#they're both different men now in their forties

[nebulein]

it was so good. now im sad. my bbs!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺

(context)

Sorry, sorry. If you spy the angst tag on my 1988 posts, tread with caution. I just can't seem to help myself 😅 🤷‍♀️

Also warning the below will not entirely fix it but...

Originally the fic concept was supposed to go with a heartbreak ending of one of them leaving and one staying and it's the separation that finally makes them realize how much they depended on the other always being there, even when they were barely speaking, deep down there was always this rock of the other person going through the same things, through thick and thin, the highs and the lows, and now even that is gone. And if you really wanna break your heart, listen to Wrecked or while thinking about this, cause... yeah.

Days pass by and my eyes they dry And I think that I’m okay ‘Till I find myself in conversation fading away The way you smile, the way you walk, The time you took to teach me all that you had taught Tell me how am I supposed to move on These days I’m becoming everything that I hate Wishing you were around but now it’s too late My mind is a place that I can’t escape your ghost Sometimes I wish that I could wish it all away One more rainy day without you Sometimes I wish that I could see you one more day One more rainy day Oh I’m a wreck without you here Yeah I’m a wreck since you’ve been gone I’ve tried to put this all behind me I think I was wrecked all along Yeah I’m a wreck

But. I feel like that ending at least leaves the door kind of open. Maybe this is the darkest valley that they need to go through, the separation they never got that they need to find out who they are on their own, without the other always there. What it means to just be Jonny. To just be Pat. And it hurts at first, boy howdy does it hurt, but sometimes we need to shed the past to find out what we want in life. Jonny gets traded at the deadline, but the Blue Jackets flake out in the second round. Does another stint with the Kraken and then retires at the end because his heart just isn't in it anymore, his body to banged up. Goes on all the yoga retreats he can find, spends some time tanning in Sedona, smokes up in Kathmandu, finds a guru and microdoses on shrooms and finally returns to Canada ready to start the next chapter in his life. Kaner signs another year with the Hawks at a discount that makes everyone lose their marbles, but Pat put down roots, he doesn't want to leave and he likes Richardson, but seeing the C on Seth's chest grates in a way he didn't anticipate and it's hard to break records on a team that can't play its way out of paper bag.

He's gonna become a GM one day, of course. Starts out as player development consultant, works his way up. Maybe takes some MBA classes. Meets Jonny on an stupid alumni golf tournament he got roped into, and it's good but also weird. He can't quite put his finger on it, but Jonny's different. Still the same kind of dry humor and lameass comebacks, still thinks of himself as a way better golfer than he actually is, but when Jonny talks about his travels, about his new endeavors, a clean water project down in Peru and something to do with kites and energy? Pat doesn't know, he wasn't really listening, caught by how the wrinkles on Jonny's face are visible all the time now, not just when he's smiling. But also, he's kind of smiling a lot, looking relaxed in a way that Pat hasn't seen, the tight cast around his mouth that had been there almost 24/7 back when they'd still played on the Hawks together entirely gone, the slant of his shoulders so different from the hunched up Jonny in his memories. He's got a tiny bit of a belly now, which is maybe most surprising of all. It looks good on him, though, gives him a mellowness that wasn't there before.

Jonny's different, is the point, and Kaner finds himself intrigued.

[kennarose1108]

My World (Negan Smith x Reader !DAUGHTER OF RICK!)

*SO I MADE THIS FOREVER AGO AND I WANTED TO FINISH IT AND UPLOAD IT... I HOPE Y'ALL ENJOY, PART 2 IS IN A LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY*

You had been with Negan and his group for the last ten months and you knew Negan wasn't the cleanest man on earth. You knew he was doing things... Horrific things to people but you try to turn a blind eye to it. Negan was the best thing that had happened to you since the apocalypse happened. You were alone up until Negan found you on the verge of starving to death.

And over the months your and Negan's relationship had blossomed into something unexpected. He was a lot older than you. You were twenty-six years old and Negan was forty-five... I mean hell he was older than your father would be... Your father...

You were in college when the apocalypse broke out and you prayed your family was okay. After a while, you finally made it back to your family's home to find it completely ransacked and everybody was missing. You went to the hospital where you heard your father was staying after his accident but you didn't even attempt to go inside as it was completely guarded by the dead.

But everything seemed to be okay now... You stayed out of Negan's business as much as you could but today was different. "I need you to go," Negan says. "Why? You have Simon and all your men why do you need me?" You ask while crossing your arms over your chest.

"We made a deal with these people but they're on the more dangerous side than most people we've dealt with. We need everybody." He explains and you sigh deeply. "I don't want to be involved with your 'business deals' Negan. You know how I feel about it." You say with a shrug. "And I don't believe these people willingly made a deal with you either." You say while raising your eyebrows and he chuckles slightly. "Alright, you got me there." He says while standing up from his seat. "These people killed a whole outpost of men for their supplies so we gave them an option of... We raid their shit and we let them live." He shrugs. "No harm, no foul." He says while grabbing your waist and pulling you closer to him. "I just want everybody there in case shit hits the fan. We need to defend ourselves." Negan explains.

"Mhm... What's the actual reason you want me to go? Because we both know I'm only good at killing the dead ones... Not the live ones." You say while squinting your eyes at him. He stares at you for a moment before sighing deeply with a smirk. "You see right through me every time.." He chuckles. "...You're going to be here all by yourself. I don't want you to be alone if something happens here. At least I know if you came with me I can protect you." He says while leaning his forehead against yours.

You clenched your jaw and slightly glared at him before groaning out a 'fine'. He smiled and placed a kiss on your forehead. "Let's get going then."

When you made it out to the trucks Negan ordered you to stay inside of the car until the gates were open. When you made it to the place called Alexandria you sat in the truck with one of Negan's men. You weren't paying attention entirely until the man dropped a heavy gun in your lap. You had no idea how to use it so it was clear it was given to you for threatening purposes. "It's safe now." The man says. You nodded and took a step out of the truck, the man following your steps on the other side.

You were looking down at the ground as you took a few steps. You finally looked up and looked at the people around the gate. There was a woman who looked hardcore and angry and a man who looked confused and kinda wimpy... Then your eyes landed on another man. Your eyes widened as your brain processed what you were seeing, hoping it wasn't another hallucination that you saw so much when you were dehydrated.

But you weren't dehydrated and this wasn't a hallucination. Your lips parted as a soft gasp escaped your lips. The gun you were holding onto fell from your hands and that's when you finally got the man's attention. Your body shook as he gave you a look of confusion into a look of disbelief, the same look you gave him. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes as your body shook from the feeling of adrenalin and pure shock coursing through your veins.

Negan looked at you and then at him, confused about what was going on, and that's when you let out a shaky breath, "Dad?" You mumble. "Oh my god.." He whispered. You let out a shaky chuckle as tears finally fell from your eyes. "DAD!" You yelled as you ran full force towards him. Your arms swung open and wrapped around his neck as his arms slung tightly around your body. Your legs shook as you were barely able to keep yourself upright... If it wasn't for his tight grip on you, you would've fallen to the floor. You cried into his shoulder and held onto him tightly before pulling away. "I thought you were dead." You managed to choke out.

Negan stared at you both in disbelief and horror. He also felt stupid for not putting two and two together since you both had the same last name. "Is Carl...?" He nodded. "He's alive." You sigh in relief as a smile appears on your face. "And mom?" You ask. He just stares at you. Your smile slowly fades as you cover your mouth with your hand in disbelief. You let out a shaky 'oh' as you pulled away.

Your father's eyes flicked from you to Negan before looking back at you. "You're with him?" He asks. You nod your head as you wipe a tear that fell from your eyes. "How 'bout you go around Alexandria and look for your brother? Me and your dad have some things to discuss." Negan says while getting behind you and grabbing your shoulders and giving Rick a teasing smile. "Yeah... Yeah, that's a good idea." Rick says while glaring at Negan. You walked away from Negan's grip and you walked around the streets, getting the occasional glare from some of the people that live in Alexandria which made you frown.

But as you walked your eyes fell on a boy walking down the steps from his porch. You squinted your eyes and tried to make out the face of the person. It was hard to tell at first since he had a patch over his eye but you’d recognized that face anywhere.

You smiled and yelled out his name. He looked around for a moment before turning in your direction, his eyes falling onto yours. You smiled as his face turned from confusion to disbelief. With adrenaline coursing through your veins you ran towards him full force. He did the same and you both met in between and practically collapsed into each other. You both kept each other on your feet as you hugged each other tightly. After a minute you pulled away and cupped his face, tears going down both of your faces. “You’ve grown so much.” You chuckle. “I thought you were dead,” Carl says with a slight gasp. “Can’t get rid of me that easily little brother.” You say with a chuckle. You look at the patch on his eye and you slightly frown. “What happened?” You ask your thumb lightly brushing against the edge of it.

“I was shot,” Carl explains. Your eyes widen and you laugh. “You were shot in the face and you survived?! Holy shit I wish Dad informed me how much of a badass you were before I found you.” He chuckles. His eyes then glance to the ground and his smile disappears, he seems to be lost in thought. His eyes flicked back up to you and he sighed. “I have to show you something,” Carl says while backing off and walking back towards the house he came out of.

You follow him into the house and up the stairs. Carl stops in front of a door that was off to the side and he slowly opens it. Your eyes travel to the inside of the room until you see a little girl in a crib. You take a few steps inside and slightly gasp. “Who’s this?” You ask while walking towards her. “That’s Judith. Our sister.” Your head snapped towards him and your eyes widen. “Is that how mom…” He didn’t say anything which was an answer in itself. You nodded and looked back at the little girl. You chuckle and lifted her out of the crib and held her against your body. “Oh my… You are gorgeous.” You say while admiring her little face. But the moment was ruined by the sound of doors slamming open and people talking loudly downstairs. “Hide her.” Carl orders. You quickly put Judith down and left the room with Carl, shutting the door right on time as Simon came running up the steps.

He eyed you and Carl and you both kept your composure. “Everything good up here?” He asks. “Yes. Everything’s fine.” You say with a slight smile. He glanced at the door next to you both and gave you another weird look. “What’s in there?” Simon asks while nodding to the door. “Nothing. The room is empty. Carl was giving me a tour of his home and he offered to let me stay in this room when they get it furnished.” You say with a stern tone of voice.

“Hm... You should talk to Negan about that.” You wanted to argue back and say you were a grown woman and didn’t need his permission but you decided it would be best to keep your mouth shut in this situation. “Come on Carl. Let’s go downstairs.” You say while putting your arm around Carl’s shoulders and pulling him forward, not keeping your eyes off Simon until you went past him. When you made it downstairs Carl was staring in horror at the people in his home taking pretty much everything. “They’re taking all of our medicine,” Carl says. “We hid them here because they said they’d only take half,” Carl says while pulling away from you. “Carl-“ “No!” Carl yelled while grabbing a gun and going after them. “Carl DON’T-!” But it was too late.

A gunshot rang through the air causing you to jump. You quickly ran into the room and luckily everyone was okay, but Carl had a gun to one of Negan’s men. “Put them back, or the next one goes in you.” Carl threatens. “Kid… What do you think happens next?” The man laughed. “Carl.” You managed to get yourself in between the gun and the man and you were trying to calm him down. “Get out of the way.” “Carl don’t.” You warned. “Move.” “If you don’t put the gun down the punishment will be-“ You stopped yourself as you saw your dad running into the room, you knew Negan wasn’t too far behind so you kept your mouth shut.

Your father tried talking the same sense to Carl as Negan walked in. His eyes darted between the gun and you and he knew he had to intervene. Negan walked over to you both and stood next to you and got into Carl's line of sight. Negan chuckles. "Really kid?" He says with a smirk.

"You should go... Before you find out how dangerous we all are." Carl warns. You swallowed the lump in your throat and gave him a pleading look. "Well pardon me, young man, excuse the shit out of my goddamn French but... Did you just threaten me?" Negan asks. "Look I get threatening Davie here... But I can't have it, not him, not me-" "Carl just put it down-" "Don't be rude Rick we are having a conversation here." Your father and Negan argue back and forth. You continue to stare at Carl with pleading eyes as you knew if Carl pushed his limits or broke a rule no amount of begging would stop Negan... Not even for you. "Now boy... Where were we?" He asks.

"Oh yeah! Your giant man-sized balls. No threatening us. Listen I like you... I don't want to go hard proving a point here, especially in front of the lady here, and you don't want that. I said half your shit and half is what I say it is." Negan says in more of a more serious tone of voice. "I'm serious. Do you want me to prove how serious... Again?" Negan warns.

Carl stares at him then looks at you. You shook your head slightly and he sighed deeply. He moved his hand so the handle of the gun was facing you. Your trembling hands slowly grabbed the gun from his hands and held it to your side.

Negan turned to your father and started ranting to him and you grabbed Carl's shoulders. "What the hell is wrong with you?" You whisper to him. "They were taking our stuff," Carl argued. "You can always get that shit back! He'll kill you or someone else here and you can't get back." You hissed at him. "And you.." Negan turned to you both. You turned your head to him and saw him staring at you. He lifted his hand and wiggled his pointer and middle finger towards you telling you to give him the gun. You handed him the gun and he put it in his pocket.

"Rick go and get that stuff together for me will ya? And you... Come with me." He says while not moving his gaze from yours. You nodded and followed him out of the home. You followed him down the street and in between some houses. He then suddenly spun around and grabbed your arms softly. "I don't want you doing that shit again," Negan says sternly. "I knew he wasn't going to shoot me." You argued. Negan shook his head and sighed deeply. "I do not care. There is no damn reason for you to EVER stand in front of a gun. Ever." He says with a shake of his head. "Scared the hell out of me." He says while placing a kiss on your temple.

"I'm sorry.." You say with a frown. "Don't be sorry. I know you were trying to de-escalate the situation and I respect that... I just don't want you to get hurt." He says while cupping your face with his hands. "He's my brother. He wouldn't have hurt me." "I can't take that chance." He shakes his head. "I don't care if there's a 99% chance or a 0.01% chance. It's not an option." He says. “Understand?” He asks. You nodded and he smiled.

He kissed you on the cheek and pulled you in for a hug. You both stayed like that for a moment before Negan pulled away, giving you a tight squeeze before letting you move away from him. “Let’s go darlin’,” Negan says while lightly placing his hand on your lower back and leading you along.

You walked with Negan until you met up with your father and some of Negan’s men in front of a small bunker. The door to the bunker slowly opens to show a woman. “I… Figured you were coming.” She says nervously. “Show him where the guns are, Olivia.” Your father says. She nodded and you all walked inside. “You run the show in here?” Negan asks. “I just keep track of it all, the rations, the guns,” She explains. “Good. Smart. Don’t let me stop you. Arat, boys... Show ‘em the goods.” He smirks as everyone walks off. “Wait, wait, wait.” Negan stops your father.

“While they’re at it, I just want to point out to you that I’m not taking a scrap of your food. Slim pickin’s in here.” Negan says while pointing out the little to no food on the shelves. “And I can’t be the only one to notice that you got a fuckin’ fat lady in charge of keeping track of rations can I?” Negan says and you turn to him, “Negan.” You smack his arm and he puts his hands up. “Am I wrong?” He asks. “Yes. Don’t be an asshole.” You roll your eyes. He chuckles and slightly leans into Rick, “She keeps me on my toes.” Rick glares at him and he slightly leans back.

Negan looks at Rick, then at you, then at Rick again. “Y’know I just realized… We’re family now aren’t we?” You closed your eyes and cringed. “I mean… Should I call you dad or something?” Negan asks while slowly dragging his arm over your shoulder and pulling you close to his side.

