#there is no reason why you should be kissing a leopard on the forehead and having it lay on top of you

[istumpysk]

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ADWD: The Merchant's Son (Quentyn I) [Chapter 6]

Adventure stank.

You have no idea.

+.+.+

"If the captain smells anything like his ship, he may mistake your vomit for perfume," Gerris replied.

That's an amusing new take on foul things smelling sweet.

+.+.+

Quentyn was about to suggest that they try another ship when the master finally made his appearance, with two vile-looking crewmen at his side. Gerris greeted him with a smile. Though he did not speak the Volantene tongue as well as Quentyn, their ruse required that he speak for them. Back in the Planky Town Quentyn had played the wineseller, but the mummery had chafed at him, so when the Dornishmen changed ships at Lys they had changed roles as well. Aboard the Meadowlark, Cletus Yronwood became the merchant, Quentyn the servant; in Volantis, with Cletus slain, Gerris had assumed the master's role.

[...]

Quentyn cut a poor figure by comparison—short-legged and stocky, thickly built, with hair the brown of new-turned earth. His forehead was too high, his jaw too square, his nose too broad. A good honest face, a girl had called it once, but you should smile more.

Everyone meet Quentyn Martell.

He has low self-esteem.

+.+.+

Smiles had never come easily for Quentyn Martell, any more than they did for his lord father.

Imagine someone as cautious as Doran Mortell, with tons of self-doubt mixed in.

I understand they don't know Daenerys's nature, and I understand Doran hasn't spent much time with his son. Regardless of those things, Quentyn is so ill-suited and unprepared for this task, I can't believe it's the plan.

+.+.+

"How swift is your Adventure?" Gerris said, in a halting approximation of High Valyrian.

This is the perfect ship for Arya.

+.+.+

Tell me, my Westerosi friend, what is there in Meereen that you should want to go there?"

The most beautiful woman in the world, thought Quentyn. My bride-to-be, if the gods are good. Sometimes at night he lay awake imagining her face and form, and wondering why such a woman would ever want to marry him, of all the princes in the world. I am Dorne, he told himself. She will want Dorne.

Poor little thing.

+.+.+

Yet twenty days had passed, and here they remained, still shipless. The captains of the Melantine, the Triarch's Daughter, and the Mermaid's Kiss had all refused them. A mate on the Bold Voyager had laughed in their faces. The master of the Dolphin berated them for wasting his time, and the owner of the Seventh Son accused them of being pirates. All on the first day.

Only the captain of the Fawn had given them reasons for his refusal. "It is true that I am sailing east," he told them, over watered wine. "South around Valyria and thence into the sunrise. We will take on water and provisions at New Ghis, then bend all oars toward Qarth and the Jade Gates. Every voyage has perils, long ones more than most. Why should I seek out more danger by turning into Slaver's Bay? The Fawn is my livelihood. I will not risk her to take three mad Dornishmen into the middle of a war."

How do you send your son into a war zone with five companions, some gold, and virtually no other support or resources?

+.+.+

Quentyn had begun to think that they might have done better to buy their own ship in the Planky Town. That would have drawn unwanted attention, however. The Spider had informers everywhere, even in the halls of Sunspear.

What should I do with this information?

Love how this omnipresent Spider and his wealthy Essosi partner have no idea Daenerys has taken up residence in Meereen. You're only as powerful as the author needs you to be.

+.+.+

The cart lurched along behind her, the driver hooting at sailors and slaves alike to clear the way. It was easy enough to tell one from the other. The slaves were all tattooed: a mask of blue feathers, a lightning bolt that ran from jaw to brow, a coin upon the cheek, a leopard's spots, a skull, a jug.

Close your eyes and try to think of which character would be most deserving of this type of tattoo/branding.

You may just get your wish.

+.+.+

Maester Kedry said there were five slaves for every free man in Volantis though he had not lived long enough to verify his estimate. He had perished on the morning the corsairs swarmed aboard the Meadowlark.

Quentyn lost two other friends that same day—Willam Wells with his freckles and his crooked teeth, fearless with a lance, and Cletus Yronwood, handsome despite his lazy eye, always randy, always laughing. Cletus had been Quentyn's dearest friend for half his life, a brother in all but blood. "Give your bride a kiss for me," Cletus had whispered to him, just before he died.

Fantastic, they've already lost the heir to a major house. Five companions? Make that two.

Go home, Quentyn.

+.+.+

"One of you should say some words for your dead, before we give them to the sea," the captain said. Gerris had obliged, lying with every other word, since he dare not tell the truth of who they'd been or why they'd come.

It was not supposed to end like that for them. "This will be a tale to tell our grandchildren," Cletus had declared the day they set out from his father's castle. Will made a face at that, and said, "A tale to tell tavern wenches, you mean, in hopes they'll lift their skirts." Cletus had slapped him on the back. "For grandchildren, you need children. For children, you need to lift some skirts." Later, in the Planky Town, the Dornishmen had toasted Quentyn's future bride, made ribald japes about his wedding night to come, and talked about the things they'd see, the deeds they'd do, the glory they would win. All they won was a sailcloth sack filled with ballast stones.

If I existed in this story, and someone started talking like this around me, I would cover my ears and run.

+.+.+

As much as he mourned Will and Cletus, it was the maester's loss that Quentyn felt most keenly. Kedry had been fluent in the tongues of all of the Free Cities, and even the mongrel Ghiscari that men spoke along the shores of Slaver's Bay. "Maester Kedry will accompany you," his father said the night they parted. "Heed his counsel. He has devoted half his life to the study of the Nine Free Cities." Quentyn wondered if things might not have gone a deal easier if only he were here to guide them.

Go home, Quentyn.

+.+.+

"New Ghis is an island, and a much smaller port than this. We would be closer, yes, but we could find ourselves stranded. And New Ghis has allied with the Yunkai'i." That news had not come as a surprise to Quentyn. New Ghis and Yunkai were both Ghiscari cities. "If Volantis should ally with them as well—"

Guess what happens!

+.+.+

"Do we have enough gold to buy a ship?"

"And who will sail her? You? Me?" Dornishmen had never been seafarers, not since Nymeria burned her ten thousand ships. "The seas around Valyria are perilous, and thick with corsairs."

Look who's back, and doing familiar things.

+.+.+

"The demon road is dangerous, and too slow," Quentyn said. "Tywin Lannister will send his own men after the queen once word of her reaches King's Landing." His father had been certain of that. "His will come with knives. If they reach her first—"

"Let's hope her dragons will sniff them out and eat them," said Gerris.

+.+.+

"Well, if we cannot find a ship, and you will not let us ride, we had as well book passage back to Dorne."

Crawl back to Sunspear defeated, with my tail between my legs? His father's disappointment would be more than Quentyn could bear, and the scorn of the Sand Snakes would be withering. Doran Martell had put the fate of Dorne into his hands, he could not fail him, not whilst life remained.

Doran Martell putting the fate of Dorne into your hands is him failing you.

+.+.+

Truth be told, girls made Quentyn anxious, especially the pretty ones.

When first he'd come to Yronwood, he had been smitten with Ynys, the eldest of Lord Yronwood's daughters. Though he never said a word about his feelings, he nursed his dreams for years … until the day she was dispatched to wed Ser Ryon Allyrion, the heir to Godsgrace. The last time he had seen her, she'd had one boy at her breast and another clinging to her skirts.

Lmao.

+.+.+

More recently, the youngest of Lord Yronwood's daughters had taken to following him about the castle. Gwyneth was but twelve, a small, scrawny girl whose dark eyes and brown hair set her apart in that house of blue-eyed blondes. She was clever, though, as quick with words as with her hands, and fond of telling Quentyn that he had to wait for her to flower, so she could marry him.

There's even an Arya!

+.+.+

That was before Prince Doran had summoned him to the Water Gardens. And now the most beautiful woman in the world was waiting in Meereen, and he meant to do his duty and claim her for his bride. She will not refuse me. She will honor the agreement. Daenerys Targaryen would need Dorne to win the Seven Kingdoms, and that meant that she would need him. It does not mean that she will love me, though. She may not even like me.

Maybe there is a Sansa chapter in this book.

+.+.+

The street curved where the river met the sea, and there along the bend a number of animal sellers were clustered together, offering jeweled lizards, giant banded snakes, and agile little monkeys with striped tails and clever pink hands. "Perhaps your silver queen would like a monkey," said Gerris.

If that's a monkey demon joke, I'm going to die of laughter.

+.+.+

Quentyn had no idea what Daenerys Targaryen might like. He had promised his father that he would bring her back to Dorne, but more and more he wondered if he was equal to the task.

I never asked for this, he thought.

Go home, Quentyn.

+.+.+

Across the wide blue expanse of the Rhoyne, he could see the Black Wall that had been raised by the Valyrians when Volantis was no more than an outpost of their empire: a great oval of fused stone two hundred feet high and so thick that six four-horse chariots could race around its top abreast, as they did each year to celebrate the founding of the city. Outlanders, foreigners, and freedmen were not allowed inside the Black Wall save at the invitation of those who dwelt within, scions of the Old Blood who could trace their ancestry back to Valyria itself.

That has to be some sort of historical real-world reference.

+.+.+

"The triarchs are neither kings nor princes. Volantis is a freehold, like Valyria of old. All freeborn landholders share the rule. Even women are allowed to vote, provided they own land. The three triarchs are chosen from amongst those noble families who can prove unbroken descent from old Valyria, to serve until the first day of the new year. And you would know all this if you had troubled to read the book that Maester Kedry gave you."

Lots of Valyria nonsense happening here, but there might also be a few Great Council hints.

+.+.+

In the center of the square, under the cracked and headless statue of a dead triarch, a crowd had begun to gather about some dwarfs putting on a show. The little men were done up in wooden armor, miniature knights preparing for a joust. Quentyn saw one mount a dog, as the other hopped onto a pig … only to slide right off again, to a smattering of laughter.

Hey Penny.

+.+.+

I am eight-and-ten, six years younger than you, Quentyn thought. I am no old man. Instead he said, "I have no need for comic dwarfs. Unless they have a ship."

Is anyone else having Daenerys ACOK flashbacks? A whole chapter of worldbuilding, and finding a ship.

+.+.+

Windblown, Quentyn knew. The serjeants were looking for fresh meat to fill their ranks before they sailed for Slaver's Bay. And every man who signs with them is another sword for Yunkai, another blade meant to drink the blood of my bride-to-be.

Do you ever get the feeling Daenerys will be stabbed?

+.+.+

"Westerosi?" the man answered, in the Common Tongue.

"Dornishmen. My master is a wineseller."

"Master? Fuck that. Are you a slave? Come with us and be your own master. Do you want to die abed? We'll teach you sword and spear. You'll ride to battle with the Tattered Prince and come home richer than a lord. Boys, girls, gold, whatever you want, if you're man enough to take it. We're the Windblown, and we fuck the goddess slaughter up her arse."

A serjeant from a mercenary company that's fighting against Daenerys for the city of Yunkai just said that.

Both sides thinking they represent freedom. . . the jokes write themselves.

+.+.+

"Do you have a better way?" Quentyn asked him.

"I do. It's just now come to me. It has its risks, and it is not what you would call honorable, I grant you … but it will get you to your queen quicker than the demon road."

"Tell me," said Quentyn Martell.

Spoiler alert, they're joining the mercenary company, and planning on defecting.

I wonder if another Dornish heir will ever side with a mercenary company against Daenerys.

Final thoughts:

I feel kind of stupid for never questioning how easy it was for Daenerys to get to Dragonstone.

To get to Dragonstone, her fleet has to sail close to Yunkai, Astapor, Valyria, Volantis, Lys, Sunspear, the Stepstones, Tyrosh, and Estermont.

Surely there will be a few problems? Where will they replenish?

-> return to menu <-

[spiderweb-bf]

I'm sorry I know I talked about this on here not that long ago but what makes my blood boil like nothing else is videos of people obviously not handling wild animals in a safe way and then posting it online

[punkgrogg]

Doorway Duo pt.4

Pairing: Hybrid!Taehyung x Reader, Hybrid!Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Hybrid!BTS, Non idol AU, fluff

Warnings: Pregnancy

Summary: Y/n was abandoned by her long time boyfriend and moves back home to help prepare for the baby. She’s surprised to find two unfamiliar hybrids at her house.

Length: 2,884

Notes: Okay I got a new laptop :) and I started a new job so I've been a bit busy but I should have a new chapter out sometime next week

Date Posted: 9/13/2021

“Come on, we don’t have all night. Let’s talk this out, communication is key.” That only caused them to meander their way in, softly shutting the door behind them with an audible click in this silence. Jungkook settled in at the foot of my bed but Taehyung stood next to him, his form rigid. The room had a tense air about it, the two refusing to speak. “Okay, fine, You don’t want to start then I will. Taehyung, how long have you been scenting me without me knowing ?”

“We both have,” Jungkook interjected. His face was resigned into one that expected only the worst outcome.

Well, that didn’t answer my question. “How long?”

“The second week after I met you. I’ve been scenting you since then, Jungkook has only scented you since we ran into that asshole at the grocery store.” Tae spoke up finally but kept his eyes trained on the floor. 

That did make sense but I was confused why Hobi never noticed.“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought you knew since Hoseok scents you constantly so after a few days I joined in and started to scent you too. I didn’t know you were oblivious until about a month ago when Hoseok noticed I was on you and you laughed him off. I realized I should probably talk to you about it since you’re dense when it comes to hybrids. But I didn't stop, I kept the pheromones low so I could keep you claimed in between then and now.”His body language was stiff, his eyes trained on the hardwood floors while he clenched his hands at his sides. He looked both defiant and scared, a combination that I would never have expected from the snow leopard.

The possessiveness that permeated the word ‘claimed’ ruffled a few of my feathers and I couldn’t help exclaiming: “You claimed me? What the fuck Tae?”

Taehyung finally looked up, his eyes much softer than I expected, he reached out for me and gently held my hand. “No, it's not what you think. It helps me know you’re okay. I knew something was wrong earlier because the pheromones soured all of a sudden so I ran down to you. Jungkook can attest! With both of our scents entwined with yours, it's easy to know when you’re not okay.”

“It’s why I noticed your pheromones changed with the babies.” Jungkook chimed in once again, he was letting Taehung do all the talking, typical Kookie.

I pulled my hands away to rub my forehead, frustrated a bit at how it just wasn’t clicking for me. A lot of useful information that means jack-shit to me when beating around the bush. “But what does this all mean? You mentioned pack earlier, what does that mean?”

“Well, a pack is a group of individuals who care for each other. It was more common among our grandparents but hybrids our age are bringing the idea back since the laws are changing for us to have more freedoms. By the time the babies are born, I think we’ll be fully independent and we were going to wait until then to tell you about our pack.” Jungkook explained, his hands knotting together under the stress of explaining it to me. I appreciated that he was trying and I knew somehow he was only speaking because of how stressed I looked.

I nodded, that could make sense. “So, we’re all in a pack? Then why did Hobi look so angry when you said that?”

“No, just You, Kook, and I. We are a pack, we claimed you together.” Taehyung finally sat down on the bed with us, his body coiling on the edge as if he was prepared to run at any second.

“Claiming you means we love you Y/n. We want every other hybrid to know that you are loved by us both- so we scent you. It took me a while to do it too but it’s this burning itch under my skin that won't go away until I can smell myself on you. Like Tae said before, when we scent you it helps us keep track of your pheromones so we’re more attuned to if something happens to you.” Jungkook stared deeply into my eyes, his sincere expression willed me to finally understand what they were saying.

Only one thing caught my attention. “It hurts you when you don’t scent me?”

“It drives me crazy, I hate when you don’t smell like me, it’s all I can think about,” Tae explained, his face contrite as he once again reached for my wrist. I let him this time and he lightly rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. Something he’s done a million times but this felt different.

I swallowed hard at the other major point in Kook’s explanation. “And you think you love me?”

Tae scoffed at that. “We don’t think, We know. You don’t have to love us back but you should at least know how we feel before you send us off.”

“Who said you’re being sent off? So what I reek of you two? It’s not hurting me but we’ll have to set some boundaries if you guys are going to keep doing this.” Both men perked up at that, both coming in closer as if we were huddling on my queen-sized mattress. The change in their moods was soothing to the tension that has bubbled up in my chest. ”First of all, we’ll have to talk about this loving me thing. Then we’ll have to figure out what's going to happen when the shelter is fixed because I'm not too sure when the government is going to get its shit together. Then  we’ll have to discuss this whole pack thing a little more- why can’t hobi be a part of it?”

“Whatever you want. We’ll do whatever, but can I scent you now? Since you know, I can do it now  right?” I’ve never seen Taehyung so excited, his eyes animated like he was a kid at Christmas. He leaned forward while bracing himself lightly against my shoulders while I nodded apprehensively. “I can do it fully right? No light scents?

At my second nod, Jungkook appeared to my left as he too broached my bubble. “Dammit Tae, you’re stinking up the whole room.”

Jungkook took to rubbing his head and neck against my own while Taehyung was butting me with his head seemingly everywhere- my shoulder, forehead, and a hand held my own close to his chest. Tae dragged his forehead from the right side of my neck down my shoulder and arm to my inner wrist. Once there he delicately kissed my pulse point. Jungkook had my right side occupied, pinning me into place, his shoulders crowding most of my frame. Our necks were pressed firmly together as he started to run his lips along the skin behind my ear before firmly pressing a kiss there.

The feeling of Jungkook kissing behind my ear made me shiver at the sudden affection. Taehyung groaned. “She smells so good now, smell her Kookie, she smells like us both. Like she’s finally part of our pack.”

Jungkook merely grunted in response as he pressed his face into my shoulder while taking in a deep breath. Tae reversed his process and traced his way back up to my neck where he decided to rest his head against my clavicle. I took a steadying breath to calm the tingles erupting across my body.

“Okay, that’s what you guys have been holding back? I’m alright with this happening more regularly, but not in front of others since Joonie looked so offended and  I assume it’s a more private thing.” They finally pulled away after what seemed like forever and I could feel the raging blush covering both my cheeks as I tried to calm down at the intimacy. “ Now, onto the love part.”

“I don’t have much else to say, it’s a simple fact for me.” Jungkook shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He stayed glued to my right side and pulled my arm into his embrace as he played with my fingers idly.

“It’s been three months, you barely know me.” playing with my hand was distracting and there was barely any strength in my argument. It was nice to feel loved but I felt somewhat guilty over this- they deserved much more than I could give them.

“You were meant for us both but if you want us to wait then I’ll hold off on saying it until you’re ready to hear it.” Taehyung raised on his knees and kissed my forehead gingerly.

“You guys can’t be serious.” I shook my head at them both but a quick look at them both showed they had earnest expressions. “Guys what about the shel-”

“Adopt us, as tough as it is right now they’ll allow it especially because you’re living with certified fosters. Then we can’t be separated.” Taehyung spoke matter-of-factly, he reached out and traced lazy patterns on my knee while I stared at him in disbelief.

“I’m not going to adopt you if you guys want to be with me, it’d be a weird dynamic if we went to the doctors and I’d have to sign as your owner .” The thought of them being my property made an acrid taste form in the back of my throat.

“But that’s exactly why you should, we know you’d never see us as lesser and we’ll take good care of not only you but the babies as well.” Jungkook reasoned as he rubbed his cheek against the palm of my hand that he stole.

Another wave of guilty unease at this evolving relationship hit. I was okay with the affection and care that they’ve been supplying but was I okay with the relationship? Those cuddle sessions and tender moments that we’ve had so far now felt much more real and intimate than before. How had I convinced myself that it was platonic? “That’s another reason you guys should reconsider this whole ordeal, it’d be easier for me than you two. Do you want to commit to babies that aren’t even yours.”

A low growl sounded from Kookie’s chest- something I had never heard before. He usually kept his more animalistic traits under a tight leash. He sat up abruptly and reached for my face to make sure my eyes were trained on him while he spoke with a soft gruffness. “They are ours, don’t you even think about saying that again. We are the ones who’ve been supporting you throughout this pregnancy- not that asshole from the store. We tell them stories at night and bring you the food you’re craving. Hell, I rub your feet because of the swelling every time your feet are near me, and Taehyung rubs out the knots in your back when you’ve stood too long. We’ve been here for you the whole time and I know I love them as my babies. I am their dad, more than he would ever be.”

“I guess if you’re dad then I’ll be papa. It has a nice ring to it.” Tae butted in with a smile as Jungkook released me. His smile was so warm it ebbed away any lingering dregs of guilt.

“You guys can’t be serious,” I repeated once again but they were unaffected by whatever I had thrown at them. They were serious.

“Y/n, I’ve been planning this out since I’ve met you, it was love at first sight.” Tae took to holding my face this time, his hands were warm as he stroked my cheek lightly. The love was tangible in how he stared down at me, something I couldn’t ignore any longer.

“Okay, I get it, but what does this mean for us now?” I could hear the fearful hesitation in my voice.

“Nothing has to change sweetheart. We can act just how we always have and the only difference is that you know we love you.” Jungkook nodded along to the ashy-haired man’s assurances.

“Would you be happy with that though? To pretend that nothing has changed even though something has.” My heated tone kept them silent as I collected my thoughts. “Since you’ve claimed me- does that mean you see me as your girlfriend?”

“Well, to be honest, it’s a bit more than that. Girlfriend is a bit fleeting. It's more like you are ours and we are yours- for forever ideally but we don’t want to force that onto you.” Taehyung smiled bashfully as he stuttered through the clarification.

“If it’s more than a girlfriend- do you mean you see me as your wife?” Wow, with just a question I think I broke Taehyung. While he looked like he was blue-screening, Jungkook tried to hide a chuckle.

“For the sake of Taehyung’s face let’s just leave it as girlfriend for now. We can expand on that more later.” Jungkook explained, his smile evident through his words.

“So I'm a girlfriend to both of you and you guys are my boyfriends?” they nodded eagerly at my questioning tone. “Are you also each other’s boyfriends?”

“Uh, while Jungkook is gorgeous, that’s a no. we’re each other's packmates and there is a certain level of love and trust that goes into it but in the end, it's just enough for us to trust each other with you. If that makes sense?” Taehyung trailed off, his face twisted into one of confusion at the word vomit he just spewed.

