”

“Love you” 

-

“Hey sorry” you came back to the table smiling, which everyone was suspicious of but oh well, what are you going to do, I came here for a good time and I’m going to have one! 

“Who was that?” 

“Oh no one, what are we talking about?” picking up your drink.

“Actually we were just talking about how 27% of women in the US have slept with their boss.” immediately you choked on your drink and quickly trying to recover, but the damage was done

God fucking damn it Reid! Seriously you just had to throw me under the bus like that? 

You shot him a nasty glare, “ that was not what you were talking about.” 

“Nope, you’re right it wasn’t.”

That bastard is smiling 

Everyone is killing themselves, and you? You just down your drink, “Anyone want another?” 

Leaning against the bar you shake your head, out of all the people I did not expect REID to call me out. 

“Hey, sweet thang” you drop your head, 

“Derek.” you acknowledge him

“I gotta say I’m surprised, I really am, I didn’t expect Reid to be the one to call you out.”

You laugh, “Ya, Neither Did I.”  

“Soooo, you admit it?” Derek said, very amused 

“I have said nothing.” 

“Come onnnn, say it.”

“We should really get back to the table,” already halfway there.

“Oh come it’s not going to be better over there!” he’s not wrong 

“Y/N!”

“Oh, my sweet Penelope how are you?”

“NoNoNo you’re not getting out of this!” grabbing your arm

“Pen that’s my arm!”

“Y/N you have to tell us!”

“Emily’s right”

“Come on JJ you too, can’t someone be on my side.” 

“Absolutely not!”

“Soooo how long have you been together?”

Shit you look at the people around you, there’s no way out of this, “fine!” a stream of yeses and shrieks courtesy of Penny, “we’ve-” SHIT “we’ve been together, 6 months”

“6 months!”

“No fucking way!”

“Oh my god! How couldn’t have you told us!”

“Were you just on the phone with him?”

“Do you guys sneak into each other’s hotel rooms?”

You were doing so much drinking tonight. 

-

Somehow you made it home safely, but you were pretty drunk, I mean what did you expect 

When you woke up you saw 3 missed calls from Aaron and 3 text messages, ya you were a little drunk last night. After you’ve been awake for a whole 45 seconds you call Aaron, “Hey! Are you okay? you never called me back last night”

“Ugh” 

“Baby?”

“Shhhhhhh” 

“Alright I get it, I’ll be at your place in 30, with coffee” 

“Yessssss”  

-

And a half an hour later he showed up, with coffee as promised, using the key you gave him to let himself in, as you were not getting out of bed. “Hey,” in a hushed tone. 

“Hi” you smiled at him, you were still a little sleepy and probably hungover, he put the drinks on the table and you pulled him into your bed, he chuckled but laid down and you put your head on his chest, “mhmm” he’s so warm 

“Tired?” 

“Ya” 

“How late did you stay out?”

“I don’t know”

“You don’t know?”

You shock your head into his chest “uh-uh.” you laid there comfortably for a few minutes, you immensely enjoying the warmth and happiness that your boyfriend brings you, “soooo I got cornered last night”

“Cornered?” 

“Mhmm, about us, after our call I went back to the table and they called me out.”

“Oh really?” he was chuckling not only that it had happened but in the cute, sleepy manner of which you mentioned it, “actually, I didn’t think they would, figured they were just waiting for us to slip.”

You scoffed, “ya so did I. you’ll never guess who called me on it tho.”

“Oh?”

“Reid.”

“Seriously,” see it’s not just me that didn’t expect it to be Reid of all people, “I mean I thought Morgan or Prentiss but Reid?”

“Ya, I got caught a little off guard.” Aaron laughed “Hey!” you swatted his arm “don’t laugh! It’s not funny!” 

“Never.” he kissed the top of your head and started playing with your hair, you spent the next few hours lying, sitting, drinking, talking, the perfect morning, after a perfect night, with the perfect man, and the best friends anyone could ask for.

---

@spencers-renaissance

[trashyswitch]

The Angel By His Side

Agarus and Virgil are best friends. One day while they're hanging out, Virgil grows curious of Agarus's wings and not only discovers Agarus is ticklish, but also unlocks some more of Agarus's puppy-like behaviour!

Agarus Lershal is an OC that belongs to @agarus-fallen-lershal. I hope I wrote the character right! And of course, I hope you like it!

Agarus and Virgil have been best friends for a long while. Despite the many differences between the two, Virgil and Agarus got along really well. They were both somewhat shy individuals who struggled in the social department. They both loved halloween, they both loved listening to music, they both enjoyed dressing up in darker outfits (Though, Agarus will go for a brighter palette sometimes) and both adults enjoyed being in comfort clothing most often. Though, there were some differences between the two. Specifically, where they came from.

Virgil was the anxious side of Thomas sanders, who lived his days in the mind palace or in the living room helping Thomas. Agarus was a fallen angel who was brought to earth. They soon got used to the earthly values, and still loved to fly around better than walk. Funnily enough, Agarus can recall a time when Virgil downright told them: “Whoa, you’re part bat? Cool.” Agarus found that assumption to be hilarious, and let the man know that they weren’t a bat.

“Hey Agarus. You okay?” Virgil asked.

Agarus left their thoughts. “Yeah, I’m alright.” Agarus replied. “Why?” They asked back.

“You...seem lost in thought.” Virgil explained.

Agarus nodded in understanding. “Yeah...I was.” Agarus admitted. “But I’m completely down to earth now.” Agarus added.

Virgil snickered. “Really? I thought you were still in heaven?” Virgil joked.

“Hey!” Agarus yelled with a smirk, pushing him down and making him giggle.

Agarus went back to their drawing while Virgil continued listening to music. Virgil didn’t really get much farther into his playlist though, thanks to Agarus’s black wings. The wings were flapping and moving around while Agarus was drawing. Have their wings always moved whenever they were distracted? Or is that a new thing?

Virgil soon got off his bed and walked up to the wings. He started watching the wings curiously as they flapped like a fan. The wings were made out of multi-layered feathers that transitioned from black to bright red near the tips. It was very pretty to see upon multiple glances. The feathery look was always familiar to him. But...did they feel as feathery as they looked? If so, how soft?

Virgil decided to feel Agarus’s wings. What he DIDN’T expect from Agarus, was a guffaw and a snort to come out of their mouth! Virgil quickly retreated his fingers and giggled at the funny reaction. “Yohohou ohokahahay?” Virgil asked.

Agarus grabbed the touched wing and brushed off it with their hand. “What were you doing?” Agarus asked.

“I was just trying to feel your wings! But you can snort?!” Virgil reacted.

Agarus shrunk their body down and hid their face behind their hands and wings. Virgil just found the use of their wings for defense, super ironic in this situation. So, to show this, Virgil poked and scratched the very red tips of the wings.

“EEEEEK!” Agarus squealed, hugging their fists against their chest and flapping their wings as far back as possible.

Virgil just giggled like crazy from this reaction! “Oh my gosh that was so cute!” Virgil reacted.

Agarus grumbled at first, but soon made a smile and blepped at him. Virgil gasped. “You DARE blep to me like that?!” Virgil joked.

Agarus doubled over and fell into a fit of giggles. “Yohohohou’re sohohoho weheheird!” Agarus told him.

“Mm hmm...mhm, okay. So, you think you can get away with being this adorable?” Virgil asked, playing around.

“YYYYES!” Agarus replied proudly.

Virgil quickly jumped onto them and started squeezing their sides. “AAEEEEEEhehehehehe!” Agarus squealed yet again. Agarus started wiggling around letting out tons of squeaky giggles.

“Ooooh! We have ourselves a squeaky little mouse!” Virgil declared.

“Nohohohohoho! Nahahat ahaha mohohohouhuse!” Agarus giggled more.

“Oooooh...Then what ARE you?” Virgil asked, moving his fingers to their belly.

Agarus bursted into a brand new fit of laughter. “Ihihihi’m ahahahaha bahahahahat!” Patton declared happily.

“Oooooh! Another squeaky being. So, you’re a cute little puppy baby bat fly fly baby dog?” Virgil asked.

Agarus just laughed even more at that! “SUHUhuhure!” Agarus replied.

“Ooooooh! Then perhaps my special baby dog likes raspberries?” Virgil suggested.

Agarus’s eyes widened. “RAHASPBERRIHIES?!” They yelled.

“Aaaand here they come!” Virgil teased, leaning down. “In 1...2…” Virgil took in a big breath and blew a big raspberry on their sides!

“eeEEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHE!” Agarus squeaked and laughed. “VIHIHIRGIHIHIL!” Agarus yelled.

“Yes, my baby bat fly fly baby dog?” Virgil teased.

Agarus just laughed more! “CAHAHAN YOHOHOHOU-” Agarus paused their words when Virgil blew another raspberry right on their belly! Agarus squealed and laughed somewhat hysterically again! “YAHAHAHAHAY!” Agarus reacted.

Virgil lifted his head up. “Did...did you just openly celebrate being raspberried?” Virgil asked.

Agarus fell into a fit of nervous giggles this time, and covered up their mouth before nodding their head.

Virgil tilted his head to the side curiously. “Why?” He asked.

Agarus looked just about everywhere but Virgil’s face. They had no clue what to really say to him. But thankfully, it didn’t take long for Virgil to catch up on his own.

“Ooooooh…You...you like it, don’t you?” Virgil realized very soon.

Agarus folded their wings in front and covered up their own face even more. Virgil giggled. “You know that covering your face with one of your most ticklish spots just proves my point, right?” Virgil added.

Agarus uncovered one eye and looked at Virgil. Not sure what else to say, Agarus nodded their head.

Virgil smirked excitedly. “Oooooh! This is quite the breakthrough to Agarus’s hidden identity!” Virgil told them! “Do you want more tickles?” Virgil asked.

Agarus uncovered everything and nodded like a super excited dog.

Virgil chuckled. “Okay!” Virgil started skittering his fingers on Agarus’s ribs. “How about your ribs? Do you like your ribs being tickled?” Virgil asked.

Agarus shrieked almost immediately and started laughing and wiggling around under Virgil’s grasp. If it weren’t for the tickle attack they were being succumbed to, Agarus would’ve probably said ‘Yes! I love it! Please keep going!’. But, they were too busy laughing. So, they showed it in their cheerful laughter and their need to lean into the ticklish fingers.

