#this guy has barely been at the castle two days and he is Going Through It

[bluecatwriter]

"When I look back after a few hours I think I must have been mad for the time, for I behaved much as a rat does in a trap. When, however, the conviction had come to me that I was helpless I sat down quietly—as quietly as I have ever done anything in my life—and began to think over what was best to be done." ~Jonathan Harker's journal, 8th May

[Image description in Alt]

[fandoms--fluff]

Mud and Suds

Flufftober, October 3rd

3 year old Salvatore sister reader x Stefan Salvatore x Damon Salvatore

Summary: Damon makes Stefan give you a bath from you being all dirty, and it backfires on him just a bit

Warnings: None, fluff overload

A/n: may be a bit ooc, but it's really stinkin cute

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

It’s been two hours since you went outside carrying a plastic shovel and two different sized containers.

“She’s been out there for a while, what’s she doing?” Damon brought up, looking outside through the open door and can barely see you because you’re too far away. 

“Well you can always check on her” Stefan pointed out, looking up from writing in his diary.

Damon shrugged and went out, walking towards where you were sitting, surrounded by different blobs of dirt and mud. You built all of them forming a little mud kingdom of your own surrounding your vicinity. He walked up to you, noticing all of the mud smeared on your clothing, face, arms, and legs. He raised an eyebrow wondering how you managed that. 

“Hey, Kiddo, I think it’s time to go inside and clean you up” Damon crouched down in front of you. 

“Bu’ mud, Day Day” you pointed at your creations, and called your brother by his nickname.

“Its getting late, you can continue tomorrow, alright?” Damon said and you nodded.

You stood up and walked over to Damon, avoiding destroying any of the mud castles. He took one of your muddy hands and walked you into the house.

"Don't you even think about it" Damon said when you were about to pull away from him and run around the house.

You looked up at him and stuck your tongue out before seeing Stefan sitting in one of the chairs. "S'efan!" You exclaimed and ran over to your other big brother. You wrapped your arms around his legs, unnoticlingly smearing mud all over his pants.

"Hello to you too, y/n/n" Stefan sighed when he saw all the mud on him.

Stefan looked over to your guys' older brother and pressed his lips together for a moment. "At least she only ran four meters away?" Stefan shrugs.

"Really? Well for that, guess who's on bath time duty? You" Damon told him before walking up to his room.

"Okay. Let's go get you all cleaned up! And let's get all these muddy clothes cleaned" Stefan picked you up, not caring about more mud getting on him since he already has to change anyways. "Yeah!" You exclaimed, leaning your head against his shoulder.

He carried you on his hip up the stairs and to his bathroom. Once he got there, he sat you down on the counter for a second while he turned the tap on to gave the bathtub filling up.

"Let's get you out of these dirty clothes, and if you're good during the whole bath, you can sleep in Damon's bed tonight" Stefan smiled, getting back at Damon for leaving him alone with a mud covered and energetic you to get cleaned and ready for bed.

"Yea, Day Day! Bubbles?" You asked him. "Yes, you can have bubbles in your bath" Stefan agrees. He grabbed the bottle of lavender scented bubbles from under his sink that he bought for you a couple months ago.

After he poured some of it in under the running tap, he came back over to you. Getting you out of the clothes was fairly easy to him. Usually you'd have put up a fight about having a bath, but today you're cooperating easily.

"Ready!" You exclaimed and raised your arms in excitement. "Yes you are, good job!" Stefan brang you over to the tub and slowly raised you into the warm water. "Is it too hot?" He asked. You shook your head, immediately playing with the bubbles.

"Okay, I'm going to be back in just a second, I'm going to get all your muddy clothes into the hamper, and change out of my now muddy clothes, you got it?" He said softly.

"Otay" you said before splashing with the bubbles again.

Stefan ruffled your wavy hair before picking up the pile of small muddy clothing. He vamped out of the bathroom connected to his room. He quickly put all yours and his muddy clothes into an empty laundry bin and changed into a tshirt and sweatpants.

When he got back into the bathroom, there was water splashed onto the ground. "Really?" he deadpanned, to which you just giggled back.

Stefan just shook his head with a small smile. He came over to you with a washcloth and body wash. He washed all the mud off of you quickly, surprised that you stayed still the entire time.

"Okay, last time, cover your eyes" Stefan told you, holding a cup of water above your head to rinse out the final suds of shampoo out of your hair. Your head was tilted back just a bit.

You covered our eyes with your tiny hands, while also squeezing them shut. Stefan slowly poured the water over your head, making sure to get the last of the shampoo out.

"Alright! All done" Stefan tells you. You removed your hand from your face and tilted your head back to normal. "Bath 'inished?" You ask.

"Yep, it's finished, time to dry you off and get into your pajamas" Stefan told you and lifted you out of the tub with a towel and quickly wrapped it around your body.

He undid the stopper, letting the water drain out before walking out of his room and over to yours. He placed you on your bed, all dry becuase of the towel now and walked over to your dresser.

He pulled open one of the drawers with your pjs in them. "Do you care which one?" He asked you. "Uh-uh" you shook your head.

Stefan picked out a light purple and white striped lonsleeve and bottoms. "Okay, stripes it is" he said. He dressed you in the pajamas as you started to nod off.

"Day Day" you quietly said, realizing Stefan had picked you up into his arms again. "Mhm, let's go see drop you off with Damon" Stefan said, to which you giggled at.

When Stefan walked into Damon's room, he looks up from where he's sat in his chair. "What do I owe the privilege of seeing my baby siblings" he smirked at Stefan's slightly offended face from being called a 'baby sibling'.

"Oh, just a little gift" Stefan passed you over to him.

"S'eep in Day Day's bed!" You told him before nuzzling into his chest.

"I told her if she was good during her bath she could sleep in your room tonight and she was!" Stefan told him, answering his confused stare.

Stefan quickly bolted out of the room when he got the death glare from Damon, "Have fun!" He yelled before closing his door.

You just giggled at your older brother's expression and poked his face multiple times. "Good thing you're my favorite" Damon whispered in your ear.

[honeybeefae]

Coronation Day (Eris Vanserra x Reader)

Eris Week Day Two: High Lord

Summary// The day of Eris's coronation is finally here and while everyone is getting ready you realize your mate is nowhere to be found. After searching everywhere you finally find him in the gardens and you see a side of him that he rarely ever shows.

(I’m sorry that these are so short but I hope you guys are still liking them! This fic was one of my favorites to write and I think it’s just the detail and imagery that really ties it in. I also love writing about vulnerable Eris so it has definitely been fun for me! <3 Thank you guys for reading!)

(I also had pictured what the dress, crown, and shoes looked like so here are the references but of course I want you all to picture what you like! It is you, after all :))

Your Dress / Crown / Shoes / Eris's Outfit (but gold instead of silver) / Garden Gates

(Also I listened to Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift while writing!)

@erisweek2023

WARNINGS: None

You look up at the grand clock as the seamstress puts the final touches on your gown, your stomach in knots as you look over yourself in the mirror. It was Eris’s coronation day and everything had to be perfect, including you. The gown was exquisite, the exact dress you would expect from a High Lord’s mate, and your hair and makeup enhanced your entire aura into royalty.

The gown was the color of golden leaves with large sleeves and beaded foliage around the top to pay homage to your court. It swept the floor and had a grand trail, almost like a wedding dress, while the crown that was atop your head matched perfectly to Eris’s. 

“There, my lady, you are perfect.” The seamstress beamed in the mirror as she stepped back, taking in the entire outfit as you matched her smile with your own. “I have never seen a more beautiful and deserving woman to be our Lady of Autumn than you.”

“You are too kind, Cressida.” You blush, stepping off the pedestal and testing out your specially made-heels. “All this beauty is truly owed to you. I was but a blank canvas to your brilliant mind.”

“Now it is you who is being too kind, my lady.” She bows while she gathers her things and walks towards the door. “I will see you at the coronation!”

“I’ll be the one on the throne!” You laugh, waving to her before turning to your handmaidens with a nervous sigh. They all gush over your outfit, their voices intermingling into a crescendo before you shush them. “Have you heard from Eris?”

“Well…about that…” Luci begins, her mouth twisting down as she looks to the others who immediately look to the ground.

“What? What is wrong?” 

“Nothing is wrong, my lady, it’s just-” Luci tries to explain before Nikolet steps forward, finally caving. 

“No one has seen him since this morning!” She confessed, her hands wringing together in front of her. “He was getting ready and when the seamstress came to check on everything he had vanished. They didn’t want to tell you since you were also in the middle of-”

“They didn’t want to tell me that my mate was missing…on his coronation day?!” You raise an eyebrow, trying to control your anger as the girls sheepishly nod. You pinch the bridge of your nose and take a deep breath, shaking your head. “I will go find him, just finish getting ready.”

“But my lady-” Luci tries to interject but you hold out a hand, silencing her. 

“He is my mate. Wherever he has run off to and why he has run off is nobody’s business but our own. Now please, get ready. I will see you all there.” You urge, shooing them, before picking up your skirts and walking out the door.

The castle is bustling with activity while you try to find him. People were running around making sure everything was in its place, that the flowers were set and the food was prepared. You try to look neutral as you pass everyone, barely acknowledging their bows and awes of beauty as you search everywhere. You weaved and waded through the crowds of fellow court members, peeking through the doors of rooms and studies until you stopped at the grand entrance doors.

Where on Earth could he be?

You bite your lip, looking side to side, before you catch a glimpse of sunlight coming in from the window above. As you turn to see its path, noting how it hits the painting of the garden so beautifully, you get an idea.

The pace of your steps picks up as you hold your skirts tightly and all but run through the kitchen, apologizing to the staff as you almost run into the cake. They shout out, wondering where you are off to in such a hurry, but you ignore them as you push through the back doors and glide down the outdoor steps.

Leaves rustle above you as the autumn air greets you like a lover, wrapping around your bare shoulders in a soft caress while your heels click against the cobblestone walkway. The trees grow thicker as you make your way to the very back of the estate, to your and Eris’s small garden of Eden.

Tall stone walls and oak trees guard it from prying eyes, secluding it for everyone except the two of you as you slow your pace and walk through the iron gate. Autumn leaves cover most of the pathway leading to the small bench at the back of the garden where you spot Eris with his head in his hands, the tree above rustling and whispering things you think only he can hear.

“Eris?” You say softly, smiling softly when he raises his head to look at you. He looks beautiful in his dark red suit, golden embellishments lining the wrists and collar, with a white shirt and dark pants to match. His hair was styled neatly, as always, but what stood out to you the most was his pained, troubled eyes. “Oh, Eris.”

“You look beautiful, Y/N,” He says, watching as you walk over to him and crouch in front of him. Your dress rustles against the ground but you don’t pay any attention, all of your focus is on him. “A true Lady of Autumn.”

“What’s wrong, love?” You ask, grasping his hands in yours. “Cold feet already?”

He gives you a small smile and your heart flips. “You could say that…though it is very hard for me to get cold.” Eris chuckles though his voice falls flat at the end as he looks down, frowning. “What if I can’t do this? What if I can’t lead an entire court?”

“You can do this. If anyone can, you can, Eris.” You squeeze his hands tightly, bending down until you catch his gaze. “I have never had as much confidence in anyone leading as I do with you. This court has been through so much and you are going to bring it back to life.”

“This court has been through so much because of my father,” He scowled, standing abruptly while you sighed and stood with him. He began to pace back and forth as he continued his rant. “My father almost ruined this court and I know what the people think of him…what they probably think of me. I am my father’s son and what if, what if I become him? What if that is my destiny?”

The air stood still as he stopped in his tracks, looking at you with fear and sadness and doubt and vulnerability. You had only seen him like this once before when your mating bond had snapped. He hated to show weakness, especially when it came to his family, and your heart broke at his confession.

“What if I am no better than my father? A monster’s prodigy?”

You walk to him slowly and cup his face, caressing his cheek with your thumb as you pull him towards you and wrap your arms around his neck. Eris immediately crumbles at your touch and pulls you as close as he can, burying his face in your neck as your hands run down his back soothingly. 

Something wet falls against your shoulder but you don’t draw attention to it nor to the shuddering of his shoulders. You just hold him as tight as you can while you whisper your truth into his ear.

“Eris Vanserra, I want you to listen to me.” You begin gently. “You are more than your father’s legacy. You are the creator of your own story, the holder of the pen, and right now is the first chapter of it. You have more kindness, bravery, and leadership in your pinky finger than your father ever had.”

His shoulder slowly came to a stop as you continued, pulling back so that you could press your forehead against his and look into his eyes. “My love, I wish you could see yourself as I see you. Because do you know what I see?” You ask, placing a finger under his chin when he tries to look away. “I see a man who is brilliant. A man who is loyal to his court and saved them from war. A man who may hide behind a mask but cares more than he cares to admit.”

“I see my mate, my handsome soon-to-be High Lord.” You smile, kissing his cheek. “The mere fact that you are afraid tells me, tells everyone, just how worthy you will be for this crown. You will do amazing things for this court, for all of Pyrthian. I have never had more confidence in anything in my life.”

“Y/N…” Eris trails off, lost for words, but you shush him with a finger to his lips. 

“And if you happen to falter just remember I will be right by your side ready to set you straight.” You grin, giggling when he nods in agreement. “But seriously, you are going to be a wonderful High Lord.”

Eris takes a deep breath and whispers, “Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have been given you?”

“You could do to remind me more often…” You trail off teasingly. “Perhaps tonight after your coronation?”

He smirked and tried to give you a kiss but you cheekily turn at the last second, letting his lips land on your cheek and smiling when he let out a huff of frustration. You grab his hand and begin to walk out of the garden, turning back to him and saying, “Now, now, High Lord, we mustn’t keep everyone waiting. Come, let’s start this journey together.”

The two of you walk back into the Forest House, smiling and laughing, while everyone looks on in confusion. You arrive quickly at the doors of the grand hall where you can hear everyone talking, wondering what was taking so long. The advisors look worn out as they get in their places, just glad that Eris has been found, while you turn to look at him adoringly. 

“Ready?” You ask.

Rays of sun shone through the windows again, catching him in just the right light to give him an ethereal glow that highlighted his amber eyes and cheekbones. “As long as you are by my side.”

“Always.” You promise, kissing him tenderly before pulling away as the doors open. “Let’s go get your crown.”

As the doors open the applause nearly deafens you, everyone cheering and smiling as the two of you walk into the room and down the aisle. At the end sits two thrones of equal size, both of your crowns sitting on the cushions as you walk hand in hand towards your destiny. 

[dameronology]

couples therapy (frank castle)

summary: you go to couple's therapy with frank castle. it's just as terrible as you can imagine.

warnings: so much language. at least 10 f-bombs.

enjoy xx

Couples therapy felt like a stupid fucking idea, to be honest.

There was only three feet between you and Frank; you wanted to be closer but at the same time, you wanted to drop kick his loud-talking, argumentative, defensive ass to the other side of the city. No, scratch that. The country, or maybe even world. Somewhere far enough so that you didn't have to look at his stupid face but somewhere close enough that you could still reach out for him in the night. Somewhere far enough so that you couldn't hear that gravelly voice that made your skin crawl, but somewhere close enough so that he could still whisper horny sweet nothings in your ear.

And it was thoughts like that that made you realise why you were here.

There had been a few weeks of tension; that had grown into two months of shit bubbling under the surface. You were mad at him. He was mad at you. You couldn't bring it up because he'd accuse you of overreacting and he couldn't bring it up because even before all the PTSD-causing-crap he'd lived through, Frank was shit at coming to terms with how he felt about things. Vocalising his emotions wasn't his strongpoint. Revenge and killing was. So, safe to say that this was his personal form of hell. Anyways. That shit had hit the fan eventually and now it was splattered all over the room and it was covering you both and no matter how many metaphorical showers you took, nothing would fix this except the clean slate that emotional catharsis would bring you.

Maybe you'd break up. Maybe you'd stay together. Maybe it was all up to the gaunt, old man in the chair opposite you who reminded you a little too much of John Kramer and was draining $50 an hour from your bank right now. Did they do Groupons for couples therapy?