Rick’s eyes flicked over to you and you swallowed another ball in your throat and you let out a deep sigh. “Right?” Negan asks. “Stop.” You whisper to him while giving him a pleading look. He wanted to keep going just to poke the bear some more but he didn’t want to continue if you were uncomfortable. He cared more for your feelings than his ego. “…Either way, you starve to death, I don’t get shit, so for now, you get to keep all the food. How ‘bout that?” Negan says, still keeping his arm around your shoulders.

Negan and Rick stare at each other for a few moments. A very awkward few moments. “What do you want me to say?” “I don’t know, Rick. How about a thank you.” Negan says while moving away from you and getting into your father’s face. “You think that might be in order? Or is that too much to ask?!” Negan yells. “Jesus stop!” You grab Negan’s arm and push him away from your father.

“Haven’t you done enough?” “All I’m asking for is a thank you.” You scoff. “I think we both know they have nothing to be thanking you for.” You shake your head at him before walking out of the bunker and down the streets of Alexandria. You stopped in front of Rick and Carl’s home and you sat on the steps, rethinking everything.

You placed your elbow on your knee and rested your forehead in your hand. You sat like that for a while before a familiar figure walked into your view. They stood there for a moment before slowly sitting next to you on the steps. “You angry with me?” He asks. You sigh and close your eyes. “What do you think?” You say with an annoyed tone of voice. “Why?” You turn to glare at him. “Why? Are you kidding me?” You say. “Is it because of Rick?” Negan asks. “Jesus no!” You yell. “…Well it doesn’t help.” You say while looking forward. “You know I don’t like being a part of this shit. I don’t like seeing this side of you... Especially since I know you did something bad to these people.” You say with your voice slightly cracking as tears filled in your eyes. You shake your head, not wanting to ask this question but you feel you have no choice.

“What did you do? I’m going to hear it from somebody so it might as well be from you.” He stares at you, he didn’t want you to find out. “I killed two of their people in front of them. One of them had a wife and she was sick. She witnessed it all… She didn’t make it.” Your mouth flew agape and your body tensed.

“Oh my god… And you expect a ‘thank you’ from these people!?” You stand on your feet and glare at him. “You say people are a resource and need to be protected but it’s all a lie!” You shout. “It’s not a lie.” He stands up to meet your level but instead, he just towers over you, making you feel inferior to him.

“People are a resource and need to be protected but rules need to be set and if they are broken there are punishments.” He argues. “And killing people in the answer?” You scoff. “You’re torturing these poor people and for what? Surviving?” “Killing off my men. That’s what.” He hisses while stepping forward and getting in your face. “Not like your men didn’t deserve it anyways. Most of them are criminals, rapists, or killers. But I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree does it?” You say while slowly looking at him up and down. Negan was seething, nobody spoke to him like this and he was getting pissed. “Watch your mouth.” “Or what? You’ll kill me?” You chuckled. “You don’t got the balls.” You hissed. It took all his might to not snap and lash out at you but he realized that it wouldn’t fix anything and you had every right to be angry.

But that doesn’t mean he won’t be any less angry with your words. “I have done everything for you. I have fought for you, I have killed for you, I put food in your belly and a roof over your head. I deserve goddamn respect.” He said in a low and threatening tone of voice. You shake your head. “I never asked you to save me.” You say, tears threatening to fall from your eyes.

“What did you expect me to do? Leave you there to die?” “You should’ve. It would’ve been easier for the both of us.” You snapped back. Negan leans back and stares at you in disbelief.

You didn’t mean what you said, you were thankful Negan saved your life. You remember the day he found you. You were in a gas station and you had been sitting there for about a day or two just waiting to die. Your face was pale and you were practically skin and bones. You were sitting in the backroom in the dark when you heard a roar of an engine and footsteps entering the building. You didn’t have the energy to get up and find them and your throat was too dry to call out for help, so you sat there until the door opened and the light of a flashlight crawled up your body and landed on your face. You cringed and looked away from the light. The person who was shining a light called a name and another pair of footsteps entered the room. That was when the person shining the light lowered it and you made eye contact with the man who walked in the room. “Holy shit... Are you alive?” He chuckled, getting closer to you.

His smile disappeared when he saw how sick you looked. He walked over to you and knelt at your level. “I’m Negan.” He says. You gave him a slightly confused look and Negan sighs. “Simon. Go get some water.” He orders while still staring down at you.

Simon quickly came back into the room with a water bottle and handed him the bottle. He opened it and he snaked his hand behind your neck and lifted you. You slightly groan as he pulls your head forward in front of the bottle. Your lips touched the bottle and slowly gulped down the water. If you weren’t so dehydrated there was a good chance you would’ve cried.

When you needed a break you moved your head back and leaned back against the wall. “Y/N.” You mumbled. “What?” Negan asks as you barely let out a whisper. “…My name is Y/N Grimes.” You say while shifting around. “How long have you been here?” Negan asks. “A couple of days…” You say before letting out a hoarse cough. Negan lifts the bottle back to your lips and you take a few more gulps. “Is there anyone else around here?” He asks. You shake your head, “No. I’ve been alone since the beginning of the apocalypse.” You explain. His eyes widen and he scoffs with a smirk. “No shit? Wow. Good for you for lasting so long.” He says with a wide smile.

“Yeah… It gets lonely though.” You say while lifting the corner of your lips to smile slightly. Negan stared at you for another minute before mumbling an ‘alright’ and closing the water bottle and handing it back to Simon. He stands up slightly and begins to put his hands under your knees and behind your back. “What… What are you doing?” You ask. “I’m going to take you back to my camp. We have a doctor and food and water..” He explains. “…Why? You don’t know me.” You ask. “People are a resource. They need to be protected… And you won't survive much longer if I leave you here.” He explains. You nodded and he continued to pick you up.

You groaned as your body ached. Your muscles were so tense from sitting there for so long that just a slight movement caused your whole body to ache in pain. “We’ll get you patched up... It’ll be okay.”

And here you are… Many months later arguing with the man who saved your life. He stared down at you and he clenched his jaw. You could see on his face he wasn’t angry anymore, he was hurt. You didn’t expect it to hurt him in all honesty because Negan has been told a lot worse than what you said. But it did hurt him... And he didn’t know what to do about it. He sighed and looked around for a moment. “Head over to the truck.. We’re going to be leaving in a few minutes.” Was the only thing he managed to get out. Without looking at you he walks down the steps of the porch and down the street.

You stifled a sob and wiped the tears that had fallen down your face. After you pulled yourself together you walked over to the truck and saw David in the face of a young girl. “Say please again, little girl.” He chuckles. The girl lets out a ‘please’ and he smirks. “Yeah. One more time.” He says while running his finger down her cheek.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You yell out as you storm over to him. His head shoots towards you and you shove him away from the girl. “Who do you think you are?” David asks as he gets in your face. “Someone who will gladly put some fucker out of their misery.” You snapped back. “Now piss off.” You hissed. He glared at you and tried to walk away but you stopped him. You put our hand out, telling him to give you the item the girl wanted. He grumbled something under his breath and shoved the item in your hand. David walked away and you turned to the girl. “I’m sorry that happened…” You whisper as you handed her back the balloons. You squeezed her shoulder before walking off and following the truck.

“Get in the truck Y/N. Me and daddy dearest here gotta talk.” Negan says without looking at you. You glared at him and you were about to oblige his orders and get in the truck but you stopped yourself. You turned on your heel and walked over to your father and swung your arms over his shoulders. You both hugged each other tightly before Carl found his way under your arm and hugged you and your father as well.

When you finally pulled away you rested one hand on your father’s shoulder and the other on the side of Carl’s face. You gave them a soft smile as tears filled in all of your eyes. “I’ll be back. I promise.” You say in a low tone of voice as you run your thumb over Carl’s cheek to wipe away the tear that fell from his eye.

You give them another small smile before turning and walking away. Negan watched you closely as you walked past him, wiping your tears in the process. You sat in the van and stared down at the ground, trying not to cry anymore in the process. During the minutes of you sitting there, you looked over and saw Negan taunting your father. You balled your fists up and sighed in annoyance. You wanted to get out of the car and yell at Negan but you didn’t have the energy. You heard Negan chuckle as finally peeled himself away from your father and he got in the van next to you, Lucille in his hands. You looked down at your hands and furrowed your eyebrows. You didn’t want to even look at Negan... But you knew he was looking at you.

He made occasional glances at you in an obvious manner. He wanted your attention and in all honesty, he wanted you to feel slightly bad for what you said to him. But you never looked at him. Not even when you made it to the sanctuary and walked past him to get inside.

You ignored everybody and headed to your shared bedroom. When you finally made it to the bedroom that’s when you realized that the sun was setting and you sighed in relief. You were exhausted and you wanted nothing more than to fall into your bed and sleep the day away. You sat on the edge of the bed and buried your face in your hands. You sat for a while until you heard your bedroom door opening and closing. You glance up and saw Negan leaning against the doorframe and staring at you.

You wipe the tears that had fallen from your eyes and look to the side. Negan stares at you for a few more seconds before sighing and lightly smiling to himself, clearly thinking of a memory.

“Y’know… I remember the first time I saw you.” He says. “You were so frail and sick looking.” He says while slowly walking towards you. “I was worried if I touched you, you would shatter like a piece of glass.” He continues walking towards you. You look up at up and look at him through your hair. “But I knew you were a fighter. And even if I had left you there you would’ve fought yourself back to survival.” He says while kneeling in front of you. “Who would’ve thought you would fight yourself into my heart.” He says with a soft smile and gently tucking your hair behind your ear.

You look down at him with tears in your eyes and a frown on your face. “There’s no way I could’ve left you there because..” He sighs before continuing. “I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.” He says while resting his hand against your cheek and wiping the tears that had fallen.

“Look… You and I are not easy people to deal with. And together it’s even more difficult... But I wouldn’t change a thing.” He says while shaking his head, a soft smile on his lips. A small cry came out of my mouth and I close my eyes, "I-I didn't mean what I said... I didn't... I'm glad you found me I...* You say, your words stuttering a bit. "I know... I know baby..." Negan whispered while moving his hand up to wipe the tears off your cheeks.

"I just... I hate seeing this side of you, and knowing you're doing this to my family..." You say before taking a deep and shaky breath. "It hurts..." You mutter, just barely over a whisper. Negan frowns, "I know... But I have to be cruel to keep them in line." Negan says. You shake my head, "No... No, you don't." You say. Negan sighs, "Baby. Listen to me." Negan says while grabbing your cheeks between his hands, "I promise you... I won't hurt your family. I take my promises seriously and you know that." Negan says.

You nod and sniffle, "...Okay." I mumble. "Alright... Now come here...* Negan says while putting his arms out to you. You get off the bed and onto the floor in front of him and hug his torso tightly. He hugs you back tightly and lovingly. Negan would keep his promise... He wouldn't hurt your family, but everyone else in Alexandria was up for grabs... One thing Negan knew how to do...

Was how to manipulate.

PART 2

[nowiamcoveredinyou]

My world

Sherlock x reader

Fluff

The serene afternoon of spring. The rejuvenation of nature, the extremely ethereal weather, all of this gave me extreme joy and peace. The winter was frosty, the winter was cold and painful. It always pains me to see the trees losing it's flowers, it's like losing your special one. It haunts me, the thought of losing the one I love.

I chuckled as the one I love snored lightly as soon as my intrusive thought crept in. As if telling me "lose whom? Me? Never!". Sherlock was taking a nap resting his head on my lap. And I ran my fingers through his curls. The fear of losing a loved one is our eternal fear, both of ours. He lost his bestfriend and it haunts him till this day. In a way he lost his sister too, she was never to be free and we knew it.

It haunted him that he'd lose John watson too. He did everything to take care of him. To protect him. Now I was rather a different case for him. He never wanted to love anyone in his whole life. Yet he says when I entered to his room all he felt was the urge to stay close to me, to protect me, to.. to love me. He did you know, secretly loved me for months, watching me dating other men but never stopped loving me for a moment. He doubted I'd ever love him back, he says he's flawed, he did wrong in the past, but I'm flawed too, I'm no perfection, I've hurted people too, been hurt as well.

So to say, two absolutely fucked up people found comfort in eachother's arms. Who are we to judge? We are just loving eachother. He helped me forget my past and I helped him to do the same. They're not gone though, they're buried deep down, though haunts us still. Why would we care? We're happy here in this scruffy flat, solving crimes.

With little movements he finally opened his eyes and looked straight up at me,

"did you sleep well?" I asked lightly touching his nose.

"yeah I did" he said with his sleepy voice which is cute but... Sexy at the same time, "how long did I sleep?"

"for forty five minutes, not much" I replied, he got up from my lap and sat looking at me,

"how's this fucked up brain?" He asked knowing what a worrier I am, and not the fighting one, the one that worries alot. We formed this word to define a worrisome person too, we are that silly.

"it's fucked up, what can I say" I replied leaning on his chest, now it's his turn to comfort me.

"aww my darling, I hate it, I despise seeing you like this" he replied wrapping an arm around me, "but don't worry, no fingers will be raised at you again" I clunged to him at this, recalling the fingers that actually were raised at me, forever. I never knew I'd loved , that too by this man. "And by fate we met, by ch- "

"fate?" I interrupted raising my head to meet his eyes, "you don't believe in fate do you?"

"I didn't, guess I still don't" he answered, "but fate did give me two rather important people whom I adore, you ofcourse and John" he caressed my cheek with his thumb as he smiled at me, "you two are flawed just like me, you two made mistakes just like me, but as I've told this many times that I still get this terrible thought that we might just all be human, innit?"

I stared at him before answering, "yes, we are, and I deserve you" I leaned again, right where I belong, to him.

"and I hope I deserve you too" he held me tightly. We don't know what our future holds, we don't judge eachother by our pasts, we're here, in this moment and we're happy, in eachother's arms, he often says, you need one person to make you a better person and for him that was John and then me. For me it's him too. He's my world, and I'm his as well.

[bluelolblue]

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐎𝐜𝐬

I wanna get myself more motivated to work on them again so... have a list of my Overlord oc's. And they're anthropomorphic animals, that's important ahaha

Also they're still wip and it's hard for me to describe how they look, cuz I can see them in my head and idk how to explain aaah

This is also not everything about them, I'll probably explain each more detailed some other time or if I make a side blog for that. And their backstories are wip.

𝐒𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐧 - one of my first oc's back from 2019. He is the most powerful one, he is like a hybrid of a dire wolf and a ordinary wolf, black coat but probably maybe a bit lighter black, he is tall, has purple eyes and always wears nice suits. He's a gentleman, literally his personality. His form is "stuck' in his forties or fifties. All Overlords were once mortals, but when they became Overlords, they became immoral. So they don't age physically. Oh, and my inspiration for him was Zhongli from Genshin Impact. Like his soft spoken voice, Keith Silverstain, that's a perfect voice for him. Zhongli's personality is similar to Sylvain. But the voice fits him so well. He's also like a father figure.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 - he's the youngest in the Overlords. Probably in his twenties. White cat with green eyes, he's really good friends with Sylvain since he helped him out a lot and he chose Mischief to became another Overlord. So Mischief is very loyal to him. His real name isn't Mischief (still working on his real name, but I chose Mischief back then bc he kinda had a different personality but I decided to keep it bc it grew onto me).

𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐚 - she's a lioness. She's really pretty. Idk how to even describe her aaah. My inspiration for her was Gianna D'Antonio, especially in that dress she was wearing. She's elegant, speaks up when she wants to and is also ready to protect those she cares for. Has a crush on Mans. In her forties.

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐬 - now, I wanna change his name but it's NOT pronounced as "Mens". Idk why I chose that name for him ahah. He's a dark black coated wolf, is more muscular than Sylvain. My inspiration for him was John Wick. He has a crush on Athena and she actually has on him too and they will be together. He was supposed to be "Overlord of Death" and I might keep that title for him, but then I'll gotta figure out titles for others too. But he's really gentle, has a soft deep voice (literally Keanu's voice, that's how I "hear" him). So also in his forties or fifties. He's originally from Norway. He was giving me that vibe and I was like "Yeah I can do that"

𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐬 - okay I also wanna change his name or make it that that's his Overlord name. His name means "Eternal death" and idk if his parents would've named him that, so I gotta figure that out. He's a deer that was born with melanism, that means he was born with pure dark black coat, so it's kinda like a mutation. He's also kinda... cursed, and can see like ghosts or some different types of paranormal presence and can sense them. He's really elegant and just really handsome. Also a gentleman. In his late twenties or thirties. Oh and yeah, he's inspired a little by Santino.

𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐚 - a black coated cat (either blue or orange eyes) and has a bit longer fur than Mischief. She's a bit more cheerful than others, but she's also very elegant and pretty. Also, she was with Romano and their love story is really deep and I gotta work on it more. But she really cares deeply for a person who means a lot to her. She's also friends with Sephtis, were also friends back when both were mortals.

𝐊𝐢𝐲𝐨𝐦𝐢 - very wip, I didn't even work on her that much. She's either a silver fox or a white fox with some silver/dark features. And she's supposed to be related to Japanese culture. But... WIP AAAH

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨 - I... he was supposed to have a really tragic ending. He wasn't supposed to be an Overlord and he still isn't, I'm just thinking about turning him into one. Maybe like a plot twist. Bc I actually got really attached to him and he is inspired by Santino. So I don't think I can. The point was to show that not everyone gets a happy ending. No matter what he went through, he's like a tragic "hero". Yk those types of characters. Something like that. But... hm what if I make him an Overlord? I explained before but, he's a belgian malinois. Perfect voice for him would be... Riccardo Scamarcio. Please voice my Italian dog oc.

Very VERY wip idea a tigress Overlord and I'd probably MAYBE make some more Overlords.

Overlords kinda stand between the "good" and "bad". And what exactly they do is still wip bc there is a rank above them (unless I change that?). I often end up changing few stuff so yeah. But I need to motivate myself for this, I love them all.

Anyways, yeah. I really wish I could draw them bc then their looks would make more sense and you could actually see them. And I'm really bad at explaining how they look AHAH

[pancake-breakfast]

Oh, good. I'm glad I have time for a couple more chapters because I wasn't too keen on having to stop where I did last night.

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 8, Chapters 3-4 below.

Chapter 3: Counter Attack!!

CW: Body horror?

Who in the heck is even capable of launching a reasonable counterattack here? Vash would have to get free, Eye of Michael and/or the leftover Gung-Ho Guns would have to care.... Do the people at Home know something we readers don't? (I mean, they probably know a lot we don't, but still.)

Ah, yeah, looks like Home is doing stuffs.

Heh, Home is equally skeptical of counterattacks, I see.

So, basically, it sounds like their plan is to cause enough trouble for Vash to appear somehow. I wonder if any of these folks actually know (or even suspect) where Vash is. They could really use Wolfwood right now.

Oh, man. Meryl really did get a huge dose of Vash's memories, didn't she? She looks pretty grim about it.

Forty men chasing Knives anywhere sounds like a trap set by Knives.

Awww, flashback Vash! Look at that floofy blond hair! He's not even wearing glasses! He's just... Vash.

It feels like this is a mixture of Luida telling the story in the present and panels showing the flashback. If I were to take a wild guess, this one panel is actually young Luida wanting to chase after Vash.

Man, Luida's sharp. She's gambling all of this on what she knows of Vash.

THE PLANT SMILED. GOSHDARNIT, STOP PRETENDING THEY'RE UNAWARE AND NOT SENTIENT TO SOME DEGREE!!! SHE SMILED BECAUSE SHE WAS THANKED!! Always remember to thank your Plants, people.

Yeah, take THAT memory, Knives! Your weird vat of sisters is fighting back in their own way.

WTF, did the plants project that vision?? Did Wolfwood see it, too?

Uhhhh, that ship seems to have grown some... appendages....

Dang, look at that crazy old military plane. That's probably some fancy-pants tech for them.

Knives, honey, you look like a mess.

The Plants really are fighting back, aren't they?

LOL, this panel, though.

!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOLFWOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!L;KJA;LFJAL;KSJDFL;KAJFHA

Chapter 4: Escape

CW: Blood, body horror

Hells yes! Let's get to escaping!

I mean, seven months of restraining Vash with very little in terms of breaks would drain anyone. And it's not like Knives cares if he's burning through his most loyal and dedicated underling.

Vash looks exhausted.

Ohh, this could go poorly....

Heh. Can't hold 'em both, Legato.

"Everything's different when I'm back to back with him."

Dang, as tired as he is, Vash is showing incredible control over his own abilities.

That's right, carry your man out of there, Wolfy.

Ugh, Livio! Now is not the time!!!

Ah, they're on the path to the orphanage. No wonder Wolfwood's desperate enough to try moves like this.

LIVIO!!! NOW. IS NOT. THE TIME!!!!

Dammit, Livio's not alone, either.

No thoughts. Just pain.

Aww, is that... little Livio? He really was just a twink.

Ugh, this is so beautiful and painful. I love his prayers. They're so simple and heartfelt.

VAAAAAAASH!!! SAVE YOUR MAN!!!

Oh, man. Something something about Vash being the one to answer Wolfwood's prayer. Wolfwood, you are deeply beloved by a literal angel.

Mini angel arm! Angel finger!

Vash just spitting their words back at them. He doesn't have the patience for this after seven months of suffering.

Oh, shit. It's Knives.

I think Elandira's got it figured out.

I think Knives' plan wasn't very well thought out. Chances are this is gonna mess with Knives' sense of self. Actually, that's probably why so many people saw that vision. If he's got their memories in him and he already exudes weird Plant aura even when asleep, then chances of him accidentally exuding a memory like that are high.

Yeah, they all underestimated how far Vash will go to save people. A person. It could just be one person. That person doesn't even need to be as close to him or have done as much for him as Wolfwood has. His body is a testament to how far he'll go to save others.

Knives looks like he might have realized he done fucked up. Or, at the very least, that his plan's about to fall apart royally.

And for once, Vash is in full control of his angel arm even at full power like that.

Gods, I love his cheeky little smirk here. Elandira's telling him to stop, and he's just like, "Make me."

Ohhhh, he reversed it to get them out of there! Now they just have to... uh... survive falling all the way to the ground, I guess.

Knives isn't thrilled about this, I see.

Dude. IDK what's going on here anymore, but it's gross and scary.

It's over? Bullshit, this is only volume 8.

Archive

Trigun Vol. 1: Covers + 1-3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 || Vol. 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Vol. 1: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 2: Covers + 1, 2-4, 5, 6-7 || Vol. 3: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-7 || Vol. 4: Covers + 1-2, 3-5, 6-7 || Vol. 5: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 6: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 7: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 8: Covers + 1-2

Extra Credit: Trigun Vol. 1: Nebraska vs. Vash's Motivations, Vash's Loneliness, Vash's Depression (pt 2 of post), Soupy Brains || Vol. 2: Coin Factoids || TriMax Vol. 1: Lina, Vash, and a Haircut || Meryl, Vash, and the Pursuit of Happiness || Vol. 5: Knives, Vash, and Hatred for Humanity || Vol. 6: Coping Series: Wolfwood, Meryl, Vash

[nancypullen]

Ides of July

Every year about this time I start complaining about the heat, and every year summer just goes right on summering. These temps are never a surprise, and always widespread, so why do I act as if this weather is a personal attack? It's just so...gross.

They should just skip that whole "real feel" estimate and say Gates of Hades. We did have a lovely couple of days with rain on and off. That cooled things off a tiny bit and gave the gardens a good slurp. I suppose I should be grateful for that and stop complaining about everything else. I should, but I probably won't. As I type this, the mister is driving home from the Baltimore airport. He was down in Atlanta for a few days and will probably be happy to sleep in his own bed tonight. I suppose I should make him something yummy for dinner, but what sounds good when it's this hot? <---Told you I wouldn't stop complaining. Speaking of my other half, last week we celebrated 40 years of marriage. FORTY YEARS. These two kids (and their teeth) managed to find each other and write a story together.

With those braces and that airplane tie he would have been irresistible to 5th grade me. A few months after that photo was taken I was also sporting braces, amazingly enough both of our kids escaped the Bucky Beaver trauma. That little girl was in Alaska and that little boy was in Florida but the universe had already decided that their paths would cross. I suppose those pics are a bit misleading, we actually have an eight year age difference. So when I was in 5th grade, that boy was heading off to college. Still, the stars aligned and tossed us together as adults and we've been on this journey together ever since. Our first date was in April of 1982 and we were married in July of 1984. That adds up to 42 years of laughing at each others jokes, sharing adventures, celebrations and sorrows, and sometimes wondering what kind of weirdo we married. I have no advice for young couples, we did as many things wrong as we've done right. Everyone will tell you that communication is important, and that's true. But half of any happy couple understands that sometimes what you choose not to say is as important as what you do say. Of all the people in the world that you should be kind to, it should be the one you chose as your partner. Just be nice to each other, that takes care of an awful lot. Thank goodness those two goofy kids found each other. Without Mickey and Nancy there'd be no Matthew and Tyler and that would be a terrible loss for the world. They're exceptionally good people. How two knuckleheads like us managed to create and raise such wonderful men remains a mystery, but oh, they are the beat of my heart and the breath in my lungs. Always have been, always will be. Those two boys were always my reason - my reason to be strong, my reason to laugh, my reason to hope, my reason to try harder, my reason for being. I'd do anything for them. What a gift they've been. I just looked through a few old photos to choose a sweet one of Matt and Tyler to put at the end of this paragraph. I came across this one and laughed out loud. Here's proof that they were always my reason.

That was snapped in one of the most miserable places on Earth - Barrow, Alaska (now named Utqiagvik) in 1990. Those are my boys standing in front of a pile of whale blubber.

No internet, no cell phones, isolated from everything - the only way in or out was by plane. It was a dirty, drunken village and I couldn't wait until our time there was over. On this day a native whaling crew had good luck and had pulled a bowhead ashore. They were carving it up and distributing choice pieces, and the mood was celebratory. Although foreign to us, I wanted our boys to understand the importance of the event in Inuit culture. Down to the beach we went, my two little guys were spiffy and clean, dressed in bright primary colors. My parka was pink. We couldn't have been more obvious outsiders. Everything in Barrow was brown or gray, even things that didn't start out brown or gray. But those sweet faces, in the midst of all of that grime (environmental and social), their eagerness to learn, and the way we stuck together and made the best of everything, made even that rotten place bearable. Where would I be without those two? Wow, I went off on a ramble and dragged you with me. All of that to say that I'm glad two buck-toothed kids got hitched and hit the jackpot with their offspring. Forty years in and we still have chapters left to write in our story. Aren't we lucky ducks? I'm grateful every single day. My apologies for this disjointed post. I sat down at the keyboard with no topic at hand and let my mind wander. That's probably not a good idea. Still, it gives me a chance to have a chat with you, share some nonsense, and send some love out into the ether. I think we all need a little extra right now. The world is nuts, the news is always scary, but we can get through it together. "Even in times of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people." - Garrison Keillor I see you there, you lovely, gentle people - and I hope you can always find my campfire and know that you are welcome. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[hjellacott]

Children don't kill themselves because they are not allowed to transition into a different gender

And if you really think being trans has anything to do with committing suicide, you should read this post.

Girls live in a world where many are painfully aware that one or both of their parents wanted a boy. Where they are far more likely than boys to be raped, often by an adult man of their own family. Where they have to constantly be stressed and scared to death when they walk alone anywhere, when they enter a locker room, a bathroom, a swimming pool, a dark street in the night. They're scared even to accept a drink they didn't see poured in front of them. If they dress one way they're called whores, dress in a different way and they're called nuns, if they get raped, the rapist's defence will be that she was asking for it and she liked it rough, if she gets pregnant, in many countries across the world she will be forced to have the child, even in cases of very little girls who are at risk of dying during labour. If they have a child then they have to take care of it often on their own, and be blamed for having gotten knocked up while underage.

It is fucking depressing to be a little girl. It is terrifying. In some places, depending on the environment you're growing up in, if you have your period you will be stigmatised, you might be forced to suffer ablation, a medieval practice to remove the clitoris that is still practised in many religious groups and cultures, and in many cultures, girls are the ones to wear dresses, be forced into this horrifying role, and be forced to be nothing but baby breeders, and house wives. Many cultures still force their girls into marriages with older paedophiles, and girls are still much more likely than boys to be forced into prostitution, child trafficking, sex trafficking. Girls are far more likely to become victims of coercion and abuse at the hands of a male. Girls are paid less, girls are treated worse, girls are judged more by the media, girls, are victims far more often than they are the guilty party, and even in prison, girls are not safe from rapists.

Girls are never safe. Girls are worried, terrified, traumatised, living a global pandemic of hatred towards girls, of aggression towards them, and now calling yourself a woman is considered offensive to males, and girls are no longer girls, they're uterus havers, vagina havers, breast havers. Reduced to their bodily parts and their duty to be of use to men.

And it's not much better if you're a boy. What if you're not "man enough"? If you want to be an artist of a ballet dancer, and your father thinks that makes you a little girl, and beats you up. Boys are far more likely to become sexual offenders and paedophiles, and in most cases, they will have learned it from a man older than them. And God forbid you're a Gay boy.

But whatever the sex, children these days, all of them, have to live in a world where people would rather they were trans than gay or lesbians. They're scared, they're insecure, they're suffering bullying, they're trying to fit in, they're trying to figure things out, and people won't let them, because the second they toy around with one thing, it'll become imposed permanently on them, by the Woke.

Of course children are fucking depressed, and self-harming, and drinking and doing drugs. That was true a decade ago, and twenty years ago, and thirty years ago, and forty years ago, and so on. All of us, adults, have been kids once, and saw our mates become drug addicts and alcoholics, and struggle with childhood, with being teens, with hormones, with sexual awakening, with figuring your identity out, with figuring yourself out. All of us have drunk a bit too much one night everything felt too much, all of us have been depressed at times, all of us have contemplated suicide at times.

And it doesn't get better when you struggle with the education system, with finding employment, with mental health, with lack of access to affordable therapy, with poor eating habits, poor exercise habits, economic poverty, social disadvantages and in many cases, disability. It doesn't get better when childhood sucks, being a teenager sucks, and you can't hope for something better because you keep hearing about adult wars, adult crises and adult problems and you become convinced you won't be able to get a home for your own and a decent job no matter how hard you work.

That is why children are hurting themselves and killing themselves. Because it has become overwhelming and impossible to be underage any more, and this was a crisis we've been seeing coming for DECADES. We've spent decades warning the authorities a massive mental health crisis was coming, that the youth was suffering, that it was getting really out of hand. And now we're where we are, and we cannot be surprised.

