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#until my feet bleeds and my heart aches
chubsonthemoon · 2 years
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Binderary week 1 book 1! This is Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches, a bangin' Victuuri fic by @kazliin.
This book was SO fun to make, because it's made with the work and materials of several people! All my love to @ziezie13 for sharing her typeset, which is drop-dead GORGEOUS <3 My favorite parts are the handwritten titles, the QR codes which link to recordings of the program music during certain scenes, and the mock-ups of the in-universe AO3 pages for Victor and Yuuri, which are labeled as "Figure Skating RPF." Genius!
The beautiful cover paper (which reminds me so much of an ice skating rink, so I just had to use it for this fic!) was a gift from either @humanalias or @aetherseer at Havencon 2022 (ACK I'm so sorry I can't remember - so many supplies were traded and gifted that fateful weekend! I didn't realize how important I would think it a year later to document who I got what from, but something for me to keep in mind at this year's Renegade retreat, mayhaps...and also now I know to pack as much paper as I can, to return to favor :3). So thank you so much to everyone who made this book possible! <333
ALSO y'all should absolutely check out Zie's copy here, which is printed on 11"x 17" sheets of paper, so each page is 8.5" x 11". In other words it's DOUBLE the size of my copy, which is already pretty chonky. She made it HUGE--it's hard to tell from the linked pics--but it's literally over 4.5 pounds of pure book (@simply-sithel said it best: you feel like an epic wizard holding it!)
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theheightofdishonor · 2 years
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it's partially the wbl vibes? Like, i truly adore a ship where one person thinks it's an enemies to lovers arc while the other's been pining for years
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localariesenemy · 9 months
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Rivals Series Playlist
Okay, so this will be the first ever post I’ll do on this app and I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry about it being about a Yuri on Ice fanfic from years ago that haven’t left me since the first time I read it.
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This is a list of songs you can listen to here that I thought fit Yuuri and Viktor’s feels in the Rivals series by @kazliin, which you can find here:
Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches
Of Bright Stars and Burning Hearts
Rivals- Past, Present and Future
I’m not kidding when I say it’s absolutely life changing (I reread it every year so safe to say it’s my absolute favorite). I would like to list down every single lyric and the intricacies of how I arranged the songs in order but the sane part of my brain is refraining me from doing so. Let’s just say that I followed the progression of both POVs and matched that up with the lyrics of the songs.
It’s almost 4 hours of pure feels so buckle up, here we go.
1. You’re Still a Mystery- Bleachers
2. State of Grace- Taylor Swift
3. Into My Arms- COIN
4. See Through- The Band CAMINO
5. Untouchable- Taylor Swift
6. O Mio Babbino Caro- Giacomo Pucini
7. You Are In Love- Taylor Swift
8. gold rush- Taylor Swift
9. Belle- The Shock Band
10. I Can See You- Taylor Swift
11. Crashing- ILLENIUM, Bahari
12. Movement- Hozier
13. Sun and Moon- Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lea Salonga, Simon Bowman
14. On My Own- Lea Salonga
15. Say Don’t Go- Taylor Swift
16. Let The Light In- Lana Del Rey, Father John Misty
17. K.- Cigarettes After Sex
18. Say My Name Cover- Hozier
19. illicit affairs- Taylor Swift
20. Foolish One- Taylor Swift
21. Never Change- COIN
22. Felt This Way- Carly Rar Jepsen
23. So Close- Jon McLaughlin
24. Magkasuyo Buong Gabi- Agsunta
25. Dark Eyes- The Broln Czech Radio Orchestra
26. Wake Me- Bleachers
27. First Light- Hozier
28. First Time- Hozier
29. Break My Fall- Doc Robinson
30. Pretty Boy- The Neighbourhood
31. TALK ME DOWN- Troye Sivan
32. Fucked My Way Up To The Top- Lana Del Rey
33. The Louvre- Lorde
34. august- Taylor Swift
35. The Other- Lauv
36. Somewhere Only We Know- Keane
37. Fire Meet Gasoline- Sia
38. Don’t Let Me Go- Cigarettes After Sex
39. Francis Forever- Mitski
40. Like a River Runs- Bleachers
41. You Are In Love- Taylor Swift
42. Daylight- Taylor Swift
43. One And Only- Adele
44. Water Under the Bridge- Adele
45. The Last Time- Taylor Swift, Gary Lightbody
46. Bravado- Lorde
47. The Archer- Taylor Swift
48. Falling Slowly- Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová
49. The Night We Met- Lord Huron
50. Yuri on ICE- Taro Umebayashi
51. Long Live- Taylor Swift
52. Holy Ground- Taylor Swift
53. I Love You Always Forever- Donne Lewis
Forgive me for the abundance of Taylor Swift, she clearly read the Rivals series and made those songs for them specifically.