"So," he began. His name was Doctor Richards. He was a little too quiet for your liking. "Tell me...why are you here?"

Frank let out a gruff laugh. "Isn't that what you're here to tell us, Doc?"

"No, actually," he shook his head. "You explain your problems to me and I'll give you reasonable solutions to try and fix those problems."

There was a moment of silence, and Doctor Richards glanced at you.

"Is he always this defensive?"

It was your turn to laugh now.

"Uhhh, not always," you replied. "Not with me, at least. More so with other people."

"So he's more open with you?" the doctor raised his eyebrows, but then glanced between you. "Emotional vulnerability is a good sign. A sign of life - of course, unless, this has changed over the course of your relationship."

"It hasn't," Frank firmly said. "I laid myself bare the day we met. That hasn't changed."

"He's right," you nodded. "I just...I think you have a hard time articulating your feelings, Frank. Sometimes when you do open up to me, it turns into an argument."

"That's bullshit," Frank muttered.

You cleared your throat and turned to look back at your relationship saviour. "We're here because we argue too fucking much, doc. If I say nothing, he gets mad. If I respond, I'm overreacting-"

"- because you do overreact!" he interrupted you.

"Maybe because you never let me fucking talking talk!" you snapped.

"Guys!" Richards cut you both off. "This is a safe space and I'm going to give you both a chance to talk. That's how you get to the bottom of things."

You glanced at Frank. "Can I go first?"

"Yes."

Shuffling uncomfortably in your seat, you glanced down at your hands and cleared your throat. There was so much on your mind but a complete disconnect between your brain and your mouth; translating your thoughts into feelings was hard at the best of times, but even harder under pressure. You didn't want to say something to upset Frank, even less to hurt him.

"I..." you trailed off. "I've always been someone who likes to talk about things, you know? I like to communicate, especially with the people I love, so I'm always open when something upsets me or doesn't feel right. Conversation is important to me but I think you're different, Frank. You like to think and not feel and when you refuse to talk to me about shit, it hurts. It's like you can open up to me about all your feelings except the ones about me and in my mind,. those are the most important ones."

Frank didn't respond; he just looked at you.

"For someone that chats so much shit, you sure seem to keep quiet on a lot of things," you continued, voice dropping to a murmur now. "I'm not overreacting when I respond the way I do. It's just fucking frustrating."

He looked away, brown eyes staring blankly at the wall behind Richards for a moment. That was the first time in the better part of three years that you's actually seen Frank quiet.

(Save for when he was sleeping, and the time he almost died in the middle of your living room).

"I like to keep certain things quiet," Frank finally spoke. His eyes flickered from the wall, down to your new therapist. "I work a night job, doc. It gets stressful. I deal with some heavy shit."

"It's an overused saying, but a problem halved is a problem shared," Richards replied. "You have a partner who is willing to listen. One who I assume knows their threshold, and would tell you if sharing it was too much."

"He's right," you said. "When you shut me out and bottle it up, it builds up, and then you get shitty with me and it manifests itself in every part of your life. Of our lives. Because we're intertwined as shit, Frank, and you can't pick and choose what parts you share with me."

Frank sniffed. "Well, hell. Look at us breaking ground."

"A lot of people come into couple therapy assuming it means their relationship is over," Richards said. "That's almost never the case. It shows you're both willing to work on it."

Your eyes fell to the floor for a moment. Frank had been strangely willing to come here; it wasn't something you'd thought about too much before now, but his willingness felt like hope to you. This time a few years ago, he would have walked away at the first sign of trouble. Now he wanted to take your hand and walk towards it.

"I can't tell you about all your problems based entirely on this conversation, but I can...I can share some introspection from a third party perspective," Richards said. "Frank, you have a partner whose willing to listen, but...maybe they go about saying it in the wrong way. Maybe it feels forced, or like they're not letting you do it on their own terms."

"I guess," Frank murmured. "What if I don't want to share? What if...what if I just want to protect them from all this dark shit?"

"You can choose what you share," he replied. "But if you choose not to share, you have to communicate that."

--

The apartment was tense when you and Frank got back. It had been a tense two hours; talks of communication and honesty, of sharing your lives and being partners. It had been okay for the first hour, but as soon as you hit the second you felt like you'd kind of gotten the point. You and Frank weren't the worst couple in the world, and couple therapy was fucking boring. That had been your main take away.

You threw your keys on the side, dumping your jacket as you entered the flat. Everything was as you left it; washing up from breakfast in the sink, pile of boots by the door, a letter pinned on your notice board about an increase in rent. All things that were headaches in themselves, but simply just contributing factors to a bigger, ongoing migraine. Frank was behind you, dragging his feet and huffing.

"Something you want to share, Frankie?" you asked, glancing over your shoulder.

"That felt like bullshit."

You snorted. "I felt like I was being listened to for the first time in months. Maybe that speaks volumes."

"Oh, come on," he rolled his eyes. "How are we leavin' couples therapy and you're already having a go at me?"

"Sorry," you murmured. "Honestly, Frank, I'm just fucking frustrated. I've said all I need to say but...whether or not you wanna listen and actually work on it is what counts."

"Are you dumb?" Frank asked, but quickly regretted his choice of words. "Shit. Baby, I'm sorry - I didn't mean it like that-"

"- how the fuck did you mean it then, Franklin?"

He paused, holding his hands out for a moment. "I just sat in a cramped room with some Jigsaw lookin' motherfucker for the better part of two hours, listening to you complain - rightfully so, don't get me wrong - and tryna take notes on how I can be a better partner to you. Maybe it's not obvious, and maybe it won't be for hot a fuckin' minute, not until I've got my ducks in a line, or just shot em all, but just...I will try, okay? I need you to be patient with me but..."

Frank took your hand, placing your palm on his chest. He covered it with his own large one, tangling your fingers together and pausing for a moment.

"I need patience...please?"

You nodded, letting him squeeze your hand. "Yeah. Shit, Frankie, I'm sorry. I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too."

"We'll be okay, won't we?"

"Of course we will."

[dxnbeez]

the king (2)

summary: jungkook has to face his father's fury, but he may not have understood things as they actually were

pairing: jungkook x f!reader royal!au

words: 4k

warnings: none, except maybe serious family issues and a very exalted queen

note: hi guys! thank u all for the support on the first part! i'm not sure if i'll have dates for updates since i'm still writing this fic and inspiration just comes in waves some times¿? but i will try to be consistent! so i hope you guys enjoy this part and i hope to read you! feedback is always appreciated! see u next time <3

part 1

Jeon Jungkook had never thrown a tantrum since he was eight years old. His teaching was so strict being the heir to the throne that he had had to learn to tolerate many things and put up with others from an early age. Understanding the weight of what it entailed to be born with the title of “Crown Prince” had been one of the things that had taken him the least amount of time to grasp, but which he always questioned in the solitude of his room.

Jungkook had surprised his parents, understanding from a very young age the implications of his position and the responsibilities he was to assume in the future. That knowledge made him grow up lacking in many things, but with advantages in many others. By owning that awareness, Jungkook understood the weight on his parents' shoulders and knew that they must've had a difficult enough life for him to bother them with his childish mundanities. So that's how he grew up, for many years, trying to make life easy for his parents.

Usually, his mother used to use him as an example to his younger sisters on how to behave according to the title they held. His sisters never envied him, they really loved him, but Jungkook knew how much they hated not being able to live their childhood like all the other kids in town. And he hated that too, that they couldn't experience it, but he was relieved just to know that the big burden was on him and not on them. Expectations were always placed on him, the Crown Prince, the next King, and not on the princesses who only wanted to enjoy their life and childhood in the big castle. Still, Jungkook sometimes didn't understand why his mother demanded so much from his sisters when they hadn't grown up with the knowledge he was given. He hated the nights when Suni, the youngest of them all, would sneak into his room at night or search for him in the great Palace garden because eomma had forbidden her to keep stuffed animals in her room or because she got mad at her when she asked for more food at dinner.

Jungkook, for a long time, tried to make his parents' life a little easier.

But it infuriated him to think that they made his sisters' lives difficult in return.

So, for a change, Jungkook started throwing tantrums.

The first time he remembered it as lucidly as if it had been yesterday.

It was a sunny day in the square when he had gone out with his parents and two of his sisters. Their parents had dawned in a strangely good mood, so much so that they had decided to have a little family walk in the central point of town. Jungkook went with one of his sisters, Hari, making funny faces at his younger sister, Suni, behind his parents' backs, causing the little girl to laugh loudly. They were having such a peaceful and happy time that Jungkook couldn't believe it.

That is, until Suni saw one of the wooden toys they were selling in the square and began to pull her mother's hand. Hari and Jungkook stood silently, frozen, walking quietly behind their parents as they watched their little sister stir and pull harder and harder on the Queen's hand. They could barely go unnoticed… when Suni began to cry.

Jungkook bit his tongue, and had the urge to move forward to grab his sister and take her back to the Palace, but Hari's hand wrapped around his arm kept him sane. Jungkook hadn't been through a situation like that, precisely why his parents didn't often go out with their children, so he had no idea how his parents would react.

The Queen continued walking, almost dragging her little daughter who wouldn't let go of her hand. People passing by her were barely able to give them a glance, hurrying their pace when the Queen's eyes fell on them. The square had fallen into a dull silence that was perturbed only by Suni's sobs.

Hari squeezed Jungkook's arm tighter as the Queen turned her face away to look at Suni, and they both watched their mother's tense face, no longer welcoming and peaceful as they had seen her in the morning. She was now only the Queen and Suni, her own daughter, was trying her patience.

The King walked silently by her side, not even bothering to try to calm his daughter or show his wife patience. He lived in his own world.

Jungkook felt a hand clutch around his throat as the Queen began to tug on her little sister's arm, to get her to walk back to her side without crawling.

He didn't think twice as he began to speak, and Hari's hand tightened around his arm.

“Eommoni,” Jungkook elongated his voice, a hint of weariness and exhaustion ringing in the Queen's ears. The woman barely glanced over her shoulder at him, and Jungkook took it upon himself to keep his face irritated like his sister Hari did when she had to eat paprika. “Suni is making too much noise and my head hurts.”

His little sister turned to look at him, her eyes red and cheeks drenched in tears. Her little eyes rolled down his face and she had one of her hands almost inside her mouth, as many babies did when crying. Jungkook could never shake that habit that his mother hated, no matter how much he told her it was normal.

“Can't we go home already?” Jungkook continued, shuffling his feet. Hari was as want as a stone beside him.

“Jungkook,” the King's voice was heard, a silent warning.

A shiver ran through the two brothers walking arm in arm, but Jungkook didn't budge.

“It's getting too sunny, besides, and I'm dying of thirst. Let's go now.”

The King stopped and the whole family along with him. Suni was now sobbing quietly, she seemed to be calming down at the sound of her brother's voice, but tears still streamed down her face.

“Enough,” the King bellowed, turning around to stare at Jungkook. “You are demonstrating unacceptable behavior for the Crown Prince,” he spat, then turned his face to look at the Queen and Suni, “Let's go now.”

Suni let go of her mother's hand and stood in front of her father raising her arms towards him with a grimace that made one think she was nothing short of destroying the mountains with a scream. The King sighed, but took her in his arms. Snuggling into her father's neck, Suni finally closed her eyes.

“I hope you are satisfied, Jungkook,” his father spoke again. “You'll see what awaits you at home.”

The King's punishment had been harsh, as usual, but Jungkook was glad he had used his influence over his parents because, the next day, Suni was in the family dining room with the wooden toy in her hands.

Thus, Jungkook began a streak of manipulation against his parents to ease his sisters' lives. Since they were always more concerned about the Crown Prince's behavior, it was easier to divert his sisters' attention to him.

And to this day, Jungkook hadn't stopped doing so. Every day with more reasons, with different arguments, even if it cost him his life. He wouldn't stop. For them… and for him.

He raised his head as the doors to the great hall opened and a familiar face peered between them. The King's Counselor was striding toward him, hands loosely at his sides, dark blue uniform neatly arranged and a calm expression on his face. Jungkook knew him better than he let on, though, and knew those eyes incited nothing but reproach.

“You're in deep trouble,” was what Kim Seokjin said as soon as he reached his side, his gaze hard but his eyes soft, concerned.

“I know.”

“The way you confronted the Queen…”

“I know.”

“She's never going to let you leave this palace.”

Jungkook twisted his lips and focused his gaze on anything else within the room. Since he had arrived at the Palace, walking shoulder to shoulder with his mother, with the Queen, the two of them split their path and Jungkook had wandered off to a quiet place in the Palace thinking that the argument would end there; that his mother would ignore him for days and make his life miserable while his father watched. But the King arrived within minutes and sent for them both to the meeting room.

Jungkook had been waiting there for about ten minutes, thinking about what they could talk about, what kind of punishment the King wanted to give him, what kinds of poisonous words his mother was going to spit out, when the counselor arrived.

“If I hadn't gone, she would've- she would've given the order and…”

He pressed his lips together in a line. The paltry thought that hovered in his head at the possibility chilled the blood throughout his body. The shiver that ran through him made him grateful he'd had the chance, but reminded him that from now on he had to tiptoe around his mother.

“Your mother wanted a show. She didn't want to kill her, she wanted to humiliate her. Destroy her honor, like she thought she had done to her, to the Jeon family name.”

“That's stupid,” Jungkook spat, anger rebirthing like flames inside his chest. “No one would've ever found out if it weren't for what she did. Now everyone will be talking about it. For weeks.”

“That's true. It was not a calculated move, the Queen acted through her anger. And the consequences will be severe.”

“And you'll hear her already, blaming me for everything. As always.”

Seokjin gave him a sympathetic look, his body leaning against the table in the center of the room. He had known Jungkook since the Prince had turned 15 and since then it had been very hard for him to keep his distance when Jungkook started seeing him and coming to him like a brother. Seokjin knew how hard life had been for the Prince, even if he didn't notice it, even if he had normalized living that way, even if he had become accustomed to the mistreatment. Seokjin saw through those eyes the longing of his inner child, the desire to be free to do whatever he wanted, whatever he couldn't do before.

The counselor had been a pimp, if he had to admit it. He couldn't give him or let him do many things without his parents, the King and Queen, finding out, and both of them being punished for it. Still, he tried to support him in every way he could, like excusing him when he wanted to leave the palace alone for a walk, or accompanying him to have his first beer at Fresh Air; it was almost a tradition in town for older brothers to take their younger siblings to try their first alcoholic drink at that bar, to share those moments together.

Just as he had been in so many stages of his life, he knew Jungkook had been taking too many chances the past few months. Years, even. Seokjin would allow himself to cut him a little slack whenever he could, help him with excuses to breathe easy, but he constantly wondered how long he could be walking quietly on a tightrope. How long it would be before the Queen's sharp actions would cut off that tiny thread of hope that Jungkook had been moving on for some time.

“Have you heard about Hari and Suni?” the voice of Jungkook boomed in the silence, a few seconds after he had uttered the last words. Seokjin raised his head to look at him.

“They were on their way, very close. They should arrive today in the afternoon or during the night.”

The Prince nodded, faint lines crossing his forehead.

“Good thing they weren't around to witness all this.”

“I don't think they can escape the days ahead,” Seokjin mused and Jungkook bowed his head in a nod, a grimace akin to helplessness crossing his expression. “And more so when the King sent for you two. He must be furious.”

“The calm he showed in the square was only the sheet of ice containing his anger. I doubt we'll make it out of this room alive,” Jungkook felt a shudder run through his body as he remembered the look his father gave the Queen when he ordered him back to the Palace with her. His mother was scary, yes, people were right to fear her, the anger was always evident and furrowed her expression without self-consciousness to the world. But his father was not, the King was better known for having an icy rage, for having a frightening calmness when anger coursed through his veins. His mother might be dangerous, but the King was lethal.

“Jimin and Yoongi tried to come as soon as they heard, but the royal guard barred their way. They were practically locked in the guest room,” Seokjin remarked as he remembered the looks of both men on the other side of the room. The door was open when Seokjin was crossing the hall and two royal guards were guarding it, as if they were some mercenaries who did not deserve any good treatment. He knew it had been the Queen's order.