“I’ll happily take that as a yes!” Virgil answered his own question. “Now, what about...HERE?” Virgil started drilling his fingers into Agarus’s hips.

“VIRGILl- NOHOHOHOHOHAHAHAHAHA!” Agarus bursted out laughing, just giving up the small bit of struggle they had left.

“Yes, Agarus?” Virgil replied.

“NAHAHAT MYHYHYHY HIHIHIHIPS!” Agarus yelled back at him.

Virgil let out a long sigh. “Fiiiiine.” He replied before retreating his fingers. “Guess I’m going for your wings then!” Virgil declared bluntly.

“Okay, go- WAITWHAT?!” Agarus snorted and covered their mouth as slightly muffled cackles left their lungs.

Virgil was lightly stretching a wing out and skittering his fingers all over the upper and middle parts of the wing. Agarus flapped their free wing and aggressively kicked their feet as they cackled and snorted uncontrollably. Their wings were a SUPER bad spot on them! So Virgil stretching out their wings and taking advantage of how ticklish they were, was a SUPER BOLD MOVE! HOW DARE HE PULL AN ILLEGAL ACT LIKE THIS!?

Virgil continued to tickle their wings for a while, and mentally took note of the wing spots that tickled more than others. The upper wings and the red tips seemed to be a bad spot that got Agarus wiggling and cackling the most! But the moment Virgil even slightly scratched the inner wing that connected to their back, Agarus SCREAMED! It sounded like it just about killed their vocal cords as well! It was pretty much the human equivalent of an alarm sound that told Virgil to not even ATTEMPT that spot! LEAVE THAT SPOT ALONE!

And leave it, he did! Virgil let go of Agarus’s wings, pulled his hands up in arrest, and quickly caught Agarus as they fell into his arms. “I’m so sorry if I took it too far.” Virgil apologized, scared he may have overdid it.

Agarus was a giggling, snorting mess. Their breathing was super interrupted by giggles and snorts, meaning talking was also temporarily off the list. Virgil did all he could to calm Agarus down. He removed their sweater to reveal their undershirt, he rolled up their pants, he moved their bangs off their forehead and he also gave them some water. Agarus happily took the water and mentally thanked him for trying to cool them down.

But when Virgil was about to stand back up with the empty cup, Agarus grabbed his wrist. Agarus looked up at Virgil in almost desperation and yearning for something. “Yes Agarus?” Virgil replied.

Agarus stretched their hands out to him and opened and closed them. This was Agarus’s childish version of ‘I want cuddles’. Virgil smiled and chuckled at Agarus’s child-like personality, and wrapped his arms around them. Agarus smiled and snuggled themself happily into Virgil’s warm embrace. He’s always nice and warm with his sweater on. That made him automatically comfy to snuggle.

They snuggled for a little while. Virgil laid beside them and kept them from leaving his tight grasp. But Agarus started to crave some more tickles. But not the heavy, breath-taking tickles. Agarus craved some feather-light tickles. Agarus decided to take the feather aspect of the tickles to heart, and plucked a long feather off their own wing. Even though a black feather was missing, Agarus’s wings were so multi-layered that you couldn’t tell that a feather had been plucked from their wings.

Agarus fluttered the feather on Virgil’s cheek to wake him up, and put the feather in his hand. “Hm? What-” Virgil looked down and saw the feather in his hand. “Is this...one of your own?” Virgil asked. Agarus gave a nod in reply, before pointing to their own ears. Virgil smiled as he started to understand the body language. “You want me to tickle your ears with the feather?” Virgil translated out loud. Agarus smiled happily and nodded, even wagging their bone tail to show their eager attitude.

Virgil chuckled to himself and quickly started fluttering the feather around on their ear. Agarus’s mouth quickly widened as giggles left their mouth. They snuggled closer to Virgil and gratefully enjoyed the tickles. Virgil quickly started to enjoy tickling Agarus with the feather. Their cute little giggles, their wide, contagious smile and their flustered face was an absolute treasure to behold.

“Do you realize just how adorable you are?” Virgil asked them. Agarus’s blush filled their face and their nose a little more. But despite how embarrassed they felt, Agarus nodded. “Wow! And you’re happily admitting it?” Virgil reacted. Agarus started giggling more at his reaction. “I think this may be a first! Ladies and gentlemen, an adorable bean who takes compliments! Please give Agarus a hand!” Virgil declared.

Agarus bursted into laughter from that. “Yohohou’re suhuhuch aha dohohork!” Agarus told him.

“Oh? I’m a dork now? Hmm...Maybe I should go for one of your melt spots then.” Virgil suggested.

Virgil moved his hands to their back and started lightly scratching and rubbing their back. Agarus started to smile as they practically melted to the touch. It felt amazing. It was such a nice spot to be tickled on. Agarus’s eyes quickly started to droop from heaviness. It was growing impossible to keep their eyes open while their back was being scratched and massaged.

To make things even better, Virgil moved to the fallen angel’s bone tail. Agarus’s bone tail was a few extra vertebrae that were connected to their spine and narrowed down to a point near the end. The moment the tail was scratched, Agarus practically started purring. The back was a really good spot to go for, but it was nothing compared to their tail. Their tail was the perfect go-to spot for putting the angel to sleep. And boy, did it work.

It didn’t take long at all for Agarus to fall into a deep sleep within Virgil’s grasp. Virgil smiled and watched Agarus sleep for a bit. It was times like these that made their friendship so worthwhile. Seeing the angel sleeping in his arms, was like seeing a baby sleep in his arms. It was so peaceful to watch, that it started to make the holder fall asleep as well.

Soon enough, Virgil’s eyes began to get droopy too. It was hard to fight off the sudden need for sleep. So, Virgil succumbed to it. Virgil fell into a deep sleep with Agarus. But just before he fell into REM sleep, Virgil summoned a thin blanket for the two of them.

[i-just-love-spop]

About what happened...

“I had another nightmare. You died again.” For Scorpia and Entrapta? Scorpia feels guilty for leaving Entrapta on the island for as long as she did and is plagued with nightmares where she didn't leave in time to get her back?

Request by @haro-ra

I was not expecting to get a request for Entrapta and Scorpia, but I love this idea so much and immediately knew what I wanted to write. I love both characters, and they have such a fun dynamic, too. This was SO fun to write!

Thank you so much for the request, I hope you like how it turned out!

Summary: Takes place in between “Horde Prime” and “Launch”. Scorpia goes to Entrapta’s tent to talk about what happened back at the Horde and tell her she’s sorry she didn’t come look for her earlier.

—

“Hey. Sorry, I know it’s late, but...”

Scorpia stuck her head through the tent entrance. Her pincers clicked open and close on repeat nervously.

“Oh, hi Scorpia.” Entrapta looked up from the drone she had been dismembering for the last hour and waved at her friend. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping? My statistics indicate most princesses tend to be sleeping at this hour. The exception to the rule is Adora, but recent events seem to indicate that lack of sleep isn’t good for her health, either.”

“Yeah, I... that’s true. I think... most people need sleep?” Scorpia shrugged. “Anyway, I... wanted to talk to you. Can I- can I come in?”

“Sure. I mean, about...” Entrapta paused to calculate for a moment, “seventeen percent of you are already in here anyway. The remaining eighty-three percent can enter.”

She smiled at her.

Scorpia was nice, and one of the few people that had ever actually considered Entrapta her friend.

People were... weird, and complicated, and everyone was different. That wasn’t exactly easy for her. It had never been.

But Scorpia was just nice, and friendly, and supportive. She made Entrapta feel less left out. Entrapta liked that.

“Yeah, I- sorry, that was kinda rude, I didn’t want to disturb you or anything. I was actually going to knock, but this is a tent, so that was kind of ineffective.”

Scorpia rubbed the back of her head and grinned sheepishly.

“It’s fine, really. Come sit with me!”

“I... thanks.”

The white-haired woman did as she was told.

Entrapta pointed at disassembled pieces of drone in front of her. “This tech is fascinating! It’s so different from the one the First One’s left on Etheria. If you would look at this-”

“I-” Scorpia took a deep breath. This was hard. Stars, this was really, really hard. Especially since she was afraid changing the topic might make her friend think she wasn’t interested and hurt her feelings. Which absolutely wasn’t the case. It was really interesting to Scorpia when Entrapta talked about tech, even if she understood next to nothing. But that wasn’t what she needed to talk to her about right now. “Entrapta, listen, I- this tech thing is super interesting, really, but there’s actually something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

“Oh?” Entrapta looked up at her. “What is it?”

“Uhm... I... About what happened... Back at the Horde, I mean... Entrapta listen, I- I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I shouldn’t have let Catra hurt you, I shouldn’t have let them take you away like that, I... I should have left the Horde and go look for you sooner. You- you could’ve gotten hurt, or... or worse-”

Scorpia couldn’t say it out loud. She couldn’t bear saying ‘you could’ve been dead by now, and it would be partially my fault if you were’, no matter how much the thought wouldn’t leave her head when she looked at her friend and no matter how much it haunted her in her sleep.

Entrapta raised an eyebrow.

“Waaait. Are you... apologizing? To me?”

She looked genuinely confused.

The white-haired woman nodded vigorously.

“I...” Scorpia swallowed hard. Tears were running down her face. “I’m sorry I was such a bad friend.”

“Hey... don’t cry. I don’t like seeing you upset.” Entrapta smiled at Scorpia encouragingly. “I’m not mad at you. But... I forgive you, if that makes you feel better.”

“It does, actually. A lot. I-I’m so sorry. I keep dreaming about something happening to you on Beast Island and when I wake up I keep wanting to check on you to make sure you’re actually here and okay, but I kept chickening out because I wasn’t sure if you were ready to forgive me or talk to me and I thought maybe you still needed some space – which would be totally cool by the way. Do you need space?”

Entrapta tilted her head to one side.

“I just said I’m not mad. Was my answer not clear enough?“

“I- no- I just...” Scorpia sighed. “I’m sorry. I... guess I was expecting you to stay mad at me longer.”

Entrapta gave her friend a pat on the head with her hair.

“It’s okay. And Scorpia... you’re not a bad friend.”

“I... I’m not?”

The tech genius shook her head.

