#tis the added intrigue of buying used books | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

beels-burger-babe · 3 years

Text

Double Vision

*This is completely self-indulgent as I officially have to wear glasses now and got my first pair today, but I figured to give you guys some content in between me being stuck on the two stupid drafts that I'm writing, I'd give you this I guess this is a series of shorts?? Either way, enjoy! -B*

Summary: It's the night before the first major test of the RAD school year, and MC has been holed up in their room all day. The brothers are concerned and go to check in on them, but they notice something different - MC is wearing glasses

CW: Asmo being Asmo. His bit is a little suggestive at times

LUCIFER

Although he'll never admit it, Lucifer was really concerned when you had disappeared for the entire day.

He was so used to hearing you laughing amongst his brothers, or pestering him in his office, or even just lounging in the living room that your absence had left him feeling like something was wrong.

Using the excuse of bringing you food to prevent you from starving, he comes to your room and knocks once before entering.

"MC, I know your studying, but do try not to forget that you...need..."

He's cut off mid-snark as he saw you staring back at him behind a pair of framed lenses.

His heart stuttered in his chest and Lucifer Morningstar is left speechless.

Your hair was a mess from the countless times you had run your hands through it. There were bags of exhaustion under your eyes, and there was a hand-shaped mark on your face from where you had been leaning into your palm.

But with those glasses, you looked studious and sharp.

If the eye-wear added this much to your beauty when you were clearly sleep-deprived as you were, he couldn't help but imagine how you might look dressed up in business wear with them.

"Lucifer?"

He snapped his head up, as you caught his focus one more, and noticed, with a frown, how you had removed your glasses.

"Did you come here for something?"

Lucifer walked over to your desk and set down the plate in front of you. "I was ensuring that you actually ate some food between all the reading you're doing." He picked up your glasses and casually inspected them (although mentally he was taking note of the style so that he could buy you more). "I was unaware that you wear glasses, MC."

You rolled your eyes and took a bite from the food in front of you. "That's because I don't need to wear them all the time. Just when I'm doing activities that can strain my eyes."

Lucifer hummed and looked closely at you. You rose an eyebrow at the demon, questioning his odd behaviour. Before you could say anything, he leaned forward and gently slid the frames onto your face.

You felt your cheeks heat up as his eyes remained locked on yours, and a sly smile graced his lips. "You should wear them more often," he whispered softly. "You look lovely in them."

MAMMON

Mammon sighed heavily as he sat upside down on his bed.

He was bored. You had locked yourself up in your room all day for that stupid test and had kicked him out since apparently he was "distracting" and "prevented you from getting any work down."

Well, fuck that! He wanted to spend time with you, damn it!

Mammon marched down the hall and banged on the door once before throwing open the door. "Yo human! Studyin' time is over! It's Mammon ti-...time..."

He trailed off for a moment as he noticed you glaring heatedly at him. However, it wasn't the glare that made him surprised. No. It was the fact that the glare was being filtered through a pair of glasses that he had never seen before on your face.

"When the fuck did you start wearin' glasses?!" He screeched and marched over to you, grabbing your cheeks to pull you closer and get a better look.

You let out a noise of frustration and swatted his hands away. "Mammon quit it! I'm trying to study!"

Surprisingly, he pulled back his hands, but he remained barely an inch away from you. "I didn't ask if you were studyin'! I asked about the glasses!"

You felt yourself blush and pulled your face away. "I've always had glasses. I just don't always wear them. That's all. Wh-Why does it matter?"

Mammon opened his mouth to give a retort, before snapping his jaw back shut. His face grew rapidly warm as he scratched the back of his neck. "I-I was just wonderin'! You've been down here for what? 3 months now? And I ain't ever seen you wear them."

You averted your eyes from the clearly flustered demon and nervously played with your hands. "Yeah, well, I didn't really want any of you to see me in them. I look pretty silly and-"

"What the fuck are you talkin' about? You're adorable!!" Mammon shouted before slapping a hand over his blushing face. The two of you stared at each other with wide eyes full of shock. "I-I mean, glasses are cool, ya know? I wear glasses all the time! And if the Great Mammon knows anythin', it's style! So, of course, you look cute- I mean good- I mean gorgeous- I-I mean GAH!" Mammon turned around and stormed out of the room.

A couple days later, you found a pair of tinted glasses, identical to the ones Mammon wears, in your prescription sitting by your door.

LEVIATHAN

Levi groaned as he looked at the books in front of him.

He wasn't the most studious of his brothers, and this test was draining the life out of him. He wanted nothing more than to curl up with you and watch anime, but because of this stupid test you were both holed up in your respective rooms studying.

Leviathan let out a huff as he laid his head on his desk and glanced over at his manga collection. His gaze paused on the side of a particular school manga with the two main characters studying on the cover.

Levi shot out of his seat in realization, "I can just go study with them!!!"

Levi quickly gathered all his textbooks and went straight to your room. He knocked on the door and nervously waited for you to answer.

As the door swung open, Levi's jaw dropped and his books went scattering across the floor.

Glasses. You were wearing glasses. Glasses that made your eyes look slightly bigger and just overall made you so freaking cute. Oh goodness. He didn't know that you could pull off the cool, studious type so well. You were just so cute!

"Oh shoot, Levi! Your books!" You bent down and quickly began to gather them for him. It was just like a scene from an anime!

"S-So kawaii," the otaku muttered, as he tried to hide his red face behind his arm.

The reddening got worse as you looked up at him and tilted your head. "What was that, Levi?"

He frantically waved his hands took his books back from you, "N-NOTHING! Just, um, I-I was wondering if we could study together? I'm not having much luck on my own, a-a-and you look smart, especially with your new glasses, which look amazing, and I-I thought maybe..."

You smiled softly at the otaku's mumbling and grabbed his hand. "Of course, Levi! I'd love to study with you!"

As you pulled him into your room to sit at your desk, Levi blushed and followed behind you, mentally thinking of the number of glasses-wearing cosplays he could get you to try.

SATAN

Satan took a sip of his tea as you sat down at the library table beside him.

Test season had always been a favourite of his for a number of reasons, but this year, those reasons could all be narrowed down to one big one: he got to spend more time alone with you.

It made him more grateful than ever that his brothers were morons and that he was the only dependable demon in the house that you could study with.

He had constructed an easy-to-follow study guide for the two of you that would guarantee both your success for this test. You'd get good grades and avoid Lucifer's wrath, and he'd get to spend time with you. It was a win-win.

He flipped through a textbook to find the subject of the test. "Alright. We should get started if we're going to stick to the plan. Now, how comfortable are you with..." he stopped short as he looked up and saw you staring at him with a pair of glasses on your face.

He blinked.

He had never seen you were glasses before. He couldn't help but think that now that he had, he never wanted to see you without them again. You look so stunning and elegant with them on. He absolutely loved it.

Of course, he couldn't just tell you that though.

Instead, Satan tilted his head and smirked. "You are aware that just because you're wearing glasses, it won't make you any smarter?"

You gasped in mock offence and lightly hit his arm as Satan laughed. "I'll have you know these are prescribed! I have to wear them when I'm doing any strenuous activities."

Satan flashed a roguish smile and went back to flipping through his book. "Pity. I'd rather like to see you wear them more often. You look wonderful," before you even got the chance to respond or acknowledge the light blush on his cheeks, Satan cleared his throat. "Now, on page 364, you'll see..."

ASMODEUS

Asmodeus hummed to himself as he walked towards your room with a basket full of facemasks and nail polish in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

You had been tucked away in your little room all day studying, and he just knew that you needed a break. That's where he came in of course, offering you all the love and self-care you could ever desire.

Asmodeus joyfully knocked on your door before slipping inside. "MC dear, I've come to free you from your..." he inhaled sharply at the sight before him.

You were laying on your stomach, kicking your legs behind you as you read whatever book you were studying from, dressed in an adorably oversized sweatshirt. That alone would've been enough to make him squeal.

But you were also wearing glasses.

Asmo shrieked as he jumped onto the bed with you and tackled you.

You let out a yelp as the two of you tumbled to the floor. "Wha- Asmo! Get off!"

Asmodeus giggled and sat up beside you. "Sorry, darling! I couldn't help it! You look so cute with your little glasses. AH! It's delightful," his eyes sparkled with intrigue and pleasure. "Sexy even," he purred as he leaned in close.

You chuckled and pushed Asmodeus away as you stood up. "I'm just studying. The glasses are so I can read without getting a headache."

The demon hummed as he walked back over to the door to regather his supplies. "Well, have you ever considered buying some for accessories? I have a pair or two that would look gorgeous on you. It'd be a shame if the only person who ever got to see how scrumptious you look with glasses was your books," he smirked knowingly as he turned around and saw you flustered.

Asmo grinned and held the basket and wine bottle. "Now enough with the studying. It's time for a break. So sit back and relax, and let me take care of you."

You raised an eyebrow at him, and damn that glare was more effective from behind a pair of lenses. "Asmo," you warned, causing the demon to shiver.

Asmo pouted and gestured to the basket. "Self-care of course. Gee, MC, why must you think such filthy things."

BEELZEBUB

Beel made his way towards your room with his arms full of snacks.

He was proud of you for taking your test so seriously and really putting in the work to do your best, but he was also worried. He had barely seen you come out of your room even once today, and that meant that you probably hadn't eaten enough.

Seeing as you were always carrying around snacks for him, he figured it was time that he returned the favour.

He frowned as he got to your door and realized that he had no hands to knock with. He tried rearranging the food in his arms but nearly dropped the entire load. Beel huffed and stared at the door for a couple seconds before leaning forward and butting it with his head several times.

He heard a groan and some shuffling on the other side before the door opened.

His eyes widened as you stood before him, yawning as you rubbed your eyes underneath your glasses - yes, glasses.

You were always small in comparison to Beel, but now with the glasses, there was something about it that made you look even more delicate.

"Cute," Beel said as he looked down at you.

Your face instantly flushed as you blinked up at him. "H-Huh?"

Beel smiled softly and felt his fingers twitch with the urge to ruffle your hair. "Your glasses. They look very cute," he explained honestly.

You squeaked and quickly took them off, too embarrassed by Beel's forward compliment. "Th-Thanks Beel. They're um, they're just for studying."

The urge to ruffle your hair, or pat your shoulder, or even simply touch you grew stronger, but Beel's hands were still full. So, much like with the door, Beelzebub thought of an alternative.

He leaned down and gently kissed the top of your head. His warm gaze met yours as he gently whispered, "You always look pretty, but with them on, you look even prettier," and then, as though he hadn't just stolen your heart, he grinned and held out the food. "I brought snacks."

BELPHEGOR

Belphie had been wandering around the house late at night in yet another round of restlessness.

He had just walked past your door when he noticed your bedroom light was still on. Belphegor tsked and began making his way over. It was bad enough that he wasn't getting any sleep. He didn't need you picking up on his awful sleep habits just because of some boring test.

Without bothering to knock, Belphie opened your bedroom door. He opened his mouth to tease you but found his words catching in his throat.

You weren't awake after all.

You were passed out on your desk, face smooshed up against an open book with a pair of glasses sitting uncomfortably askew on your nose.

Belphie felt his cold heart melt at the sight.

He let out a deep chuckle and walked over to you. He carefully removed the glasses from your face and snorted at the red lines that had been left in their wake. He pressed gentle kisses to the marks before scooping you up in his arms and carrying you over to your bed.

"Silly MC," he whispered as he draped your blankets over you. "Everyone knows that you're not supposed to sleep with glasses on," he smiled tenderly at your sleeping form as he brushed a few hairs from your forehead. "No matter how cute they may make you."

*And that's that! I hope you enjoyed this cute little thing I just threw together! Sorry I haven't been able to write as much lately. School and work have just been insane and I honestly don't think the workload is gonna get any lighter. Thank you for your patience and your support!*

TAGLIST:

@thegrimgrinningghost @henry-and-the-seven-lords @satans-beloved-riv @cosmixbun @sufzku @victoirey @obey-mes-treasure @kissed-by-a-dementor @yukihaie @justtiarra @mammoneybb @obeys-world @poly-bi-mf @armycandy10 @burrixino @rulaien @pumpkins-mainside-blog @acousticpen @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff @itskrispy @10paradox10

1K notes · View notes

mnictasbcl · 3 years

Text

I’ll be forever young (with you)

For #dbhcolorsofdeviancy, prompt:

June 13th: Forever young @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Rating: Teen

Characters: Connor, Hank Anderson, Sumo

Relationships: Connor & Hank Anderson, Connor & Hank Anderson & Sumo

Additional Tags: Fluff, Birthday, First birthday, Presents, Detroit bridge, Swearing, Hank is the best dad

Summary: August 15th, 2039. Connor’s first birthday.

He doesn’t think Hank will do anything that big for his birthday…

And is proven very wrong.

(The final prompt for this event! I’ve enjoyed it very much :) )

Story below! Or, read it on AO3

AUGUST 15th, 2039

TIME AM 07:40:02

Connor awoke to a ball of brown and white fur catapulting itself onto his bed.

Opening his eyes and fully coming out of the stasis, he realised that this was Sumo.

He ran his hands over his soft fur, receiving the wet slobbery kisses over his face, smiling. The Saint Bernard seemed particularly affectionate and excitable, the reason why eluding him as he was distracted by the fluffy cuddles.

But then, finally pulling himself away from the great dog and scanning his surroundings, he found out the reason pretty quickly.

Loosely strapped upon Sumo’s head was a colourful party hat, the words ‘Happy Birthday!’ printed on it in bold letters. Deducing that it wasn’t Hank’s birthday, it wasn’t Sumo’s…

The only other person in the house was him.

He chuckled, moving to pull the hat off the dog but he grumbled and jumped off the bed before he could do so.

“I didn’t think you’d find that comfortable, Sumo.”

The only reply he was given was a snort as the dog sniffed at the floor, nosing slowly out of his bedroom.

Connor shrugged. It made sense. It was a year since his activation day. Strangely… he did recall Hank paying extra attention and asking questions when he had mentioned he was almost a year old since being activated.

But he hadn’t viewed it as a birthday. Merely the day after his testing was complete and he was finally activated and shipped out on the same day for his first mission.

Of course, with the development of android rights, birthdays had been allowed for androids, even encouraged. Markus had celebrated his, he remembered, as he’d created a painting for him as a gift. So had various other members of Jericho.

Still, it felt… different to view this as a human celebration, of him turning a year old. The body he was in was technically not even a year old because he’d fallen off the rooftop on his first mission. He shuddered. It hadn’t been a brilliant day of birth, if humans called it that, that was for sure.

However, with help from people like Hank and Markus, he was beginning to accept his new humanity. Perhaps embracing his birthday would allow him to really move into the next stage of his life.

Besides, it wasn’t like Hank would do anything massive for the day, right?

He walked out of his room and was met with balloons tied to the curtain poles, a banner proclaiming ‘Happy birthday/activation day, Connor!’, presents piled up on the living room table and Hank standing at the kitchen counter, a birthday hat askew on his head.

“Here comes the birthday boy.” Hank chuckled as he walked in, taking in his bewildered expression. “I know I probably went a bit… a lot extreme on this, but it’s your first birthday. You got to have a nice first birthday.”

Connor continued to scan over the room. “It’s…”

“I know.” He took a step towards him. “I know you’re still getting used to all your new-fangled emotions. But this doesn’t have to be big and stressful. Just a nice day where you can open some gifts and eat cake.”

He quirked a brow. “Did someone buy me a biological stomach, Lieutenant?”

“Smartass. Fine, I’ll eat cake. You can watch and drink a thirium pouch.”

Connor nodded. That didn’t sound too different. He followed Hank into the living room, sitting beside him on the couch.

“Alright…” Hank hummed as he looked over the gifts. “We’ve got a few things- a lot of things- from your friends at Jericho. One or two from the guys at the DPD… and me and Sumo piled some stuff together.”

Connor looked over it all with confusion, hands reaching out before pausing, reassessing. Eventually, he looked over to Hank for help.

“What… exactly do I do?”

Hank smiled. “They’re for you. Open whichever you want, but make sure Sumo doesn’t eat the wrapping paper.” He threw a slightly dirty look at the dog who was laying in front of the table, waiting. Sumo glared back at him.

Connor nodded. That sounded reasonable. Picking up the first gift, which was from Markus, he found even the tingle of excitement building in his chest, wondering with gratitude what his loved ones had chosen for him.

Markus had gotten him a book about fish, along with a selection of classical piano sheet music for him to play. Seeing the care put in, the thought about what he was interested in… was touching.

Tearing through the next few gifts elicited the same feeling. Everything was so thoughtful, even the Saint Bernard plush Sumo had ‘bought’ for him.

“Full of himself.” Hank jerked a thumb fondly at the dog when he opened the gift.

“It is very sweet, Sumo. Perhaps not as good as the real deal…” He bent down to scratch behind the dog’s ears. “But very cute, thank you.”

After everything was placed neatly back on the table, he thought they were finished. But Hank looked to him and proclaimed:

“Okay. I have one last gift for you…”

Connor tilted his head. “But I appreciated the things you have already gotten for me, Lieutenant. They were very generous.”

“This isn’t a thing.” He replied, getting up off the chair. “Come on, follow me.”

The android was intrigued as he was led out to the car. Sumo was put in the back, so he assumed it couldn’t be another vacation or they would have left him with the neighbours.

Still, it seemed like Hank wished this to be a surprise, so he looked down at the mini Sumo plush he had brought with him, stroking his fingers over the soft fabric. He chuckled to hear Sumo whining with jealousy from the back.

Connor managed to distract himself as such until the car pulled to a stop. Looking up, he found they were in the park.

Hank strode ahead of him once Sumo was on the leash, and he hurried to catch up. It didn’t seem like they were in the mood for sightseeing today, the scenery rushing by as Hank continued on.

But, just as Connor was about to inquire where they were going, he found himself at a familiar place. Looking out over the Detroit bridge.

Hank sat down on the bench, holding Sumo’s leash and patting the spot beside him for the dog to hop up.

“I remember this place.” Connor mused, standing beside the bench. Earlier in the day now, he didn’t look out at the stars twinkling overhead but instead the crisp summer sky. “You almost shot me here.”

Hank laughed. “If that’s what you’re asking; no, I’m not going to shoot you. That would be a shit birthday present.”

“It would indeed be rather unpleasant.”

“And illegal.” Hank added. “But… that is partly the reason I brought you here. Not the almost shooting thing. Maybe just the… almost.” He sighed.

“I wasn’t even gonna think about it; you were getting on my nerves, there was too much going on in my head… I was just going to shoot you. But then- you didn’t kill those tracis. And you stood there and told me you were afraid to die. This was the first place I realised that you were actually alive… and all the better for it, otherwise, where would we be now?”

Connor mulled it over. If Hank had shot him, it would have… well, severely halted the growth of their relationship.

“But I don’t want to think about that.” Hank continued on. “I didn’t shoot you. You had a heart. And now it’s your first birthday. In that year, you helped the leader of the android revolution… You pulled me out of whatever rut I’d fallen into. And honestly? I couldn’t see my life without you right now, son.”

Connor glanced to Hank as he paused. He didn’t comment on the way his voice had choked up, instead placing a hand gently on his shoulder, a sign of comfort.

“It’s really helped me, living not on my own again—no offense, Sumo. But just having someone in the house, you… Even if you are a pain in my ass sometimes.” He chuckled.

“What I’m trying to say is… Well, I know you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. A long life. A life where you’ll always look like that, where you’ll be forever young- and a while from now, you’ll be living a new life, without—” he looked up to Connor. “But right now, where we are? I like that. I don’t want it to go away. So that’s why…”

It appeared Hank had hit his quota for sappiness, as he simply held out a piece of paper to Connor wordlessly.

Connor took it off him, quickly scanning over it. It was a form. Official looking, with Hank’s signature at the bottom, and room for his…

“An adoption form?”

“If it’s too much, just tell me. I don’t want you thinking I’m some clingy old man but—”

He handed it back to Hank, his signature printed on it. “Thank you… dad.” The word was strange. It wasn’t likely he’d always use it- but the meaning then, the feeling it brought… it was the best birthday present he could have asked for.

Hank smiled back to him. “Great. Now, what about we get out of here? The view’s pretty, but it’s gonna get hot as hell later in the day and that cake back at home isn’t going to eat itself.”

Connor followed after him, back to the car. “Of course. I have heard, however, about this new android update which can install human mechanics such as eating…”

“I’m not saving you any fuckin’ cake, Connor. It’ll go old.”

“Like you?”

Connor wouldn’t have it any other way. The small moments of genuine affection and feelings let out into the air… The regular day-to-day life of working at the DPD and bantering with Hank… Being forever young, one day, that all might end. But for now, he would live in the moment, and he would embrace it. All the emotions that would come with deviancy, whether good or bad, or even a mixture of both… He couldn’t ask for a better Lieutenant turned father-figure to help him through it.

#dbhcolorsofdeviancy #dbh #detroit become human #dbh connor #dbh hank #dbh connor and hank #dbh fanfic #fanfic

38 notes · View notes

imagine-that-one-thing · 3 years

Text

Her Majesty. || 20

Cruella

Anastasia.

The palace halls' are bustling just like my thoughts are overflowing and seizing to stop. I haven't spoken to or seen Harry since we fell asleep last night. Everything was great until it wasn't.

It is partially my fault for what occurred last night. I shouldn't have glanced at his desk and picked up the file, his work is his business, and I had no right to look. I was intrigued. I didn't anticipate recovering photos of what transpired the night my father died, and I didn't expect all the emotions to boil over and cause me to break.

I walk to the stables, the last resort of attempting to attain Harry. When I woke up this morning, I had hoped he would be close by. He habitually tries to linger when he knows I need to be awake at certain times, but I received no greeting this morning. No text, no call, nothing.

I mindfully lead down the hill; strands of thin light come from the sky, springing in between the cloudy May morning. The malachite-green fields appear covered in a bright sheen under the morning rays. The sparkling morning dew is making itself present as I slide on the soggy grass, almost sliding down to a host of daisies dispersed at the bottom.

I find myself safe and sound at the bottom of the hill and in the presence of the horse stables. I discover Harry standing at the fence, leaning his arms on the top panel as he watches a few of the horses being moved around by trainers. Harry glances over his shoulder and sees me but diverts his attention back to the horses. My breath hitches in my throat as I inch closer, I had assumed our issue from last night had subsided, but from the look on his face, I was wrong.

"Been looking all over for you," I break the silence as I stand beside him.

Harry proceeds to stare at the horses, intently observing them. I can only presume he is out here for some fresh air and to clear his head for a few moments before going back to work. "Been here," Harry responds.

"Are we okay?"

Harry breaks his stare from the animals and cocks his head to the side to glance at me. Then, Harry takes a deep breath and nods, "Your horse is doing well," Harry gestures to Meadow as she leads with the trainer.

"Yes," I agree, "Why are you out here?"

"I am watching the horses."

"Why?" I press.

"See the horse on the left?" Harry questions, and I nod my head, "She's going to be racing with yours. They're both good contenders for the Ascot."

"Where did she come from? Mum's horse is grey."

"She's mine… Well, she is ours," Harry responds, "Been watching her train for the last six months."

"When did you have time to buy another horse?" I cross my arms over my chest. I don't know half the shit Harry does, but I am not surprised by him having another horse.

Harry shrugs his shoulders, "Well, the man next to Mum started training her, but he couldn't do it alone. He asked if I would help, and I couldn't, so he brought her down here. Your Mum said she could stay in the stables."

I raise a brow, "Okay… We can discuss the horse thing later, but why are you bouncing around my question on why you are out here? You don't hide out here. I have been looking for you for an hour."

"You know how you need alone time? So do I. You should go inside and get your cuts cleaned up properly," Harry gestures back towards the Palace.

"I am fine," I mutter, "What is wrong, Harry?"

Harry sighs and bends down, picking up a black file from beside his feet and handing it to me, "You want us to be an open book; here it is. I don't want you snooping through the office, I have nothing to hide, but there are sensitive things in that office that you do not need to see." Harry begins as I take the file from his hands, "This file… I am hesitant to give it to you, but if it stops us from arguing, so be it. This is information and pictures of all the suspects that could be linked to your father's murder. Matthew and I have been working with an undercover cop that Parliament hasn't paid off to keep quiet. I have a private detective working with us as well. Every person in this file are suspects and people to be wary of."

"Why are you—"

Harry cuts me off, "I don't want you arguing with me over it. That is why I am showing you. These people are all dangerous. I know what to look for when I am out. I can protect myself and don't need protecting. Matthew has enough faith in me to know I don't need security at all hours. I am safe, Anna. But you need to be aware of these people. Remember their faces in case they come around."

"Just because you can look after yourself, it doesn't mean something can't happen."

"I am trained to do what I do; I am qualified to deal with situations. Let me worry about safety, and you worry about governing the monarch. I am not trying to be condescending, but I don't want to fight with you over my safety. I also don't want you finding things you don't need to see."

"I didn't mean to find what I found. And I don't want to argue; I am just worried about you."

"I know," Harry nods, his eyes ultimately softening, "I am fine, Anastasia, Matthew and I know what we are doing. You wanted us to uncover who did this, and we are. You need to let me do my job as security personnel, and you need to let me do what needs to be done."

I become withdrawn and open the file, my eyes momentarily skimming the photos and the information written under each image. No surprise, half of these members are part of Parliament. "I am working on proving they are immoral. Your mother and I are coming up with a plan."

"My mother is in on this?"

Harry nods, "Yes, sweetheart."

"You're not a detective or an assassin, and you can't do this."

"I promised you I would find who did this. We know what we are doing. Can we please leave this conversation alone now?"

I hand Harry the file back and clear my throat, deciding that sometimes what I do not know will not hurt me. I understand where Harry is coming from. "So, you have another horse in Ascot? How rich are you?" I chuckle.

"Not very," Harry responds. "Speaking of money though," Harry begins, "There is a house up for sale in the countryside. Would you like to take a look at it? It would be a good escape for you, so you aren't always on royal grounds."

"I haven't even looked at the Duchy of Lancaster. I have no clue what is in that trust that I have now inherited."

I have no clue how the trusts work. My father took care of everything, making sure I had everything I needed. Now, I have no clue how much money is sitting in my name or what to do with it.

I know there is land, estates, and God knows what at my disposal. My father never prepared me for financial things; he prepared me for hosting banquets and talking to world leaders.

"Baby, I didn't ask if you would pay. I asked if you wanted to look at it and discuss it."

"We can," I agree, "But I don't want our homes to be a part of the royal estates or trusts."

"As you wish," Harry nods, "I will send you what I found. Look for something you want. I am going back to work." Harry steps away from the fence, beginning to walk away from me.

"Harry," I call his name, and he turns around to look at me, "Are you sure we are okay?"

Harry nods his head and steps closer to me, "Yes. I am going to work. I love you. But before I go," Harry leans closer, "There's a hidden trust; you might want to find it." Finally, Harry whispers before he kisses my cheek and shuffles away, leaving me alone near the stables.

As much as he says we are okay, there's a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. No matter what, I am not going to like the idea of Harry and Matthew doing what they are doing. When I was in an emotional rage, of course, I wanted them to avenge my father's murderer, but not I want them both safe. I know they are knowledgeable and highly trained men, but I don't want the wrong person to find out what they are doing and turn the tables. Likewise, I don't want Harry getting caught up in anything more than what he already has.

♛ ♛ ♛

With Harry being tied to me, he is at a greater risk than he was beforehand. I don't think he quite understands, but I need to trust that he knows what he is doing.