“I think what Taehyung is trying to say is that we aren’t dating each other. Not that it is impossible for packmates to also get romantically involved with each other - we just haven’t.  we’d prefer to share your love and protect each other.” Jungkook tried to salvage the half-baked clarification.

“I am not protecting you Kookie, you are the one with a police background- you’re supposed to protect me while I protect her.” Taehyung suddenly pointed out.

“First of all, how rude. You’re my Packmate, you’re supposed to protect me too asshole.`` Jungkook playfully glared and by the twitching around his chin, I could tell he was fighting back a smile.

“I can’t protect someone who doesn’t need protecting. You are a one-man army, especially when it comes to the pack.”

Jungkook smiled at that and retorted with a: “You tried to fight Hoseok when he tried to separate our rooms at the shelter.”

“He was putting you with that bitch that growled at you when you first joined the group. How else was I supposed to react?” Taehyung had a beautiful blush rush across his face. He was so affectionate usually; so why was he arguing that he wouldn’t protect him?

“He was moving me because you complained about sharing a room with me for two weeks straight.'' Jungkook's exasperation was tangible; maybe they have this argument often?

“You get up before the sun to work out. How else was I supposed to get my beauty rest?” Tae’s argument was a paper-thin excuse. He was absolutely glowing red with his growing blush.

“Admit it in the end, you protect me just as much as I protect you.” Jungkook smiled at him with no mirth, he was done teasing him about it I guess.

That didn’t stop the flat-out refusal of: “I do not.”

“Y/n, wouldn’t you say Taehyung is just as protective of me as I am of him?” asked as he kissed the back of my hand, drawing all my attention to him.

“Tae, honey, you make his plate every night at dinner.” I sheepishly pointed out, a little unsure of how I'd place in this so-called argument. It was more flirting than anything if I was being asked but I guess I'm not the best person to ask since I did not comprehend them coming onto me in the first place.

Pseudo-shock flashed across his face at my statement.“That's because this idiot will only eat carbs and meat if we let him! I make your plate too.”

“That’s only proving my point. You are protective over your packmates.” Jungkook pushed at his shoulder playfully. A way they only ever acted when it was just us three, damn, maybe I should have noticed it sooner. There were definite lines drawn early on when it came to how our dynamic worked and they often showed me sides of themselves that my parents or brothers had never seen.

“That’s it, I'm going downstairs and giving myself over to Namjoon. His torture would be a mercy compared to this.” The drama queen stalked his way to my door and opened it with a flourish while Kookie and I both giggled.

“Tae are you not going to tell the baby a bedtime story?” My question stopped him in his tracks. He froze for just a second before gently swinging the door shut and marching his way back over to the bed with a smile that eclipsed the rest of his face.

“Babies. And of course, I am, tonight we’ll tell them the story of Hansel and Gretel.” He climbed back onto the bed and sprawled across the bottom of the bed and my extended legs. He settled in with his head resting slightly on my left hip before starting on his fairytale. Jungkook was curled up on my right side, still holding my hand captive, and he traced swirls across my forearm with a content smile. There was a warmth in my chest that I had been ignoring for a while, a warmth they only seemed to bring out and I realized I would be devastated if this warmth was to ever disappear.

Sorry, I forgot about my taglist last chapter! here's it as of right now and if you want to be added or taken off let me know!

@jelly-fishy-babie @nomimits7 @littlewolfieposts @fangirl125reader @xeirisarax @ghostkat23 @gayitachiuchiha @forever1313 @nellaphine @kooky-mysterious @rainbow-realm @xanny91 @demonslover @inumorph @uraveragefangirlsposts@alex--awesome--22 @akacamiworld @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh

[daydream-hobii]

Hybrid Heart Attack | Chapter 19

Genre: Poly!AU; Hybrid!AU; Fluff; Angst

Pairing: BTS x Female!Reader; Human!Seokjin x Human!Reader; Eventual relationship with Snow Leopard!Yoongi, Red Panda!Hoseok, Koala!Namjoon, Calico Cat!Jimin, Husky!Taehyung, Doberman!Jungkook

Summary: Y/n finds her current fiance during college, his name is Seokjin. They fell in love and dated for three years before he proposed. Now, Seokjin is a lawyer for hybrids, and Y/n, well, she has the perfect stay at home job. When Seokjin invites her to move in, she wasn’t expecting that he has six hybrids. She doesn’t know why a hybrid lawyer wouldn’t have hybrids, she just didn’t think about it…. Y/n is petrified of hybrids, something happened to her when she was little…. Guess she’ll have to adapt… or leave.

Warning: Mentions of Animal Attacks, Abuse (Physical & Mental), Depression, Anxiety; Possible PTSD mentions; Suggestions of Smut; Read with caution. <3

Word Count: 879

// Previous // Next //

Author’s Note: Welcome to Chapter 19! Only one more chapter after this, then the series is finished!!! I’ll add links later! I hope you all enjoy it!! ^_^

       When I opened my eyes, Jimin was sitting on my stomach and smiling big. I was lying on my back in bed from a nap, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the boy on top of me. He smiled bigger, leaning over and pecking my forehead.

       “It’s park day!” He shouted, hopping off of me and running out the door, making me laugh.

       It’d been approximately a year since the attack, and Seokjin and I restarting our relationship. This go was even better than the first, if you ask me. We were so much more caring and patient with one another, and so much more loving. We had days for everything, Sunday’s being the days for a date with just us, all the others with the other boys.

       It was interesting to see where my relationship lies with all of them. I’m closest with Hoseok and Yoongi, Namjoon and Taehyung coming close, but if I had to choose anyone to join me at the grocery store, or come cuddle, it’d be Jungkook and Jimin. We all had such a loving relationship together, it's odd to think about what my life was before them.

       I stood up, walking to my closest to get dressed. Today was the day we went to the park - to play, to have a picnic, to chat, to meet others. I wanted to take a small nap before leaving, which the boys agreed to. Now, I knew Jimin and Taehyung would be anxious to leave, so I tried to make it quick.

       I walked downstairs, seeing the hybrids in the living room watching television. I walked to the kitchen to see Seokjin making some sandwiches, back turned to me. I walked over, hugging him around his waist and resting my forehead on his back.

       “Welcome, sleepyhead,” Seokjin said. I knew he was smiling.

       “Has Jimin bugged you the entire time?” I asked, kissing his back before letting go to lean on the island. He turned around, chuckling.

       “Yeah, but I’m used to it by now,” He replied. “Besides, it’s cute to watch him beg to wake you up.”

       “Well, I’m grateful you let me sleep,” I said with a smirk. “Ready for our park day?”

       “Yes!” The boys shouted from the living room, making us laugh.

       “Well, I guess we should leave,” I said, grabbing the basket filled with food and walking out to our car.

         At the park, I threw around a frisbee with Namjoon and Hoseok, Jimin and Jungkook playing not too far from us. Seokjin sat on the picnic blanket, Yoongi laying his head in his lap, sleeping no doubt. Taehyung was in the middle of the three of us, trying desperately to catch the frisbee.

       “I’m sorry, boys, I need a minute,” I said, walking over to the blanket and laying down, looking at the sky. 

       “Yoongi, come help us!” Hoseok shouted. Yoongi groaned, standing and walking over to the other boys. 

       “Hi, honey,” Seokjin said. I shifted so my head was on his lap. “How are you?”

       “Breathless,” I replied with a smile. “How about yourself?”

       “I am too, but not for the same reason,” He replied, pushing the hair out of my face. I rolled my eyes, chuckling.

       “You’re such a cheesecake,” I said. “You’re cute.” He leaned down, kissing my lips softly before pulling away.

       “You know, I think I have a question to ask you,” He said, making me sit up and squint my eyes.

       “Yeah?” I asked in concern.

       “Yeah, nothing bad,” Seokjin replied with a chuckle.

       I heard Jimin shout, making my head twist. He was laughing at the sprinkles with Jungkook, running around it. I sighed in relief, turning back to Seokjin only for my smile to drop. He was holding a box with a ring in it. It wasn’t like the first one, no, it was grander. Bigger. More beautiful than I could’ve imagined.

       “I know it’s different,” Seokjin whispered. “When we first got engaged, we were in college…. I barely had enough to pay for my home. Now, I have more money than I could dream, and wanted you to have something as beautiful as you.”

       “Oh my god,” I whispered. 

       “It’s been a year since my horrible mistake…. I’m so lucky you gave me another chance, but I think it’s time…. Y/n… will you marry me… again?” He whispered. 

       The nerves showed on his face, my own mouth dropped open in shock, looking between him and the rock on the ring. I thought about everything we’ve been through, all the years we’ve known each other. 

       “Yes,” I whispered, looking at him. He seemed stunned, and we just stared at each other for a couple minutes. “Yes!”

       Seokjin hugged me tight, and I felt tears pricking my eyes. I hugged him tight, hiding my mouth in his shoulder. I heard the other boys run over, cheering and making us pull apart. I laughed, wiping away the tears. I held out my hand, Seokjin putting it on my finger.

       “Can we not wait this time?” Jimin asked, making Seokjin laugh.

       “Not at all,” Seokjin replied, kissing my lips. The other boys knelt down, hugging around the two of us, just as excited as we were. Seokjin and I were once again engaged.

[hansols-yoda-boxers]

Kitten Ears - Part 1

Joshua x Cat Hybrid Female!Reader

Word Count: 2935

Contents: hybrid au, reader in heat, lots of awkwardness, sensitive ears, clit stimulation

Tag List: @skjdln, @funinfundamental, @kwanismsworld, @taikalinna, @svt-mangos, @strawberry-artini, @lovesickmark, @cliffordmonarchy, @skylions-den, @karenbcy, @jisooderulo, @sleepy-star-boy, @brokenheartloving, @sno-leopards, @livorna

Note: From here on out the series is smut (except for the epilogue). Thank you all for support and love so far. Also please message me if you change your url so I can update it for the tag list.

Your nose always twitched when you were waking up. You took in the way Wonwoo smelled, his breathing was still deep and even so he was probably sleeping. He smelled so much stronger but all you wanted to do was get closer.

You shifted closer under the covers. You wanted to press your face into his neck and take in his intoxicating scent. The way the sheets felt shifting over your skin made your breath hitch. Your skin was sensitive and the sheets felt cool and comforting. You let out a small whimper at the feeling as you glanced at Wonwoo, your gaze drifting to his hands. Your mind started to wander to thoughts of him playing with your hair and trailing along your skin.

Your drowsy brain caught up a few seconds later and you let out a yelp as you pushed yourself back so hard you fell off the bed. Wonwoo stirred and mumbled something but you were barely paying attention. You rushed out of the room as he slowly sat up. You passed Mingyu in the kitchen but ran past before he could ask you anything, zipping through the living room and into your bedroom before locking the door behind you.

You sat panting on the other side of the door and you heard footsteps approach.

“Are you okay?” came Wonwoo’s gruff morning voice.

“Did something happen?” Mingyu added.

“I-I’m fine!” you called back, panicked. “Just not f-feeling well!”

You weren’t sure if you really convinced them but they did leave and you let out a sigh of relief. Of course your heat would start now. In all fairness you knew it had to be soon. They were usually every three months or so, at least for you. And it would explain why you were so whiny and emotional the last few days. You just hoped Mingyu and Wonwoo didn’t figure it out. You might be fine if you could just hide out and tell no one. You knew they said they were willing to help but how would you even ask for that? You knew if you spent too much time with any of them you would be tempted, you’d need relief. Even now you could barely get the day dreams of Wonwoo’s touch out of your head.

This was gonna be a long three weeks.

---

The first day was always the easiest. You knew that and still the first day had been rough. It was difficult staying locked in your room, especially when Joshua came knocking to see if you were okay. You could smell him from under the door and it made you whimper quietly, wanting nothing more than to touch him. You had spent the minute talking to him pressing your thighs together and trying not to whimper as you told him you just wanted to be alone. You snuck out in the middle of the night for food and otherwise stayed in your room.

Yesterday and today hadn’t been any better. Each day your heat got worse. You fever got higher, your sense of smell got stronger, and your skin got more sensitive. Each day Joshua checked on you and it was getting harder and harder to turn him away when he told you if you needed anything, anything at all, he’d help. Your mind was swimming with ideas that would have made your face flush if your skin wasn’t already so hot..

By now you were beyond discomfort and verging on pain. You wanted to cry from how badly you needed something, anything. You had never been very successful on your own and this heat was so much worse than any of the ones previous. You weren’t entirely sure why that was but you were beginning to wonder if you could make it to the end of the three weeks if the whole thing was going to feel like this.

At this point though, you absolutely needed a shower. You were hot and sweaty and as much as you didn't want to leave your room midday you couldn’t wait any longer. You held out until you couldn’t hear or smell anyone close by before slipping into the bathroom. It wasn’t the total relief you needed, but the cool water running over your hot skin helped a little. You felt a little better as you washed away the sweat and put on a t-shirt and thin shorts. It was a little cool for that but you were too warm to care and you knew your body would heat back up sooner or later.

You narrowed your eyes as your nose twitched, your hand halfway to the doorknob.

Joshua was definitely waiting outside.

You let out a hiss and plopped yourself down on the toilet lid, hoping he’d leave. Maybe he thought you were in your room, he hadn’t checked up on you yet today so it could be. You played with your fingers ideally, trying to suppress any thoughts of Joshua’s until he spoke.

“I’m not leaving until you come out.”

You gritted your teeth, ignoring him.

“I know you’re in heat and I’m not letting you suffer.” His voice was stern but still laced with concern. Between his tone and his scent your resolve was cracking far more quickly than you wanted. “I need to check your fever and if you don’t come out I’m coming in there.”

You felt the heat rising in your cheeks. You were starting to feel childish and you knew you should let him get whatever he wanted to do out of the way so you could get back to your room. You slowly opened the door and dropped your head at the look of disapproval on his face, taking in the sight of the bag in his hands and the thermometer held between his fingers.

He called your name and you looked at him, only barely meeting his eyes. He held out a thermometer and you felt your face heating more as you took it and stuck it under your tongue. He pressed the back of his hand to your forehead and sighed.

“You feel really hot,” he frowned. “You’re going to start feeling sick.”

You let out a huff, knowing he was right. You knew you’d feel ill if you ignored it but you were currently being humiliated so really, six of one, half dozen of the other.

The thermometer beeped and he pulled it from your mouth quickly. You barely had the time to react as he read it and scowled, before quickly grabbing your arm and dragging you into your room. You yelped and whimpered as he closed the door and made you sit next to him on the bed. You quickly pulled your knees to your chest and scowled.

“Alright, I already know you don’t want to talk about this or think about it but you’re worrying me. You have a bad fever, worse than they said is normal. You’re hiding in here away from everyone and I’m not even sure if you’re eating. And you’re shaking.” He gave you a very sincere look. “I don’t want to sit out there for three weeks without even offering to help.”

You watched him carefully. At this point it was almost stupid to deny you wanted him. Your brain was clouding with ideas and this was exactly why you wanted them all to stay away from you. Being this close to him was torture. He kept offering to help and that was sounding more tempting by the second as you gripped your legs tightly, but some small part of your brain reminded you that you didn’t think you could ever talk to him again if he saw you like that.

“I… I don’t need…” you trailed off, not sure what to do.

“Look, I know that an orgasm can break the fever,” you swore you noticed a slight pink tint his cheeks as he said that. “And I know you probably didn’t want them to tell me but the shelter did say you don’t have any previous experience-”

You groaned and hid your face. “Did you tell the whole house?”

“I mean… I thought it was important that the-”

“Joshua,” you whined. That small part of your brain was right, this was too embarrassing.

“I know that it might be awkward so I did think ahead and… uh, got you some things…”

You peeked at him. He was now clearly blushing as he opened the bag he’d brought in with him. Your eyes widened as you took in what he’d bought. Three brand new vibrators were now sitting on your bed and you were sure your face had never been hotter..

You still cursed yourself for not being able to tear your eyes away from Joshua’s fingers.

“I mean I figured you p-probably wouldn’t have any b-but that way if you really don’t want help from anyone you can handle it more easily on your own.”

You bit your lip, looking at him slowly. The whole idea was just too overwhelming. You had no clue where to start. Or, you knew in theory but in practice?

Joshua seemed to be watching you hopefully at first, but the longer you looked between the different vibrators, your eyes darting quickly to his hands and then his eyes, he started to piece together the reason for your apprehension.

“You don’t know how to use these, do you?”

“Of course I do!” you said indignantly. “I-In theory. B-But…”

He sighed, deflating a bit. “I… Okay.” You gasped as you felt his fingers on your chin, turning your face up to look at him. “You don’t look good and I know enough about this to know you shouldn’t just let it go. So do you want help?”

“W-What would, I-I mean w-what would t-that-”

“Do you want me to make you cum?”

Your nails were digging into your skin as your mind quickly processed his words. It wasn’t like you didn’t know what he’d been offering all this time but it felt different to have him state it so bluntly. His fingers on your chin felt nearly heavenly and it was just a light touch. His smell was intoxicating and the longer you breathed it in the more you wanted to pull him in and kiss his plush lips. Your need was outweighing any potential embarrassment, and besides, he was offering.

“Please,” you breathed. He moved closer to you and started to lean in. You quickly wrapped your arms around him and pulled him in for a kiss. He let out a small yelp in surprise before relaxing into the kiss. His hands were gentle as they found your sides and helped you lay back against your pillows. You tangled your fingers into his hair and whined, pulling him closer to you, needing him to touch you. You heard him chuckle at you and faltered in your kiss and pulled away a bit.

“Don’t laugh at me,” you whined quietly.

“I’m not. I won’t,” he said with a smile on his lips. “You’re just cute.”

You would have hidden your face but Joshua captured your lips in another kiss as his fingers caressed your face. You leaned into his touch and he hummed sweetly against your lips.

“I learned something when I was doing research before we adopted you,” he said sweetly.

“What did you learn?” you asked as his fingers moved from your face to your hair.

“That your ears will get… very sensitive during your heat.”

You felt your face heating even more as he pulled back from the kiss to look at you. You opened your mouth to say something but instead a moan fell from your lips, a shiver running down your spine as Joshua rubbed the base of your ear. You let your eyes flutter open and began to feel very flustered as Joshua smirked at you.

“Y-Yeah,” you managed shakily as you let your face fall to the side. Joshua’s fingers ran up your ear and scratched at the base and you bit down on your lip, trying to hold in your moans. His lips pressed against your jaw and slowly down your neck, leaving soft kisses before finding a spot to suck on.

You let out small whimpers as he continued to play with your ear, trying not to be too loud. You hadn’t thought about how he would hear your moans; how if someone was in the living room they might hear them too. You gripped at the sheets, your nervous thoughts getting distracted by the feeling of Joshua’s thigh pressing between your legs.

You let out soft pants as he dragged his nails up your ear lightly, rolling your hips against his thigh. You felt your need building more and more with every passing second. The heat pooling in the pit of your stomach had you moaning quietly. You felt like something was tightening as you panted faster, your tail flicking and batting against the bed.

His lips sucked a little more harshly at the base of your neck. He rubbed along the outside of your ear as his thumb trailed gently along the even more sensitive inside. You bucked your hips against his thigh, moaning out more loudly and letting out high pitched whines and mews as the coil inside of you released. You gripped the sheets and pressed your face as far as you could into the pillow as your body trembled and you squeezed Joshua’s thigh between your legs.

He pulled his hand away as you started to whimper and pant and caressed your face gently. You nuzzled against his touch as your eyes fluttered open. He smiled down at you as you tried to organize your thoughts.

“That felt… so good,” you hummed quietly, your gaze heavily lidded as you stared up at him.

“I’m glad,” he said, kissing your forehead before frowning. “But you’re still burning up. How do you feel?”

You bit your lip. You knew it meant your fever hadn’t broken and even though you were feeling better you knew your need was already building slowly again. You were nervous to ask but you knew you needed more.

“I-I think I need more,” you mumbled.

He grinned at you. “I had a feeling.”

He kissed you deeply, slowly swiping his tongue along your bottom lip. You let his tongue past your lips and got lost in the way he kissed you as his hand trailed slowly down your body. You let out a squeal as his fingers pushed past the waistband of your shorts. 

He stopped, pulling back to look at you and you whined at the sight of his glossy, kiss-swollen lips. “Do you want to stop?”

You shook your head and pulled him close again. “Just, go slow please.”

He smiled sweetly. “Of course.”

He kissed you again, letting his fingers rest against the skin of your lower stomach before ever slowly moving them lower. He kissed you deeply and rubbed soothing circles against your skin as he slowly crept between your legs.

You gasped and whimpered against his lips as his fingers pressed against your clit. He started to move his fingers in slow circles and you gripped him tightly, adjusting to the new sensation.

He moved his lips to your jaw. “Does that feel good?” he questioned.

“Mhm,” your answer was barely more than a whine between gasps and small moans. “S-So good.”

“Perfect,” he murmured against your ear before leaving kisses in the hollow below. 

Your fingers gripped his shoulder and hair as he pressed his fingers a little harder and moved them a little faster. You bucked your hips up against his hand as small moans cascaded from your lips. You held him as close as you could, his name mixing with the moans as they climbed higher in your voice.

You gasped and cried out as he moved his fingers faster and your legs shook as you reached your release again. Shocks of pleasure spread through your body. You bucked your hips up and he kept his fingers moving until you were panting and whimpering, twisting your hips away. You pulled him in for a kiss as he pulled his hand from your pants.

He rolled onto his back and gently pulled you closer. You clung to him and nuzzled your face into his neck, whining at his scent.

“Y-You’re, y-you didn’t-”

“Don’t worry about that,” he hummed. “Are you sleepy? Do you want to take a nap?”

“Mhm,” you whined. “But your smell…”

He kissed your forehead. “Will you be okay if I’m gone for a few minutes?” 

You nodded and he rolled out of bed. You grabbed a pillow and held it tight, your legs still shaking a little as you waited for him. You really should have done this sooner. This was so much better than just waiting it out and being uncomfortable and in pain for weeks. You wondered if Joshua would help you again. You assumed he already knew that you would get needy again sooner or later, though you didn’t know how long it would take.

You smiled at him sleepily as he came back into the room and climbed back into bed, now smelling equally as good but not in a way that was getting you worked up. You nuzzled against him and purred as he wrapped his arms around you.