Jungkook's beady eyes fell into disbelief when he heard the counselor's words. It must have been his mother's command, he thought rightly as he held back the urge to smash his palm against the walnut wood table.

Away from the fog of anger that had consumed his mind the past few hours, Jungkook took a moment to breathe. He hated what his mother had done, but he knew his friends were fine. But she…

“Did you hear anything on the way here?” Jungkook inquired, and Seokjin promptly knew what he meant.

“Nothing, everything was scattered when I arrived.”

A whiplash of fear and panic surged through Jungkook's chest. Not many times had he felt that kind of terror, the kind he thought he could only feel in his nightmares. And Seokjin knew the Prince must be dying of uncertainty inside, because he didn't bother in the least to disguise the emotions that traveled across his face.

“She should be fine,” the counselor assured him, though his words were an empty promise. “The King may turn out to be more merciful than you think.”

Seokjin didn't know if the King's mercy went that far, but he wanted to convince himself with his own words, for he wouldn't know how broken the already fractured family bond in that Palace would be if the opposite were true.

He didn't have much time to continue rambling when the sound of quickened footsteps began to echo from the hallway. Seokjin broke away from the table and approached the white wall, carved with lines on its columns, arches over the smooth walls, and undulating figures at the births of them.

The large oval doors of dark wood opened wide and the King entered without hesitation, the Queen walking behind him. At that moment, Jungkook didn't want to see them as father and mother. From the looks they were both giving him, the Prince almost felt that he would be the next to have a trial.

When the Queen was standing right in front of Jungkook across the table, the doors closed with a barely audible sound, and the room was taken over by thunderous silence.

“May I ask, what was on your mind?”

Jungkook didn't turn his gaze to the King. It was disrespectful not to look at him when he spoke, he knew it, every villager knew it, more so him being his son. But maybe he wasn't as prepared for that meeting as he thought he was. He didn't want to take the blame for something that wasn't a crime. Because he hadn't hurt anyone. Because…

“Are you talking to me?” the Queen's voice interrupted his train of thought, and he allowed himself at that moment to raise his head.

The King was watching his wife, who had a surprised grimace on her face in contrast to her father's impassive and cold look, the typical and familiar one.

“What were you thinking going out to do all this, Hyori?”

Seokjin didn't hide the astonishment that took over his face when he heard the King call the Queen by her proper name. It shouldn't be something to be missed, but he and Jungkook were used to formalities between the two supreme figures in front of them. That his father decided to set aside his formality to speak to the Queen in such a manner spoke too much of the anger he held in his heart.

“Why are you directing your anger against me? I wasn't the one who caused all this.”

Jungkook watched the Queen's frown, her face contracted in skepticism. She had adopted a defensive posture, truly offended at being the target of the King's anger.

“You were the one who caused all this,” the King nodded with anger rising in the glint in his eyes. “If you hadn't gone out and made all that fuss, we wouldn't be going through all this right now.”

“But what are you talking about?” the Queen exclaimed, and when she raised her voice Jungkook shrank back in his seat. He shot a glance at Seokjin, but it seemed that the counselor was just as confused as he was. “What don't you see that the reason for the fuss is sitting on the other side of the table?”

Jungkook didn't have to turn his head to know that his mother was pointing at him with a furious glare. But the King didn't even spare the Prince a glance when he responded:

“Stop pointing at your son like that,” he mumbled through his teeth, venom surrounding every word.

A sound of disbelief left the Queen, with a stupefied chuckle following her as she approached the King at a slow pace.

“Do you have any idea what your son did? What that woman wanted to do to our family?”

Jungkook gritted his teeth, his hands gathering on the wood of the table.

“And do you have any idea what that theatrics just cost our reputation? I had to meet with the high consorts immediately. They're not very happy with what you did.”

The Queen snorted not believing for a second that she was the one getting all the scolding and yelling and not Jungkook. Seokjin, secretly, wasn't too upset about it.

“Are you defending him?”

It was the King's turn to break through the icy mask, irritability seeping through his gut.

“What Jungkook did was minimal compared to what your show cost us. The high consorts are reconsidering their offers. They don't think it's very good for their public image to do business with a Queen who still does public executions.”

“They are not forbidden in our nation.”

“No,” the King nodded, “But they will be.”

Jungkook didn't disguise the gasp of surprise that left his mouth. Was he really hearing those words from his father…? The Queen spluttered, and the Prince turned to see her face contracted in astonishment… in betrayal.

“What your son and that woman did is unacceptable.”

“What Jungkook did or didn't do is what matters least,” the King mumbled, his glacial eyes roaming over his wife's face that would not leave her stupefaction.

“What are you saying? He was courting-!”

“I don't care,” the King repeated, his words stronger, more concise. “As long as it doesn't affect the Crown, what Jungkook does outside this palace doesn't matter to me.”

Thunderous silence followed his words. Seokjin watched everyone present with utmost caution from his position. He might be a simple counselor, but he knew some self-defense tactics. Meanwhile, Jungkook was totally speechless. His gaze wandered over his father and then shifted to his mother's stunned look, an expression that hadn't left her since the King began speaking.

“You can't do that. You can't just not care…” the Queen was shaking her head in refusal, refusing to accept the words she heard from her husband's mouth. “You can't turn a blind eye to-”

“I already did,” the King spoke again and Jungkook did not miss the way his eyes averted for less than a second. The way he looked at him, the sad gleam in his eyes. Or well, sad was what he seemed to have seen, because the King's expression changed so quickly that Jungkook might have thought he had imagined it, if not for what he said next, “I already had.”

“What are you talking about?”

The Prince felt a hand squeeze his heart, trying to stifle it, to keep him conscious long enough to survive, but using just enough strength to feel death close. His lips parted as he watched the father who wouldn't look back at him, who was staring harshly at his mother as the only true culprit in this whole mess. No, the problem wasn't that Jungkook was trusting, not that he stopped paying attention, not that he had let his guard down…

“You knew,” Jungkook spoke for the first time. His voice came out slightly hoarse, his beady, disbelieving eyes glinting in the natural sunlight as his father gave him a neutral, dry, emotionless look.

“What?” the Queen's head turned sharply toward her husband, her eyes exaggeratedly wide.

Without looking away from his son, the King spoke, “Did you really think there was anything you could do in the Palace that I wouldn't know about?”

Almost out of sad inertia, with a whiplash of pain in his chest, Jungkook shook his head at the counselor. Seokjin half-opened his lips in surprise, but shook his head in a negative as he felt the deer eyes on him.

“Counselor Kim has nothing to do here,” the King spoke, his gaze still on the Prince.

“Your Majesty-” Seokjin tried to speak, but the King raised a hand in his direction.

“Not now,” his stern gaze was still on Jungkook, but he promptly turned back to stare at the Queen who seemed not to credit what she saw.

“You knew and… you allowed it?” the Queen's voice was barely a whisper, surprise taking all her breath away.

“I told you, she was never a threat to the Crown.”

“She wasn't a threat, she was a gold digger! She wanted all the riches Jungkook could give her!”

The Prince gnashed his teeth. His bite was so hard that it strained his jaw and a slight pain ran through his gums. He wanted his mother to stop talking that way, expressing herself that way, he wanted to say something to her, anything…

“That's what you made it sound like, making all this fuss. Now there's really no way of knowing,” the King replied impassively, though several muscles in his face were already beginning to retract.

“She was going to steal from us,” the Queen exclaimed in utter conviction.

“She was going to do no such thing,” Jungkook blurted out, his hand clenched on the table and the Queen's eyes exorbitant as she turned to see him as he answered her thus. It was an impulse, but he had done it, and though his instinct was to shrink from her gaze, he faced her and continued speaking. “She never tried to take advantage of me. She is a kind, loving, honest and a humble soul. All she wanted for me was happiness.”

The Queen snorted, interrupting him, and his assurance flanked. Jungkook didn't feel he was over, but the King took the floor again:

“You're going to have to apologize to his mother.”

“What?”

“I'm not going to bear such an embarrassment to someone who has provided us with her services.”

“I'm not going to do-”

“You will. And the next time you intend to bring a trial against someone, Counselor Kim will be only too pleased to give you a few lessons in law.”

And with that, the King left the room.

[ladyylavenderrr]

At first, Luigi is hopeful. He sits in his (admittedly comfortable) cell with his head held high. He looks out the window and imagines what his brother will do when he finally comes for him. There’s no question that Bowser will get the beating of a lifetime, of course, but Luigi still wonders how the showdown will go. He occupies his mind by imagining it all.

After 4 days, Luigi starts to get worried. He and his brother had never taken this long to rescue Peach when she’d gotten captured. Bowser must have realized this too for he soon takes the time to actually speak to Luigi.

“Your brother busy or something?”, he jokes. It gets a chuckle out of Luigi. Only a small one.

After an entire week has passed, Luigi stops responding to his captor entirely. It’s a real shame. The two had been having nice conversations. Bowser is a nice guy behind his tough façade. The constant kidnapping thing he has going on isn’t ideal, but at least he’s not cruel.

Once Luigi goes silent, Bowser starts bringing him more and more of his meals personally. He smiles kindly when Luigi finally takes a bite after an entire hour of refusing and it’s the only thing that awakens Luigi from his depressive state, if only slightly. Bowser keeps talking throughout these interactions, even if his captive won’t respond.

After two weeks, as Luigi sits on his little bed, slowly sipping at his soup, he finally cracks. His sobs come so suddenly, they surprise even him. The man barely even registers Bowser kneeling in front of him. He perhaps says something but Luigi can’t hear him. He’s too busy sobbing pathetically onto his meal.

He’s not sure how he finds himself in the koopa’s arms, sobs shaking him violently. He’s not sure who was the one to even go in for the hug, if Bowser pulled him down to the floor or if he himself leaped towards him in a panic. Either way, Luigi shakes and clings to the king in desperation.

Bowser lets him out of his cell not long after.

After 3 weeks, Luigi begins throwing things in fits of intense anger. Even though Bowser has allowed him to leave his cell and wander the castle, he doesn’t. Luigi mostly just stays in his room. If before he was depressed, now he was angry. He snaps at any servant that dares approach, he punches walls and screams into his pillow. Bowser is the only one to not get angry. When servants glare as he throws the meals they brought, when nearby guards yell as they restrain him, Bowser is calm and kind. That fact just makes Luigi all the more furious.

“Get out!” Luigi weakly throws a chair. Bowser stays still. “Why won’t you leave?!” Bowser stays still. Luigi lets out a scream of frustration and tears at his pillow. “Just get rid of me! Just hurt me already!” Bowser doesn’t. He just stays still, an unreadable expression on his face.

When Luigi tires himself out he falls to the floor and cries. He finds Bowser there to hold him once more. “Why aren’t you mad at me?”, Luigi chokes out through his tears. Bowser doesn’t respond.

After a month, Luigi finally starts going out. He walks in the gardens (quaint as they may be compared to those in the mushroom kingdom) and almost feels like himself again. He helps out in the kitchens and feels joy fill his being once more. When he’s introduced to Jr, he takes to him immediately and the two bond quickly. Luigi notices that he isn’t guarded anymore and when he’s by the palace gates, he’s not looked at with suspicion. The message is clear and the opportunity is there. Luigi doesn’t take it.

“Why don’t you leave?”, Bowser asks him one day. The two are sat in the royal library and Luigi is caught off guard by the question. Their conversation had been cheerful and lighthearted up until that point, about nothing in particular. It takes a moment for Luigi to answer but he finally responds with “Why would I?”

“Don’t you have friends you miss?”

“I don’t want to think about them…”

He thinks about Daisy, about his friends in the toad villages. He can’t bring himself to imagine going back to them, to a life outside of Bowser’s kingdom.

“Besides, where would I even go? Back to him?”

The way Luigi hisses the phrase out is enough to keep Bowser quiet. The koopa stares at nothing yet his attention is clearly still on Luigi.

“You’re the one who took care of me at my lowest. Not him.”

Luigi takes his hand with his own, shaking nervously.

“I don’t want to go back. I want to stay with you.”

The silence between the two stretches on endlessly.

“You wouldn’t abandon me, would you?”

Bowser looks away, his face red, but when Luigi feels him squeeze his hand, he knows he has his answer.

After 2 months, Luigi gives up on the idea of the mushroom kingdom ever coming to a peace with the Koopa Kingdom, at least not in his lifetime. Luigi finds the prejudices he believed about the residents of this kingdom to be nothing but a fabrication. Luigi can’t even recall why the two kingdoms hate each other so much. He only knows that things have always been this way and that’s how they’re destined to remain. Bowser speaks to him about his recent revelations about the unending conflict, about his failed attempts to find peace with Princess Peach. The distrust runs too deep, it seems.

“Is that why you kidnapped me then? Were you upset you had failed again?”, Luigi finds himself asking.

“Not really. But I’ve always kidnapped someone, right? It’s what I do, even if I’ve stopped being sure why.”, Bowser’s eyes were far away. “I guess I just wanted someone new to take.”, he chuckles.

Luigi finds himself smiling and laughing alongside him. “I’m glad you did.”, he speaks. Despite all that’s happened, despite being abandoned by his brother, Luigi can’t help but thank fate for bringing him to Bowser. He’s found someone who’s good for him, someone who cares for him, warts and all.

It’s too bad a red-capped hero slowly making his way toward Bowser’s castle has to ruin it all

[minghaoyoudoin]

Darling - Epilogue

pairing: mafia boss!hyunjin x mafia boss!fem!reader

genre: some residual angst (very little), smut, sooo much fluff

words: 4.3k

warnings: explicit sexual content, bad language, these two are so stinkin' cute and I'm mad about it (even though I wrote them lol)

a/n: I can't believe this series is finally finished! thank you to everyone who has stuck with it, this au will always have a very special place in my heart. I hope y'all enjoy reading, please leave a like and reblog if you do!

part one here!

part two here!

part three here!

part four here!

You stared blankly into the mirror, taking in your appearance. To anyone else, you were certain you looked the same. Your eyes the same shade, your hair the same length, the small scars decorating your body still ever-present. But you could have sworn there was a newfound glow to your skin–a careful hope in your expression that never would have been there before. And, of course, there was the ring now glittering on your left hand.

Despite what anyone said, there was a freedom that came with revenge. An emptiness, too, though you weren’t keen on evaluating that sadness just yet. Even if you wanted to, the man who had just entered the bathroom door behind you chased any thoughts of it from your mind.

A sly smile crept across Hyunjin’s face when he saw you. His eyes roved over your body, drinking in the bikini you wore through the mirror. He strode forward as if he couldn’t quite help himself, his hands ghosting across your skin while you leaned into his bare chest. He, too, was dressed for the beach, his hair already crusted with seawater and wavy around his face.

Fiji looked incredible on him. You had only arrived here a few hours ago and his skin was already flushed with sun, the salty sea air making his lean muscles glisten with sweat. You couldn’t get enough of him.

You leaned further into his chest, allowing your head to rest on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “We made it,” you said, your voice no more than a sigh. He pressed a soft kiss to your temple, directly over the small scar where Mr. Chae’s blank had once fired.

He turned you in his arms so you faced him. You ran a fingernail over the long vertical scar in the center of his chest, the only physical evidence either of you had of that night. The scar had faded over the past four months, though it was still rosy and puckered compared to the skin around it. Hyunjin insisted it didn’t hurt, but you still found yourself being unconsciously gentle when you touched the area. He was completely healed now, aside from the mental wounds left on both of you.

You would never forgive Jihyo. It didn’t matter that she was gone–she had paid the blood debt she’d earned by murdering your father. Somehow, though, you felt that she had left this earth without atoning for attempting to murder Hyunjin, too. It was an itch you couldn’t quite scratch, but your therapist–one Felix had insisted you get–said the feeling would lessen with time. You weren’t so sure, but it didn’t hurt to hope.

Hyunjin seemed to notice the direction your thoughts had taken, because his gaze softened as he ran his thumb over your jaw. “I’m right here, Wife.”

You smiled despite yourself. “I can see that, Husband.”