“I mean, I’m still not an expert on friendship because the data on that topic is really confusing, but... I think you were just trying to be a good friend for Catra too hard.” She shrugged. “I get it. You find a friend, or a lab partner, and being with them is fun and makes you happy, so you do everything you can to help them, so they’re also happy. I mean, I did it for myself, too. Building the robots was an incredible experience, and working on the portal with Hordak was sooo fun!” The excitement in her voice died down quickly as she lowered her head. “But... people got hurt, and now nobody likes me anymore.”

Scorpia patted her friend‘s head with one of her pincers.

“Hey, that’s not true. I like you. And I’m sure the other will, too, eventually. It’s just a weird situation for all of us, with the war and Prime and-” Scorpia hung her head. “I still can’t believe how nice everyone here is. I hurt them, too. I feel so bad about it now.”

Entrapta shrugged.

“We can’t change the past, scientifically speaking. Not yet, at least. And even if I were to invent time machines, I still have tons of different theories about if and how it could change the past and there’s no real way of knowing which one of them is accurate until we test it! Isn’t that exciting?!”

Her eyes gleamed. Scorpia chuckled.

“I mean, yeah. Totally!”

She had no idea what her friend was talking about, but Entrapta sounded excited and happy and that was pretty contagious.

“We can start getting hung up on past mistakes when I finish it! But for now, let’s just... try to not hurt our friends anymore. Maybe I can use my technical knowledge to help them. Maybe then they’ll... like me again.”

Scorpia hugged her.

Stars, she loved hugs. They always made her feel better. And it worked for most other people, too.

“I’m sure they will. You’re great. And when your robots aren’t trying to kill people, they’re actually really friendly! I mean, look at Emily.”

The robot was integrating into the group very well, all things considered.

“Thanks!” Entrapta grinned. “Oh, speaking of, thanks for taking care of Emily when I was gone. She really likes you!”

“Of course. Anytime. Emily is great. And I... figured the least I could do was protect her from Catra after I didn’t protect you.”

Entrapta’s look turned puzzled again.

“Catra... I’ve never had as much trouble understanding anyone as I have understanding her – which is saying a lot, because I’m just... not great with people in general. I don’t know why she’s so difficult to figure out. I... thought she was my friend, but then she hurt me, and now I don’t know what to think anymore.” She looked kind of hurt, but shrugged it off a moment later. “It’s almost like Catra never says what she really means, and no matter what she does, nothing ever makes her actually happy. The only constant I can find with her is Adora.”

Scorpia threw her pincers in the air.

“Tell me about it! Catra is, like, really big on talking about her all day. ‘Adora here, She-Ra there, I can’t believe she’s doing this, how dare she do that, we used to be best friends‘ – the whole shebang. And even when she’s not talking about her, you sometimes feel like she’s still implying something Adora-related.“

“Yeah, she definitely has some kind of fixation on her,” Entrapta concluded. She still seemed kind of lost in thought for a moment. “And my analysis from Princess Prom indicates that it at least used to be mutual. I haven’t collected enough data yet to find out what the current situation on this is.“

Scorpia shook her head.

“Oh, don’t get me started on the weird passive-aggressive slow dancing they had going on at Princess Prom. Seriously, what is it with these two?“

The Scorpioni chuckled, but the feeling of happiness soon vanished, replaced by the same bittersweet thought that had kept crossing her mind a lot recently.

“In all seriousness, though... I hope Catra’s alright, wherever she might be now. She hurt me, but... I still kind of miss her. I still kind of hope she could, you know, be better. I don’t think I would be ready to just let her back into my life if she showed up outside the tent right now, but... She’s just making herself miserable the way she’s acting. I don’t want her to be miserable. Even after everything, I kind of just want her to be happy. Is that stupid? It’s probably stupid.“

“It’s not stupid.” Entrapta put one of her pigtails on Scorpia’s shoulder. “One thing that is statistically very frequent in friendships is that most people don’t want their loved ones to be unhappy or get hurt.“

“Huh. Yeah. Guess you’re right.” Scorpia exhaled loudly. “Glad I got that outta my system. I feel so much better now.” Despite Entrapta being someone who struggled with friendship a lot, she actually understood more about it than most people. “I’m just... happy you’re okay.”

“More than okay, actually. Beast Island was really interesting and I made so much progress with my research and my theories, and now I get to take all of this new technology apart!”

Entrapta was beaming.

“You were going to tell me something about this tech-stuff earlier?“

“Eeeeek, I was hoping you would ask!”

Scorpia still didn’t understand much of what Entrapta was saying, but it sounded exciting, and she didn’t care too much about understanding it.

She was just glad to have her back.

[domjaehyun]

Haha oFC other people would have a crush on you I know that many anons def have a crush on you, and OH my GOD why did I mention the DREAM🥴 it’s a little NSFW so😬 I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable I understand if it does, I had it like several weeks ago I think, ok I’ll talk about it I’ll try to be as descriptive as possible....

Emmm ok so we were at a hotel for some reason ?? And we were being friendly and you went up to my hotel room to hang out I guess😗 and ummm once we entered the room I- I was getting closer to you, you were up against the door and I slowly put my hand on your waist and asked “is this okay?” And you nervously said “yes”, my lips got closer to yours, barely touching, and I asked “is this okay?” And you said “yes”, and then I put my hand against your pussy and started slowly rubbing you through your pants and I asked again “is this okay?” while my lips were so close to yours and your breath hitched and you said “yes”, I started making out with you while rubbing you through your pants and we were walking to the bed while kissing and we got on the bed, then I started going down on your body, I let your tiddies OUT and I absolutely devoured them and ummm then I went further down and took off your pants, I started to tease your pussy through your panties with my finger and you were being all whiny, and then I finally took off your panties and just ate the hell outta your pussy.....

OKK THAT WAS A. DREAM.😳 these THOUGHTS, that turned out to be soo long omg, I usually don’t remember my dreams but. this one was memorable ok now I am shy eeeeek🥴 -🔮

dfkjsgkfd noooooo i doubt that 🥺 and o ,h,,,,, if you could only hear the squeak i just let out that sounds like a very wonderful dream i wish it were real :(( im tagging this as happy thoughts but just know that. this made me more than just Happy,,,, a Special kind of Happy if you will 👀 thank you very much for telling me your dream i am now blushing and giggling and now I’M SHY

[imaginepirates]

Second Choice

Eeeeek! I'm so sorry to everyone who requested drabbles and the time it took me to write them. I'm very sick and it's hard for me to focus on anything. That being said, the last of the requests are done!

This is an angsty James x Reader where the reader is put in an arranged marriage with him. She feels like it will be a loveless marriage, but he grows on her over time. For @elenawrit. Also, this one's long.