“Thank you for helping me,” you mumbled sleepily.

He kissed the top of your head. “You’re welcome, now get some rest okay?”

You hummed in affirmation as you drifted off to sleep.

[artificialqueens]

Girl I Met On The Internet, 4/? (Crystal x Gigi) - Strawberry

Summary: Gigi and Crystal discuss things in person. Elites Only also gains a new member.

As soon as Crystal realized what was happening, she exited the Twitter app. The girl she had been talking to for months, the girl she had shared so many things with was Georgina Goode, who happened to be best friends with the girl who hated Crystal for no reason, because of course this would happen to Crystal.  

Crystal’s mind was racing, her brain instantly jumping to the worse case scenarios. Did Gigi know she was talking to Crystal this entire time? Was this entire thing just a ploy orchestrated by Dahlia to get dirt on her? Georgina was not gay, but Gigi was. Did Gigi even like her, or was Crystal just an experiment that no one would ever find out about because it was over the internet? She knew none of these theories made sense, she didn’t think Gigi had any idea who she was until now.

Gigi was freaking out. She had messaged Crystal, attempting to explain herself, but she had gotten no reply. Crystal hadn’t even read them. Panicking, she messaged Jan, hoping she would be online.

gigi: jan oh my fuckigng

jan!: WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YALL GFS??

gigi: …no

jan!: and why is that?

gigi: she literally goes to my school she sent me a selfie and i sent one back without saying that we’re irls and she just said what the fuck and now she wont message me back

gigi: i know u don’t like how rude dahlia is so im sorry i have to mention her but she’s literally the girl dahlia picks on for no reason i didn’t even know her name was crystal

jan!: W H A T 

gigi: what do i do

jan!: girl like i know?? this doesn’t usually happen to people.

jan!: when do you usually see crystal

gigi: i see her in the halls sometimes. she told me before that she stays mostly in the art wing tho

jan!: ok. tomorrow  go to the art wing and find her. talk to her. she’s probably not responding bc im sure it’s not a good feeling to find out the girl she’s been flirting with for months is best friends with the girl bullying her

gigi: god i feel so bad about that. i only stopped it once and i feel so bad

jan!: i love you but you’re a fucking idiot, gigi. you really are. go talk to her tomorrow and do better.

-

The next morning arrived faster than Crystal wanted it to. She was dreading going to school, knowing she couldn’t avoid Gigi forever. Thankfully, they did not have any classes together, but crossing paths was inevitable. The thought of seeing Gigi, even from across a crowded hallway, made her want to sob.

Her stomach started hurting because of her anxiety, but convincing her mother to let her stay home didn’t go over well. Crystal had convinced her mother at first, but as soon as she felt Crystal’s forehead to see if Crystal was running a temperature, which she wasn’t, she had insisted that Crystal stop pretending and get ready for school. She even drove Crystal to school instead of having her walk to make sure Crystal didn’t skip.

Crystal walked straight to the bathroom in the art wing. It was smaller, with only two stalls and the cell service was terrible; but it was vacant for the most part. She often stayed there when she wanted to skip class, and the only person she had ever encountered was Aiden, a shy girl from her art class. If Gigi was looking for her, this bathroom would be the last place she would look.

She had spent the morning sketching and listening to One Direction. She was in the zone, barely noticing when the door opened. Crystal didn’t bother looking up when she felt someone’s presence there, assuming that it was Aiden. “Hey, Aiden.”

“Uh,” Gigi started, “Crystal?”

Crystal’s head shot up, her eyes wide as she looked at a very relieved looking Gigi. “Oh, shit. Hey.” 

Gigi walks over to her, kneeling down to be at the same height as Crystal. “I know you’re probably upset with me, but can we talk? Please? I’ve been looking for you all period.”

Crystal nodded, moving her backpack to make a spot for Gigi to sit down. “Sorry I said what the fuck and dipped, I really didn’t know what else to do.”

“I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m going to sound like such a bitch but I didn’t even know your name until last night.” Gigi had never been good with names, only being able to remember her online friends’ names in the beginning because their name was attached to everything they did. Crystal had been known to Gigi as ‘Art Girl’ until last night.

Crystal had to laugh at that. “It’s fine. I don’t think Dahlia knows what my name is either, and I’ve lived in her mind rent free for years!”

“Speaking of her, I’m so sorry I only stopped her once. I didn’t want to get into it but I realize now that ignoring it is just as bad as joining in. Especially seeing the effects it has on you first hand, and now that I know I could’ve helped.”

Last night, Crystal gave Gigi a run down on every single color she had ever dyed her hair, and she had mentioned that she stopped dying her hair once she got into high school because she didn’t want to stick out even more, in fear of getting treated worse. It had made Gigi sad then, and knowing she could’ve changed that made her feel even worse. 

“Yeah, I don’t know how this is going to impact your real life, but no matter what I just hope you will step in next time.” 

Gigi reached over to grab Crystal’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I will never let her hurt you ever again. I care about you so much.”

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“Can I tell you something?” Crystal asked quietly, avoiding Gigi’s glance. 

“Of course. You can tell me anything.”

“I really like you. I know it’s probably weird now, since you’re not out and I’m not positive you feel the same, but I feel like I should tell you.”

Gigi smiled, placing her fingers under Crystal’s chin, lifting them up to make Crystal make eye contact with her. “I’ve been hoping you would say that.”

Crystal blushed at the contact. “Really?”

“Of course! You’re the most interesting person I’ve ever met. I would be such a fool not to like you back.”

The bell rang, interrupting their moment. Gigi pulled away, pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket to check the time. “Fuck. I have a test this period.”

“It’s okay. We can talk about this later,” Crystal reassured her, standing up even though she had no intention to go to her next class, “I can send you my address and we could meet after school?”

Gigi nodded, pulling Crystal into a tight hug. “This is the most emotion I’ve ever shown at once. I thought it was going to be scary but I feel so much better. Thank you for talking to me. If I was you I don’t think I would’ve.”

“I could never not talk to you.”

-

Crystal decided she would stay in the bathroom until lunch. It was mostly out of laziness, as her Gigi related anxiety was long gone. Doing academics was the last thing she felt like doing now. 

She had plenty of entertainment, she had missed a lot on Twitter, and had two thousand new messages from the group chat, even though she was gone for less than a day.

crystal: im skipping class what’s up ladies

jan!: hi crystal!!!

jaida: girl where have you been?? my world has been so empty

nicky: wtf jaida stop acting like i don’t exist

crystal: ehh personal things happened so i was ia. i dyed my hair green last night tho!! look!!

jan!: omg you’re so pretty

jaida: HOT HOT HOT

nicky: crystal. marriage now

heidi: omg girl you look so good!! i love your leprosy print shirt

heidi: leprosy

heidi: girl how do you spell lepord

heidi: leopard

heidi: there we go

nicky: you did it!

jaida: so proud of you

She was relieved they didn’t question her further, but she couldn’t help but be curious about what their reactions would be if they knew what was going on. Talking to the girls again made time go by extremely fast, before Crystal knew it the bell rang, declaring it lunch time.

She hadn’t eaten breakfast due to her anxiety from this morning, and just realized how hungry she was. Collecting her stuff, she exited the bathroom and headed down to the cafeteria. 

When she was in line to pay for a slice of pizza and a bag of pretzels, she had caught the attention of Dahlia, who didn’t hesitate to express how she felt about her new hair. 

“Ew, who in their right mind would dye their hair green?” Dahlia loudly asked Gigi, making sure Crystal was in ear shot. 

Before Crystal could defend herself, Gigi spoke up. “Dahlia, can you please shut the fuck up? No one cares what you think about Crystal’s hair, it looks fine. I can hardly tolerate you being rude anymore.”

“Georgina, what the fuck? I’m not rude!” Dahlia whined, making Crystal smile. She had been slightly surprised that it happened so soon, but she was happy Gigi stepped in.

Crystal paid and made sure to wave at the girls on her way out. Gigi waved back, and Dahlia looked the other way, her arms crossed.

-

crystal: it’s not that i didn’t believe you but i’m shocked that actually happened..

gigi: she’s lowkey mad at me but idc

gigi: i believe you owe me ur address? 

crystal: oh that’s right!

gigi: i have cheer after school but i can come over right after

crystal: yay!!! 

The rest of the day was painfully long. Every minute felt like an hour, Crystal was even bored during her art class. She couldn’t wait to go home and talk to Gigi.

She zoned out while she was walking home, wondering what could happen tonight. Crystal would like to think that Gigi was about to kiss her before they got interrupted, or maybe she was going to ask Crystal to be her girlfriend. Anything could happen, and Crystal couldn’t really tell how she felt about it.

When she got home, she tidied up her room. Her bed was unmade, her dirty clothes were on the floor, and a couple dirty cups littered the top of her night stand. It wasn’t too bad, Crystal would usually consider this clean for her, but it made her feel slightly embarrassed now. She had the urge to fix it, even though Gigi probably wouldn’t have cared too much if Crystal left it the way it was.

After her room was clean, she still had some time to spare before Gigi would be on her way. She headed to the group chat, curious to see what chaos they were up to currently. 

nicky: ADD HER

nicky: ADDD HEEERRRRR

jaida: jan please come back i hate it here

crystal: who are we adding?

nicky: JACKIE

jan!: NO WE WILL NOT BE ADDING HER

nicky: why :(

jan!: i can’t trust you guys to not embarrass me in front of her and she is not a stan!!! she will not understand any of you!

jaida: we don’t have to embarrass you, you’ll do it yourself. we can teach jackie stan language, she’s smart and she’ll catch on

nicky: JAIDAHJKFDGLK

crystal: omg add her

jan!: i hate you all so much

nicky: PLS

jan!: fine.

jan! added Jackie

jan!: jackie, these are my friends. don’t believe anything they say about me.

Jackie: Oh, hello everyone!

nicky: YAAAS JACKIE NATION

nicky: c’mon auto caps!

crystal: hi!  

jaida: hi jackie!

heidi: i leave to play animal crossing for 15 minutes and we get a new member… smh

nicky: not just any new member! it’s jackie!!!!

jaida: the way nicky likes jackie more than jan does

heidi: that’s impossible. jan is SUCH a simp for jackie

Jackie: What? 

crystal: OMFG

Jackie: Does that mean she likes me? I’m confused.

nicky: yes!

Jackie: That’s good. I would assume that Jan likes me, especially after what we did in my car earlier.

crystal: holy fucking shit

jan!: OMFGHFJSKDSFHJDFJK UH

jan!: JACKIE SHUT UP!!!!!!

Jackie: Why?

jaida: god i love it here

gigi: janet you better tell me everything later!!!

jan!: GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!!!!!!!

Crystal was so invested in the train wreck going on, only focusing on the messages sent by Jan and Jackie that she didn’t notice Gigi had come online until she got a notification that Gigi sent her a private message. 

gigi: im on ur street :)

Crystal ran to the door, opening it the second she saw Gigi step onto the porch. Gigi jumped, not expecting it. “Someone’s eager to see me, huh?”

Crystal blushed, letting Gigi in. “Shut up.”

Gigi kicked off her shoes and sat her backpack down next to them before letting Crystal lead her to her room. It was colorful, lots of posters and canvases covering the hot pink walls. “This is very you. I like it!”

“Thank you!” Crystal exclaimed, taking a seat on her bed and patting the space next to her. Gigi gladly sat next to her. 

“This is just really weird. 24 hours ago, I didn’t know who you were and now you’re in my bed. It’s kind of overwhelming,” Crystal blurted out, making Gigi frown. “But not in a bad way!” She clarified, “It’s just a lot to process.”

“Oh, yeah. It is a big change. Last night, I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend, but that obviously did not happen.” Gigi blushed, grabbing a throw pillow from Crystal’s bed to hide her face in. 

Crystal took the pillow away from her, sitting it next to them, “Do you still want me to be your girlfriend?”

Gigi nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know if we should become official yet. We know each other so well, but I feel like we need to see if we vibe in person.”

“I don’t think we will have an issue with that, but I agree. Let’s take it slow. But can I try something first?”

Gigi grinned, “Yeah, what?”

“This.” Crystal whispered, leaning forward until her lips pressed against Gigi’s. Gigi kissed her back, wrapping her arms around Crystal’s neck and pulling Crystal even closer.

[let-me-write-shit]

Like We Used To: 19

A/N: Not sure if anyone is actually still reading this, so let me know if you want more!

[Click Here For Previous Chapters]

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CHAPTER NINETEEN:

The last few days have been hectic the best and most nerve wracking possible way that it was almost hard to believe that Kate and Lewis only got married two weeks ago. It felt like an eternity had passed since then. Harry and Elizabeth stayed up half the night sharing a sleeve of oreos and reminiscing about all of the things that happened in those two weeks and how quickly they became attached to each other again. They’ve been essentially attached at the hip, which made the notion of them flying back home tomorrow a bit daunting for Elizabeth. Yes, they had plans to have dinner with Harry’s mom next week, but that was it. Harry hadn’t said or done anything of the contrary, but for her, it almost felt like their whirlwind romance was fleeting. That could have just been her insecurities talking, but it was hard to imagine that this could continue. 

Harry woke up early today to do an interview over the phone with a radio station while Elizabeth slept in, having caught up on all of her work for the week, impressed with herself as it was only Thursday. He had scheduled studio time that afternoon for himself and the band to continue working on a few songs, but that night Harry had planned to have a little get together with some of his LA friends so he could see them before he left. She wasn’t entirely sure who all was invited, but she did know the people who she flew in with would be there, so she was excited nonetheless. 

Elizabeth spent most of the day preparing for guests by tidying up, preparing cheese boards and snack bowls, getting cups and plates. Harry told her that she didn’t have to, but she wanted to make herself useful. Besides, it got her mind off of the Ellen episode that aired that morning, practically unedited. If people didn’t think Harry and her were dating before, they had serious doubts now. She had to admit, though, Elizabeth was starting to be more open to the idea of officially dating Harry. He had been extremely patient with her and gave her no reason to not trust him. In fact, he was being more open about his feelings towards her (to people he knew personally, at least. He didn’t mention it in any interviews in respect of Elizabeth’s wishes). 

It’s not like Elizabeth wasn’t on the same page as Harry. She expressed this to her older sister on facetime as she sat on the lounge chair by the pool. Even though it was nearly 1 AM in England, her sister, Jenny, was up breastfeeding her 3 month old daughter.

“I can see it on your face, Lizzy,” Jenny said in a hush tone, not wanting to startle her daughter, “You look happy. Like you’re in love. I haven’t seen that look on you in a while.”

Elizabeth blushed, slightly embarrassed, “I wouldn’t go that far, just yet. But I am happy. I don’t know, he’s just...great. Like last night, we stayed up all night we played charades. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that much.”

“So if he’s good to you, you have fun, you care about him, and he wants to date you, why don’t you?”

“I don’t know, ‘cuz I’m an idiot? I mean, I was telling myself that it was because I didn’t want to end up hurt again like I was with Kyle, but I’m starting to think I might be ready now.”

“You should talk to him tonight. Tell him.”

Elizabeth bit her lip, “I don’t know. Maybe. Anyways, how is my niece?”

“Mia is good,” Jenny’s eyes twinkled down at her infant’s face who was suckling away at her breast, “been having a bit of trouble sleeping through the night, but she’s still a happy baby. She misses her Aunt Lizzy. Can’t wait for you to visit us next week. You’re coming over on Wednesday, right?”

“Yes, and I can’t wait to sniff her head!” Elizabeth did her best imitation of baby talk, scrunching her knows and inhaling dramatically, making Jenny laugh. “Guess where I’m going next Saturday, though.”

“Where? Paris?” Jenny teased.

“Harry’s mom’s for dinner.”

“Come again?” Jenny’s eyes widened. “Is that not a big deal? I mean, I know you’ve seen her plenty of times. But this is under different circumstances, no?”

“I don’t know,” Elizabeth shrugged, “I don’t think she knows what’s going on between us. I mean I’m sure she’s heard the rumors, but I don’t know if she believes them or what Harry’s told her.”

“Hmm...well I’ll be interested to know the details afterwards. Are you going to visit mom and dad while you’re down there, then?” 

“I was thinking of stopping in, yeah.”

Elizabeth heard a distant echo and her name being called before turning to see the sliding door open. Harry came barreling out, beaming, and lunged on top of her, covering her in kisses. She loved when he was in his silly mood.

“Harry!” Elizabeth gasped in between giggles, “I’m on the phone!”

Harry rolled off of her, shooting her alarmed eyes, “Oh, shit.” he breathed, “I’m sorry!” 

Elizabeth grabbed her phone that had fallen onto the ground and pulled it up, showing him her sister who waited on facetime, smiling amused. He cringed, “Hiiiii, Jenny. I’m sorry! I didn’t see the phone up. How are you? Congratulations on the baby!”

“It’s alright,” she chuckled, “And thank you, we’re all good here. I was actually just getting ready to go put Mia back to bed, so I’m gonna get going. But, I hope to see you soon, Harry! Lizzy, I’ll see you next week.”

“Alright, Love you!” Elizabeth called as Harry shouted out a ‘goodbye’, and she hung up.

Harry turned to Elizabeth, pausing a moment before standing up and slinging her over his shoulder, shouting, smacking her butt, and running around the yard. It was evident that he was in a good mood and she laughed with him, smacking his back to be let down. Eventually he planted her feet in the grass and smashed a kiss on her.

“Good day at the studio?” Elizabeth giggled as he pulled away.

“Yeah, we finished a song. Need a few more days in the studio to tweak a few things, but we can do that in London. We’re almost done. I can’t believe it!”

“I’m so happy for you!” Elizabeth bounced on her toes, smiling widely while holding onto his hands, “When will you be going to the London studio.”

“Jeffrey is booking some time in London the day after we get back. We’ll probably be there all day. But anyway, I saw all the snacks you made. Thanks for that. People should start arriving in about three hours, so what do you think? Should we make dinner quickly then get ready?”

The two of them headed inside and teamed up making a caprese salad. The only song Harry let her listen to off of his new album was a song he had written over a year ago that was supposed to be on the previous album called ‘Cringe’, which was actually a pretty amazing song, despite having been about a previous breakup of his. They both belted out the lyrics while slicing tomatoes and mozzarella, laughing at each other as they dramatically acted out a live performance. They quickly ate and then ran upstairs, taking a shower together.

Harry buffed the sponge down her back in circular motions as she finished washing her face under the cascading water. He let his fingers trace the falling drops of water before lightly kissing her shoulder blade and pulling her closer to him, digging his face into her neck. She smirked feeling him start to harden between her legs. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself this week, they’ve had sex at least once a day since he first got to her house. And as much as she wanted to, she also wanted to see him want it. She didn’t want to just give in that easily.

She turned to face him, wiping the water off of her eyes, and pressed herself against him even more, bringing her lips to his. She could feel him hold his breath, leaning in in anticipation of her kiss, but she just whispered, “it’s all yours” before shimmying out of his grip and stepping out of the shower, ringing her hair into the towel that hung on the wall. Harry looked out at her with his jaw dropped as she wrapped the towel around her body. 

“Hold on! Get back in here!” He called after her.

“Sorry! Gotta get ready!” She called back, snickering to herself.

She slipped into a pair of sheer black tights, a black turtleneck long sleeved shirt, and layered a leopard print spaghetti strap mini dress on top with a pair of ruffled white socks and black combat boots, drying her hair and quickly running it through a curling iron to give it a bit of loose waves. She smoked out her makeup a little bit, but didn’t want to overdo it so she just went with a nude lip. When she was finally finished she went downstairs to see Harry wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt with most of the buttons undone tucked into oversized dress pants and loafers, hair perfectly tousled and rings on practically all of his fingers; only he could look that good in those clothes. Music played softly over the house speakers and just as she snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, the front doorbell rang. He turned to give her a pick on the forehead before going to answer it.

“Lizzy?!” She recognized the voice as Mitch calling out.

Elizabeth heard an offended huff from Harry as she jogged out to see Mitch, Sarah, Adam, Ny, and Charlotte standing in the landing. They smiled when they saw her and ran up to give her hugs and friendly kisses on the cheek before going further into the living room to chat. Within an hour more people started to show up. Harry started to introduce her to the guests that came in, but eventually it got to be too many people for him to keep track of the new arrivals as people started letting themselves in. 

“I didn’t think there would be this many people,” Elizabeth yelled to Mitch and Sarah over all the noise that filled the room, looking across the room at Harry as he greeted more of his friends.

“I don’t think there was supposed to be,” Sarah said, “LA parties tend to get like this; people bring people who bring people.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll stay with you.”

It hadn’t really struck Elizabeth the seriousness of how famous Harry actually was until she saw people like Kacey Musgraves and Kendall Jenner walking around the house. It was intimidating being in a mansion that was filled with famous people. Quickly, Elizabeth had lost Harry in the crowd. Her eyes wandered in search for him while she stuck with her new friends, but an hour and a half must have passed before she caught a glimpse of him. Through the crowd she saw Harry standing in a corner, leaning over as a gorgeous blonde kissed his cheek, leaving a mark from her red lipstick. Instantly her heart rose to her throat, making it a bit hard for her to breath, recognizing the woman as his ex-girlfriend, Camille Rowe. She felt her hands starting to shake, jealousy and anxiousness rising in the pit of her stomach. Harry didn’t say much about his relationship with her, only that he had been heartbroken. Why was she here? Why did they seem so friendly? She wasn’t the territorial type, but her mind involuntarily flashed back to her being cheated on in her last relationship. The fact was, she didn’t know how Harry felt about his ex, or if he still wanted to be with her. But judging by the way he smiled while talking to her, she wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

Elizabeth decided to avoid looking in his direction, mostly for fear, and did a good job at evading most of the famous people, sticking with Mitch and Sarah and a few people who they were familiar with until she got more comfortable talking to more strangers. She was laughing with Zack, a tall, tanned guy about her age who she had come to know did some modeling, when she felt a hand on her waist. 

“Hey, baby,” when she turned to look at him he bent down and gave her a lingering kiss before pulling away. 

Baby? He never called her that before. Not that she minded the sound of it, but the timing was odd. And what was with the kiss? Was he trying to get everyone to find them out? There were people taking selfies all over the place! She grimaced at the look on his face that was both soft and domineering at the same time.