I convene at my desk, carrying on my day of signing documents, writing letters, organising the royal tour with my assistant and doing my best to come up with ideas for the charities I represent.

On top of everything, I also have the task of discovering more about the armed forces. As the Queen, I can declare war and peace under the Royal Prerogatives, meaning I must stay updated with all foreign affairs. This type of pressure is something I do not want. If there is anything, my father was best at understanding his troops and knowing what to do in every situation. My father may not have been the most beneficial at opening charity events or attaining the right charities to represent. Still, his military was at the top of his priority list. I can only assume his devotion is due to him being a military member himself.

My father served in the forces before I was born. I must continue his work and devotion to the troops, not just as Queen but also as his daughter. With each day that crosses, the list of things I need to tend to is getting more comprehensive, adding pressure to my shoulders. I am drowning in the depths of the royal monarchy.

I glance towards Estelle and hit my pen on the paper in front of me, "Estelle," I distract her from the letters she is sorting through, "Will you get me the report of the day's parliamentary proceedings and find me someone who knows something about the military... Who helped my father?"

"Your Majesty, Prince Louis was the one who helped him the most."

"Great, tell him I want him in my office, please," I smile towards her, "I don't care if he is busy with Madeleine."

Estelle chuckles and nods her head, "I will, and I will get you the report," she responds, standing from her position and marching out of my office, leaving me alone for the first time today.

I take a moment to adjust my task from royal duties to hunting for a property that will not be associated with the royal family-- something that will be mine and Harry's. I explore the internet, unsure of what I am looking for. All I genuinely recognise is I want something homey, something that isn't just four walls and a roof, something that will be a nice escape from a life that I have never wanted. I want a small, cosy place where I won't have to worry whether staff will be watching or if the security cameras are on. I want something ordinary, maybe something with a vegetable patch or a small garden for me to look after. I don't want anything substantial.

"Ah, Anna, my darling friend," Louis enters my office with his arms spread out with an extensive grin across his face, "This better be good because I was-- Well, nevermind what I was doing," Louis trails off with a shit-eating grin, prompting me to shake my head.

"I don't even want to know, Louis," I screw my nose up at the possible thoughts of what he was up to. "I need some help."

"You're beyond help."

"Oi," I laugh, "If I wanted a smartass, I would have summoned Harry."

Louis nods his head, "I would say he is more of the prick than a smartass," Louis laughs, "He is a prick but also a standup guy."

"I didn't call you in here to discuss Harry. I need some help with this military stuff," I gesture towards the paperwork on my desk, "I don't know the first thing about this. You were my Dad's second hand."

Louis moans and slumps down in the chair beside me, "That is privileged information, and so is whatever I tell you, so what is in it for me?" Louis questions, holding the papers in his hands and flicking through them.

"Well," I begin, "I will let you continue staying at the Palace rent-free while you screw my other friend," I respond with a smirk, "And I will keep your secrets about what you do in the rooms that you are not meant to be in."

Louis stares at me with his lips wide apart, "Yeah, my husband is second in commands with security, and he watches the cameras. So he views every dirty thing you have done between events."

"Bloody Harry," Louis shakes his head, "Okay, well, since the cat is out of the bag, I shall help," Louis accepts, taking my laptop and commencing to take control over the word document, typing away and explaining as he goes. "Before I get too deep into this, who else knows about the shenanigans I have done?"

"Just Harry, he turns the camera's off to shield your dignity."

Louis shrugs his shoulders, "Hm, good man," Louis nods, "So, I-"

I cut him off, "So you should continue to help me unless you want Harry to stop hiding your sex tapes."

"Ouch, that is so dirty. They're not sex tapes, Anastasia. I was hoping you wouldn't act like I haven't seen you and Harry sneak off."

"So, the military," I change the subject, gesturing towards my laptop, "You type and explain," I command, not wanting to address private matters any further, he may be my best guy friend, but we do not discuss these things when the Palace staff can hear us.

I glance up from the desk and recognise Pippa waltzing in with papers in her hands. Pippa grants me a smile and stares towards Louis, "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Cruella de Vil," Louis mutters.

Pippa places the papers in her hand on my desk, not breaking her gaze from Prince Louis, "The thing is, I was born brilliant, born bad, and a little bit mad. I'm Cruella. So don't piss me off." She recites a line from the real Cruella.

"Oh, you bring shivers to my spine; how will I ever sleep at night?" Louis leans back in his chair, amused by the banter.

"On a bed of nails with any luck," Pippa mutters, "I need you to sign these," Pippa pushes the papers towards me, "Parliament needs to be opened."

I nod my head and bring the papers closer to me, and Louis takes them from me, "So, do you plan to let me be reinstated in Parliament or are you still banishing me?" Louis questions, taking me by surprise.

When was Louis part of Parliament to begin with?

"Louis, darling, you're not fit to be in Parliament. We have been through this."

"No," Louis shakes his head, "You have been through this. I suggest you let me in."

"And I suggest that you sit down. Little boys should be seen and not heard."

"Pippa," I scold, "He is still a Prince. You will show respect," I inform Pippa, reminding her of her position. Pippa may be prime minister, but she still has an obligation to respect all royal members. "I will open parliament when I am ready."

"Anna, I don't need to remind you of the symbolism of the unity of Parliament's three parts."

I heavily groan and nod my head, "Yes, the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. I know, I am not a moron, as I said, I will open it when I am ready, Pippa."

"I suggest you make a wise decision and open it sooner rather than later."

"Pippa," I begin, "I will force the dissolution of Parliament through a refusal of royal assent if you don't leave me alone." I threaten her, not wanting to open Parliament until I know what I want to do. I do not wish to open Parliament with the members I currently have.

"You cannot do that alone," Pippa shakes her head, "So, sign and open."

Harry descends into the room, and I perceive him wander closer, his eyes staring at Pippa from behind as I begin to speak, "Pippa, all due respect, but I will do it when I am ready."

Pippa has no desire to take my word.

Louis clears his throat, "Cruella, she has told you she will do it when she is ready."

"Better men have called me worse things," Pippa returns bitterly.

"I doubt that they were better men," Harry interrupts the small feud that is happening in my office, "Now, I suggest you curtsey to the Queen and walk out." Harry advances forward as Pippa turns around to observe him. "Don't look at me like that. Your stare doesn't scare me."

"It ought to."

"It doesn't," Harry responds, "Now, get out. I want to speak to my wife."

"Your wife is busy."

"Pippa," Harry settles himself, taking a breath and closing his eyes for a brief moment, "Sometimes dead is better, you know a little something about that, don't you?" Then, Harry questions, "Now, if you don't get out, you will find yourself with Henry."

"Is that a threat, Harry?"

Harry shakes his head, "No, merely a comment, now walk," Harry points towards the door.

Pippa doesn't speak, and she keeps her lips tight as she half curtseys to me and begins to make her way to the door.

"Oh, so him she listens to," Louis mutters, crossing his arms over his chest.

Pippa glances over her shoulder, "He has the power to kill me, and he's better looking," Pippa responds, waving her hand and walking out of my office.

I stare at Louis and Harry before I shake my head, unsure of what just happened in my office. "Harry, my best pal." Louis grins, his cheery tone not working magic on Harry.

"What do you want?" Harry sighs, walking around the desk and coming towards me, leaving a kiss to the top of my head before he leans on my desk.

"Pippa seems to be scared of you, and I want to be back in parliament, make it happen."

Harry shakes his head, "I can't, I have no power over Parliament if I did… Well," Harry pauses, "Nevermind, I won't finish my sentence."

Louis pauses for a moment, looking towards me for help, but I don't intervene. I had no clue Louis wanted to be a part of political matters. "You're King, and you have just as much power as Anna."

"Sure, Louis, run in parliament, I don't give a damn," Harry responds, his tone of voice coming across as agitated.

"You're a bit hostile," I point out, regarding Harry's tone of voice and the way his mood hasn't changed since Pippa marched out. "What has you all rattled?"

"Is he not always hostile?" Louis chuckles, causing Harry to break a small smile.

Finally.

"I am," Harry nods, "I don't feel the best, and Pippa irks my nerves. Can we please get rid of her?"

Louis looks back down at the paperwork Pippa wants me to sign, "Since you have the means to kill her, why don't you? Do us all a favour."

"Oi," I interrupt the two men, "That is not how we speak around here. We do not condone murder. We have had enough murder."

"We can discuss a plan later," Louis shakes his head. "When she isn't around," Louis gestures towards me.

"Mhm," Harry hums, "You were so sweet when I first met you. So what the fuck happened?"

"He hung out with you," I murmur while Harry moves a few things around on my desk, purposely making sure they are not in their proper position. I don't know why Harry enjoys rearranging my desk.

"Anyway," Harry begins, "I came here to tell you that it isn't a good idea to open Parliament right now. I would recommend you don't listen to Pippa."… "With that being said, I am going to go lay down before I have to escort your mother through the tunnels."

"What do you know?" I instantly ask.

Harry shrugs, "She wants it open to try and gain more control. Goodbye, Louis. Goodbye, darling," Harry kisses my cheek before stepping away from my desk, not giving me much more detail to work with.

I wake up to a refreshing breeze tapping my skin that the soft sheets haven't covered.

When I finished my impromptu meeting with Louis, Harry wasn't back home; he was still on my mother's service. I am not sure where they went or what they were doing— all I know is that when Harry came home, he collapsed to the bed and fell asleep, barely managing to mumble a Goodnight to me.

I stretch my arm over to Harry's side, surprised when I notice it empty. I sit up in the bed and glance around, my eyes settling on the white balcony curtains whirling with the inadequate breeze. I get out of bed and follow the draft. My hand pushes the sheer white curtains to the side, and I step out on the balcony.

The early morning air is a little crisp for my liking, but it's soothing. The breeze drifts through my hair, the summery feeling still evident as another day of June will wake in a few hours. I cross my hands over my chest, shielding myself from the light breeze.

"Waking up alone is getting old," I softly make Harry aware of my presence, and he turns to gaze at me.

"Hey, why are you awake?" He asks, his voice low and flat, his arm resting in an L shape.

"I'm not sure. Are you getting ready to go to work?" I ask, considering it's around the time he obliges to start getting ready. His hours are all over the place, and I can never keep track. I rarely wake up to him still in bed.

Harry shakes his head, "I don't feel too well."… "The pain is getting worse." His voice is flat and laced with pain he’s trying to hide.

"In your shoulder?" I softly challenge, and Harry nods his head just as enough light touches his face for me to recognise the fullness of his eyes and most of the colour drained from his face. "Go sit down, and I'll be right back," I instruct as I step back into the room and grab a robe.

I wrap the robe around me and exit my room. The door closes behind me, and I look both ways of the hallway, stopping when I recognise Matthew with his arms crossed and his figure stepping closer to me.

"Where exactly are you planning to go?" He questions.

"I need an ice pack or two. Will you accompany me?" I softly request, already knowing the answer. There's no chance of Matthew allowing me to walk around at this hour by myself.

Matthew and I wander the hushed hallways, passing closed doors and darkened rooms. The Palace at this hour is quite eerie. There's no staff bustling around, and if there is, there's very few of them. Everyone is mostly asleep. The only people awake are the security team and the kitchen staff, who get up early to prepare for the day. "Do you ever sleep, Matthew?"

Matthew laughs and shrugs his shoulders, "On occasions, Her Majesty."

"Why must you address me formally?" I groan, nudging him as we progress to walk back to my room.

"You are the Queen."

"My name is Anastasia," I correct Matthew. "So, when are we letting my husband take over as head of security?" I half-heartedly joke, wanting to proceed with the walk with conversation and not silence.

"Perhaps, when I retire," Matthew responds, "Thought you wanted him out of the security business?"

I shrug my shoulders, "I do, but I know he wants to work, so who am I to stand in his way?"

"He's good at what he does. Best worker I've had in my entire career."

"Mhm," I hum, "So, how much closer are we to finding my fathers murderer?"

"Anna, I will not discuss that with you," Matthew shakes his head, "On a rare occasion, I made a deal with Harry. I promised him I wouldn't tell you."

"Go figure," I roll my eyes, "I just want to be in the loop."

"You know enough, focus on running the monarchy and let me and him do our job," Matthew presses in a polite manner. No matter how hard I press, I don't foresee Matthew or Harry giving me too much information.

I am sure they have leads and their suspicions, and I am sure they can prove who killed who, but I want to know.

While walking back, I think about Louis. He told me earlier that he had the opportunity to be in Parliament and was running until Pippa knocked him down. After that, Pippa refused to let him be in the office, and my father agreed with her, stating he was too young to be playing in the business.

I don't think Pippa declined him and banished him for his age, but more so because she knew he would not be on her side. Louis joined the political party, but Pippa refused to let him stay on.

He was forced into his royal duties since Pippa refused his entry into Parliament.

Louis' life is a bit complicated. He isn't a royal on standard terms. Louis' parents are royals of the Kingdom of Sweden. He will never become a King; he is a very distant Prince, around tenth in line for the throne. He will only ascend the throne on the death of the entire family. Despite being born a Prince, Louis was not born in Sweden. He was born in the United Kingdom, therefore making him a citizen here.

Due to my father's tight ties with Sweden, they agreed to allow Louis to represent both countries as he got older. When Louis turned eighteen, he kept his title as Prince but showed his dedication to upholding both ties, wanting to be a part of the British notions. My father agreed, taking him under his wing. Louis spent most of his childhood here with me. At the time, I am sure our parents thought we would grow up to get married. Instead, I married a commoner, and he is dating an heir to the throne. Madeleine will ascend the throne on her mother's death; she will become the Queen of Denmark.

Louis wants to regain his role in Parliament, and I think he would be exceptional, but I don't believe Pippa will allow it. She will fight me tooth and nail, and I don't want to fight her on more issues. Louis will have to find a way to enter Parliament. Perhaps Harry can help him figure something out.

📷

I move into my room and close the door behind me, surprised when I don't recognise Harry on the balcony or in the bed. I follow the dim light to the bathroom and locate Harry leaning over the sink with the water running and his arm in an L shaped being held by his hand.

"What happened?"

"I moved my shoulder the wrong way, and the pain… fuck, the pain was so bad it had me throwing up," Harry breathes out, "Go back to bed, I'll be fine."

"I'm not going back to bed," I respond, caressing my hand to his back and rubbing soothing circles, "Do you want me to call the doctor up here?" I offer, clutching a face towel and running it under the water before holding it to his forehead.

"I don't think she can do anything."

"She can give you something for the pain," I suggest, dabbing his reddened cheeks and shifting away from a few stray and fallen curls from his forehead, "How long has it been like this?"

"It has been getting progressively worse over the last month. I can't move my shoulder much," Harry confesses.

"You've been lying to me."

"I didn't want you to worry," Harry responds, "I'm okay, really, please go back to bed." Harry leans away from the face towel and gestures towards the bedroom, still cradling his arm.

Harry and I step into the bedroom, and he sits on the edge of the bed with a groan. I grab the ice packs I ventured out to get, and I gingerly sit beside him on the bed. "It's going to be cold, but it'll help with the pain," I inform Harry.

"Anna, please don't touch my shoulder, I'm begging. I can't handle more pain."

"It won't be painful. It's just a cold pack," I assure Harry, holding the cold pack to his shoulder ever so gently. Harry instantly lets out a breath and bows his head. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Been a bit busy," Harry responds, "Don't have time for this. Have the Ascott coming up and your royal tour."

"Well, you're going to have to make time," I sigh, holding the ice pack in place. "How are you feeling?"

"I am wonderful," Harry sarcastically responds, "Never felt better."

"No need for sarcasm," I mutter, rubbing his lower back while he takes a few deep breaths.

Harry has never been one to complain. On the contrary, he has barely missed a day of work since he began working at the Palace; even when he is sick, he has always showed up and done his best.

The royal doctor steps into the room and looks at me, "You look fine?" She challenges, scanning me up and down. I shake my head and gesture to Harry on the bed.

It is a change of events. For once, it isn't me calling for her to assist me; it is him.

"I am guessing you didn't follow up post-surgery, huh?" she questions, stepping towards Harry and bending down to kneel beside the bed.

Harry grunts and shakes his head, not bothering to defend himself. I had no clue things were this bad with his shoulder. I was under the impression the surgery went well, and he was on the road to a full recovery. He didn't show too many signs of pain until just recently. The doctor begins to check his vitals before taking a breath and touching his shoulder, putting pressure on him just enough to cause him to hiss. "I barely touched you," she defends, "Can you lift your arm?"

"If I could, do you think you would be here?" Harry snarls, letting out a heavy breath before apologising for his tone of voice.

"I am not going to stand here and waste time, and I am calling for you to go to the Hospital. I'll call for an ambulance."

"No," Harry shakes his head, "I can drive."

"Not a chance," the doctor shakes her head, "I know you are aware of what protocol is, and this is my protocol. You need surgery, and you're getting it, now," she informs him, taking her phone from her pocket and unlocking it. Harry groans in the background and continues to shake his head. He disputes the idea of an ambulance, arguing until we agree to find another way to get him to where he needs to be.

He's pretty stubborn, but I understand why he doesn't want an ambulance. He doesn't want attention drawn to him and doesn't believe he needs to take an ambulance from someone else when he is in perfect condition to wait.

♛ ♛ ♛

I remain in the hospital room with Matthew, both remaining in silence and staring at the oblique walls. At four in the morning, there isn't much to do or say. Against Harry's wishes, we brought him to King Edward VII's Hospital; he refused to be taken by ambulance, so we compromised and took him to the private Hospital by a car Matthew drove. He had exactly two minutes to sign medical papers before he was whisked off to surgery.

The Hospital is modest, with 56 beds and boasting more than four nurses to every patient. The Hospital has been in the family for decades. The Hospital was established in 1899 to treat injured soldiers fighting in the Second World War.

Just down the corridor from reception is the well-stocked library. It baffles me that there is such an extensive library, but others may want to read while waiting in anticipation. I don't want to read a novel about a love story, science or really anything. I want to be told that the surgery went well and Harry is okay.

I hear my phone go off, and I ignore it, continuing to stare at the walls, my foot tapping against the floor.

Ding, Ding, Ding.

I tiredly grab my phone, the dinging sounding every second causing me to glance towards Matthew. Matthew raises a brow, the irritating noise also coming from his phone.

I blink a few times at my screen, "You've got to be kidding me," I sigh profoundly, reading the banner on my phone that displays breaking news. "How? How does anyone know?" I immediately ask, clicking the link and beginning to read the article.

"Breaking news, on the advice of the Royal Highness's Doctor, one of Britain's royal members has been taken to Hospital. It is unknown which royal has been rushed in. The unknown monarch was taken by private car to King Edward VII Hospital in London.

All official engagements for this week, including the Queen's trip to Rome, will more than likely be postponed. The Queen is likely not to attend the Ascott. More information to come soon."

I glance towards Matthew, who shakes his head before he taps the phone screen and touches it to his ear. "I need Police officers to guard the entrance of King Edward VII Hospital, now." Matthew speaks into his phone, "And I need two guards at the entrance of room 15." Matthew ends the call and peers towards me, "Either someone saw us, or there is a palace snitch."

"What do we do?"

"Good question," Matthew bites on his lip as he operates his fingers through his hair. "I uh... I do not know. It is your decision... What should we tell the press?"

"It is none of their business. Harry is a private man."

Matthew nods, "He won't be too happy if we release his name."

"Can we say the articles are fake?"

"There are pictures…" Matthew shakes his head, "I'll think of something, don't stress over it. I'll handle it."

"Okay," I agree, "What do I do about a snitch? I don't want a snitch in my Palace."

"I will handle it. But, unfortunately, there are a few new guys who Harry and I didn't trust."… "Do I have permission to fire anyone I deem unfit?"

"Be my guest," I agree, putting my phone down.

I do not want my trust broken within my Palace. I should trust that all staff will keep their lips tightly sealed when it comes to private matters.

Harry will be pissed to find out that the media have written about this.

If there is a snake in my Palace, I will not allow them to get away with speaking to the press. Over the years, staff have been known to sell stories to the media for the right price. It drove my Father insane, but sometimes he understood the circumstances. As much as the staff are paid as well, there have been times during the years that the staff have not received enough to make ends meet.

♛ ♛ ♛

Harry and I relax on the balcony overlooking the beautiful garden behind the hospital, both of us taking the time to inhale the morning air and watch the gardens come to life as the sun continues to rise. Harry has a light blanket draped around his shoulders while in a shoulder sling to stop him from moving his shoulder too much. He looks miserable, but he isn't in as much unbearable pain that he was in and throwing up.

His free hand holds his cup of orange juice, and he screws his nose up with every drink he takes. "It isn't coffee," Harry huffs, "A little coffee won't hurt."

"You're on morphine, no," I shake my head, leaning back on my chair and enjoying the quiet morning.

"Fair point," Harry sighs, "Your first Royal tour is coming up. How do you feel about that?"

"Why are you making small talk?" I curiously ask, "You're meant to be sleeping."

"Hasn't fully kicked in yet," Harry answers, "I'm asking because I'm not going to be able to make it for the first part of your Royal tour."

I grow quiet, well aware that there's a good chance he won't be on tour with me. However, I had an idea after the events of the last few hours. Harry being in as much pain as he is in can only mean one thing— his surgery wasn't successful, and he will need another.

I have no desire to do the tour alone, I want him with me, but it isn't his fault. There comes a time I have to be a big girl and do what Queens do— keep moving forward.

I can do it on my own; I do not need him. I want him. I know the difference.

"I know," I softly sigh, "I suppose I'll think of something."

"I'm sorry, Anna."

"I know, I heard from the doctor… it was crucial to get it fixed," I remind him of the words she told him. She was very blunt with telling him.

"I don't think I can physically go; they're not going to let me. They want to do another surgery in a few days to fix the last part." Harry begins.

"I don't want you to push it back. I'll be fine. I've done tours before. I'm sure this will go smoothly. And maybe you'll be able to meet me for the last part of the tour?" I ask, and Harry nods his head.

"I'll do my best if I ever make it out of this hell hole."

"It isn't that bad," I glance over at him, and he raises a brow, disagreeing with me.

Harry cocks his head to the side, "Darling, if you weren't here, I'd be staring at the wall. But, unfortunately, all they have for entertainment are books."

"Well, you love to read."

"Not when I'm in pain and can barely see from my meds."

"Makes it even more fun," I joke, gently nudging him, "Do you want to go to the Palace? They might release you."

"Baby, they're not going to let me go until I have my last surgery. Then, according to them, I'm at flight risk of not coming back," Harry laughs, "And they're right, that's why I'm in this position because I didn't listen."

"You never listen," I respond, "Well, once your surgery is done, we can have you taken to the palace and have you cared for there."

"Can you be my nurse?"

I shake my head, "No, you have a smirk on your lips, which means one thing."

"Oh, come on," Harry whines, "I need a little TLC."

"You get enough TLC." I chuckle, shaking my head, "You're getting sleepy. Back inside, you go," I gesture inside, standing to my feet and holding his arm as he stands up as well.

#harry styles fanfic #harry styles imagines #harry styles fanfiction #imagine harry styles #harry styles prompts #harry styles blurbs #harry styles writing #fanfiction #harry styles fanfictions #Imagine harry styles #harry styles fic #harry styles one shots #harry styles preferences #1d imagine

20 notes · View notes

soramel · 3 years

Text

Chained to you (Part 2)

genre: angst, romance, unconventional relationship warning: eventual smut A/N: cross-posted from wattpad; updates are uploaded there first

1 2 3 4

Part 2 words: 5.7k

The car rolled off to a much narrower street an hour later. The place he's driving into is in the middle of the woods. You wondered if you actually led yourself into his bear trap. "You're not going to kill me here, are you?" you asked in a serious tone although you intended it to sound like a joke.

You became a bit nervous when Taehyung didn't respond.

A decent modern cabin appeared in your line of sight. Its façade is adorned with huge thick glass panes. The car turned to a halt. "We're here," he announced.

Still unsure of the situation, you shook your head then headed out of the car anyway.

An old couple welcomed you to the place. They were wearing warm smiles as they greeted Taehyung and you.

"It's been a long time, Taehyung. You've grown so much." the older woman gushed. Taehyung politely chuckled as he gave them brief hugs, "I missed you and uncle a lot. Sorry for coming in a short notice."

The older man laughed, "It's alright, we regularly clean the cabin so it's not much of a preparation. Let's head inside first. I'll take your luggage, Ma'am."

You shyly gripped your bag, not wanting the old man to carry a light luggage for you. He reminds you so much of your grandfather, "It's not heavy. I can carry it myself, sir."

He waved his hand off and said, "I insist. You're a special guest here, allow me."

But really, you couldn't.

Taehyung held you by your waist and said, "Let uncle take your bag, we still have to show you around the house."

That was just an excuse for you to let go, but there's something in his tone saying that you should follow what he's saying. So, you conceded, giving your bag to the man.

As you walk inside, the lady briefly briefs Taehyung as to how the cabin has been. You saw paintings and some interesting ornaments. The place looks like an ideal vacation house for holidays.

"I cooked your favorite. It's not much because I just brought some stocks from our quarters instead of buying from the market. We'll head out later to shop," the lady told Taehyung. Then he politely said his thanks.

The old couple climbed up the wooden staircase while you and Taehyung followed behind. They led you to a room. He then turned to them and took your bag from the man. "I'll take it from here, auntie, uncle. We'll go to the dining room after."

The lady replied, "Ah, we'll be leaving now for the market. We'll leave you by yourselves."

You bowed at them as they turned on their way.

He then closed the door and headed to the office table and set your bag there. "They're our caretakers here. If you need something, you can ask them."

You nodded as you looked around the room. It's minimally decorated that you guessed it's a guestroom. It has its own little walk-in closet and bathroom. You walked back and saw Taehyung sitting by the couch at the foot of the bed, watching you. "Is there wifi here?" you asked. He nodded, "You can ask auntie later for the password."

You sat on the bed, deep in your thoughts. Now what? you wondered. Maybe you can book a flight to somewhere. Doesn't matter where that is. Running away from all of this is still the most appealing thing to your mind right now. But what about your responsibilities?

You were pulled out of your reverie when Taehyung spoke.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

Raising a brow at him you retorted, "You're still here?"

"You intrigue me, princess."

You scoffed at that. "A lot of people are interested in my life. You're welcome for having the front seat."

"Hmm... I don't think I'm a mere audience. Am I not your knight?" he asked with that teasing smile on his face that you badly want to wipe off.

"I'll be downstairs. I'm sure you're hungry. Don't take too long," he said before heading towards the door, leaving you alone.

"You can stay here as long as you want, Y/n. It's safer," he told you after the meal. He was watching you the whole time as if you're a puzzle that he's trying to figure out. You're used to being watched but having this kind of attention from him is bothersome.

You sighed, torn between freeing yourself from this and your responsibilities to your employees. Back in the room, that was the only time when you think about the post you left today. A one day off won't hurt, but how long can you go on like this? It's such a waste that your professional life is too tied with your personal one. Running away from all of this will also give your opponents a reason to kick you out. Not everyone is in favor of having a young single woman in a high position.

"That night..." you started. He then waited for you to continue. He had a hint on what you wanna talk about. "Did you know that it was me?" you finally asked. It felt like you just dropped a bomb in the silent dining hall. He didn't reply right away, weighing your expression. So you told him, "Tell me the truth."

Without hesitation he then admitted, "Yes, I knew it was you."