“What do you say we blow off going back to the beach?” Hyunjin kneaded your ass in his hands, pulling your hips flush against his. Your skin flamed. “I think the guys will be fine building sand castles without us.”

You pretended to consider, pointedly ignoring the half-hard length you felt poking your lower stomach. That was how it always was, nowadays. Hyunjin had accepted your “no sex” challenge all those months ago, obviously convinced you would break before he did. You hadn’t. Even after the doctor had cleared him for sex, both of you had been too painfully stubborn to crack first. It made for a lot of cold showers and restless nights.

Now, the evening of your wedding day, the challenge had officially come to its end at a draw. Hyunjin had a half-crazed spark in his eye at all times, looking prepared to jump your bones at the drop of a hat. You were a little surprised he hadn’t bent you over the second the officiant declared you husband-and-wife.

At your silence, Hyunjin looked close to vibrating out of his skin. You shook your head coyly. “I want to go back to the beach. Lee Know and Seungmin will kill each other if we’re not there to mediate.” Your husband threw his head back and unabashedly groaned.

“Fine. I live to serve you, Viper Queen.” You swatted Hyunjin’s shoulder and he pretended to look wounded. He palmed himself through his swim shorts, grimacing. “I’m almost convinced you’re trying to finish what Jihyo started.”

“Not funny,” you griped.

Hyunjin threw his arm around you, grinning by way of answering, and led you out of the beach cabana the two of you had rented for your honeymoon. You greedily inhaled the warm air, scented with salt and brine, as you walked towards the water. Your residence was on the beach itself, much to your delight, and the second you stepped outside your toes squished between fine grains of white sand.

Just out of reach of the waves, indeed building sand castles, were Hyunjin’s Family. Your Family, you mentally corrected yourself. You couldn’t keep the grin off your face. Your heart felt full to bursting at the sight of them, the air filled with competitive shouts and screams when one of them sabotaged other castles.

You didn’t mind that Hyunjin’s inner circle had accompanied the two of you on your honeymoon. They were, after all, his personal protection detail, and yours now, too. Then there was the fact that they were your best friends, but you wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of telling them that.

You and Hyunjin weren’t acknowledged as you settled on the sand a few meters away, you between his legs with your back pressed to his front. Jeongin, foregoing stealth altogether, sprinted to Seungmin’s sand castle and kicked a turret over with a screech of joy.

Seungmin’s head whipped in your direction, his eyes wide with rage. “Did you see that?” He leapt to his feet and Jeongin only had a moment to look panicked before he turned and ran. “I am going to KILL YOU!”

Your laughs mixed with Hyunjin’s, low and warm in your ear. It was the most wonderful sound you’d ever heard. You settled further into your husband, still not able to quite wrap your head around the word.

You’d made it. Both of you. Not only were you in Fiji, the place you had spoken of as an impossible dream for years, but you were married. No longer enemies, no longer king and queen of rival empires, but the royalty of one. Your fathers, for all their sins and flaws, rested easy in their graves.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Hyunjin murmured in your ear. You shivered when his warm breath tickled your scalp, raising goosebumps.

“I’m thinking that I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” you said without hesitation. “I’m thinking that our friends are idiots, but I love them.” You tilted your head to the side so your lips ghosted across his. “And I love you.”

He shuddered lightly. “I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing that.”

“GET A ROOM!”

You jumped but didn’t move away from Hyunjin at Changbin’s abrupt exclamation. You smiled into each other, certainly looking like a pair of lovesick idiots to everyone around you. It didn’t matter.