“Can I steal you away for a minute,” He said sweetly, looking up to give Zack a smile, a tinge of disdain hidden behind it.

“Uh, sure,” Elizabeth muttered before Harry wrapped his arm around her waist and led her away. 

They passed groups of people playing karaoke, a crowd hanging around a beer pong table, and towards the backyard passed a dozen people standing around the illuminated pool. Mitch and Sarah had even made their way outside, standing off to the side and talking to each other, shooting a questioning gaze and wave in their direction. The noise was still loud outside, but not nearly as ear buzzing as it was inside. Palm trees lightly swayed in the LA October night breeze and she saw a couple people making out in the lounges while Harry guided her to a secluded corner behind Mitch and Sarah. He turned to face her with a look she couldn’t quite figure out, holding both of her hands in his, before pulling her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and pressing his lips against hers again. At first she melted into him, but then pushed him away.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked.

“What’s wrong?” She copied, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. She looked up at him, waiting for him to say something, but he didn’t. She sighed, lifting a hand to his face and wiping the red lipstick mark from his cheek that was left there by Camille. Realization hit when he saw her red stained thumb. Before he could speak she continued, “And what was that? Baby? Kissing me in a crowded room? Were we not trying to keep us low-key anymore?”

“You’re the one so determined to keep us low-key, Lizzy,” Harry fought back. “We’re in my home. I trust the people here, and I know that they wouldn’t have brought untrustworthy people. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t let them be here. We don’t have to pretend here.”

“So you’re telling me that you don’t care if your gorgeous ex-girlfriend in there knows you’re seeing someone?” She crossed her arms.

“No!” He shot back, “I don’t care if she knows.”

Elizabeth softened, looking at him through her eyelashes, “So you don’t have any feelings for her anymore?”

Harry grabbed Elizabeth’s hands, pulling her closer to him again. He whispered, looking into her eyes, “No. I don’t have feelings for her anymore. You may not be my girlfriend, but I have no interest in being with anyone else.”

A bashful smile spread across her face and she stood on her tippy toes to kiss him again. He put his hands on either side of her face to deepen the kiss and he laughed into it. When he pulled away he shook his head, “Man, I almost wanted to punch that guy you were talking to. I don’t even know him.”

Elizabeth laughed, “Clearly. You must not have known he was gay, then.”

Harry laughed harder, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Jesus. Sorry!”

Elizabeth smiled, shaking her head. She found his jealousy quite charming. He didn’t cross the line of being controlling or overly possessive, but showed just the right amount of assertiveness. She thought back to her conversation with Jenny that morning about telling Harry she was ready to take that next step into their relationship and finally be his girlfriend when she heard a squeal behind her.

“Harry!”

She turned to see Kendall Jenner walking over with a few of her friends who could have also been models. He looked up and gave her a friendly smile, hugging her when she approached them.

“Hey, how are you?” Harry asked, still smiling and giving the rest of the people she was with friendly hugs as well.

“Great, thanks for having us. Is this your girlfriend?” she asked, looking at Elizabeth, “Hi, I’m Kendall.” 

Elizabeth was almost shocked when Harry wrapped an arm around her waist, introducing her without correction, “This is Elizabeth.”

“Nice to meet you,” Elizabeth smiled, timidly.

Kendall’s eyes flicked up and down, looking at her. Elizabeth didn’t think Kendall was trying to be intimidating, but she sure felt it, so she excused herself to go talk to Mitch and Sarah to let them catch up. Mitch and Sarah must have noticed the look on Elizabeth’s face because they both simultaneously rubbed Elizabeth’s arm comfortingly as she explained what had just happened. They glanced over at Harry talking to his friends a few times. 

They weren’t trying to eavesdrop, but somehow over the noise they were able to hear Kendall say, “Are you sure? Do you really think she’ll be able to deal with your lifestyle? She looks so uncomfortable here.” Harry looked over at her with an uncertain expression and they caught eyes. She quickly looked away, turning her attention back to Mitch and Sarah who had also heard it. 

“She’s probably just looking out for him,” Mitch said. “But she doesn’t know you like we do. You’re doing great.”

“You’re strong. You’ll definitely be able to handle it easily!” Sarah agreed.

Elizabeth groaned, “I need a drink.”

KEEP READING

[oswildin]

Bonded {Part Nine} ~ Dhawan!Master x Reader

~ The story is nearly complete... ~

Summary: You try to reason with the Doctor, trying to be there for her, but she isn’t having any of it. You and the Master find comfort in each other.

Warnings: Angst, more fluff as you asked, bit steamy

You headed down the corridors of the TARDIS. You felt better after showering and changing your clothes, finally feeling fresh. Of course, your mind was still full of thoughts and emotions, but you knew you had to try and be there for the Doctor. You dreaded to think what state she was in.

The TARDIS seemed to understand your intentions as she guided you to where the Doctor was hiding. You stopped in front of a door, the TARDIS humming as you understood what she was telling you. You hesitantly reached out, twisting the handle, as the door slowly opened. You furrowed your brows, seeing the library. You swear it had moved position... Perhaps the Doctor had asked the TARDIS to keep it hidden... You stepped in, seeing the Doctor sat by herself in the darkness, surrounded by pages of books.

“I always rip out the last page.” She told you as you watched her, biting your lip. “That way the story never ends.” She explained as she looked around at all the pages sprawled about the place.

“Oh I don’t know... sometimes stories need to end.” You offered as you approached her. “I’m guessing the Master didn’t find you.” She shook her head. “But you let me.”

“No, the TARDIS did.” She almost frowned at her ship as you laughed lightly.

“Maybe she’s just worried about you.” You told her as you went to sit beside her. “I am.” She didn’t look at you.

“Don’t be.” She gave you a sharp smile, not reaching her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem it.” You sighed. “Doctor, I don’t want you going back... You’ve come so far... Please don’t shut me out again.” You almost begged as she felt guilt pang in her chest at your words. “Remember when you lost Clara.” You said, as you saw her flinch at the name. You looked at her sadly. “Remember what she told you?”

“This is different.” She argued.

“Is it?” You raised a brow. “You again lost something dear to you. But remember how much good there still is in the universe. You’ve got Yaz, Ryan, Graham... Me...” You trailed off, seeing her face soften. “Even the Master seems concerned. Although, you didn’t hear that from me.” You teased as she turned to face you. “Actually he’s helped me... a lot...” You realised. “Perhaps he could do the same for you. Maybe you could help each other...” She shook her head.

“I don’t need help. I’m fine. See!” She jumped up, putting her jacket back on. “Let’s go for an adventure! I can pick up the others and we can go somewhere new.” She exclaimed as you sighed, standing too.

“Doctor, you can’t keep ignoring this.” You told her truthfully.

“Yes I can.” She argued. “I’ve ignored things half my life, and I’m fine.” She told you before walking away, leaving you alone as you felt defeated. You didn’t know what else to do. Perhaps you needed to be harsher? More brutal? No... you couldn’t do that to her. You sighed, sitting back down as you felt a presence appear in the room.

“Didn’t go to plan then?”

You shook your head, turning to see the Master stood in the doorway.

“She’s impossible to deal with when she’s in this mood.” You said exasperatedly.

“Perhaps she needs to do this alone.” He offered, walking into the room as you watched him. “And when she wants help, you’ll be there to give it to her.”

“I guess.” You said, defeat evident in your tone. “Why does she have to be so stubborn?”

“You’re asking the wrong person.” He joked as you gave him a small smile. “King of Stubborn here.” He sat beside you as you shook your head at him.

“Funny, I could see you in a crown and a big robe.” You joked.

“So that’s what you’re into.” He teased, smirking as you rolled your eyes.

“I’m scared.” You suddenly admitted, causing him to narrow his eyes. “I’m scared what this all means... How this changes everything...” You drifted off, gaze ahead.

“You were the one giving the speech yesterday.” He offered. “Maybe you should take your own advice.” He shrugged as you scoffed.

“It’s easy to dish out the advice, but to take it yourself is another thing.” You retorted as he nodded slowly.

“That’s a very human statement.” He commented.

“Na...” You shook your head. “It’s a very universal one.” You gave him a small smile.

“Hmm, along with a leopard never changes its spots.” He added as you pursed your lips.

“I don’t know about that one...” You gazed at him. “You’ve changed.” It was his turn to scoff.

“I’ll never change.” He said defiantly. “It’s in my nature. I love the chaos too much.”

“Or is that just what you keep telling yourself?” You raised a brow. “Cause if you keep feeding yourself that narrative, you’re going to continue to execute it.”

“Maybe, I enjoy that narrative.” He argued, as you saw his walls begin to build back up.

“Will you stop?” You shook your head. “For one second, let your walls down. Not everyone is out to get you.”

“Don’t lecture me.” He snapped, eyes turning dark as he pushed himself up. “You know nothing.”

“I think I’ve seen enough in my time.” You told him. “Or have you forgotten what I’ve been through already?” You stood too, staring up at him. “You’re not the only one with issues, so stop acting like it.” You told him sternly as he growled under his breath.

“Humans, always sticking their nose into other people’s business.” He spat. “Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps there are just bad people in the universe? Born sick and twisted?”

“No.” You furrowed your brows. “Things in their life have made them that way. There’s always hope.” He groaned.

“You’ve been with the Doctor too long.” He rolled his eyes.

“Maybe I have! Or maybe she’s actually right?” You argued, stepping towards him. “You aren’t the only one with issues. Accept it. Embrace it. It may even help.” He looked down at you, the rage in his eyes lessening as you looked at him. You relaxed him. It was an emotion he’d never really truly felt before. It was... nice. But also scary. “You can always start again.” You said in a softer voice as he tightened his jaw.

“Can I?” He raised his brows.

“Yes!” You laughed lightly. “Of course you can. If you allow the change.” He stared into your golden eyes as he stepped closer to you, his face close to your own. You could feel your heart beating in your chest.

“What if I don’t want to change?” His voice was low.

“Then... You’ll live a lonely life.” His eyes flickered down to your lips as you felt warm under his stare.

“I don’t think I can ever be alone now.” He said quietly. Before you knew it, his lips had crashed to your own, as your bodies melded together. He had grabbed either side of your face, holding you gently as he kissed you. You were surprised at first, but as soon as the electricity flowed through your veins, you gave in to the feeling, clutching his jacket with your hands. You felt complete with him. You’d never felt like you belonged, but in this moment, you felt what you had been longing for. Acceptance.

You hadn’t realised he had backed you against a book shelf, drinking you in as he pulled you as close to himself as possible. You gasped for breath as you hadn’t broken away. You saw images of golden energy in your mind at the touch. It was electric. He finally pulled away, resting his forehead on your own. Both of you were breathing heavily as you stared into his eyes, searching for anything.

“That was...” You breathed out as he couldn’t help but smirk.

“I know.” He whispered. “We could just leave.” He spoke lowly. “Run away. Take a leaf from the Doctor’s book.” He raised his brows. “What do you say?” You felt your breath hitch, unsure on what to say. You couldn’t leave the Doctor... could you? Was it time? Your life had been consumed by the Doctor and your adventures, was it finally time to move on?

You didn’t answer, but pulled him back close, moulding your lips to his own once more, feeling the rush once again. His hand moved to your waist as he gripped you tighter than before, almost urgent, desperate.

~

Taglist: @drapetxmaniia @dannighost @imagine-whatever @yourlocalspacebisexual @the-sweet-space-bi @a--1--1--3 @blamerogertaylor @koschei-taylor @koschei-studies @lostshadow12 @hannahlilyyx @wonders-of-the-multiverse @ettorah @nikey-no-likey @imthedoctorlove @twentysomethingloser92 @startrekkingaroundasgard @sometimes-i-feel-like-falling @hellothedoctorisreal @tragic-and-tried @kind-sober-fullydressed @ateliefloresdaprimavera @chiswicknoble

[villainousshakespeare]

A Forest Interlude Chapter 23 - Visitors

Summary: Eleonore (OFC) discovers a wounded man in the woods near her home and seeks to heal him. Little does she know that it is none other than the heir to the throne, Prince Hal of England.

Chapter: 22 of 25

Rated E

Warnings: smut, sex fluff, angst, oral sex, fingering, hand jobs

(spoiler - don’t worry, it will all work out okay in the end)

In this chapter:  Nell receives some less than welcome visitors.

Read the entire story on AO3

@nrthmnsplbnd09 ;  @nonsensicalobsessions @yespolkadotkitty @just-the-hiddles @from-hel-i-with-love  livviedoo @hopelessromanticspoonie @arch-venus25 @caffiend-queen @dangertoozmanykids101 @kellatron55 @myoxisbroken @thecutestlittlebunbunfairy @vodka-and-some-sass @shiningloki @hiddlesholic @isitmadnessrpg​

Nell sat on the wall overlooking the inner courtyard of the house, eyes glued to the figures battling below. For the life of her she could not make out any concessions the combatants were making to safety. It looked for all the world as though they were actually trying to kill each other. Still, Hal had assured her that short of a bruise or a pulled muscle no harm would come to him, and it was exciting to watch him fight.

She had never been one of those women to lust after warriors, but then she had never seen a warrior quite like her husband before. Hal's tall, lithe body made the deadly moves seem more like a dance, the sword an extension of his arms. There was a catlike grace in it that she found unexpectedly arousing, although why it should surprise her she didn't know. Everything her new husband did seemed to arouse her.

Hal had not been joking when he threatened to keep her locked in their rooms for the start of their marriage. For the first week they had left only a handful of times, and even then he had kept possession of her hand, or and arm firmly wound about her. Her trips to the privy were the only moments she had been out of his presence. The rest of the time had been delightfully filled with romance, food, or just sharing silly tales of their childhoods.

Finally, after a week had past, her insatiable husband had sighed that he did have some responsibilities that could not be neglected, even for so tempting a distraction as his bride. It seemed he took his duties more seriously than she would have guessed, sitting on several councils in London, seeing to the needs of his lands scattered throughout the kingdom, and keeping up a grueling workout regimen.

Nell had responsibilities of her own, but made time to watch him with the last, as seeing him work up a sweat tended to do the same for her. She knew from the last two days that when he had finished below he would wink at her, and raise his eyes to their rooms, racing to meet her there. She would take great delight in stripping his armor from him and bathing that overworked body, kissing every last sore spot that he had acquired in his training. She rather fancied he made some of them up, but she was not complaining.

"You Highness," the low voice of Cecil, Hal's major domo, sounded behind her making her start, "there's a visitor at hand."

"A visitor? We had not planned on one."

She was still not used to hearing herself address with a royal title, and blushed every time one of Hal's servants did so. This dour man especially made her feel the merest rustic. She could not believe that he could approve of her.

"Tis only young Ned Poins, so please you ma'am," he shrugged. "An intimate longstanding of the prince. He often calls at any hour of day."

"The prince is at the moment occupied," Nell said, wincing as Hal took a particularly hard blow, "but since he is so good a friend to Hal, pray send him up and I will see to him."

Nell spared a brief moment of regret for her appearance. She had not planned on going out today, and their own household, even now combined, must be used to her ways by now. She was dressed in her boys garb. She was more comfortable this way, and Hal seemed to be partial to the look. Hopefully this Ned Poins would not take disgust at so casual dress, but if he was truly a good friend of Hal's she could not imagine him being so particular about such things. She had to admit that she did not look forward to meeting someone who had been so integral in Hal's wilder days.

"So you, I take it, are the little wife. I now begin to see the reason why our Hal hath been a truant these long days."

The young man walking towards Nell set her on edge from the instant she saw him. His hair, lank brown, hung down about a sharp, sallow face. Brown, keen looking eyes were rimmed by dark circles and shot through with red, and his clothing was rich but disheveled. All in all he looked thoroughly dissipated for one of his youth. And this was an intimate of Hal's?

"I am, good sir. My name is Eleonore, but all my friends do call me simply Nell," she said, shoving down her unease as she rose to offer up her hand. The man kissed it with practiced flair that was almost mocking. "I hear you are a friend of my dear lord."

"More brother than a friend, I blush to say," Ned smiled. "I'm sure he's told you many tales of me."

"Some, yes, although I think that most of them, from little things that he has let slip out about your wild exploits in the past, are not the sort of things one tells one's bride."

She hated that she sounded so prim, but everything she had heard of Hal's time with Ned was the part of his life she feared the most. The thoughtless, bullying exploits they had pulled on those of lower rank did not sit well with her. And, of course, she knew that this man was Hal's partner in carousing the alehouses and brothel's of London. She did not blame him for her husband's coarse past, but nor did she like to be reminded of it.

"It is a very wise wife that doth know that there be things a husband should not tell," Poins said with a sage grin. "For what concern should such things be to you, as long as he doth keep them from your eyes."

"You misconstrue me sir, I meant not so, that Hal should keep from me his future acts," she replied tartly. "But only that such follies of his youth, that he partook in ere we two did meet, need not upset our happy current peace."

"Why is our rapscallion so far reformed? Then tis a miracle and God be praised! For your sweet sake I hope it may be true, but leopards they do say change not their spots. And so I hope you be not too upset when he doth wander back to his old ways. You have acquired the title of Princess, and weighed against so great an honor won, what is an indiscretion now and then?"

"It looks as though they have now called a halt," she said tightly, noting that the clanging of metal had ceased. "Come, I will take you down to where he is."

"There is no need, for certs I know the way," he smiled thinly, and with a quick bow turned and walked towards the stairs.

Nell followed quickly after him, fighting to compose her face into softer lines, not wanting to show her quick dislike, bordering on hatred, of Hal's friend. Her husband, sweat drenched but laughing with his master of arms, looked up as they came down into the yard, his smile at seeing his wife dimming for a so brief a moment Nell thought she must have imagined it as his eyes lit upon Poins.

"What, Ned? We did not think to see you here," Hal said with a tight smile, brushing his damp hair from his forehead. "I see that you have met my darling wife."

Reaching out, Hal caught Nell's arm and pulled her tightly against his body. She squirmed a bit, suddenly finding herself being embraced by a metal clad arm. Still, after the slithery comments Poins had tossed off before, it felt good to be reminded of Hal's affection for her.

"We have begun to know each other well," Ned smiled. "And I do hope to know her better yet."

"Not too well, thank you Ned, an if you please," Hal's voice was dampening as his fingers dug into Nell's arm. "But tell me, what doth bring you to our house?"

"Perhaps you two would like some time along," Nell suggested, wanting to be anywhere but around this obnoxious friend of her husband's. "Why don't you, husband, go upstairs and change, your friend can go along and wait for you."

"I'd much prefer to have you help me sweet," he purred into her ear, sending a wave of desire through her.

"Oh, come now Hal, tis been more than a week," Poins laughed. "You must be over bedding her by now!"

"I'll just go see refreshments may be brought," she said quickly before he could answer. "Now go, and do not let me hold you up."

With a reluctant look, Hal bent down to kiss her slowly, hand running up her back as he did. For a few sweet moments she forgot that they were not alone and leaned wantonly into the embrace. All too soon it was over, and he raising each of her hands to his lips before trudging off with a smirking Ned to their rooms.

"I've never cared o'er much for that young man." Nell spun to see Cecil standing behind her. How the man managed to sneak up on her every time she had no idea. "The likes of him did often hang about before the prince did meet you some time back. It hath been good to see him break away from such rude boys and men of ill repute. You have, I think, brought out his better side, if I may be so bold to say it, ma'am."

Nell stared at Cecil as he gave what she was coming to realize was his version of a smile. Tentatively she smiled back, realizing in surprise that she had an ally in the man.

"I'll go and see the prince is brought some wine," Cecil told her, pulling back into himself. "And hopefully he soon bids Poins adieu."

Nell smiled walked out of the practice yard. It seemed she was at loose ends. She had no idea what to do with herself. It had been some time since she had been alone, and suddenly she longed to be at home, able to stride out into the wood and ramble at will where ever she chose. Hal had spoken the other night of a wedding trip, perhaps she could convince him to go someplace more rustic, where she would not be so hemmed in by propriety and safety concerns.

A pounding at the gate grabbed her attention, and she changed her direction to see who now was at their door. She arrived to find half a dozen men in red livery, swords at their sides, being escorted quickly inside. The gateman was scrambling to accommodate them, babbling that he would quickly go to seek his mistress.

"No need to seek, Nathaniel, I am here," she said, stepping forward.

The leader of the strange guardsmen, a tall, sinewy man of middle years, turned to her and gave a crisp bow.

"You are the Lady Eleonore D'Amboise, who lately wed unto the Prince of Wales?" he asked in formal tones, eyes flickering in disapproval over her boy's clothes.

"I am good sir, what would you have of me?"

"You shall, My Lady, come along with us," he instructed, not making it a request.

"And where, I pray you, is it that we go?" she asked, not moving a step.

"My Lady Nell, do you not know that crest?" her gateman asked quickly, agitation clear in his voice.

"Nay, I do not, but I know curtesy," she snapped, not liking the way they were all looking at her. Her nerves had been put on edge by Poins, and this additional intrusion into her peace did not sit well with her. "This is my home, I'll suffer no commands, unless they come from my husband alone. Who else would dare to give me orders here?"

"Your Highness, these are soldiers of the King," Nathaniel told her. "Their orders carry all of the throne's weight. Forgive her sir, she is but new to town. You must, My Lady, go along with him."

"Indeed it seems I must, forgive me sir," she blanched, all of her haughty indignation leaving her at once. "Permit me just to go and change my dress."

"Our orders are to bring you in at once," the guardsman said brusquely. "We have not time to spare for your toilette."

"I must at least alert my husband sir, lest that my absence leave him in alarm."

"Your man can see to that, now come your ways. We've been already too long at this chore."

"Nathaniel, see his Highness is informed," she quickly told the man, "and bid him if he would come join seek me out, for I will need his escort home again."

"Aye that I will my Lady, count on me!" the gatekeeper assured her, on impulse taking off his burgundy cloak and handing it to her. "Perhaps it shall be chilly ere you're back."

No longer able to stall, Nell allowed herself to be escorted from her home, thankful for the man's kindness. It was a balmy day, but the cloak allowed her to cover most of her unconventional attire. That it was also in Hal's color gave her a sense of security as she trotted along in the center of the group of armed men.