You were dumbfounded at his revelation. You were suspicious but it feels different coming straight from him. He then said, "But I wasn't planning on sleeping with you that night," for a second, uneasiness flashed his eyes, different from his usual calculated yet playful persona. "But I guess, I'm just a man with needs. You were smoking hot in that skimpy dress," he added further, throwing you a smirk. Then he's back again to the man you knew.

That afternoon, you opened your phone and started making calls. Instructing your secretary to send you urgent matters through email.

"But ma'am, what about your scheduled meetings?" he asked after noting down your instructions.

Sighing, "Who are the ones for this week?" you asked. He cited a long list in a timeline order, telling you that he already had the meetings for this day on hold until further notice. Most of them were for internal purposes and some were proposals from other companies.

"Meeting with finance and marketing will be done online. Same time. For the others, have them send their written reports. I'll expect those in my inbox on the day of the scheduled meeting. For the proposals, send me their pitch but if they insist on meeting me personally, have it on hold."

You felt sorry for him, the work sounded a lot but you needed to prioritize. "I'm sorry, Jae. I have personal matters to settle and I'll come back as soon as I can. Just give me a week."

"It's okay, Ms. Y/n. You've been working hard for the past months. Don't worry too much. I hope everything will be fine soon," he said though he's wondering what kind of problem you're having to not go to work given that news about your engagement just got released. He assumed you're spending more time with your fiancé now that he just got back from America.

"That's all, I'll be waiting for your emails by the end of the day," you told him before ending the call.

Now all you have to do is wait. You sighed, slumping yourself back on the bed. However, peace didn't last that long as your phone rang again. Your friend Sunmi's calling.

Annoyed, you still picked up the call to make her stop, "Sunmi," you greeted, your voice cold. "The news of your engagement was like wildfire online. They're saying it's the same man that you were with that night. How can that happen?" she asked frantically. Then followed up, "Are you okay? I'm worried."

"I had no idea they're the same. I don't remember his face, that's why. And I'm okay. Don't worry."

Still, that didn't send her comfort. "Where are you? I'll visit you," she said, her voice laced with concern.

You shook your head, "Don't. I'm with Taehyung. We went outside town," you told her wishing that this would make her stop.

"Look, Sunmi, I'm really busy and I'm still working remotely. Again, I'm doing fine and don't worry too much. It's burdening. I'm an adult," you added. You sounded harsh over the line and it made you feel a bit sorry, but you didn't take back what you said.

She then said, "Okay. Just take care of yourself," before the line went off.

So, for the next few days, you sulked inside the room, working. Taehyung did the same. He stayed true to his words when he told you that evening that he'll be keeping his eyes on you. You just bump into each other when you go to the dining room for lunch or dinner. Neither of your parents disturbed you knowing that you guys are together. Taehyung assured them that you're doing fine.

Feeling stuffy for burrowing in your own hole for the past two days, you went out to work in the living room. You were on the sofa when the door to your right opened, revealing Taehyung. He's wearing black shirt and shorts. That room was his office, you took a glimpse of it yesterday when you were taking a coffee break. His brow raised up when he saw you dressed up.

"I have an online meeting at 10," you simply said even though he didn't ask. Today's meeting is with the marketing department.

He simply nodded, then said, "I thought you'll be thinking over things, Y/n. But you only drowned yourself with work."

"Just keep on being a good boy, alright? I might reconsider being married to you," you retorted. That earned a smirk from him then followed by an incredulous chuckle. You didn't mean what you said though. You still wanted out of the arrangement. You were thinking of alternatives that you can present to your parents and the Kims. Those thoughts have been keeping you up at night.

Taehyung finally left you alone, heading towards the kitchen. You set up your things on the table and waited for the call.

When he came back to your area, you were already discussing with the marketing team, asking them questions about the powerpoint they sent you. He sat on the single-seater couch, watching you while sipping his coffee. You couldn't help but raise a brow at him.

He did nothing to disturb you, but his stares made you uncomfortable for some reason. Then after a few minutes, his phone rang. This halted your discussion with the team. You threw him a warning glance. Taehyung stood up and went to his office to answer the call. When the door fell shut, you turned to the camera. "I'm sorry, you may continue," you muttered.

After a minute, Taehyung stormed out of his room and called you, "Y/n"

You looked at him with irritation, "I'm in a meeting, Taehyung. Can you please go away?"

He just ignored you and went upstairs. You sighed at his attitude. Then your phone rang. Seeing that it's your father, you declined the call.

Irritated with the interruptions, you then turned to the marketing team, "Have this project approved by the finance department as soon as possible. Then prompt the booking department so we won't get overwhelmed once the promo's been released."

At that, the marketing manager wrapped things up by giving synthesis and informing you that the minutes would be forwarded to your secretary.

You were skimming through your emails when Taehyung rushed down the stairs. He's now dressed up with shirt and trousers, looking troubled. His keys were in his hands as he told you, "Your mom's in the hospital."

Your heart dropped at the news. "What? What happened to her?" you asked him, frantic. Your mother has a healthier lifestyle. She had these planned meals prepared by her dietician, she wouldn't sleep later than 10 pm, she regularly goes to her yoga sessions, she's more careful than you.

Tears sprang up in your eyes as you asked, "Is she fine?"

Taehyung sighed, "She was being rushed to the hospital when I talked to the security team."

"It was a car crash. The driver's dead, her head of security too."

The information made your knees wobble. Taehyung had to assist you to go in his car while you couldn't stop the tears from falling, blurring your vision. Questions flooded through you but you were too shocked to sort out your thoughts to speak them out.

The whole car ride was silent contrary to the beating of your heart. You're nervous, afraid, shocked, you were feeling all things at once for your mom that you failed to notice when Taehyung's phone kept ringing.

He declined every call that showed up on the dashboard. He just focused on bringing you there safely. Broken out of your own thoughts, you texted your father with shaking hands. Telling him that you heard the news and that you're on your way now.

When Taehyung's phone rang again, you disconnected it from the dashboard and answered his phone yourself.

It's Mrs. Kim calling.

"Yes, Mrs. Kim. We've heard of the news. Taehyung is driving me to the hospital," you told her in the calmest manner you can muster but a hiccup escaped your mouth. You've been crying the whole time, devastated by all the bad things that could happen to your mom.

"Darling, stay strong. We're also on our way. Tell my son not to rush, okay?" she sweetly said, her voice laced with worry.

When you ended the call, Taehyung told you to turn his phone off. You didn't protest and followed his command.

By the time you arrived in the hospital, press people were already there, all of them are held up outside, being guarded. When they saw Taehyung opening the door for you, they immediately ambushed you with questions. It angered you when you heard them asking about your upcoming wedding and whether your mom's accident would affect the plans.

You gritted your teeth in anger as you did your best to ignore them. It's insulting how those people would take every opportunity they could to butt in at such private matter. Your mother's in the hospital, fighting for her life, for god's sake.

The guards cleared a path for both of you while Taehyung protectively held you by his side as you walked in.

You found your father standing outside the operating room, he was pacing back and forth. Upon seeing you, he went up and gave you a pat as if saying everything will be alright. It was a weak convincing on his part when he himself didn't even look collected.

The waiting was excruciating. You didn't notice that you've been holding Taehyung's hand tightly. You let go immediately upon realizing this.

"I'm sorry," you muttered, gulping.

"It's okay," he simply replied.

The doctors ran more tests on your mother when she failed to wake up after 24 hours. The accident caused her a brain injury and she was diagnosed with hypoxia. She's now in a coma and it could take a few days or few weeks for her to recover. The doctor told you to prepare for the worse, but you couldn't fathom a worse scenario than this.

Your feud with your father was put on hold as you almost spend every night with your mom. You would go to the office in the morning then to the hospital late in the afternoon, continuing your work in her room. The time you'll only go home is when you're reminded by your bodyguard which was assigned by Taehyung himself.

It may be deemed unnecessary but as investigation is being conducted, the Kims cannot compromise your safety. Their security company, among of their others, was the one in charge with your family ever since, including your businesses. The accident happened under their watch, but as of now, no one is to blame. Yet.

For your peace of mind, you even hired a private investigator on your own, meeting him discreetly as much as possible.

It was already six in the evening when Mr. and Mrs. Kim knocked on your mom's suite. You gathered your energy to come up with a smile, but it only crossed your face halfway.

"Darling, are you taking care of yourself?" she greeted worriedly, pulling you into a hug. You were surprised when you saw Taehyung.

After the operation, his parents left first but he stayed. Feeling burdened about it, you thanked him and told him to go ahead.

Sitting at the receiving area, 2 meters away from your mother's bed, you gathered the unkempt papers laying on the coffee table.

"Sorry for the mess," you uttered.

Then opening the topic, you asked, "Is there any update on the investigation?" turning to Mr. Kim.

The latter exchanged a look with his son before saying, "The truck was hi-jacked and we couldn't trace the driver yet. We looked into CCTVs but the team couldn't find anything."

You let out a sigh. It was the same report you got from your hired investigator this morning.

"There has to be someone behind this," you muttered, looking over your mother. The tubes attached to her body pains you. Sorrow crossed your eyes as you wished you could take her place.

Clearing his throat, Mr. Kim added, "I talked to your father about this. It could take a lot of time before we figure things out because, if ever, he himself has a number of opponents up his sleeve."

This is the first time someone actually attacked your family. Threats were a common thing, but no one dared to lay a finger on you, your mom, and your dad. Though your security is always prepared for this kind of scenario.

Chuckling bitterly at the thought, it looked like they weren't.

The question that's been bugging your mind is why now?

Is it because he's running for the next presidential election?

If that is so, why was your mom the target?

Aside from the situation at hand, the vacancy in the board left by your mom as the chairwoman is stirring ruckus. You haven't issued any announcement yet, but others are asking about her condition.

The stocks surprisingly didn't take a hit at the news of the accident. If there is something that bothers you more that you think will be harder to handle, that would be the board of directors of your holding company.

Simply put, they're still doubtful of you.

You glanced at Taehyung, who is sitting to your right across his mother. The second he met your eyes, you immediately averted his gaze, clearing your throat.

"Thank you for taking care of my mom's case personally. It makes me feel more at ease," you told them in a nonchalant manner.

"Don't mention it," Mr. Kim said.

With fidgeting fingers, you started the question you've been meaning to know about, "I would want to visit the family of her driver and head security-"

"You can't," Taehyung interrupted, making you snap your head back to him.

"It's not safe," he added when he saw your furrowing brows.

"There's no need, Y/n. Your father sent something for them. They understand the situation," Mr. Kim followed.

You didn't utter a reply, if they wouldn't want to divulge that information, you can have your secretary look for it. You could go there yourself, it's not as if they need to give permission.

Besides, who would think of attacking you in a simple funeral? They won't think you would have the heart to pay attention to those who worked for your family.

Still, you feel bad about the loved ones they left. They could have a daughter like you.

They protected your mom, they've done their duty, and you're sure if your mother is only conscious and well right now, she would've done the same or maybe more.

Taehyung let out a loud sigh, "I'll come with you,"

The man quite knows your stubbornness. He witnessed it first-hand and your loaded gaze somewhere which signals that you're deep in your thoughts made him agree to have it your way, but under his watch.

You glanced at your car through Taehyung's side mirror. Turning back your attention to the man beside you, you wonder why you're letting him have his way. Based on your interactions, it's as if you embraced the idea of him being your husband. So far, he's been reliable and respectful of your own space. That's what you thought of him. And the night you spent together.

You cleared your throat at the inappropriate images that flashed your mind. Digging your nails to your palm, you reprimanded yourself.

The silence was cut off when a phone call went through his dashboard.

Lana calling...

Taehyung declined the call right away only for it to pop up again. He seemed irritated this time.

"It might be important," you muttered. He didn't reply and just dropped it, giving you a cold shoulder.

The phone dinged. You unintentionally gazed on his phone between the two of you because of the noise.

Call me. I miss you.

You then immediately turned your attention to the passing streetlights. You felt guilty that you've seen something you shouldn't have. At the same time, there's an underlying feeling that started to simmer within you.

The whole car ride was spent in silence until you reached your family's mansion.

Taehyung waited downstairs as you changed into something more appropriate for a funeral. Frankly, he could have just met you at the memorial but he insisted on going with you all the way back to your house. That's why you offered to ride with him while your driver and bodyguard followed behind. It was out of courtesy, which he didn't decline.

After changing your clothes, you went down right away, not bothering to check your appearance. However, as you trailed down the stairs, Taehyung was nowhere to be seen.

When a staff member passed by, you asked about the man you came home with. She then led you to your father's study.

The doors were closed and only faint mutters of two men in conversation can only be heard. It piqued your curiosity so instead of barging in like you did before, you slowly walked close to the door.

"... so I'm not marrying her," you heard him say, his voice dark and cold. The pain that wretched your heart upon hearing those words shocked you. Your eyes welled up inevitably despite willing yourself to control your dam of emotions.

A dead silence followed his statement.

You should have been thankful of him giving up on you. And by him talking to your father directly like this, the old man might even consider cancelling the marriage you dreaded. You should be grateful, but all the more, Taehyung's sudden change of mind on the matter confused you.

You wondered if there's something wrong with you. Did you do anything that turned him off during the time you spent together in his family's cabin?

Does he have someone else?

That thought fired up jealousy you did not think you could harbor.

"I can make her change her mind, Taehyung. Just let her warm up to you more. That would help," your father sternly told him. Your brows knitted in further confusion.

"She thinks she will be marrying me for the wrong reason. Y/n's not ready."

Your tongue tastes vile in his reasoning. He even had the guts to use you as an excuse. If you only know, it might have been because of your family losing control of your company due to your mom's condition. He might think that being married to you will only be an unnecessary responsibility when he can take over by himself. Maybe he's using this opportunity to run off and be with his lover.

Lana

The name flashed in your memory.

You felt bitter. No one dared to reject you in your years of existence. If not, you were the one who used to run away from men who expressed their interest in you.

How dare he?

Before you knew it, pride took over your being as you carefully opened the door.

With a smirk on your face, you asked Taehyung, "Who says I'm not ready?"

"Tae?" you said in a sweet voice. You feigned your innocence and soft demeanor, but only vile venom coursed through your system. No one rejects you. No one will take over the empire your mother built alongside with your father. You will secure your power. You will make sure everything will fall into its place.

Two nights after, he fetched you from your house to have your first public date. He booked a table in a grand hotel downtown for the whole thing and told you beforehand to dress casually. So for this night, you opted for a white broderie long sleeve minidress.

"We just have to put up a show, right?" Taehyung asked, his tone bored, while cruising down the road. You nodded, then you realized his eyes are on the winding road, he can't see you. "Yeah," you muttered.

The white outfit is ironically in contrast with his. He's in a black suit, looking elegantly casual. Thanks to the turtleneck sweater. This guy has some good fashion sense, you noted. With his perfectly parted hair, he looked exquisite.

You didn't dare to ask him why he thought of backing out from your marriage. He didn't care to ask for a reason on your sudden change of mind.

"We can continue with the prior arrangement. Let's get married," you followed through after sweetly calling his name that night. The statement sounded like a challenge as it rolled off your tongue.

Taehyung just gazed deep into your eyes. His face was void of any emotion. In a flicker, you saw his jaw tensed in irritation. He glanced down the floor before a faint smirk appeared on his face.

"If that's what you want then."

You were taken aback at his acceptance. You expected him to protest, but he surprisingly went on. Taehyung turned to you father then gave the man a curt bow.

"It's getting late. Y/n and I should go so we can come back as soon as possible," he said to your dad. "Have a good night, sir."

The old man slowly nodded, "Take care of her."

"I will."

You never dreamed of being a slave to this powerplay. You thought you have enough guts to not go down that path, but here you are.

Going back to the present, you threw Taehyung a glance, observing his side profile. The passing lights casted shadows on his face, illuminating his eyes, highlighting the point of his cheekbones down to his nose. Your eyes traced the line of his jaw when he turned away as he navigated the car to a left turn.

You wondered whether you'll learn to love this man. Yet again, you're afraid of him not reciprocating if that happens.

Taehyung handed you a jewelry box when you reached the foot of the hill.

"Wear it," he simply said when you opened the box.

It's a tiffany ring adorned with a diamond stone. The halo setting framed the center diamond, making it look bigger. It's beautiful, but too 'in-your-face' for your liking.

With a sigh, you wore it unceremoniously on your left ring finger. You glanced at his hand that was on the steering wheel, looking for a ring. It was hard to see in the dark but you quite glimpsed a glint of a metal.

You swallowed the bile you felt in your throat. The whole ride was silent after that. Only the smooth running of his car's engine can be heard.

Arriving at the hotel's driveway, you didn't wait for him to open the door. The action earned an irritated look from him. Taehyung gave his car key to the valet attendant before holding your waist, startling you.

He leaned towards your ear and whispered, "This better not look like our first date,"

"Alright?" he asked through his teeth.

From an outsider's perspective the picture looks sweet, but if they can only hear the threat in his voice...

You noticed few people were staring, recognizing the both of you. Feigning a smile, you touched his arm. Despite the high heels you're wearing, he still stood taller that you needed to look up.

"Of course, Tae," you said to him, your voice dripping like honey. He replied with a half-smile before leading you inside.

The two of you graced the foyer like a power couple. Curious glances were thrown and few whispers flew around. All the while, Taehyung didn't care and just walked straight.

You smirked to yourself when the receptionist led you to the middle table in the restaurant. The stage for tonight. However, the table is set for four.

Taehyung pulled you a chair then sat beside you.

"Are we expecting somebody else?" you asked him.

"My friends will join us. I haven't seen them since I arrived home and they're insisting to meet you. I didn't notice your dress is too short," he said all the while scrutinizing you. You glanced down but you were fine with it. So, you shrugged him off. You're more bothered that he invited his friends over on your date. Not that you want to be left alone with him.

Taehyung turned to the waiter who stood by your side. Putting an arm at the small of your back and casually placing one hand over your lap, he ordered the waiter to come back later once the others had arrived.

His closeness made it hard for you to breathe. You muttered silently, "Don't you think you're touching too much?"

He smirked at your question. "I touched more than this, princess. Want a reminder?"

The boldness in his voice made you blush.

"Don't look. A board director of yours is here," he said in a low voice before fakely fixing a strand of your hair.

His ring band gleamed under the chandelier lights. A simple intricate design carved into the metal.

He looked you in the eyes and said, "I guess that's a good audience, right? One credible person to confirm the news around."

You can't help but chuckle, "You and my mom would make a good publicist," you silently uttered as you placed your left hand on his shoulder, smoothing down the fabric.

"That's fair. I admire your mother for handling your family's image. Works so much in favor of your father, don't you think?"

You smiled bitterly at that. He's right. Your mom's a good homemaker too while maintaining a respectable figure in the business world.

"You should've told me your friends will be coming," you muttered, changing the topic. You're more nervous now that others will witness this whole fiasco at a much closer distance. Then you asked, "Do they know that this is all pretend?"

His jaw tensed as he answered a firm no. "So, you better act whipped for me," he added. Scoffing at his command, you retorted, "I can't be easily whipped, Taehyung."

A low chuckle escaped his mouth. "Right. But you're my wife, so..."

You glared him down. You're not yet his wife.

He just raised a brow at you before staring back. His eyes piercing through. He's too close like this. You're already blushing at the distance, but you didn't want to back down.

"Kim Taehyung!"

Turning to the sound of the voice, two men were making their way to your table. One of them is familiar. You didn't know Taehyung is friends with Park Jimin, a famous celebrity. After side-hugging Taehyung, he offered you his hand.

"Y/n, nice to see you again," his voice teasing. You reciprocated him with a friendly chuckle and acknowledged him, "Park Jimin, it's been a long time."

"I hope your mother gets well soon," he told you with a gentle smile. It tugged warmth in your heart, the guy is charming as always. "Thank you," you replied.

Taehyung watched the friendly exchange with a careful gaze. You turned to him lovingly, starting your act for the night, "We see each other in some function events. You haven't told me you're friends with him, Tae."

His other friend then stepped forward. He has an ebony hair, his doe eyes crinkled as he smiled at you, "I'm Jeon Jungkook, it's nice to meet you, Ms. Y/n."

You shook his hand and repeated his name for you to remember, "Pleasure's mine."

The dinner looks pleasant. Although you were uncomfortable with the lies that have been spewing out of your mouth. You let Taehyung take care of you though you can very much well slice your own steak. It was a challenge not to roll your eyes out of absurdity.

"When's your wedding, Y/n?" Jimin asked in the middle of the meal.

You were caught in surprise. You haven't talked about it yet, you just handed the task to your secretary yesterday.

"The soonest," Taehyung chirped in.

Jungkook's eyes widened a fraction while Jimin just grinned at Taehyung's answer. The younger then asked, "Before the elections?"

That subject was an open secret that no one talks about. Instead, you replied, "Soon as we settle things, we'll send out invitations."

"So, you started preparations already. It's sad that you'll go through this alone, given your mother's condition," Jimin stated. You sent him a reassuring smile.

"It will be fine. I have people to do stuff for me," you told them.

"As long as we'll get married. I'm pretty chill with the details," you added. For it is true. If you could skip the wedding ceremony, you would. Those moments are reserved for a true special someone, but the situation is different for a woman like you.

You thought you should give your secretary a raise. The morning you asked him to contact a wedding planner, he gladly accepted the task. He knows your taste so you let him fix most of the things.

You did not even ask Taehyung for opinion since he left the details to your care. He only had one condition: the soonest, the better. You remember him telling you when he was driving back to your house that night. That night when you started this million dollar show.

#yandere x y/n #kim taehyung #btsv #btsfanfic

11 notes · View notes

heyyyharry · 4 years

Text

Chapter 10: Truth or Truth

(from the My Girl Trilogy: Stay Mine)

…in which the truth comes out.

Word count: 6.6k

AU: actor!Harry, older!Harry, younger!Y/N, (4-year age gap).

Wattpad link (Thea as Y/N)

Well, this is one crazy chapter 👀 Let me know what you think because I’m thirsty for feedback. But also don’t be to harsh on me I’m fragile.

The last Sunday of the month. Laura Hilfgard’s flat. Y/N’s book was almost finished and ready for submission, and she was at the top of her game. She’d been putting off everything else to write, and for the first time in her life, everything was happening according to plan. Last year’s Y/N would’ve spent every passing moment waiting for something to go wrong. The writer-to-be Y/N, however, was living her best life.

“Are you sure you want to omit the confrontation scene in chapter ten?” Laura asked once they’d stopped for a tea break.

Y/N stirred her tea slowly, still contemplating her handwritten notes. “You don’t need drama in every chapter. It’s not realistic.”

“It’s fiction,” said Laura. Y/N glanced up with an eyebrow lifted, and the agent exhaled as she raised her hands, palms out. “Sorry, ma’am. Your book.”

Blowing into her tea, Y/N closed her pink notebook and took a sip. “Sorry, it’s just the story is based on what happened to me.”

“Oh?” Laura blinked, sounding both surprised and intrigued.

“I changed a few things,” Y/N said. “But yeah, my boyfriend used to be my neighbour. We met in his treehouse twelve years ago.”

“Your boyfriend is Harry Styles, right?”

“You know him?”

“Everyone does.” Laura stopped stirring her tea to add more sugar with the same spoon. She’d been stirring and adding sugar for the last five minutes, which made Y/N wonder if she was going to drink at all. “I’ve heard so many stories about you two. You make a fine couple.”

“You’ve heard stories about us?” Y/N carefully set down her cup and smiled questioningly at the woman. “From whom?”

“Everyone,” Laura said and finally brought the cup to her red lips. Y/N watched Laura take the first sip of her overly sweet tea, and the only thing that came to Y/N’s mind was the likelihood of a connection between Laura and Harry.

Impossible. Harry would never have interfered. Not after their fight about John Conall. Besides, Blake had been the one who’d suggested her to Laura, not Harry. So how could Harry have possibly done anything?

Or could he?

What if he’d contacted Laura right after Blake had given the manuscript to her? No, Harry would never lie to Y/N. Harry, of all people, would understand how much this meant to her, that she’d accomplished everything on her own without his help. Harry, of all people, would believe in her.

Once she got back to her flat, she found herself pacing back and forth in her living room, clutching her phone to her chest as she tried to decide if she should just call and ask him. Him saying he had no connection to her literary agent would put Y/N out of her misery. But that would prove that she didn’t trust him, and he’d be so angry, and they would fight again. Things had been going so well recently she didn’t want to mess it up. Although there was a tiny part of her doubting everything, mostly herself…

Her phone rang, and she jumped. It was Harry. Biting her nail, she slid her thumb across the screen to answer and tried her best not to sound like she’d been overthinking. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey, are you working?”

“I just got back from Laura’s.”

“Is the book done?”

“Yup. We’ve submitted it to some publishers, and all we have to do now is wait.”

“That’s my girl.”

The question about Laura was on the tip of her tongue. She bit her nail instead and took a seat on the couch as he went on, “Don’t hate me for what I’m about to say, okay?”

“Okay.” She kept her tone light and neutral while unconsciously picking at a thread on her skirt.

“I forgot that I’d have dinner with my dad. I know I said I’d take you out tonight–”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” she said quickly and sat on her hand to stop her fidgeting. “You’ve been spending quite a lot of time with your dad.”

“Yeah,” he sighed contentedly. “Now that I don’t have to hide it from my mum or Gemma anymore, I can support Dad and Emi without feeling bad about it.”

“Support? As in...financially?” She hoped she didn’t sound too judgy.

He was quiet for a full second. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Harry…”

“No, hear me out. They owed the bank a lot of money because of the accident. I only helped them pay their debt. It’s not like I’m buying them a car or a house.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. “You’ve been giving them so many expensive things, and Isaac told me you’ve also been helping Emi get back to acting.”

“ ‘Help’ as in I got her to castings. She still needs to audition like everyone else. I don’t ask directors to give her roles that she’s incompetent at, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“I’m not implying anything.” Maybe she was. “It’s just...you can’t live their lives for them, Harry.”

“I don’t. I’m only trying to help.”

“You can help, and you should. Just don’t overspend on them.”

“They’re family.”

She almost told him ‘not really’ and ‘I still don’t trust them’, but then let it go once he fell silent. “That wasn’t a fight, was it?” she asked.

“Of course not, kid.” His low laugh brought her a sense of relief. She straightened before leaning into the couch, staring at one of the cracks on her ceiling.

“I gotta go now. Talk to you later?” he said cautiously.

So she kept her tone light. “Sure. Have fun acting.”

“Have fun writing. Love you.”

She giggled as he kissed the phone.

“I love you, too.”

Since Gemma ran an online business and therefore wasn’t tied to a desk and a chair, she had decided to stay in London for a couple of days. Those couple of days had turned into two weeks and felt like two freaking months. Time slowed down when she was with Isaac; not that she complained.

She’d been with him constantly since they’d left Holmes Chapel. She wasn’t sure what they were. Friends? Way past that. Lovers? Not quite there. Friends who kissed? Well, sure, that might be a suitable label for their ‘relationship’. Gemma hated labels anyway, so it didn’t matter.

“Have you spoken to him?” Isaac asked, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. They were at his house, curled up in his bed, watching Netflix. Almost like a happy couple.

“Harry?” Her eyebrows furrowed as one of the characters was being brutally murdered on the screen. Isaac leaned forward and pressed pause right before the dead body collapsed.

Gemma gasped, “Hey!”

“You’ve already watched this,” he chuckled and removed the laptop from her lap before she could resume the movie.