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Do you personally see Harry and Louis CO in the future, whether that is together or separate, or do you think they'll go the same route as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Ronaldo etc and get married and/or have kids with women? If they want to get married and start a family that is (they might not). I have no idea how common it is nowadays for gay male celebrities to marry/start families with women. I'm sure marriages of convenience still happens a lot in Hollywood. I hope they don't go that route as it just seems sad, but it's them who have to live with it. I couldn't do it. Not to keep up a lie for life and always looking over my shoulder. I was just thinking about it because I was watching old 1D vids and they were so adamant about wanting kids. Harry mentioned kids in his last interviews. But it could change in time.

There's a lot here - so I'm going to concentrate on kids.

I think if they're together they would need to come out to have kids. If they're not together there are far more options than getting married to women. Even Ronaldo gives an example of another option. The Just being: 'look I have a kid now' is on the table in a way it wasn't forty years ago.

But I think it's more likely that having kids doesn't seem particularly urgent at the moment. The options and the dynamic is very different for most men than it is for women. There's never been an idea of a deadline.

If I was to guess I would say that both Harry and Louis plan to come out someday - and that having kids is something that will happen in that someday. To me the questions are around how hazy or solid that plan is.

[msfbgraves]

Since Daniel is a teenager when he’s married, and very much a horny teenage boy—I suppose he’s happy at the sheer amount of sex he can happily have now! Is Terry, being older, ever worn out by this horny teenager lol? Like, does he ever say, I need a break, sweetheart! My dick is exhausted!! Lmao. Also—are condoms and birth control not a thing? Or even the “pull out method”? Or “swallow it down like a good omega now”. Since Daniel is not even 30 with 7 children, bless him!

Look I hear you with almost anyone on earth but - Terry Silver? Reddit speculated him to be the father of almost every character on the show and when his character is pushing 70. Imagine him in his late twenties, please. And with Daniel - I - drive- men insane - LaRusso? With those eyes, that smile, those lips and that backside?

TMI, OK, but the reason the man can sit still at all, in this verse, is near daily sex. His kill list has shortened a lot and he plays longer business games now he does most of his shooting in bed.

Also, Terry wants an army of pups and they're both Catholic. If God didn't want him to have anymore puppies he wouldn't bless his Danny boy with all those heats. And of course they do other things when the sweetheart is heavily pregnant or has given him a new puppy to cherish but why would he want fewer? He's king of the world. Now, after Anthony, he can see the strain on his mate and he's acutely aware that he has put six people in the world he needs to be there for. It's less of a concept and more of a family. But when Daniel goes into heat again at 39 for pup nr 8? Terry can't wait. His eldest are grown, Robby is 17 and Gianni is 16, and he has two young omegas in Anthony and his girl Luna, so there's help galore, bring it on. The pups adore their Mama, and Terry has missed having a baby to cuddle. So what if he's pushing fifty, he feels stronger than ever, prouder than ever. If it wasn't right, his darling wouldn't be in heat, isn't that right, mo cuishle? Come here Danny love, Terry wouldn't mind another six if God granted them.

(Though, they occassionally did skip a heat, and when Daniel has another one or two in his forties after pup no 9, they think the better of it. Terry can withstand Daniel's heats, he's proven that, and he needs to guide his pups which, is getting pretty difficult with so many, all with different dreams and needs.)

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

To Love a Ranger Chapter 3- Aragorn x OC

Aragorn x Issa

Description: Issa volunteers herself to join the Fellowship of the Ring, and Aragorn shuts it down the moment that they're alone.

Word Count: 2k

When Issa woke up the next morning Aragorn was already gone. Though sad she didn’t get to spend the morning with him before their duties, she forced herself to get up. She had to attend Lord Elrond’s council in less than ten minutes. So, she hurried to get dressed and began making her way to the court quickly. 

“I was wondering when I would see you again, mellon nin (my friend),” she heard a familiarly soft voice behind her, making her stop mid step and smile. 

“Legolas,” she greeted, trying to keep her excitement down and remain civil as they rested a hand on each other’s shoulder in greeting. It immediately went out the window, however, as the Elf pulled her into a hug afterwards, making her laugh. 

She and Legolas met almost forty years ago through Aragorn and they became fast friends (despite the age difference). He and Aragorn had met when Legolas sought him out personally at the behest of his father thirty years prior (though none of them knew why). To put it simply all three of them were good friends, close as could be. 

“It’s so wonderful to see you again,” Issa muttered happily. Legolas pulled back to look at her with a smile. 

“You haven’t aged a day,” he said, which made her roll her eyes jokingly. “No really! If it weren’t for your hair growing out I would think that you were stuck in time.” 

“Oh please, save the false compliments. We both know that my hair growing out is not the only thing that shows my age,” she laughed, his arm wrapping around her comfortably and they talked about his journey as she led him to the court in which Elrond’s council would be held. There was a group of seats situated in a half circle facing a small plinth, most of which were filled with Elves, Dwarves, Men, Gandalf and Frodo. Issa led Legolas to Aragorn, who was already sitting down. The Man stood to greet his friend then all three of them sat down as the last of the guests trailed in and took their seats. Once everyone was ready Lord Elrond, who sat on the other side of the plinth and the half circle, stood up. 

“Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction, no one can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom,” he paused and looked at Frodo, who sat beside Gandalf. “Bring forth the Ring, Frodo.” The boy stood silently, walked over to the stone plinth in the middle of the circle and placed the Ring on it as carefully as he could. Issa’s eyes closed and her breath hitched as the Ring suddenly began whispering to her, and she knew what she was looking at. It was the Ring of Sauron - the One Ring. She understood why Elrond called upon the peoples of Middle Earth now. She felt Aragorn reach over and take her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one of the Men across from her covered his mouth in shock. 

“So it’s true,” he muttered, shocked. Several people turned their heads to him as he stood up and continued.

“In a dream, I saw the Eastern sky grow dark,” he paused, then began walking towards the Ring. “In the West, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, your doom is near at hand. Isildur’s Bane is found.” He glanced at Elrond, who shot Gandalf a concerned look, before reaching for the Ring, as if he was in some sort of trance. “Isildur’s Bane…”

“Boromir!” Lord Elrond reprimanded, jumping to his feet. The sky suddenly darkened, and Gandalf began speaking in Black Speech. The Dwarf that sat across from Issa shouted in surprise at the sight as the Man, Boromir, jumped back. Elrond held his head in pain, and Legolas grimaced as he closed his eyes. Finally, the clouds cleared away and the sun reappeared in the sky, which made the Princess sigh in relief. She watched as Elrond grew angry at Gandalf for speaking such a language, but the Wizard merely brushed it off.

“The Ring is altogether evil,” Gandalf concluded as he retook his seat. Boromir, however, refuted it by saying that it was a gift and that his land, Gondor, should be given the weapon to use it against the enemy. 

“You cannot wield it,” Aragorn spoke from beside her, standing up. “The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master.” Boromir scoffed. 

“And what would a mere ranger know of this matter?” He asked scathingly as he stepped closer to Aragorn. 

“This is no mere Ranger,” Legolas snapped as he stood abruptly. “He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.”

“Aragorn, this...is Isildur’s heir,” he muttered. 

“And heir to the throne,” the Elf added. 

“Havo dad, Legolas (Sit down, Legolas),” Aragorn instructed in a calm voice, prompting Legolas to sit down (albeit begrudgingly). 

“Gondor has no King,” Boromi said, turning to the Elf. “Gondor needs no King.” He sat down after speaking, staring at Aragorn disdainfully. Issa’s grip on Aragorn’s hand tightened a bit as she willed herself not to say anything. She didn’t take kindly to her fiance being talked to and looked at in such a way, but she knew that she’d be disappointing Aragorn if she said something about it. The Man seemed to understand that because he offered her hand a gentle and grateful squeeze in response as Gandalf spoke up. 

“Aragorn is right,” he stated. “We cannot use it.” Lord Elrond nodded and stood up once again. 

“You only have one choice. The Ring must be destroyed.” 

“Then what are we waiting for?” The still unnamed Dwarf questioned as he got up and grabbed his axe. Everyone watched as he brought the axe down on the Ring. A loud gasp escaped the girl’s lips as an invisible force that protected the Ring knocked the Dwarf back and sent a small shockwave through the rest of the group. Issa was knocked back in her seat, nearly giving her whiplash in the process. There were several exclamations of surprise as everyone attempted to gather her bearings. Issa’s eyes met Aragorn’s as he stared at her concernedly. 

“Are you okay?” He asked worriedly. The girl merely nodded before turning back to the plinth. Her eyes widened and she became scared when she noticed the Ring still sitting in the middle of it, still intact. 

“The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess,” Lord Elrond spoke gravely. “The Ring Was made in the fires of Mount Doom, only there it can be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you...must do it.” There was silence as everyone processed what he said. Boromir shook his head before placing his hand against his temple. 

“One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its back gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the Great Eye is ever watchful. ‘Tis a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this,” he shook his head with a soft sigh. “It is folly.” 

“Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said?” Legolas questioned as he stood once again. “The Ring must be destroyed.”

“And I suppose you think you’re the one to do it,” Gimli grumbled brashly. 

“And if we fail, what then?” Boromir shot back, also standing up. “What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?” Issa frowned at him as Gimli shot up. 

“I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an Elf!” He exclaimed, which prompted the other Elves to stand in Legolas’ defense. “Never trust an Elf!” A massive argument ensued for most of the attendants. Issa was no better, jumping up and starting an argument with Boromir about how it was foolish to attempt to take the Ring for himself, with him stating that he’d be much better off with it compared to any of them. She only stopped when she heard a quiet voice speak out. 

“I will take it,” the Hobbit, Frodo, said. “I will take it!” His repetition is what finally caught the other’s attention. Everyone stopped and turned to face him in surprise.

“I will take the Ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way,” he concluded. 

“I will help you bear this burden Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear,” Gandalf responded kindly, walking over to stand beside the Hobbit. Aragorn, who hadn’t participated in the arguments, stood. 

“If by my life or death I can protect you, I will,” he spoke, also walking up to Frodo and kneeling before him. Gandalf and Elrond grinned at him. 

“You have my bow,” Legolas continued as he approached the small group. 

“And my axe,” Gimli added, repeating the Elf’s actions. 

“And my sword,” Issa said softly, walking over to him. Everyone looked surprised by her addition to the group. No one more than Aragorn, though. She ignored the look he gave her and instead offered Frodo a small smile, which he returned gratefully. Once she was standing beside Gimli, everyone’s attention turned to Boromir as he made his way over to the group. 

“You carry the fate of all of us, little one,” he said matter-of-factly as he did the same. “If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done.” They were then surprised by none other than Samwise shouting as he ran out from behind the bushes. 

“Mr. Frodo’s not going anywhere without me,” he said, moving to stand beside Frodo with his arms crossed. Elrond didn’t seem surprised to see him. 

“No, indeed it is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not.” Issa was further surprised when both Merry and Pippin ran in from seemingly nowhere. 

“Wait! We’re coming too!” Merry called as they reached them. 

“Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing…” Pippin trailed off awkwardly. 

“Well that rules you out Pip,” Merry teased. That admittedly made the girl smile. Hobbits were rather funny creatures. Lord Elrond stared at the group for a moment, then a small smile appeared on his face. 

“Ten companions, so be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring,” he spoke with finality. 

The meeting ended soon after that. Lord Elrond offered all guests to stay for the night as the Fellowship prepared to leave in three days' time (allowing them time to pack supplies and such( before he and Gandalf walked off to discuss something. Aragorn was the next one out, and Issa became concerned when he didn’t even spare her a glance. She and Legolas shared a confused look before he gestured for her to go after him (and hopefully find out what was wrong).

“Aragorn, is everything okay?” She asked upon catching up to him. The Man didn’t answer at first, but instead waited until they arrived at an empty corridor before suddenly turning to her. Issa would have run into him if she hadn’t caught herself. 

“You are not coming on this quest,” he said simply. It took the girl aback as she hadn’t been expecting it. At first she thought he was just messing with her, so she laughed. 

“What are you talking about? Of course I’m coming with you,” she said, her smile fading when Aragorn shook his head. 

“No, you are not,” he repeated. “It is too dangerous for you, and I will not chance something happening to you. This decision is final.” With that he gingerly moved past her and walked away, leaving her to watch after him in shock and hurt.

[health-supplements-product]

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[on-a-lucky-tide]

Back on my Author Eskel bullshit.

I'm going to turn this concept into a longer thing for either the Witcher Summer Camp or Eskel-pades (or maybe both). Eskel is as soft as a marshmallow, so I'll need to add an edge to him, but I love Author Eskel. Do I do this, or my Gerskel Bodyguard AU with Author Eskel and Bodyguard Geralt? Who knows.

Anyway, Eskel is a well-known crime novelist. The sort that rivals Patterson for bookshelf space. His books are all over the world, in multiple different languages, there's a deal with A Big Name Streaming Service for a series and talk of a movie.

He does most of his writing in a tiny little coffee shop in his home town. No one bothers him there, because he will always be the large, bespectacled, dorky kid who used to run amok with his best friend, Geralt. No one cared then, and no one cares now.

He also writes gay romance novels under a pseudonym. They're very niche. Focus on men like him in small rural towns looking for love, so they're not super mainstream. He kind of prefers it that way, because the massmarket is cut throat and he can be himself in those novels.

His coffee shop gets a new barista. He's sharp, sarcastic and efficient. Name badge says Lambert. Face says Get Fucked. So, despite finding Lambert hotter than a jalapeño in the Sahara (he notes that down for later), Eskel is polite but gives him a wide berth.

Then, one day, the grumpy bastard slumps down on one of the deep sofas nearby and pulls out a tattered paperback. Eskel does a double-take. It's one of his. Not crime fiction, a feckin' romance novel. One of his earlier ones. For the first time in years, he gets that jitter in his chest. The one a writer gets when someone has picked up their work, is reading it, perceiving the gods damned words. And he... has to ask. Eskel clears his throat, "What're you readin'? Any good?" (Please say yes please say yes).

Lambert's eyes roll up from his book and he slurps noisily on his iced latte before he replies, "Yeah. S'my favourite author. Must've read this one about ten times, maybe more."

Eskel feels his neck redden. "Wow, must be... Uh, pretty good."

"It feels like he gets it."

"Gets what?"

Lambert levels him with an intense stare, as if weighing him up. Then his lip quirks at the corner and he waves airily at the coffee shop. "Being queer in the middle of bumfuck nowhere."

A pause. Waiting for a reaction.

Eskel nods, hoping his heart isn't audible.

"That's... rare. Stories for us."

Lambert's shoulders relax a little and Eskel lets out a breath. Lambert returns his bookmark reverently to the chapter end, and rocks to his feet. "Break's over. Want a top up?"

"Sure."

Lambert whisks his cup away and Eskel pretends not to notice Lambert's glance at his screen.

They talk more after that. Lambert's fun and witty; he loves dogs and he used to live further north, but left for a fresh start. Eskel learns that he likes cinnamon and can't cook; he has a degree in some kind of biochemistry, but none of the desire to use it. He longs for the open road, but it feels like his feet are made of lead and the world doesn't want him anyway.

The world might not, Eskel thinks, but Eskel does.

In his forty-odd years, he's never really had a crush. Plenty of hot and heavy encounters when he was young; fleeting, meaningless and shallow. But now he's faced with someone he wants to impress. So, he does the one thing he's confident in. He writes.

He writes Lambert a novel. A new character, a new setting, but both will be familiar. It's a love letter and a soft request. He places the manuscript in front of Lambert during one of his breaks. Asks him to give the first chapter a read cause he's not written the genre for a while.