You were here, in Fiji, and for the first time in your life, you believed everything was going to be okay.

~~~

Seungmin, despite Jeongin’s attempt at sabotage, won the sand castle contest. He’d done a victory dive into the ocean, the rest of them following suit, while you cackled and took pictures. You stayed at the beach until dusk, watching the sunset with your Family and eating soggy sandwiches and fresh fruit until you were full to bursting.

The rest of the boys waved goodbye and offered parting hoots and suggestive hand movements when you separated for the night. They were staying in the cabana attached to yours, all seven of them crammed into the three bedroom house for the next two weeks. The only one who didn’t look elated about it was Lee Know.

You released a nervous breath when Hyunjin closed the glass sliding door behind you, blocking out his friends’ antics. You just stared at one another for a long moment, basking in the wonder of the moment.

“Convincing me to marry you wasn’t an elaborate scheme to murder me, was it?” You joked tightly. You had no idea why you were so nervous–it’s not like you hadn’t done this countless times with him before.

Hyunjin smiled, as always seeing your humor for what it was, and jokingly rolled his eyes. “Ah, yes, you’ve caught me. I still hate you and I’m going to kill you while I’m inside you.”

Your mouth dried slightly at his words but you snorted. “You’d have to catch me first.”

Both of you froze. You hadn’t intended to challenge him. You immediately caught your misstep when Hyunjin’s eyes darkened, a slow smile spreading across his face. Your core tightened, both with nerves and excitement as he ran his tongue over his full bottom lip.

“Run.”

You didn’t need to be told twice. You turned and bolted, an exhilarated giggle breaking from your chest when you heard Hyunjin’s footfalls pursuing you. You sprinted around the corner into the hall, nearly knocking a painting off the wall with your shoulder. Hyunjin was giggling too, the sound sweeter than any song you’d ever heard.

You catapulted into the bedroom and, though ending up in that location wasn’t completely intentional, Hyunjin snorted knowingly anyway. You scrambled over the massive bed until you were on its opposite side, bracing your hands on the mattress as you and Hyunjin stared at one another. You were both panting and out of breath from the chase, wide smiles of equal intensity gracing both of your faces.

You feinted to the side as if you’d try to run around the foot of the bed, taking advantage of Hyunjin’s lunge to climb across the mattress again. Unfortunately, despite your flawless battle tactic, Hyunjin didn’t fall for it. He caught you around the waist as soon as you were within reach, effortlessly pulling you down with him until you were flat on the covers, his body half-blanketing yours.

He gazed down at you, grinning and as out of breath as you were. Your breaths calmed, though your smile didn’t fade as you gently trailed your fingertips across Hyunjin’s cheekbone. His skin was smooth and warm, a pretty blush staining his cheeks.

By the time he kissed you, your nerves had quieted. You kissed him back at a languid pace, neither of you battling for dominance or fucking the other’s mouth like you usually did. This kiss was sweet and loving, a promise for a thousand more kisses like it over the decades to come. For once, the thought of spending the rest of your life with Hyunjin didn’t terrify you the way it once did.

Your skin heated against his, your peaked nipples scraping against the material of your swimsuit. You whined quietly when Hyunjin palmed your breast, simultaneously rolling his hips against your core. Your fingers dug into his ribcage then drifted down to his hips, urging him to increase the pace.

After nearly six months of celibacy, you thought you would go insane with your need for him. Hyunjin seemed to share the sentiment, because he loosed an unrestrained moan into your mouth when your hand snaked between you to palm his clothed length. He was already fully hard, an observation which sparked smug pleasure in your chest.

“Not going to run away this time?” He teased against your lips. His tone was strained, shaking with his need to feel you squeezing around his cock. If he wasn’t in your mouth or your pussy in the next five minutes his brain was going to melt out of his ears.

You just moaned instead of verbalizing a response, mostly because the sane part of your brain had already clocked out for the evening. You were going mad with need.

You rolled so you straddled him, pleased by the adoring look on his face as he gazed up at you. Your fingers found the tie at the back of your bikini top, taking your sweet time pulling it loose. Hyunjin growled low in his throat, an obvious command to hurry the hell up. You smiled to yourself as your top fell from you, baring your breasts to him. He wasted no time sitting up so he could suck one of your nipples into his mouth. You both groaned in unison, you at the sensation and he at the taste of your skin.

You ground your hips in slow circles on his lap while he doted on your breasts, switching between them when he felt compelled to do so. He thrusted up against your heat, eliciting moans from your chest. You were already cresting dangerously close to your orgasm and he hadn’t truly done anything yet.

You gently pushed him into a lying position by his shoulders and moved down his body, enjoying the way his eyes focused hard on your every movement. His pupils were blown so wide with lust that only a thin sliver of brown remained. You pressed openmouthed kisses to the skin between his navel and waistband, his knees, the inside of his thighs–you left a love bite anywhere your lips made contact.

He lifted his hips off the bed so you could slide his swimsuit down his legs and his hard cock sprang free, his arousal already gathering at the tip in thick beads. Your inner thighs clenched together, slick enough that you doubted he’d need to prep you at all before he fucked you. Just the thought of the stretch made you dizzy. You were somewhat surprised the two of you had made it this long without exploding.

You experimentally swirled the tip of your tongue across his head. Hyunjin’s hips jerked at once and he released a vulgar moan. He looked so pretty with his eyes screwed shut, his face and chest flushed, that you couldn’t help but moan lightly yourself. You wasted no more time before you wrapped your lips around his cock and hollowed your cheeks.

His fingers tangled in your hair, and you weren’t sure whether he was trying to make you go faster or stop you as you bobbed your head on him. Hyunjin moaned senselessly, his balls already spasming in your hand every few seconds. Each sound he made fueled you to go faster, harder, so intent on making him cum that you could think of nothing else. You willed your throat to relax and ignored your gag reflex with a vengeance when his cock slipped in deeper.

Yet, for old times sake, you released him just as his orgasm threatened to break. Hyunjin didn’t seem surprised, but it didn’t stop him from loosing a frustrated groan when your mouth rose off his cock with a lewd pop. You smiled lazily up at him as he glared down at you, his chest heaving. Even if you didn’t know him so well, you would have known he was close by the tremor in his limbs alone.

You pressed a wet kiss to the inside of his thigh. “Color, Mr. Hwang?”

Hyunjin yanked you onto the bed with enough force that you yelped. You were beneath him in less than a second, his body half-blanketing yours. He shoved your bikini bottoms down your legs and split you with two of his fingers, sinking inside you to his knuckles. You clenched around him instantly, so ready for him that you saw stars the second his fingertips brushed against your g-spot.

He let out a shuddering breath into the shell of your ear at the feeling of you around his fingers. “Green, Mrs. Hwang. And you?” He thrusted his hand for emphasis, his thumb pressing gently on your throbbing clit. You captured his mouth with your own in answer. He didn’t reprimand you for not answering verbally–he was too far gone with desire to bother. Hyunjin just moaned into your mouth at your eagerness, his tongue exploring yours with the hunger of a man starved.

His fingers increased their pace, pounding into you hard enough that all you could do was yelp. Your leg hooked over his, your hand clasped hard around the back of his neck for stability. He watched your face through heavy-lidded eyes, a muscle in his jaw feathering each time you reacted to his movements.

You were lost in sensations. At some point you stopped kissing him, instead pulling him until his forehead pressed against yours. Your lips still touched as you panted into one another’s mouths, catapulting so quickly towards your orgasm that you could barely open your eyes.

“Gonna cum?” His taunting question was weakened by his breathlessness. He was completely enamored by you, by every change in your expression and sound that came from your pretty lips.

“Yes yes yes, please don’t stop–” you chanted. He obeyed, his hand thrusting into your center at a pace that had your knees shaking. His thumb drew tight circles over your clit, knowing exactly the way you needed without having to tell him. Hyunjin was so focused on your pleasure that he didn’t think to edge you as you had him. Instead, he moaned with you as your high crested over you in a merciless wave.

You clenched hard around his fingers, your arousal coating his hand. He didn’t slow his movements, rather attempting to work you through your orgasm as long as he possibly could. After months without this, without him, your body felt like it was consumed by fireworks. He whispered rough praises into your ear as you came down, his hand at last slowing in time with the fluttering of your walls.

The second you were able to form a coherent thought you crushed your mouth against his. Even after the orgasm he had just gifted you, you were nowhere near done. He made a surprised noise into your mouth as you rolled, stopping when you were straddled across his hips.

He traced a gentle finger across the curve of your breast at the same moment he licked the fingers on his other hand clean of your arousal. He held your gaze until every last drop of you was gone. You shuddered, certain your face was dark with lust by the gleam of anticipation bright in Hyunjin’s eyes.

You ground your hips in hard, slow circles over Hyunjin’s cock. Between his wetness and yours, his length slid easily through your folds. You groaned in unison as you rocked back and forth, his tip barely catching in your entrance on each pass. When at last you couldn’t take it anymore, you lifted so you could fit his head into you.

He gripped your hips with bruising force, holding you in place above him. “I’m not going to last long,” he admitted shyly, his voice shaky. You offered him a predatory smile, allowing your intentions to shine on your face.

You slammed down onto him before he could say anything else. Hyunjin’s head kicked back into the mattress, releasing a whine that had your walls clenching again. You stilled, your muscles locking from the shock of taking all of his impressive length so quickly. Neither of you could manage to speak, silently attempting to adjust to the fit without cumming too soon.

When you’d reached your limit, you said through clenched teeth, “Color?”

“Just–” Hyunjin gasped, his eyes closed “–give me a moment.” If you so much as breathed wrong he was going to cum. Somehow, over these months, he’d managed to forget how incredible your tight warmth felt around him.

After what could have been seconds or minutes, Hyunjin exhaled deeply. “Green, baby. Do your worst.”

Thank god.

You lifted until just the tip of his cock was inside you and slammed back down, the stretch making both of you gasp. It didn’t hurt as much as you anticipated, thankfully, and that realization was the only permission you needed to let go. You rolled your hips on him faster, harder, tight whimpers escaping your throat with every stroke. You trailed your hand over the scar on Hyunjin’s chest, pleased at the goosebumps that rose on his skin from the contact.

Hyunjin couldn’t seem to get a grip on himself. He jerked and moaned beneath you, seeming torn between closing his eyes and watching your breasts bounce above him. He sat up abruptly, his hands holding your ass while his mouth found your nipple. He sucked hard, as if to ground himself to reality, and you tugged harshly at the roots of his hair.

He effortlessly flipped you over without removing himself from you. The pace he began was ruthless, far swifter than the one you had set a moment ago. You raised your knees until they were nearly pressed against your chest, allowing him deeper between your walls. Hyunjin’s head fell into the junction between your neck and shoulder, and you groaned when you felt his teeth lightly clamp down onto your skin.

His hips began to stutter, their rhythm losing their usual grace. You grinned at the ceiling, your nails digging harshly into Hyunjin’s shoulders. “That’s it, baby,” you breathed, your impending orgasm taking your breath away. You chased it with lethal focus, your need to cum shuddering through your entire body. “Cum, pretty boy.”

Hyunjin groaned heavily into your hair, raising chills on your scalp. His body locked and he froze, unable to continue thrusting as his high raged through him. The sensation of his cock pulsing inside you pushed you over the edge. You came together, each twitch and pulse only drawing it out longer. He began to lightly thrust again, using your heat to draw every last drop of cum from him.

You tried and failed to catch your breath, tracing the lean muscles in his back as he gradually relaxed on top of you. Hyunjin’s weight was comfortable, his face still hidden in the crook of your neck.

You winced when he removed his softening cock from you, predictably mourning the sensation of being full the second it was gone. Hyunjin gazed down at you with nothing short of adoration on his beautiful face, his cheeks reddened and hair sex-crazed. You smiled softly, allowing your fingertip to trace the shape of his jaw.

“I love you,” you whispered.

Hyunjin kissed you gently, reverently, as he drew you into a sitting position. “And I you.”

He left the bed to retrieve a warm washcloth and some water. His process of cleaning you up was just as sensual as his foreplay, a fact which had you aching for him again far too soon. You shared the water, giggling like children each time you made eye contact.

Hyunjin sighed contentedly as he curled around you, pulling you snugly against his warm chest. You allowed your eyes to fall closed beneath the weight of him, pleased at your ability to relax in his presence.

“We just had sex in Fiji,” you giggled. It still seemed so surreal to you. What you had thought to be your life’s mission was over, and you had come out the other side unscathed and with a husband, of all things. All that was left in front of you were possibilities.

Hyunjin chuckled in your ear. “And we will again.” He pinched your ass for emphasis, eliciting a small squeak from you.

It seemed impossible that the two of you had survived so much in such a short amount of time. You were sure that there would be more dangers to come, given the sort of life the two of you led, but the thought of them didn’t scare you as they once had. Whatever life threw at you, you no longer had to face it alone.

Hyunjin’s Family had a saying, one that meant the Hwang legacy would survive even after the world turned to ash around them. You were the Viper Queen, one of the last surviving members of your bloodline, and you were fiercely loved by a man who stroked the embers in your soul until they turned to flame.

Yeah. You were going to be just fine.

Hyunjin’s lips ghosted across your temple like his thoughts were in line with yours. You turned your head so you could look at him, all too aware your eyes were glistening. His gaze softened as he returned your small smile.

“I’m very glad you’re not dead,” you said quietly. Hyunjin had said something similar once, after you survived your encounter with Mr. Chae. Only now could you understand the overwhelming relief he must have felt back then when you lived.

“So am I. You’re terrifying when I’m not here to check you.” His tone was teasing, though he certainly wasn’t wrong. You were a force to be reckoned with on your best days.

You laughed. Randomly, you remembered that your bedroom bordered the cabana your friends stayed in next door. Hyunjin followed your gaze to the wall and he grinned.

“Think they heard us?” He joked, pulling your body further into him. You both jumped in surprise at the two firm knocks that sounded on the other side of the wall. There were several long moments of shocked silence.

You both dissolved into giggles. They had most definitely heard. Embarrassment surged through you in a rush, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You could only imagine how red Felix’s face was right now.

It didn’t matter. You were happy, and you had earned it. Through heartache and pain and struggle, you had battled your way to this moment. Your giggles finally subsided and you stared at Hyunjin, basking in the way he gazed back at you. He was yours, as you were his, and no one in the world could take that away.

“Until the ashes,” you murmured. Hyunjin looked near-glowing with happiness. He pressed another fierce kiss to your brow.

“Until the ashes, Mrs. Hwang.”

they finally got their happy ending 🥹 thank you again for your support during this series, please leave a like and reblog if you enjoyed reading!

masterlist here :)

© minghaoyoudoin 2022 - all rights reserved. reposts/translations not allowed. I do not assume to know the personal lives of the idol(s) depicted in this fic, this is for entertainment purposes only!

taglist: @midnightchanis, @aerastus, @a-person-with-void, @xhazmania, @coquette-amor, @lenfilms, @cyder-puff, @mongnara-deactivated20220818, I'm sorry to those of you it wouldn't allow me to tag!

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 29

welcome to the twenty-ninth fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.  

1. don’t know what i did to earn a love like this (but baby i must be doin’ something right) by littleghost

“I went to the desert to listen to country music.” It falls out of him, and he keeps going, voice hushed like there’s more than just him and Lance in this room. “It always reminded me of you and I would go stare at the stars, think of you, and listen to country.”

i know littleghost has been inactive in the voltron fandom since literally 2017 but i am so obsessed with their fic. im not huge on high school aus usually but this fic in particular had so many of my favourite niche headcanons that ive read this fic like twelve times. yall know how i feel about quiet devotion and its everywhere in this fic.

2. every day i wonder by kirargent

Lance has a stuffed-full backpack, a beanie pulled down over the tips of his ears, a blanket draped around his neck like a thick scarf, and his cell phone pressed to one ear. He looks like an idiot, and he’s being entirely too loud for a good cryptid hunt.

this shit made me fucking LAUGH. keith is such an ornery bitch i literally love him so much. this fic bodies the ‘fuck am i in love with HIM?? why??? why am i so HAPPY ABOUT IT???’ so well i love it

3. mortal bodies, timeless souls by @littendeservesbetter

“Wait!” Coran lets out a triumphant noise. “I got it! If my calculations stand corrected, then our visitors will be people we actually know! Keith, Lance, you two will be meeting your alternate selves today!”

Coran says it like the idea is so mundane that it takes Keith a while to process. The moment he does, however, he feels his heart drop to his stomach.

“We’re going to what?!” Lance yelps, effectively voicing out Keith’s thoughts.

Or, the castle's teludav malfunctions, alternate realities are mixed, and Keith finds out that he and Lance are a lot more... close in other realities.

they are fucking in love in every single reality in every single universe always and endlessly. they are Soulmates. i know its cheesy but im obsessed with them literally. also extra incentive this fic has pike/thunderstorm darkness

4. here comes the violence by stardon 

“Fancy seeing you here, Whiskers.”

Keith feels his tail wag in annoyance, which is almost as horrifying as his current situation. “No. Absolutely fucking not.” He looks at his bare wrist, pretending he has a watch. “How about we postpone this? My calendar says I’m free from the seventh of never through to the fifteenth of ain’t-gonna-happen, how does that work for you guys?”

Pidge looks up, quirking a brow. “Lance has an amazing influence on your humour, you know that?”

In which sometimes Keith is a bit Galra, sometimes not.

this fic is excellent because their both so obviously in love and down bad for each other but theyre both also stupid. borderline already dating but also not and driving each other insane is peak peak trope

5. Beast of Burden by melancholymango [EXPLICIT]

“Keith, no, we can’t go again.” Lance pleads fall on deaf ears. Keith is honed in on him now like predator to prey. He’s fighting a losing battle and they both know it. He sees it in the way Keith is raking his eyes over him, sizing him up. “We’ll be so late getting to the bar.”“Just one more.” Keith insists, herding Lance toward the counter with a stubbornness that is innately wolf. Lance pouts, but he doesn't have anywhere else to go but backward.“That’s what you said last time! And the time before that!”--The week leading up to a supermoon, as told by the world's best werewolf boyfriend, Lance McClain. The good, the bad, and the horny.

this is just monsterfucking but its also like soft in there. but mostly its monsterfucking

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!    

[princesse-de-ravenclaw]

Champagne Problems (iii)

Summary: Y/N Y/L/N has everything: a wealthy family, a famous last name, and the most eligible bachelor in the wizarding community as her soon to be husband. What happens when she’s reunited with a forbidden friend from the past?

tw: nightmares

word count: 2,736

The next day, the teens collected their lunches and met up in the forbidden forest. “Alright mates, I recon we eat our lunches and take a look around here before we head to bowtruckle island,” James announced as he stopped in the forest. “Bowtruckle island?” Y/N asked. “Yeah, the library has some of Newt Scamander’s published notes and he mentioned an island on the black lake where branches of bowtruckles live,” James explained. “Wow, you really did your research,” Y/N was nearly floored at the effort he put in to do this for her when they barely knew each other. “Well of course, we want to do this right, don’t we?” he shrugged casually and Y/N dropped it, a sense of belonging beginning to fill her mind.