“Still, that’s the best scene!”

He shook his head, placed the laptop on the other side of him and turned around, facing her. “Have you spoken to Asher?”

“No. He’s probably forgotten about me.”

“Gem…”

“Can we not mention my ex at this moment?”

“He’s not your ex yet, and you don’t want to mention him at any moment.” Isaac took her hand and brought it to his lap. “You need to break up with him.”

“He already broke up with me.”

“He said it was a break.”

She groaned and hugged a pillow to her chest. “He said it so he could hook up with whoever he wanted. He’s done this before, disappeared for a week or two. I was pretty sure he was hooking up with his secretary at the time, then he came back and acted like nothing was wrong. I just...I was stupid and I was in love with him. But not anymore. I’ve had enough.”

“So you’re just gonna wait until he reaches out to you, and then break up with him?”

“Yes. I want it to hurt.”

Isaac screwed up his face. “Why?”

“What do you mean why? After all that he’s done to me?”

“Do you still have feelings for him?” He tried to sound unbothered but she could see right through him. “Is that the reason why you’re so determined to make him feel equally bad?”

“No!” She shook her head, squeezing his hand. “I just don’t want him to think he’s so important. I’m not gonna reach out first. Now can we please get back to the movie?”

“Fine,” he huffed and brought the laptop back to his lap.

As she snuggled up to him and he draped his arm around her shoulders again, the buzzing of his phone on the nightstand interrupted them. She groaned when he withdrew himself from her.

“It could be Lee,” he said. Lee was his manager.

But it wasn’t Lee. She could see it on his face as he put down his phone as soon as he’d read the messages.

“Who’s that?”

“Your half-sister,” he said, drawing her back into his arms.

She lay her head on his chest, her eyebrows pulled together. “She’s still your model?”

“We had our last shoot yesterday. If you’d come, you could have met her.”

“It’s so weird that I haven’t.” She tilted her head up to look at his face. “Do you think she’s scared of me? Because I’m not as easy-going as Harry.”

“Probably.” A grin stretched his pink lips as she weakly hit his chest.

“Did you ever fancy her?” She arched an eyebrow so he mimicked her expression.

“Are you jealous of your own sister?”

“Half-sister.”

Her irritated tone got him laughing. “I mean, she is pretty.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, gazing at the ceiling. “Maybe a little.”

Gemma poked his side and he jerked away, doubling over and protecting his sensitive spots from her tickling. They nearly fell off the bed from laughing too hard. Somehow he ended up on his stomach and she on his back, their cheeks together.

He whispered, “Do you think Harry would like the idea of us?”

“Should we call and ask him?”

“Gemma.”

She giggled as his face turned serious. “Of course. You’re his best friend, right?”

“I don’t know about that. He didn’t talk to me until Y/N and I broke up.”

“That’s because she’s Y/N. He didn’t let me come to the treehouse because it was ‘their place’.” She rolled her eyes. “But it was mine first. Dad built it for me.” When she caught him gazing at her, she returned a look just as bemused. “What?”

“You said ‘Dad’. Not Winton.”

“Oh.” She rolled onto her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Isaac flipped over to lie on his side, his head propped up on his hand. She waited for another question, but he didn’t ask, so she went on, “I still won’t visit him or even talk to him. But I guess there was a time when he was good, and I should give the old him some credits. It’s easier to do that, now that I no longer have to deal with the consequences of him leaving.” She turned to smile at him. “Now that I’ve found someone who really cares about me.”

“Who’s that? Is it me?” He acted shocked and she shoved him away, cackling.

“Come on.” She sat up, grabbed the laptop and beckoned him over. “We still have to finish this terrible movie.”

A week later, Y/N came to Laura’s office after she’d finished two classes in the morning. Laura’s assistant told her Laura had taken a day off because she was sick. “She’s rescheduled the meeting with the publisher this afternoon,” said the assistant. “I was gonna call you but Ms Hilfgard said she’d tell you herself. She’s probably forgotten.”

Weird. Laura never forgot. She was like a machine when it came to business stuff, and Y/N had always wondered where that woman got all that energy. Laura must be very sick. Y/N normally would stay away from other people’s business, but she’d been inseparable from Laura recently, which gave her a sense of responsibility for her agent. She should probably check in on Laura.

“Is she at her flat today?” she asked the assistant, who seemed unsure.

“I think so. Would you like me to call her for you?”

“No, thank you. I’ll do it myself.”

Y/N adjusted her bag on her shoulder, wished the woman a good day and ambled out of the room. She tried calling Laura when she got into the lift, but Laura didn’t answer the phone. A throb in her stomach led her to believe something was wrong.

Everyone got sick once in a while so Laura couldn’t be an exception; she was human after all. But Y/N’s gut feelings were always correct. And if she chose to ignore them, it’d be her fault when something actually happened to Laura, who lived all by herself and had no close friend or family, none that Y/N knew of.

“Laura! It’s me, Y/N!” Y/N banged on the door after she’d rung the doorbell many times and there was no answer. “Laura! Your assistant told me you were sick. I came to check on you.”

Just as she imagined herself kicking down the door like those badass heroines in movies, she heard the sound of it being unlocked, the handle turned, and the door was opened. Her chest caved when Laura appeared, holding the door just wide enough to reveal half of her face. She was in her bathrobe without any makeup on, her skin marked with freckles, her lips dry, her eyes dark and weary, and her hair wasn’t pulled up into a neat bun like it always was. She looked like she’d gone through hell and back.

“Are you all right?” Y/N asked and immediately realised how stupid she’d sounded; of course, Laura wasn’t all right. Look at her.

“I’m very sorry, Y/N. You shouldn’t have come here.” Laura sounded spacey. The smell of alcohol on her breath was too strong. She held Y/N’s gaze, expecting Y/N to leave, but once she was sure Y/N wasn’t going anywhere, Laura stepped aside and opened the door a bit wider, just enough for Y/N to slip in.

The door was closed. They were standing in the semidarkness; there was still a bit of light coming through the dark blue curtain of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The evident of Laura’s despair was lying on the white carpet in the middle of the room – empty bottles after a wild alcohol-binge. She wasn’t sick. She was drunk.

Laura brushed past a bewildered Y/N and careened toward the sofa. The sofa legs creaked ominously under her weight.

“As you can see, I’m pretty much alive,” she said to the ceiling, an arm placed over her eyes. “You may leave now.”

Y/N wanted to leave. Whatever Laura was dealing with had nothing to do with her. She’d only come to make sure her agent was still alive, and Laura was just drunk for some unknown reason, but that was all Y/N should know. She should leave. Her brain told her to leave, but her guts told her Laura needed help.

She huffed and came to stand at one end of the sofa. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”

“It has nothing to do with you, Y/N.”

“You rescheduled a meeting with the publisher without asking me – your author, and then lied about being sick when you’ve been drinking your arse off. So yeah, it has a lot to do with me.”

As Laura didn’t answer, Y/N picked up the woman’s arm and tried to haul her out of the sofa. She resisted the effort, weakly pushing Y/N away.

“Fine. I’m leaving.” Y/N folded her arms over her chest. “Call me when you’ve sobered up.”

“I now see why he’s crazy about you.”

The words froze Y/N to the spot. She slowly turned around and backed away from the front door to return to her previous spot beside Laura. He? Who was he?

Laura’s eyelids fluttered like she was going to fall asleep, but then she continued, “He chose you over me because you’re young and beautiful and ambitious and kind…He chose you over me because...I’m the opposite…”

Y/N’s heart, head, and stomach pulsated at once. “Who...who are you talking about?”

“Blake.”

The name left her in shock. She blinked at Laura, feeling disoriented for a second. She hoped Laura was only messing with her. Laura and Blake? No fucking way.

“He ended it because of you,” Laura went on despite Y/N’s startlement. “We weren’t really together, but he made it clear that we’d never be anything.” She laughed loudly and mirthlessly, her thick dark hair bouncing on her slim shoulders. “You have a boyfriend, and he still chose you over me. I would call him stupid but what would it make me?” Then she glanced up, her glossy eyes filled with wondering and desperation.

Meanwhile, Y/N was stuck in rearranging her thoughts. Everything made sense – Blake had been their connection since the beginning, and Laura had heard so much about Y/N and Harry – but Y/N couldn’t bring herself to believe any of it. She clutched the strap of her handbag and took in the sight of Laura, trying to look for the badass woman hiding underneath.

“I think you should go,” Laura said to her feet and gestured toward the door. “I’ll call you once I’ve sobered up.”

“Do you have anyone else I can call–”

“I don’t need anyone, Y/N. Leave!”

“Okay,” Y/N murmured as she squared her shoulders, gripped the strap of her bag, and marched to the front door.

Thud Thud Thud

“Blake! We need to talk, Blake!”

Blake opened the door and sprang back before Y/N accidentally hit his face with her fist. “Did you sleep with Laura?” she bellowed before he could question, and he blinked as if she was speaking alien language.

“Laura Hilfgard,” her voice dropped, “My fucking agent. For fuck’s sake! Did you sleep with her?”

He still didn’t answer but the look on his face said it all. He couldn’t admit something so horrible.

“Goddamn it, Blake! Fuck!” she roared into her hands, her chest growing hot. When he tried to touch her, she pushed him away and stabbed a finger at his face. “You lied to me!”

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry–”

She held up a hand to stop him. “Oh, don’t fucking apologise to me. I’m not gonna accept it. Apologise to Laura.”

“We’re over.”

“Doesn’t fucking matter, Blake! It’s fucking sick that you slept with her so she would sign me! Fuck you!”

“Y/N!” He caught her wrist and she whipped around to fight him, but his fingers were quick to clasp her other wrist.

“Let me go!”

“Listen to me!” He shook her to get her to stop, and she did, panting and glowering at him. “I didn’t sleep with her so she’d sign you. Yes, I’d...I'd been sleeping with her before. That was how I knew her. I asked her to read your book and she loved it.”

“She only ‘loved’ it because she loved you, Blake!” Y/N yanked her hands back, tears welling up in her eyes. “You broke her and she cancelled the meeting with the publisher. She’s gonna drop me!”

“She won’t. I’ll talk to her–”

“I don’t fucking need your help, Blake. Just…” Y/N stepped back, holding up her hand to stop him from getting any closer. “Just don’t fucking talk to me again.”

“Y/N, please, hey.” He strode forward and got between her and her door, his desperate grey eyes begging her to hear him out. “I swear to you I didn’t do this on purpose. I just wanted to help. You were so desperate and I wanted you to be happy.”

“I was desperate but I wasn’t miserable,” she said through her gritted teeth. “You want me to be happy but what you did was awful, Blake. You made me feel like a talentless piece of shit, that if my boyfriend doesn’t get me a job, then my ex-boyfriend has to sleep with someone for it. God, what is wrong with you?”

“At least I gave your story to Laura and made her read it. Your boyfriend just fucking told John Conall to sign you. He doesn’t even care.”

“Don’t talk about Harry that way. He’s a thousand times better than you.” Then she froze. “How do you even know about Conall?”

“Laura knows him,” Blake said to his feet. “They talked.”

“Fuck this.”

She pulled out her keys and gestured him to get out of the way, but he refused to comply, shaking his head. She had never seen Blake Roman so despondent, and she didn’t like this side of him at all.

“I still love you, Y/N,” he said despite the fact that those were the last words she wanted to hear right now. “I’m sorry I left, but in the last three years, I couldn’t stop thinking about us, and how we could’ve figured out a way to be together instead of giving up. Then I met you here, and...and I–Listen, I’ve been trying to make it up to you–”

“Blake, please…” she breathed, her eyes tight.

“I know you still have feelings for me, Y/N. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have spent so much time with me. You rarely mentioned him when we were together. We have so much in common and we fit.”

“You’re wrong.” She stared dagger at him and unclenched her fists, taking a deep breath. “I rarely mentioned him because I didn’t want to hurt you. I knew you still had feelings for me. I guess I was wrong to want to keep you in my life as a friend when you don’t belong there anymore.”

“I do, Y/N. I do,” he fretted while she kept shaking her head.

“You don’t. You just...you just felt like childhood, which I can’t keep dwelling on anymore. Both of us need to grow up.” She inclined her head, arms wrapped around herself. “I’m sorry, Blake. I don’t think we can be friends anymore. Not after this.”

“Y/N.”

She didn’t look at him and rushed down the stairs, hoping he wouldn’t go after her. And he didn’t. She came dashing out of the building, her eyes prickling with tears. She couldn’t believe she’d doubted Harry and trusted Blake. She felt like such a fool. She hated herself.

Stopping on the side of the road, she fished her phone out of her handbag to call Harry. But then her screen flashed on with the notification of ‘11 missed calls from Laura H’. Her chest throbbed. She called Laura back.

Laura didn’t answer.

When Gemma stepped out of the lift, fumbling around in her bag for her room key, she almost didn’t notice the man waiting for her in the hallway.

“Gem.”

His voice froze her to the spot. She shot her head up, her heart rate increasing as Asher walked up to her holding a rose bouquet. He was dressed in a fine ocean-blue suit, his dark hair pushed back, the strong scent of his cologne so unbearable. He looked like he was here for a photoshoot or a red carpet event. When he cracked a smile, she responded with a grimace.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, unable to take her eyes off the flowers. The last time he’d got her flowers had been their first Valentine’s Day together; things had gone downhill after that.

“I came to see you,” he said. “To apologise.”

He held the flowers toward her with both hands, and she pushed them right back to him, shaking her head.

“I don’t need your apology,” she said. “You made it clear that day on the phone that this was over and I’m thankful for it.”

“I said ‘a break’.”

“You don’t get to call a break and come back whenever you feel like it,” Gemma said in annoyance. “That’s not how a relationship works.”

She gently pushed right past him to unlock the door. Right as she opened it, he slipped straight into her room. She stared at him, speechless. “Asher, leave.”

“I want to talk, please.”

Frustrated and annoyed, she slammed the door behind her, stormed toward the bed and flung her bag on it. He stood by the door with that stupid bouquet, waiting for his chance to speak.

“I can offer you a deal,” he blurted as she turned around. “You don’t have to get back with me. We can go separate ways after this.”

“Or we can go separate ways now.” She gestured to the door.

He pretended like he hadn’t heard that. “My father really likes you,” he said. “He thinks you keep me grounded. So I think...if you ask him for the investment, he’ll most likely say yes. I'll pay you. Please help me, Gem.”

“No!” Gemma put her hands on her hips, her mouth quirked in annoyance. “You’ve got some nerves to ask me that. We are not getting back together. Go find someone else dumb enough to help you.”

Asher’s mouth fell open. He must have come here thinking she would burst into tears and run into his arms the moment she saw him and forgive him like she always had. If so, he was destined for disappointment.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked. “Why are you like this all of a sudden?”

“Why do I have common sense all of a sudden?” She cocked her head. “Maybe I’ve finally found someone who appreciates me, and is not only with me because he can use me for his own benefit.”

Asher was shallow but he wasn’t stupid. Realization soon dawned on his face. “Have you been cheating on me?”

Before he’d come here, she’d imagined this moment to be extremely awkward, but now she was full of rage. “You and I are not together anymore, Asher,” she snapped. “But well, I did kiss him once when we were ‘together’.”

“You fucking bitch,” Asher bellowed as he threw himself at her. Everything happened so quickly her brain failed to catch on. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, gripping the edge of the table, her head in pain. She spotted the horror on her ex’s face before he broke into a run out of the room, so she reached for her head and looked at her own fingers.

Blood.

He’d pushed her.

Shocked and dizzy, she held the table for support to stand up and hobbled into the bathroom where she grabbed a hand towel, wetted it and tried to clean the wound on her forehead. That was when she heard the door open and close. She spun around, horrified. It was just Isaac.

“What happened?!” He rushed toward her, held her face between his cold palms.

“Asher came here…” was all she could say while shaking her head, feeling herself going unsteady.

“Did he fucking hit you?” Isaac ground his jaw, his eyes turning dark.

She shuddered at the thought and felt hot tears in the wells of her eyes. “I think he pushed me,” she mumbled.

“Fuck!”

She fisted his shirt, afraid that he might run after Asher, who must have been long gone by now. But Isaac didn’t bother to ask about the arsehole. He inspected the wound on her forehead and encircled his arms around her. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“Can I see her?” Y/N asked.

“Not yet,” the nurse answered.

“Is she okay?”

“She will be,” the nurse told Y/N while scribbling something on the clipboard. She’d asked Y/N a bunch of questions about Laura, most of which Y/N had answered with “I don’t know”. She didn’t know if Laura was a regular drinker or if she often drank to drunkenness. Y/N only knew what she’d witnessed – Laura blacked out on her bedroom floor with empty bottles scattering all around.

Laura had been taken to the emergency room where they gave her fluids. The doctor had briefed Y/N, saying Laura had got alcohol poisoning from her alcohol binge, and if Y/N hadn’t found her – if she’d locked the door after Y/N had left – then something terrible could have happened tonight. Y/N wasn’t sure if Laura would be okay, but things could have gone worse and she was grateful it hadn’t.

“Is there any family member that we could call?” asked the nurse, who was finally making eye contact with Y/N.

“I-I don’t know. I’m just her client,” Y/N said, rubbing her palms together nervously. “Maybe uhm...maybe I can call her assistant.”

“It’s fine. She’s in a better condition now. We’ll just get information from her when she wakes up.”

Y/N thanked the nurse and sat in one of the chairs in the hallway. She thought of calling Harry but didn’t have any motivation to do it, so she sat with her head against the wall, watching the nurses’ station while she waited for better news.

She didn’t know what time it was. She was already fatigued. She felt herself drifting away when a voice pulled her right back.

“Y/N?”

She looked up. Isaac and Gemma were just as shocked to see her. Gemma didn’t look like herself; she was wearing an oversized black hoodie with the hood on, covering her forehead. Y/N didn’t want to assume the hoodie was Isaac’s, but something told her it wasn’t Gemma’s.

“What...are you guys doing here?” Y/N slowly rose from her seat, her eyes switching back and forth between Isaac and Gemma. “Together.”

Isaac worked his jaw, unable to get any word out as he looked over at Gemma imploringly, and she heaved a sigh. Y/N was losing patience with the suspense when Gemma pulled back the hood to reveal her bandaged forehead.

“Oh my God, what happened?” Y/N gasped, pushing past Isaac to grab Gemma’s shoulders. “Did you get into an accident?”

“Y-Yeah.” Gemma looked unconfident, her eyes searching for Isaac’s again. Something was wrong, and neither of them wanted to tell Y/N what it was. She would have been mad if she didn’t have her own problems to worry about. What a crazy day it had been.

She was going to ask Isaac why he’d been the one to take Gemma to the hospital, but he went first. “Why are you here?”

“A friend of mine got into trouble,” she said. It was only fair that she got to be ambiguous too.

“Alice?” Gemma looked concerned.

“No.”

Isaac grimaced. “Eddie?”

“No!” Y/N rolled her eyes at their surprised reactions. “You guys really assume I have only two friends in London?”

“You do have only two friends in London,” Isaac said, beaming, “Besides us.”

Y/N assumed he meant him, Niall, and Harry. He wasn’t entirely wrong, but she wasn’t going to give him that.

For the second time, she meant to ask why he’d taken Gemma here, but right as she opened her mouth, a nurse showed up with a clipboard.

“Miss Styles," she called.

“Yes?” Gemma whipped around as the nurse sauntered right past her like she wasn’t there.

Confused and surprised, they all watched the nurse head toward the end of the hallway, where sat a brunette with her headphones on. Her hair was covering her face as she was looking down at her phone. The nurse had to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention. She glanced up, eyes popping out the moment she saw them. Y/N, Isaac, and Gemma looked like they’d seen a ghost.

“Emilia Styles,” repeated the nurse since Emilia wasn’t looking at her. “You can see your mother now.”

Y/N glanced over at Isaac and Gemma, who looked as if they’d seen a ghost. The nurse said something else to Emilia and went into one of the rooms. Emilia told the nurse she’d be right back as she shoved her headphones into her tote bag, got up and made way toward Y/N, Isaac and Gemma.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said with a pretentious smile; it was the same smile she always wore, but it was only until this moment that Y/N realized how pompous it was.

“Drop the act,” Y/N snapped. “Are you gonna fucking tell us why you’re here? Or should we go ask your mum who is still ALIVE?”

Isaac held her back by the arm before she could even consider doing something to Emilia. She didn’t want to get violent; she wasn’t that type of person. Not yet.

“Fine.” The fake smile disappeared as Emilia stood taller despite having been exposed. “My mum’s alive,” she calmly confessed. “She has cancer, and my dad doesn’t work anymore so I have to take care of them.”

“With Harry’s money?” Gemma snarled. Y/N believed if Gemma’s head wasn’t hurt, she would have already torn Emilia to pieces.

“I didn’t take anything Harry didn’t want to give.” Emilia crossed her arms and lifted her chin, which made Y/N more shocked than angry; she didn’t know it was possible to be this shameless.

“So everything was fake?” Y/N asked. “You made up a nice little story calling your mum crazy for burning down the house and–”

“It was my dad,” Emilia said with her eyes closed as she sucked in an unsteady breath and opened her eyes at the long exhalation. “He was drunk and he set the house on fire. That was after my mum had been diagnosed with cancer. He was very upset because we didn’t have enough money for the treatment. I had to drop out and use my college money for it.” Then she swallowed and looked over at Isaac, who’d been speechless the whole time. “I’m sorry, Isaac. But when we met I recognised you right away. I knew you were Harry’s friend, and I saw you as an opportunity. We had to lie because Harry didn’t trust us at first; he thought Dad was a terrible man–”

“No decent man would lie to his own son to steal his money!”

“We weren’t stealing!” Emilia half-shouted at Gemma then frantically looked around. A few nurses stared at them with concern but no one attempted to interfere. Emilia turned back to Gemma and lowered her voice, “We were gonna tell him everything.”

“When?” Y/N scoffed. “When your mum gets better? Or when you finally become a successful actress living off Harry’s fame?”

“I started with a lie and I had to go through it.” Emilia huffed, her forehead creased. “Things have got so much better since Harry came into our lives. He paid off our bank debt, for Dad’s medicines, for our food. We never asked him for more money. We simply sold the expensive stuff he bought for us as gifts to pay the hospital bills for Mum. I still have to go to work, but now I can also go to auditions. And Harry doesn’t lose anything. He loves Dad, and he’s rich anyway.”

“Harry worked for everything he owns now,” Gemma hissed. “Your dad doesn’t get to live on the money of the son he left and tried to steal from.”

Emilia’s lips quirked in a scornful manner. “You’re just bitter because Dad doesn’t love you.”

Y/N’s gaze jumped to Gemma, whose face was white with shock. She didn’t expect that. None of them expected that. It was so hurtful. Because it was the truth...

“It was my plan. Dad just went along with it,” Emilia went on despite Gemma’s fists shaking as she refrained herself from tackling Emilia to the floor. Emilia knew Y/N and Gemma couldn’t do anything to her in a hospital hallway, and Isaac would never lay hands on a woman. She considered Gemma’s face. “He just wanted my mum to get better. We knew Harry wouldn’t help us if he had to go behind yours and your mum’s back, so I had to reach out to you first. I had to gain your approval.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Gemma sneered and waved her hand when Emilia gazed at her alarmedly. “Do go on. When will we get to the part where you’re forgivable?”

“Say anything you want, but I did it for a reason,” Emilia murmured, her eyes piercing at Gemma. “What are your reasons for cheating on your boyfriend and sleeping with your brother’s best friend?”

Gemma growled and launched herself at Emilia, who jumped right back as Isaac dragged Gemma away. A few nurses had gathered to watch them, unsure if it was necessary to call security. The four of them weren’t really fighting or being loud, but Y/N wasn’t sure how long they could maintain peace.

“Did I say something wrong?” Emilia looked at Isaac, whose eyes fastened on Y/N’s face at once.

“You two?” Y/N stared at him and Gemma in disbelief.

“Asher and I are over, Y/N,” Gemma said, reaching for Y/N’s hand. Y/N let her hold it, only because Y/N was too shocked to move.

“Does Harry know?” she asked quietly. Gemma and Isaac both shook their heads.

“Guess I’m not the only one who lied to Harry after all.”

Isaac shot Emilia a glare even though his features were incredibly calm. “Why haven’t you told him?”

“This isn’t a game of Truth or Dare,” she told him. “I’m not gonna blackmail you into doing something for me in return for my silence. I’m not a good person but I’m not that awful. I just wanted to help my mum. I don’t care what it takes.” Her voice suddenly dropped as she took a step further from them. “And I really liked you, Isaac. I’m sorry.”

Y/N could tell Isaac had a lot he wanted to say to Emilia, but he kept his lips tight because she wasn’t worth it. From the way Emilia was looking at him, she must regret lying to him the most. What about Harry? Harry didn’t deserve this. He’d been nothing but kind to her and Winton.

“Miss Y/L/N?” a nurse interjected. She was the one who’d spoken to Y/N about Laura. “Your friend is awake. Would you like to see her?” she told Y/N, who sighed in relief. At least this night didn’t go all the way down a pit of despair.

“I have to go,” she told Isaac and Gemma.

Isaac caught Y/N’s elbow before she could follow the nurse. “You’re not gonna tell Harry, are you?”

“I’m not gonna do the hard work for you three,” she said, giving all of them – even Emilia – a disappointed look. “You’re all going to tell him tomorrow. Not tonight. I don’t want his night to be ruined as well.” Then she fixed her eyes on Emilia, whose face was blank; either she hid her emotions really well, or she didn’t feel like any normal person would. Y/N stabbed a finger at Emilia, her voice rough, “You and your family better stay the fuck away from my boyfriend, or you’re gonna have to deal with his lawyer, and it won’t be pretty.”

The other nurses looked scared when Y/N caught them watching. She couldn’t even work up a smile as she mouthed the word “sorry” and marched right past them.

#my girl series

199 notes · View notes

niseamstories · 4 years

Photo

Tl;dr: The heavily revised physical edition Dreams of the Dying, my novel set in the Enderal universe, is now available for pre-order via Amazon via my website. Special early bird prices are $32.99 for the hardcover with an illustrated appendix, $12.99 for the paperback, and $2.99 for the eBook. It’s a prequel featuring Jespar, but, for reasons outlined below, opens up a new canon. Amazon.de has yet to pick up the listing for the physical editions, but they are incredibly slow—I’m working to get that done.

Hey guys,

This is Nicolas, the writer of Enderal speaking. As some of you may know, I’ve been working on an Enderal novel, Dreams of the Dying. First released as a web version, I spent the past year completely rewriting and improving the book, adding and removing chapters, revising characters arcs, and improving plotting, worldbuilding, and style. In total, I rewrote the web edition three times from cover to cover. Well, it’s finally time: Dreams of the Dying is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

The English version of Dreams of the Dying will release on October 20. A German (and perhaps Russian) translation will follow as soon as possible.

Please note that this is a rendering and that the actual hardcover looks slightly different, with same format but a matte dust jacket and a matte, laminated case. A big shoutout to Dominik Derow for the cover artwork, Johanna Krünes for her cover design, and Joyce, for her tips, patience, and help with this product shot.

Jaaros Oonai, magnate, visionary, and master of coin, doesn’t muse about whether the glass is half empty or half full—only about ways to fill it.

Jespar Dal’Varek, drifter, mercenary, and master of avoidance, doesn’t muse at all. He’d rather just drink the damn wine.

Two lives that could not be more different intertwine when a strange contract leads Jespar to the tropical island empire of Kilay, the wealthiest nation of the Civilized World.