Lambert needles him, but takes it home with him. Eskel spends a sleepless night staring at the ceiling of his one-bed apartment, not even pretending he's able to sleep.

He sits in the coffee shop the following morning. Lambert's not on shift so Eskel isn't expecting him when he slides into the seat opposite, the manuscript placed on the table in front of him. "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

Lambert pulls his beaten up old novel from his satchel and places it down on top. "You're him. This is you."

Eskel nods. His neck reddening.

"Bitch," Lambert whispers, and Eskel's shoulders droop. "I've been waiting ten years for a fucking sequel. Are you for real with that cliffhanger? Do you know the fucking p-- wait, this needs a coffee. Wait the fuck here."

Eskel stays frozen while Lambert darts off, returning with two steaming mugs he made himself. Eskel clears his throat. "How did you know?"

"When you've been listening to a voice for decades, when it's pulled you through the worst fucking moments of your life, you'd know it in a crowd at fifty paces."

"You don't read my other--?"

"Not my thing. Now, this," he ran an affectionate hand over the new manuscript, "this is my thing. And I accept."

"What?"

"You asked me out for dinner. I accept."

"I did?"

Lambert flashed all his teeth in the most disarming grin and Eskel's insides turned to jelly. "Yeah. I'll pick you up at 7, old man."

[opinated-user]

What's wild is that Aliana's revenge is so flat and uninteresting and has so little effect on her as a person that I sometimes forget it was ever a plot point.

Meanwhile in another fanfic I'm reading, I'm absorbed entirely by the revenge plot because it has such an impact on the characters that you genuinely cannot forget about it. It's impacting them forty years after the revenge was gotten. To TL;DR 300k worth of fic and hours upon hours of canon, one character was being repeatedly raped by three others, and, a year and a half into it, snapped and murdered one in what's basically acknowledged as a mental health meltdown. His best friend helped cover for him... and then went on to go murder the other two rapists without being asked to, because it's 1978 at that point and he knows the cops don't listen to POC when it comes to most crimes but especially aren't going to listen to poor POC who are accusing rich white men.

If LO were writing it, that'd be the end of it. Evil was killed, thus all trauma is gone, no further thought needed, the end.

Because a good writer is writing it, even in 2018 the character whose rapists are all dead is still struggling with trauma. He doesn't like what it says about him that he did that, worries he's a bad person, is horrified to realize that if he had a do-over he probably wouldn't do it all differently, felt tremendously guilty seeing the family of his rapist grieve the loss of their son, and has all kinds of self-doubts that linger well into middle age as a result of this. He can't bring himself to ask his best friend if he killed the other two because if the answer is yes, then he can't deal with that guilt so it's easier just to not ask.

It's forty years later and he still has anxiety issues, still worries about his kids and grandkids becoming victims of the same kind of crime, still has a deep distrust of authority figures because he tried to come forward with accusations and wasn't believed. The evil was defeated, the rapists were killed, he got to go on to marry the love of his life and raise a family and his actions still have psychological consequences because real life isn't as simple as 'kill bad guy, live happily ever after'.

And as a result it's really easy to sympathize with him because when your main character gives a shit about others and has the capacity for guilt, shame, regret and self-doubt, they feel like a person. He feels like an actual trauma victim, too, which is why the murder is so cathartic. You can have both revenge and a family life in one character, you just have to write it so the latter is effected by the former. His resulting anxiety and guilt have made him a very worried, hard-to-understand dad and granddad. That's a plot point that goes on to have impact on the greater story.

IDK, it's late here and I'm rambling but basically what I'm getting at is that it's not that LO's list of Aliana's goals is incompatible with each other. They aren't, that's not the problem. The problem is not considering how a character's values, mindset and trauma would impact those goals even when they're obtained. She can't, because that's more thought and introspection than she's capable of, and that's a lot of work on the author's end to create an end result that's actually compelling.

But Aliana is, as a result, a dime-a-dozen badass Mary Sue who saves the day. Sometimes I forget her name entirely. She's generic. I have actually sat back and asked myself if I would do things any differently than Joe, the character in the other fic I mentioned, did. I've asked myself if I could live with murder, even if someone 100% deserved it, knowing it'd hurt the people in their life who didn't deserve to lose someone they loved to a horrific act of violence that would traumatize them by proxy. Joe has made me actually think in response to his actions, living rent-free in my head outside of the context of fanfiction for months now ever since I started reading. I never think when it comes to Aliana. She'll murder/maim/choke whoever she has to and be done with it and will never, ever lose. Joe fucks up. Joe loses. Joe doubts himself. LO isn't brave enough to let Aliana do those things.

If we handed Joe's writer the premise of Aliana, there's probably a compelling character in there somewhere. The problem isn't the premise. The problem is the writer.

indeed. couldn't have said it better.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars CLXXXIII (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: A prodigal son returns -Danny

Words: 3,740

Warnings: Mentions of torture and murder

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Chapter Seventeen: Flint's Rescue.

"No..." She looked around, face losing colour. "No no no... Ron, what did you do?"

He looked back at her, eyes wide in shock. The boy hadn't expected her to run after him.

"You idiot!" She hit him on the arm, Ron was too dazzled to stop her. "We won't be able to find them if we don't go back right now!"

"Y-yeah," He looked around. "Let's go..."

"You, over there!" A man called, four others followed. All of them pointed their wands at them. "Oi! Don't move!"

"Run!" Mel pushed Ron forward. 

Both of them sprinted in different directions at the same time, the men had to divide in order to chase them.

"Didn't you hear!" The stranger ran after her.

"Je ne parle Anglais!" Mel pulled her cloak further up her neck to hide her scars. "Je ne sais pas, s'il vous plait— We ag' tourist!"

However, it was hard to convince these men of her innocence when she was actively attacking them.

The village was small, yet she couldn't find her friend. Suddenly, she ran into an awful scene: Ron had been captured by two of the men, they had him on his knees, and they'd taken his wand. 

"Shit," Mel muttered, coming to a halt in the middle of the avenue. 

"Nous sommes innocents! Je t'en supplie!" Mel gave Ron a warning glance that was meant to communicate: 'Don't even try to say a word!'

"Dunno, Hank, they don't seem to understand us," said a mand behind them. 

"We'll let them go once we've confirmed their identities!" Hank snapped. "You don't want to leave this place empty-handed like last time, do you? You know how annoying our boss is when we go to him without muggle-borns!"

"Alright then, just give us names... uh... you know, names?" One of them inquired.

Ron and Mel pretended not to understand.

"Why don't we take them to our boss and let him decide what we'll do with these ones?" Hank questioned. "He seems to like punishing particularly rowdy prisoners, so why not?"

"But they're not rowdy, they're just French!"

"Same thing," He shrugged. "Oi! Mark, call our boss!"

Mark left, Mel tried hard to think of a way to get rid of these people. She could use wandless magic, that was true, but they were in the middle of a muggle place, she didn't want to harm any innocents that just happened to be walking around at one in the morning. Forty long minutes passed without a thing happening.

Then, she came face to face with none other than Erick Flint. On the second they stared at each other in stunned silence, the air around them shifted and charged with Mel's wrath.

"You piece of shit," She growled.

Utterly unhinged for the first time in months, Mel attacked every moving target. Ron retrieved his wand and attacked Flint, the young man pushed Ron out of his way and started to run, but there was no way she was going to let him leave. 

Mel disapparated only to land directly in front of Erick, her fist came into contact with his face in such a precise hit that he was thrown to the side, she clambered over him. Forgetting all about her magical abilities, she punched and hurt every patch of skin she put her hands on.

"Mel, stop!" Ron picked her up and dragged her away before she could continue.

"NOT ENOUGH!" She yelled. "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

"You don't... understand..." Erick panted from the ground, blood was coming out of his nose and mouth. "It was a test— I had to do it... so I was allowed to join!"

She let out a dry laugh. "Am I supposed to feel bad for you? Poor Flint had to murder a whole family so he could join the fascist club?"  

He sat up abruptly, Mel snapped her fingers and tight ropes encircled him. 

"You won't go anywhere— Not until I'm done with you!"

Erick looked down at his body and frowned, he scoffed and shook his head. Mel pushed Ron aside and approached him. 

"You thought I'd let you go? You think I'm joking?"

"Dumbledore warned you about abusing your power—" Mel punch him again, Erick let out a grunt. "Would you stop punching me so I can explain!"

"I don't want to hear you! I don't want your explanations!"

"I didn't kill your family!"

One of the men stirred behind them, Ron quickly put him out again. 

"You took my mum and my brother and you were going to take me too if it wasn't because of the Portkey! Ron!" The boy gave a start behind her. "Where's my wand? Give me the bloody wand!"

"I-I don't think that's a good idea, Mel," He said in a slightly alarmed tone.

Erick tilted his head to look up at her, squinting his injured eye. "I really hate repeating myself, and I do that plenty with the group of snatchers you just took out, so—"

"Of what?" She interrupted.

The young man in front of her frowned. "Snatchers? You know, the search groups?"

"That's what you call them?"

"That's what everyone calls them... Have you been living under a rock?"

Erick's attitude made her feel uncomfortable; part of her wanted to kill him, but there was something in the way he wasn't intimidated that was keeping her from making any real damage. He'd always been rather brave, but right now he was in real trouble, and the fact that he wasn't begging for mercy caught her off guard.

She held his face tightly with one hand. "Doesn't matter where I've been, I can take some time to get rid of you..."

"Don't do something you might regret."

Ron let out a dry chortle. "Hear that? He thinks we'd feel bad about killing a Death Eater!"

"Newsflash, you filthy rat," Mel crouched so she could look at Erick face-to-face. "The only thing I regret is thinking you were my friend."

"You shouldn't," He grimaced. "You've got no idea of what you're saying."

"Sure," She replied indifferently. "Save the speech for the afterlife, alright? I'm sure God has better use for it than I do."

Erick closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, then spoke through gritted teeth. "Your family's alive."

Her grip tightened. "What?"

"Don't listen to him," Ron warned her. "He's lying! We know he's an expert at it!"

She looked into Erick's eyes, his breathing coming in shorts pants thanks to the way Mel was clutching his throat.

"If you take the ropes off," He started, "I'll explain everything."

"Why would I listen?"

"Because I told you—" He coughed. "I-I told you I wasn't planning to die..."

"And then you went and joined the Death Eaters," She retorted harshly. 

"Look at my arm," He groaned, squirming under her grip. "I don't have the mark, I wasn't important enough to—"

"That won't make me believe you—"

"Let me finish!" He coughed again. "Let go of my throat at least!"

Mel obliged, but she demanded to have her wand back and pointed it at his chest.

"Let's say I listen to you, and you're being honest," She felt something press on her chest at the sentence, but she ignored it for the sake of her sanity. "Explain."

Erick looked over her shoulder at Ron, who was completely against her decision to maintain a conversation with a bad guy, then Erick's gaze landed on the Snatchers.

"We have to hide those first," He nodded towards the unconscious figures. "There's a muggle pub around the corner, you can take me there and we can talk, you don't have to untie me."

Mel and Ron shared a look, none of them wanted to listen to their former friend, but given that this was the same guy that had risked his life and taken a beating for them, they had a difficult time trying to turn their backs on him.

Although of course, Erick could be lying. However, Mel was really good at discerning whether if someone was being honest or not, and right now, she couldn't tell. It wasn't that she was incapable of hating him, she'd been ready to hurt him five minutes ago, but it was the thought of seeing her family again what made her believe him. After all, family was the Dumbledores' weak spot, everyone knew that.

Mel stood up, took a look at the men and then at Ronald.

"We can hide them behind those bins over there..."

"Are you actually going to listen to him?" He frowned.

"Look," Mel stated, "you dragged us out of our mission— aren't I allowed to do something foolish too?"

"But he's—"

"I know," She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know... but please, you think we wouldn't be able to control Erick if he were to try and attack us?"

Ron stared at her and then at Flint, his brows knitting together. 

"Fine," He grumbled. "But we're keeping the ropes."

"I don't mind," Erick said promptly. "You'll have to help me stand, though."

Once inside the pub, Ron was looking rather uneasy. 

"Are we sure no Death Eaters will find us here?"

"They never frequent these villages," Erick answered casually. "They consider themselves above such places. That's why they send my search groups here, so they get to attend more urgent matters— like working at the Ministry and torturing entire families. We hunt down muggle-borns and blood traitors."

Mel supported her elbows on the table, hands clasped together as she stared at Erick. "You have ten minutes to tell us the whole story."

"And then what, we'll just let him go?" Ron scowled.

"If he's telling the truth and my family's alive, he'll take us to wherever it is they're hiding. If he's lying, we'll kill him."

Erick snorted. "Save your threats for some poor bastard who doesn't actually know you."

"You don't know me," Mel spat.

"The mere thought of killing had you unable to perform during half of your sixth year!"

"That was before I watched one of my best friends betray and kidnap my own mother!"

"Can you keep your voices down?" Ron looked around, several people were staring at them with frightened expressions.

"I told you before," Erick continued in a low and tense voice, "it was a test."

"That doesn't explain anything."

He sighed heavily. "No, I guess it doesn't."

Mel was growing tired, but she still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

"Listen, I want to believe you're still a good bloke, I really do, but if you don't explain yourself, I'm willing to ignore six years of friendship in order to break your neck."

The young man looked at her intently. "Where should I start?"

"Where should you—" Mel spoke in disbelief. "How about by telling me how did you enter my house!"

"The Ministry's easy to trick," He shrugged. "You should know that by now, didn't you pay them a visit last September? I'm getting to the explanation, wait a moment!" He hissed, noticing Mel was once again drawing out her wand. "Last time we spoke you said you weren't going to force me to stay in a place where I didn't want to belong. You were right, my place wasn't with you—"

"You're saying is Mel's fault you turned bad?"

"Are you two unable to shut up for just five minutes?" He huffed. "I knew I was of no use in your mission. I was dead weight. I wasn't going to say that to you though, and I can now admit that asking you to run away was rash and coming from a place of fear—"

"Glad to hear it—"

"—I was frustrated, so I made a plan. I isolated myself to look like a sulky teenager with a broken heart, then I wrote to Snape as if I were bitter and thirsty for revenge and said I had information about you and Harry. He told me to go to Malfoy's manor so we could speak—"

"Wait, wait," Mel frowned. "That's it? That's all it took to convince him?"

"Well I'm a very convincing man," Erick stated airily. "But no, obviously it wasn't. I had to tell him you were an unregistered animagus, that you were planning to abandon school although I had no idea why... I was the one who gave him the list of possible places where you guys could be hiding, some quite believable, others completely off the rocker—"

"I stole that list from Yaxley's office!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's kind of my boss at the moment," Erick smirked. "Can you believe I actually have a better-paid job than my brother? And he's been working for three years now! Never been more delighted in my life—"

"Try to focus on your story, mate," Ron interrupted rudely. "You've got five minutes."

"Right. Well, after I gave him all that, I thought he would take me to see You-Know-Who, but he just told me to go home and that he would contact me later. I knew he would be watching my every move so I couldn't be seen with any of you. I didn't write any letters either. However, I did visit Hogsmeade a few days after I talked to Snape."

Erick was beyond pleased about his story, he'd been waiting a long time to tell all this to her.

"Remember how you told me Umbridge found out about Dumbledore's army because you held the meeting at the Hog's head?"

"Yeah, it isn't as crowded as the Three Broomsticks and the people that visit the place is usually bad..."