~3550 words

~~~~~~~

          You were a second choice.

          It was the one thought you couldn't get out of your mind. Marriage was supposed to be something special, something that would make you happy. But you hadn't even had a choice. Your parents had managed to arrange a marriage between you and a naval officer from the Caribbean you hadn't even met.

          It wasn't fair. Rumors about his return to London spread like wildfire. Some said that he had been spurned by a girl he loved, while others said they'd been secret lovers before their separation. Everyone seemed to agree that there had been a girl. And now you were marrying him. You were a second choice.

          You dreaded meeting him; surely people would talk, and talk was the last thing you wanted. Sitting alone in your room before the banquet where you were to meet your future husband, you felt used and betrayed. How could your parents do this to you? They said it was a favor, that you should be grateful. You were not grateful.

          He couldn't want it either, his heart belonging to another woman. The marriage had been arranged between your parents and his mother. If you were both opposed to the bond, perhaps you could escape. However inviting the prospect, though, it wasn't likely.

          A servant rushed into your room, announcing it was time for your appearance in the dining room. You stood from your bed, smoothing your dark skirts. Your dress was navy blue, embroidered with gold patterns. It was meant to compliment your husband-to-be's uniform. A single sapphire sat on your neck, dark and backed with silver.

          The entire outfit had been a donation from your fiance's mother. She lived comfortably, but she lived alone, and said she had little use for the great sums of money left to her by her late husband. She gave you money for new clothes, and though your family had been mortified, your only solace was in her kindness.

          She was a tall, pale widow. Though she wasn't all that old, most of her hair had gone grey. She was a pleasant sort of woman, though you could sense a core of steel inside her. You'd met with her a few times, and you'd enjoyed each. If everything else failed, you could at least have her as a friend.

          Rather sickly, you grabbed the banister with one hand. The stairs would descend to the front room, and you would enter the dining room from there with your father. Doubtless he awaited you at the bottom of the staircase.

          You sucked in a deep breath before starting down the stairs. You might have felt almost regal in your finery had you not known what it was for. By the time you reached the bottom, you thought your corset would kill you.

          Perhaps you should have been an actress. The smile you gave your father had apparently looked genuine, as he smiled back. The floor felt like it was dropping from underneath you. When you took your father's arm, you walked on nothing but empty space.

          The door to the dining room opened and the illusion dissipated. You walked across the floor to take your seat. Everyone else was already there; your fiance's mother smiled at you from her seat as your own mother beamed.

          Tentatively, you let your eyes wander to the stranger sitting across from you. He couldn't have been that much older than you were. It surprised you; every captain you'd met had easily been in their thirties. This man was hardly a year over twenty. His grey eyes met yours briefly, and he gave you a sad sort of smile that made him seem much more human than the cold man you'd imagined.

          Introductions were made. His name was James. You gave him yours, but after that, you were left to yourself. Your mother conversed with his, and your father began talking to James before you had a chance.

          Dinner finished, though you hardly noticed. You'd retreated within yourself, as if nobody else existed. And it was just as well they hadn't. Nobody spoke to you or played you much mind, though you noticed James glancing at you from time to time. You noted how each of his smiles to your father had been forced.

          You walked with James to his awaiting carriage after the table was cleared.

          Nothing about the night had reassured you. You hadn't even gotten to talk with James. How on earth were you expected to marry him?

          Within the next week, your families decided to have you meet again. Ms. Norrington planned to host a ball. The function was meant to get you and James together as much as it was to celebrate his return home.

          You went, stepping out of your carriage to be helped by James himself. He looked dashing, you had to admit. There was something about him that caught the eye.

          Despite your visits to his mother, you hadn't seen the ballroom. Its tall windows allowed a view of the night sky unparalleled by any room you'd ever been in. You could have stood beneath them forever if you had the chance.

          Warm light cascaded across the room, though the sides were shrouded in shadow. There, people gossiped, and groups of visitors formed closed rings. A chandelier reflected the light into patterns across the walls. The space was pleasantly open, allowing some heat to escape the crowded area.

          There were so many people; you couldn't imagine James knew them all. His mother hardly seemed to, either. She spoke with a group of officers, playing the part of the gracious host. You wondered how much she was actually enjoying herself under her deceptive smile.

          James had hold of your arm, but you'd never felt more alone. The closed-off groups of people made you feel outside the social group. You were some foreigner, an exotic paraded on the arm of a young captain.

          You hardly had it in you to look at James during the first dance. He said nothing, and his formality felt almost cold. He might have been a good dancer had he not been so stiff. There was a slight space between you that shouldn't have been. Young couples were expected to enjoy themselves. Neither of you were.

          You couldn't blame him. You, too, were uncomfortable. You felt eyes on the back of your head, and you could practically hear people's whispers behind your back. There was no doubt James sensed it too.

           Between dances, James avoided conversing with others. When he was dragged into discussion, he looked far away. Perhaps he retreated into himself as you did.

          Everything felt unreal. You floated above the proceedings, watching it all with a bird's eye view. You weren't really in your body, were you? Even when James escorted you to the refreshments table, you didn't feel your feet moving the rest of you.

          Once there, James seemed to wilt. Most people were dancing, and nobody was around to see his posture droop ever so slightly. You felt the same, though you didn't dare show it. Not that your corset would let you.

         He rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm sorry for my distance tonight," he said.

          "It's quite alright. I find myself rather rigid as well."

          "I figured you might." He smiled, or rather, he pressed his lips together. There was no warmth behind it.

          You couldn't come up with anything else to say. Not that there was much. Every possible conversation would be uncomfortable.

          You danced again. The space between you was beginning to feel normal. All his other words were strictly for propriety's sake. You began to realize that marriage would be the loneliest time of your life.

          And it would be the rest of your life.

          What little hope was buried deep in your breast dissipated. There was nothing awaiting your future but a stiff man who didn't want your company. A loveless marriage.

          The night made you despair, if anything. Once home again, you were left with a sense of impending doom, lying abed alone. You didn't sleep until the early hours of the morning, hopelessness sitting on your breast like a great black vulture sent to pick at the strings of your heart.

          You met with James at other social events. It gave you little opportunity to get to know each other. People constantly tried to ask you questions, and James was harrassed even more frequently. All the time you spent together was supervised. With others imposing, you hardly said two words to each other on any given occasion.

          Not that you'd talk if you were alone. There were a few chances for you to be together unbothered, like during a garden party. The two of you were allowed to walk together, and you managed to avoid interception. Even then, you weren't talkative.

          Despite the lack of conversation, you began noticing things. James wasn't aloof as you expected; he was tired, sad, and frayed. You realized that he had little energy for social situations to begin with, and each encounter left him exhausted.

          He was one of the most non-threatening men you knew. He never made any sort of advance, nor did he do something unless he knew you were okay with it. It was a long time before he had enough confidence to guide you with a hand on the small of your back, something other men had done moments after meeting you.

          You also made note that eye contact was everything with him. After two weeks, you could understand anything he needed to convey just by looking at his eyes. Often, he looked sorry, like he was trying to apologize without words. Most times, he just looked sad.

          He occasionally gave your hand a squeeze. It was his way of reassuring you. It was the most endearing thing he did for you, and you hung onto it like a promise. A promise that you were equally miserable.

          After a time, James' mother decided it would be good for the two of you to meet alone. You weren't sure whether to be relieved or afraid.

          A date was set for you to have tea at James' house. You went with a slight sense of foreboding. The meeting would likely be awkward and hold nothing to make you feel any better.

         You arrived via carriage, and James helped you to the ground, ever the gentleman. He led you inside, his mother waiting at the door. The estate was more peaceful than you remembered. The last time you'd been was the ball, when it had been crowded with strangers. Now, the high windows let light fill the emptiness, and the entire building felt like a hollow shell.

         Passing the ballroom, the large windows let cold light stream across the floor. You imagined the ghosts of partygoers dancing to faint music.

          You were lead onward to a sitting room you recognized from the time you'd spent with James' mother. She went off to fetch tea, and you took a seat across from James.

          Between you was a small table. James produced a set of cards and motioned to you. "I'm afraid you won't find me a worthy opponent. I haven't had much practice," he said.

          "Don't worry." You smoothed out your dress. "I'm rubbish at cards."

           He chuckled, shuffling the deck with deft fingers. For being bad at cards, he certainly knew how to use them.

          He must have noticed your look. "I played with my father. Shuffling is all I can remember how to do."

          Tea was brought. It was good, but it did little to quell the anxiety in your stomach. You played well into the evening. It seemed you were equally awful at cards; you simply took turns losing.

          There was a pained expression in James' face you couldn't quite place. His mouth opened and closed again, as if he were going to speak. After a long stretch of his doing so, he began.

          The cards gave you an excuse to not look at each other while talking. "I'm sorry." James stared at his cards, but you knew he wasn't seeing them.

          "I'm sure you are." You hadn't meant to sound so harsh.

          He set his cards down and massaged his temples. "I know what you've heard. If it's any solace at all, I never had a chance with her."

          You remained silent, lips pursed.

          "I'm not doing a very good job of this, am I?" He looked so pained, you almost wanted to sympathize. "You don't deserve this," he whispered.

          When you glanced up, he looked you in the eye. He dropped his gaze back down to his cards before closing his eyes entirely.

          "Is there no way out for us?" You were afraid of how desperate you sounded.

          "No." James, too, sounded strangled. "Mother believes the marriage necessary to clear my name of rumors, and I'm sure you have less of a choice than I do."

          You sat up straighter in your chair, breathing in deeply. "I suppose that's that. Can you resign yourself to marrying me?"

          "Can you?" He set his cards face down on the table as if you were still playing. Gently, he took your hand in his and rubbed his thumb over your knuckles. "I would never ask this of you. I would never ask this of anyone."

          "Even her?"