The mission turns out to be as bizarre as it is lucrative: Jaaros Oonai, the country’s merchant king, knows something that could stop a catastrophe, but he has fallen into an inexplicable coma. Together with an ex-priestess and a psychic, Jespar must enter Oonai’s dreams and find this secret.

What should have been a fresh start rapidly turns into a nightmare, as Jespar slides into a spiral of disturbing dreams, political intrigue, and clashing ideals, where not only the fate of Kilay but his own sanity are at stake. It’s not long before he learns that only a spider’s thread divides the sleeping and the awoken.

And that there’s no greater enemy than one’s own mind.

The hardcover edition comes with an appendix that includes additional lore, such as an illustrated bestiary, a guide to Kilayan fashion, illustrations of the (re-envisioned) seven Light-Born, a short guide to the Makehu language, and much more.

Even though Dreams could be considered a prequel, I didn’t write this as an expansion or fan service but rather as my debut, and a book that stands on its own. This edition differs vastly from the web version, and, though it is up to you to judge, I’m a million times happier with it.

If you’re on the fence and would like to wait for reviews—here’s hoping I get enough—I fully understand. However, if you would buy the novel, you’d do me a great favor if you considered pre-ordering. One of the biggest challenges as an indie author is exposure; since Amazon registers all pre-orders as Day 1 sales, a lot of Day 1 sales would give me a chance to climb in the novel’s category and boost visibility for readers outside the Enderal community. To make this worth it to you, the book will sell for a special early bird price of $32.99 for the hardcover with the illustrated appendix, $12.99 for the paperback, and $2.99 for the eBook, as opposed to $37, $16, and $5. Just follow the link to my website and click pre-order—it will take you right to your local Amazon marketplace.

Unfortunately, Amazon.de has yet to pick up the listing for the physical editions, but they are incredibly slow—I’m working to get that done.

I’m aware the hardcover is in the upper price range, but it uses the best materials, and the illustrated appendix cost a lot to produce. It’s also the only edition where I make a more solid revenue, so see it as a way to support my work, if you wish.

If you’re a patron and pledged $110 or more since October 2018, I’ll be in touch a few weeks before launch to send out your signed hardcover copy right away. Thanks again for your support, Dreams became a far pricier project than I anticipated, and your patronage helped me immensely in covering the cost.

Lastly, a word of warning before you pre-order: For the paperback edition, I took the drastic step to separate Dreams and all future Enderal novels from the game canon. There are two good reasons for this. First, the Vyn games were created over 17 years, the earliest one being Myar Aranath in 2003. Fascinating as this idea may be, it also means that the lore of the Vyn universe was created by a myriad of different authors (the latest and current one being me when I joined the team in 2011). As a result of this, the lore of Vyn has always felt a little disjointed and inconsistent; I initially took these differences as challenges to conquer, but the longer I wrote, the more I realized how much these inconsistencies bothered me and how hard they made it to write the story and the universe I envisioned. Let me assure you that this decision wasn’t easy and does not reflect a lack of appreciation for the work of the previous workers. I stayed faithful to the lore whenever possible.

The second reason is a trickier one: Jespar. This character has been in my mind for nine years now, and I love him with all my heart. Still, the more I immersed myself in the story of Dreams, the more I grew aware of how incredibly constraining it was to write a story where the end is already written; because Jespar is alive in 8234 a. St. (1234 P.L. in new canon lore), you all know he will never be in real danger. Again, there is undoubtedly an intriguing challenge to writing such a “safe” story, but—similar to the lore, I increasingly felt like I was writing with fetters on.

So, what does this mean? Aside from the fact that anything can now happen, the consequences aren’t that drastic. Enderal is still Enderal, and Jespar is still Jespar, albeit thirteen years younger and at another point in his life. I changed and expanded details about his backstory, but his essential conflicts are still the same, only refined. Major changes include modifications to the Light-Born (their aspects, how they came to be, when and how they disappeared, and the societal consequences of that disappearance), the time frame of the different eras, and a complete rework of the magic system. Minor changes include dates, the spelling of names and locations (Kilay, not Kilé), and others details I tweaked for consistency and worldbuilding coherence.

And that’s about it. I’m aware and grateful for the love many of you have for this world, and believe me, I did my best to honor it; I just realized I cannot tell a good story with one arm tied behind my back. If it’s any solace, I can promise you that new book canon is ironclad – I’m pathologically obsessive about consistency and cohesive worldbuilding, but without a solid framework, that’s a recipe for frustration and disaster. See it as a different but nearby eventuality: details and fates may differ, but the soul of the world remains the same.

If all that didn’t scare you off, pre-order away! I also set up a Goodreads page for the book, so you can add it to your To-Be-Reads or even recommend it to your friends – this is an indie project by all means, so I’m grateful for every bit of support. Please keep in mind that the Goodreads is for the revised edition, not the web edition, so if you’re planning to leave a low rating, I’d be grateful if you waited to read the actual book in October 20. It’s a different experience.

Last but not least, a big thank you to everyone who supported me on Patreon, created fanart for Enderal, or just let me know they enjoyed this game and were looking forward to the novel. This novel was meant to be a 6-month stint but, boy, did it turn into something more. It sounds sentimental, but this last year has been rough personally, and your support and encouragement kept me going.

I hope this story will live up to your expectations.

Best,

Nicolas

Dreams of the Dying (Revised Edition) on Goodreads

My Newsletter

My Patreon

My Instagram

My Tumblr

My Facebook

#dreams of the dying #enderal #jespar dal'varek #sureai #vynblr #enderal forgotten stories #indie novel #horror #mystery novel #LGBT protagonist #cover art #artwork #gothic artwork #art nouveau

46 notes · View notes

ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

Text

Top 20 BEST Animated Series of the 2010s-11th Place

It’s here that I want to point something out for this next show.

The creators and people behind this series are not the best people on the planet. When something like this happens, you have to decide if what has been made is good enough to look past the people who made it. Personally, I think eleventh place on this list really is that good, but we should never forget what happened behind the scenes. Nor should the people who worked on the show.

With that out of the way, here's #11:

#11-She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018-2020)

The Plot: The planet of Etheria is in the middle of a war, one side being an evil horde of militaristic soldiers, and the other being magic casting princesses...stick with me here. Because in the middle of the war on Etheria, an unlikely hero is made: Adora, a cadet from the horde capable of leading armies. One day, she stumbles upon a magic sword that can turn her into a superhuman warrior called She-ra. And when she soon finds out that she's been fighting on the wrong side, Adora must use her newfound powers, along with the help of her new friends, to end the war and prevent an even bigger evil from his conquest.

Before I get started, here's what I know about the original series that this reboot is based on: F**k all. I haven't seen a single episode, nor have I have ever watched a single clip from the series. All I know is that it was one of those corny cartoons from the 80s that was basically one long, expensive cartoon commercial. That being said, even though I have never seen anything from the original She-Ra and the Princesses of Power...I can tell that this reboot took some creative liberties.

The most apparent differences are made clear with the characters. Not just because the characters have unique designs, features, representation, body types, and clothing. Primarily, it's because this show knows how to utilize its cast of characters. Say what you will, but a lot of the cartoons like the original She-Ra give the characters similar personalities that can be pretty wooden at times. Not only is a good chunk of the characters in the reboot entertaining to watch, but a lot of them have intriguing motives and backstories that are a ton of fun to learn about. Plus, there's a complexity added to everybody, especially the so-called bad guys. To the point that there are a total of one character that I'd say was actually evil. A good chunk of the villains has clear reasoning and motives behind their actions, that while the things they do are awful, you can see how these villains can still turn things around. Whether or not they deserve to redeem themselves, or even be forgiven, is up to the person watching, though. For me, when it comes to characters like Catra, I feel like I could write an entire book based on psychoanalyzing her personality and actions and why she deserves what happened to her at the end of the series. Even though I will admit, the theme of redemption could have used a bit more polish.

Which leads to how the reboot overall uses themes, I assume, a bit differently than its 80s counterpart. Back then, shows would teach kids the most common of barebones lessons that literally anybody could say. Now, as children's shows evolved into telling more complex morals that can be thought-provoking at times, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) adds its own two cents towards teaching kids. There are still the basics like do good, think through your actions, and be honest, but there is a recurring theme in the series that honestly impresses me. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) really dive deep into the idea of self-worth, making it clear that you as a person matters and how you are loved. This also ties brilliantly into both Adora and Catra down to their very core as characters. Adora almost always prioritizes the people she cares about over herself, to which she gets chastised by those same loved ones. This might be the first time ever when a story points out how a heroic sacrifice, what many see as a noble thing to do, can turn out to be the last thing a person should do. Then there's Catra, who shows how much a person's self-worth depends on their environment, as there were rarely ever people who made Catra feel as though she mattered. And the ones who actively did, she actively ignored their love.

Speaking of love, I don't know much about 80s cartoons, but I'm pretty sure none of them had the LGBTQ+ representation that Sher-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) had. I'm not kidding when I say that a solid 90% of the cast feels like they're somewhere on the spectrum, and that fact alone is flat out amazing. Most shows in the past seem to focus on the character's sexuality until the end of the series, and it was She-Ra (2018) that starts early on by showing how gay everyone is. What's even more admirable is that this series has no issues confirming same-sex couples, yet it's the straight ones that are only implied to be canon. Usually, it's the other way around, so I can't help but give a round of applause to the people responsible for it...even though said people are scum.

Here's the thing, I should really talk about what the people who worked on the show did, but before I do, there is one more complaint I want to point out about the show itself. Because even though a select few were scum, other people worked incredibly hard on making this series a reality, and it's not fair to them by ignoring their work and telling how they could improve.

Take the animators, for instance. Dozens of them put a lot of effort into bringing the world of She-Ra to life, and a lot of it was done with...minimal success. Because while the movements are passable and the expressions are top-notch, the action scenes are where the cracks start to show. For animated action, quality animation shouldn't be a bonus but rather a requirement as viewers need to feel the weight and force with each impact in a fight. Most of the time, the characters barely look like they're in pain, which is the last thing you need to convey during action scenes. I can tell that everyone tried their hardest to make the action work, but I can't help but feel that it could use a little more polish.

But, there's no more delaying the inevitable. It's time to talk about Noelle Stevenson, series creator and showrunner of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018). In a live stream, Stevenson and her co-workers made some not great comments that border on the racist side of things while also showing their egos by claiming how they had the best representation for specific groups. The racist stuff has and does speak for itself, but bragging about group representation is probably the last thing you should do. Because bragging about it can and will make it seem like you did it for the attention and not because you wanted to speak out for the underrepresented. Since then, Stevenson had apologized for these comments and promised to do better, but depending on how many people didn't buy into that, I doubt she'll be respected anytime soon. Now, this begs the question: How do we view She-Ra now that the creator is scummy.

Well, personally, I feel like the show shouldn't be overshadowed by the creator's actions. What Stevenson said is awful, and the only people who can forgive her are the same ones she hurt. We shouldn't ignore what she has done, no matter how good She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) is. Which, to be fair, it is a fantastic show. The characters are solid, the morals are great to teach to kids, and the representation is admirable, but not the best. Many more people than Stevenson worked on this series, and while I don't think she earns forgiveness, at least not yet, this is one of those times when you have to try to separate the art from the artist. Or, at the very least, learn that a person isn't a saint because they make something you consider to be powerful.

(Also, if there’s anything I’m incorrect about when recapping what happened with Stevenson and her crew, let me know. I’m basing this off of my own memory from people who recapped events, and I don’t want to spread misinformation.)

#top 20 of 2010s #she ra and the princesses of power #what i thought about

2 notes · View notes

averykedavra · 4 years

Text

Leave No Trace (Chap. 22)

[Masterlist] [Ao3]

Patton was getting tired of waking up in strange places.

This one was also pretty low on his list, because of the comfort level. He was sitting on a rock, tied to another rock, and his head was bumped up against a third rock. So many rocks. Didn't they have any chairs?

And wasn't he supposed to be, like, outside? He had a feeling he'd started off outside. Maybe falling. How'd he get in here?

"I caught you."

Oh, he'd asked it out loud. Or mysterious voice was a mind-reader. They'd caught him! That was good. Maybe. He wasn't sure, really. It all depended on who it was.

Patton hesitantly opened his eyes.

"You're awake," said a woman with greying hair and piercing black eyes.

"I don't really feel awake," Patton mumbled, trying to shake the clouds from his head. He knew her. Didn't he? "Gimme a sec. Sorry, I've been knocked out a lot recently."

The woman smiled a bit. "Of course."

Patton shook his head a few more times and counted backwards from a hundred. The world around him came into focus. He was in a huge chamber he recognized as the heart of the Mountain. Around him were a few bits of gold and some velvet-lined books. And in the center of it was the dragon, hands folded in her lap, sitting on a wooden straightbacked chair and eyeing Patton like he was a fly she wanted to swat.

"Wait." Patton's awareness crashed back into him. It felt like being doused in cold water. "You're Mara."

Mara smiled again. He didn't like her smile much. It was out of practice, like she'd learned the muscles but not the feeling. "My reputation precedes me."

"You're—" Patton stumbled over his questions. He tugged at the ropes around him. "Where am I? What'd you do to my friends?"

"Calm down, I don't want to deal with you throwing a fit." Mara's lip curled. "Despite my best efforts, your 'friends' are perfectly fine."

"They're—" Relief swept through Patton. "They're safe."

"In a manner of speaking," Mara said. "Of course, I've sent most of the dragons after them, so that may not be the case for very much longer."

Patton swallowed. If Janus got to the Iron Woods, they'd be fine. They'd be fine. He had to believe that.

It took two tries to get his throat unstuck. "And—and me?"

Mara's face was impassive. "You."

"You could have killed me." Patton shook his head. "You could have let me die—I was falling! You should have—why did you catch me?"

"Take a wild guess."

"Um." Patton would have guessed kindness and mercy, but from the glare Mara was giving him, he doubted it. "I'm drawing a blank, honestly."

"Hmm." Mara looked vaguely annoyed. "I suppose I'll have to explain, then." She spread her hands. "Put simply: you are a Faerie."

"What?" Patton paused. "Oh. I mean, I guess? Partially. Yeah."

"You are. And that intrigues me, I have to admit." Mara toyed with the edge of her sleeve. "We don't have many Fae around here."

Patton tried to smile. "I'm sure if you asked, they'd stop by!"

"We haven't asked and we don't wish to." Mara's voice was clipped. "The Fae are our mortal enemy."

"What—all of them?" Patton shifted sheepishly and tried to tug at his ropes without Mara seeing. "'Cause, um, I don't have anything against you guys! Except for the friend-kidnapped part. But I'm friends with one of you, so—"

"Janus. I'm aware." Mara's face twisted. "Ridiculous."

Patton glared at her defensively. "What's ridiculous?"

"You." Mara waved a hand at him. "All of you. You're a Faerie, yet you wander into our domain and are easily captured. You're a Faerie, yet you speak to me like a child would."

During her speech, Patton placed a hand on his ropes and tried to summon a small amount of fire. It felt like forcing an exhausted, atrophied muscle back to use. A flicker of sparks and the rope began to blacken. He pulled his hand out of Mara's sight and started to burn through the ropes around his hands.

"You're a Faerie," Mara continued, spitting the word every time she said it, "yet you somehow manage to manipulate one of our own into befriending you."

"I didn't manipulate him! He's my friend!" Patton paused. "I don't manipulate. Janus does sometimes, so if anyone did any manipulation it'd be him, and he didn't. Well, not very much."

He was rambling. He knew that. But he needed to buy enough time to burn through his ropes. After that—well, who knew? Maybe he could set the Mountain on fire again, but he had a feeling if he tried that again, he actually would die.

"Forgive me for not believing you." Mara's glare was hard and icy. Patton remembered the woman they'd met on the outskirts of the Wood days ago. "I shouldn't be listening to you at all—silver tongued, each and every one. Tricksters."

"Again. Um. I'm not really any of those things." Patton took a deep breath. "And…I don't mean to keep bringing this up, but if you don't trust me, why am I here?"

Mara was silent for a long moment. Patton stopped trying to burn away his bindings, because she was looking at him carefully and he figured she'd be able to tell.

"I'm curious," Mara finally said. "Curious how you managed to survive the Woods. Curious whether you or any of your allies pose any threat to us in the future. And curious whether any Fae would strike a deal to get you back."

"Um," Patton said, starting to work on the ropes around his shoulders. "For the first one, luck, mostly? And my friends. Second one, probably not? We'll leave you alone if you do the same! And the third…um, no. I don't—I'm just a little bit Fae. I've only met one other and she wasn't very nice."

"Hmm. Disappointing." Mara narrowed her eyes. "What's the extent of your magic?"

A direct question. Crap.

"Fire manipulation, compulsive honesty, and a bit of magical luck!"

"Compulsive honesty," Mara repeated.

"I mean." Patton paused. "No? No honesty? So little honesty. Definitely no honesty."

"You definitely don't seem very powerful," Mara mused. "And although you know my name, you've done nothing with it. Besides, Janus managed to not be killed by you and he's hardly a powerhouse, so I can only assume you're not a threat."

"Don't talk about Janus like that."

Mara raised an eyebrow, and Patton felt that for the first time, he'd gotten her full attention.

"Fiery words. Fiery words for a fiery Faerie, I suppose." Her voice took on a dangerous edge, a knife suspended by a string, one move away from falling. "You should know better than to talk back in this kind of situation."

Patton shrugged. A rope fell apart behind him and he pulled the ends together, reaching one hand to start on another. "I don't have much to lose, do I?"

"Touché." Mara shrugged. "But if you cooperate, I could make this a bit more painless."

"What's 'this?'" Patton asked warily, pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer.

"I haven't decided yet." Mara leaned in conspiratorially. "I am a fan of acid, though."

"What'd I do to you?" Patton burst out. "Why are you—you're going to kill me. For what? I really want to know what I did."

He didn't, actually, but buying time was the only weapon he had left. That and the meager fire that seared through the ropes around his ankles as he spoke.

Mara actually looked taken aback. "Well—you stole two servants and one of our own after trespassing in our Mountain—"

Patton frowned. "That's not it, though. You're lying."

Mara growled at him. "I am not lying!"

"You're scared," Patton realized. "You're scared of me!"

That should have made him feel bad. And it did, a little bit. But mostly, it made him feel warm with confidence. He had a bargaining tool here. He wasn't completely powerless.

He'd scared someone.

And it wasn't himself for a change.

"You are," Patton said to her, trying out the words. "You're all angry like Virgil and Jan get when they're scared! You think I'm a threat!"

"I do not!" Mara snarled at him. "You could not possibly defeat me, you puny, insignificant—"

"No, I can't," Patton agreed. "But you're worried everyone else will think that I could."

Mara's face contorted. "I would stop talking, if I were you."

Patton didn't. "Janus was always scared to open up to us. He thought we'd hurt him if we knew he could be hurt. Are you like that? Are you scared everyone will think you're weak if you don't prove otherwise?"

"That's enough!" Mara yelled. She took a breath and composed herself. "I've had about enough of this. You're coming with me and I'm going to make you regret being born."

"Wait!" Patton blurted out. He still had two ropes to work through. "Um…how old are you?"

"I have no idea how that's relevant."

"I'm curious." Patton looked at her carefully. "You seem on the older side. Do you…do you remember how things were? Before the Woods?"

For a second, he was sure Mara would grab him and pull him along without answering. But then her eyebrows pulled together. "Dimly."

"You were alive!" Patton exclaimed as fire snapped another rope behind him. "Can you tell me? About the Woods, about you guys, about…about who created them?"

"They were made by a Faerie," Mara said, as if it was something she'd repeated many times before. "That's all we've bothered to remember."

Patton bit his lip. "I bet you remember more than that."

"They were made by a Faerie." Mara's hand curled around her wrist. "They keep us trapped here. And we trap them in return, with our stolen iron, because magic always strains to be free." She paused, as if thinking through what to say. "Magic is like fire, I think you'd understand that—it yearns to be out of control and to spread as much as possible. Sometimes this leads to destruction, sometimes creation, sometimes good and sometimes evil. Magic isn't inherently monstrous, nor is anything. It's simply a tool. It wants to exist and it wants to grow."

"Yeah." Patton nodded. "I—I know."

"Yet it does destroy," Mara added, "if it's let too loose. Let magic run wild, and this whole world would be consumed by it."

Patton paused. "Would that really be so bad?"

"Spoken like a true Faerie." Mara's lip curled in disgust. "As you tried to ignite our home, I don't think you'd understand."

"Um, sorry about that," Patton said. "And…but…it was like that for a while, right? There was magic everywhere once, and things were fine, weren't they?"

"Once," Mara agreed, "and for a while. The world has changed."

"It could change back." Patton didn't know where the words were coming from, but he knew they were true, just as much as he knew he was running out of time. "I think the magic would like a little more space. Just a bit."

"And what do you propose? It destroys us all and wipes out our kind? The Fae—" Mara waved a hand at Patton. "—take our place like they've always clamored to do?"

"It's not you versus them," Patton said.

"It's always us versus them." Mara scoffed. "It's been us versus the world ever since—"

"—ever since the magic was sealed off," Patton finished. "And…and that's done. And it can't be undone. The past is the past. But we can still change it, we can still—we can still learn from it. We don't have to keep acting out our parts just because the story's already been written. We can cross out some bits and make things a little better."

The ropes fell away. He held them in place and tried to look trapped. It wasn't hard. Mara wasn't staring at his hands—she was listening. She was actually listening.

"I met someone in the Woods," Patton continued, his voice a little shaky, but still strong. "And she told me that—that the Woods are a prison. There's not enough space. And the Woods are a threat to you, something you have to contain—you're risking your lives for this iron. And the Woods, for us, are something we don't understand." He leaned forward. "Maybe there's not a way to fix everything for everyone. But if we sit down and do nothing, nothing'll ever get better. Nothing'll ever change."

Mara was silent for a long time. "I don't understand what you're asking."

Patton threw everything on the table. "I'm asking you to let me go. I'm asking you to give me a chance. Please."

Mara watched him for a second longer.

Then a wall slammed over her face. "I can't afford to do that."

"But if you—"

"I have killed for this position." Mara spread her hands. They were jointed and wide like dragon wings. "I have burned towns to keep my family alive, my position alive—I have clawed my way to the top and I will not be brought back down with lies and cheap magic tricks." She leaned forward and traced a finger down Patton's chin. "You are nothing to me. You are a little mockery of the magic that chained us here with nothing but our own scales and wings to survive with. I will not be denied, I will not be destroyed, and I will not be lectured by a Faerie."

"I—" Patton jerked his head away from her. "I am a Faerie. But…I'm not your enemy. Janus—"

"—is a complete and utter disappointment if he keeps the likes of you as company." Mara rolled her eyes. "Frankly, I'm glad you took him—he's not the type I want sticking around here."

Anger flared in Patton's chest and the secret fire in his hands flared with it. "Don't talk about him like that!"

"What?" Mara asked. "It's the truth. From what I've seen of him, he's never been strong enough to make a name for himself."

Patton pulled up his chin. "Well, I think he's way stronger than you."

Mara stared at him and clapped her hands. "Congratulations. Just for that, your death is going to be painful. I hope you—"

She cut herself off. Patton stared at her. Her face was slack.

She lifted one arm and touched her shoulder. It was dripping blood.

A crossbow bolt had sunk into it.

Mara staggered to her knees, grabbing at the bolt and yanking it out with a horrifying squelch. Patton quickly burned the rest of his ropes and tore them off, tossing them on top of Mara for good measure. He rubbed his wrists as he clambered to his feet and looked around, barely daring to hope.

"Come on!" Virgil yelled from a nearby tunnel.

Patton's face split into a grin. He ran over and Virgil grabbed his hand, pulling him into the darkness. And they ran.

Running with Virgil was different than Janus, because Virgil always slowed down when Patton did. It was up to Patton to keep the pace, which was hard when it was so dark. He snapped his fingers. After three tries, Sparky tore itself into existence, bobbing in front of them and leading the way.

Behind them, Patton heard the roar of a dragon.

Virgil looked back, swore, and ran faster.

"You came back," Patton blurted out. He shouldn't be wasting his breath, he knew that, but having Virgil holding his hand and tearing down the hallways with him made a million emotions jostle for position in his chest. "How did you—"

"Janus," Virgil huffed. He reached for his bolts. "Dammit, that was my last one!"

"Janus?" Patton started to ask. A burst of fire curled in the air above him. He shrieked and shoved Virgil forward, and they both somehow managed to run even faster.

It wouldn't be enough. And even when they got out, they wouldn't be safe. This wasn't safe. How were they even here?

Patton opened his mouth to ask. Or maybe thank Virgil. No words came—he was entirely out of breath. He tried to blast some fire behind them. Nothing.

Light up ahead.

Virgil somehow found a reserve of superhuman speed and tugged Patton ahead. Right onto the ledge, and before Patton could appreciate the view of circling dragons and distant Woods, they were falling.

Patton's scream was whipped away from him.

A flash of scales. Familiar, yellow and black scales.

Patton landed with a jolt on the back of a dragon.

Virgil was ahead of him, groaning. "Come on," he complained as the dragon wheeled away from the Mountain. "That hurt. Couldn't you get any farther up?"

Janus snorted and shook his head just enough to make Virgil slip a bit.

"Okay, fine!" Virgil screeched. "I'm sorry! Don't let me fall!"

Janus snorted again and flew faster. Dragons were already clustered on the edges. Patton, for his part, was very sore and still a little groggy and had next-to-no idea what was happening. He shot a bit of fire in the general direction of their pursuers, hoping it would scare them off.

"Bank left!" Virgil yelled as a dark maroon dragon came in, claws extended. Janus narrowed his wings and plunged to the left, dropping almost fifty feet. Virgil shrieked. Patton grabbed the scales for dear life. He was situated in the middle, with Virgil next to him, feet digging into the scales on either side. He hoped this wasn't hurting Janus too much.

"I told you to bank!" Virgil thwacked Janus on the shoulder. "That was a dive! Don't dive! That scares me!"

Janus spat a bit of fire at an approaching dragon and let it curl back around to Virgil. Virgil hissed and flipped Janus off, which was strange, since Virgil was also clinging onto him for dear life.

Patton looked around at everything. Blue sky, fluffy clouds, steep gray sides of the Mountain growing more and more distant, dragons flanking them like a parade, shining bright as beads in the midday sun.

And Virgil and Janus. Virgil sitting on Janus' back like he'd done it all his life, wind whipping his hair and hoodie, empty crossbow strapped to his back and eyes narrowed.

"You…" Patton tapped Virgil's shoulder to get his attention—it was loud up here, what with all the wind and yelling and roars behind them. Virgil turned around. "You're riding a dragon."

"Don't remind me," Virgil said, his hands tightening on Janus' sides. "It…hey, it was a two-person rescue mission. Just don't ask me to do this again."

"I didn't ask you to do it in the first place," Patton said, but he was smiling. Of course he was. He couldn't imagine not smiling right now—they'd come back for him. They'd saved him. They'd done it. "In fact, I remember saying the opposite."

"Well, sorry, Pat, my days of listening to you are over." Virgil paused and squeezed Pat's arm. "I love you too, Pat. Good to have you back."

Patton smiled wider.

Then he screamed as they dipped suddenly and wove around two dragons. Fire singed Patton's hair and he ducked. Virgil's knuckles were white. He lunged out and thwacked a nearby tail with his crossbow, which did nothing but make his crossbow slip from his fingers and fall against Janus' side.