"You forget the most important thing," He smiled. "Your Grandad's the owner. It was the perfect place to see who Snape'd sent to follow me. Turns out it was Dolohov."

"How did he enter without my grandad kicking him out?"

"I honestly think he couldn't care less about it, but his brother's funeral had been merely four days before, I was hoping he'd be feeling a bit in the mood for a good deed— I wrote on a napkin, told him I'd give him ten galleons if he got rid of the Death Eater that was tailing me..."

"And he did?"

"Took him by the collar of his robes, said that the least a Death Eater could do was show some respect when his brother's death had been so recent, that he wasn't going to be selling to any of their kind for a least a week. Very thoughtful of him, I'm sure Dumbledore shed a tear from the afterlife—"

"Get to the point."

"I'm on it. With Dolohov gone, I told your Grandad he could get more than ten galleons if he helped me out. He recognized me, he'd seen me in Hogsmeade with you and I had a strange feeling that he really wanted to say no but ended up saying yes. I explained his part, didn't tell him the whole thing, mostly because he didn't look particularly interested, and then I said that if the plan succeeded, he would get thirty shiny galleons."

"What was the plan?"

"I'm getting there," He scolded Ron, annoyed at the fact that they continued to interrupt him. "I wrote a letter to your mother and asked Aberforth to send it for me. Told Mily all she had to do was to be ready earlier than planned the day you guys were going to leave the house— I found out that Ginny told Neville, who told Daphne, that you were planning to hide your family, so I knew I still had a few days before losing your track."

He squirmed on his place, starting to get uncomfortable. 

"Could you untie me? It's been five minutes since I last felt my arms..."

Mel flickered her wand under the table: The ropes vanished only to reappear around his wrists and ankles.

"Thanks," He sighed. "Well, Snape sent for me the day after I received Mily's confirmation. He said I had to prove my loyalty: I had to kill you. I told him 'Why not finish the job and kill the whole family?'— I don't know what made him believe... well, I do know. They tortured me beforehand, said I had to pay for the years I chose you over them..."

Mel and Ron must've looked downright horrified, because he quickly added:

"Don't pity me. I healed myself as soon as I got the chance. I have no marks of their torture... not physically, at least. Either way, I thought Emily knew about our fight, I was certain that she no longer trusted me. I was sure she'd be waiting with at least a dozen other wizards from the Order and I was stupidly counting on it. You see, my plan was to cause mayhem in your house, grab your family and leave the scene while the others took down the actual Death Eaters—"

"But I never told her about our disagreement," Mel whispered. "Mum trusted you."

"Exactly," Erick was clearly displeased. "Which made my work ten times harder. I got to your house, Dawlish was already under the Imperius curse by then and he'd lifted the security stuff an hour earlier, Emily handed me your brother and ushered me downstairs, I don't think she knew I had others with me... I saw you preparing breakfast and your bloody cat walked right past me to warn you about us— which was also very inconvenient, I tell you, the Death Eaters have wet dreams about killing you personally, you're like a huge rock in their shoe—"

"Thank you."

"Rabastan and Antonin were eager to get you— You know the rest of that part so I'll skip to what happened after. Their plan was to take you to my house, torture you for a while and then finish you off. My actual plan was to take your mother and your brother to my place, where your Grandad was already waiting for us, and hide your family. But like I said, your house was empty so no Death Eater was left behind, I apparated with Antonin and Rabastan and made sure to be loud so Aberforth knew I wasn't alone..."

"What did you do then?" Ron asked, enraptured by the story.

"I'm just thankful the Dumbledores and Sultens have sharp fighting skills," He raised a brow. "Your Grandad came out of the kitchen and stunned Rabastan, his hands were free so it was imperative we got rid of him first, then your mother headbutted Antonin and drew out her wand from his pocket, she stunned him as well, that was it."

"No, it isn't," Mel frowned. "Someone found their bodies, Moody told us—"

"Well..." Erick's voice grew quiet. "They found a body, it just wasn't your mum."

"Who was it?"

Erick stared at her for a second, the bruises and cuts from Mel's attack making him look more intimidating than usual.

"Dolohov."

A heavy silence followed his retort.

"You mean you..?"

"It wasn't pretty," He said dully, "But I'd do it again if it meant Emily and Leon would be safe... Still, all that darkness... the amount you have to feel in order to murder someone... you would never have that kind of poison in you, Mel. You're too good."

"You're not a villain," She assured him, the words came out in a tone of relief, like she was just realizing this as well. 

"I'm not forgiving either," He frowned. "If I were given the chance to kill my dad... or any of the Death Eaters... I would give it a go. It's not exactly a nice thought but..."

"It keeps you sane," Ron finished darkly. "I get it."

They looked at each other in understanding. 

"We forced Polyjuice potion down Dolohov's throat before killing him so he would look like your mum, we had to be fast, I kinda beat him a little, it really sucked having to kick your mother's face even though I knew that wasn't her— then we just threw the bodies somewhere and Abe messaged the Order, Moody showed up to investigate and he recognized Emily—"

"Hang on, right there you said bodies, but if you only killed Dolohov—"

"We killed a chicken, took off the feathers and sort of experimented a little, made it look kind of human so Moody thought we had tortured Leon as well... I guess he bought it."

"Yeah... but how didn't he noticed that wasn't my mom? Did they bury them right away?"

"Well, there was no point in keeping them out in the open, right? They knew what had happened and I bet they didn't want to find out in detail what we've done to them."

"So my mother's grave... has a Death Eater and a chicken in it?"

"Emily thinks it's hilarious."

"What about Lestrange?"

"Abe changed his memories and I told him he'd been knocked out during the fight, he wasn't happy about it. When he asked about Dolohov I told him he'd gone after you, but he'd probably been killed."

Two minutes of long silence went by, then Mel spoke again.

"I want to see them."

Erick sighed heavily. "I can take you."

"What about the Snatchers?"

"They're not expected to report themselves in at least two days."

"Good," Ron nodded. "So we just obliviate them and leave, right? They don't look too bright anyway..."

"Why do you think that is?" Erick rolled his eyes. "I've obliviated them at least ten times by now..."

"Oh my, you confunded Dawlish as well, didn't you?" Mel asked. "Dirk Creswell said he'd managed to escape because Dawlish was out of it— must've been your doing!"

"Must have," The young man shrugged. "To be honest I've lost count of how many ministry workers I've put curses on... I have a few friends helping me, we make sure the Ministry continues to be as mediocre at getting things done as always. Only that this time is for a good cause."

"Well, if they're hunting down muggle-borns, I'm not that sorry you're treating them as your puppets," Ron raised a brow. "Could you explain a bit further what that's about, though? What's the point of having them under your control?"

"I'll tell you all I've been doing as soon as we get home," He tried to stand up but fell sideways on the booth, swearing through his teeth. "You need to untie my ankles right now!"

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

@dee123ksha​ @vampiregirl1797 @siriuslysirius1107 @stardusthigh @mikariell95 @vernon-dursley @thesuitelifeofafangirl @tomshollandz @reverse-hxlland @hamiltonwc @omiwashere @t-rexs-world @21bruhs @dielgonacoffee @thelastpyle @cedricisnotdead @aconfusedslytherin ​ @greengarsstuff @talksoprettyjjx @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hey Steph!🌟Do u have any fics with smut that is feelingy, ie more focused on the emotional aspect & how they're feeling while doing it than the phy sensations & descriptions? Hope u get wt I'm saying. Thx in Advance!💖

OOOOO Nonny! 

I’ve got just the list for you! and it will give me an excuse to do a part two to another list of mine!! <3 

I do have a Sensuality list in the works, so look out for that in a while, but I think for now this list and the “see also” is perfect for you! 

Feel free, friends, to add your own!

EMOTIONAL LOVE MAKING Pt. 2

See also: Emotional Love Making Pt 1 || [MOBILE POST]

Just Like That by sussexbound (E, 8,442 w., Ch. 1 || First Time/Kiss, Frottage, Virgin Sherlock, French Kissing, Anal, Emotional Lovemaking, Enthusiastic Consent, Tenderness, Crying John, Bathing/Washing, Insecure John, Toplock) – John doesn’t want to talk anymore. He wants. Oh dear god, how he wants. For the first time in what feels like years he WANTS.

My First, My Only, and My Forever by vintagelilacs (E, 6,220 w., 1 Ch. || Post-ASiB, Virgin Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Sherlock’s Bum, John’s Scar, Sherlock POV, Body Worship, Fingering, Bottomlock, Promise of Forever / Proposals, Misunderstanding, First Kiss/Time, Loss of Virginity, Virginity Kink, Seduction) – Sherlock narrowed his eyes. He was missing a vital piece of data, he was sure. John had been looking at him oddly ever since they left Buckingham Palace, and the ensuing incident with Irene Adler had only exacerbated his erratic behaviour. What was it? Why would he care that Sherlock was a virgin? There was nothing reminiscent of mockery or pity in his gaze. And then it hit him. John Watson was aroused.

The Haunting of 221B Baker Street by earlgreytea68 (M, 10,388 w., 2 Ch. || Post TRF, Halloween / Ghosts, Pining Sherlock, Ghost Sherlock, Stroppy Sherlock, Sherlock POV, First Kiss/Time, Angry Sex, Ghost Sex, Love Confessions, Open / Ambiguous Ending) – In which Sherlock Holmes is a ghost.

To be loved by Strange_johnlock (E, 12,436 w., 8 Ch. || Post S3, Established Relationship, First Person POV Sherlock, Pet Names, Soft Sherlock, Mild ADHD, Protective John, Captain Watson, Body Appreciation, Bottomlock, Rough Sex, Travelling for Holidays, Introspection, Sherlock Loves John So Much It Hurts) – John is so deeply integrated into the work, both as my conductor of light, and as a great shot with a vicious right hook who tackles men -and women- no matter their size all in my defense. He protects me with all he can without question, and this loyalty is surely more than I deserve. Or: Sherlock is counting his blessings.

The Invocation of Saint Margaret by Ewebie (E, 15,831 w., 1 Ch. || POV John,  Crossing Timelines, Light Angst, Fluff, Series 3 John / Series 1 Sherlock, The Matchbox, Mushy Romance, First Time, Bisexual John, Pining John, Bottomlock, Love Confessions, Sensuality, Emotional Love Making, Snippets of Time) – When Sherlock Holmes opens the matchbox from The Sign of Three and John finds himself years in the past, back to that first dinner at Angelo's with a much younger Sherlock Holmes. Is he dreaming?

The Palmyra Atoll by elwinglyre (E, 16,609 w., 3 Ch. || TSo3 Divergence / Episode Fix-It, Stockholm Syndrome, Kidnapped John Watson, John Whump, Evil Mary, Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Toplock, Limited 3rd John POV) – As John's preparing for the wedding, Sherlock is preparing to have his heart broken, and Mary is prepared to do the unthinkable. Intervention required. Enter Sherlock. Set before Sign of Three with a far different outcome. John is drugged, kidnapped, and left on an island, but not just any old island.

Permanent Fixture by vitruvianwatson (E, 18,836 w., 9 Ch || Post-S4, Parentlock, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, They’re Good Parents, Blushing Sherlock, First Kiss/Time, Explicit Consent, Sexual Content, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Big Feelings, Crying, First Kiss, Fluff, Anxious Sherlock, Inexperienced Sherlock, Emotional Communication, Love Confessions) – Now, as Rosie sat curled up against Sherlock’s side, John watched and wondered exactly how he had ended up here. Domesticity had never suited him before, not at any point in his life. His disastrous marriage had been proof of that. But somehow, here in the warmth and safety of 221B Baker Street, here with Sherlock Holmes reading medical jargon to his daughter, Sherlock’s bony feet nudging against his leg, John couldn’t imagine anyplace that would make him happier.

Division by MrsNoggin (E, 19,542 w., 11 Ch. || Coffee Shop AU || First Kiss/Time, Fluff, Barista Sherlock, Clingy Sherlock, POV John, John’s Limp, Bed Sharing, Fluff, Sleepy Cuddles, Sensuality, Touching, Virgin Sherlock, Insecure John) – John likes mysteries. And every morning he dips into the local independent coffee bar with his newspaper and ponders another... one Sherlock Holmes.

The Wisteria Tree by SilentAuror (E, 29,773 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S3, Emotional Love Making, Amnesia/Memory Loss, Sherlock Loves John So Much, Sherlock POV, Romance, Angst with Happy Ending, First Times, Hurt/Comfort, Est. Rel., Retirement) – Sherlock wakes up from a month-long coma only to discover that he has no memory of the previous six years to his own shock as well as John's...

Only To Be With You by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (M, 40,768 w., 4 Ch. || Black Mirror / Future AU || Character Death, Future Technology, Sickness/Cancer/Illness, Heavy Angst with Happy Ending, First Person POV John, Pining John, Heart-Wrenching Angst) – I tell myself that next time I’ll come near this same place again. Wait around for the mysterious stranger in his coat to dash past me, hot on the heels of a new criminal in black. I think this all the way back to my Exit, planning where I’ll wait and what I’ll say when I see him. Scheming on how to get his name. It’s only once I reach the Exit Point door that I realize two hours and forty-five minutes have passed, and I realize that this won’t be the last time I Visit. It won’t be the last time at all.

Guidelines by WithLoweredVoices (M, 43,018 w., 15 Ch. || Winglock || Angels, Fantasy, Angst, BAMF! John, War, Jealous Sherlock, Possessive Sherlock, Jealous John, Falling in Various Ways, Needy Sherlock) – The Good Soldier, one of the oldest and strongest of the fallen, is offered a bargain: to live as John Watson and to Guide a fledgling archangel so that he will stay on the path of good. Of course, Sherlock Holmes has different ideas about his destiny. Fantasy AU. Warnings for violence, occasional gore, and a whole load of hurt and angst.

Anchor Point by trickybonmot (E, 49,856 w., 80 Ch. || Truman Show AU || Psychological Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Dark Characters / Fic, Alternating First/Third Person, Protective John, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Tender Moments, Love Confessions, Hand/Blow Jobs, Cuddling, Jealous John, First Kiss/Time) – The world tunes in nightly for Sherlock, the ultimate in reality TV: Sherlock Holmes, a real person with a legendary name, unknowingly lives out his life in a staged setting contrived by his brother. Things get complicated when a retired army doctor joins the show to play the part of Sherlock's closest friend. This fic borrows its concept from the 1998 film, the Truman Show. However, you don't need to have any knowledge of the movie to enjoy this story.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by SilentAuror (E, 50,635 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4/S4 Divergence, Case Fic, For a Case / Reverse Fake-Relationship, Conferences, Marriage Equality, Travelling / New York, Pride, Homophobia, Bottomlock, Marriage Proposal, John POV, Sexuality, Love Confessions, Emotional Love Making, Public Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Passionate Kissing, Needy/Clingy Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Touching / Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Little Spoon Sherlock, Intense Orgasms) – John and Sherlock go to New York to attend a conference run by the National Defence of Traditional Marriage Coalition in order to investigate the potential bombing of the annual Manhattan Pride parade. As the conference unfolds, John finds himself repulsed by the toxic ideology being presented, which becomes relevent to his own unacknowledged issues and his friendship with Sherlock...

Points by lifeonmars (E, 53,791 w., 42 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || HLV Rewrite / Canon Divergence, Married Life, Pregnancy / Baby Watson, Drinking to Cope, Boxing / Fisticuffs, Clueless John, Angst, Minor Medical Drama, Tattoos, Christmas, First Kiss/Time, Eventual Happy Ending, Love Confessions, Doctor John, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Case Fic, Drugging, Blow/Hand Job, Emotional Love Making, Parenthood, Passage of Time) – What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary's wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn't exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues -- just in a different direction. And slowly, Sherlock and John find their way to each other.