          He laughed, dipping his head, but it came out weak and sad. "No, not even her." He took a breath and looked up at you again. "Sometimes it's better to let go of the people you love. For both of you."

          You nodded. Hot tears teased your eyes, threatening to spill out over your cheeks. "I wish we had met differently." You couldn't manage anything more than a whisper.

          James still had your hand in his. With his other, he wiped a tear from your cheek. "As do I."

          The meeting gave you hope. James was a soft man, you realized. He cared for you. It made your chest ache. Under different circumstances, you might have loved him.

          The weeks wore on. You continued to meet James for tea. Your meetings grew less awkward as you grew more familiar. To your great surprise and delight, James had a wonderful sense of humor. You began to enjoy your time with him.

          It made you feel guilty, in a way, like you were betraying yourself. You couldn't ever hope to have his love. Why pretend?

          And yet with each kiss pressed to your knuckles upon departing from his company, you found yourself enjoying the press of his lips to your skin more and more.

          You occasionally held hands as you had on that first night. Sometimes, you traced his palm with your fingers. The action was strangely calming.

          The first time he kissed you, you were both laughing over the latest bit of news from London. Somebody had thrown an egg at a politician unfortunately known for his ineptitude.

You sat directly next to each other; which was a bit improper; to read the news together. He pressed a soft kiss to your temple as you laughed. You felt all the heat rush to your face, and he hadn't done much better. His blush crept up from his neck; you watched it stretch from his cravat to his ears.

          "Forgive me," he said. "I was too forward."

          It was a bold move indeed, but you assured him you didn't mind.

          From then on, he sometimes kissed your forehead. When he felt particularly bold, and when he knew he had your permission, he would lightly kiss your cheek. Each one elicited a fond feeling in your chest.

          The longer time went on, the more you liked James. He liked you, too, and you noticed the little gestures he made to show it. He wasn't a loquacious man, instead squeezing your hand or running a thumb over your knuckles. Sometimes his affection was shown through a kiss that lasted longer than it needed to.

You found yourself thinking that you might not mind the prospect of being married to James. Life could go on, and he would exist as a gentle presence and kind companion.

          Duty, however, at some point must call. James was called off to sea by the navy, now stationed in England. When you saw him off, you pressed a feathery kiss to his cheek.

          "Come back," you said. Truth be told, you were concerned for him.

           He nodded, furrowing his eyebrows. "Of course."

          You missed him in his absence. His laughter, his humor, his touch. The gentle way in which his presence soothed you. How he listened to you. How thoughtful he was about things. With him gone, you felt acute loneliness. You hadn't realized the amount of time you'd been spending together.

          And then, twenty-three days later, when the ship came back to port, he didn't step off the deck onto the cobbles. Someone approached your father, who stood beside you, but you heard nothing. You stared at the ship and feared the worst.

          You were ushered to a room in the ship. Gurneys lined the walls. James' mother was already there, talking with a man that was likely a doctor.

          Another man stood in the shadows, face obscured. Even so, there was no question who he was.

          Upon seeing him, you could have cried. "James!" You practically ran to his side.

          A bandage covered his shoulder, and his arm was tucked into a sling. Once in front of him, you didn't know what to do. You let one hand rest on his chest, the other cupping his cheek.

          "Why don't we let them have a moment alone?" James' mother ushered your parents out of the room.

          Once alone, you ran your thumb across his cheek. "I was afraid for you," you admitted. "And now..." You moved your hand from his chest to lightly brush over the bandages.

          "I'll heal."

          "That's not what I'm worried about."

           You stood together, just staring. Then, you wrapped your arms about his waist and rested your head on his uninjured shoulder.

His intake of breath was audible. Slowly, as if he was afraid to do so, his good arm came to rest on your back, his hand in your hair. Your heart fluttered as you felt him pull you closer. He buried his face in your hair, and you felt the kiss he pressed to the top of your head.

          "I thought of you," he croaked. "Lying abed all those days."

          You grabbed at the back of his uniform, twisting your hands into the fabric. You told yourself you would not cry.

          "It was a comfort," he breathed, "to think of you."

          You couldn't help the tears streaming down your face. James must've heard your crying; he pulled away to wipe tears from your cheeks. He was so close, you could feel his breath on your neck.

          He rested his forehead against yours. You didn't dare look at him, afraid if what you might find. You would not let yourself hope. But when he kissed your closed eyes with a feather-light touch, you sighed.

          "I'm sorry." James pulled away just enough to search your face.

          You let out a shaky laugh. "For what?"

          "For frightening you."

          "You've always frightened me," you confessed. "Now, you just do it in a different way." Seeing James' confusion, you reassured him with a light kiss to the cheek. "I used to be afraid of marrying you." Heat rushed to your face. "Now, I'm afraid because I care about you."

          His hand moved from your cheek, his finger now tracing your lower lip. He swallowed, and it dawned on you that he was nervous. You gripped the front of his shirt, and you found your eyes resting on his lips.

          His kiss was soft, but it set you on fire all the same. He was painstakingly gentle, and when your fingers found their way to his hair, he produced a sort of choke that made your stomach tingle.

          He broke the kiss for but a moment before leaning in again. You hardly had time to breathe before he was kissing you. It was deeper than the first, and your toes curled as James slid his hand to your back, pulling you against him.

          When he pulled away, you couldn't remember how to breathe. You managed a shuddering gasp without knowing how. You vaguely realized that the only thing keeping you on your feet was your hold on his shirt.

          "James?" You more felt his blush than saw it, but the heat radiated from his chest to his ears.

          He moved to hold you again. You welcomed the embrace, wrapping your arms around his waist and back, breathing in the scent of his uniform. You were careful not to touch his shoulder. Instead, you gazed at the bandages, fearing the first sign of blood coming through.

          "I'm glad," he said. "I'm glad it was you."

          You sighed contentedly into his chest. "And I you." You traced little patterns on his back. "I never thought it would be like this."

          "Nor did I."

          "James?" You looked up at him. "We're going to be okay."

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation (Gen II) - Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 - Divine Blade Balmung

The cave was exactly where Shannan had been told it would be: a little ways up the east side of the rocky mountain where the Aed Shrine was located.

He walked inside, led by the light coming from outside. The cave was small, and believed to have formed naturally. About ten meters in, he hit a wall, and could not continue going straight.

"We've reached the end of this path, so we'll go right. Then, there will be a small gap in the rocks at about waist height. That's the entrance to the secret shrine. When the Loptr Church was outlawed, the church's followers lived in hiding in the underground level of this shrine. But they probably didn't live down there all year round. When they came out, they would use this path. But since there's no need for any of that now, no one comes through here." The man explained to Shanan, then looked his lean, toned body up and down. “Big people can't make it through here, but someone of your size should be fine."

Just as the man had said, when they got on their stomachs and crawled through the hole on the right, they were able to make it to the opening. The rocks surrounding the opening were smooth to the touch.

'It has to be here.' Shanan pushed his belongings through first, then himself.

The narrow opening was only about two meters long. At the end was a much larger open space than he thought there'd be.

Once he'd made it through, he was surrounded by total darkness and didn't move for a while.

He didn't hear, nor sense anything.

When he felt it was safe, he lit a small candle.

The path, wide enough for the two men to easily walk next to each other, shined in the light.

"When we come to a fork in the road, we must turn left, as that will lead to the underground shrine. It will be different from the path we've traveled so far, as it's made entirely of stone. Since we have a light source, you'll know it when you see it. The treasure room is the farthest room down that path. I saw Balmung in there. There's no lock on the door, but there might be several mages standing guard."

The first time Shanan had heard this, he thought it was a trap.

The man had claimed he was an ex-priest of the Loptyr Church who fled because he didn't agree with the horrible things they were doing. To avoid their pursuit, he needed money.

'Even then, thirty gold coins is too cheap for a job like this, isn't it?'

However, after thinking it through, Shannan finally decided to try and see where the lead took him, even if it would be to a dead end. 

'If he's telling the truth, then that's the best case scenario, but even if it's a trap, that's just one move he could make. As one of Sword Saint Od’s sayings goes, ”When one makes a move, they always let their guard down.” Since he's trying to use Balmung as bait, the likelihood that he either has it, or at least knows information about it, is high. That will be when he lets his guard down, and I should attack him at that moment.’

As a descendant of Sword Saint Od, Shanan knew all of his sayings. Shannan also believed that he understood, though the intense training he’d subjected himself to, what most of them meant. However, he knew that he could not grasp the last saying if he did not obtain Balmung.

This is that final saying:

"If you are within light, become the light

If you are within darkness, transform into darkness

And within nothingness, is the truth."

He intended to figure out the meaning. However, he wouldn’t know what would happen when he obtained the holy sword, so he couldn’t understand it yet.

There was also one more reason he went with the man's movements.

And that was because Seliph had raised an army, and if they did not recruit Crusaders with legendary weapons, they would not be able to defeat the empire.

'We might be able to take back Isaach, but chances are, we'd lose if we went any further than that. Thracia has Heavens Lance Gungnir, House Friege has Holy Thunder Tome Mjölnir, House Dozel has Holy Axe Helswath, and Arvis has Holy Fire Tome Valflame.

And if someone among the enemy can wield Black Magic Loptous, then we won't stand a chance. So even if I am risking danger here, then I should go along with the enemy's movements and see what happens.'

They walked for about an hour, then finally reached the entrance to the shrine.

There wasn't a door, nor any people, but the path was dimly lit by a magic spell.

'This is the real trap.' Shanan sensed, but had no intention of turning back.

He walked into the shrine at his normal pace.

After taking five steps, he heard a creaking noise come from behind him.

He turned around, and a huge rock fell down between the cave and the shrine, blocking the path.

But since he'd predicted that there might be a trap, he didn't panic.

He confirmed that the path was completely blocked off, put the lantern and his supplies on the floor, and unsheathed a steel sword.

'If the exit is blocked, then I should continue forward.'

There were various doors on both the right and left sides of the path before him. Fearing that he might be attacked from behind if he walked too far, he only continued forward after he had checked each room to see if anyone was inside.

He didn’t find anyone, and finally came to the furthest door. To the right was a staircase going up.

He took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and flew inside.

He saw a mage, sitting at a small desk, in the corner of his eye.

He took a big step and used the force to attack. The mage didn't even have enough time to stand up.