Virgil looked at the crossbow, took a deep breath, and dropped it. It felt to the thorns below and disappeared.

Patton gasped and leaned forward. He expected to see Virgil upset. He didn't expect to see Virgil smiling.

"I was out of bolts," Virgil said. "And—I'm alright without it. I don't think I need it anymore."

Patton would have hugged Virgil right then if they weren't both on a dragon, and if Janus hadn't swooped wildly to the left in an attempt to avoid a deep purple dragon with black horns. Instead, he just held on for dear life and hoped Janus knew what he was doing.

He glanced back at the Mountain. Tall and buzzing with dragons like a hive of bees. Their colors stood out against the sky. They really were beautiful. They could be a lot more than this if they let themselves—and if everyone else let them, too.

Then he saw something.

A huge black dragon, taking off from the top of the Mountain, wings wide.

Mara.

"Janus!" Patton yelled. "Mara's here!"

Janus didn't say anything—he couldn't, he was a dragon, but Patton was having trouble thinking clearly when they were being attacked from all sides. His muscles tensed under Patton's hand. They flew even faster, dipping low over the thorns, so close that Patton kicked one of the tallest branches and snapped it in two.

Most of the dragons were turning back now. One tried to attack from behind, and Janus' tail swung out and caught it in the ribs. Patton raised a hand and fire flickered from his fingers.

Then he remembered the burning Mountain, and Janus collapsed in that courtyard, and Mara's fear.

He let the fire diminish again.

The thorns were thinning. Up ahead Patton could see the fuzzy line of the Woods, green and safe and so close and way too far away.

Janus twisted around midair and blasted fire at a nearby dragon. Patton slipped sideways and Virgil grabbed him without looking. Patton dug his heels into the scales and held on even tighter. He knew Janus would catch him if he fell, or do his best, but they needed to get to the Woods and he wasn't really excited about being away from Janus during a fight.

"Where—" Patton tapped on Virgil's shoulder again. "Where are Logan and Remus?"

"They're on—" Janus executed a roll and Virgil shrieked. "—the other side of the Woods! Janus dropped me off by the chasm and—Jan, guy on your left!—and flew L and Re over the Woods. I think they're—watch it!—sitting on that road right now."

"You did?" Patton asked.

"Yeah, you said to take them back and we wanted to go rescue you." Virgil shrugged. "So we compromised. Didn't seem fair to drag them back here, and Jan and I—turns out we make a good team."

Janus made a snorting noise that could have meant "Yes, the best team" and could have meant "you're full of it, idiot." Patton decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and smiled at him, patting his scales. Janus huffed and kept flying.

They were approaching the Woods. Patton could make out the individual trees and a few remains of the bridge on each side of the chasm. Thank goodness they didn't have to cross it again—flying was way easier, except for the winds and the other dragons and the ever-present fear of falling off into the thorns and dying.

Almost all the dragons had turned back by now. Except for Mara. She was gaining on them, a dozen feet above them, and when her wings raised they blocked out the sun.

"She's not stopping!" Patton yelled into Virgil's ear.

Virgil gave Mara a panicked look. "She'll stop. She has to."

Janus just kept flying.

The thorns beneath them unfurled in an endless carpet of twisted branches. Janus ducked even lower. One of the branches scraped along his side and he made a noise of pain. The branches came away bloody. They must have hit his injury.

"Come on," Virgil muttered over the wind. Patton wasn't sure who he was talking to. "Come on, just a little further, we're almost there—"

Thorns, thorns, Mara swooping behind them like a bat, black with silvery edges and staring a hole in Patton's chest—

The thorns stopped neatly as if chopped by a knife.

And they were over the chasm.

And they were over the Woods.

And Janus dipped back and forth, circling a few times. Patton noticed the little sphinx dive for safety, disappearing in a puff of feathers and leaving only an empty chasm and a bit of rope behind.

Mara had paused fifty feet away, flying back and forth, pacing up and down the edge of the thorns and watching them. She didn't seem to be tired at all. She was so huge—Patton watched the muscles in her wings and the way the skin stretched over the bones, and he shivered.

Janus landed.

It was a rough landing. Patton slipped halfway off his back, jostled, and Virgil yelped and grabbed at Janus' scales. Janus pushed Patton the rest of the way off with his tail, and Virgil jumped to the ground too. Patton hit the stone. He sat there for a second, enjoying the feeling of sunny stone under his hands, and rose achingly to his feet.

Virgil was watching Mara, eyes narrowed, hands jammed in his pockets.

Janus huffed once more and then he was human, wings narrowing into nothing and hair falling over his face. He looked at Patton, and just like always, Patton couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"You—you saved me," Patton blurted out. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Something in Janus' face tightened. He stepped forward. "Pat—"

"Sorry." Patton immediately felt bad for interrupting, but he kept talking. "I'm…sorry. I don't regret what I did, and I really wanted to get Virgil out of there, but you risked your life to come back and it must have been tough to carry three people and I'm sorry—"

Janus stepped forward again.

And hugged Patton fiercely. One arm came up to circle Patton's shoulders, the other cupped the back of his head. Janus tucked his chin over Patton's shoulder and turned his face into Patton's neck.

Patton stood there frozen for a longer time than he wanted to admit. Janus was cool and strong and so, so close, and he could feel Janus' chin slotting over Patton's shoulder and Janus' hand rubbing Patton's arm and Janus was still cradling the back of Patton's head like he wanted to protect Patton from the world. Like he wanted to keep Patton safe and never let go.

Virgil was watching them with a smirk. He gave Patton a little 'move' gesture, which Patton took to mean "Hug him back."

Patton gladly hugged Janus back. He brought up his arms and pulled himself to Janus' chest and took a deep breath. Janus smelled like blood and Patton probably smelled like something burning. Janus was shaking slightly and Patton was three seconds away from crying. Janus was wounded and Patton was tired and they were only one chasm away from a still-circling dragon who would gladly rip them to shreds.

It was the best hug Patton had ever had.

And now he was crying.

Patton pressed his face into Janus' shoulder and let a few tears slip out. They'd ruin Janus' shirt, but he had to admit Janus' shirt was far past ruined already. And Janus didn't seem to mind at all. He ran his hand through Patton's hair and squeezed him tighter, and Patton was clutching at Janus' shirt because he didn't want Janus to leave and Janus wasn't leaving.

"You're an idiot," Janus whispered. "You thought I wouldn't come back for you, you're an idiot."

"I didn't want you to get hurt." Patton raised his head. "But—thank you."

"Anytime." Janus pulled his hand up and wiped at Patton's face with his thumb. "We're okay now. It's over."

"We're okay," Patton repeated, giddiness bubbling up inside of him. "We did it?"

"We did it," Janus agreed, a little smile on his face.

"We did it!" Patton squealed and gave Janus one more squeeze. "Virgil, we did it!"

"Um." Virgil's voice was hesitant. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But. No, we didn't. Not yet."

Patton let go of Janus and looked over the chasm.

Mara was headed straight for them.

"What." Janus looked completely stunned. "She's not—we never go into the Woods, what is she thinking—"

"She has to be turning around." Virgil backed towards the Woods. "She has to be, let's go—"

Janus nodded and slipped his hand into Patton's. Patton squeezed it and followed him as they ran down the side of the chasm. The rocks were smooth and dry beneath them and Patton took a moment to revel in the sunlight, the fresh air, the wind at his back and the rustling of leaves and the smell of the Woods, thick and deep and magical.

"Where is it?" Virgil complained. He'd run out in front of them and was scanning the tree line. "That stupid path has to be somewhere!"

"There," Janus said, his voice clipped. His hand had come up to his side again, and fresh blood leaked between his fingers.

Patton sprinted toward the narrow path, Virgil and Janus right behind him. He felt the shadows splash onto his skin like water and he was running down the dappled path, dirt under his feet and trees all around and iron glowing in the shadows.

And wow. He'd missed this.

"We're in the Woods, thank the stars." Virgil stumbled to a stop. "And I can't believe I just said that."

Patton looked back down the path. The Mountain was still visible, dark and gray, but most of the dragons were gone. As Patton watched, a few more slipped into the caves and disappeared. They'd given up, gotten bored, and probably didn't want to risk their lives by following. Patton couldn't blame them.

Janus was struggling to catch his breath, a good portion of his shirt wet with dark blood. Patton stepped forward to help, but there was nothing they could do right now.

"So," Virgil said after another few seconds of silence and leaves, "what do we do?"

"Fly?" Patton suggested.

"I'd have to find a place to take off." Janus looked at the branches criss-crossing above them. A net or a web, hemming them in, and Patton was reminded of why he didn't actually like the Woods very much.

"There's that cliff," Virgil said.

Patton bit his lip. "That's days away."

"We could go back to the chasm and take off from there," Janus said, not sounding convinced.

"We'd be right out in the open!" Virgil said. "Even if Mara's gone, she could come back."

"Mara's gone?" Patton asked, squinting down the path. Sure enough, there was no black figure idly hovering in the distance. "Huh. That's…good, I guess."

Janus and Virgil were silent. They'd probably picked up on what Patton had—that even if Mara might die from following them, it still felt weird that she hadn't even tried, that she'd left without fanfare. Seeing her in the sky, like a ripped edge showing off the night beneath, was terrifying. Not seeing her at all was somehow even more so.

"She must have left," Virgil said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself. "She's not that stupid. Right?"

Shadows pooled over Patton, thick and dark, and now he was really remembering why he hated the Woods. It was that itchy feeling of being watched again, the crawling sensation of being listened to, the creeping fear of being trapped. Like something was hovering over them, waiting for the moment to strike. He shook himself and stepped away from the edges of the path. It'd be fine. They were only feet from the edge of the Woods and they'd be fine.

Then Patton looked up.

One of the shadows above them wasn't a tree.

"Guys?" Patton asked, his voice squeaking in a question he didn't intend to ask. "Is this—"

Janus looked up, paled, and swore.

"She's an idiot," Virgil said shakily. "An actual idiot."

Mara was hovering over the trees, her wings barely distinguishable from the branches, drifting in a low, lazy circle over their heads.

"She can't be serious," Patton said. "She—these are the Woods."

"I suppose she hopes to catch us by waiting us out," Janus said.

"What do we do," Virgil asked desperately. "What do we do, Jan, what do we do—"

"There's no immediate danger," Patton said. "She can't get us down here. So…maybe we should just walk through the Woods on our own? Go back the way we came?"

Neither Janus or Virgil looked excited about that. Patton had to admit it wasn't the best plan.

"Sure," Janus agreed, "and climb up a cliff instead of down it. I foresee no possible consequences of that."

"L and Re are waiting," Virgil added. "They don't have any food and I told them to stay put—we can't just leave them there for days."

Okay, fine. It was really a terrible plan.

But what else were they supposed to do? The moment they took off, they'd have Mara on their tail, and Janus was smaller and injured and carrying two people. She'd catch up in an instant.

"Maybe we wait her out," Virgil suggested. "She can't hover all day."

Janus sighed and half-collapsed to the ground. "As a short-term plan, I'm all for it."

Virgil sat down as well. Patton rushed over to Janus. "How's your side?"

"Not great," Janus admitted, pulling away his hand. Blood had crusted in the lines of his palm. Patton's stomach turned when he saw the cut. "I don't see what I can do about it at the moment, though."

"Put pressure on it," Patton suggested.

"Here." Virgil wrestled off his hoodie, revealing his snug purple t-shirt and thin arms. He tossed it over. "Tear this into strips or whatever. I don't know medicine. But I think it could make an alright bandage."

Patton took Virgil's hoodie gingerly. "You sure? This is your favorite hoodie—"

"I'm not the one bleeding out, am I?" Virgil jerked a head at Janus. "He's our ride. Best not to have him collapsing of blood loss mid-flight."

Still, Patton saw the flicker of concern in Virgil's eyes, and from the way Janus thanked him almost-entirely sincerely, he knew Janus could tell, too.

Patton tore the hoodie into strips, wincing every time, even though the hoodie was practically strips already. He handed Janus bundles of cloth, and Janus obligingly pressed them to his wound, hissing as he did so.

"She's not leaving," Virgil noted, watching Mara. He raised his wrist, probably to chew on his sleeve, then seemed to realize he had no sleeve to chew on. He settled for shifting back and forth and drumming on his leg.

"Be patient," Patton said, wiping at Janus' wound. Logan and Remus had taken the knapsacks, so they had no water. Hopefully they'd be able to get to them soon.

"He has a point," Janus said. "If she's willing to wait us out, I doubt she'll leave right away."

"We can't leave Remus and Logan alone!" Virgil jumped to his feet and started to pace. "We can't just stay here indefinitely!"

"Hello!" Patton called up at Mara. "Can you leave, please? We want to leave and you're not letting us leave!"

Janus stared at Patton. "Please tell me you're being sarcastic."

Mara didn't respond. Probably because she couldn't hear him. And even if she did, what would she say? Maybe nothing. Maybe she'd just light Patton up with the kind of fire he couldn't control.

It was hard to keep track of her in the trees. She dipped and weaved among the branches, no more than another shadow cast by leaves. Sometimes her shadow dripped over Patton or slipped over Virgil or hovered over Janus, thick and smug, digging its claws into them. They couldn't move. She was keeping them in place.

"We should try and walk," Janus suggested. "Perhaps she'll lose us in the trees."

A weak suggestion, but all they had. Patton helped Janus to his feet and they began to walk down the path. Patton resisted the urge to bolt down the path—it wouldn't do them any good and he was too tired to keep it up—and the urge to bolt off the path—nope, not today, sorry mysterious feeling.

Mara followed, even darting ahead of them sometimes as if to tease them. They couldn't hide from her. She knew where they were going, and if it weren't for the Woods between them, she'd dive and catch them instantly.

The Woods were their only protection.

That was a funny thing to think. Then again, it felt right in Patton's head. The Woods would protect them. He knew that.

Why'd he know that? They certainly hadn't done anything to help them before.

Patton shook himself and kept walking. It didn't matter one way or another. They'd be out of here soon and he'd be back home and never have to think about the Iron Woods again. No more adventures, no more Fae, no more dragons.

Well, except for one specific dragon.

Patton glanced at Janus to make sure he was doing okay. He was limping a bit but looked alright. That was good. Patton didn't think he could stand it if Janus got hurt again. Janus got hurt too much and that really wasn't fair at all.

Mara flew above them like their shadow, following in their footsteps, and Patton felt her prickly eyes on his back.

"Why is she following?" Virgil threw up his hands. "What did we do to her?"

Janus stared at him. "You shot her with a crossbow."

"I do that to a lot of people! Including you! She's not special!"

"Well, I disobeyed her authority," Janus pointed out. "And Pat…I don't know if Patton did anything, although he did briefly set the Mountain on fire—"

"I, um, deconstructed her psychologically," Patton said, rubbing at the back of his neck, "and encouraged her to reexamine her biases towards the Fae?"

Janus sighed. "Yeah, that'd do it."

"Damn," Virgil added, sounding impressed.

Mara circled them. She was staying away from the trees themselves, which made sense. Patton caught a flash of fire as she huffed in annoyance.

"Come on, hurry up," Virgil said. "I want to get as far away from Ms. Evil here as possible. Maybe she'll turn around if she's too far away from backup."

"She doesn't need backup," Janus said, sounding oddly resigned. "If she wants us, she'll get us eventually."

"That's no way to think about it," Patton said, growing warm with determination. "We're safe in here and we'll figure out a new plan if we need one—"

Janus didn't respond. Neither did Virgil. They were both staring up at Mara.

Patton looked up.

Oh. He wasn't warm because of determination.

He was warm because the tops of the trees were on fire.

Flames leaped from branch to branch, crumbling the leaves like tinder, skidding down the bark and falling with broken twigs to the ground. Yellow-orange light flickered over everything. Smoke was already rising, obscuring the sun, casting the whole scene in unnatural darkness. Iron was melting, dripping down from its perches in streams of molten heat.

"She's burning it," Patton whispered, more horrified than he'd ever been. "She's burning the Woods."

"She's setting the damn Iron Woods on fire!" Janus yelled, sounding equally horrified. "She's trying to smoke us out! Does she have a death wish—every creature in the Woods will be after her—"

"If they survive," Virgil said quietly. He was standing stock-still in the middle of the path, smoke drifting in ribbons around his face, eyes wide.

"We've got this," Patton said for Virgil's benefit, and also because it was the only thing stopping him from crying and curling into a ball. "We'll run! Now! And I'll put out the fire!"

"Great idea, fight fire with fire, that's a highly recommended tactic." Despite Janus' biting words, he looked about to bolt as well. "Running out of here is what she wants."

"At least we can fight her!"

"Personally," Virgil said raspily, "I think the scary dragon and the flames are equally terrifying and I'm probably going to shut down in a few seconds because we're going to die oh my stars we are going to die—"

The fire was spiraling closer to them. Mara flew above them, a dark shape in the smoke, blocking out the sun and sending smoke into Patton's lungs. He didn't blame Virgil for panicking. This was terribly familiar. Patton knew how it went. The fire burned through the easiest tinder then jumped to the larger pieces of wood, and then the trees collapsed, and the smoke filled the air until breathing meant coughing on gray and exhaling ashes.

He knew how this went.

Except now there was magic involved. A magic forest was burning. And Patton had a feeling that would be good for no one.

Mara circled and suddenly dived, a streak of black lightning in the sky, landing in a plume of smoke. Fire flickered by her feet. She'd burned a little space for herself to land.

Haze crossed her and suddenly she was human-shaped, hair down and clumped around her head, fire skating from her legs like she was a Fae like Patton, who could summon the fire to her will.

Except she wasn't. She didn't have control. She couldn't stop this—no one could—it was going to burn out of control and destroy the Woods and everything inside. And Patton felt that, deeply and terribly, that was wrong.

"What are you doing?" Virgil screamed at her as a branch fell, streaming with fire, to the ground. "You're going to kill us all."

"Correction." Mara swept a hand around at the smoke. She didn't look bothered. It was like she breathed smoke every day and lit fires every evening. Maybe she did. "I'm going to kill you."

"This'll kill you too!" Patton pleaded. His eyes were already tearing up, maybe from the smoke, maybe from the wrenching pain he felt as a tree collapsed nearby. The fire was spreading, he could feel it, like it was burning him up along with the Woods. "It'll kill everyone, you have to stop—"

"I'm not going to listen to a Faerie." Mara waved her hands. "Now, are you going to sit there and be good little prey, or am I going to have to come over there?"

Janus answered that question by tossing a burning log at Mara's head. She dodged neatly.

"Disappointing," she noted like he'd lost a poker game. "You're such a waste of space, honestly, I don't know why I haven't killed you yet."

Virgil called her several names that insulted her parentage, her purity, and every other aspect of her life. Janus just stood there, watching the flames burn around them.

"At least you're not running," Mara added. "You have the sense to admit that's futile."

Patton jumped away as an ember fell at his feet. If they ran to the chasm, maybe they'd be able to cross it and be safe? It'd leave them open to dragon attacks, but anything was better than burning trees and thickening smoke and Mara's knife-edge smile.

They could run. They needed to run. They had no options left.

Still, he ached at the thought of leaving the Woods behind to burn.

Virgil must have had the same thought, because a hand grabbed Patton's arm and Janus' shoulder, and now they were running in a scrambled dash down the path. The trees burned above them, a sick kind of arch, a tunnel leading who-knew-where and away from someone was destroying a forest filled with magic. Patton thought of the unicorn he'd saved, the snake they'd fought, the gryphons they'd been chased by, even his ancestor, the Faerie. She'd sacrificed so much to create this place. It wasn't right that it was going to be destroyed like this, an afterthought, a way for a proud dragon to prove her strength.

But what could Patton do? Janus was right. Fire couldn't beat fire.

"Oh, you are going to run," Mara said. "Come on, I don't have time for this."

And footsteps behind them, surprisingly nimble, skidding around burning patches of the path.

The iron around them was pooling on the ground, sickening puddles of heat, making Patton's head swim.

Mara was behind them, gaining.

Janus was running like his life depended on it. Blood dripped from his side. He might have been crying, but it was hard to tell in the smoke.

Virgil was breathing so heavily Patton could see his chest go up and down. He was wild-eyed and his fingers dug into Patton's arm and Patton caught him muttering "no, no, no" over and over again. Patton clenched his fist and realized he was still holding some of the strips of Virgil's hoodie. The cloth fluttered in the breeze as he ran.

Mara jumped and her bones shifted in midair, huge wings bursting out, and she was diving at them, and Patton ducked and rolled, and Virgil screamed and dodged, and Janus whirled but stumbled and he hit the ground hard. Mara landed inches from him, lowering her face to look him in the eye.

Patton's resolve hardened.

He grabbed an ember from the path, wrapped it in the cloth, and chucked it at Mara's back.

Fae luck. The kind of luck that helped him make it through the Woods alive. The kind of luck that gave him amazing best friends and a great brother. The kind of luck that made him fall and have someone to catch him.

And how much did he really need anyway? He was aiming for the biggest dragon he knew, silhouetted against the smoke and finally still as she prepared to hurt Patton's best friend. It was like hitting the broad side of a barn.

He didn't need luck.

The embers hit square in the middle of Mara's back.

Patton didn't pause to watch them burn her. He pulled Virgil along. Janus, for his part, didn't hesitate. He kicked Mara in the face, rolled out of her grasp, and came up running. Virgil chucked another burning stick at Mara as she struggled to follow, screeching in pain.

Patton smiled. At least he had friends to back him up.

They ran deeper into the Woods.

Around them, the fire spread.

Patton was really starting to hate fire.

"Where do we go?" Virgil yelled over the sound of trees cracking. "What do we do?"

"I can't—" Janus paused to cough, pulling his shirt up over his mouth. Patton did the same. "I can't fly through fire."

"Well, we have to do something!" Virgil's voice was bordering on hysterical. He waved his hands wildly as if he could put out the fire through sheer force of will. "I'm not dying here, Jan! I'm not!"

"Take a breath," Janus said.

"I can't," Virgil yelled, "because there's smoke everywhere!"

Patton was watching Mara behind them. She was shifting back into her human form, leaping over fallen trees with the grace of an gazelle, gaining on them fast.

"She's following us," Patton reported.

"No kidding," Janus said. "I think at this point, she'd follow us off a cliff."

"No cliffs!" Virgil almost screamed. "I'm terrified enough, thank you!"

Patton glanced back at Mara. She certainly seemed determined to follow them even if it meant her own death.

Then again, she could fly out of here. They couldn't.

Except she couldn't. Not if Janus couldn't. And she didn't want to. She only had eyes for them. Patton wondered if she even noticed the fires around her.

This whole place was burning down. And Patton was stumbling forward, trying to stay upright, trying to breathe, trying to stay on the path—

Patton froze.

"Pat?" Virgil turned to him in panic. "You gotta run—everything's on fire—I can't—"

"Guys," Patton said, "do you trust me?"

"Absolutely," Janus said without hesitation. Virgil just nodded.

"Great." Patton grabbed their hands. "Then follow me."

He ran.

Straight off the path and into the fire.

And Janus and Virgil followed, albeit with a lot of screaming and swearing.

Patton glanced back at Mara. She paused but stepped over the iron barrier and slipped into the trees.

Running through the Woods was different than being on a path. Trees loomed in the smoke and had a tendency to appear right where Patton was headed so he had to dodge last-minute. Embers and ash and burning branches fell like a hailstorm and smoke clogged every inch of the air. His feet hurt with every step. His lungs burned hotter than the fire around them. But nothing came out to grab them. Nothing attacked them. Patton's hunch had been right—the Woods were too busy fending off the attack to do anything about their intrusion.

Well, hopefully, only most of it was.

"Hi!" Patton yelled as they traveled through the Woods. "I have a feeling you're listening. So, um—little help?"

"What—" Virgil didn't even finish his sentence because of the smoke, but Patton got the gist of it. Janus, on his other side, was staring at him like he'd lost his mind. Maybe he had. But this was their best shot.

"Please!" Patton yelled as Mara followed, slipping between burning trunks, eyes narrowed. "You don't want her in here, I know it, and you don't want this place to burn! Neither do I—so help us!"

A clearing opened up in front of them, miraculously clear of smoke. They stumbled into it, eyes watering. Virgil bent over to cough and Janus staggered over to a tree, leaned on it, and struggled to catch his breath.

Mara stopped feet from them, looking triumphant. She didn't even seem winded. Patton stepped backward, but not out of fear—he just wanted to leave some room.

"Please, don't do this," Patton begged. "You're going to get hurt."

"No, I'm not." Surrounded by fire, Mara looked more inhuman than any Fae Patton had ever met. "I'm going to win. And I'm going to make you regret ever stepping near my Mountain."

"Listen to me." Patton didn't know why he was giving her so many chances. "Don't come over here. Leave. Leave us be and it'll be okay, I promise, you just have to leave."

Mara smiled thinly. "I'm not one to waste opportunities."

She took a step forward.

Patton spotted a small branch near her ankle. It shifted just a little. A small wiggle.

"Sorry," Patton said.

"Sorry for what?" Mara asked.

"You made a mistake." Patton turned to Janus. "Jan? Wanna tell her what it is?"

Janus drew up his chin and looked her in the eyes. "You stepped off the path."

The branch looped around Mara's ankle and yanked her in the air.

She spun around a few times before settling into place. Her hair scraped the forest floor. She was screaming something Patton couldn't hear—because behind him was the sound of crashing and trembling and growing. He gave Mara one more apologetic look. Fire was already trickling down the branch towards her.

Then he turned away.

Some people just didn't want to be helped.

The rustling and creaking settled. The trees at the edge of the clearing had twisted into a tunnel, fire licking at the edges and blackening the bark but stopped by a few lines of silver that had eight legs and skittered up and down.

Patton grinned.

In the end, they had a bit of common ground—these Woods—and for this, that was enough.

"Thanks," he said.

"It won't let me in!" Virgil complained from where he was attempting to enter. The branches whipped out and clocked him in the shoulders. He stumbled back, rubbing his shoulder and glaring at it.

Patton ran over and waved at the branches. They immediately settled back into place. He took a step into the tunnel. It was almost completely dark except for the cracks, which showed fire glowing outside. They cast shattered shadows on the forest floor and little pieces of light at the edges.

"Ow!"

Patton turned to see Janus slapped by one of the branches. Patton glared at it and it settled back into place, but another poked at Janus' wound curiously and made Janus wince in pain.

"Leave them alone," Patton said, folding his arms. The branches waved noncommittally, and Patton took that to mean 'Nah.'

Patton sighed and grabbed Virgil and Janus' hands. "Hold onto me. If you stick close, they won't get you."

"You know," Virgil said in a brittle voice, "entering weird Fae tunnels is on my top ten list of ways I would rather not die."

"It won't hurt us!" Patton paused. "At least, it won't hurt me. Hopefully. Maybe?"

"It's fine, fire is number one on the list." Virgil glanced back at the clearing. It was all on fire now, grass losing its color and sparks drifting through the air. "Let's go."

Patton pulled Janus and Virgil into the tunnel. Immediately, the end closed up with a sickening squelch, giving Patton the sensation of being eaten. He shook off that image and pulled them along. The fire danced outside.

The ground stretched under their feet.

[Masterlist] [Ao3]

#leave no trace

5 notes · View notes

blankdblank · 4 years

Text

Next Caller Pt 21

Popping up out of his hastily parked car Frerin stood resting his arms on top of the hood with a worried expression on his face. “I am so sorry. It’s not that far but there was some wicked traffic. Lost track of time listening to the show. You should really give us a warning next time, Bunny got abducted? Seriously?”