Isosceles by SilentAuror (E, 56,609 w., 7 Ch. || Post-S4, POV John, Original Male Character / Sherlock Dates Another Man, Love Triangle, Jealous John, Virgin Sherlock, Sexual Coaching, Angst, Romance, Domesticity, Unrequited Feelings, Miscommunication, First Kiss/Time, For a Case, Friends With Benefits, Bottomlock, Love Confessions, Spooning) – After solving a case for a major celebrity, Sherlock gets himself asked out. When John asks, he discovers that Sherlock has no intention of going, at least not until John agrees to coach him through whatever he might need to know for his date...

The Thing Is by TSylvestris (E, 56,743 w., 21 Ch. || Case Fic, Dev. Rel., Anal/Oral, Blow Jobs, Meddling Mycroft, Drama, Romance, Humour, Casual Encounters, Pining Idiots, Possessive Sherlock, Orgasm Delay, Rough / Alley Sex, Public Sex, John Whump, Drugged John, Emotional Love Making, Awkward Relationship, Marriage of Convenience, Switchlock) – The problem with living with Sherlock, John thought, was that you never, never, ever knew the significance of anything. Like your flatmate's nose buried in your hair. Whilst you're in bed. Part 1 of Nitroglycerine

White Knight by DiscordantWords (M, 69,840 w., 13 Ch. || S4 Compliant/Post S4, Marriage For a Case, Jealous John, Pining John, Janine / Sherlock Fake Relationship, Serial Killers, Case Fic, Undercover as a Couple, Weddings, John is a Mess, Misunderstandings, Wedding Planning, Jealousy, Drunkenness, Love Confessions, Angst with Happy Ending) – Green. The word green was used to convey a great many things. Illness. Envy. Inexperience. Standing there amidst Janine's chattering bridesmaids, watching Sherlock furrow his brow and study fabric swatches, watching him smile and simper and flirt, John thought it a remarkably apt colour choice. Because he felt quite sick to his stomach, he feared the source of said sickness might very well be jealousy, and he had absolutely no idea at all what to do about it. Or: Sherlock needs to fake a relationship for a case. He doesn't ask John.

Being John Watson-ish by elwinglyre (E, 69,902 w., 17 Ch. || Bodysnatcher AU || Author John, Cranky Sherlock, Angst, Sexual Tension, First Kiss / Time, Falling in Love, BAMF John, Past Soldier John, Feelings, Inside Someone’s Brain, Shy Sherlock, Sherlock Loves John, POV Sherlock, Switchlock, Slow Burn, Internal Dialogue, Mental Turmoil) – When consulting detective Sherlock Holmes steps on one toe too many at a crime scene, he's consigned to a desk job in an archaic office on the seventh-and-a-half floor of the New Scotland Yard. It’s in this bleak office that Sherlock discovers a portal into the mind of renowned author John Watson. Grander than his mind palace, this new wonderland affords Sherlock new vistas of experimentation. To learn more about the mystery behind the portal, Sherlock seeks out and befriends Watson. But then it all goes wrong when others find the secret portal door—including the man whose brain he visits.

Gold Rush by ShirleyCarlton (E, 71,783 w., 17 Ch. || Post S3 / No Mary, Friends to Lovers, Mentions of Past Sexual Abuse, First Kiss, Case Fic, Slow Burn, Alternating POV, Switchlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Marriage Proposal, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Abduction, Anxious/Insecure Sherlock, Miscommunication, Emotional Lovemaking) – John has divorced Mary and pops round to 221B one evening to find Sherlock in the middle of a case. As Sherlock tries to find the identity of a young woman’s stalker, John realises he can no longer deny his feelings for Sherlock – which then, to their befuddlement, turn out to be mutual. Shy kisses and tentative embraces ensue. But will Sherlock be able to cast off a shadow from his past that he thinks might prevent John from wanting to stay?

Two Two One Bravo Baker by abundantlyqueer (E, 114,574 w., 27 Ch. || Military AU || Afghanistan, War Story, Thriller) – Captain John Watson of 40 Commando, the Royal Marines, is assigned to protect and assist Sherlock Holmes as he investigates what appears to be a simple war atrocity in Afghanistan. An intense attraction ignites between the two men as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens everything they’ve ever known, but Sherlock is as much hunted as hunter, and everyone close to him is in deadly danger. Can he solve the case in time to save himself and John? Part 1 of Two Two One Bravo Baker Universe

Not Broken, Just Bent by Schmiezi (E, 87,585 w., 43 Ch. || Pining, Love Confessions, Rape/Sexual Assault, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Villain!Mary, Suicidal Ideations, Main Character Death, Sherlock First Person POV, Parentlock, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Love Making, Possessiveness, Depression, PTSD, Kidnapping, Virgin Sherlock, Eventual Happy Ending) – "For a second, I allow myself to remember teaching John how to waltz. There is a special room in my mind palace for it. A big one, with a proper parquet dance floor. For a second, I go there. I remember holding him, closer than the World Dance Council asks for, excusing it with the fact that we are training for a wedding, not for a competition. For a second, I feel his hand on mine again, smell his sweat, hear the song we used. For a second, I allow myself to love him deeply. For a second, only a second, that love reflects on my face." Fix-it for S3, starting at the end of TSoT. Evil Mary.

Kintsukuroi by sussexbound (E, 91,823 w., 20 Ch. || S4 Compliant / Post-TLD, Grief / Mourning, PTSD, Internalized Homophobia, Therapy, Past Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Anxiety, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, Cuddling, Suicidal Ideation, Masturbation, Minor Character Death, Sexting, Frottage, Inexperienced Sherlock, Rimming / Anal / BJ’s, Emotional Turmoil, Finding Each Other) – “I love you.” Sherlock sees the words hit John with almost physical force. He reels back a little, jaw twitching and eyes filling. “I love you,” he repeats, a little softer, a little more gentle, as earnest as he possibly can. Because they’ve been teetering on the brink of this thing for years, and it had become painfully obvious over the last few months that they were at a tipping point. This had to happen. Now it has. Now they can see where they end up. The tears in John’s eyes spill over, and he wipes at them angrily. “Do you even know what that means?”  

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU ||  BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Drug Rehab, Falling in Love, Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Panic Attacks, Switching, Anxious / Protective Sherlock, Hugs for Comfort, Suicide Mentions, Healing Each Other) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes." Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

Against the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (E, 151,714 w., 20 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Hiatus Fic, POV First Person Sherlock, Present Tense, First Kiss/Time, Big Brother Mycroft, Escaping from Capture, Soft Sherlock, Toplock, Insecurity, Infidelity, Travelling, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Depression, Fantasies, Yearning for the Past, PTSD Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation) – Sherlock has been away from London for nine hundred and twelve days and counting, and has no idea what sort of reception to expect when he finally returns.

Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court.

[alexhogh7137]

The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty *this is the longest chapter I have ever written! So make sure you bring your snacks and strap yourself in;)*

Word Count: over 6k

Warning: sex without consent, smut, fluff and heavy angst

You did not get much sleep on that night and neither did your beloved. His heart rate did not lower as the hours progressed. His jaw stayed clenched at the thought of his friend's attempt to kiss you. You are very beautiful, he gives him that, but that gives him no right to kiss his wife. He would never do that to Katya, so why would he do this to him? Oh, that is right. Him and Katya shared a kiss on that one night before the battle to win Kattegat back from his brother Bjorn. But how could Prince Oleg know? He pondered that question in his head over and over again. The only possible reason for him to do such a thing is because he found out about him and Katya's quick moment. She must have told him, or someone else did but he was not stupid enough to ask such a question. So he stayed still as he watched your eyelids struggle to stay closed. He knew that you were not sleeping either, but still, he held you in his arms and never let you go. And he made sure that his ax was by his bed and his dagger was on his waistband. He was not letting anyone touch you, or harm you in any way, shape, or form. You are his and his alone. If Prince Oleg thought differently, he has another thing coming for him, that is certain. 

Soon enough, the sunshine crept its way through the windows of your chambers and Ivar lifted both of your bodies up from the warm pillows. You both sigh from the lack of sleep but he knew from the look on your face that you are struggling more than him. With you being several months pregnant, you need the sleep for both you and the baby. 

Ivar "Sweetheart, you did not sleep at all?" You shake your head no, "Why? I was not going to let anyone-"

"I know, I know.."

Ivar "So why did you not sleep, hmm?" He places stray hairs behind your ears.

"Just an unnerving feeling. I don't like perverted men, Ivar. I thought that he was your friend."

Ivar "He is."

"Friends do not try to get their friend's wives into their bed, Ivar. He even offered!"

Ivar "I am aware Y/n. I will take care of this."

"If Hvitserk hasn't done that already." You snapped. 

Ivar snickers, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Hvitserk stopped him last night Ivar, that is what I meant."

Ivar "You-do not sit here and tell me that I never save you, that I never protect you! I am your king! I am your husband! Treat me like it huh?!" You laugh at his reaction. But it made you think: has Ivar ever saved you? Has he ever helped you? Helped you, oh absolutely! Saved you, no. Hvitserk has always been the one to save you. Hell, you were taken from your own home while Ivar slept beside you. So you laugh and get out of bed. 

Ivar "And where do you think you are going?"

"I need to stretch my legs..beloved." You put on a fur blanket around your arms and chest to cover yourself up a bit before leaving the room. You had to walk away from Ivar, or else it would be a fight and you did not wish to have one with Ivar. It is useless. You would both feel like they're right so what is the point? It would only bring on a migraine, to which you already have one from the lack of sleep. Ivar just watches you leave and puts his head into the palms of his hands at the realization that you are absolutely right. Hvitserk was there for you last night..he was not. Hvitserk seems to always be there when you need him the most, but it should be the other way around and that makes Ivar feel like a horrible husband and king. He will never forgive himself for that night, because he could have stopped King Harald.

Ivar "What can I do?" He whispered to himself as he looked at the door his wife just left. 

…

You meet Katya in the hallway and she stops you out of concern from the look on your face and the dark circles. 

Katya "Oh darling, are you alright?"

"Oh yes, I am fine. Thank you."

Katya "Do not lie, there is no need for that, Y/n. I know that I met you yesterday but I have grown to like you. I am here for you, woman to woman, queen to queen..are you alright?"

"Just very tired. This baby is becoming too big for my body." You force a laugh because it was a lie. Your belly is very large but nothing that you cannot handle. You just did not feel like talking at the moment.

Katya "Oh, alright then. Could I do anything? Run you a bath, perhaps?"

"Oh that is too kind, but no thank you. I am actually going to go out for a walk-"

Ivar "Not without me, I hope." He says as he comes up from behind you. You look at him and then back at Katya. Her smile quickly fades when she sees that your smile is obviously not sincere. 

"Of course, my love. You can walk with me." He smiles. 

Ivar "Good morning, Princess. How was your night?"

Katya "It was fine, thank you for asking. And yours?"

Ivar "Just as fine, thank you. Now, If you'll excuse us."

Katya "Of course." She moves out of the way and lets the both of you pass her in the hallway. She can tell that something is off but she doesn't not know what. 

Once you and Ivar are out of the doors of Prince Oleg's kingdom, he opens his mouth. 

Ivar "I am sorry." You do not respond. "You do not accept my apology?"

"What exactly are you apologizing for, Ivar?"

Ivar "For not saving you, like I promised. I did not save you on-"

"We've gone over that millions of times, I forgive you."

Ivar "And I am sorry for not being there last night. I sensed something was..wrong when it took you so long. But I ignored my own thoughts. And I shouldn't have. I am sorry."

You nod, "Thank you. And I forgive you." He walks closer to you and kisses you on the forehead. 

Ivar "I love you Y/n. I love you more than everything."

"I know. And I love you too-"

Prince Oleg "Ah, there you two are! Good morning!" You jolt when you hear his voice and you walk a few paces backwards. 

Ivar "Mm, hello Oleg. Good morning."

Prince Oleg "What is the matter?! You two seem so down on this bright and lovely day."

"No sleep."

Prince Oleg "Oh, that is a shame. Was it the bed-"

Ivar "No, not at all. It was someone's actions that made the both of us uneasy." He says with direct eye contact, making Prince Oleg take a step back. 

Prince Oleg "Oh, well..today is a new day. New beginnings! So, in celebration of your return..I have arranged a little play to be had in my front field, in a few hours." 

"And what does this play entail?"

Prince Oleg "Uh uh uhh, that will be discovered when you arrive."

Ivar "We will be there.."

Prince Oleg "Wonderful. I will see you two very soon." He says as he pats Ivar on his shoulder and walks in the opposite direction. You look at Ivae in shock.

"He does plays now?"

Ivar "He has a weird skit thing that he does..little Igor even have dolls that he uses for reenactments."

"Wonderful. Why did you fail to tell me how Oleg really is, hmm?"

Ivar "I did tell you."

"All of the good things, but none of his strange tendencies."

Ivar "If you do not like him, why don't you leave? You are a queen, you can come and go as you please. If you do not like Prince Oleg, you can go home to Kattegat."

"I know that you do not mean that Ivar. So I am not going to take that to heart. But if you do not take care of what happened last night, and not take responsibility and accountability for me, I will be taking Ryuu and I will be gone within an hour. Do you understand me?" He smirks and chuckles a bit but then his eyes start to fill with tears. He does not speak, he only nods 'yes' and you walk away from him yet again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hvitserk finds you sitting on the balcony, talking to the daughter in your belly and he stands there for only a moment, to admire you. You catch him and open your arms for him to hug you. You need his comfort after the long night and the argumentative morning that you have been having. 

Hvitserk hums once you are in his arms and you just inhale his scent that engulfs your senses and warms your soul. 

Hvitserk "I've got you." He says as he rubs small circles around the small of your back and you smile. 

"How did you sleep?" You say as he lets go.

Hvitserk "Not even a single hour..and you?"

"Notta.." you both laugh at the deliriousness. 

Hvitserk "I just sat in the doorway and kept an eye on your room. I didn't like what happened last night."

"You did that?"

Hvitserk "Of course I did."

"You did not have too, Ivar slept with his-"

Hvitserk "Dagger. Yeah, he always does. Ever since that night, he always sleeps with it on him.. or next to him. But, a dagger is useless if you do not wake up in enough time to use it, aye?"

You nod, "Yeah, I guess you are right."

Hvitserk "What is on your mind, kitten."

"I am just looking forward to going home. Ivar and I have been arguing all morning."

Hvitserk "I figured that. But it is normal..it is okay to have arguments. It is okay to have outbursts and tiffs..but you fight with love. It's never anger, it is out of love."

"That is a great way to put it, Hvitserk. I will have to remember that."

Hvitserk "So, what were you telling our little angel in there?" He says as he places his hands over your belly. 

"Ohh, just a lullaby."

Hvitserk "Sing it to me." He smiles once you smile and he lies his head on your belly as you sing it to him. You fiddle with his braids as you sing and he rubs your belly for you. And occasionally kisses it, making you giggle because it tickles you. 

Hvitserk "You aren't ticklish there when we are in bed-" your jaw drops and you smack his arm playfully, making him burst out laughing. "I am not wrong."

"I know but shush, come back and let me finish my lullaby." He complies and you sing until the very end. Once it ends, he leans up and kisses you before helping you up from the lounge chair.

Hvitserk "That was beautiful, princess."