She could not begin to think why she was being summoned in such abrupt fashion to the court. From the brief note they had received from Dr. Hobbs, expounded upon by another from Jon and her mother, she knew that the King seemed to be fully recovered from his illness. She knew Hal also had a man at court particularly watching to make sure that his father did not suffer any ill effects, and that they would have been sent word at the least bit of trouble.

Did this mean, she wondered, that the trouble was she herself? Could it be possible that, now that he had had time to recover and consider it fully, King Henry had decided after all to try and dissolve their marriage? Hal insisted he would not, but Nell could not be so sure. He was a proud man, and even more than her less than regal birth she knew the King was offended by the fact that she and Hal had openly defied him. Was this borderline clandestine summons an attempt to separate her from him, that she could be more easily bundled off to some remote location, Hal none the wiser?

She was beginning to panic she realized, and forced herself to remain calm. There was no reason to suspect the worst. Even if it was the King's plan to be rid of her, Hal would not abide it. Nathaniel would tell him where she had gone, and he would race to secure her release. Why, even now he could be but moments behind them, riding to her rescue.

Unless, of course, Poins was correct and he was beginning to tire of her. That had obviously been the point of all of his thinly veiled thrusts at her. The man clearly was jealous of her place in Hal's life, and his ouster from it. No, she would trust in her husband, in the love that they shared. Nothing in his manner had given her to believe that he was anything but besotted. Why, even his leaving of her had been heated to the point that she feared they would disgrace themselves in front of his guest.

Hal would come. All would be well. There was no need worry. But maybe, just maybe, a little worry was understandable none the less.

[afternoonteawithme]

Comfort and Lies

(read it on AO3)

Levi looked up from his laptop when he heard the apartment’s front door slam shut. He was about to call out, to let Eren know he was there, when he heard the slamming of a second, inside door.

Eyebrow arching, Levi eyed the wall dividing the kitchen he sat in from the bedroom. He glanced at the floor plans he’d been studying on his laptop, the unread messages on his cell phone, and the clock ticking away on the wall. He’d hoped to see Eren before he left so he was already running late. His ride was waiting impatiently – very impatiently – outside, but… he shut his laptop, tucked his phone into his pocket, and stood.

When he stepped into the bedroom, he saw Eren had thrown himself face down on the bed. He sat on the edge of the mattress, reached out a hand to stroke Eren’s hair. “Bad day?”

Eren turned his face and smiled weakly up at him, “I thought you’d be long gone already or I’d have come and said hello. Aren’t you supposed to be on your way to your booth at the trade show?”

“The flight was delayed, so I was killing time for a couple hours. What’s wrong?”

“It’s no big deal. My professor was just more of a jerk than usual.”

“What did he do now?”

“He’s an ass, is all. He just hates me because I helped Historia report him her first year, so he likes making real sure the whole class knows I stupid I am.”

Levi’s eyes went hard, but he kept his voice soft as he stroked Eren’s hair. “You’re not stupid.”

Eren laughed, and shot a brief, mischievous glance at Levi. “Really? I seem to remember you told me I was ‘the biggest idiot this side of the state line’, when you were driving me to the hospital last month.”

Levi pinched at Eren’s arm. “That was different, idiot. You almost gave yourself pneumonia, running around like that and pretending you didn’t have the flu.” He turned his fingers, stroked away the slight redness on Eren’s skin. “But you’re not stupid. Never that.”

“Thank you,” Eren turned over, scooted across the blanket until he could burrow against Levi’s side. “It’s ok, he can’t fail me because the exams are all externally marked, and I get decent marks there. But today he kept calling on me and asking me all these questions, and when I couldn’t answer he’d do that, you know, sneering thing, so I got mad and I…sorta told him what I thought of him. Because he was being an asshole, and I swear we hadn’t gone over half the stuff he asked about, and if we had then that just shows he’s a bad teacher, doesn’t it? Plus he’s a disgusting perv, even if Historia and I couldn’t prove more than we did.”

He pressed in a little closer, wrapping his arms around Levi’s waist. His voice was muffled against Levi’s suit jacket as he continued, “So then he tells me I’m ‘an embarrassment to my father’s memory’.” He said the words mockingly, almost managing to hide the hurt underneath. “He told me the only reason I passed any of my classes was because my dad’s estate promised the dean they’d donate lots of money when I graduate, and I know that’s not true, but…” Eren sighed, pulling away from Levi and flopping onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “But the whole class was there listening, and I just…I know some teachers do sometimes treat me differently because of my dad. So I guess I couldn’t really be entirely sure he was lying.” He half laughed, ruefully. “Maybe I am more stupid than I thought.”  

If he’d been watching Levi’s eyes, instead of staring up at the ceiling, Eren might have been shocked at the flash of fierce rage that ran through them.

“And by the end he’s like two inches away from my face so his spit is just landing all over me.” Eren shuddered. “After class I went to the bathroom and scrubbed my face as much as I could. He’s creepy and gross.”  

Very, very carefully, Levi fought to calm himself. Lightly, he reached out, flicking a finger at Eren’s forehead as he spoke as casually as he could manage. “There, there. Want me to beat him up for you?”

Eren laughed, turning his head to grin at Levi. “As always, thanks for the offer. Right now I’m going to rinse off any spit left on me, then I’ll go do my homework like any other good, diligent student so I can graduate as soon as possible.” He pushed himself up, planted a kiss on Levi’s cheek before sliding to the edge of the bed. “And then we’ll move, far far away, and I’ll never have to see him again.”

Levi watched Eren disappear into the bathroom, and quickly pulled out his phone. Ignoring the many increasingly irritated messages telling him his ride was ready and waiting for him outside, he sent out a brief text.

Change of plan. Personal issue came up. Abort mission.

There was a short pause, and then someone replied Sex is not a good enough reason to abort mission. Get your ass dressed and out to the car. Furlan has been waiting almost an hour.  

Levi narrowed his eyes. Fuck you. Will require Furlan’s assistance with transport, equipment, possibly clean-up.    

The reply this time took even less time. I stand corrected, maybe it is a good enough reason. Sounds like you’re planning some amazing sex.

Again, fuck you. I’ll be out in a minute.  

Levi kept an eye on the bathroom door and tucked his phone away again an instant before Eren stepped back out, scrubbing at his wet hair with a towel.

“Levi, I just realized, didn’t you say you had to set up your booth today? Will you have enough time before the expo opens tomorrow?”

“It’ll be fine. Erwin is there already, he’ll set up most of it.” Levi stood. “I do have to go though, my ride should be pulling up outside any minute.”

“Ok, thanks for listening. I feel better already.”

“Good.” Levi stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Eren’s neck and pulling his head down for a deep, lingering kiss. “Now go study. I should be back late Sunday, but I’ll call you on my lunch break tomorrow.”

“Alright. Travel safe. Sell lots of vacuum cleaners.”

 --

 Levi slid into the car waiting at the curb. As they pulled away, the driver threw a disposable cell phone over at him. “Boss wants to talk.”

“Boss can go fuck himself.” But as Levi met Furlan’s eyes in the rearview mirror, he sighed, opened the phone.

“What do you want?”

“Me?” The voice on the other end was rich, deep, amused. “You’re the one changing plans at the last minute.”

“This is important, Erwin.”  

“You sure you want to cancel? We might not have another go at this target for a while.”

“Let the client know we’ll get to it. Something came up.

“Uh huh. I’ll pass the word.”

There was a long, drawn out silence while neither Erwin or Levi said anything, and then there was a loud clatter as someone grabbed the phone from Erwin and a different voice yelled into the receiver, “Dammit, Levi, stop being a hardass and tell us what the hell is going on! I need to know. And do you need help? What’s happening? What do you need us to do? We can be on the next flight out there in…fourty-five minutes.”

Biting back a curse, Levi closed his eyes. “Hanji, calm down. And Furlan is enough, the rest of you can stand down. I’d like to handle this one myself.”

There was more clattering on the line, and then Erwin was back. “Then we’ll leave you to it, and give Eren my love when you next see him. Make sure to tell him I sold more…what is it you tell him we do these days? Oh, yes, tell him I sold more vacuum cleaners than you.”  

 --

 Levi let himself into a large, empty bedroom. He sneered a little as he glanced at the fussy, oversized bed covered with black satin sheets and a leopard print rug, at the framed, stylized sketches of women wearing only artistically tied rope that hung along the walls. The man had a giant damned painting of himself, bare-chested and riding some unrealistically small horse hung over the head of his bed. If he didn’t already loathe his guts Levi would have been happy to kill him based on that smug, self-satisfied portrait alone.

But he wasn’t here to kill him today. After all, he hadn’t asked Eren if he could kill him, he’d only asked if he could beat him up.

And this time Eren hadn’t said no, the way he had every other time Levi had offered. He’d laughed, but he hadn’t said no.

Opening the closet, Levi gingerly searched through until he found a white shirt with the tags still attached. He spread it out on the bed and settled onto it. While he waited, he checked his guns, and unwrapped the kit he’d brought with him. It had been a gift from Hanji, and she’d slowly been teaching him how to use all the little tools.

He wasn’t anywhere near as good at torturing as she was, but he could get by.

As he laid everything out, Levi wondered, not for the first time, if Eren would enjoy coming along on these trips once Levi told him he, Erwin, Hanji and the rest didn’t really sell vacuum cleaners for a living, and told him the truth about what they did.  

Unless he was very much mistaken, he thought Eren would take to this world like a duck to water.

But not yet. He had to finish college first.

Levi heard a noise somewhere in the house and sat back on the bed. When the door opened and a man that looked a lot like the man in the insufferable portrait over the bed, if a lot smaller and a lot less attractive, stepped in and flipped on the lights, Levi shot him with the tranquilizer gun.

He watched as the asshole’s knees crumpled, and he landed on his ass on the ground, staring incredulously at Levi.

“Who…what’s going on? Why are you in my room?” The man’s words were already slurring.

“Hello, Professor.” Levi smiled coldly as he ran one sharp tool through his fingers. “I’ve been wanting to meet with you for some time. We need to discuss your teaching methods.”

[unfolded73]

How Do We Get Back (16/16) - schitt’s creek ff

Summary: In a literal alternate universe where the Roses escaped financial ruin, David and Patrick struggle with loneliness and a sense that something isn’t right. A chance meeting in New York and a terrible tragedy drive them to question whether the timeline they are on is the right one. Explicit, this chapter 4.6k words.  (ao3)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

Notes: I know, I can’t believe it’s over either.  Thanks to everyone who supported me through this fic, here and on ao3 and particularly in the Rosebudd Motel. You guys make me need to go for a hike to sort out my tender feelings for you.

_____________________________________

Chapter 16

Patrick listened to the fifth message from David Rose again, unable to wipe the smile off of his face.

“The text cut us off. Anyway, the point was that I sell the items from local artists and vendors under the brand of the store. Which is my brand. And I’m not buying the products — I’m selling them on consignment — but Ray says I need more start up money, which I don’t have, and I guess I want a second opinion. So I have your card. Which, I don’t know why I have your card. Maybe you work for one of my vendors? Probably not the Mennonites, though? Although who knows, I’ve heard of weirder things.”

It went on like that for a while.

He looked at his calendar. He had two appointments with clients in the morning and then needed to stop by the Elmdale town hall to pick up some paperwork, but he could probably drive over to Schitt’s Creek after that and meet this David Rose. Despite the rambling messages, his business plan sounded legit. And what’s more, Patrick knew exactly how to help him. He supposed he could just call, but Schitt’s Creek wasn’t that far away from Elmdale, and it helped sometimes, to meet someone in person.

He’d been living in Elmdale for a couple of months, ever since he’d broken off his engagement with his fiancé and had fled his hometown. Elmdale was nice and he’d made a few friends, including a handsome barista named Ken. The way he’d found himself thinking about Ken had certainly helped Patrick realize why things had never felt right with Rachel, but Ken had a boyfriend and nothing had ever happened between them. He was pretty sure he was mostly over Ken now anyway, although he figured being gay was probably a more permanent state of being.

Patrick pulled up in front of Rose Apothecary just after 2:00 pm the following day, getting out of his car and looking up at the workers who were mounting the large sign above the door. He liked the lettering, gold against black, with roses on either side of the name. He turned in a circle, taking in the little downtown, with a café nearby and a pretty flower garden and a car repair garage across the way. It was tiny compared to Elmdale, but there was a hominess to it that pleased him. Taking a deep breath, he went up to the front door of Rose Apothecary. There was a sign proclaiming that the store was closed but when he tried the latch, it swung open.

The bell above the door summoned a tall man from the back. Patrick was immediately struck by how not of this town he appeared. He wore tight black jeans, the knees ripped in a way that Patrick assumed was by design rather than through wear and tear. He had a sweatshirt on in monochrome leopard print, his black hair swept up off of his forehead in a coif that looked like it took time every morning to get right. He’s beautiful, Patrick thought immediately, and then mentally shook himself. Where the hell had that come from?

“Umm, sorry, I thought you were a friend of mine,” the man said. “We’re closed.”

“Oh, yeah. I know, sorry.” Patrick approached and held out his hand. “I’m Patrick Brewer. You must be David?”

David’s eyes widened. “Hi. I didn’t know you were going to come here. In person.” He reached out to take Patrick’s hand.

“Well, Elmdale isn’t far,” Patrick said as their hands clasped together in a handshake.

*

They sat together at a pizza restaurant in Elmdale.

“What’s an appropriate topic of conversation for a second date?” David asked, his mouth turning up on one side and down on the other. It was one of Patrick’s favorite David Rose facial expressions, and David had a lot of facial expressions to love.

“Does this even count as a second date? Because you invited Stevie on our first date,” Patrick said.

“I kissed you,” David said, his voice dropping into a sexy whisper, and Patrick felt his whole body respond. Jesus. “It counts.”

“Uh, we could talk about the store?” Patrick suggested, trying to get his heart rate under control.

“We spend all day talking about the store. When did you realize that you liked me?”

Patrick flushed, unsure if he should admit the truth. He could say it was the day the store opened, when they hugged each other after. Or he could say it was the day David wore a shower cap on his head to protect himself from Alexis’ lice. That would be a cute thing to say.

“The day you walked into Ray’s. When you said it was a general store but also a very specific store. That’s when I realized I liked you.”

“You’re lying,” David said, but his eyes flashed with happiness.

“I’m not. I thought you were beautiful. That was the first thing I thought about you, that you were beautiful.” Patrick dropped his gaze and cleared his throat, trying to break some of the tension between them before he jumped over the table and climbed onto David’s lap. “When did you realize?”

David fidgeted with the shaker of parmesan cheese on the table. “I’m very good at convincing myself that I’m not feeling things, so it’s difficult to say. But when you told me you’d get the grant money, I definitely felt something.”

The way he said it made Patrick sit up a little straighter. “Felt what?”

“Nothing I’m going to tell you about in public,” David said with a sexy smirk.

*

“Nice to, ahh, meet you,” Patrick said, quickly letting go of David’s hand. He shook his head, trying to figure out why he suddenly smelled pizza and was imagining a sexually charged conversation with this man.

“You too,” David said, looking as shaken as Patrick felt.

“So, I got your messages,” Patrick said, trying to regain some control of this meeting. “And I listened to all of them.”

“Oh,” David said, and now he kind of looked queasy. “Sorry about that, I was—”

“Based on what you told me, you’ve got a good business model, David. Good enough that I wanted to come down here and see it for myself.” He looked around, finally taking in the interior of the store. It was clear that David was still setting things up, but it looked good. Patrick didn’t use words like aesthetic or, as David had said in one of his many messages, ‘branded immersive experience,’ but he could definitely see that David had an artistic vision for the place. “And if start up money is the issue, then I have some ideas for how you could get that.”

Now David looked very interested. “How?”

“There are grants you can apply for when you’re supporting local businesses. But I’ll need to know a few more details about your business model to make sure you qualify for them. Do you have time to go over it with me?”

David was eyeing him. “You don’t know me, and I’m pretty sure the messages I left you made me sound insane. Why are you so willing to help me?”

Patrick shrugged. “Just an instinct, I guess. Also I do expect you to pay me for my time.”

“Of course.” David went over to the counter where Patrick assumed the cash register would be set up. “I’ve been putting all the vendor information in here,” he said, pulling out a binder. “And also I have a file that another consultant put together for me. To be honest, I don’t understand all of it.”

“That’s no problem. I’m sure I can help with that,” Patrick said, noticing David’s hands as they curled around the binder, the way he had dark hair on the backs of them.

“I don’t have anywhere comfortable to sit, really,” David said. “Do you want to go get a coffee at the café? We can look through everything there.”

Patrick smiled, feeling a little bit giddy for some reason. “Sure. Coffee sounds great.”

The coffee wasn’t great, but they spent a productive hour going through everything in David’s files and discussing his plans for the business. Patrick thought his first instinct had been correct. David had a good plan and with a little more money, he’d be in good shape to succeed. Patrick neatly stacked Ray’s summary and put it back in the folder. “You definitely qualify for the grants, David. I’ll get the paperwork started right away.”

“And do you think if I don’t get the grants that my business is going to fail?”

“Oh, I’m gonna get the money,” Patrick said, holding the folder out for David to take. David reached for it, and their fingers brushed.

*

“So…” Fingers trailed up and down on Patrick’s bare arm, raising goose bumps. “Did it live up to your expectations?”

Patrick felt like laughing, because there was so much joy inside him that he didn’t know how else to let it out, so he did. He laughed. “Wasn’t it obvious?” His voice was raspy, and he was pretty sure the noises he’d been making should have left no doubt with David whether it lived up to his expectations. He hoped Stevie’s neighbors weren’t home.

“Maybe, but I want you to tell me.” David lowered his head, pressing his face against Patrick’s shoulder. “I guess I’m needy.”

“And fishing for praise,” Patrick said, but he didn’t mind, really. “So are you asking if sex with you lived up to my expectations? Or gay sex in general?”

“Are those different answers?” David asked, and Patrick had to stop him from looking so apprehensive with a kiss.

“It was amazing, David,” he whispered into the space between their mouths when they parted. “Nothing has ever made me feel as good as you make me feel.”

David hummed in the back of his throat. “That’s too nice a thing to say.”

Patrick reached up and stroked David’s stubbly cheek. “It’s true.”

*

Patrick shivered as David tucked the folder away in his bag, grateful that the table was hiding the fact that his body had started to respond to David. A brief touch of his hand, Patrick thought hazily, and suddenly he’s having sexual fantasies about the guy. What the hell was happening to him?

“I should get back to the store,” David said.

“Okay, I’ll be in touch as soon as I hear about the grants. Shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks. You’ve got my number, in case you need to reach me.” He felt the urge to flirt, just a little bit, so he added. “And if I don’t pick up you can just… leave a message,” he said, the last part coming out in a huskier timbre.

David nodded at him, his mouth doing a weird thing. “Thanks, Patrick.”

~*~

“He got the grants,” David said as he burst through the door to the motel office. “Patrick got the grants for the store.”

“That’s great news, David,” Stevie said, dragging her eyes away from her solitaire game on the motel computer. “Did he come by?”

“He texted me just now, but he said he’d drive over tomorrow with the paperwork. Why?”

She shook her head. “Just curious.”

“I’m worried about him coming by, to be honest.” David started pacing back and forth in front of the desk, his face tilted up toward the ceiling.

“Why?”

“Because we spent maybe a sum total of an hour together the day we met, and my mind was already creating some… elaborate fantasies about the two of us. It was bizarre and disconcerting.”

“Fantasies?” Stevie asked with a filthy leer.

“Not that. Well, okay, that, but also dating and… post-coital snuggling.” He grimaced as if he smelled something bad. “That’s not normal.”

“So you’re just really into Patrick,” Stevie said, keeping her voice even.

“I barely know him. Also, I don’t know what his preferences are. Also, he dresses like a guy who works all day in a cubicle. Also, I barely know him.”

“You’ve never been attracted to someone you barely know?”

David threw his hands up. “This was different from just being attracted to someone.” His phone buzzed, and David looked at it and his face broke out in a wide smile.

“Oh my god, you’ve got it so bad.”

“Fuck off, Stevie.”

~*~

“This is… not a small amount of money,” David said, signing and initialing everywhere on the government forms that Patrick told him to.

“I know, it’s good, right?” Patrick shot him a happy smile, and David suddenly wanted to think of more things to say that would make him smile like that. “You’ve probably got enough capital that you can hire some help.”

“Oh. Yeah.” David hadn’t thought he could hire help right away, but he’d figured he would eventually. “My sister Alexis knows some teens who are probably looking for work and could be trained to run the POS system.” Which reminded him, he really needed to get that set up. Which meant he needed to figure out why the internet wasn’t working.

“I was thinking of someone more specific.” Patrick cleared his throat. “Like myself. A business manager.”

David’s mouth dropped open. “You want to work here?”

Patrick jammed his hands deep in his pockets. “I don’t really have enough freelance work in Elmdale to pay the bills. And I think you’ve really got something here, David. I’d like to be part of it, if you’ll let me.”

The idea of Patrick being around every day made David’s heart hammer in his chest. Also the idea that someone would be able to help with all of the business stuff made him so relieved that he came over a bit light-headed.

“Well then, you’re hired,” David said. “Even though I personally think you’re making a very rash decision.”

Patrick shrugged. “I probably am. But something is telling me that I’m making the right call here.”

They were just grinning at each other now, and David groped for something to break the tension. “I’m just gonna go get a coffee,” he said, gesturing with his thumb at the café, “and then I guess we should discuss… details?”

“Sure. Would you get me a tea?” Patrick asked.

David nodded. “I will get you a tea.”

“Great,” Patrick replied, smiling that smile again and holding out his hand for David to shake. “I’m looking forward to working with you, David.”

David took Patrick’s hand.

*

“I know, I know, that took forever, sorry,” David said as he pushed through the door with Patrick’s tea. “There was a whole thing going on over at the café.”

“That’s okay,” Patrick said, accepting the cup and grinning at him. “What was going on over at the café?”

He tried to think of a flippant way to say it, but he was too full of happiness and love to even pretend to be cynical. “Ted and Alexis just got back together very publicly. It was a scene to rival any romcom.”

“Wow,” Patrick said. “That’s a strong statement coming from you.”