In a giggle you replied stepping closer to the car, “I did warn Balin about Holm.”

He shook his head climbing back in as you opened the door to do the same, inside he rumbled back, “You said wait till Holm comes back, nothing about the abduction.”

“Why would I spoil the story?” You replied with a smirk earning a playful glare from him.

“True. No doubt Thorin’s tried to weasel details out of you.”

“Surprisingly no. Mal has. Has he always been after the mysteries of the world? He’s certainly been after mine.”

Frerin smirked shifting gears, “Depends on the mystery. You are intriguing to say the least.” One last glance your way and he said, “Off to the post office.”

“Hopefully they’ll be able to get it there reasonably soon without wanting my leg for it.”

“If you need some cash-,”

You shook your head, “Just a preference. Got paid Saturday I have the funds for it.”

“Lindon shouldn’t be that expensive. Even to overnight.”

“I don’t need it over nighted. Might end up just paying for it any ways just to surprise them. Rarely get to send stuff their way.”

“I am certain they will love it. If you don’t mind my asking, you get paid from the hotel or the radio show?”

“Hotel, haven’t gotten a monthly check from the show yet.”

“How much do they pay you at the hotel?”

“I make a respectable 18 an hour, just under 4k a month post taxes. Four lovely gold coins to pocket.”

“Not bad.”

“Yes, and don’t you go telling them to give me more.”

Lowly he chuckled and replied, “I promise. How about the radio show?”

“Why?”

“You don’t have to tell me.”

With a sigh you said, “When the show started the old owner gave me a raise to 5k a week.”

“A week?! Wow. The new owners uphold that?”

“They gave me an even bigger raise.”

Pulling into the lot he parked and shifted to look at you asking with a curious smirk, “How much bigger? Between us.”

Rolling your eyes you said, “35k a month.”

Lowly he laughed and smiled at you saying, “I’ll come in with you. I am glad you are getting decent pay finally up to your level.”

“If the show lasts a year I could pay off the house and then some.” Deepening his smirk and making him pat your hand resting on the armrest between you, “But I think even if the show does get cut for some reason looks like Gorgo’s deal for the Bunny book could be up soon. Always offers that could pop up around that.”

His hand retracted as you opened your door and climbed out signaling him to do the same and say under his hair blown into his face as you held your own, “I highly doubt they would ever cut the show. What reason could they have?”

You shrugged saying, “I’ve worked on tv shows before and they got cut for no reason and they were top in the market. Just happens sometimes. Never know.”

At your side he strolled with you keeping a hand on your side at the first hint of your sliding from the heavy winds. And through the door you joined the few people waiting in line for the shipping office. Looking through the display boxes you chose a bubble wrapped set of bags and brought out a pen from your satchel to fill out the address sheets. One for Cirdan’s journals and the other for your mother and sisters to go with the shirt for Cirdan to fill the bag complete with letters and pictures you had printed out for them. Fully sealed and assembled by the time you got to the front of the line you flashed a grin to the Dwarf who moved to the monitor at the Hobbit sized section of counter.

“Hi,”

With a chuckle he replied, “Hello. Enjoying your morning?”

“Oh ya, lucky I got my anchoring buddy or I’d blow away.” Making him chuckle again.

“Supposed to be blustery all week. Should stop before the Garden Furtwist festival.”

“Yup.”

“For regular shipping it will be 25 and for overnight it’ll be 21 or a copper coin.”

Your brows furrowed a moment, “How is overnight cheaper?”

“Got a deal going.”

You nodded and said, “Overnight guess.” From your coin purse in your bag you pulled out a copper coin and set it into his palm that he added to the till and passed off the packages to the teen in the back who flashed you both a grin.

A receipt was handed your way and he said, “Enjoy your day and stay safe out there little Lass.”

“Thank you, same to you, big sir.” Your response making him chuckle and watch you and Frerin slip past a couple entering behind you huffing in their recovery from the winds.

With a hand on your back again he readied himself to take both of your weight, not that you were anything close to heavy thanks to your Elf side but he wanted to make sure you weren’t caught off guard. The heavy door swung in at your slight tug and flattening on your back his hand guided you back to his car while you held to your hair and bag until he had you back on the car and hurried around to climb in himself. Once inside his head turned to you at your pitifully muffled giggle and with his hair half flipped up he asked, “You’re not laughing at my hair, are you?”

Shaking your head he smirked at your facing the window away from him still curling your fingers in front of your mouth losing the battle to keep from laughing. Lowly he muttered, “Good. Didn’t think so.” Backing out of his spot to make the three minute trip to the tea shop.

All the while he kept glancing your way holding his smirk in raking his fingers through his hair to lay it back again. Every light of so he would catch your own fingers in their process of tying your hair into a lazy braid over your shoulder you tied off with the band on your wrist. Once parked he hopped out and hurried around to help you out and around the car in the essential funnel of wind increasing the struggle of opening the back door again he finally opened and hurried you through to jump in himself and mutter a curse at the door that slammed right behind him hitting his elbow in the process. The sound had the Durins already inside turn at the sound only to see his helping to straighten your flannel that slid off one of your shoulders as you pulled your braid from around your neck where the wind had whipped it.

The sight might have been amusing but with a heated stare Thorin’s eyes landed directly just above your cleavage where his token lit up as you passed under a lantern. When your eyes landed on him however he forced a grin and stepped back to focus on the customer at the counter who had finally made up their mind while you adjusted your tank top over your bra again straightening it. Past Balin you strolled at Frerin’s next pat on your back, “I’ll order your drink, just pick your seat.”

You nodded and exhaled sharply to calm the lingering nerves from the harsh winds as Balin said, “Quite a day.”

“Yes it is. Hell of a wind.”

Dwalin however joined you for your walk to your usual tall table saying, “That, and the fact that Bunny got abducted.” To yourself you giggled setting your bag on the table in your hop up onto the seat amusing Frerin in his glance over at your chosen perch. Dwalin’s arms crossed on the counter, “Bunny make it out ok?”

Smirking at his rumbled question you replied, “Don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see. Won’t we?”

At that he groaned and you giggled again in his pull back to the counter to help Thorin, waiting until his cousin could comment on the trinket before he was traditionally allowed to bring it up. Into your bag you reached pulling out your journal with your decoration sketches along with the latest pair of magazines you started to flip through.

At the counter Frerin sighed leaning on the counter saying, “My usual and her surprise. That wind, you really should get those hedges it really just funnels through there. How did you even get in?”

Balin chuckled saying, “Front door.”

Dwalin, “We’ll look into it. Wind slow you down?”

Frerin, “Stopped at the post office. She wanted to mail off her family gifts.” Over his shoulder he spotted more people entering to escape the wind and made his way to the table smirking as he walked around to sit by you noticing what you were looking at. In a low rumbling purr he asked, “See anything you like?” Reaching over he pulled the journal closer to flip through until he saw the tables Thorin had mentioned.

“This one seemed better in the adds. It’s all modern style. It’s all the same stuff in different colors.” You said closing it to set aside and look in the second you eyed the front page then flipped through and set aside with a huff, “And this one’s all floral prints. I may be old but I’m not up there enough for a gran’s cottage theme.”

Lowly he chuckled hen turned the book asking, “These your next purchase?”

“Not sure yet.”

“Well, I haven’t bought you anything yet.” Your brow inched up and he smirked, “So if you wanted, I could buy them for you.”

“That desk alone is two grand.”

With a smirk he said, “I have a suggestion about your table dilemma. Why don’t you slip me the details on what you want, I’ll buy them,” Your lips part and he lifts a finger, “And you can be very cross with me for having done so as my own housewarming gift.” Your eyes narrowed at him and he hummed, “You could just, leave the details in the open, how could you know I would be so stealthy.”

“You and your brother are incorrigible you know.”

“Oh come on, I hardly ever get to shop. It’s my day off, let me shop for you.” Rolling your eyes you took the book back and flipped to a page on the back for that room you tapped next to three items then looked to the floral magazine again. Grinning to himself he took out his phone pointing to the three items he snapped a picture of the item numbers, website to order from and color code you wanted before easing the page back to a sketch of a room and slid the book back like he hadn’t done anything at all making you shake your head. Tapping his finger on the page he said, “Our Gran has that table.”

“I rest my case.” You said turning the page before saying, “That window setting looks kinda nice. Wouldn’t work with mine though.” Turning the page again you said, “Ooh, nice lamp.”

Making him smirk as you drew a star with your pen by it. “It is nice.”

Thorin came up and eyed the magazine saying, “More inspiration?”

You looked up flashing him a grin and pulled out your phone to snap a picture of your drink, “Ya, though it’s more your Gran’s style than mine. Other one is more modern. Might work for your place.”

“We don’t need furniture,” he rumbled back then eyed your necklace saying, “I’m glad you like it, the necklace.”

“Thank you, yes. It’s really gorgeous. Nice and simple too, never got used to too much dangling and things to get caught in my hair when I sleep.”

Making him smirk, “Well I couldn’t let you leave empty handed for yourself.” Into his pocket he reached and brought out a supply of fish style key chains on a loop he passed to you making your lips part, “I didn’t forget. One of each kind you don’t have yet.”

“So adorable. Thank you. Kept thinking of what Findis might use,” Making the pair smirk as you started to ramble inspecting the set. “And I thought back to this one we had on the show I used to voice for its a prancing lion but when you clap it roars,” their brows inched up, “So when you lose your keys you can find them,” making the pair chuckle, “But then you can’t take it to golfing or plays or things like that.”

Thorin rumbled back, “I’ll pass the note on. They’re always looking for more ideas.”

Your hand swatted the air, “Oh don’t worry about it’s just a passing thing.”

Frerin said, “Well I’m telling them. If they make one I want one for myself too adorable to pass up.”

“They’re gonna think I’m over stepping.”

They both replied, “No they won’t.”

Dwalin called out, “Only way to overstep is to keep those brilliant ideas to yourself. That’s a mighty pretty necklace you got there.”

Softly you chuckled to yourself and replied, “Thank you. Thorin hid it in my suitcase.”

Thorin, “How else was I supposed to gift it to you without you saying I didn’t have to?”

Frerin, “Which he did.”

Dwalin nodded and you glanced between the pair unable to not notice the stray strips of hair coming loose from Thorin’s bun. Mal had said hair was off limits but watching the hair inch closer and closer to his nose you just wanted to reach out and tug him into the edge of your chair so you could fix his hair. The consequences weren’t disclosed and of course now like a giant red button you were alone with in an empty room his hair was the most tempting part on him. At least for a moment until his arms and chest flexed tightening his shirt at your lingering stare, at his opinion, into his eyes triggering a spreading blush across his cheeks from his pinking ears.

A sip on your drink gave Dwalin the chance to ask, “Big plans today? Past rehearsing for tomorrow I mean?”

“Don’t really rehearse, I don’t know. Watch something animated I suppose while sketching something for a possible ad for the Bunny book. Ecthellion was saying they were possibly going to run one for testing how big the market would be. Not sure if that meant they wanted us to come up with one or not. All the same a few sketches couldn’t hurt.”

Dwalin, “Well you certainly can sketch. No doubt Gorgo would love to see more art on the show and book.”

Frerin’s lips twisted into a smirk and he lowly rumbled, “Perhaps you could settle a dispute. “I think you voice Bunny, while Thorin believes you voice the Countess, Dwalin is torn for Adrianna. Which one of us is right? Because I can’t imagine you being able to pull off one of the Dwarves.”

That made you smirk at him challengingly spreading a smirk on Thorin’s lips he raised his mug to try and mask as you said, “That is just absurd. Can’t believe you would doubt I could pull off a convincing Dwarf voice.”

Dwalin, “I didn’t say that! He said that I said that!” Pointing to Frerin as you took a sip of your own.

Frerin rolled his eyes, “Sure I did. I don’t doubt you could pull her off, I just think with how the show is it would be easiest for you to hold a Hobbit accent.”

“I could understand that reasoning at least. Though all the same, I’m not going to tell you. More fun that way.”

Frerin and Dwalin groaned then asked, “For who?”

Thorin grinned humming out, “I see you’ve found a new mystery.”

You shook your head, “Not a new one.” Again your eyes locked and in the joint sip his adoring gaze deepened.

In lowering your mug you asked, “Busy plans for you all? Perhaps trying to unfold some mysteries of your own?”

Dwalin, “Well Bilbo and I are off to shopping. Frodo got into the jam last night, have to restock.”

“If you ever want homegrown you’re free to my supply if you like.” The offer was timid but the sentimental grin on his face was grateful for the gesture.

Frerin smirked, “I’m doing some shopping myself,” looking you and his brother over, the latter who was still staring at you adoringly while you stole another glance at the open page again in the magazine.

Glancing up at Dwalin you asked, “Was it hard filling your house with Bilbo?”

Dwalin chuckled and shook his head, “You have no idea. Still have three rooms empty.”

“Why haven’t they all shopped for you then?”

Dwalin chuckled again and Frerin said, “Because it’s part of their courtship to work all that out.”

Dwalin said, “We’re deadlocked between the lamp to put in our living room. One he wants heats up something awful and my choice, well it’s heavy as a water buffalo. Not a danger to Frodo mind, however, still deterrent enough for Bilbo.”

“You can’t just get both and put-,”

He pointed at you, “Ah, see, we’ve compromised like that on two couches, a desk and a chaise. Where did you get your dining room table, Bilbo keeps mentioning yours after I told him about it.”

Onto a blank page you wrote the info and tore it out for him, “They have more than a few designs to choose from he might like. A lot of them more complicated than the one I chose.”

Dwalin shook his head, “Sometimes simple is best. He especially loves the creeping vine supports when it grows.”

Thorin looked to Frerin at his claiming your journal again while you turned the page in your magazine, “What are you shopping for?”

Frerin’s eyes darted from his brother to you and back again, “Nothing in particular.”

“I highly doubt you could make it from New Years to Yule with a present and not boast about it.”

Dwalin nearly snorted to keep from laughing and replied, “We could make it. Near to bursting with ample hints in between.”

Frerin smirked wider saying, “Only builds anticipation.”

“So what happens if you anticipate a flat screen but get one of those wobbling dolls instead?”

Dwalin, “Ah, but you don’t give hints to what it is, just how they would take it.”

“Hmm, I suppose I’d have to see it for myself to understand fully.”

Dwalin chuckled, “Yes, you will.”

Another side table was given a star for consideration while Dwalin and Thorin got pulled into their work modes again before you stopped on a patio set of furniture. Turning your head to Frerin he grinned at the sudden gaze his way curious for what you had to say, “I haven’t even looked at my back yard yet.”

“I’m certain if Gloin didn’t show you the yard there isn’t much to show.”

“What if I need a mower? What am I going to do with a yard? I already have the greenhouse.”

A text to Glorfindel was fired off, “Any idea what they might want for the ad?”

Not a few moments later he replied, “I sent them a copy of an old sketch you made of the Countess lighting her pipe. Hope you don’t mind, they did love it.”

“No, I don’t mind at all. I’m glad they did.”

“Ecthellion is already planning on possible merchandise with her image for the station too. Stickers could be managed easily and quickly enough.”

“I do like stickers.”

Frerin smirked saying, “If it’s anything like Dwalin’s it shouldn’t be too troublesome. Good news?”

His eyes shifted to your phone and you nodded, “Glorfindel and Ecthellion sent Gorgo a sketch of the Countess I’d showed them a while back and they’re going to look into getting them on stickers for the station.”

“Ooh, do let us know when you get those in.”

“No doubt the Durins would be getting their own collection.”

“Darn right. We’re all so proud of our distant kin, both by blood and imagination.”

Smirking again you lifted your cup and finished it off only to see Thorin coming over with a refill for you both. News of the stickers rippled around and in the dying of the winds you took that as a sign to head home with a smaller chance of being blown away. Soft goodbyes were traded and out you went to be helped back through the door Frerin held open for you before stepping out himself. Holding the circle of key chains you watched the town shift wondering what would be in this mysterious yard of yours. Again you were parked in your driveway and climbing over your fence you led the way to your front door with him after you curiously wondering why you had fallen silent.

Unlocking the door you turned looking up at him asking, “What’s that face for?” Once inside you closed the door and hung up your bag adding the ring of key chains to a hook by your puffer fish one making him smirk.

He shook his head, “Just curious what’s behind your silence.”

Inhaling you shook your head saying, “Just hoping it doesn’t have more blackberry bushes.” Making him chuckle to himself.

“Let’s go and see, shall we?”

You nodded and wet your lips turning to start the walk through the house spreading his grin seeing a couple more touches you had added to the rooms he had seen in checking chimneys and those he hadn’t. Through the back door you unlocked and opened the breeze seemed to be more managed here and from a short path of arches coated in vines and bluebells creeping up over it parting your lips. Passing that you drew in a breath closing your lips at the tall multicolored flowering bushes lining against the stone wall marking off your yard. Past the wild tufts of colorful flowers you eyed an arch coated with more past a white statue of Yavanna. Down a winding path you eyed all the flowers saying, “Ok, lot of flowers…” This half being the smaller portion behind your greenhouse with a larger half unseen.

Smirking behind you he said, “Not too bad. Left to be wild few years thought it might be worse.”

“Wonder where the path goes.” You said looking up wondering where the woven branches hanging overhead were coming from. Suddenly there was a break from flowers to green and trees rounding a corner, “Huh,” with your head tilting you eyed the stone steps leading up to another stone wall with an arch through it from the house each plot held to split uses of the land. Eyeing the uneven steps you said, “These need some love,” reaching out in your first step to plant a hand on the tree whose roots were moving the steps.

Frerin’s hand eased around your back to help steady you following you up the steps, “Not half bad. Wonder if you have a hedge trimmer too?”

“Hedge trimmer?” Above the steps you had moved a bit farther then stopped at the sound of a branch shifting turning your head in a moment of panic as to what it could be.

Lowly Frerin said, “That would be your hedge trimmer.”

Around the trunk of another tree you eyed a brown bear on his hind legs standing well over nine feet tall, “Hello,” you said with a quick wave making him blink his honey colored eyes then look to Frerin and back again.

“Hello, I am Smoky. I tend to the hedges in the property.” He blinked again lowering down to move closer with his head tilting looking you over just under a foot away peering down at your face with his pupils expanding and contracting again. “You are Jaqi Pear, I have been informed of your purchase of the property.” His eyes shifted to Frerin, “I am not aware of you.”

Frerin chuckled replying, “I am Frerin Durin, a friend and guest of Miss Pear.”

Smoky looked to you again stating, “I have been informed of your winged companions, I assure you I would not cause any harm to them. I tend the hedges. I do not require sustenance.”

“Belly did mention a bear.” You muttered then replied to him, “Are you solar powered?”

“Yes. I am self sustaining, should I require maintenance I shall inform you directly.”

“Thank you.”

Turning your gaze to the arch again you asked, “What’s through there?”

“That is the clearing, mainly hedges and clover.”

“Lovely,” you said and he turned to show you through the archway while Frerin was holding back his smirk hearing the fluent Khuzdul accent you had that Thorin could have gotten the hint of you being the Countess from. Clearing was right as the slightly hilly remainder of your strip of land was indeed scattered with hedges lining the outer stone walls and shrubs rounded off throughout the thick clover. “It is lovely, thank you for showing me.”

He nodded and turned, “I shall return to my tending. Clouds show signs of rain before dark.”

“Of course.” You said watching him happily bound off before turning to Frerin softly saying, “I wasn’t expecting a bear. Like an actual, bear like Belly said.”

Lowly he chuckled and said, “Dwalin’s is a giant badger. Absolutely terrified Bilbo on their tour of the place, probably why Gloin left it in the packet. They do take a couple days to switch over property owners in their systems. They are incredibly loyal, great guards as well.”

“At least it’s clover, not grass. I can manage clover. Nice and soft, plushy year round.”

“The flowers aren’t bad either, from what I can see they are low maintenance.”

You nodded saying, “Naneth will be pleased about the statue for Yavanna.” A soft rumble overhead had you turning to the house again, “I guess the mini cave home over behind the greenhouse is his.”

He nodded looking it over, “Does seem so.” Behind himself he closed the door and from the archway you spotted Belly dangling asking, “Was there a bear?”

“Yes, he is,” looking to Frerin you asked, “Is there a word for robot?”

To which he stated for you, “Manmade to trim the hedges.”

You nodded saying, “He won’t hurt you. We have quite the yard.”

Belly nodded, “Yes, I shall inform the others, when the rain clears we shall explore it fully Kuu and I. The herd want wind chimes, we shall scout for locations.”

Off he darted and you whispered, “Ok, I missed that last bit, they want cacti?”

“Wind chimes,”

You nodded, “Way more sense than cacti. Had one once, did not go well. Someone put it on the roof.”

To himself he chuckled and asked, “Are you hungry? I can order in and hang out, maybe borrow a computer to do my shopping?”

“Fine, but I’m buying lunch.” You said guiding him to your bedroom where you removed your shoes and grabbed your laptop then guided him to your living room. By your front door he removed his boots then came to lounge on your couch beside you watching you switch on the laptop with a galaxy homepage. The doorbell however had you handing it over once you had opened the browser, “Since when am I popular?” You muttered on your way to the door making him chuckle to himself. From his pocket he brought out the page from you to find the right website and start adding to his cart. Opening the door however your lips parted, “Mal?”

Stepping back in her walk past you she said, “It’s been so long and I haven’t seen your house yet since you painted.”

Narrowing your eyes at her after closing your front door you said, “I thought you said you were busy today.”

“I am, or was. But that’s part of why I dropped by. So, tour first, I can share after.”

Room by room she shared her praise on your work to the house and you said, “I have a bear in the back yard.”

She paused a moment and said, “Ah, the trimmer, Bilbo has a badger, so cute.”

“He’s ten feet tall. Very sweet, if Frerin hadn’t told me what could have been in the yard I’d have scared my neighbors by screaming at the poor sweet thing.”

Smirking again she asked, “I take it it’s his car outside?”

You nodded, “Drove me home.”

To the living room you led her and she looked to Frerin who grinned up at her, “Mal, joining us for lunch?”

She shook her head, “I have to get back and get BamBam, but I wanted to drop by and ask a favor.”

Sitting down you said, “You need a day off?”

She shook her head then said, “Well you know about the Garden Furtwist Festival?”

You nodded, “It’s this weekend.”

Clapping her hands together she said, “Good, then you know about the guidelines?”

Your eyes narrowed, “I do, but why would I need to?”

“Well I’m going, my parents are flying out for it again, we’ve gone the past few years together since I moved out here. And well, the guys are going to be there and I thought that we could bring you.”

“What, you need a chaperone?”

“Well, no, but you’re off and last couple years you said you had to work but now you’re off so you can go. You’re good at talking people up too, and it’d be fun.”

“You sure you don’t want it to be a family thing?”

“No!”

Frerin teased adding the davenport to the cart after having added your desk and table, “Either she takes you or we’ll pick you up for it.”

Looking between them you sighed, “It’s four days away and all I’ve got is what I wore two centuries ago.”

Mal beamed at you, “That’ll be perfect.”

“You don’t even know what it is.”

She clapped her hands again and pulled out her buzzing phone saying, “I know you, and it’ll be perfect.” Stepping aside she said, “I’ll let myself out, have fun guys,” pausing a moment she asked Frerin, “With your-,”

Smiling at her he said, “I’m shopping.”

She nodded and looked at you, “It’ll be perfect. See you tomorrow! Can’t wait to see what Bunny does next!” Hurrying to the door that a few moments you heard opened then closed again.

Glancing at Frerin you said, “I can’t wait till I’m courting someone then I get to burst in and demand favors of people bordering on entrapment.”

Lowly he chuckled then replied, “Demand all you like now.” Shifting the laptop to bring out his wallet to add in the card info to complete the payment. “If you like you can show me what you got. I’ll have a badger mask and ears. What type of fairy did you go as?”

“There’s an old tale, she’s called Hópilen,”

His lips parted, “The fairy that hatches from an owl egg. With feathered wings. I bet you were spectacular as her.”

“They gave me a ribbon. Granted I was the only one dressed as her, not hard to win with those odds.”

Closing your laptop he switched off he eased off the couch saying, “Alright, where’s the costume?”

Brushing your bangs back you turned making your way to your closet he followed you into. On the hanging rack you showed him the dress you had used, “it’s not too showy, I know she has a silver and gold dress in the story,”

Frerin shook his head, “That is lovely. Incredibly crafted to last this long.”

“My aunt made it for me for a party long ago. Rarely get to wear it. Kind of casual,” letting it go you moved to the hanging sweaters, cardigans and your few shawls you had ending with a feathered one parting his lips as you brought it down for him to see, “Swan feathers, but I didn’t have Kuu at the time. And I have a headdress too,” you said hanging up the feathered cloak again. “I’ll have to go shoe shopping, the dress is a bit long on me. Aside from that I have a couple gold leaf bracelets and some golden glitter I can get for my painted on mask to finish the look.”

“It’s incredible, what type of shoes do you want?”

Pointing at him you said, “No.” Nodding your head to the side you said, “Come on, I’ll call for lunch and put on a film.”

He smirked saying, “I’ll light the fire.” The whole way to your kitchen you mentally wondered just what this event was going to bring. The fairytale Equinox based event where everyone came in costumes. Hobbits as Fairies, Elves as Foxes, small mammals, fish or birds and Dwarves as their own spirit animals.

Pt 22

@himoverflowers, @theincaprincess, @aspiringtranslator, @sweeticedtea, @ggbbhehe4455, @thegreyberet, @patanghill17, @jesgisborne, @curvestrology, @alishlieb, @jogregor, @armitageadoration, @fizzyxcustard, @here2have-fun, @lilith15000, @marvels-ghost, @catthefearless, @imjusthereforthereads, @c-s-stars, @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore, @mariannetora, @shesakillerkween

Hobbit/LotR – @abiwim, @jotink78, @pastelhexmaniac

x Thorin – @evyiione, @deepestfirefun, @queenoferebor

And thanks to C-s-stars for helping me with the photo collage. Using a few of them from her in a couple coming up :D

#Thorin x Reader OC #Frerin #Glorfindel #Hobbit #lotr

16 notes · View notes

brownstonearmy · 4 years

Text

2020-08-14: Juiced! (Part 3)

August 5 (Wednesday Morning)

A letter from Jangles finds its way into Q's possession on this fair and breezy morning. The morning ahead feels more like an "Aria" day, so Q goes by that name today. Norm shows up at Aria's place shortly after the letter arrives, and Spleenifer (delayed by an emergency tithing opportunity) arrives last.

The letter is shared with the assembled party, which reads as follows:

You probably don’t have much of a reason to believe me, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t polymorph into Zaribeth Quickfingers. If you’re feeling frisky, I know a way to break out of jail, but I’ll need your help. I need you to make a potion for me and sneak it to me through the drainage grate underneath my cell! Once I’m free, meet me at Vernon Mortuary Services!

Here is the order you will need to add the ingredients to the flask, but since it’s a special secret, I’ve had to write it in code. You’re smart enough to figure it out, though! Items on the left need to be added first.

1. Sparkle Juice is somewhere to the right of Alchemical Salt. 2. Basilisk Venom is not directly next to Foxglove, Alchemical Salt, White Spotted Mushroom, or Beef Tongue. 3. White Spotted Mushroom is somewhere to the left of Alchemical Salt 4. Beef Tongue is somewhere between Foxglove and Sparkle Juice 5. Alchemical Salt is somewhere to the left of Foxglove

Who's up for a little bit of a jailbreak? THESE ADVENTURERS, THAT'S FOR DAMN SURE.