I tried my best to incorporate both POVs but I think it leaned too Viktor-centric. However, my fav Yuuri song on here is Bravado, it captured his anxiety during the Scandal so well and I resonate with that. It was hard to pick for Viktor but One And Only really stood out to me, it reads like his plea to Yuuri. BUT if I had to choose one song to explain their dynamic it’s Untouchable, applicable for both Yuuri and Viktor and just as heartbreaking.
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kazliin · 2 years
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today my bestie gave me THEE most incredible gift…..she personally bound the rivals series into two books….look at them
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Oh my god, these are beautiful!!! I am in awe 😍
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duskrelyk · 2 months
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i should. rewatch yoi
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queenpiranhadon · 1 month
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Can I request bkg and reader getting in a fight so they still share the bed but sleep while facing away from each other. But then reader gets nightmare about him dying and clutches to him. How do you think he would react??
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A/N: Sobbing because the manga has me in shambles TY ANON FOR THE REQUESTTT <33 Here's the masterlist!
Warning(s): Mild cursing, you and Katsuki get into a fight, he's a little hot headed but he means well, you both love each other so much, you both are dating, mentions of an anxiety attack, nightmares, angst to comfort, mentions of blood and death, slight spoilers, reader is called princess and baby, f!reader.
Pairing(s): Bakugou Katsuki x Reader
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•─────•°•❀•°•──── ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ────•°•☁︎•°•────•
"Katsuki you can't keep doing this to yourself!"
"Jesus baby, ya know that this is my job, I don't have a choice! I can't just stop savin' people 'cause my girlfriend wants me to."
It went on like that for a while, back and forth, between "You can't just keep coming home like this, it's not healthy!" and "It's my fuckin' job - what the fuck do ya want me to do about it?!" as well as every single variation of the two.
It was exhausting.
You were understandably worried sick about your pro hero boyfriend, Katsuki Bakugou, you always had been. You loved him to death, you always would, but your heart simply couldn't take the sight of him coming home bruised and bloodied and on the brink of death.
You believed in him, you really did, but the little voice in the back of your head never seemed to stop asking the one question you wish never had to be asked in the first place.
What if it finally became too much? What if one day, he didn't come home back to you?
The scenarios that voice would create were almost as bad as having to experience it in real life, and Katsuki's blatant disregard for your feelings only made it worse.
To him, you didn't believe in him. Your worries made him feel weak - your worries made it seem like his skills were incompetent, as if he wasn't enough. After all, when you see a hero like All Might on the screen, no one is simply worried for his wellbeing, because they know he'll win.
Why don't you think he can win?
The two of you don't speak to each other for the rest of the night, still sleeping in the same bed but turned away from each other.
And it was hard, trying to fall asleep without the other, so accustomed to falling asleep in each other's arms, but you finally managed to do so.
However, without Katsuki's presence to soothe you in the night, the voice in your head decided to take the reins on your dreams.
Except it was much more worse than that.
You were on a battle field, there was so much happening except there was nothing happening at the same time.
You can't see your hands, or the rest of your body, eerily making you a spectator to the chilling scene around you.
The ground was slate grey, and then it wasn't, crimson blood staining the ground until all you could see was red.
You try to scream, but you can't because you have no body, and consequently, no mouth.
Still you persist, opening an invisible mouth to let out soundless screams in the hope that someone, anyone, can get you out of this soulless empty hellhole.
And then you see him.
It's Katsuki.
He looks fine, unharmed except for the hollow look in his eyes.