Shanan immediately checked his surroundings. There was no one else in the room. Next, he noticed that there were items that could be considered treasure in the room, confirming that it was indeed the treasure room.

And so, he began to search.

There were both many valuable and rare items inside, but no swords.

'If this is a trap, then of course it wouldn't be here.'

He abandoned the treasure room and returned to the hallway.

He didn't know what he should do next, but knew that in order to attack the enemies while they were still unguarded, he needed to move quickly.

The moment he tried to climb the stairs, he heard footsteps coming down them.

'An enemy has found me already!?’

He braced himself, but the shadow looked like that of a child's, making him decide against attacking. It was obvious they were being chased by something and running away.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he grabbed their arm.

"Eeeeek!" The shriek sounded feminine.

"Be quiet! I'm not your enemy!" Shanan hissed, while also noticing the item she was clutching to her chest. 

It was a sword, and not just any sword. He remembered seeing the design carved into the handle before.

"Where did you get that sword?"

"I found it."

"Where? In that treasure room?"

"No, in a room at the top of the stairs."

"As I thought. Now hand it over."

"Hey! Are you trying to steal what I worked for? I went through a lot of trouble to get this, so there's no way I'll just give it to you!" The girl said, slipped out of his grasp, and ran towards the secret passage.

"W-Wait!"

She was dressed in men's clothing, and could run very quickly, making it obvious that she was a thief…

However, she had no choice but to stop in front of the boulder blocking the way to the cave.

Shanan caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Eeek! Stop, or else I'll never be able to be a bride!"

"Don't be stupid! I'm not going to do anything to you! I just want you to return that sword to me."

"'Return…?' So this is yours?”

"Yes. It is the Divine Blade Balmung, that has been passed down in my family for generations. I'm the only person who can wield it. Even if you have it, you can't do anything with it."

"But why us a holy sword in the Aed Desert?"

"It was taken from my father when he was killed during Grannvale's military campaign in Isaach. I was only just recently told that it's here in the Aed Desert. That's why I'm here, to take it back."

"Wait, so does that mean you're Prince Shanan of Isaach!?"

"Yes, I am."

"Wow, really? Yay, I'm soooo lucky!"

"..."

"I've always admired Prince Shanan, and wanted to meet him, even if it's just once… but I didn't think I actually would…"

"..."

"But it really is so cool to meet you!"

"I get it, I get it. Now, my sword, please."

"Oh, sorry. Here you go!"

Shanan took Balmung from her, and slowly unsheathed it.

As he revealed the blade, it lit up with a sparkling light. Then, he started to feel a strange power course through his body and make him feel warm.

'Balmung is finally mine… Ah, what a magnificent power this is…'

His body overflowing with new power, Shannan kept his gaze straight ahead, and said over his shoulder to the girl behind him, "What is your name?"

"I'm Patty! And don't forget it!"

"You're a thief, aren't you?"

"You could say that. But I only target the rich!"

"And you were found, so you ran away."

"Yeah. It was the first time ever for me, so I was surprised. But I wonder why they didn't chase me all the way here…"

"There's no way out of here, so they aren't worried. There’s no doubt in my mind that they are slowly gathering together more people and heading this way.”

"So what are we gonna do?"

"Keep your distance, but follow me."

Shannan gripped Balmung with both hands, held it out straight in front of him, and slowly began to proceed.

When they reached the section of the wall lit up by a magic spell, the torch went out.

"Eeeeek! It's pitch black!"

"You can't see anything?"

"I can, but only the light coming from the sword."

 That was all Shannan could see as well. He gently closed his eyes.

'If all I can see is the sword's light, then I'll be able to see any enemy that comes within its range. In this case, I shouldn't rely on my eyes.’

"If you are within light, become the light

If you are within darkness, transform into darkness"

"Listen closely, Patty. We're going to follow the sword's light."

He abandoned his sense of sight, heightening his other senses.

'There's eight enemies. Three of them have swords.'

He pictured the hallway in his mind, and as he proceeded, he felt more and more like he was actually looking at it.

He turned right, and started climbing the stairs. 

There were several lights set throughout the stairwell, but if one looked down at the stairs from the very top, they were shrouded in darkness. 

When the leader of the mercenaries suddenly saw Balmung's light, he panicked and froze. He knew there should be a person on the other side of the sword, but he couldn't see them because the light was in his way.

The glowing sword slowly climbed up the stairs. It felt like someone was lying in wait for them, but it seemed like that person wasn't concerned at all.

"Die!" The mage standing in the back shouted.

"Hiii-yah!" The lead mercenary aimed as best he could, and swung his sword.

The man's voice and the movement of the air felt as if they were flowing through Balmung.

Shannan felt no resistance, as if he only cut through air, but he did actually slice open the mercenary's abdomen, who then fell down the stairs.

Another mercenary tried to come around from the left, but Shannan sensed his breath, the movement of his scent, the way he quietly stepped on the stairs, and the change in the temperature around him, as if they were concrete items Shannan could hold in his hands. Shannan only had to think, and Balmung moved, cutting down two more mercenaries.

The other mercenaries above him could only see the slight movements of Balmung's light. It returned to its original position in a split second, then started slowly moving up. As Balmung came close to each magic light, they went out, making Balmung's light grow stronger and stronger in the darkness.

The mages couldn't see what was behind Balmung's light, either. So even if they cast black magic spells, all they could do was aim at the sword, which sent every spell back at the casters. The next moment, the sword leapt into the air, and cut them both.

As he and Patty slowly climbed the stairs, Shannan defeated each and every enemy that came near them. He had no idea how many enemies he faced in total. He only knew he had become one with Bulmung, and the moment he sensed an enemy, he could take them out with the slightest of movement.

Then, finally...

He no longer sensed any enemies. After climbing a few more stairs, he could see light through his closed eyelids, so he opened his eyes.

They were already above ground, and in front of his eyes was a big door.

Shannan swung Balmung, and landed gracefully in the blood pooling beneath him.

He placed the Divine Blade in its sheath, then opened the door. It was the prayer room, and inside was a man in bishop's robes. He was surely none other than Kutuzov, wielder of the dark magic spell Fenrir and leader of the Aed Shrine.

'If I go any further, I'll probably be consumed by Fenrir's magic.'

"If you are within light, become the light

If you are within darkness, transform into darkness

And within nothingness, is the truth."

Shannan emptied his mind of all thoughts, then calmly stepped into the prayer room.

Kutuzov had seen Shannan the moment he opened the door, and realized the swordsman was not wearing clothing he'd ever seen before. However, Kutuzov didn't sense any ill intent, so he did not think he should do anything. He saw Shannan, but did not look at him.

As Shannan came closer, Kutuzov noticed a strange scent. It was the smell of blood. Then, he saw that the man's clothing was stained with blood.

'Why is he covered in blood…? I see, so he is Shannan!?'

Kutuzov panicked and tried to cast a spell.

In a movement so fast his eyes could not catch it, Shannan unsheathed Balmung.

Kutuzov's head went flying through the air before he was even done with his chant.

"That was so cool!!" Patty screamed from the entrance of the prayer room.

-

 Seliph and the liberation army defeated the mages stationed throughout the rocky mountain, and arrived at the Aed Shrine shortly after.

After they had fully seized the shrine, Seliph entered the shrine's underground with Lewyn, who had just returned.

"The descendants of the Loptrian Empire lived here in hiding for a long, long time, because if they went above ground, they would be persecuted and burned alive. But even that doesn't mean they were evil from the beginning. However, many, many years of that treatment turned them into demons."

Seliph walked into one of the rooms in the hallway lined with rooms on both sides.

On the walls was writing that looked like a child's scribbles.

'Please come back someday soon, Lord Loptous.

Please make them suffer.

If you make our wishes come true, Lord Loptous, then we will give our blood to you.'

He guessed those words had been there for over twenty years, but the hatred with which they had been written had not faded one bit.

Seliph was overwhelmed by that hatred. He didn’t know what to say.

"Hate only begets hate." Lewyn said.  "You must etch those words into your heart."

"What do you think of my hatred for Arvis?"

"I've said this before, but this fight is no longer yours alone. I understand how you feel, but you must only hate what he has done, or what he is doing, not the man himself. If you do, then it will cloud your judgement.

"You should hate the evil, not the person. You must never forget that."

[ayma-nidiot]

The Ride - Sylvix fic Chapter 19

Also on AO3 -> https://archiveofourown.org/works/21973405/chapters/57522871

Chapter 19 – The Light in Conand Tower

“It’s pretty boring in there…” Annette came out after surveying the first room of Conand Tower. “Are you sure we can’t take in the wagon?”

“Just to be safe, I want to leave it out here,” replied Sylvain. “If anything were to happen to our horses…”

“In that case, I volunteer to stay watch.”

“What’s wrong? Ignatz, you sound awful.”

“I… uh… made the mistake of eating fish that we carried all the way from the monastery. I’ve been having the runs ever since we left that Galatea village.”

Sylvain sighed. “Then you should have eaten fresh steak from the market like the rest of us. That fish was a week and a half old. Raphael and Lorenz, look after him, please.”

“Aye aye, captain!” Raphael happily agreed.

“I brought some medicinal tea from Gloucester,” Lorenz added. “It’s a peppermint tea that my family has used for-”

Ignatz suddenly cowered, running behind a nearby bush.

“I… uh… guess I’ll get started on that tea, then.” Lorenz then turned to Sylvain. “Good luck, Sylvain. Take this.”

“You’re giving me Thyrsus, your house’s Hero’s Relic?”

“If your friend is indeed in there, then you’ll need all the help you can get, right? We and our battalions will be fine out here. Now, get going!”

“Thank you.” Sylvain attached the staff to a pocket in his back before entering the tower with the rest of the company.

“It’s quiet… Too quiet.”

“Annette, this isn’t the time for clichéd novel phrases,” spoke Sylvain.

“Well, I remember it from Loog and the Maiden of Wind-” Ashe started.

“For the love of the goddess, guys, can’t you act a bit more seriously?” Sylvain loudly whispered as he entered another room, and sound slowly started to fill his ears.

“Come on, we’re just a little bit… uh… nervous,” Caspar tried – and failed – to sound confident.

“You’re right… I’m sorry, guys.” Just then, the sounds Sylvain heard earlier became louder, but he still couldn’t determine where they were coming from – so they discovered him first. As he blocked the hoard of enemies’ attack on him without even looking at them, he spoke, “Nice try, you goons.”

“Wh-Who are these guys?” Ashe wondered out loud, stabbing a nearby enemy with an arrow from Yewfelle. “Are they… Miklan’s thieves?”

“No, look harder…” Lysithea pointed at the shadows of an enemy she had just defeated. “I don’t think they’re agents of the Empire, either. There’s another power at work here, I know it!”

The leader apparent responded to this correct guess with, “Indeed, smart child. We would never associate ourselves with that useless Miklan. You want to learn who we really are? Then follow us, if you can!”

Without thinking, Sylvain charged after this enemy through the next few rooms, prompting Mercedes to yell, “Sylvain, wait! It’s a trap!”

“Hahaha…” The leader apparent cackled when he stopped in a dungeon full of chains. “So it seems you’re the only stupid one in this entire motley band, Sylvain Jose Gautier!”

“How… do you know my name?” Sylvain tried to look for this enemy, who lurked in the shadows. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Tell us who you are and why you’ve brought us here!”