The group ate their lunches and looked around the forest for a little bit but came up with no bowtruckles, but finding plenty of woodlice to collect and bring to the island, so they decided to head to the lake and summon a row boat. The four boys rowed as Lily and Y/N went over the plan. “So we find one that is less shy than the others but also not agressive, and we bribe them with the woodlice. We build a bond with them by coming back over and over again and then hopefully about halfway through the school year we can bring them back to the castle and start training,” Y/N pondered aloud. “How often do you recon you want to come back?” James asked and he continued to row.  “What about every two days?” Y/N asked, worried that might be more often than the rest of them would want to meet up. “We can do every two days, maybe once the bowtruckle starts to trust us more, we can come every day just to strengthen the bond even more before we bring them inside,” Remus suggested. Y/N beamed, “That sounds perfect.”

When the teens arrived to the island they found that there were indeed, branches upon branches of bowtruckles living in the trees. “These trees must be growing wand wood,” Y/N murmured. “Bowtruckles live in wand wood trees to protect them,” she explained. “So we ought ta be careful about pissing them off?” Remus asked. “Not necessarily, they’re very calm creatures. They only attack if they feel their tree is being threatened. Most of them will cower away to watch us from afar but we need to find one that is curious enough to want to check us out and stay visible,” Y/N explained. The group split up into pairs to gently search the island for the perfect bowtruckle. James and Lily, Remus and Peter, and Sirius and Y/N each went their own direction with a pouch full of woodlice.

Each pair searched and searched, but the bowtruckles kept scurrying away to hide. Until Y/N and Sirius stopped to rest and leaned up against a tree that seemed slightly larger than the rest on the island. “You’ve been quiet, are you starting to give up?” Sirius asked quietly. “No, Y/N sighed, “I’m getting a little discouraged but I don’t want to give up. I really want to go through with this and complete Operation Bowtruckle with you guys,” She told him honestly. “Plus, just because we haven’t found anything doesn’t mean no one else has,” She shrugged with hope in her voice. “Y/N/N, I think we’ve hit a stroke of luck, look,” Sirius whispered, pointing to a tree branch slightly overhead where a single Bowtruckle was peeking its head out from the other side.

“Oh, hi there!” Y/N whispered with a grin. She opened her pouch and set five woodlice on the tree branch in front of the bowtruckle as it cowered away until her hand was a safe enough distance from the tree. The bowtruckle returned, fully revealing itself this time and happily munched down the woodlice and looked and Y/N as if expecting more. “Hi there sweet girl,” Y/N murmured. “You want some more?” she asked, reaching into the pouch to pull out more woodlice. The bowtruckle backed away, but did not completely hide itself as Y/N set down the second round of food. “How do you know she’s female?” SIrius asked quietly. “She’s only got two legs. Males have three,” Y/N answered simply, and Sirius couldn’t help but grin and the fact that she just happened to know that off the top of her head.

Sirius and Y/N continued to feed the Bowtruckle until Y/N could get her to climb into her hand to eat the woodlice. “Alright, it’s been a good hour or so, I think we should go find the rest of the group and come back in a few days?” Y/N suggested. “Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Have you decided what to call her yet?” Sirius asked curiously. “Millicent, I think. Millie for short. How does that sound?” Y/N asked offering the Bowtruckle one more wood louse. Millicent climbed into Y/N hand to eat the last crustacean and seemed to smile contentedly. “I think she likes it,” Sirius’s grinned. Y/N waited for Millicent to return to her tree, said goodbye, and she and Sirius made their way back to the meeting point.

“Y/N we couldn’t find a single bowtruckle that would work,” Peter announced defeatedly as he and Remus returned to the meeting point. “We found a couple curious ones but they wouldn’t let us get close to them,” Lily announced and she and James appeared. “Fear not, Y/N charmed the pants off of one and had her climbing in her hand,” Sirius beamed. “I made note of the tree she lived in so we’ll come back in a couple days and continue our work. Thank you guys so much for coming and helping me with this,” Y/N grinned as she looked at the teens around her. “You’re one of us now, anything you need, we’ve got you,” James slung his arm around Y/N and lead her and the rest of the group back to the boat.

-

By the time the group returned to the school, it was nearly dinner time and everyone went back to their dorms to freshen up. Once in the great hall, Y/N sat at the end of her table by herself and caught Sirius’s eye from his table across the room and he shot her a wink before going back to his conversation with Remus. She pondered her new friendship with him, or rather, this new chapter in her long-standing friendship with him. Things were just as easy as when they were children, but even easier almost? She felt like she could truly be herself with Sirius, find herself with Sirius. She wondered why it was so easy to breathe around him and why all of his friends were so willing to invite her in and accept her as one of their own. Y/N was taken out of her thoughts as Cynthia, Dawn, and Ellie plopped down around her to eat dinner. “Where were you today?” Dawn asked curiously as she started grabbing food and putting it on her plate. “Oh i just went out to the Forbidden Forest to feed the animals,” Y/N fibbed. She didn’t like lying, but she wanted Operation Bowtruckle to be her secret with Sirius and his friends. “The Forbidden Forest? It’s filthy out there!” Ellie cried, pausing in her own attempt to grab food. “Oh please, it’s not so bad. Plus I like the animals,” Y/N shrugged and began getting food for herself as well. “Well I hope you plan on showering before bringing forest filth in our dorm,” Ellie scrunched up her nose and continued filling her plate. Y/N remembered that she had a role to play with these girls, so she sat up straighter and put on her best smile,” Of course.”

Y/N took her time in the showers, slowly doing her skincare routine and dawdling back to her room. She ran into Remus in the hallway outside her corridor. “I hate to have to say this but it’s almost curfew” he spoke up. “Oh, of course,” Y/N nodded and curtly as she could and sped up toward her common room. “You did a good job today with the Bowtruckle,” he called after her after checking to make sure no one else was around. “Thanks,” Y/N grinned. “We had a lot of fun out there,” Remus told her. “Yeah, I did, too. I’m looking forward to going back again,” she admitted. “This plan is going to work,” Remus assured her. Y/N offered a smile in return and then continued to her common room door and paused before giving the password. “Hey Remus?” she called softly. “Hmm?” He turned back with his eyebrows raised. “Thanks for letting me crash you group,” Y/N said sincerely. Remus grinned in response, “Thanks for crashing.” And with that, they each turned back to their respective directions and continued on with their evenings.

Weeks went by and the teenagers stuck to their plan of visiting Millicent every two days, up until the night the boys backed out and left Y/N and Lily to go alone. “Have I done something? Are they getting bored of my stupid little mission?” Y/N asked aloud, thinking she was alone. Lily, who was approaching while Y/N was pondering aloud answered, “No, love. It’s not you at all, they’re doing a project on the shrieking shack for history of magic tonight.” “We didn’t have an assignment on the shrieking shack, I have that class with Sirius,” Y/N furrowed her brows. “Oh, it’s an extra credit thing. Remus is very interested in the ghosts that live there,” Lily elaborated. “Hmm,” Y/N hummed as she hopped in the row boat, Lily following close behind. “They’ll be back in a couple of days,” Lily assured her.

“A couple of days?!” Y/N asked incredulously. “It’s a um, it’s an immersion thing Remus wanted to do. I dunno, he was just very excited about the haunted past of the place,” Lily shrugged as she rowed. Something smelled fishy to Y/N but she decided to let it go. Lily had been friends with the guys for years- she wouldn’t tell Y/N whatever is really going on if the boys wanted it to be secret. Y/N hummed again and continued to row silently with Lily for a few minutes. To herself, she wondered if the boys really had grown tired of her and if Lily was just here because she felt bad. But then she wondered what they could possibly be doing that would take them out of school for multiple days? Y/N made a note to track down all of the boys separately as soon as they got back to school and see if their answers matched up.  

After a successful couple of hours with Millicent, Y/N and Lily rowed back to the school grounds and hid the rowboat before heading their separate ways. “Hey, Y/N!” Lily called from a few feet away. Y/N turned to her. “I promise, they guys are really sorry they missed Operation Bowtruckle tonight. They wanted to be here but they had to do the project now. They’ll tell you all about it when they get back,” Lily smiled. Y/N wanted to believe her so she smiled back. “Goodnight, Lily,” she said. Lily called out a “goodnight!” back and the girls continued to their separate common rooms. Why does it have to be tonight? Y/N wondered. It’s the fifth Friday of the month… It’s a full moon… There are no clouds in the sky… Y/N thought hard about what could possibly be the reason they had to be gone these specific set of days all the way back to her dorm. When she fell asleep, she dreamt of Sirius.

He was in trouble. It was dark, his breathing was labored. Beams of light from the full moon scattered around the dark place he was in. Something howled, and it was very close. Sirius took a deep breath, and then the footsteps could be heard. Getting closer and closer, the beast was snarling. Y/N couldn’t see it but she just knew it was going to get him at any second. She heard its jaws open and felt its body lunging toward Sirius and all of a sudden- a loud “Mroooow,” from Desdemona woke her up.

Y/N sighed deeply, “Good morning pretty girl,” she whispered. Desdemona meowed again. “I suppose you want breakfast?” Y/N asked, stretching and standing up to feed the cat. Y/N observed the room to find all three of her roommates already gone. She checked her watch to find that she had slept until nearly 11 o’clock. As she fed Desdemona and slowly got ready for her day, she couldn’t stop thinking about her dream. About how real it felt, how much danger Sirius was in. She needed to see him. She was going to go into Hogsmeade and go to the shrieking shack to find Sirius and make sure he was okay.

Y/N made her way to the train with a purpose and hurried into Hogsmeade the moment the train stopped. Before she even made it halfway through town, she saw Sirius inside of Honeydukes and rushed inside to him. “Sirius!” She exclaimed, gently grabbing him by the face and inspecting him for injuries, only to find him healthy and handsome as ever. “Uh, hi there, love,” he chuckled, placing his hands over hers and bringing himself to look into Y/N’s eyes. “Something I can help you with, darling?” He asked with a smile. “I just…” Y/N searched and searched for what to say that wouldn’t make her sound crazy. She sighed. “Where have you been?” She asked shyly. “We’re working on a project for history of magic at the shrieking shack for a few days,” he told her, giving her hands a squeeze.

At this, Y/N realized she was making a scene in the window of the shop and she released Sirius’s face from her hands. “How many days?” She raised an eyebrow. “However many it takes to get enough information for our report, I reckon,” Sirius shrugged. “I thought you said it was a project?” she questioned, stepping slightly closer to him. “There’s a report to go with the project,” he replied cooly. Y/N took a step back and examined him one more time, verifying that he seemed to be fine. “Alright. How’s the project going? What’s it about? Why are you at Honeydukes?” she asked, beginning to look around the store for herself.

“It’s going alright, the ghosts can be quite unfriendly at times, and it’s about the past of the shack so we’re spending time with the spirits and learning what they have to say. And I’m at Honeydukes because Remus wanted more chocolate,” Sirius bumped his shoulder against Y/N’s as he held a can of sherbet lemons out to her. She took them, along with a chocolate frog and then let Sirius lead the way. “Well that sounds very interesting, actually. I’d love to read it when you’re done,” Y/N told him. This wasn’t to catch him in a lie- she had no reason not to believe him, and she would love to hear the stories of the ghosts. “Uh, yeah, sure. I’ll give it to you have Professor Binns grades it,” he nodded as he picked out the chocolate Remus requested. The two checked out and Y/N started to follow Sirius out of the store.

“Can I come with you to help over the weekend?” Y/N offered. “Oh! Um, no I think it’s just supposed to be me and the guys on this one but thank you!” Sirius took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Really, thank you,” he said softly. Y/N smiled and squeezed his hand back before letting it go. “I guess I’ll see you when you get back, then,” She said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. “The moment we’re finished I’ll come straight to you. I’ll sneak into your dorm if i have to- just tell me the password to your common room-“ Sirius rambled. “That won’t be necessary,” Y/N laughed, “But I would like to see you again as soon as you get a chance that’s not in the middle of the night.” “Of course. I’ll see you soon. Have a good weekend,” Sirius gave her a beautiful and genuine smile. “You, too,” Y/N told him as they parted ways.

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S06E08

Another good episode. As a disclaimer, I’ve had a pretty specific idea of how this episode should be like, so I went in a little bit negatively predisposed. Also, these aren't in order. Sorry.

I remember the dead guy. He was in the episode with Meghan Ory’s character, the first one of the two.

“He’s dead. Are you happy?” Calm down, ma’am, you’re giving him reasons to be stupidly self-sacrificing.

Joe: Charlie no. Charlie: Charlie yes.

“We’re going to transfer all the inmates I’ve arrested out of the prison.” You’ll… what… now?

“I’ll find your killer and get rid of your drug problem”. And also fix your plumbing (oh, wait), clean your laundry, and create a gourmet menu for your prison.

Okay they did find a good reason for Rex to be in there. I'd still have preferred Charlie alone in prison and Rex investigating on the outside.

I hate this hairstyle. There, I said it. However, it’s more fitting to prison inmate Chuck than what Charlie has had all season so far as a cop. Which has actually been tolerable as an image despite not fitting the character, and I refuse to spend more time on that because I keep seeing it being commented on and when this keeps happening, I feel bad.

I think I know the actor who plays Charlie’s prison bunkmate but I can’t place him.

Charlie displayed a lot of badassery in this episode. Also, I think John Reardon did some good work acting wise in this one.

Charlie said “I love you”, “babe”, “you’re the hottest woman I’ve ever seen”, “sweetheart” to Sarah, and all of that while he was undercover in prison and through the phone??? Who do I talk to about this? How was there not a better moment for this? It’s like they wanted to throw these words out in the open in the least romantic way possible.

The way I hate “babe” and yet every single couple I ship is using it… They’re lucky I’ve been desensitized since Castle.

And Sarah’s facepalm on the other end lmao. It’s obviously not the first “I love you” at least. I wonder what she calls him.

I liked the instrumental music for the prison scenes. It was very much on point.

Damn, they put him in solitary for 24 hours. This couldn’t have awakened any claustrophobic feelings from a) the freezer b) the cave collapse, c) the coffin he was buried in d) the containers that almost turned him into a pancake? Come on, guys. Also, do they or do they not have solitary in Canada? It can’t keep changing according to the season.

Sarah worried because her idiot almost died in prison. Charlie finally (I might pass out) having a moment of weakness? Saying that he misses Sarah and Rex? I did not think I'd live to see it.

Jesse saying that they'd pull out Charlie if it gets too dangerous… This is way too optimistic. Realistically, he would have gotten shivved before anyone could do anything about it.

Rex totally wanted to maul that guy for injuring Charlie. Once again, why can’t we see him baring his teeth? German shepherds have scary canine teeth, they’re not just cute and cuddly.

I liked Joe as a guard. And interrogating the suspect, getting a bit handsy with him.

Detective Jesse Mills. Doing interrogations. Detecting lol

Bringing back a bad guy from S1? Interesting choice. I barely remember the guy. And wasn’t that episode like a collective fandom hallucination or something? When Charlie mentioned the guy had killed a kid I was like, oh so we haven’t seen that case. That’s how much I don’t remember that episode.

“Lots can change in that time” Charlie, you’re squeaky clean, bud. You tried to be “bad” in S4 and lasted for like four minutes.

Also, in every show I’ve seen, once a cop enters prison, no one cares whether he’s a disgraced cop. They’d want to kill him either way.

Either they shot the scenes of the prison yard in one day or it was raining all the days they had those scenes. Very gloomy weather, it added a bit of extra grime to the episode.

“Do you want to read the letters with me?” Absolutely not. He wants to go back home, hug his girlfriend and have a hot shower to wash the prison off of him. Maybe this all happened off screen already. I don’t care. I didn’t see it so it didn’t happen.

I liked the episode. It didn’t go my way at all but it’s understandable. I wanted some more danger towards the end, as people were catching on to the fact that Charlie was a cop. Also, Charlie had way too much communication with the team, I know it doesn’t make sense for me to not want that, but it also doesn’t make sense for an undercover cop in prison to be able to be in touch with almost every member of his team throughout the episode. Did I want a Charlie and Sarah scene in the end? Absolutely.

Promo: That is a pretty lame promo for what should be a character centric episode. It looks like a complete filler, devoid of character moements. I hope it will be a character centric episode and not a filler NCIS episode (because Navy). Hopefully it’s just lousy promo editing and not a lousy episode. Interesting choice for Charlie’s dad. And I know people might hate me for this, but I’ll say it anyway. I did prompt a few storylines to an AI model about Charlie facing off his dad, and the AI would always, always have his dad call him Charles. Fucking hell.

There’s no way Sarah is not meeting Charlie’s dad, right? I need to be reassured.

Dude seems so dismissive of Rex that I hope Rex bites him. He should be allowed to bite family members who are being assholes.

[attic-club-sandwich]

It's What Brothers Do

Day 5 of @ombrotherlylove2023! I hope you guys are enjoying my little fics so far! Thank you to everyone who has been reading! I can't believe there's only a couple more days left!

Summary:  Asmo is very protective of his brothers. Back when they first became demons, news traveled fast about their fateful fall into the Devildom. One day as the brothers were walking through town, a lower demon decides to corner the twins. Asmo witnesses this, and comes to their rescue.

Day 5: Protective & Angst with Asmo, Beel, and Belphie

Taglist: @amberrskiies, @obey-me-posts, @sassykattery, @delphi-dreamin, @bite-sized-devil, @flemmingbamse, @a-hidden-gem, @otomefoxystar, @siofrantic, @todothedodo, @marvelous-maniac, @nonbinary-disaster, @selfmadender, @animeismyhappyplace, @vampire-tr4mp, @meiloorun-tea, @ana-dear, @gaychaosgremlin, @sidgethegamer, @jasper-s-phantym

floral divider by @/saradika

It hadn’t been long since the fateful fall of the seven demon brothers. After being free to leave the Demon Lord’s castle, the brothers decided to have a walk through Devil Town with their newly appointed attendant, MC. Asmo decided to go off on his own for a bit, as he was very interested in checking out the one clothing shop he had been hearing all about through Devilgram. He didn’t have much Grimm yet to spend, but he couldn’t help himself from buying a particularly gorgeous pair of earrings. On his way back out of the shop, he spotted the Twins across the street. He was just about to trot over to them to show off his new purchase when he noticed something was…off. 

Upon closer inspection, they were backed into a dark corner of a building with an unfamiliar looking demon standing over them. The look of horror painted across Beel and Belphie’s faces was enough to send a shiver of uneasiness down Asmo’s spine. Quickly, Asmo made his way over across the street to confront the demon. “Hey, just what are you doing to my brothers?!” he shouted, baring his fangs. The demon whipped around, staring Asmo down with pitch black eyes. Asmodeus was startled for a split second at the murderous look on the demon’s eyes, but stood his ground. “Oh? These two pathetic excuses for demons are your brothers?” Asmo scowled at the demon, attempting to push past to grab Beel and Belphie. The demon snickered, pressing a large hand to his chest to push him back. “I don’t think so, I’m not done having fun with them yet.” Belphie whimpered, pressing his face into his twin’s shoulder. Usually Belphegor was extremely outspoken and wouldn’t bat an eye at defending himself, but for him to be this upset? What has he done to them?! 