Everyone reconvenes at Jangles' house to find that it is cordoned off as a crime scene. That's not surprising, given that an arrest did recently happen here. The constabulary aren't here right now, which gives the party a chance to figure out how to bypass Jangles' locked front door.

Norm checks around the usual hiding spots for a key, but finds none. However, Norm notices an almost-life-size decorative gnome that looks like Jangles standing near the door. On a hunch, he honks its nose.

That's the ticket right there! A spare key pops out of the gnome's mouth as soon as Norm releases the nose. Norm opens the door, and everyone ducks inside before anyone notices.

Once inside Jangles' workshop, the hunt begins for the potion components. Luckily Jangles is a fastidious labeler of ingredients and the five necessary components are soon found. Now the problem is finding out the order of the ingredients, but Aria comes up with a potential solution after several moments of pondering.

No one in the party is an accomplished crafter of elixirs, so the party uses Aria's guidelines and throws the stuff together (in order!) and hopes for the best. First they add White Spotted Mushroom and Alchemical Salt, followed by Foxglove and Beef Tongue, while Sparkle Juice and Basilisk Venom are the last ingredients added to the concoction.

The resulting potion is very dark and still and smells like fresh earth, but it doesn't seem to have exploded, and that's probably the best the party could have hoped for. With potion in hand, everyone sets out for the next stage of the plan. The note from Jangles says to sneak the potion through the drain in the cell, but Norm knows the only way to access it from that direction is through the sewers.

And of course, there's another complication: the sewers surrounding the jail and constable's office are warded with magical alarms to prevent jailbreaks and the flow of contraband. Back when Norm was a deputy, he used to send maintenance applications to Silas to temporarily turn off the alarms, but he doesn't know the exact steps to disable the alarm. But he DOES have an idea of a way the party might be able to bypass the warding.

The party hop down a manhole cover a few blocks from the jail and walk toward the constable's office. Several different sewer tunnels converge on near the jail, and Norm believes the alarms might be tied to some magical sigils carved into the walls of the tunnels. He just needs someone to pose as a distraction to buy some time to investigate. Spleenifer is more than happy to serve as the distraction, and she chops up some of her incense into tiny pieces that can be passed off as nutritional supplements.

Spleenifer sheds her chainmail in the sewer and resurfaces looking like a traveling minister of sorts. She knocks on the door to the constabulary and Silas answers. It appears she caught him in the middle of lunch, judging from the sandwich crumbs caught in his beard.

Without missing a beat, she launches into a sales pitch for a new supplement called Poop-Be-Gones. "Technically they're called Coproclastic Niblets!" she exclaims as an intrigued Silas bids her to continue the sales pitch at his desk so he can finish his lunch.

Meanwhile, Aria and Norm are working on destroying the sigils by scraping away some of the runes that encircle the tunnel. The pair have split up, each one taking a different tunnel to make things faster. As Norm scrapes away the runes from the last tunnel, a floodgate from a nearby outflow station lowers and sends a wave of water and debris into Norm and knocks him to the other side of the sigil before it can be disarmed.

Aria finds the drain grate in question, but it's 15 feet overhead and currently out of reach. They overhear Spleenifer and Silas negotiating for a week's worth of Poop-Be-Gones. Norm meets up with Aria and once again solves a problem with the folding boat by deploying it in the sewer and using it like a ladder to reach the drain grate to Jangles' cell.

Jangles gets the potion as Spleenifer and Silas agree on 400 gold pieces as a fair price for such a luxurious supplement. Silas's attention turns to Jangles right after they chug the potion and promptly dies. Alarm bells sound as Silas laments another unexpected death in custody and needs to get the body to transported for burial.

The alarm bells turn out to be a false alarm (an illusion created by Aria), and Spleenifer makes her way back to the sewers to retrieve the armor. Once the party is back together, they follow Silas at a distance as he pushes the Dead Cart toward Vernon Mortuary Services and dumps Jangles' body on the front steps. The undertaker (the occupation, not the professional wrestler) drags Jangles inside and Silas departs.

As Norm walks toward Vernon Mortuary, he comes across a beggar he knows. It's Henry Cavehill, the indigent bard! Norm tosses Henry a coin, as Spleenifer informs Henry that "indigent" actually stands for "independent gentleman."

Inside Vernon Mortuary, Aria looks for Jangles, but doesn't find them. So Aria takes a seat and admires the collection of assorted funereal wares for sale. Spleenifer and Norm enter moments later, also looking for Jangles while pretending to browse for a spinning princess casket for fashionable ladies who want to die like royalty. But Spleenifer's "browsing" is interrupted by the foul scent of attempted undead in an adjoining room!

She bursts through the door to find the undertaker chanting above Jangles' corpse. "Can I help you?" the surprised undertaker asks while failing to hide the title of the book he's reading from: "My First Necromancy." Jangles coughs and sputters to life on the preparation table, and the undertaker commands Jangles to attack the party.

Jangles refuses, since they weren't actually dead in the first place. The potion the party made was a special variant of the Feign Death spell, and since Jangles was only mostly dead, the undertaker's Animate Dead spell didn't work. Norm takes advantage of the situation and palms a vial of what looks like poison from the corpse preparation room. The vial of bubbling green liquid reads "St. Ignatius's Re-Dead Juice: if they ain't dead yet, they're sure dead now!"

Spleenifer makes the undertaker promise to never animate dead again. It's a threat that the undertaker takes very seriously coming from someone as physically imposing as Spleenifer. Aria escorts Jangles back to their workshop and asks if they have any magical alarms or wards set up around the workshop, because officially Jangles is dead now and the deputies might come snooping around the property. Jangles indicates that Zaribeth is probably hiding something shady, and that’s why they were targeted for imprisonment.

The alarm thing is something Jangles promises to consider, but first they want to take a nap. Being mostly dead really takes it out of a gnome, you know? And that's where the adventure concludes for the evening. Stay tuned next time for more!

#Dungeons and Dragons #adventure log #undead #incense #fishdavidson #shits and giggles #beggar #jailbreak #potion

2 notes · View notes

the-beastslayers-queen · 5 years

Text

A Dangerous Game: Chapter 1

So this is my new story I’ve been working on. Tagging: @queenofthearchitect @biforbecky2belts @writtingrose @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk and if anyone else wishes to be tagged for this beauty, hit my inbox.

“Cat,” I heard my brother call me from downstairs at the entryway to my studio loft apartment, “We’re going to be late if ye don’t hurry yer arse up!”

“You can’t rush perfection, Finn,” I shouted back, “Besides, this is my party and I can be late if I want to be, damn it.”

I smirked as I heard him groan at knowing I was right. I made sure I had everything I needed. Lipstick? Check. Hair ties? Check. Phone? Check. Ipad? Check. Side piece? Of course check.

See the thing with my life is that I am the second-in-command of my brother’s gang, Bálor Club. Brother’s real name is Fergal Devitt and I’m Catriona Devitt. But we go by Finn and Cat (And only a select few call me Catie) Bálor. We do it to keep our illicit activities from getting back to our parents. Now a key thing to note is that Finn and I aren’t blood related. I was adopted when I was just a baby, but I don’t have an Irish accent anymore since I was sent to the US for middle school through college because my birth mother’s brother, my uncle, had asked if he could be involved in my life and help get a really good education. So I went to an elite, all-girls boarding school and then went to the Michigan State University for a major in criminal psychology and a minor accounting. It was while I was at school I also dabbled in computers and coding, becoming a hacker and a computer builder as a hobby and to make some extra cash on the side. I’m like a genius.

So when I returned home to Bray, Finn had told me he was the leader of a gang and that he was heading to Orlando to get things started there, I followed him whole-heartedly. I was going to watch his back and help keep his books for him. Plus with my major I knew how to out think the cops.

Since I was put in charge of the money for our gang, I kept my iPad with me at all times. I had the program on there that I designed myself that can hack into any bank account I needed to and I could syphon funds or if I needed to make someone disappear, I could do so with a few keystrokes and I leave no digital evidence behind in the systems I crack. I designed my program to delete itself entirely from any server it gets placed into.

But with any gang, there tends to be competition. Bálor Club has two main competitors. The biggest threat to us is Clan McIntyre. They’re led by Drew McIntyre, his second-in-command Baron Corbin, and his sergeant-at-arms Dolph Ziggler. But another threat that can’t be ignored is The Authority. They were very well established when we first arrived in Orlando, but were willing to help us get started since they were at odds with the Straight-Edge Society and the Corre at the time and we helped them run those two out of town. The Authority even split the assets left behind by the two gangs as a token of peace between us.

But we’re now on shaky ground due to my soon-to-be announced engagement tonight at my party. Clan McIntyre and The Authority do not see eye-to-eye with each other and for us to be aligning with them through my marriage to McIntyre himself, it makes it very fragile with the dealings between us and The Authority. So Finn is going to be having some key members of The Authority at the party to work on a way to keep the peace between all of us. More than likely Finn is going to try to offer himself up to one of The Authority’s daughters, Bayley, in order to satisfy all parties.

All I knew is that this was too much politics for a hacker to keep track of so I left that with Finn. I just handled the money and the digital traces of our organization, maybe running a couple of the legit businesses if I was bored enough. But for the most part I left the politicking to Finn since he was so good at it. He was the one that arranged my marriage and he was going to put his silver tongue to the test tonight.

Once I was satisfied with my appearance and having all the contents in my purse accounted for, I descended down the stairs from my bedroom to my brother as he stood in the doorway waiting for me. I embraced my brother, enjoying his softer side he only showed to me when we were alone or around our parents, and led the way out of my apartment to head to our most popular business and the venue for my party, The Bullet Club.

When we arrived to Bullet Club, the party was in full swing. I saw my two closest friends and my personal bodyguards when I have to conduct Club business, Gallows and Anderson waiting for us at the club entrance. I ran up to the two men and embraced them both.

“How are my good brothers tonight,” I asked them, “Any good marks for me to con out of a couple drinks?”

“And what would your new fiancé have to say about that, Catie,” Anderson asked with a smile, “I’ll keep an eye out, like a good wingman, and find you an easy sucker to buy you all the drinks you could want.”

“Anderson,” Finn scolded him, “I would like to keep her from getting completely wasted in front of McIntyre tonight. So please, for the sake of our good friendship, don’t get her any marks tonight.”

“Kill joy,” I grumbled as I crossed my arms across my chest with a huff.

“You’ll thank me later for this, Catie,” Finn kissed my cheek, “I’m going to go find McIntyre and have him come see you in our office above the DJ booth. Then I’m going to conduct business with Hunter in the VIP section. Behave, Cat, there’s a lot riding on your first impression with Drew and his clan.”

“Alright I’ll play nice,” I threw my hands up in surrender, “But only for you, deartháir mór.”

I walked off with Gallows and Anderson in tow, making my way up to the office above the club. As I cut through the crowd, I ended up getting bumped into by a man with long dark hair and a small patch of it bleached blond. I locked eyes with him and lost my train of thought in his dark dreamy eyes. I mean he was quite a bit taller than me, maybe 6’1”, and he was fairly lean. He was just so damn attractive.

“Sorry,” he apologized as he recovered his balance, “I didn’t see you behind me. I’m Seth.”

“Catriona,” I replied as I held my hand out to him, “You can call me Cat, Seth.”

Seth smiled softly towards me and shook my hand. Once his hand touched mine I felt something like a spark of electricity. Now I was intrigued by him. But like Finn said, I had business to attend to first.

“Can I buy you a drink, Cat,” he asked as he looked to my guards.

“I actually have some business to attend to,” I replied, “But when I finish, I might have to take you up on your offer.”

I left Seth on the dance floor and continued on my way up to the office. Once I arrived, I took off my coat and hung it up on the coat rack by the door before I sauntered over to the big desk that sat in front of the large window that looked out over the dancefloor, and plopped down in the giant chair before I spun it around to look out over the dancefloor. I spotted Seth dancing with four girls and two other guys. I wished I was down on that dancefloor with him, but I had to put what I want aside for the sake of my brother and our club and get prepared to meet my fiancé tonight.

I heard the door open and turned around in the chair to find Finn walking in with a giant of a man with dark hair pulled back from his face and a thick, closely trimmed beard. He was smartly dressed, wearing a nicely tailored suit that did not end up hiding his impressive physique. I was enjoying the sight of this attractive man in front of me.

“Drew, this is my sister and right hand woman,” Finn introduced me as I kicked my feet up onto the desk, “This is Catriona Bálor.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet ya, lass,” Drew bowed his head to me, “Your brother hear has told me a lot about ye. But if you grew up together, where’s yer Irish accent.”

“I lost it,” I replied, “Since I spent my teenage years here in the States in a small town in the mid-west. It comes out only when I force it or if I’m speaking Gaelic. Otherwise, I blend in like I grew up here all along.”

“Anyway,” Finn stepped to stand between me and Drew, “Now that you’ve met, do you want to go arrange the wedding or going through a courtship first before we seal the deal.”

“I would like to enjoy an engagement with your sister,” Drew replied, “We can have a long engagement to let her get to know me and get familiar with my operation. I do not wish to make her marry me as a stranger and be forced to remain with me. Even if she wishes not to marry me, I’m sure we can still remain allies out of respect. If I see reason to break the whole alliance off, I will inform you first before I take you to war, Bálor.”

“Does that work for you, deirfiúr beag,” Finn asked me.

“Yeah that will work,” I agreed, “Am I free to go? I’d like to go get drinks and dance for a while.”

“Of course,” Drew answered before Finn could, “I will go out tomorrow to find the perfect ring for you, but for tonight I want to talk business with your brother.”

I booked it out of the office and ran into Gallows and Anderson. I knew they would end up following me down to the dancefloor, drawing attention to me. I wanted to go down to find Seth again and take him up on that drink. I didn’t like how cocky Drew came off with me, sure he was attractive as hell, but I did not want to marry him. He came off like a guy that would be controlling and dominate in the relationship. What I wanted was a man that could be in charge, but knew when to let off and let me be in charge. Drew did not seem like that kind of man.

“I’m going to the dancefloor,” I shared glances between Gallows and Anderson.

“And you want us to stay guard Finn over following you,” Gallows finished my sentence for me.

“Consider it done,” Anderson added, “We know you want to keep your low profile to go see that Seth guy. Just be careful. If you pursue him, you’ll be playing with fire.”

“I know what I’m doing,” I reassured him, “I did this when I was dating Pete.”

“Yeah and how did that end up working out for you,” Gallows perked his eyebrows at me.

“So Pete and I ended up splitting,” I replied, “And he got a tongue lashing from Finn for even trying to date me. I promise I’ll be careful. I’ll see you tomorrow at the Devlin pub to meet with Jordan to go over the books.”

I took my leave and made my way to the DJ booth to make a few requests and passed the DJ a $100 dollar bill tip so I got my requests first before I made my way to the dancefloor. As my first song came on, I swayed my hips to the beat of the track, letting the music take control of every fiber of my body and getting lost in the crowd for a moment.

As I danced, I felt a pair of hands grab my hips. I looked up over my shoulder to find Seth there. I smirked at the fact that he ended up finding me instead of me finding him in the crowd.

“Is your business done,” he asked as he pressed his body into my back, “Because if you’re still interested in that drink, I’m still willing to pay up.”

“A drink sounds great,” I replied, “Lead the way to the bar, handsome.”

Seth took my hand and guided me between the bodies dancing around us. Once we got to the bar, it was much easier to talk and hear each other. I love being at the club, since I loved to dance. But on the other hand, I do like intimacy and bars, like our dive bar in the rougher part of Orlando, The Coup De Grace. It was the one business I enjoyed running for my brother since the regulars were nice and the people we have working there were the best.

“Now that we can really talk,” Seth started once he had our drinks ordered with the bartender, “I have to ask, what kind of ‘business’ did you have to attend to?”

“Well the party here at the club is in my honor,” I replied, “I’m supposed to be getting engaged.”

“Oh shit,” he recoiled from me a little, “Maybe buying you a drink isn’t the best idea.”

“Hey,” I grabbed hold of his hand, “The fiancé hasn’t put a ring on my finger yet. I only just met him tonight. Let me have tonight with you and if things go south with him and this whole arranged marriage, I need a booty call.”

“Oh so I’m a booty call,” he smirked, “Sweetheart, you won’t be able to keep me as just a booty call.”

“Someone’s cocky,” I smirked as the bartender handed us our drinks.

“Confidence is more the term I prefer,” he replied with a smug smirk on his face, “Maybe after a couple drinks I could take you to my apartment and really have fun.”

“Yeah keep dreaming pretty boy,” I replied with a sarcastic laugh, “I’m letting you buy me drinks for now. If you’re lucky and I like after a couple rounds, we’ll see about going back to your place.”

“Yo Rollins,” Seth and I both perked at the sound of a man coming over to the bar. This guys was huge compared to Seth. His black hair was pulled back in a neat bun and his goatee was crisp and cleanly shaved. He wore just a simple t-shirt and jeans, the shirt exposed this intricate Samoan tattoo on his right arm, which meant this guy was Samoan. He was followed by a guy with somewhat shaggy strawberry blond hair that hung his face and he was clean shaven and wore a white t-shirt, a leather jacket, dark blue jeans, and a pair of black boots.

“Hey brother,” the blond greeted Seth, “Dad is meeting with Bálor right now to look into making arrangements between him and Bayley. He told us to get you so we can join the meeting. Oh who’s this lovely lady?”

“This is Cat,” Seth replied, “Looks like I have business to attend to. I’ll handle the tab for this round. I’ll have to get another round with you some other time.”

Before Seth left he got out a pen and wrote on a napkin and handed it to me. As he left I looked down at the napkin to find his name and phone number written on it. I smiled and looked up to watch him disappear into the crowd.

#seth rollins x oc #seth rollins fic #seth rollins fanfic #seth rollins fanfiction #wwe fic #wwe fanfic #wwe fanfiction

32 notes · View notes

courageous-she · 5 years

Text

Stolen Kisses (Part II)- H.O.

Harrison Osterfield x Holland!Reader

Summary: It’s your first official date with Harrison and he is absolutely captivated by you. Does it end well? Will it lead to more? Only time will tell.

Word Count: 2212

a/n: so this took me a little longer than anticipated to write out, but I still hope you all enjoy. If i can get my butt into gear, expect another part! Feel free to like, reblog, leave comments, send asks, whatever! <3

---

You’d told your family that you were meeting up with your best friend, Rebecca, so they had no idea that you were really going to meet Harrison at the diner. You figured that if things went well with Harrison, the two of you would eventually tell your families. Until then, nobody really needed to know.

The walk over was a bit longer than you had originally anticipated, and a bit cold if you were honest, but all you could think about was your first official date with your brothers’ best friend.

Sounded a bit weird once you truly thought about it.

As you got closer to the diner you could see a cold and nervous Harrison pacing outside the front door. His lips were chattering slightly and his hood was tied close to his head. “Thank God you’re here!” he said, jogging over a little to give you a hug.

You laughed to yourself quietly and hugged him back, hoping to give him a little more warmth. “Well, maybe if you’d dressed properly for the weather you wouldn’t be so cold there Haz.” He was dressed in a hoodie and jeans, no jacket, hat, or gloves; a little underdressed for New Year’s Day in your opinion.

“Yeah, yeah, hush up you,” Harrison chuckled taking your hand in his, “Now let’s get inside and warm up, yeah?” You nodded and followed as Harrison lead you into the diner. The two of you sat at a booth in the back corner with hot chocolates warming up your cold hands.

The diner was mostly filled with older people grabbing an early dinner, but you and Harrison had your own little corner to yourself. You wouldn’t have had it any other way. Conversation seemed to flow easily between the two of you and your cheeks almost hurt from how much you were smiling.

“Haz?” you asked, poking your crisps around your plate. You got a mumbled ‘hmm?’ in response from the boy across from you. His blue eyes looking up toward you from the burger on his plate. “When did you know you liked me?” Your voice came out small, almost as if you knew you shouldn’t be asking such a question. But it had been nagging in your mind since he kissed you.

“Well,” he began, wiping his hands on his napkin and taking a sip of water to clear his throat, “I think I’ve always kinda liked you. I mean, Tom was always so mean to you when we were really young and I never understood why? I always thought you were cool and fun to be around, so when I noticed that he had come around to you a little more, that’s when I started to offer you invites to things with us. But I guess you know all that…” You smiled and nodded, wanting Harrison to continue.

“I guess the first time I really knew I’d fallen hard for you was one night when we were about 14 or 15. I was spending the night because my parents were out of town I think. Of course, I was staying in Tom’s room, but I woke up in the middle of the night because I really had to piss.” He chuckled to himself remembering, “It was probably 2 or 3 in the morning and when I walked by your room, your door was cracked and a light was on. I couldn’t help myself I guess, and I just looked in. You were sat up in bed with a book in your hands and by the looks of it, you were halfway through.

“The next morning, Tom and I came downstairs at almost noon and when we were walking into the kitchen I saw you in the living room, that same book in your hands. I remember your mum standing in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in her hands and she was looking at you. ‘Woke up at 7 this morning to finish that damn book’. I was just in such awe at you and the way you looked reading that book, how intrigued you were. I think from that moment on, I knew I had fallen for you and there was no way I was getting out of it.”

Harrison finished his story with a small smile and a shrug, picking up a crisp from his plate. You weren’t quite sure how to respond to that story, it was so much deeper than you could have anticipated. But something in you willed you to respond the way you did.

“Wanna know what I remember from that day?” You asked, spinning your cup in your hands to distract you a bit. Harrison tilted his head in curiosity as you continued, “I remember that when Tom wanted to play video games, you sat next to me on the couch and between games you would ask me about my book.”

Harrison smiled at the memory, ‘can’t believe you remember that’ he mumbled. You smiled, still slowly spinning the cup in your hands. It was as if all of a sudden, your nerves decided to kick in and you were very much aware of every little thing you were doing. But you could tell that Harrison was in a similar state. With little glances between you and his food, rubbing the back of his neck, and taking small sips of water before talking.

It was almost comforting to know that he was just as nervous as you were.

“Hey, um, if you don’t have anywhere to be right now, would you want to come next door to the bookshop with me?” You asked as Harrison finished paying the bill (despite your offerings to split it), “I’ve been needing a new book.”

At this, Harrison’s face lit up in a smile. He knew how much of an avid reader you were, and truth be told it was one of the many things he found fascinating and adorable about you. “I’d love to watch you in your element,” he said excitedly, “pretty poetic huh, considering that the first time I knew I’d fallen for you was because you were so into your book”.

He chuckled as he stood up and helped you put your jacket on. You thanked him before quickly zipping it all the way up and bracing yourself for the bitter cold. The walk over to the shop was quick but Harrison held your hand the entire way there, and only let it go once you’d found the shelves of books you were looking for.

Trying to stay warm there, Haz?

He watched with complete interested as you slowly paced the store, browsing the variety of books. Your fingers gracefully skimmed the binding of books that piqued your interest and ones that truly held your attention had the honor of being opened for a quick peek. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around how beautiful you looked while simply browsing for new books. But he’d be damned if there wasn’t a smile plastered on his face the entire time.

There also may or may not have been sneaky photos taken, but those would be saved for another time.

Eventually, Harrison began making his own rounds throughout the small shop. He began browsing in a similar manner to yourself, wanting to find a book that he might want to read.

If he were honest, he hadn’t read much since he was in school. Those days had long passed and reading wasn’t one of the things he truly thought of doing in his free time. But seeing how captivated you became by the books you read sort of hooked him in a way. He wanted to feel the emotions you felt for the characters in books, and understand what it felt like to just want to keep reading, to want to know what happens next.

Eventually, you held in your hands two books that you were excited about adding to your collection. Making your way up and down the aisles once more looking for Harrison. You’d found him sitting on the floor in the back corner of the store. He had about four books scattered around him, flipping through one.

“Find anything you like?” you asked, slowly moving to sit down next to him.

“Think my problem is that I’ve found too many, don’t know which one to buy.” He huffed as he motioned to the various books around him. You picked up one and thumbed through it, reading the back to see what it was about.

“Well, which ones get you the most excited? Which one do you really want to know what happens?” you asked, trying to help him narrow down his decisions. He slowly picked up one and then another, holding a book in each hand.

“Well this one,” he said holding up the book in his right hand, “is totally me. Like the character and I could be the same person. And this one,” he said holding up the book in his left hand, “just seems so cool. The back is so vague that I really want to know how the plot plays out.” He said, a childlike excitement in his tone.

“Well, get both then!” you chuckled, making it seem as if the decision was easy all along.

“I can do that?” The quizzical look on his face making your grin even wider. You nodded your head ‘yes’ holding up the two books you held in your lap.

“’Course you can, Haz. Who’s going to stop you, the book police?” you chuckled. You made to stand up, holding out your hand for Harrison. He grabbed it, chuckling at his slight stupidity, but truly elated that he continued to make you laugh.

He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of seeing you smile.

As the two of you made your way to the register, you took Harrison’s books from his hands and placed them on the counter with yours. You handed the cashier your rewards card before Harrison could chime in. “Y/N, I can’t let you pay for my books.” He began.

But you quickly shushed him and explained, “Listen, from an avid book reader, I’m honored to buy books for someone who’s just getting themselves back into reading. Not a lot of people enjoy books and reading anymore so, to me, this is fun.” You handed the cashier the money and Harrison grabbed his bag.

The two of you made your way out of the store and back into the biting cold. You walked in the direction of where Harrison parked in front of the diner. “Let me at least take you home then, it’s freezing outside.” He spoke, a slight chattering in his teeth.

“It’s not far, Haz, I can walk. Plus, I don’t want my family getting suspicious.” You said, Harrison understanding what you meant before you had to explain, “But I’d love to do this again…” your voice became small. You were hoping that he’d enjoyed himself just as much as you had.

The smile on Harrison’s face said it all. He was so happy that you wanted to go on another date with him. He nodded before bringing you in for a tight, and extremely warm, hug. As the two of you pulled away, his eyes quickly glanced down toward your lips. “Mind if I…?” he asked softly.

You moved your hand up toward his cheek and pulled him in for a soft and short (too short in your opinion) kiss. The second one shared between the two of you. As you pulled away you wore matching smiles. Harrison gave you one last hug before getting into his warm car.

He felt sort of guilty as you walked away into the cold, but little did he know that your heart was so warm from the interaction shared between you two. The entire walk home you couldn’t wipe the smile off of your face. It was only when you were approaching your front door that you remembered to ‘act normal’ so as not to stir any suspicion with your family.

They didn’t ask you much about your day as you passed through to your room, probably because they noticed the new books and figured you would go directly to reading. Which is exactly what you did.

Changing into warm sweats and getting under one of your many blankets, you pulled one of your new books from the bag. Just as you were setting your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ you saw a snapchat from Harrison.

Opening it, you saw him sitting in his bed with his new books next to him. A small caption of ‘Now I can’t decide which to read first’ placed at the bottom. You tapped the picture away to reveal another one. This time Harrison was holding up one book with the caption ‘I’ve chosen this one!’. You giggled at the blonde-haired boy’s excitement and sent him a quick reply of you cozied up with your new book.

Maybe the next time that you and Harrison went out, you could talk about your books. Thoughts about Harrison swirled in your head before you eventually set out to read your new book. Once again you were sucked into another world, not to be disturbed for a while.

165 notes · View notes