The shadows began to clear to show chained-up prisoners, whom Sylvain recognized as Miklan’s thieves; he reckoned there were about one hundred of them, if not more.

“You see, we have this wonderful ability to take control of the ambitious and weak of heart, including these two dolts over here.”

The last of the shadows dissipated, revealing two especially large chains, with two men chained to them – and Sylvain recognized the raven-haired one instantly.

“Felix…” Sylvain hardly believed it at first, but after his joy at finally seeing his beloved again overtook him, he ran recklessly to where Felix had been chained. “Oh, goddess, Felix, I never thought I’d- Huh?”

He didn’t recognize him from afar, but Sylvain took a good look at the man chained to the right of Felix, and his face fell at the sight of him. “It can’t be… Miklan? But… But I thought you were-”

While Felix remained completely unconscious, Miklan heard his brother easily enough, awakening with a cackle. “Hehehe… How are you, little brother?” He looked up.

Before Sylvain could ask any questions, he heard Ashe yell, “Sylvain! Look out behind you!”

“Aaaargh!” The fallen enemy screamed as arrows from Parthia hit it, and as it perished, so too did the shadows of which it was made.

“Thank you, Ashe.” Sylvain took a deep breath before brandishing the Lance of Ruin, cutting down an adjacent enemy with the lance. As he did, he noticed a few of his comrades were missing – namely Lysithea and Mercedes. But he knew he had no time to look for them – he believed in their abilities, after all. His belief in his own abilities dwindled, however, as with each slain enemy, the Lance of Ruin grew duller and so soaked in blood and guts that he could hardly see the blade.

“Hah!” Miklan scoffed. “Some good the Lance of Ruin is serving you! You should have left it with me!”

“Shut up!” Sylvain continued to fight despite how his brother irritated him. “It won’t do you any good, either! I’m trying to save your ass here.”

Sylvain took another short respite before thinking, He does have a point, though. I suppose I could use magic, but…

Annette noticed Sylvain trembling in fear. “Sylvain? What’s wrong?”

What if I… What if I fail again?

“Try using light magic!” Annette cast Nosferatu at five enemies at once, and sure enough, they seemed to fade with less effort than Sylvain thought. “If you can at least try to use Seraphim, it would help us a ton!”

“But… I can’t. You saw what happened at Fhirdiad. My incompetence could have-”

“Dammit, Sylvain, if you have the time to mope around, then fight!” Caspar killed more enemies around Sylvain – with the Axe of Ukonvasara, no less.

Lorenz… Everyone… Sylvain felt his hope restored and began to draw the sigil in the air. If my friends are willing to fight for what’s right, then I owe it to them to do the same.

Despite his resolve – and despite that he could properly form the magic circle this time – Sylvain couldn’t yet unleash a proper Seraphim spell.

“Eeeeek!” Annette had been swarmed by two enemies, and her hands had been bound.

“They’re… They’re coming in droves…” Lysithea, along with Mercedes, had beeen cornered in this “main” dungeon by even more enemies, now including a Titanus and demonic beasts.

We’re in trouble… Sylvain retrieved the Thyrsus from his back, and taking one passing glance at Felix, he noticed something in the other man’s pockets. Could it be…?

Sylvain took out the broken item – to his joy, it was the toy lance. Giving his beloved a smile, he turned around again, saying, “You beasts. You will leave my friends the fuck alone – now! Haaaaaah!”

Sylvain’s desire to fight for his loved ones fueled the Seraphim spell that rained down on the Titanus – and the several more spells that followed.

“Amazing!” Lysithea smirked as she readied a Seraphim spell of her own. “I hope you know I won’t be outdone, Mr. Gautier.”

“Hmph.” Annette, who felt more relieved that the enemy numbers dwindled exponentially, still frowned. “I wish I could learn such an amazing demon-slaying spell.”

“Dude, you know Abraxas, the highest level of white attack magic.” Caspar rolled his eyes.

“Try telling that to Triumphant Boy over there,” Lysithea pointed at Sylvain, who, now that the enemies had been defeated, grinned in victory. She walked up to him in congratulations, saying, “Amazing. I had never seen a man successfully wield Seraphim. In fact, you’re only the third man in the history of Fódlan who has been able to successfully wield it.”

“Really? Haha.” Sylvain sounded rather proud of himself.

“Yeah. Most practitioners are holy women. Any man who is able to learn this spell has an especially high prowess for white magic.”

“Which is why he could cast it better than you,” Caspar teased.

“Oh, shush. M-My specialty is dark magic, after all.”

It was at this point that Miklan got tired of all this talk about magic, and decided to remind everyone else of his presence. “So… I’m here, too. Do you think you can get me and my men out of these chains?”

“Oh.” Sylvain’s good mood had dropped instantly as he gave the order to do as Miklan requested. “So, spill it.”

“‘Spill it?’ What’s there to spill?” Miklan asked as he and Felix had been freed; Felix remained unconscious. “Oh, and there are other dungeons with more of my men. Don’t forget about them.”

“Okay, where to begin? How did you survive being consumed by the Lance of Ruin? Why are you here in your old hideout? How did you end up captured in your own hideout?”

“Why did you save us?”

“Listen, you douchecanoe, I’m the one asking questions – unless you’d rather I shoot first and ask questions later.” Sylvain threatened another Seraphim spell.

“Okay, okay, calm your tits…” Miklan paused before beginning his story. “So after you killed me that fateful day – and after you had left – some weird lady with a long pink pony tail showed up out of nowhere. She tried to peddle some mystical item to me – me, a dying man! She called it the Fissure Dragon Sign. Next thing I knew, the shadows stopped consuming my body, and… Well, here, I am. As for who locked us up… I don’t know. But our captors didn’t seem human.”

“So it’s true,” Annette spoke up.

“Annette? Don’t tell me you believe what this shitgibbon is saying.”

“I do. I’ve read about special signs that allow Crestless people to acquire Crests. There’s only one of each kind in the world.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember Professor Byleth carrying some… strange objects in her quarters,” Mercedes cut in.

“I… I’m not sure I like it,” Lysithea commented. “It reminds me of… experiments I would rather forget about.”

“So, let me get this straight, Miklan. You’re telling me that this ‘Fissure Dragon Sign’ gave you the Crest of Gautier so that the Lance of Ruin wouldn’t fully consume you. Do I have that right?”

“You’re not as dumb as you look, little brother! Since you freed me, I think I ought to return the favour, yeah?”

“Over my dead body.”

“Please…” One of Miklan’s thieves – a thief who was part of the group who attacked the Kingdom army at Derdriu – begged. “We’re outcasts from all corners of Fódlan. We’ve got nowhere else to go.”

Another thief added, “We’ve got no food or supplies, either.”

“Sylvain, you know full well you’re going to need all the strength you can get if you want to defeat the Emperor. Many of my men are highly skilled spies – comes with the job.”

“Hmph.” Sylvian finally gave in. “Fine. But understand that I still don’t fully trust you. If I get even the slightest hint that you are going to betray us, I will without hesitation make sure the Lance of Ruin kills you this time.”

“Y-You got it…” Intimidated by his little brother, Miklan tried to take the heat off himself. “Say, I think your buddy here is finally coming to.”

“Ugh…” Felix slowly sat up, clutching his head. “What in the fuck just… Where am I?”

“Felix!” Sylvain didn’t hesitate to hug his boyfriend. He felt no shame in his tears of joy, either. “Oh, goddess, Felix, I… I’m so glad…”

“You dumbass, everyone is watching!” Felix weakly tried to push Sylvain away.

“Oh, don’t worry, we already know,” Annete spoke with a smile.

“And how, pray tell?”

Ingrid simply whistled in response.

“Ingrid…” Felix sounded mildly annoyed.

“What? Did you really think that you, one of Faerghus’ highest-ranking nobles, could hide your relationship forever?”

“Plus…” Caspar started. “A few of us heard you when-”

Sylvain didn’t like where this conversation was headed, and so interrupted it with, “Sooooo… Anybody know why we’re still in this smelly dungeon? Let’s head out to the wagon.”

“Yeah, I agree…” Mercedes liked the sound of this “plan” as everyone made way for said wagon. “I hope Ignatz is okay.”

“Felix, you should have seen it!” Annette sounded excited. “There was this amazing village with some of the friendliest people you will ever meet.”

“Yeah, and probably the best steak you will ever eat.” Ignatz came out of the wagon. “Not that I would know, since I made the stupid mistake of eating fortnight-old fish instead.”

“Ignatz, are you sure you should be up right now? How are you feeling?” Sylvain asked as he returned Thyrsus back to Lorenz, and Caspar did the same with the Axe of Ukonvasara.

“Good, thanks. Lorenz’s tea really did the trick.”

“Speaking of the village, we should probably go back there and buy more wagons for our new comrades,” Ingrid suggested.

Sylvain didn’t let this friendly talk make him forget about the bounty he bought from the Galatea village. “Oh, that reminds me. Felix, I have something for you.”

“Hm?” Felix didn’t expect that much – so the sudden barrage of spicy foods and dried meats raining upon him certainly gave him a surprise. “Whoa there, easy, man. What’s all of this for?”

“Well, I thought that you would want something tasty for once, instead of… moldy bread or whatever you’ve been eating these past few weeks.”

“…”

“Don’t tell me… That’s all you’ve had since you’ve been kidnapped?!” Sylvain started shaking Felix by the shoulders. “My boyfriend deserves to eat all of his favourite foods when he wants!”

“Is that all?” Felix sounded annoyed, but Sylvain could notice a slight smile.

“Nope, I have one more thing. It’s a little old-fashioned, but I hope it’s to your liking.”

Felix scoffed, “What, some more food? Sylvain, I think I already- Oh…”

To Felix’s surprise, the item of which Sylvain spoke was not another bag of beef jerky, but a ring of rose gold and diamonds.

“Felix Hugo Fraldarius…” Sylvain knelt on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

Felix remained speechless for about thirty seconds before saying, “…Idiot, how can we do that, given our noble positions?”

“Screw the noble positions! We can do it anyway. If someone doesn’t like it – hell, even if I have to renounce my nobility – then let them not like it!”

“You really are… a reckless buffoon, aren’t you?” Felix smiled as he held out his left hand. “Yes, Sylvain Jose Gautier. I am yours.”

“Whooo!” Caspar started cheering as Sylvain put the ring on Felix’s finger.

“I better start thinking of a good recipe for that wedding cake…” Mercedes thought out loud.

“Just don’t let Flayn take part in that!” Raphael groaned.

“Oh, and here’s a wedding gift.” Sylvain reached in the wagon again to give Felix the Failnaught. “A little something to put your new certification to use.”

“Claude…” Felix smiled. “It is a shame that he couldn’t join forces with us.”

The comrades didn’t laugh for long before an irritated Miklan said, “What the hell?”

“Eh?” Sylvain turned around.

“Why… Why would you just throw away your noble title like that, when you didn’t have to even work to earn it?!”

“Abandoning one’s noble title isn’t unheard of,” spoke Hanneman, who had since abandoned the Empire. “I have a Crest and was born to the Empire nobility, but I abandoned my house to pursue my passion for Crest research. And if I can do it, so can these gentlemen.”

“Plus, we’re not going to just leave the house completely vacant for ruthless Kingdom citizens to fight to become margrave.” Sylvain’s tone was calm, but serious. “Brother, I want you to inherit House Gautier in my place.”

“Wh-What? But… Father would never allow it. And His Highness-”

“His Highness wants a world in which the Crestless do not get treated as less than just for not having a Crests. I myself believe that anyone, Crest or no Crest, should be able to help lead our country, if they’ve won the respect of the people.” Sylvain held out a hand for Miklan to shake. “So what do you say?”

A familiar – but unexpected – voice came out from behind the wagon just then. “I say that we capture these traitors! Dedue!”

“Your Highness.” Dedue – and other loyal Faerghus soldiers - came onto the scene and immediately started placing all of Miklan’s thieves in cuffs.

“Dimitri!” Sylvain began to panic. “What are you doing here?”

“A little bird told me that certain disobedient soldiers of mine snuck out of Garreg Mach Monastery to go on a covert mission.” Dimitri retrieved a broken wine bottle and scrap of toilet paper out of his pockets.

Dammit… He found out! Sylvain glared at Dedue.

“Oh, and another thing… When I said ‘capture the traitors,’ that includes you and everyone who left with you.”