“Fine, have it your way, sweetheart.” Asmo wasn’t a fan of succumbing to his demonic instincts, but when his brothers were involved, it was a different story. Asmo dropped the bag he was holding, and extended his claws. “And what are you going to do about it, pretty boy?” the demon sneered, eyeing the 5th born up and down. Asmo only smirked, his wings flapping wildly behind him in irritation. “Well, protect my brothers, of course. We’re sort of a package deal. You mess with one, then you mess with all of us.” Suddenly, a loud slap rang through the air, and the twins stared at Asmo with wide eyes. The angry demon that had been harassing them now had a large, bright red spot across his face along with 4 perfect scars already beading with crimson red blood. The demon hissed, and began to lunge at his attacker, but Asmo simply stepped out of the way, causing him to trip forward. Asmo immediately moved to stand in front of  Beel and Belphie as he held his arms out to protect them. Beel’s eyes widened at the bright pink glow of magic enveloping his brother as he stood tall in front of them. “Get out of here, before I have to report this to Lord Diavolo. If you’re lucky, he might even spare your life!” The demon growled, reluctantly scurrying away at the mention of Diavolo’s name.

Once the demon was long gone,  Asmo sighed and began to examine his now sheathed nails which were now covered in blood. “Can you believe he made me ruin my nails? I just painted them back at the castle!” He glanced over at Beel, who was holding a trembling Belphie in his arms. “Oh, my loves, what did he do to you?” Asmo cooed, reaching out to examine them for any injuries. Thankfully they seemed to be in good shape…physically, at least. Beel growled in frustration as he clutched Belphie tighter in the crook of his arm. “That demon knew who we were, so he made sure he brought up Lilith… and he kept going on and on about how it was our fault she died…our fault that we lost the war...” Asmo’s eyes widened at the mention of their late sister. It was still a very fresh wound and for that demon to say all those cruel things…“Oh, Beel, Belphie, I'm so sorry…” Beel’s violet eyes were full of tears, but Asmo could tell he was doing everything he could to hold them back. Belphie sniffed as he finally glanced at Asmo. “Thanks for coming to our rescue. Although I should have been able to handle it.” Beel looked down at his twin sadly. “Yeah, we’re demons now, we should have been able to stand up for ourselves. Especially me.” Asmo shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t say that, he totally caught you two off guard! I'm just so glad that I was nearby, who knows what could have happened…” he shivered at the thought of his little brothers being hurt by that vile creature. Tears formed in the corners of Asmo’s eyes as he wrapped his arms around the twins, pulling them into a group hug. “We have to be here for each other, no matter what.” Beel nodded as he squeezed his two brothers, finally allowing a tear to roll down his cheek. Asmo noticed and reached out a slender finger to wipe it away. “No more tears, It’s bad for your skin.” he smiled as Beel began to chuckle.

“How about we head back to the center of town? I bet everyone is waiting, including MC!” The twins perked up at that, and began to follow Asmo out of the gloomy corner of the building. Suddenly, they heard an almost thunderous growl as it echoed off of the buildings that surrounded them. Anxiety began to build in Asmo’s chest as he spun around to face the twins; he was expecting the demon from earlier to return to take his revenge. However, he only saw Belphie and a very hungry looking Beelzebub. “Sorry, that was my stomach.” Beel muttered, glancing down at his feet. Belphie began to laugh; at first a small chuckle, but slowly dissolved into a series of snorts and teary eyed giggles. Asmo couldn’t help but join, at first feeling bad for laughing at Beel’s expense after such a traumatic event, but he glanced over to see even the red-haired demon was grinning in amusement. Asmo finally collected himself, motioning for the twins to continue following him. “Okay, I think we need to go get something to eat before Beel eats the entire Devildom.” 

[prince-rowan-of-the-forest]

The Choosing Ball

----

The law is clear and very very simple: Janus must choose someone at the ball to become his future husband or wife. He would have two days to pick and at the ball they would choose. If he refused or wasn't chosen, he would be considered an outcast, a criminal against the state. Easy, simple, there was just one tiny problem.

Janus was already in love with someone else. Someone who he didn't have the option to choose.

Fortunately for him, Prince Roman doesn't seem to see that as a problem at all.

----

| Ao3 | Next -> |

Warnings: none (individual chapters will have their own warnings listed if needed)

Pairings: Anaroceit, background intruality, remile

Notes:

Anaroceit royalty AU anaroceit royalty AU anaroceit royalty AU anar-

Ok if you can't tell I'm very excited about posting this. I actually considered for a while using this as my entry for the TS Storytime Big Bang (btw, go sign up, lol) but I decided against it, so now you guys have it!

I've had this sitting in my google docs for a very long time, I tried my best to fix up grammar and stuff, especially in the first part, but please bare in mind that it's probably not as good as it could have been, I don't have anyone to beta read for me, lol.

Regardless, I really hope you guys enjoy this au as much as I do!!

----

“I know, my darling,” Janus whispered quietly into the dark of his room, the man curled into his side on the comfortable window seat groaned and shifted, “It’s unfair.”

“But why,” Virgil hissed out, Janus carded fingers through his hair, trying in vain to calm him as he had been doing all evening, but his personal guard - and secret romantic partner - was so worked up that even now he refused to relax, “What will happen to us after this weekend? My prince… I don’t want this to stop…”

“I know, darling,” Janus whispered again, squeezing Virgil’s shoulders. The situation they were in was indeed an unorthodox one. Virgil was his guard, no-one of noble blood, it just so happened that he had been the best that the castle could hire. Janus had found that he’d taken an immediate liking to the anxious boy - it was deceptive, how nervous he was, Janus had seen him with a sword, and Virgil could be deadly even without one - the moment he’d been presented in the throne room.

“I must pick a husband or wife at The Choosing Ball,” Janus said, quoting the law he knew off by heart, “If a royal has not found their partner by midnight on the night of this decennial ball, they shall be exiled, disowned and outcast, no longer considered of royal blood.”

“You’re twenty three years old now,” Virgil murmured sadly, “So you have to go this time.”

“Yes,” Janus nodded, “And you will be accompanying me.”

“I- what?” Virgil shot up, wide eyed, “But- but isn’t the ball only for royals and nobles?”

“It is, though we are allowed to bring some guards and servants, though weapons must be deposited on entrance,” Janus said, pulling a scroll from his sleeve, as though he’d just made it appear, and handing it to Virgil, “Here, all the regulations are written.”

Virgil read for a moment, before his eyes went wide, “Any servants or guards accompanying the royals and nobility will be given separate chambers? We’ll… be apart?”

“Indeed,” Janus said, tone a little sad, before scowling “It is supposed to help give us a chance to bond with the other candidates, since we will be sharing rooms with the ones the organisers consider us most likely to get along with, it is not necessarily to help up find our matches, moreso to strengthen future relations between kingdoms,”

“So we… won’t be able to see each other?” Virgil asked, voice shaking a little, Janus knew that he was panicking, trying hard to push the anxiety away, he was losing the battle quickly. 

“You can accompany me around the castle and at the ball itself,” Janus reassured, kissing his cheek, “And besides, I am known for my ability to sneak, I’m sure I’ll be able to sneak out and find you at nigh.”

He pressed another kiss to the top of his lover’s head, pulling him close and rubbing his ungloved hand up and down his arm. Virgil relaxed, if only slightly. Later, Janus would lift him and move them over to his bed, curling himself protectively around his guard- though it should really be the other way around- and falling asleep. 

—-

The next day, the castle was all a flurry. Handmaids manhandled him into a luxurious bath, scrubbing him down harshly. They didn’t care about his winces and huffs when their sponges and brushes moved too close to the delicate snake scales adorning the left side of his face - which also ran all down his chest and arm and coated his hand. Afterwards, he was manhandled back out of the bath and forced into more formal clothes than he would normally ever wear, even for council meetings with his father. 

The morning passed in a daze as servants rushed around, making sure everything he would need for the three day long trip was packed up and making sure he himself was ready. He couldn't find a moment of peace - or even a moment to see Virgil (his guard was getting much the same treatment as himself since everyone who would be in their convoy had to look perfect). 

Even in his room he was constantly being addressed by servant after servant, one bringing him the jewellery the seamstress had instructed go with his clothes and making sure it was all fastened properly. Three maids came in after that to comb and style his hair, a crown of braids pulled back into a perfectly neat bun on the back of his head that would keep his actual crown (which was to be brought to him later) secure on his head. 

The crown had a black veil attached to one half, hiding the golden scales on his face, the curse made him look unbecoming, they said.

By noon most of the convoy was ready to set off and the few handmaids and servants who would be making the journey with him were already settling into their own carriages. Janus still hadn’t seen Virgil, who was supposed to be riding in Janus’ carriage with him at his request. He was starting to become worried. He was stopped though by the approach of the king.

“Father,” Janus bowed deeply as the king stopped in front of him, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. Janus looked up, worried, wondering if he was about to be lectured for… something.

“Son,” His father responded, though he seemed to lose words after that, he took a moment to recover, when he did he didn’t sound angry, just… tired, “Just- please pick someone, Janus, you are my only son, I can’t lose you.”

Janus’ stomach did a flip, but all he did was take a deep breath to calm himself, before speaking, “I’ll… try, father.”

“Good boy,” His father nodded, stepping back and looking him over, eyes flickering to his scales, now hidden by a veil that made it even more difficult than normal to see though his left eye, “The handmaids did a good job making you look presentable.”

“Indeed,” Janus replied through gritted teeth, he never really knew how to feel about the way they treated his curse, but now there were more pressing matters, “Father, has anyone seen my guard? Storme? I haven’t seen him and he should be accompanying me.”

“I’ll have someone look for him,” His father nodded, “Get comfortable son, you have a long journey ahead of you.”

—-

“We found your guard, sire,” two other guards called from outside his carriage, “He’s not in the best state, we managed to get him out of the palace, but he’s asking for you.”

Janus was out of the carriage in two seconds flat, and the two guards led him back up the driveway to the doors, where another guard was holding onto Virgil. He looked absolutely stunning, decked out in the castle guard uniform, his own hair done up neatly and a shining sword at his back, though Janus quickly stopped his train of though, this wasn’t the time for admiring his partner who at present looked to be hyperventilating. The guard holding him let go as Janus approached, the prince crouched down next to Virgil, resting a gentle hand on his back. 

“Shh,” Janus whispered, drawing the ‘s’ out into a low hiss- he’d learned the sound was calming for Virgil, though he tried his best to repress the hiss in regular conversation- “I’m here, I’m safe, you're alright, deep breaths, Vee.”

“Jan?” Virgil murmured, finally looking up, his pupils were blown wide in panic, “You’re here?”

“I’m here,” He nodded, gently rubbing Virgil’s back. He could feel the guards gawking at them, so he shot them a glare over his shoulder.

“Inform the convoy that we will be present momentarily,” Janus commanded them, one nodded and the three scurried off, leaving them relatively alone.

“Can you walk?” Janus asked, voice gentle, “I will be able to comfort you better once we’re situated in the carriage.”

“I thought…” Virgil mumbled, already trying to get to his feet, “I thought you’d leave me behind…”

“Now why would I do that?” Janus asked, bracing Virgil with an arm so that he wouldn’t fall, “Of all the stupid things,”

“I… don’t know,” Virgil looked away, ashamed, “My thoughts ran from me again, I’m sorry.”

“Now now, I thought I’d gotten you to stop with apologising for that,” Janus said, flicking Virgil’s nose with a finger to show he wasn’t angry.

“Sorry,” Virgil mumbled again as they finally reached the carriage, the door was held open for him and he stepped inside, before turning to help Virgil in as well. 

“Close the curtain,” He commanded, though gently, as he reached to close the other. Virgil did so quickly, before slumping down onto the seat, Janus sat carefully next to him, taking his hand and squeezing it gently.

"Are you alright?" Janus asked once they were finally in private.

Virgil hesitated, taking a few deep breaths before sighing, "I’m much better now, thanks to you." 

"You're certain?" Janus asked, reaching his other hand to cup Virgil's face, running a thumb over his cheek. He saw the blush creeping onto his guard's pale face and smiled.

"I'm alright, I swear it," Virgil nodded, turning his face in order to kiss Janus' gloved palm.

“You look gorgeous,” Janus said with a smile, lowering his hand to his lap and gently nudging Virgil's shoulder with his own. Virgil turned to him, rolling his eyes.

“They- they pinned back my bangs,” He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice, Janus couldn’t help but chuckle, giving Virgil a distraction would help even more than his presence alone already had, he knew. 

“Yes, and I can see your pretty eyes now,” Janus grinned, leaning forward a little so they were mere inches apart, staring into the deep purple of Virgil’s eyes, the head of the convoy had called for everyone to begin heading out and the carriages all began moving,

“I can’t see yours,” Virgil said, glaring at the veil before reaching forward and pushing it out of the way, trying to tuck it behind his ear, Janus couldn’t help but smile, in the end Virgil gave up and simply took off the crown altogether, “There, much better,”

"I'm glad to see that you are feeling better,” Janus said, he couldn’t help leaning forward to press a kiss to Virgil’s cheek, "And I'm sorry I couldn't come to find you sooner," 

“It's alright, my own fault anyway for letting my thoughts get to me so much,” Virgil said quietly, leaning forward to kiss Janus’ cheek in return, though Janus turned his head at the last seconds and caught Virgil’s lips with his own, when they broke apart, Virgil’s face was red with blush and Janus couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Good,” he said, before returning for another kiss. 

—-

The castle in which the ball was held was bigger than his own, though it was also in the middle of nowhere with no surrounding kingdom. Royals and the highest of nobility from all of the ruling kingdoms in each of the twelve surrounding countries would be attending, so Janus had really no idea what to expect after they arrived. Likely to be forced into mingling with forty-odd other barely adult royals and nobles. How annoying.

“Once we leave the carriage we will be separated,” Janus warned Virgil, squeezing his hands tightly, “As they will be showing us to our sleeping quarters, I will come and find you as soon as I can, alright my darling?”

Virgil nodded, pulling back one of the curtains to look out of the window only to see the carriage pass under an enormous, elaborately decorated gateway.

“You’d better be ready to tell me about how awful all your roommates are when you do,” Virgil smiled at him, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

“Oh trust me, I’m sure I’ll have much to complain about when we meet again,” Janus smiled, before reaching up to remove one of his earrings- an ear cuff designed to look like a snake coiled around his upper ear- and handed it to Virgil, “Keep this safe for me until I come back, will you?”

“Of course,” Virgil said with a nod. It was a game they liked to play, really, whenever Janus or Virgil had to leave for whatever reason, Janus would give Virgil a piece of his jewellery to ‘keep safe’ until they met again. It seemed to help with the anxiety of being apart. Though Janus would never admit that it helped him as well as Virgil to deal with separation. 

Janus sighed as the carriage stopped moving and he began to hear a flurry of noise from outside. He pressed a quick kiss to Virgil’s forehead, squeezing his hand one last time and hastily returning his crown to his head before the door of the carriage was opened for them and they stepped out. Immediately Janus was whisked away by a person who was unfamiliar to him, though from their clothes Janus could guess that they worked for the castle’s staff. 

“I will be showing you to your room, your highness,” The butler informed, “And I am head of servants for your room during your stay, You may call me Elliott, if you need me for any reason, do not hesitate to ask another servant to retrieve me,”

Janus only hummed an acknowledgment, keeping his expression set in stone. Gone were the kind smiles and gentle words he allowed to be shared with Virgil, now all they would see was the stone cold face of the serpent prince, as the rumours called him.

As they walked, Elliott had informed him that he was the first of his room to arrive, and that he’d be staying with three princes other than himself, though he wasn’t informed of who exactly they were, and he didn’t particularly care, as for now he was focusing on surveying the area and committing the rooms he saw and the route they took to memory.

They stopped when they arrived at his room, Elliott opened the doors wide and allowed him to look around their shared chambers. The room was shaped as an octagon, with four beds large enough to fit three larger people comfortably each on every opposite wall. Each fourth of the room seemed to be identical, with a vanity and dresser each, though each space was decorated differently, with different delicately painted art on the walls of each quadrant, different colours and designs of bedsheets and drapes. It seemed that the room was designed as four separate rooms with the walls between them simply removed.

“Since you are the first to arrive, you’re able to choose which space you want,” Elliott told him, “Your belongings will be brought up later in the day, otherwise you are asked to wait here until all of your roommates arrive unless informed otherwise, and then you will be given free reign to explore the castle until the communal banquet at eight this evening.”

With Janus’ sharp nod of understanding, Elliott left him in the room alone. Immediately Janus moved towards the section of the room decorated in purple and gold. The wall art depicted scenes of nature- golden vines with lilac flowers wrapping delicately around each other in front of a background that showed through different shades of purple. The bedsheets were plum, with royal purple and gold patterning stamping similar curling vines into the sheets. Janus found the colour reminded him of Virgil- purple was always his guard’s favourite colour.

He found there was nothing much to do- if he were to be confined to this room until his roommates arrived- so he simply laid down on the centre of the bed and resigned himself to wait.

----

| Next -> |

Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @reptilianrapscallion420 @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess (if anyone wants to be added generally or for this specific fic, let me know!)

@glacierruler I'm tagging you too because you seemed very interested in this one on the poll, lol, please link if you'd rather not be for future updates though :)

[sunnyyyyyyyynnus]

"Midnight Confessions."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pairing: Douxie x Fem!Reader

Warning: angst ig and some daddy issues

Summary: sleepovers, midnight snacks, and confessions

A/n: y'all don't know just how much i cringed while writing this but here you go

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HISIRDOUX CASPERAN YOU GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY COOKIES OR I SWEAR I AM GOING TO BEAT YOU UP TO THE POINT YOUR MAGIC WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP YOU!" I glare at the guy in question from the doorway as he whips his hand away from my plate. Marching over to him, I slam the tray of food I'm holding onto the table, still glaring at a sheepish Douxie. He looks at me with an apologetic look on his face "Sorry Y/n, it's just that they looked so good and you know I don't have patience enough to wait much longer..." He trails off, looking at me with a small smile on that stupid face of his that causes my heart to race.

Shooting him one more glare, I gather my food and take them over to the chair near my bed. Placing the plates on my bedside table, I get comfortable in my chair before grabbing a cookie and my glass of milk.

It was one of those rare times when both my father and Merlin were out on war business with Lancelot and a couple other knights. I never bother to find out what it is they do when they're gone; it already hurts enough to see how father treats magical beings, especially being one myself.

My parents found out that I could do magic the day I was born. My mother was thrilled while my father...not so much. He ordered Merlin to teach me how to control my magic, and only control it. I wasn't allowed to develop my skills, especially after mother died. Luckily, father didn't leave me completely powerless. He had Lancelot teach me how to defend myself and how to fight. So, after years of training and hard work, I became one of the best fighters in the kingdom. I met Douxie and Archie when I was 15, and we became best friends effortlessly. And here we are now, taking advantage of father and Merlin being away to have a sleepover in my bedroom. I had managed to snag some snacks from the kitchen without getting caught, and now we were sitting in comfortable silence, munching away on our food.