“Okay, maybe not Notting Hill. But almost any romcom.”

“Should I have waited and told you I love you in front of a room full of people?” Patrick asked over the lip of his cup.

“No — I like those things in theory, not in practice,” David said. “I’ll make a single exception for my sister. And for you singing to me on very rare occasions.”

Patrick set his tea down and put his hands on David’s hips, swaying into his personal space. “So a few exceptions, then.”

David leaned down and pressed his forehead against Patrick’s. “Will you say it again?”

“If you will.”

“You may not be able to stop me from saying it now,” David said, tears close to the surface. “I love you.”

“I love you, David.”

*

The thing with his juice just wasn’t fair.

They were opening in three days, and David did not have time to think about what Patrick’s neck looked like when he was drinking David’s juice, his throat working, all that pale, vulnerable skin on display above the collar of his shirt.

At least he could now manage to touch Patrick’s hand without his brain being flooded with fantasies of a relationship they might have. Which was good, because when they worked together to pot all of the plants that were on display in the front window, their hands had met a few times, and at the rate David’s brain had been going, he’d soon be envisioning them with a house and a white picket fence and 2.5 children. Which, ew. Fortunately, he was starting to get some semblance of control of himself around Patrick, or at least he had been until Patrick stole his juice and told him he had a sloppy mouth.

I’ll show you what I can do with my sloppy mouth, David thought.

“Hey, David, where do you want to display these wooden whistles?” Patrick was emerging from the storeroom with a box.

David made a face and shook himself out of his reverie. “Oh, I forgot about those. Unfortunately they were a package deal with the other wood carving that Mr. Cooper does.”

“Don’t write them off so quickly. People love buying rustic looking toys like these for children.”

David tilted his head to one side, considering. Patrick had a point. “Okay, then let’s put them on a low shelf, I guess? Where a child might see them?” Not that he wanted children in his store, but he figured he’d have to tolerate it on occasion.

“Good idea.” Patrick made his way over to one of the shelves. “Maybe we can move these bath bombs higher?”

“Okay.” David walked over, indicating another shelf that wasn’t yet full. “How about here?”

“Sure,” Patrick said, crouching down. It gave David a perfect vantage point on his stocky, muscular thighs, and he took a second just to stare before he had to focus on reshelving the bath bombs.

~*~

It didn’t take too much asking around town on Patrick’s part to learn that Rattlesnake Point was a nice hike. He had so much nervous energy about the store opening soon and about David that he felt like was about to crawl out of his own skin, and a hike seemed just the thing to settle his nerves. And at first, as he reached a gorgeous overlook and surveyed the vista below, he thought he’d been exactly correct to come here. He looked out over the town, thinking about how quickly David and the store had become the most important things in his life, and how badly he didn’t want to lose either of them.

He also thought that if he hadn’t figured out he was gay before, his feelings about David Rose would have left him with absolutely no doubts.

Everything looked so beautiful from up here, he thought, inhaling the fresh air. There were hawks wheeling in the too-blue sky overhead, the leaves of the trees rustling in a steady breeze, and for just a moment, that rustle seemed deafening. Patrick blinked and turned around, and suddenly this clearing seemed entirely, fundamentally familiar. There were flickers at the periphery of his vision, motion of people moving around, but when he turned to look, there was no one there. Just a memory (that wasn’t a memory) of black hair and black clothes and the scent of champagne on the wind.

*

“You taste like brie,” Patrick said, giggling and kissing David anyway.

“We’re eating cheese; what am I supposed to taste like?” David said. The rock they were sitting on was uncomfortable against Patrick’s backside through the thin picnic blanket and his foot was still sore but he didn’t care. He’d sit here forever if it meant he could keep living in this moment.

Patrick didn’t answer, opening his mouth wider and pushing his tongue into David’s mouth while he tightened his fingers on his plastic cup of champagne, trying not to spill it.

“You really want to marry me?” David asked. “Me and my sloppy mouth?”

Patrick looked at David, seeing through the attempt at a joke that was really a desperate request for reassurance. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, David Rose, and I want to stand up in front of our friends and family and make a vow that I will. That’s what I want.”

David started to cry again, and he pressed more kisses against Patrick’s lips, and Patrick’s happiness was so huge that he feared it might lift him up and carry him off the side of the mountain.

*

“How was your hike the other day?” Twyla asked when Patrick stopped in early at the café for a tea. It was the day they were opening the store, and he’d hardly slept a wink the night before.

“Oh,” he said, distracted by an older couple at one of the tables. The woman seemed like she was watching him but trying not to be obvious about it. “I don’t know, it was weird up there.”

Twyla put the lid on his to-go cup and slid it over to him. “Weird how?”

He chuckled. “I can’t really describe it. It was like… like déjà vu, I guess? And a little bit like being very mildly high?”

Twyla just smiled at him, unperturbed. “That’s this town. The windows to other dimensions can really make you feel loopy sometimes.”

“Ah, I see,” Patrick said, even though of course he didn’t see.

“It happens to me all the time,” Twyla went on, oblivious to his confusion. “I think other lives you’ve led, or are leading… parallel lives, I mean, I think they leave impressions that you can pick up if you’re in the right frame of mind. Especially in places that are important. Maybe Rattlesnake Point is particularly meaningful for you for some reason?”

He blinked at her, fumbling for his wallet to pay for his tea. “I don’t think so.”

Twyla took his money, shrugging. “Maybe in another life, it is.”

~*~

“Well, this was a success.” David said.

Patrick nodded, looking around at the store in the dim light. “Yeah, I’d say so. I mean, we’d be twenty-five percent richer if we’d just done a hard launch, but hey, I’m just the numbers guy.”

“Hmm. But if we hadn’t done a soft launch, we never would have lured in all those people.”

“Mm. I think the best thing is that we never have to talk about it again because we’re officially open,” Patrick said, setting his cup of wine down and holding his hands out.

“That’s true,” David said, looking around at the store and not at Patrick.

“Congratulations, man,” Patrick said, opening his arms wider. It felt like a moment when you would hug someone, right? Even business partners might hug after a successful launch of their business.

“Congratulations to you,” David said, meeting him for the embrace. One of Patrick’s arms was over David’s shoulder and one was around his middle, and he patted David on the back the way that men do. Men who definitely haven’t been imagining what a romantic partnership together might be like.

David’s hand stroked up and down over his shoulder and it felt really, really nice, and the hug was probably going on too long now but Patrick couldn’t bring himself to pull away. He felt the stubble of David’s chin against the side of his face and god, if this was what hugging David was like, anything else might kill him.

*

“I think my mother is drunk,” Patrick said, hands splayed across the back of David’s tuxedo as they swayed to the music. The fact that Patrick knew exactly which Mariah album this ballad was from was possibly one of the most powerful demonstrations of his love for the man he’d just married.

“Drunk is a strong word, but she’s definitely had more than her usual one glass of wine,” David said, and Patrick could feel his cheek move in a smile. “It’s cute. She’s hugged me three times.”

“She loves you,” Patrick said.

“She’s my mother-in-law,” David said as if the idea was only just now occurring to him. “Moira Rose is your mother-in-law.”

Laughing, Patrick pressed a brief kiss against David’s neck. “I know, David. That’s a natural consequence of me being your husband.”

David shivered. “Say that again,” he said, holding him tighter. “Never stop saying it.”

*

“David,” Patrick said, finally pulling back from the hug, his head swimming with everything the two of them had accomplished in just a few weeks working on the store together, and of how good it felt to be in David’s arms. His head swimming with these glimpses he kept getting of what a life with this man could be like. “Do you ever feel like… like we’ve known each other a lot longer than we actually have?”

David’s lips pressed together. The warm lights caught a hint of tears in his eyes before David managed to banish them with some rapid blinking. “A past life, perhaps,” David said.

“Can’t say I believe in reincarnation, but… yeah. Something like that. I just… I feel like I know you. Like I was…” Patrick chuckled nervously. “Like I was destined to be here. With you.”

Something seemed to break inside David in that moment. “Patrick, I feel like if I don’t kiss you right now I might literally die, so can you tell me if that’s entirely the wrong impulse? Because I think at this point probably all I can wish for is a swift death.”

Patrick lost feeling in his extremities. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart. “It’s not the wrong impulse,” he managed to say, and then David’s hand was on his neck and David’s mouth was on his and he thought David had it all wrong. This is what would kill them. This kiss was what felt like dying.

“Definitely the right impulse,” Patrick gasped when their lips parted.

David grinned, a wide grin he almost never allowed to break out on his face, and kissed him again.

~*~

Two women paused on the street as they left the café, looking through the windows into Rose Apothecary.

“Does that mean everything’s fixed?” Twyla asked, smiling at David and Patrick in each other’s arms. She liked seeing people in love. It made her feel like the world was a fundamentally good place, if people could fall in love with each other like that in the midst of everything the world was capable of throwing at them.

Gwen pulled her sweater close around her, the summer night unseasonably chilly. “In this tiny piece of the universe, yes. But it’s a big, wide world out there, and a lot of things are still bad. Most things, in fact.”

Twyla looked at her with concern. “So what do we do about all those bad things?”

“We share our homes and our meals where we can. We work hard. We play games. We sing songs.” Gwen shrugged. “What else can we do?”

“In other words, we love one another,” Twyla said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

“Exactly so, Twyla,” Gwen said, giving her a squeeze on the arm before heading off into the night. “Exactly so.”

THE END

[chibivesicle]

Golden Kamuy chapters 218 & 219.  Everything is wrong in regards to panning for gold.

Chapter 218 starts off with the man that Sugimoto saved from the bear.  Which really as soon as he mentioned the scrape on his forehead was a recent injury (and no obvious signs of being chewed on by a freakkin’ bear) I’m going to go with the fact that there is no bear.  Or that this man IS the bear. Why?  Based on what he thinks about Sugimoto.  That Sugimoto is so nice!

You know who thinks Sugimoto is nice?  Criminals!  Henmei and the con artist Suzukawa.  Anyone who thinks Sugimoto is nice is almost always a dangerous person.  His brother apparently catches up to him and we learn his name is Heita (who really has to be a dangerous person).

Shiraishi then asks if he’s a gold prospector due to his fancy boots and Sugimoto then smiles awkwardly as he admits his poor experience searching for gold himself.  The older brother Taka is immediately suspicious as he looks at Sugimoto and Shiraishi, while Heita is just more interested in their plans.

I’m sorry Heita but your facial expression this panel really is making me nervous and Sugimoto is terrible at reading creepy and dangerous people in situations like these where he either saves or protects them.

Heita declares that there is still plenty of gold dust to be found while an younger brother? and his older brother are suspicious, since they do have 2 rifles, bayonets, the fact that Vasily also carries a pistol and Asirpa has arrows and knives.  The putative father points out that robbers wouldn’t save them.

The next page reveals a very attractive woman who has come out to inquire about their unique looking group.  She looks like she could be a seductive woman and she remarks on Vasily as a foreigner and Shiraishi winks at her to define them as comrades while Sugimoto annoyed decides to define them as a rabble in english.

I would take this to mean that Shiraishi’s using a more positive spin on their group while Sugimoto is distancing himself from Vasily.  The longer they travel with Vasily, I can’t help but think Sugimoto will see him more and more like Ogata.  Silent and observing them. Taka then angrily tells Noriko to head back to their tent and she seems annoyed by his order.

There are a few pages of gold prospecting 101 from Heita to Sugimoto and Shiraishi.  They try to do things while Asirpa just stays behind on shore giving minimal support by heating water so they can try to work in the freezing cold water.  Heita and his family are using a more effective way to look for gold and it seems that perhaps due to their friendship with Asirpa, Sugimoto and Shiraishi may not ever have a shot at finding gold since as an Ainu, she believes this is one of the mistakes people made polluting the river. I think it is a bit of a karmic reminder that they know enough information now, to realize they shouldn’t be doing this and if they do it - it won’t work out for them b/c they are friends with Asirpa and Shiraishi has even had the Kiro’s tour of Karafuto to explain the rights of the native peoples of the east/north.

And Shiraishi even knows this as he declares it just isn’t going to work for them.

Again, Shiraishi is the voice of reason.  Just follow through on things Shiraishi, you are getting there!

Just as Sugimoto is about to give up as well, Heita tells them about gold that is mixed with platinum, and his family seems uncomfortable with him telling them so many points that they must have been keeping secret from others.

The next few pages are more description of the rising interest in platinum metals from miners and the value is increasing.  It can be used in fountain pens which were become more popular in Japan and now they didn’t need to import it from elsewhere to make the pens.  Therefore, Heita says there will be a second “gold” rush in Hokkaido. 

Even though he’s factually correct, I would not trust to work with this man!  He looks like a smaller version of Usami with those eyes. 

Shiraishi and Sugimoto are awestruck and in shock as they look on with sparkle in their eyes as they then firmly hold each others hands and Asirpa looks on from behind them.  They don’t even look at each other when they do this, they just instinctively hold hands.

After this Heita notices the bear again.  The rest of his family can’t see it and no one else can see it either.  Just looking at his facial expression and the creepy font for his statement about the bear getting closer (a likely hallucination) he’s creepy and suspicious as all hell.  Furthermore, he says that the bear is the wen kamuy.  And Asirpa upon hearing that notices the carved bear case on his belt.

Thanks Noda, I now know who the wen kamuy is - it is Heita. 

Sugimoto and Asirpa go to check out where it was spotted.  Yet they don’t find any signs of a bear.  Asirpa clearly states that there is no sign of a bear yet Sugimoto does not believe it.  He fully believes Heita, just like he believed Henmei and Suzukawa (as an Ainu elder).

Then Sugimoto tries to kind of apologize to her by disagreeing with her read on the NO bear status by referring to the white bear a sign that the Mountain gods are angry.  Really Sugimoto?  This is a half-assed attempt to connect with Asirpa’s own belief system.  Yet she just pauses before she states that she wonders . . . The chapter ends with the older father being chewed on by the “bear”.

219 then starts off with Vasily sketching a wren.  For a character who I think is a snow leopard, he does seem to have a cat like tendency to patiently stare at a bird. Asirpa seems to becoming more comfortable with him.  I feel like this is Ogata 2.0, she has a reason to talk to him about a bird.  This also shows that Asirpa is still a non-judgemental person and she really does seem to try to approach others in a neutral fashion despite the fact that Vasily shot Shiraishi in the leg.  This is really Ogata 2.0 since she approached Ogata even though he had fought with Sugimoto with a clear intent to cause harm.

To add to the fact to my now official “I am the Wen Kamuy” Heita hypothesis, she remarks that the wren, Cakcak Kamuy should call indicating there the the bear is.  The lack of its call means there is no bear near by.  The last panel shows a super creepy looking Heita and he’s gotta be the Wen Kamuy.  He explains more prospecting tools and terms to Sugimoto and Shiraishi and then he appears to be almost magical as he tells them where they should look for platinum.  Sugimoto and Shiraishi are obsessed with him and ready to do whatever he says.  He gets them when he agrees to split the money between them equally and they would rather do this than kill the Wen Kamuy.  Asirpa then strongly interjects that gold panning polluted the rivers and everyone lost their focus on hunting.

She tries really hard to convince them otherwise, and they completely ignore her (and her uncle’s words that Sugimoto was already told once before) and they beg Heita to help them, Master Heita even as they bow. Asirpa then inquires about his Ainu tobacco case with the bear on it.  Heita says he worked with some Ainu and they got along well so they gave it to him as a gift.  She replies that it explains why he knew the term Wen Kamuy (and this must also imply that most Japanese in Hokkaido are not familiar with the term).

Sugimoto then tells Heita that they know about the Wen Kamuy and that it has attacked people along the river and then Shiraishi tries to re-assure him that it will be okay b/c Asirpa is their bear hunting specialist to help him relax and help them find the gold.

Asirpa tries to get information from him about the bear’s behaviour and he with the creepiest expression ever - white eyes, Usami shaped says that it has been going on for years and years - implying that this cannot be a single bear that has become a Wen Kamuy.

I assume that he also mumbled this a little since Asirpa turns around in shock as she says “What?” while Shiraishi is encouraging Sugimoto to do his best with him together.  As Asirpa looks back at Heita, his head is awkwardly turned to the side, his eyes a shut as he smiles in a scary fashion and his mouth is completely black.  A few pages before when Heita was speaking you could see his teeth and his mouth was a light grey.  But now, it is totally black which CANNOT be a good sign.  He’s no longer human with that facial expression.

The action then shifts to Vasily drawing by himself.  Noriko asks him to come with her to draw her in their hut.  To give context to her as a character, here are a few tweets form Sei Kobiyama describing the context of her type of character.

The story arc is a combination of Showa pulp fiction and horror stories explaining the creepy factor.  Noriko is also a draw like a typical dangerous and seductive woman looking to do something bad, I’m guessing likely towards a male target.

That immediately comes out as she strips down to pose in the nude for Vasily.  Based on his furious sketching he seems to have found it very inspiring.  However, she catches something out of the corner of her eye and she freaks out!

Some sort of object that she was trying to get rid of is back and at that moment Taka comes to interrupt them and does some major shaming of her behavior.  She seems tired of waiting for Taka and he tries to explain to her to wait a little while longer, it is clear that she’s lonely as they try to find the gold.  The next page then reveals Heita up in a tree watching them kiss as he licks his own lips and then climbs down the tree face first and leaps off like a flying squirrel.  Noda really wants to make it clear that Heita is not okay.  I get it. Thanks. Sugimoto and Shiraishi are trying to pan for gold when they realize that Heita is missing and they panic that something bad may happen to him.  They tell Asirpa to keep an eye on him as the bear expert.  She replies to them if there really even is a bear around. 

But either way, she does take their suggestion to go look around.  Meanwhile, Taka tells Vasily that Noriko is playing a trick on him by taking his binoculars and placing them over on a mushroom growing off of a tree.

Vasily being the sniper that he is, immediately goes to retrieve his precious binoculars.  It is clear that Taka is leading him into a trap, an amappo specifically set up by some local Ainu.

Thankfully, Asirpa manages to save him and points out the signs for others to observe the presence of a trap.

After she speaks Taka appears in the background watching them as it is clear that he sent Vasily there on purpose.  Vasily nods, so hopefully this is showing that he can understand a tiny amount of Japanese.  She then has a full monologue to Vasily about how she’s been trying to find evidence for the bear that Heita has seen. She went as far as looking beyond the described range, found all of the local bears that are all in hibernation so she knows that he’s outright lying.  Since Shiraishi and Sugimoto won’t listen to her - she tells Vasily who can’t even talk back towards her currently.

The big question is now, why is he lying?  Besides the obvious fact that he is a killer based on the Sugimoto is nice rule.

Sugimoto and Shiraishi notice a bear off in the distance and go to find Asirpa.  They caught a glimpse of its butt.  Bear bum spotted. The final page then shows a bear claw around the Father and youngest son, buried in the snow and a final scene of Heita screaming in total shock/fury/I don’t even know what else.

I would guess the bear claw is actually Heita’s foot via “Heita vision”.  The editor’s tag line of “I came, I saw, I devoured” instead of conquered makes me think Heita is the bear and a cannibal.  So where does all of this action in 218 and 219 leave us? First off this is a creepy horror story arc.  People driven by greed to pan for gold in the rivers, out for themselves, not trusting others and wanting to keep others from robbing/killing/stealing from them. Heita is clearly a killer - a Wen Kamuy human.  Shiraishi almost gets the idea that panning for gold is a bad idea, but he gives into Heita’s sales pitch.  Sugimoto and Shiraishi keep ignoring Asirpa and her observations.  I’m obviously biased, but Asirpa is getting a bit of the Ogata treatment/repeat of how Sugimoto ignored her during the Silent Kotan arc.  He should know by now that her observational skills are vastly superior to his.  I’m hoping Vasily will be a stand in for Ogata and he will help out in their battle against Heita and even Taka and his binoculars may be important to that. Sugimoto and Shiraishi are going to freak out when the horror reveal happens. It would be interesting if Asirpa is forced to fight against Heita.  What if she has to kill him out of necessity?  That would be a cool plot point where Asirpa takes down the human Wen Kamuy.  This would be a philosophically interesting point.

The other major theme is how Japanese people are exploiting the Ainu land and this is a bad idea.  I’m sure Heita did not get that Ainu tobacco case through friendly means.  Or, the Ainu gave it to him to warn other Ainu that this man is the Wen Kamuy.  That would be a totally awesome plot point as well! Just based on the fact that Sugimoto is still not quite getting Asirpa’s background shows that this will likely reveal something deeper between them in regards to Wen Kamuy, different cultures and how to really respect each other. Overall, these types of arcs in Golden Kamuy aren’t my favorite, but they are frequently tied to colonialism and the abuse of the natives as this has overlap with; the bear monster arc with the American, boss and princess; the Silent Kotan arc; how Japanese fisherman were over fishing and Henmei was hiding among them and the central theme of wanting the gold. 