"You think she heard it?"

Hvitserk "Of course she did. And she smiled, but we cannot see that yet."

"Hmm. Prince Oleg has a play..it is supposed to start in a hour or so."

Hvitserk "Ah yes, I remember his plays. They are quite interesting."

"Help me pick out a dress, will you?"

Hvitserk "It would be my pleasure." You walk back into the home and he helps you pick out a beautiful white dress for the scheduled play. Today is going to be a warm day which excites you and Hvitserk. Because your little one is going to be born in the summer season!

Ivar thinks long and hard on how he is going to confront Prince Oleg without it becoming a huge fight and someone ending up hurt or worse. Having two ill-tempered kings is not a good mix but somehow, they are friends? Nonetheless, he found Prince Oleg talking to a few of his people, trying to prep them for the play when Ivar interrupts him. 

Ivar "We need to have a little talk, Prince Oleg."

Prince Oleg "Can it wait?"

Ivar "No, I'm afraid it is urgent." Prince Oleg looks at his people, whispered a few words and then they left Ivar and him to talk in private.

Prince Oleg "What is it, my friend?"

Ivar "It has come to my knowledge that you made advances to my wife, last night."

Prince Oleg "And who told you that?"

Ivar "My wife!"

Prince Oleg "And you believe everything that woman tells you?"

Ivar "Of course I do. I love her and she loves me-"

Prince Oleg "Ohh, poor Ivar..so nai-"

Ivar "I am telling you right now, if you do not keep your hands and your perverted mouth away from my wife, you are asking for a war. Do you understand me, huh?!" Ivar was not going to allow this man to twist his marriage when he was in the wrong. So he shouted that, for his people to overhear and they began to stare. That made Prince Oleg feel the pressure and realize that he needs to agree or he would be having a war in a few days time. 

Prince Oleg starts to laugh out of shock and nervousness, "Okay, okay..I heard you Ivar the Boneless."

Ivar "Have I made myself clear, my friend? She is mine and mine alone. She is not a slave nor is she going to be your play-thing...understood?"

Prince Oleg sighs, "But she is-" Ivar takes out his dagger and places it to Oleg's throat. Specifically, right on his vein that would kill him in a matter of seconds if cut. 

Ivar "If you want to play this game, Prince Oleg...would you like to die by my blade.. or by dragon?" Prince Oleg stammers and looks at the massive creature that is licking his lips as he stares at the man that his father has a blade to. 

Prince Oleg "Oka-okay! We have an understanding! I am sorry, just get off of me!" Ivar backs off and puts his blade in his waistband. 

Ivar "Good. Now, go on and finish getting your people ready for this play of yours. Wouldn't want to displease us, now would you? You have already been so rude to your guest, wouldn't want-"

Prince Oleg "She will love the play, I am sure of it."

Ivar "Good, that is good huh?!" He playfully hits Oleg on the shoulder. 

Prince Oleg "Of course. I sincerely apologize Ivar.."

Ivar "Good. After the play or before..you can apologize to the woman that you treated with disrespect. And see if she accepts your apology." He walks away before Oleg has the chance to respond. Leaving him out of breath from that shock of fear, it was startling to say the least. He looks at Ivar and back at Ryuu who is still gawking at him with his fangs out. Prince Oleg hurries his way to his people and pretends like nothing happened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you are finished getting ready with Hvitserk, Ivar is coming into the doors of the palace. Katya is goofing around with Igor in the foyer. She smiles when she sees you walking in the room.

Katya "Well, don't you look gorgeous!"

"Thank you, beautiful! So are you." She thanks you and gives you a quick hug while Hvitserk walks up to Ivar.

Hvitserk "Did you make it clear?"

Ivar "Of course I did, my brother. "

Hvitserk "What did you tell him?"

Ivar "Ahh let's just say, it was either he died by my blade or by Y/n's dragon so he apologized." They both burst out laughing, making you and Katya look in their direction.

Katya "What is it?"

Ivar "Oh I just scared your husband a little bit..!"

Katya "Oh, of course you did. You can't help yourself, can you?"

Ivar "He deserved it."

Katya "What did he do and what did you do?" Ivar crutches his way over to Katya and looks down at you and then back at her. 

Ivar "Your husband tried to touch and kiss my wife." She looks at you and you look down. That is all the confirmation that she needed. "So I told your husband to stop his perverted attempts at getting with my pregnant wife or me or Y/n's dragon will take care of him for his actions."

Katya "Y/n I-I am so sorry! I had no idea-"

"Katya it is okay."

Katya "It is not okay. You are now my friend and I care for you. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just wanted to forget about it, to tell you the complete truth. I have been through a lot in my life and I am used to that behavior..so I am fine, trust me."

Katya "What do you mean? How could one get used to that?"

Hvitserk "Alright, let's go outside and enjoy this weather..shall we?" 

"Mm, yes. Ivar, is it warm out yet?"

Ivar "It is warming up, my love."

"Good! Let's go then-"

Igor "Are you alright?" You look down at the young man and you place your hand on his shoulder, and smile down at him.

"I am now, thank you for asking. Hey," you crouch to his level, "how would you like to pet a dragon?"

Igor "I can pet him?"

"Mhm. He is very kind and very gentle." 

Igor "Then I would love to!" 

"Okay, let's go see him then." He takes your hand and you thank Ivar with your eyes and he smiles at you with pure love. 

Hvitserk "Let's join her." Katya and Ivar nod and walk after you. Katya is in shock that her husband did that and she had no idea of that even occurring. Normally, he would brag about it to Katya to make her feel worthless but not last night. This was news to her and sad news at that. She has grown fond of you so to know that that happened, angers and saddens her. But thankfully, Ivar took care of it. He saved you. This time, he saved you.

…

Igor spent a good long while with Ryuu: bonding with him, pet his scales, he even got to hug his leg! He thanked you for that opportunity and hugged you for what felt like an eternity. A hug from a child or in this case, a young man, is a hug like no other. It brings you a joy that does not come from an adult or an elder. It makes you feel so good about yourself and it makes you feel a sense of adoration that no other age can offer. Hvitserk and Ivar watched as Igor clung to your waist with smiles on their faces. Knowing how wonderful of a mother you are going to be. 

Katya "Alright, young Prince..let her breathe now.."

Igor "Oop, sorry!"

"No need to be sorry! I love your hugs!" He smiles and you kiss Ryuu's snout as a 'good boy' because Igor and Katya do not know that you can communicate with your dragon(s). So with that kiss, he knew that he was a good boy. Then suddenly, a bell was rung and everyone was meant to gather around to watch the play.

Igor "Bye Ryuu!" He said as he ran to the front yard. You all giggle at how cute that whole encounter was. 

Katya "How did you train him to be so..tamed?"

"I raised him. I got him along with two of his siblings. They were given to me for my 20th birthday. Ever since then, I have raised them and cared for them. Along with Ivar and Hvitserk."

Katya "You raised dragons?" She looked at Ivar.

Ivar chuckles, "She is giving me too much credit. When I met them, they were very little, but not quite babies. I simply helped feed them and cared for them. Y/n did all of the hard stuff."

Katya nods, "Well, you are an incredible woman Y/n. You should be proud of all of your achievements."

"Thank you, Katya. That means a lot to me." She smiles and she continues to walk with the three of us to the front yard to join the people of Kiev.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the play began, everything was normal and simple. Very complex and artistic play that was very amusing. That is until Prince Oleg called his wife down to join him for a skit. She hesitated for a minute and then gave into his need because he gave her the 'look'. 

"Oh gods, what is he going to do to her?"

Ivar "Nothing bad, I am sure of it."

"If he starts, he is going to become ashes.."

Hvitserk "Shh, kitten. He's not going to hurt his own wife." Ivar looks at him and then he remembers that Oleg killed his first wife. One of the reasons why him and Ivar bonded was because Ivar did the same thing and Prince Oleg admired that, for some sickening reason that Hvitserk could never comprehend. 

Hvitserk "Nevermind..just relax Y/n. Katya is strong, like you. She can handle her own." You don't respond, you only keep an eye on her and his movements. 

Prince Oleg began to talk his nonsense and started to dance with her. It was sort of beautiful to watch two lovers dance before your eyes. Your nerves calmed down quite a bit, however, that was only for a split second. Prince Oleg switched like a light switch on a wall, and pinned her to the ground. You look over at Ivar and he does not move, his emotions just change. 

Hvitserk "What the hell.." Hvitserk could not finish before Prince Oleg undressed his wife in front of everyone in Kiev and used her to please himself. You had to get up and walk away because she was screaming in agony, not ecstacy. Hvitserk follows you but Ivar stays to watch. 

Hvitserk "Are you alright?"

"Flashbacks..I'll be fine I just need to catch my breath."

Hvitserk "Hey, shh shh shh..I've got you." He holds you close and walks you far enough away from the yard to where you could not hear Katya no longer.

"I want to kill that man."

Hvitserk "You cannot kill him, Y/n. If you could, I would help you..but we cannot."

"He deserves it after what he is doing to her. He is humiliating her, torturing her, using her-"

Hvitserk "I kn-"

"How can I stand there and watch a woman go through what I went through? What can I do to help her?"

Hvitserk "I do not know, kitten. He is the king-"

"And I am a queen."

Hvitserk "Yes you are, but you are not in Kattegat. You are in his kingdom."

"His kingdom..we'll see about that." You push your way through Hvitserk and rush your way through the crowd that is dancing around Prince Oleg and Katya. He is still using her when you push him off of her. When he is on the ground, you help your friend off of the ground and hurriedly get her covered up. When she is covered up, she punches her husband so hard in the mouth that his lip spits. You pull her back and she just bursts out crying on your arms, almost pushing you over because you are so off-balance being as pregnant as you are.

Prince Oleg "How dare you defy me?!"

"How dare you do this to your wife?! How dare you use her like your slave? How dare you humiliate her in front of her people? You should be ashamed of yourself." He is speechless. You walk her through the ground when all of a sudden, you hear women start to cheer for you. Cheering for your bravery and your strength to stand up for women like you did. When you look around you, you find Ivar standing up and clapping for you. He mouths, "I am so proud of you." You just smile and continue on walking Katya back to the palace. 

…

When she gets in, she stops you and hugs you so tight that you can barely breathe. You just hold onto her as you ride out the emotions with her.

"I could not let him do that to you any longer. You did not deserve, nor will you ever deserve to be treated in such a way."

Katya "I am used to it. But this, this was the first."

"I am used to it as well."

Katya "Ivar-"

"No no, never Ivar. For a long time, it was my own father, then it was another king who took me from Kattegat and tortured me for many days. So yes, I know how you felt. How you feel right now."

Katya "What did you do?"

"Well, for a while, I just took it. But when I found Ivar, he gave me the strength to do what needed to be done."

Katya "Tell me what you did."

"The king that tortured me in my own father's dungeon...was burned to ashes as he stood. And for my father, well...he ended up with the same fate."

Katya "Oh my gods.."

"Men like them should not be allowed to continue."

Katya nods, "I will take care of him. When I am strong enough. But as of right now, I am in a lot of pain, I am going to take a shower. Y/n, thank you so much for what you did back there. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"There is no need. I am glad that I was there to help you. Go on now, but remember to take it easy."

Katya "I will, I will see you when I can." You nod and when she is out of your sight, you walk your way to a chair that is the closest to you and collapse on it. 

Ivar "My love, are you alright?" He shouts when he finds you sitting there.

"Fine, just fine."

Ivar "You always amaze me, my love. You are stronger than I am."

"I just stand up for what is right. I could not allow him-"

Prince Oleg "How dare you?!"

"Me? How dare you?" Hvitserk and Ivar stand in front of you to guard you from Prince Oleg.

Hvitserk "Back up!"

Prince Oleg "How dare you interrupt me!? I was almost finished, you know!"

"Ivar.."

Ivar takes a few steps forward and gets in Oleg's face, "I know why you did that to Katya, Prince Oleg."

Prince Oleg "Oh..?"

Ivar "You did not get my wife last night so you used your wife instead." He does not answer, only smirks. "I bet, you imagined fucking my wife..didn't you?" He chuckles, "That is all of the validation that I need. My love, we are leaving now."

"But Katya, how can I leave her?"

Ivar "I care about your life and your safety, not hers. We need to leave."

Hvitserk "Ivar is right."

"I need to say goodbye, keep him out of her room." They both nod and keep an eye on you as you rush into her room. She is still in the shower but you do not care. You hug her and whisper in her ear, "I have to go, my friend. I am not safe here any longer, but I need to tell you something. If you ever feel unsafe, please come to my home. You are always welcome and you are more than welcome to stay for as long as you need. Please, take up for yourself, dear friend..be safe."

Katya "Thank you, I will." You rush out and take your husband's hand and rush out of the palace.

Prince Oleg "Please do return soon! You are always welcome in my home, Y/n." Hvitserk helps you up on Ryuu and Ivar gets in his carriage. 

Ivar "Do not expect to hear from me or any of us, ever again.."

Prince Oleg "Oh do not be like this, Ivar! You are my friend."

Ivar "I was, not anymore. You stay away from my family." He strikes his horse once Hvitserk is mounted on his horse and you lift off on Ryuu. Gladly heading home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The journey home felt like it took forever. Your energy is completely spent and your body hurts from the lack of sleep. All you can think about is being home with Ivar and Hvitserk and seeing Ubbe and Torvi. Then you realize that you were supposed to stay for a week! A week in that kingdom! All you know is that Ubbe is definitely going to ask questions but you are honestly dreading answering them. Hopefully Ivar will do the answering for you so that you can rest. Hvitserk can sense your exhaustion and just wants to make you feel better and at ease. Hopefully once you are home, you will feel ease. 

Neith and Eldr fly up in the air to greet you and Ryuu. You swear that your dragons are just as needy as toddlers even though they are massive in size. 

"Hi, my loves. You have been good, I hope." Ryuu lands and you use his wing to get down gently. Ubbe is already by your side as soon as you look up from the ground. 

Ubbe "Hey sis..why are you-"

"Long story. Maybe ask Ivar or Hvitserk what all went down in Kiev but I am so glad to see you." He pulls you into his arms and holds you for what feels like hours. His brotherly love is what you missed and what you needed. 

Ubbe "Are you alright? You seem sad, Y/n."

"I am just glad to be home, where is Torvi?"

Ubbe "She is inside, feeding the kids." Ivar and Hvitserk ride up and you hug Ubbe one more time before going inside to search for Torvi. Your people stop you of course, telling you that they are happy to see you but questioning why you are back so early. You inform them that everything is fine but we all just needed to come home. They did not question any further and let you get inside. You find Torvi in no time at all but her daughter runs to you first. 

"Y/N!!" She runs to you and you pick her up in your arms. 

"Hi my lovebug!" 

"You are home early!"

"We are! We all just missed you so much."

Torvi "Alright, you are hogging her..it's my turn." She takes her daughter from your arms and places her back down to the ground. You get choked up once you are in her embrace but you knock yourself out of it. "Are you okay?" She whispered to you.

"I am now." 

Torvi "What has happened? You all were supposed to stay a week, maybe even longer."

"It is a long story. But we needed to get home."

Torvi "Well, whenever you are ready to tell me, I am all ears."

"Okay, I love you."

Torvi "I love you too. I am glad that you are home." 

"Me too." Soon enough, Ivar and Hvitserk come in with Ubbe and Ubbe looks infuriated. You gather that one of them told him what Oleg has done to you and Katya. 

*CONTINUING ON A NEXT PAGE*

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