"Alright" I stand up dusting myself off, grab my empty plate and glass and place them in the tray on the table in front of Douxie "So what do you wanna do?" I question, crossing my arms across my chest. 

Douxie seems deep in thought as he put his own plate and glass in the tray "Well...I guess we could practice some magic" he says. I grin; just because my father hates magic and has forbidden it, doesn't mean I'm just going to forget about my powers, pretend they don't exist just like he does. Merlin taught me how to keep my magic under control while Douxie has been teaching me how to develop them.

The only problem is that Douxie doesn't really know that many spells, just really simple ones, but still, magic is magic. Whenever we're alone, he teaches me the basics. Or at least he tries to.

I stand in the middle of my room as Douxie explains a spell to me. We practice for nearly two hours until we can barely contain our yawns. We grab blankets and pillows and lay them in front of the doors that leads to the balcony.

We lay in silence, staring out the glass doors at the full moon. After a while, Douxie speaks up "Hey Y/n? You awake?" I'm about to respond when an idea hits me; recently, Douxie, with help from Archie, managed to scare the hell out of me as I was walking through the castle, my nose in a book.

I lay as limp as possible, trying to control my breathing so that Douxie would think I'm fast asleep. It works. "Asleep huh?" I hear him move around then suddenly everything goes completely dark. It takes me a second to realize that he just sat up in front of me, blocking the moonlight.

For a minute nothing happens, and I'm about to pounce on Doux when I feel cold fingers brush strands of hair off my face "You're really beautiful, you know that?" My face heats up and my breath hitches, but luckily, Douxie doesn't seem to notice.

He starts talking again and all thoughts of the prank leave my mind "Sometimes...I wish you had a different father-no offence-.." None taken "..or that he didn't hate magic, but don't we all wish that?" Yes, yes we do. Douxie sighs "If you did have a different father or if your father was different, maybe I'd have more courage to..." He trails off. My mind is working furiously Have courage to do what? He's already teaching me magic in secret and if  we're caught doing that, we'll be in huge trouble, so what else would he need courage for that has to do with my father and I?  Suddenly, I feel lips press themselves on my forehead then pull away, leaving a tingling sensation on that same spot. I'm in shock; Hisirdoux Casperan...just kissed me. He kissed me. Me! Yes, I know it was just a peck on the forehead but still! I try to calm down enough so that I can hear what he's going to say next, if he says anything at all.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry Y/n" I notice that his voice is shaking and I get the urge to hug him tightly, tell him that he doesn't need to apologize for anything, but I have to hear what he has to say since I doubt he'd tell me any of this if he knew I was awake "I want to tell you, I really do, but I can't, it would only end with one of us getting hurt if not both of us" He takes a deep breath "I love you" he whispers as though tasting the words on his tongue.

I can't do this anymore; I open my eyes and look up at Douxie. He doesn't seem to have realized that I'm awake, to busy staring at his hands in his lap, lost in his thoughts. Slowly, I sit up, trying not to make a sound until I'm sitting in front of him, legs crisscrossed "Doux." His head snaps up to look at me and his face pales.

He gulps "How long have you been awake?" I don't answer, but continue to stare at him. He looks anxious, really anxious. Finally, I open my mouth to speak "Did you mean it?"

"Wha-Mean what exactly?" "What you just said, abo-about loving me" my voice cracks but I hardly care at this point. Douxie still looks really pale and he doesn't seem like he's going to answer. He just hangs his head, staring at his palms.

After what feels like an hour but must have been only a couple of minutes, Douxie answers "Yes." He looks at me "I meant every word of it. I've been in love with you for the past two years" He still looks nervous but more confident than he did before.

I sit still, not saying anything. I raise a hand to touch his cheek, but I stop with my fingers only an inch away from his face. After a moment, I cup his face with both hands, forcing him to look me in the eyes "You should've told me." I say simply then lean in, brushing my lips against his.

Douxie seems frozen with shock, but then he responds, kissing me back. He tangles his hand in my hair, tilting my head back while I place one hand on his shoulder, the other one at the nape of his neck. After what feels like hours, we break apart, Douxie resting his forehead on mine. "I love you Doux, truly." I whisper. Douxie's face practically lights up and his smile causes my heart to melt.

"I don't care what my father thinks, I'll love whoever I want to and I love you, magic and all." Douxie wriggles his eyebrows "Soo, forbidden relationship huh? The beautiful princess and the street rat. Sounds scandalous." I roll my eyes "You've always been one for dramatics."

Before he can respond, someone coughs behind me. I spin around, my heart racing, thinking that a guard caught us, but it turns out to be Archie. A very smug looking Archie. "Man, how long have you been standing there?" Douxie questions "An hour" was the reply from Arch, who's still smirking.

I groan and stand up, stretching my arms above my head as I make my way to my bed and plop down "Well I don't know about you but the princess needs her beauty sleep so nighty night" I blow a kiss in Douxie's direction then get comfortable underneath my comforter.

"Fine, I'll let you sleep for now" Douxie mumbles and I feel my face redden "I HEARD THAT!" Douxie snorts from somewhere to my right. I close my eyes and feel and odd sense of happiness form inside me despite the war raging outside Camelot's walls. At least I've got Douxie and Archie by my side, and I know that they'd never leave it. We'll get through it together. And who knows? Maybe Douxie and I could get married someday, find a nice place together, get a pet hamster! We could call it..."

[koreposion]

Something sweet for Geno to think about before it all goes downhill from here.

Horror and Geno have been preparing the meal all day. They both got up early to clean up the castle's kitchen and set up the cook wear. Pre-heat the oven, premake batter and ferment yeast for bread. They both switched between cooking and cleaning with ease.

Working on a big meal for the evening also meant that others came into the kicthen throughout the day. First for breakfast in which Geno had made burritos and handed them out. Second for lunch, Horror had made tea and sandwiches that were labeled for each member. Finally then there would be the time before they took everything out to the dinning room. When they would need help carrying everything.

Both dressed in short and loose clothing to make movement easier, paired with aprons and oven mitts, Geno and Horror worked vigorously. They had taken breaks over their course of cooking, but it was soothing to always be doing something.

They flowed together easily, Horror correcting spices and Geno checking temperatures. Making sure the texture was right and some tastes weren't too strong. Cutting up fruit and frosting desserts, plating everything and keeping it warm.

"This is the most normal I've felt in forever." Geno said as he placed a cake into the freezer and started cutting into cooked meat.

"Keeping busy does that I've noticed...have you not been keeping busy?" Horror questioned as he test tasted the stew in the crockpot and added a touch more spice.

Geno quickly chopped through the rare meat as he spoke, not nicking himself with the knife once, "The whole getting used to you guys and then the eldritch God magic has been driving me crazy." He spoke honestly, not caring who might be listening.

"I've noticed, I don't like it when the others look at you like you're weird." Horror comments as he moves over to some mashed potatoes, adding just a bit of salt, "Your reactions are normal, no one would react well if they were told their magic was being changed against their will. I sure didn't."

Geno pauses as Horror speaks to him with sympathy, he wasn't sure what he was expecting, "Really? But you seem so..."

"Alright. Yes, but unfortunately you get used to madness and it's made to be the most normal thing apart of you." Horror comes close to Geno, taking the knife from his hand and washing it, "It's okay that you're upset about it, no one likes the idea of losing their mind. Seeing as you barely know who you are right now."

He then opens the oven and makes a small cut into the chicken, "I combated that feeling by just being away from everything once in a while." Once he confirmed it was cooked he took it out and set it onto the table.

"Yeah, but I don't....I don't want to talk Blue that I want to get away from all of the crazy that's happening. It might upset him" Geno says as he checks another oven with Mac n' cheese in it, "I sorta like him a lot."

"Well then you don't have to word it like that. You don't even really have to tell him- make sure to check the other batch." Horror offered his solution to the matter, "Just hang out with me one day and we don't have to talk about work or our bosses. We can just look at cool things and eat good food."

Geno listened, checking the other batch of macaroni and taking it out. It was made for Dust seeing as he didn't like crunchy things. He placed that beside the chicken and closed the other oven with the unfinished macaroni.

"That sounds like fun...I wouldn't mind it..." Geno smiled to himself as he thought about going out, he hasn't been much places. Mostly because he always had a hard time choosing where to go next, "As long as you pick, I'm bad at choices."

"That's fine with me, I'll text you a date later. Now let's finish this up so we can take a break before dinner." Horror said as he nuzzled his skull against Geno's as he carried two trays of cookies.

"Got it!" Geno gave Horror a big smile as he got to work on frosting the cake he had put away before.

Dinner was very pleasant that evening.

[nancypullen]

Fiona

We're back! We're home and I'm sorting through hundreds of photos, trying to choose how I can share the highlights of the trip without burying you in vacation pictures and boring you to death. Ireland was wonderful. What a beautiful country and what incredibly kind and friendly people! I think small talk is the national sport. You will not meet a stranger in Ireland. The weather during our trip was about what we expected it. Ireland is a rainy country, and even when it's not raining, it's rarely sunny. A year has 8760 hours and Ireland averages 1100 to 1500 sunny hours per year. I don't mind that a bit, I love a moody sky. We had two rainy days, both cleared by mid-afternoon. We had several days that started with fog and just a barely there misty rain, again clearing by afternoon. And we even had three days of actual partly sunny or outright sunny weather. The hottest, sunniest day was luckily when we took a ferry out to Inisheer (Aran Islands), so that worked out perfectly.

The point of all that weather talk is to introduce Fiona. That's what I named my Irish hair. I tried to control her, but she was wild and free. There was no amount of product that could tame her and no tool in my arsenal was strong enough to break her spirit. You guys, I walked around looking like a clown. Not exaggerating. You know that in the 15 years that I've posted on this blog, a healthy portion of the content has been ruining/fixing/complaining about/laughing at my hair. The universe gave me the gift of blarney, but not the blessing of good hair. If a picture is worth a thousand words, allow me to illustrate.

American hair...

Irish hair...

My husband was unaware that he was vacationing with Diana Ross. Does anyone remember that episode of friends where they all went somewhere in the Caribbean and Monica's hair exploded?

Yep.

I thought I was prepared. I expected the rain and packed my anti-curl and anti-frizz products. They were no match for the constant misting and wet fog.

Yes, I did wear a lot of black on this trip. Perhaps I knew there'd be a funeral for my dignity. I swear, I started each day with a plan to subdue her, but Fiona roared back and refused to be vanquished. You have to respect a spirit like that. She was a worthy opponent, stronger and more determined, and I feel no shame in admitting defeat. Okay, now that we have all of that nonsense out of the way, I'll get down to the business of sharing beautiful Ireland with you. My favorite spot was Dingle. I could have stayed a week there. I've got too many pictures so I'll sift through them and try to hit just the highlights. I have so much to tell you, from scary cliffside driving and interpreting the Irish language, to my search for a green vegetable. Ten days of beef, potatoes, and bread made Mickey very happy. My body was craving greens. I did find some beautiful salads - a smoked salmon salad in Dingle, and this beauty in Galway.

I wanted to marry that salad. Rocket greens, beet root, crispy crown of goat cheese, walnuts, a drizzle of honey....it was perfection on a plate.

But enough about food, I'll leave you with a view of yet another castle. They were everywhere. We'd be buzzing along toward the next village and just on the roadside, beyond a field of sheep or sitting in a cove - a castle! This is Dunguaire Castle, located in Kinvara. It had closed for the season on September 30th so we didn't go inside, just roamed the grounds. I'd planned to add pretty music to the video, but decided to leave in the original audio. There we were, not a car in sight, so we pulled over to explore the castle. Across the road was a field of sheep and donkeys. Peaceful, bucolic...until I took my phone out.

That donkey had a lot to say. I couldn't understand him though, it was all in Irish. Alright, back later with more. I promise it will be prettier and more interesting. SO MUCH to share! Stay safe, stay well, stay tuned! XOXO, Nancy

[miniscrew-anon]

HSH Febuwhump Day 9 - Voice Loss

This one here is a prequel to yesterdays post, “Panic”

----

Sky doesn’t even see the blow coming. 

(His head was in the clouds, as Sunny would say. She always seems to make his worst qualities sound pleasant. Even though there;s nothing pleasant about letting his mind wander when he should be alert on guard duty. He can’t really help it though. He’s had so much to think about recently - Champion, the coma, the Goron chiefs death, the murmuring about secret projects, Princess Flora’s involvement, the Sheika’s edginess, Wild -) 

One minute he’s turning the corner on his usual patrol route in the castle halls. The next, a hand is striking like a cobra and chopping him clean across the throat. 

The strike to his esophagus cuts off any chance of calling for help. Sky wheezes painfully, backing away from his opponent. He coughs violently, his airway closing from the blow and making his vision spotty. He barely stays on his feet, stumbling back and pulling his gun. A second strike slaps the weapon out of his hand.

“Mmm, poor thing,” A man’s voice croons at him. Through the spots in his eyes Sky can see the attacker is dressed in black and white, with a blood red cloak over one shoulder. His black lipstick not nearly as dark as the look in his eye. “Did a naughty cat get your tongue? So sorry! But I really don’t want to deal with a horde of knights. It would be so bothersome.”

Sky straightens up in a mere second, shaking off the stunning blow. He snarls silently.

He doesn’t recognize the man despite his striking features. He’s no guard, but he doesn’t seem to be Yiga, either. Sky doesn’t remember hearing anything about another faction or high-profile target like this man. 

“Oh? What's with that look? Oh, I see - you’re simply awe-struck at the sight of me! I don’t blame you. I am simply marvelous.” The man struck a pose, hands behind his head, legs in a relevé.

Sky glares. It doesn’t matter. He has no idea how this man got this far into the castle but Sky wasn’t going to let him go any further. He raises his sword, gun out of reach. It’s fine. Sky’s always been better with a blade anyway.

He attacks - a straightforward strike to gauge his opponent. The man smiles and dodges easily.

He’s obviously skilled, keeping on his toes and evading anything Sky throws his way by mere centimeters. He taunts the knight, smirking and cooing whenever Sky misses him. 

“My my, you’re not half bad. Much more talented than any of the other failures I’ve killed tonight.” The man leaps back to avoid a stab, eyes glittering in delight. “But still just not enough. So sad, Sky, is it?”

Sky wheezes in surprise. How did this man know his name?

The man places his hand delicately on his hip, expression oozing smugness. “Surprised I know who you are? Don’t be, Sky child. I’ve actually had my eye on you for quite some time. It’s hard not to, with a face like that. I’ve watched you for so long that this is a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to see your gentle expression - twisted in agony!”

His hand shoots out, knives flying. Sky manages to block two of them with his blade. A third one digs into his side. Thankfully his uniform is strong enough to keep it from penetrating, although the impact makes him wince. Damn - just how strong is this guy?

“Oh?” The man hums happily, “Do I have to try harder to be satisfied? How wonderful! It’s really only fun if I have to work for it!”

“W-who…?” Sky manages to say. His throat is burning. It comes out as barely a whisper. The man hears him anyway. 

“Who? Oh, where are my manners?” The man bows with a flourish. Sky isn’t stupid enough to fall for such an obvious trap, although that just seems to delight the man more. “I am Lord Ghirahim, servant and right hand of the Demon God. Pleased to make your acquaintance. And soon, pleased to make you bleed.”

He’s fast-! Is all Sky has time to think before Ghirahim is on him.

The man uses his fists, arms adorned with metallic gloves. He breaks through Sky’s guard and lands several hits. His fists are like blurs and each punch hits like a brick. Sky takes them, barely even feeling them with the amount of adrenaline he’s pumping. He tries to regain his ground but Ghirahim seems to be everywhere, seemingly teleporting with how agile he is. 

“Ohh,” The man moans, dark ecstasy written on his face, “What an expression on your face! Confusion, fear, desperation! I love it! Give me more!”

The man’s attacks gain a vicious edge to them and Sky almost blacks out when the man strikes his throat again, his windpipe almost shattering. But he stays on his feet, finally finding an opening in Ghirahim's guard. He breaks through and lands a solid hit, a slash from the man’s hip to collarbone. The force of his blow sends Ghirahim flying, a pained shout falling from his lips. 

Sky didn’t allow himself to smile. He could feel his strike was weakened by armor - Ghirahim wasn’t done yet.

The man proves him right a second later when he leaps back to his feet, unharmed except a small nick to his chin. And a newfound murderous look in his eyes.

“Well, Sky Child. I didn’t expect that from you. Well done.” Ghirahim wipes the blood from his chin, licking it off his fingers lewdly.

Ghirahim’s own pained scream has been heard. Sky can already hear other guards calling and mobilizing. There would be backup on the scene in minutes.

“Don’t look so smug,” The man husks. “You’ve accomplished nothing. This changes nothing.”

Sky raised his blade again. All he needs to do is stall now. As soon as backup arrives Ghirahim can be taken into custody. 

Ghirahim sees through his plan. But instead of being furious, he smiles cruelly. “You don’t even realize how badly you’ve failed, do you? You probably think you’ve stopped me. That all you have to do is wait for help to arrive and the big, bad intruder will be stopped. Naivete at it’s best. You don’t really think I came alone, do you?”

He strikes a dramatic pose, batting his eyelashes. “I’ve already accomplished my mission! Yes, that’s right! As fun as you are to dance with, you were never my target. As adorable as you are, you’re just a peon. No, my Sky child. I only ever had my eyes on you because of your dancing partner.”

Sky’s breath stutters.

Ghirahim smirks, eyes crinkling in delight. “Ah, yes. Your expression is prefect, my dear. Confidence shattered in a moment. Beautiful. But yes, I’m afraid your princess is already in another castle. That’s why I had the time to play with you. And I’m so glad I did. You’re so much more easy on the eyes than that cow you call a princess.”

Sky strikes at Ghirahim's heart. 

His blade comes up short, caught near effortlessly by the smirking demon. He inhales in surprise, his blade shaking in Ghirahims one-handed grip. The clash of their weapons strike sparks, sword against gauntlet.

Ghirahim leans forward, whispering against Sky’s lips. “I did love playing with you though. Although I fear I now must bid you adieu.”

Ghirahim palm strikes the side of Sky’s sword, shattering the blade. He follows with a sweeping kick, knocking Sky into the air with the strength of it.

Sky is still airborn when he see’s the glint of a blade pass him.

Ghirahim leaps back just in time to avoid Warriors cutting him in two.

Sky hits the wall hard enough to crack bones.

Ghirahim dives out the window before Sky blinks, moving easily across the rooftops. 

“Intruder in the castle!” Warriors calls into his radio. “He’s moving across the roof on the eastern tower. Heading South. Proceed with caution! He’s killed at least five guards!”

Warriors drops to his knee beside Sky grabbing his friend by the shoulders. His blade is still drawn. “Are you alright? What happened? What did he say?”

“Sun…” Sky croaks. All his aches and pains are secondary to the cold void in his stomach. Let it be a bluff. Please let her be safe! “Where is Sun? He.. said he got her… Wars… Where is Sun?”

The radio on Warriors waist crackles to life. 

“Red Alert! Red Alert! Princess Solara is unaccounted for! All units - Search and rescue! Do not let the intruders escape! I repeat this is a Red Alert!”

------

Oh Ghirahim, you’re so fun to write. So sassy, so flirty. I love his naughty, sexy bitchy self

Sky has the name “godslayer” in his file - this dude must have done something to earn it. And I imagine this might be the event that kicks it into motion.