“Aiee! Let go!” Annette struggled from the soldier trying to bind her.

“No! Dimitri, I beg of you, leave them out of this. You see, I coerced them into doing it. They had no choice!”

“Hmph.” Dimitri gestured for his soldiers to let everyone – except for Sylvain, Miklan, and Miklan’s thieves – go. “But you’re still under arrest for openly defying my orders and abandoning the battlefield. As for your punishment, I will decide that during our march to Fort Merceus.”

“You mean you haven’t even gone there yet?”

“How could I not? Anyway, a prisoner shouldn’t be asking needless questions like that. Soldiers, forward march to Fort Merceus, and to victory against the Empire!”

[pertinax--loculos]

Charade

|| cuz all we are is what we're told / and most of that's been lies ||

[WIP: Hellbent]

Words: 1833

POV: Raleigh

Content Warnings: drug use (pills)

Context: Raleigh has Dash hidden in his pool house after Dash suffered an incident the previous night. Jasper has just warned him that Kennedy and Monica are on their way to see him.

Notes: Takes place very early in the Plot - this is only Raleigh's fourth or fifth interaction with Dash. And say hi to Kennedy! Unfortunately like 95% of her arc is spoileriffic, so I can't post a lot about her atm. :(

First draft, excuse typos and the fact I'm freaking in love with filler words etc etc. Also can't cut for the moment cuz can't figure out how to do read mores on mobile and don't have a computer eeeeek

Also related to this post.

***

[Raleigh] broke off as he heard the crunch of gravel from the front of the pool house. "That'll be them," he said. "Look, I've told them you're my cousin from out of town and you got into some trouble last night so I had to hide you down here. Okay?" He fumbled with the sliding door's latch, sudden anxiety making his fingers cumbersome.

"Them?" Dash sounded nonplussed.

"Kennedy and her friend Monica," Raleigh said over his shoulder, ducking back into the house just as there was a rap on the front door.

He took a moment just before he opened it, forcing the nervousness down and away and plastering a smile on his face.

"Hey guys!"

Kennedy smiled back as Monica weaved a little, clearly trying to look past him into the house. "Hey. Were you expecting us?"

"Yeah, Jaz called to let me know." He heard the porch door slide shut and stepped back, waving them in. "Sorry for all the secrecy, it's just if Mum and Dad find out what happened I'll never hear the end of it."

"What did happen?" Kennedy said. Raleigh managed to block Monica as she tried to dodge around them in the narrow hall.

"Um, it's kinda a long story," he said. "He got in, uh, kinda a scrape, so his face is a bit messed up. Just don't say anything, okay?"

That got him two skeptical looks; he decided to distract them before the questions started, striding into the main room.

"Anyway, guys, this is Daniel. Daniel, this is Kennedy, my girlfriend, and Monica. Another friend from College."

Kennedy stepped past him to approach Dash, who was watching her with an odd intensity. He ignored Monica as she joined Kennedy in front of him.

"Nice to meet you," Kennedy said cordially.

"Pleasure." Dash managed to make the word sound like the exact opposite of its meaning. Raleigh ran a hand through his hair to stop himself burying his face in his hands.

"Any family of Raleigh's is a friend of ours," Monica chirped, apparently oblivious to the tension crackling between the other two. She crept further into Kennedy's personal space, forcing Dash to drag his eyes away from Kennedy to her. "So what brings you to town?"

"Oh, y'know." Dash shrugged and swiped a hand over his face. "Church business."

"Oh?" Monica sounded unduly curious, nudging Kennedy away as she put herself more directly in his eyeline. "What kind?"

Raleigh opened his mouth to interject but Dash beat him to it.

"Our Chapter has been having a bit of trouble with our brainbent institution. Nothing serious, not yet, but Archbishop Nielsen is getting a bit concerned. Carcerum is not only the biggest institution in the country, but it's also the best run and the most secure. I'm in the process of being inducted into the Brotherhood, so Deacon Anthony decided that part of my exam would be to come over here and have a look at how Deacon McCarthy runs things, see if there's any procedures we could adopt to improve security."

Raleigh was glad the girls had their back to him, because he wasn't able to keep the shock off his face. He snapped his mouth closed but continued to stare at Dash incredulously. Not only was the story entirely feasible, but Dash had used absolutely perfect terminology and just the right combination of exasperated respect to sell the idea that, despite his apparent misbehaviour of the previous night, he was still a devout Member. If Raleigh didn't know better even he would've been fooled.

Dash's eyes found his over Kennedy's shoulder, and he smirked.

"Plus, I've picked up a few... bad habits, in recent years. I think Priest Canton is hoping that spending time with Raleigh will help."

Monica leaned forward. "Oh, I'm sure they're not all bad." She lowered her voice confidentially. "I could take some time to show you around, if you like. Show you... the ropes."

Raleigh seriously doubted Dash could miss the subtext of the suggestion. It was barely even subtext. He chewed the inside of his cheek, wondering how on earth he was going to mitigate this disaster. Everything he had learned about non-Members and their tendency for promiscuity leapt to the forefront of his mind. There was no way Dash would turn down an offer like that, and how on earth Raleigh would even begin to explain to Monica who he actually was-

"Thanks for the offer," Dash said. "But I'm good." He looked over her shoulder at Raleigh again. "Shall we go? I doubt the Deacon will be happy if I'm late."

Raleigh blinked. That was unexpected. It took him a couple of moments to find his voice. "Uh, yeah, sure. That's fine. Kennedy?"

He touched her elbow and she turned towards him, a slight frown on her face.

"Is that okay? If I drop... Daniel off at Carcerum first?"

"Hmm?" Kennedy stared at him for a beat before her expression cleared. "Oh, yeah, that's fine. It's not super urgent."

"Okay." Raleigh smiled at her and leaned in to press his lips to hers.

After a couple of moments the sound of a door slamming startled them apart. Raleigh glanced around the room, confused.

"Where's D- where'd he go?"

Monica was watching them with her arms crossed, an impatient look on her face. "He stalked out. Apparently he isn't a huge fan of the PDA either." She grinned suddenly. "He's so interesting! How come you've never mentioned him before?"

Raleigh rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, y'know. It's hard to stay in touch sometimes. I've got enough family in town, if I tried to keep track of the out of town ones as well even I'd be hopelessly lost."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a line form between Kennedy's brows again, but at least Monica seemed satisfied with his answer. "Fair enough. You have to give me his number though. Obviously he's paranoid about his Archbishop finding out he was goofing off, but if I can catch him at a more appropriate time..." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Kennedy swatted her arm. "My goodness Monica, you are hopeless. Come on, we'd better let Ra take care of his responsibilities. See you at the dorms?"

This last was addressed to Raleigh; he nodded, not quite trusting his voice, and followed them from the house.

Monica beelined directly for Dash, who was slouched against the hood of Raleigh's car, looking at his phone. He glanced up briefly in acknowledgement when she halted in front of him.

"So nice to meet you, Daniel," she said, holding a hand out to him. "I hope you get to stick around for a while."

Dash's gaze was still cool, but he shook her hand. "We'll see."

Kennedy leaned towards Raleigh. "He's a bit rude, don't you think?"

Raleigh shrugged a little, fishing his keys out of his pocket. "Honestly, I barely know him," he said. "Just doing the familial obligation thing. Though he was more relaxed with just the two of us. Maybe you guys make him nervous?"

Kennedy hummed a little, that tiny frown back on her face. Then she shook her head sharply and kissed his cheek. "See you soon."

"Sure will."

Raleigh watched both of them get into Kennedy's small red convertible, keeping his eye on that until it disappeared around the bend in the driveway, before he finally looked back at Dash.

He was watching him; to Raleigh's surprise he looked away before their eyes met. "We going or what?"

Raleigh unlocked the car and took a deep breath, tamping down his frustration and confusion before he angled in next to Dash.

"What the heck was that?" he said as he started down the driveway.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dash glance at him. He was still and silent for a beat before he shifted, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pill bottle. "What was what?"

All of it. Raleigh stopped at the end of the driveway to look at him. Dash steadfastly avoided his gaze, his entire focus on tapping a number of pills out into his palm.

Baby steps. He still barely knew Dash, and there could be myriad reasons for his sudden caginess. Up to and including Kennedy and Monica's abrupt appearance genuinely making him nervous.

Raleigh pulled out onto the street. "Your story about the assignment for the Church. Where on earth did that come from?"

Dash threw the handful of pills into his mouth and helped himself to the bottle of water Raleigh kept in the cup holder. "Know your enemy."

"Know your- Dash, that was way more than just stuff you might've picked up that you thought could help someday. The Nielsens are a huge family, and I know there's at least one Archbishop among them. You didn't just pull that out of thin air."

Dash shrugged. He was facing away from Raleigh, staring out the window. "Or maybe your cult's whole hierarchy just isn't as unique or hard to figure out as you think it is."

Raleigh bristled at the word cult, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek to stop himself snapping. If he didn't want to talk about it, fine, but Raleigh wasn't going to be baited into starting an argument.

They were quiet for a few blocks.

"So, uh," Raleigh said, when the silence got too much for him, "What about Monica? I thought you'd jump at the chance to... you know, enjoy yourself."

Dash chuckled, a low, confidential sound that made Raleigh's fingers tighten involuntarily around the steering wheel. "She's not my type."

Raleigh glanced at him incredulously. "The totally hot chick who is clearly into you isn't your type? What, you mean you're one of those guys who only goes for blondes or something?"

Dash finally looked at him, and behind his bewilderment Raleigh was relieved to see the corner of his mouth quirking up. "Not exactly."

"Okay..." Raleigh frowned, trying to parse his meaning. "So what is it? Is she too tall? Too skinny?"

"It has nothing to do with body type." Dash was really amused now, laughing at some joke Raleigh wasn't in on.

"So what does it have to do with?" Raleigh eased the car to the curb in front of Dash's mansion, turning to look at him properly. His grin was infuriatingly wide.

"Like I said." Dash put his hand on the door handle. "Not my type. Thanks for the ride." He pushed the door open and climbed quickly out of the car.

Raleigh wound his window down. "Hey!"

Dash turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're really not gonna tell me? You're just gonna, what, disappear and make me guess?"

"Damn straight, Pretty Boy." Dash winked at him and disappeared into the house.

Raleigh stared after him in utter bemusement for far too long, before he finally put the car back in gear and headed to the College.

[aquawolfgirl]

I have been sick and had sometime on my hands so I am on my I I I i I am in my second re-read of the week in anticipation of the new blessed update that you said will be coming our way soon. First of the week took me 2 days. Grand total of 5 times read through Haaa... so I clearly don't enjoy it at all. aka I am in love with your story& the characters. So happy I gave you an idea!!! Eeeeek I will be on the look for it it in future chapters. They are so cute & I cannot wait to see what happens xo

Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry you’re sick, darling! How long have you been sick??? (And how long do you think you’re still going to be sick - maybe I can get the next chapter up as a sick … curing … cure … thing. I can’t words tonight.)

I love that everyone tells me how long it took to read SWAR and on average it takes 2-3 days. I just love that I know that. “How long is your fanfiction?” “About 2-3 days worth of reading.” 

Thank you so much for your support and for your awesome messages, darling! They make me so happy! (And I love that you love the characters - I feel they are my weakness so thank you for reassuring me!)