[ancientbooshartifacts]

Pantomime

Author: BeansidheBaby

Year: 2008

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Howince

It was easy to forget that Vince had been raised in the forest these days. He never stopped to speak to animals any more, or told stories about Bryan Ferry and his childhood adventures. He had lost the slightly naïve wonder he used to regard the whole world with. Now he smirked and swaggered (well, minced really) with an arrogant grace, that was completely divorced from the awkwardly gangly teenager Howard had lured away from the vacuum that was state education with promises of adventure and millet rotas. Howard was shocked then, to discover that Vince had never heard of Cinderella. Later he realised that there was no logical way that he would have known. Leopards are not known for their knowledge of the collected works of the Grimm's Brothers and Bryan was more the lullaby than the bed time story type. “Howard,” Vince bounded up excitedly “What?” Howard muttered barely looking up from his copy of Global Explorer “Can we see this?” he held up a poster, “It looks well trendy. It's about a girl who gets made a princess because she had great shoes. Imagine that!” Howard looked more carefully at the poster. “Vince, this is for the panto. It's for kids,” he said flatly, “Besides you already know what happens in the end, so what's the point paying twenty quid to see some sad collection out of work soap actors and and has-been pop stars torture us with two hours of double entendres and dodgy slapstick?” “Why, what happens? Does she win X-factor?” Vince asked with sincerity shining from his eyes. Howard eyed him suspiciously. “Are you trying to say that you never heard the story of Cinderella?” he asked incredulously, “You know the words to every Gary Numan song ever written and you don't know what happens at the end of Cinderella?” “Yeah,” said Vince churlishly, “So are we going or what?” “I'll book the tickets,” Howard sighed. He had forgotten how loud it was. Even as a child he had found it all very unnecessary and tedious. It was worth it though, to see Vince staring at the play wide-eyed, whooping for the good guys and hissing at the bad guys. Howard had been ready to tackle any and all questions about girls playing boys and middle aged men playing old women, with historical background notes on the theatre prepared in bullet points, but Vince had taken it all in his stride. Typical. At the moment he was admiring the actress who played Button's tight knee length trousers. “Those are genius! Do you think that the Victorian butler look could be coming back?” he asked in Howard's general direction. Howard chose to see this as a rhetorical question, as Vince would hardly ask him his opinion on fashion trends in dead earnest. During the interval, Vince bought a bag of liquorish all sorts “to share” (translation: he ate them and picked out the plain black ones for Howard) “Thanks for taking me Howard,” he said with his cheeks full of sweets, looking more childlike than he had in years. His free hand rested on Howard's armrest, his long fingers plucking at the worn nap of the velvet. The lights dimmed and the curtains reopened. The second act was beginning. Vince impulsively grabbed Howard's hand and rested his head on his friend's shoulder. Ooh that's low, thought Howard, wait until I can't make a fuss. It didn't actually bother him very much really. But it did worry him that it didn't. He nervously reached out an arm and placed it self consciously around Vince.

Vince was quieter during the second act, not heckling the dumber heckers any more or throwing all-sorts at the people in the stacks. He just sat slumped against Howard's shoulder and fiddling with a loose thread on his sleeve. Howard sat as stiff as a board with his arm mechanically around his friend's waist, trying so hard to be nonchalant. Vince shifted and his cheek came into contact with Howard's neck. Howard flinched slightly, but tightened his grip on Vince. He spent the rest of the performance focusing solely on Vince's hot breath against his throat. When the curtain finally fell after three curtain calls (three too many, thought Howard) they rose to their feet awkwardly. Howard shifted away from Vince and looked steadfastly at the ground but, made no move to take his arm away. They walked towards the exit holding on to each other loosely but closely, bumping hips and legs together occasionally. I missed this, Howard realised abruptly. Doing stupid things with Vince that neither of them would ever normally do. Vince touching him. He told Vince not to touch him so man times that apparently he'd stopped trying. “What I don't understand is,” Vince said tiredly, “why did Cinderella marry the prince?” “Fitted the shoe. If the shoe fits, wear it,” Howard replied “No, I mean why did she want to marry him not how did she manage it. And I'm not even going to go into how unlikely it is that one person would have a different shoe size to everyone else in the country and still be able to find fab shoes” “Why wouldn't she marry him? He's the prince. That's how stories go” “But what about Buttons?” Vince insisted. How did bloody chocolate come into it? “Buttons loved her and she liked him better than anyone else she knew. Why does she drop him?” Oh that Buttons. “Button's being in love with Cinderella is supposed to be a joke. She didn't see him like that even as a possibility,” Honestly a footman who was a very ineffectively disguised girl over the heir to the thrown? “That's bullshit,” said Vince vehemently, “No one falls in love with people they hook up with at parties. You wake up, you find your clothes, you go home and never call them and they never call you. Those are the rules!” “You're absolutely right Vince. We should write a letter to Disney immediately and tell them that they're perpetuating a falsehood about the 'rules' as regards classic fairy tales,” Howard said with a sarcastic wave of his hand “Don't get shirty with me. I'd rather marry my best mate who loved me rather than some pouf that fancied me for my shoes!” Vince snapped back “Stories aren't supposed to be realistic, Vince. It's supposed to be an escape,” Howard said quietly “Haven't they seen 'When Harry Met Sally'?” Vince was patently sulking now. Howard sighed and pulled him closer and ruffled his hair. “Here don't get upset, little man. It's only a story, yeah?” “Yeah,” Vince muttered against Howard's coat. It was only forty five minutes later, when they were home and Howard was folding his clothes for the next day onto the end of his bed, that he remembered exactly what Vince had said. I'd marry my best mate who loved me rather than some pouf who fancied me for my shoes He put his shirt down carefully and sat down on the bed. Had Vince meant that literally or was he talking about some hypothetical best mate that he'd marry. Who he'd marry?! Howard decided suddenly that he didn't care if he looked like a fool and Vince teased him about this for a year. He walked towards the door quickly, gaining speed as he made his way to Vince's room. He burst into the room and just as suddenly realised exactly how embarrassing this would be if he'd gotten it wrong. And how stupid it looks to burst into a room sheepishly. Vince was semi undressed and sitting on his bed. “Took you long enough. I thought you were supposed to be the clever one?” he said casually but with a delicate tremor in his voice that was only just noticeable. “So what now?” he asked plucking at his shirt in a way that was equal parts sultry and nervous fiddling. “Vince I-” Howard coughed and blushed before looking up, “I think traditionally I would produce a white charger from somewhere and we'd ride off into the sunset” “Nah, that's princes you're thinking of,” smiled Vince, “you're my narky little butler who adores me from afar and then gives me up the second a jazzy village wench walks by” “So what now?” Howard echoed Vince's earlier question, feeling slightly hurt by the reference to his birthday party. Vince sashayed across the room until he was a foot away from Howard. He then shuffled closer until they were nose to nose (nose to chin to be completely accurate). He stood up onto his tippy toes and looked into his friend's eyes before pressing a gentle kiss against the corner of his mouth. “Vince-” Vince shushed him and laced their fingers together before resting their foreheads together. “Do you know what friends with benefits are Howard?” Oh shit, thought Howard. Vince continued without asking for an answer. “We've been sort of married without benefits for ten years now.” Hang on, what? “I want to be with you. Just you. And really with you. You know?” Was Vince actually nervous? Howard wrapped his arms around Vince and kissed him firmly. “Why me?” he asked incredulously. “Because you love me and I love you. That's usually a good reason,” Vince smirked cheekily. “I'm not. I've never,” Howard stammered, becoming increasingly aware of his friends erection pressing into his thigh. “Don't worry, I'll fix that.”

Howard shuffled anxiously while Vince's cocky grin flickered. “We don't have to do anything you don't like,” he said quietly, all traces of his earlier confidence gone. “I do want to have done it. It's just doing it makes me feel a bit funny,” Howard admitted. How did it work anyway? He knew only the theoretical aspects of how to do it with a girl, was it different with men? Obviously it was different but, how different? Did Vince want to bum him? He had somewhat mixed feelings about that and he had been sure that his feelings on being bummed had been clear and to the point yesterday. Not that he thought of it much. Hardly ever. It was scarcely his fault that Vince insisted on wearing those tight trousers that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Which unfortunately only made his imagination competitive. It was impossible to look at him and not wonder what being fucked by him would be like. It would be like going to a race track and ignoring the cars. Vince's face froze slightly. Howard realised his mistake. “Just take it slow. I'm new to all this,” he said sheepishly. This made Vince smile again, though more affectionately condescending than arrogantly this time. “Nice and slow,” he agreed and pulled Howard into a gut wrenchingly slow, sensuous kiss. Their lips slid across each other in a lazy fight for dominance. Howard captured Vince's tongue in his mouth and gave it an experimental suck. Vince groaned and muttered, “Oh Howard” into his mouth. Not with the intonation that those words usually received either, like he was a puppy that had shamed itself in the middle of the kitchen floor. No, this “Oh Howard” was a creature far removed from the “Oh Howard” of old. This “Oh Howard” was doing something very, very right. Emboldened by this success he nipped at his friend's lower lip and teased it between his teeth. That went down quite well, with Vince making a small noise in the back of his throat and pressing himself closer to Howard's body and pulling their hips together suddenly. They were both hard and straining against their flies. Howard yelped girlishly and jumped at the pressure causing Vince to break away and look up worriedly, “Too fast?” he asked nervously “No, no just right,” Howard said breathlessly. Vince flashed an impish grin before cupping the bulge in the taller man's trousers and squeezing. “Too much!” Howard squeaked. “Seriously?” Vince asked, “Sorry. Maybe we should lie down for a bit” “Ho ho, Vince. I'm not that bad,” snapped Howard. Vince waved his hands hurriedly “No, no. Look like this,” he said, grabbing Howard's hands and lay back on the bed, pulling Howard on top of him. He spread his legs and settled Howard between them before grinding upwards with his hips. He guided Howard's hand above their heads before wrapping his arms around his neck. “That good?” he asked sounding a bit winded. “Aren't I too heavy?” Howard asked concerned “Naw, I'm not made of glass. If Naboo can support a fully grown primate, I think you n' me'll manage.” Howard looked as though he was going to ask for an elaboration on what Vince had just said but, he soon forgot everything about tiny shamen and what they got up to on business trips with their familiars, when he felt Vince's sharp incisors against his jugular vein. It felt very nice and then very painful. For about ten seconds he was sure Vince actually was the vampire of Shoreditch and had seduced him so he could drink of his virgin's blood. Or something like that. And then he got used to the pain and wet suction and it was very, very nice again. Vince might be mistaken for a women with startling frequency, but from this position there was no denying that he was a man. His stubbly cheek was scraping the delicate skin on Howard's neck, there was a taut if spare manly musculature writhing underneath his body and if any doubt could still remain on the topic, the hard cock digging into his groin put it firmly to rest. Abandoning the neck, the thinner man kissed up the whiskery jaw and nibbled at a fleshy ear lobe. “We're going to have to lose the clothes, Howard. That bloody corduroy monstrosity is a mood killer if I ever saw one,” Vince muttered a wet explosion into the shell of Howard's ear. Without asking permission he instantly got to work on the practical belt buckle that was responsible for the restraint of said corduroys. “And the less said about the shirt the better,” he went on, his voice was shaking slightly from the effort of unfastening the buckle. Rather than throw a strop, Howard decided to concede this sartorial victory to Vince and started to unbutton his shirt, blunt fingers fumbling with the tiny buttons. Two warm little white hands batted his away impatiently and wrenched the garment off, sending the buttons flying in every direction. “I've wanted to do that for years,” Vince said with a voice husky with lust. Howard toyed with the idea of asking him if he meant destroy his shirt or ravage him but decided neither answer would be totally satisfying. It was better to retain some degree of mystery in a relationship. Vince wiggled out from underneath him and started undressing. There was no question of helping him. True love or not, no one manhandled Vince's wardrobe. Suddenly Vince was completely naked and Howard was down to his socks and underpants. Vince smiled at him ironically and went down on one knee taking one of Howard's feet in his hands. He hooked his fingers around the elastic and eased the sock down the foot , pausing to kiss the Achilles heel, the instep, the ankle. When the sock fell to the ground he gently sucked each of Howard's toes in turn like tiny fat phalluses. Howard was thinking in a small part of his mind that he was glad that he'd washed and cut his toenails recently. The rest of him was not thinking much at all. When Vince released the big toe with an audible pop, he kissed his way back up Howard's leg, rubbing his cheek against his inner thighs like a pet cat and licking and nipping gently upwards. Howard held onto his shoulders, more to ground himself than to try to control Vince, and whimpered. Vince's face was in the hallow where his thighs met and his breath was coming in warm gusts that Howard felt through his pants. There was a slim hand on his stomach with a dexterous thumb stroking above the top of his undergarments. No matter how he tried to angle hips, that thumb stayed where it was. “Please, Vince,” Howard begged pitifully “Please what?” asked Vince with faux innocence, “Tell me what you want” “Want you,” Howard gasped “I'm right here. Tell me what to do,” Vince stroked, stroked, stroked. Please there! “I don't know but do it soon, please!” Please, please, please. “Howard-” “Please touch me!” Oh god, that was embarrassing. Howard tried to look away, but couldn't escape Vince's smiling eyes. “As you wish,” he said and pulled off the underpants in one smooth motion, pausing only for Howard to raise his hips. He moved fluidly, taking the head of Howard's purpling cock in his mouth, pumping the shaft with one hand and cupping his testicles with the other. Howard watched the dark head bob between his legs with astonished fascination. Then, Vince looked up and the sight of his engorged penis slipping in and out of that familiar mouth was almost too much. “Stop, too much,” he gasped. Vince stopped and looked up. “Are you freaking out up there?” he asked, “Do you need to stop, stop?” “No, not that. I just don't want to, you know, not yet,” he looked away blushing. You would think that it would get easier to say these things to someone who had been moments ago sucking you off. Apparently not. “Alright,” said Vince hoisting himself up and slithering up Howard's torso like a snake or a professional slitherer. “Can I still kiss you, or is that weird after what I just did,” he asked two inches from Howard's face. Howard grabbed him by the back of his neck and tasted his own precome on those sweet lips. Salty, but not as bad as he thought it would taste. Vince smiled against his lips and opened his mouth hungrily. He began to rock and grind against Howard, who tentatively bucked back. They found a rhythm and ground against each other, erections digging into hips, lips on necks, ears, noses. Howard reached between their heaving bodies and grabbed their cocks together in his large hand. “Wank me off, Howard,” Vince whispered in his ear urgently. Cock against cock, they both fucked Howard's tight fist desperately. Howard felt a tell tale tingle in his lower belly spreading downwards rapidly. He let go of the cocks and gripped his friend's shoulders. “Vince, I'm going to- I'm, I'm,” overcome with sensation and modesty he hid his face in the crook of Vince's shoulder and bit down on the tendon. “I'm going to too,” Vince said and screwed up his face before they came moments apart. The electro boy collapsed bonelessly on top of his jazz maverick. “That was really good,” he said into the pillow. “Really? I mean I thought it was but you've had more-” Howard spluttered slightly hysterically “Howard,” Vince turned his face off of the pillow, “You were the best” “Don't mock me,” Howard scowled. “I mean it. And now I know you've been holding out on me, I'm never ever letting you go,” Vince snuggled closer limpet-like, hooking his legs around Howard's. “Do you really mean that? You're not toying with me?” “Well it was a bit of a lie,” Vince said thoughtfully, “I'd still never let you go even if you were rubbish and I had to teach you everything. Go to sleep.” “I would but I've got a disenfranchised princess on me,” Howard said and tickled Vince playfully. “Gerroff you northern idiot.” Vince squealed and rolled off and to the side of Howard, where he latched onto him again and hummed contentedly. They lay twined together sticky and naked until the next morning when a surprisingly nonchalant Naboo casually informed them that shops didn't open themselves and would they mind terribly to take a moment out of their busy schedule to do their bloody job before they were out on their ears. “Yes stepmother,” groaned Vince reluctantly detaching himself from his new lover.

[azaraspirit]

title? i dont have one lol

this started as a self indulged smut fic so i wasnt planning to write this much but i had a hard time stopping lol i may write a part two with more smut.

warnings: none its all fluff and smut. maybe a tiny bit of angst if you look hard enough

words: 2293

tagging: @keepingupwiththeparkers @mcuspidey @starksparker @fanboy-tom @spideypeach

*

Tonight was the last night you and Tom had together for the next three months as he was going to film yet another movie. You proud as hell of him but at the same time you wish he wasn’t leaving. It was selfish of you it felt like but he was your boyfriend after all. You were gonna miss him.

“Let’s make the most of this evening yeah darling?” Tom’s voice was husky and deep.

You were smelling the flowers Tom bought for you-a rather large bouquet of your favorites, filling your room with the sweet scent of lilies.

You turned around to face Tom who approached you. He laced your fingers with his, lightly pressing your foreheads together. “Gonna miss you, love.”

“Me too.” You tried not to cry.

“It’s gonna be busy as hell. Probably won’t be able to see you y/n till I get back...”

“It’s okay, Tommy.”

“Let me make this night rememberable yeah?”

Tom kissed you softly, making you moan. You wrapped your arms around him as his tongue played with yours. God you were gonna miss him.

You jumped onto his waist and he had no problem holding you. He carried you back to the bedroom, closing the door behind him with his foot. He never stopped kissing you the whole time, your lips already sore but you didn’t care.

Tom went from your lips to your jawline then to your neck, making sure to leave marks that will last.

“Tommy please…” you begged.

Tom smirked. “Tonight is all about you, love.” he said meeting your eyes again. “I’ll give you anything you want. All you have to his ask.”

Your fingers curled around his shirt and he understood. Tom slipped it off and you whimpered seeing his beautiful collar bone that were infatuated with for some reason.

“I want you. Nice and slow.”

Tom smirked. “My favorite.”

He kissed you again as he undressed you. By the time you both were nude you were soaked.

“Ready darling?”

You nodded. Tom lined himself up and gently pressed himself inside of you after slipping on a condom. He leaned over you, kissing your neck and lips as he began to thrust nice and slow just as you requested. Your drenched walls clenched around his manhood. He already found your clit and held his tip there in place.

“Gonna miss you love.” he murmured between peppered kisses on your neck.

“You’re so beautiful.”

You were seeing stars as you experienced your first but not the last orgasm of the night.

It didn’t take long for you to resemble a leopard with purple bruises left by Tom’s mouth.

He tended to your breasts, sucking and biting on your petals making your toes curl. Something told you neither of you were getting much sleep tonight.

Tom continued to praise you, saying how much he was gonna miss you and how he would think about you.

Tom paused as he hovered over you, panting. You were both sweaty and out of breath.

“I love you so much, darling.” Tom brushes his thumb over your cheek.

You blinked tears from your eyes as you smiled up at him. “I love you too, Tommy.”

He kissed you for knows how many times that night. “Maybe you can visit me yeah?”

You sniffed, nodding. You kissed his bicep. “I want to ride you.”

He smirked. “You sure?”

You nodded again. You switched positions as you were now sitting on Tom’s waist. He gripped yours as you began to move up and down on his dick. You moaned as your eyes were closed. This was absolutely one your favorite positions. You loved seeing him unravel underneath you. You leaned over as you thrust some more, Tom squeezing your breasts. You moaned out his name.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, y/n.”

You moaned in response, seeing stars. You paused, taking a breath but his dick still inside of you.

Tom admired you from below as he smiled. “Done yet?” he smirked.

“I don’t think so” you smirked back.

*

Taking a break, Tom leaned over and grabbed his phone.

“What are you doing?” you asked as you were still nude, the sheet poorly covering your body. “Taking a photo. Not gonna wanna forget this beautiful sight.”

“Thomas.” you scolded, covering yourself up. “You serious? What if someone finds your phone and sees them! Or what if you accidentally send them to someone?!”

Tom chuckled. “I won’t darling, trust me. Please?” He pouted his lip and gave you those puppy dog eyes that you couldn’t resist and he knew it.

You sighed. “Only if I get some of you.”

“Deal.”

You were out of your comfort zone as you posed nearly nude for Tom. He smiled and praised you as he clicked away. Your confidence build up just enough to fully remove the sheet. “Beautiful.” he said, taking a pic.

You giggled. “Okay this is kinda fun. But I swear to god Tom if Harrison or anyone sees these…”

“Darling relax. I’ll hide them in my phone. I promise.”

You sighed. “You better.” You held up your phone. “Now it’s my turn.”

Tom smirked. You lost count on how many racy photos you took of Tom. “Why do you have so many of my collar bone?”

he asked.

“Because it’s gorgeous.” you giggled.

“Hm okay?” He kissed your forehead, still not understanding. “It’s getting rather late, y/n. We should sleep a few hours at least.”

“I guess…” You put your phone away and turned to face him. “I’m really going to miss you, Tom especially after tonight.”

He smiled. “I know darling. But we can do it.” He pulled you close to his bare chest, covering you both with the sheet. “Shhh. Sleep now.”

*

You couldn’t stop crying as you got ready to head to the airport. Tom tried his best to calm you down but it was useless. It was three months. You wouldn’t see him for three months. He says you would visit but that was highly unlikely so you don’t get your hopes up. You loved that he was acting but sometimes but a damper on your relationship. Now your glad you took those pics of Tom last night because you were definitely going to use them later.

You and Tom held hands as you approached the private plane which you were grateful for. You couldn’t handle the paparazzi right now. You gave Jacob a big hug who was going with Tom. They shared their weird handshake. Jacob went inside as you and Tom were still just outside the stairwell. You kept it to yourself  that you jealous of Jacon going and not you. But you weren’t an actor. Just Tom’s girlfriend.

“Please don’t cry, love. I’ll be back before you know it.”

You sniffed. “If you stay any longer, your director will feel my wrath.”

Tom laughed. “I promise. Not a day passed the schedule.”

He caressed your face. You gazed in his gorgeous eyes, remembering that beautiful golden honey color that you fell in love with the moment you first met him.

“I love you so much, baby.” He spoke with such a gentle tone, almost like a lullaby.

“I love you too, Tommy.” you sniffed. You played with his curls. They would most likely be gone by the time he returned. You smiled. You loved them so much. You felt his soft skin and his collarbone that peeked out from his V-neck shirt. You wrapped your arms around him, smelling his cologne. He hugged you back, his hand on your head. You felt his lips press against your forehead. You two stood there just like that for what felt like hours.

You reluctantly pulled away. Tom looked up at the plane and you understood that it was time for him to leave. “Don’t fall in love with any costars while you’re gone.” you joked, knowing he wouldn’t.

“I’d only leave you for Jake Gyllanhal.” he teased that made you laugh.

“Well he is rather dreamy.”

Tom held your face in his hands again, foreheads pressed. “Gonna miss you so fucking much.” he murmured.

“Me too.”

He gently kissed you on the lips, fresh tears falling from your eyes as well as Tom. You pulled him closer to you. Heat spread all over your body as the kiss deepened. It lasted a lifetime before he pulled away.

“I have to go.” he said solemnly.

“Be safe. Get lots of sleep.”

“I will. I promise.”

He pecked you on the lips one more time before he headed for the plane. You felt cold when his hand departed your own. He looked at you one last time, the tears still streaming down his face as the stairs lifted and Tom disappeared. You waited there seeing the plane take off. You knew dating Tom wasn’t going to be easy but you went after him anyways. But you had no idea you would have loved this much. This hurt far more than you could have ever imagined. You missed him already and he just left. These next few months were going to be the hardest of your life.

It was a few days before Tom managed to call you. He sent you texts saying he landed safely.

“Hey, baby.” he greeted on the other end. You could imagine his smile. God you missed his voice. You were wet already. “Hey, Tommy.”

“You doing okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. I stole one of your hoodies.” You were currently cuddled on the couch wearing said hoodie, smelling it.

Tom scoffed. “I knew you would so I left you your favorite one.”

“Thank you, baby. How’s filming?”

“Awesome. I’m trying to get as much done as we can.”

“Tell me you’re getting your eight hours?” you chimed.

“Hmm more like six.”

“Tommy.” you sighed.

“I know, baby, I know. But we have a lot of late nights.”

“You promised.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll tell my director alright?”

“You better.”

“How’s Tess?”

“She misses you. She lays on your side of the bed.”

“You both like the way I smell.” Tom teased.

You giggled. “It’s the cologne.”

“I’m sorry but I have to go. They’re done with my make up.”

“I hope they go easily on the eyeshadow.” you teased.

“Very funny, y/n. That’s not the kind of makeup and you know it.”

“I really miss you Tommy” you told him.

“I miss you too. Like a lot. I gotta go okay? I love you, y/n.”

“I love you more.”

“I don’t think so.”

You and Tom finally managed to hang up. As figured he wasn’t getting his sleep. You loved that boy but he had a hard time with self care, mostly with getting enough sleep. He always put everyone he loved and his job first so he seemed to have little love left for himself. But that’s where you came in. You made sure he got his sleep and drank water and not overschedule himself. Honestly you wondered how the boy was even still alive before he met you. You started out as his assistance but things quickly heated up between the two of you. You knew him for less than a year before you two started dating. It’s already been six months since then and this was the first time he’s been away for more than a couple weeks.

A few weeks later Jacob texted you and he said there was a chance for you to visit while the directors were reviewing and editing what they filmed for trailers. Would take a week. You hopped on the chance, not telling Tom.

You took the first flight you could, packing a bag and Tess. You nagged Jacob to death making sure Tom had no idea. He was certain.

You met up with Jacob who picked you up from the airport. “Hey, bud!” you greeted, hugging him.

“Tom is gonna freak.” he grinned. “He’s asleep right now.”

“Perfect!” you chimed.

You and Jacob caught up on the ride over here. Apparently Tom talked about you a lot. You blushed, feeling more loved than ever.

You and Jacob entered the house they were renting at the time for filming. It was rather nice and had a view of the ocean. You barely noticed because you were too busy running up the stairs to see Tom. Tess was right behind you.

You paused for a moment when you reached the door. “Ready girl?” you asked her. She did a low bark.

You quietly opened the door and sure enough Tom was passed out on the bed. You felt bad for waking him up considering you wanted him to get his sleep. But this was a special occasion.

“Go get him.” you told her.

Tessa barked and ran towards the bed, jumping on it. She stood right over Tom, licking him. You giggled.

“Tess? What the fuck? How-” He froze when he sat up, seeing you. Tess licked him repeatedly.

“Hey, Tommy.” you giggled.

“How-”

“Jacob helped. He said you had some time off. Thought I’d come say hi.”

Tom flew off the bed and embraced you, twirling you off the floor. You were both laughing, Tess barking happily. Tom gazed at you, his eyes sparkling with joy. He stroked your cheeks. “Y/n…”

You pulled on his shirt, bringing him into a kiss. Can’t believe it’s been two months since you two kissed.

Tess jumped in between you, making you pull apart. You bent down to pet her, Tom doing the same. “Someone is jealous.” you smiled.

“Sorry girl.” Tom said, scratching her favorite spot behind her ear.

“How about we take a walk on the beach?” you suggested, looking back at Tom.

He smiled. “I’d love that more than anything.”

[la-vita-in-arancione]

Killer Queen: Chapter 1 - Leaving Home Ain’t Easy

Summary: Arabella Ruth White is the fifth member of the Marauders. And life at Hogwarts certainly isn’t easy. Especially when you have alcohol, relationships, unhealthy music obsessions, a fake stage persona, weird ass friends with weird ass problems and actual school all thrown into the equation. (This story is also on Wattpad of the same name. I will always update on there first.)

A/N: OK so this chapter is kind of a filler but we will get to the actual plot soon. I will try and update every week but no promises. You can ask to be on my taglist if you want. Also the title of each chapter will also be the name of a song by a singer or band that Ruth likes. The song is not guaranteed to have been released at that point in the story.

Warning(s): literally one swear word

Word Count: 1k

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I woke up that morning to see sunlight streaming in through my window, blinding me as I looked at my watch to see what time it was: 10 am. Exactly 1 hour until I should be on the train to Hogwarts. I quickly changed into a white t-shirt, a pair of black jeans and a black jacket. My trunk was neatly packed into the corner of my room, ready to go. Something soft brushed against my leg. I looked down to see Sooty, my black kitten, whom I had got during the summer to 'teach me some responsibility' according to my mother. I stroked him before entering the bathroom and seeing my mane of hair in the mirror. I wasn't even going to attempt to brush it out. Instead, I closed my eyes and imagined my hair in Dutch braids with gold highlights. I opened my eyes to see my hair looking exactly like that. Oh, the joys of being a metamorphmagus. I could change my appearance at will, which is awesome and useful for pranks. I brushed my teeth and put on some mascara and red lipstick. I wanted to annoy as many teachers as possible the second I got back to school. Namely, Minnie.

I ran downstairs to find my mum making scrambled eggs for breakfast. Oh hell yes. "Hi, Mum," I said cheerily.

"Oh, hello Ruth, dear. I was wondering when you would come down. Now, your breakfast is on the table. You have toast with Marmite, tomatoes and scrambled eggs." she kissed my forehead, which, unlike most people my age, I did not find embarrassing in the slightest. I was just about to sit and eat when I was hit by two leopard cubs. This wasn't dangerous at all. Am I crazy? Yes, but these not-so-big cats were actually my younger brother and sister. I loved the twins, their names were Rhea and Luke and were absolute mayhem. I may or may not have had a bad influence on them. They were 10 years old, meaning that they would be coming to Hogwarts next year.

They transformed into their human forms to greet me, "Bella!" they chorused as they literally tackled me to the ground. I heard my mum sigh in exasperation. And why are kids animagi, you may question? Everyone in our house was, apart from me. My metamorphmagus abilities meant that I could transform into an animal without having to be an animagus. Some call it bad parenting on my mum's part, but she believes that we should do whatever the fuck we want. This includes being animagi. As long as we're registered. She doesn't want us going to Azkaban anytime soon.

I think that now would also be a good time to mention that I have a range of different nicknames. Most people call me a variation of Arabella. Only special people call me Ruth. It's not that I favour one name over the other, I just want people to know I have favourites. No one has ever been allowed to call me Ruth as soon as I have met them. I have to completely trust them first. So, as you can imagine, not many people call me Ruth.

"Hey! You aren't going to get any hugs if you don't let me stand up." I reasoned. They instantly let me go - they were suckers for hugs. And I do give pretty awesome hugs if I do say so myself. I hugged each twin before attacking my food. I checked my watch again. 10:45am. Where did that time even go? It's not like I spend that long on my makeup. I wolfed down my breakfast before heading upstairs, grabbing my trunk, and coming back down again, cradling Sooty in my arms. He purred as I stroked the top of his head, he loved it when I did that.

"I'm all ready to go, Mum!" I called. I did a quick check to make sure I had everything. Yep. All good.

Mum put on her coat, "OK, everyone grab my arm," we all did so, "In 3, 2, 1!" Crack! We instantly apparated, disappearing from the house and reappearing in the alleyway we always went to when going to King's Cross Station. We couldn't risk any muggles seeing us. We exited the alleyway to come onto a very busy London street which I believe to be called Euston Road. My watch read 10:53 am, which meant that we had only 7 minutes until I had to be on the train. We broke into a run, and it wasn't long before we were in the station. I loaded my trunk onto a trolley, which I had been dragging the whole time, and we reached the barrier, the barrier to Platform 9 and 3/4.

I took a deep breath and ran into the wall. Mum and the twins quickly followed behind me. I pushed my way through the bustling crowd until I reached the door.

"Oh, honey, I'm going to miss you." Mum sighed. I hugged her before turning to the twins.

"Bye!" they said. I kissed each of them.

"I'll see you at Christmas then, yeah?" I asked.

"Of course, darling. Now go, before you miss the train." We shared one last hug goodbye, "Owl me as soon as you can!"

I put my luggage and Sooty on the train, hopped on and waved adieu to my family. I shut the door and made my way through the corridors to find our usual compartment. Sooty trailed along behind me, staying firmly attatched to my leg. It wasn't long until I found it. I settled on a theatrical-ish entrance. I opened the door but remained hidden so they couldn't see me.

"Hello? Who's there?" a squeaky voice called whom I assumed to be Peter's.

I slid into the view of the four boys, "Ruth!" they exclaimed with big grins on their faces. Sirius looked like he had just been given free rein of a toy store.

"I'm back!" I said in a sort of sing-song voice.

[always-kp]

[Quotes from...] Legendary, by Stephanie Garber

"...as the pair stood there with their arms wrapped around each other, and their heads leaning closer together, they looked like two halves of the same heart." pg. 15 "And her world transformed into a garden, a paradise made of blossoming flowers and bewitching romance. The walls were formed of moonlight. The ceiling was made of roses that dripped down toward the table in the center of the room, covered with plates of cakes and candlelight and sparkling honey wine. But none of it was for Tella. It was all for Scarlett. Tella had stumbled into her sister's love story and it was so romantic it was painful to watch. Scarlett stood across the chamber. Her full ruby gown bloomed brighter than any flowers, and her glowing skin rivaled the moon as she gazed up at Julian. They touched nothing except each other. While Scarlett pressed her lips to Julian's, his arms wrapped around her as if he'd found the one thing he never wanted to let go of. That was why love was so dangerous. Love turned the world into a garden, so beguiling it was easy to forget that rose petals were as ephemeral as feelings, eventually they would wilt and die, leaving nothing but thorns." Pg 48-9 "Tella wasn't usually anxious. She liked the thrill that came with taking risks. She loved the feeling of doing something bold enough to make her future hold its breath while she closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation that she'd made a choice with the power to alter the course of her life. It was the closest she ever came to holding real power. But, Tella also knew not every gamble paid off." Pg. 96 "He looked like a freshly woken storm, or a beautiful nightmare come to life so he could personally haunt her." Pg. 98 "According to myths, the stars weren't merely distant lights, they were beings older than the Fates, as terrible and powerful as they were mesmerizing and magical." Pg. 107 "'Why aren't you dressed like a leopard with butterfly wings, or a unicorn?' A sliver of a grin. 'Not even Legend could make me dress like a unicorn.' 'But unicorns are magical, and then all the ladies would want to pet you.' This time Dante's snort sounded more like a laugh he was trying to hold back. Tella couldn't help smiling; she might not have liked him, but she enjoyed that he found her funny. She also appreciated that he seemed uninterested in all the ladies who looked his way and appeared as if they really would be willing to pet him, even though he wasn't dressed like a unicorn." Pg. 114 "Jacks's every movement was carelessly graceful, matching the musical cadence of his words as he murmured in her ear, 'The key to a charade like this is to forget it's an act. Invite the lie to play until you become so comfortable with it that it feels like the truth. Don't tell yourself we're pretending to be engaged, tell yourself that I love you. That I want you more than anyone.'" Pg. 130-1 "This dance wasn't about keeping his murderous reputation so he could win the throne; this was about winning her. It was why he'd given her such a gorgeous gown. Why he danced with her now. Tella pretended love was a place she wanted to visit..." Pg. 131-2 "She was bold. She was brave. She was cunning. And she was going to come out of this triumphant--no matter the cost." Pg. 142 "Kisses were meant to be temporal, brief but exquisite moments of pleasure. But Tella could have kissed Jacks into eternity. It wasn't just the way his lips had moved over hers, it was the desire behind them, the wanting, the way Jacks had made Tella feel as if she were the one person on earth he'd spent his entire existence searching for. In that moment she'd managed to forget she'd been left by her mother and repeatedly suffered at the hands of her father, because Jacks had made her feel as if he'd hold on to her forever. It might have been the most convinceing lie she'd ever been told." Pg. 143 "Tella would destroy the world before she allowed anything to happen to her sister." Pg. 158 "His voice was soothing and commanding all at once, like the crackle of flames devouring wood. Fierce and fatal, yet somehow steady and reassuring. The type of voice a girl could have easily been consumed by... He looked as if he wanted to reach for her. If her unsteady legs so much as swayed his way, she imagined he'd capture her in his arms and hold her so close she'd willingly confess her every sin and secret." Pg. 165-6 "'I read about it in one of your wedding books. It was an ancient marital custom. People would drink each other's blood to synchronize their heartbeats. So that even when they were parted they could sense if the other was safe or afraid by the pace of their hearts. nThat's what I would want, someone who would give me a piece of himself rather than scraps of fabric.'" Pg. 179 "But Tella wanted love about as much as she wished to contract a disease. There were no kisses worth dying for. No souls worth merging with. There were many beautiful young men in the world, but Tella believed that none of them could be trusted with something as fragile, or valuable, as a heart." Pg. 183 "'I don't believe it's as hopeless as it seems,' Tella said. 'I think Julian is so used to lying it's all he knows how to do. Before now I don't imagine he's ever had a reason to change. But I believe he loves you; it's clear to anyone who sees the way he looks at you. You're the starlight to his darkness, and if you feel the same about him, you should give him another chance.'" Pg. 184 "His eyes stayed locked with hers, as if there was something unspoken he was trying to say. If another boy had looked at her that way she might have felt momentarily special. People rarely looked each other in the eye for prolonged periods of time. There was almost something more intimate about it than touching. When Dante looked in Tella's eyes he wasn't watching the rest of the world. He wasn't looking out for himself. He was risking part of his person to focus solely on her. Tella wondered if this was the true allure of Caraval, not the magic or the mystery, but the way Legend's players knew how to make people feel. During the last game, Julian had constantly pushed Scarlett outside of her comfort zone. Dante was doing the same thing to Tella, but instead of pushing, he was pulling her toward him, attempting to reel her into his intoxicating sphere by pretending he cared, and that he didn't merely want her, but a part of him needed her. She sensed it in the subtle way he held his breath as he waited for her answer. It was terrifying how such a small thing could hold so much power... And yet, she couldn't completely dismiss the idea, because as much as it might hurt later on, and as foolish as it could make her in the end, a part of her wanted it to be true, wanted to believe that something inside of her burned bright enough to capture Legend's uncapturable attention... And maybe Tella liked the way Dante responded when she challenged him, the way his eyes shimmered and his fingers tightened around her wrist, as if he didn't plan on letting her go until he had the last word." Pg. 198-201 "'When you truly care about someone, aren't you supposed to be honest, even if it means you might lose that person?'" Pg. 232 "'I shouldn't have kissed him,' she mumbled. 'I don't even know why I kissed him. I didn't really care if he kicked me out of the palace for lying. I think I wanted to make you jealous.' 'It worked,' Dante said roughly. Tella might have smiled if everything didn't hurt so much. Dante held her closer and smoothed back a piece of hair that had fallen across Tella's face. Then his fingers returned, gently tracing the curve of her mouth as he said, 'I've never wanted to be someone else until that moment I saw him kiss you on the dance floor.' 'You should have asked me to dance first.' 'I will, next time.' His lips swept a kiss across her forehead. 'Don't give up on me, Donatella. If you stay with me long enough to get you somewhere safe and warm, then I promise I won't let go of you like I did that night. Together we'll fix all of this.'" Pg. 279 "He gazed at her as if he wanted her to lose herself somewhere in his eyes, so that he could be the one to find her... Tella wanted to know what it would be like to lose herself in someone like Dante and trust that he would find her. But the only person she could trust was herself." Pg. 334 "'Fate is only an idea, but I think by believing in it we turn it into something more.'" Pg. 352 "Tella pictured the word 'good' withering next to Dante. 'Good' was the word people used to describe how they slept at night and bread fresh out of the fire. But Dante was more like the fire. No one called a fire good. Fires were hot, burning things children were warned not play with." Pg. 355 "She used to think it was ridiculous, the idea that a girl would give her heart to a boy even though she knew it would also give him the power to destroy her... she was also beginning to understand how hearts could be slowly given away, without a person even realizing. How sometimes just a look, or a rare moment of vulterability like the one Dante had just shared with her, was enough to steal a fraction of a heart." Pg. 355 "'If you're the hero, what does that make me?'... Heat spread across her chest. This would have been the moment to pull away; instead, she let a hint of challenge slip into her voice. 'I'm still trying to figure that out.' 'Would you like my help?' Tella's breathing hitched. 'No. I don't want your help.... I want you.' Dante's gaze caught on fire and he took her mouth with his... This kiss fle t like a confession, brutal and raw and honest in a way kisses rarely were. Dante wasn't trying to seduce her; he was convincing her just how little goodness mattered, because nothing he was doing with his hands could have been considered good. Yet every brush of his lips was sweet. Where others had demanded, Dante asked, slowly sweeping his mouth across hers until she parted her lips, letting his tongue slip inside as he pulled her onto his lap... Tella imagined by the time she finished kissing Dante, she'd forget every other boy who'd ever touched her mouth... They hadn't even broken apart and Tella was already thinking of kissing him again, and again, tasting not merely his lips but every single one of his tattoos and scars, until the world ended and they were nothing but shadows and smoke... how it tasted when his lips spoke words against her mouth that felt like promises she hoped he'd keep. And for the first time in her life Tella wanted even 'more.' She wanted the night to strech into forever, and for Dante to tell her more stories about Fates, and his past, and anything else he wanted to say. In that moment, inside of that kiss, she wanted to know everything about him. She wanted him, and it no longer scared her... Tella claimed she didn't want love--she liked to say love trapped and controlled and ripped hearts apart. But the truth was she also wanted it more than anything. She enjoyed the kisses, but a part of her always wished that whenever she walked away from a boy he'd run after her, beg her to stya, and then promise he'd never leave." Pg. 356-7 "Dante spoke against her mouth, this time loud enough for her to hear his words. 'I think I'd like you even if you were the villian.' She smiled against his lips. 'Maybe I'd like you even if you were a hero.' 'But I'm not the hero,' he reminded her. 'Then perhaps I'm here to save you.'" Pg. 358 "'What makes something real, Tella?... Does seeing something make it real?... Or does hearing something make it real?... What about feeling something, is that enough to make it real?... 'I swear to you, this--'us'--we were never a part of Legend's plan. The first time I kissed you I did it because I'd just died and come back to life, but I wasn't feeling alive. I needed something real. But tonight I kissed you because I wanted you. I haven't stopped wanting you since the night of the Fated Ball when you were willing to risk your life because you wanted to make me angry. After that, I couldn't stay away... 'I kept coming back to you, not because of Legend, or the game. But beause you're so real and alive and fearless and daring and beautiful and if what's between us isn't real, then I don't know what is.' ...But it upended her. It made her wonder if jewels hidden away safely in boxes sometimes longed to be stolen by thieves--because now he was definitely stealing her heart, and she wanted him to take even more." Pg. 362-3 "When Dante was gone she wanted him there. When he was there she wanted him close. She liked the feel of his hands and the sound of his voice. She liked the things he said, and she wanted to believe them. She wanted to trust him." Pg. 364 "'Every curse has a way to be broken, and a loophole.'" Pg. 365 "She wanted to prove... that she wasn't just a useless ornament to be given away, that she was fearless and clever and brave and worth loving." Pg. 374 "'...Paradise merely said she loved trouble. But I believe what she really loved was life... 'Paradise could have been so much more than a picture in a Wanted poster shop. She was intelligent and clever, quick to laugh, and to love. Though she tried not to let people know how deeply her feelings went. 'Criminals don't love,' she once told me. But I think Paradise was afraid of love because when she loved, she did it as fiercely as she lived.'" Pg. 389 "'...Don't be like me and settle for the ease of an almost-ending, when you could have the true ending... 'Not everyone gets a ttue ending. There are two types of endings because most people give up at the part of the story where things are the worst, where the situation feels hopeless. But that's when hope is needed most. Only those who persevere can find their true ending.'" Pg. 391 "They kissed as if the world were ending, lips crashing together as if the heavens were breaking and the ground was crumbling, as if a war raged all around them and this kiss was the only thing mighty enough to stop it. As long as they kissed, only she and Dante existed. Tella never wanted to open her eyes; as soon as she did, the world would shift. Dante would be gone and there would only be Legend. It was so brutally unfair. She'd only just decided how much she wanted Dante, but even if he made it through the night, Legend was someone she could never have. He was like a moment in time; he could be experienced but never held on to. His lips pressed harder as one hand threaded through her hair and the other went lower around her hips, digging in and pulling her closer, as if he didn't want the kiss to end, either." Pg. 404 "'What did you promise them?' Tella asked. 'It doesn't matter. I did it for you and I'd do it again.' Dante rotated his wrist until somehow he was holding her hand. He still hadn't even looked at the cards. He dark eyes stayed fixed on her as if she were his prize. And, damn her, she believed him. It was so very wrong. If he was Legend, he wasn't supposed to care. He wasn't supposed to still gaze at her as if she'd just shattered his world with a kiss. He was supposed to laugh at her for being foolish enough for fall for him. He wasn't supposed to lean in closer, as if he'd fallen for her, too. He was supposed to rip the cards from her hands and abandon her on the moonstone steps. He was supposed to break her heart. She wasn't supposed to break his." Pg. 405-6 "But perhaps love was an otherworldly entity like Death. And since Tella had now opened herself up to the possibility of Love, it would not stop coming after her, and it felt far more powerful than Death. She'd underestimated Love in the past. She'd imagined the romantic sort to be a stronger type of lust--but this moment had nothing to do with lust and everything to do with caring more about saving Dante and her mother than saving herself. It made her fearless in a way she'd never been." Pg. 408 "'I can't belive you did this for me.' She looked up from Legen's wounded palm to his beautiful face. 'I think that means you're the hero after all.' His expression darkened at the word 'hero,' as if it was something he'd rather not be called. But she didn't care. He was her hero." Pg. 414 "Her heart was still a little heavy, but she'd decided carrying it around would only make her stronger." Pg. 441