Your heart aches and you reach out an invisible hand to do something, to apologize for losing your temper, anything to have him back.
But the moment you blink, Katsuki isn't fine, or unharmed anymore.
Now, there was a gaping hole in his chest, and half of his face was stained the same crimson that was splattered across the ground.
You could only watch in horror as Katsuki's life was sucked out of him, seeping out through the blood that dripped out of his body, staining the ground even further, pooling at his feet.
You scream even more, but nothing comes out. You can't do anything, and the love of your life is bleeding out and you're just standing there.
Shit!
You didn't realize you were crying until you feel two strong hands gently shaking you awake, finding yourself buried in Katsuki's chest, clutching onto his shirt like it was your lifeline. Or in this case, his.
"Princess? I'm here, baby I'm here...everything's okay..." he murmurs, his gruff voice soothing you as he strokes your hair, allowing you to soak his shirt with your tears, not minding it at all.
You look at him, and his heart breaks at the broken look in your eyes.
"Katsuki...?" you whisper, and he looks at your with those piercing vermillion eyes, ridden with guilt.
"Baby, m'so sorry I talked to ya like that.... I'm so stupid, damnit." he whispers angrily, not to you, but to himself.
How had he not realized how bad your anxiety was?
He sighs - he wasn't the focus right now, you were.
He brings a large and gentle hand around, cupping the back of your head and tenderly pressing it against his chest.
"Feel that princess? That my heart, beating for ya. And only for ya, ya hear me?"
You giggle softly, feeling your heart warm. The two of you fall asleep together like that, and the little voice in your head finally gives you a few words of assurance.
Katsuki's okay.
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ohimsummer · 9 months
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DARK RED ft. BULLY!SATOSUGU
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— minors dni, angst w/comfort, mostly bully!satoru x reader, ft. bully! suguru, one implication of male masturbation, some fluff, also one (1) kiss
summary; bully! satoru manages to seriously upset you, and now he’s scrambling to give you a genuine apology
wc 2.8k
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"I thought love was supposed to be easy."
Geto pauses mid-sip. "Oh, is that what you're calling this?"
Satoru leans further into his hand. His cheek smushes against his palm, muffling his grumbles. "Duh. What else would it be?"
"You being a dumbass."
Gleaming, white hair sways over Satoru's forehead, brushes his skin. "She wasn't supposed to react like that." You don't usually react like that, he thinks.
He toys with you all the time. The constant teasing and insults towards you is a regular occurrence, as much as you seem to hate it, but you always end up angrily leaving Gojo in the dust, and then the cycle repeats the next day. Only it was different last time; they’re your usual cries and shouts, but it’s a different type of outburst. Real tears in your eyes, your choked words of 'you suck!' and 'why can't you ever take anything seriously for once?' piercing through Gojo's heart and leaving a still-bleeding wound. They don't have your usual, pissed-off bite to them, but instead sound miserable. Heartbroken and disappointed, like the victim of a betrayal. Your expression shriveled any incoming words up in Satoru's throat, leaving him wide-eyed and dumbfounded as he watched you messily wipe away flowing tears and shove past him. That was last Wednesday, and he hasn't seen you since, not a glimpse or even a whiff of you on campus. It's like you never attended this college to begin with.
Satoru looks at his text messages with you, the last one being a dismal 'princess?' that you hadn't even read. He'd thought about threatening to leak one of the many sex tapes he had of you in his phone, but usually those coercions were bluffs, as Gojo nor Geto would dare leak their precious videos of you like that to anyone else. Besides, somehow forcing you into showing yourself made Satoru's stomach queasy. Like he'd vomit up his own heart.
"There."
He looks up at the sound of Geto's voice, following his pointed finger to the drink machine in the cafeteria. After loitering around for 2 hours, you'd finally shown up, alone and looking a little worse for wear. Even from a distance, Satoru can spot the dark circles under your eyes.
You stand idly in line, awaiting your turn to fill your cup. Eyes flitting from person to person, looking out for a fray of white strands or dark hair. It's hard to discern when the cafeteria is so busy at this hour, though you're not too concerned. Gojo and Geto don't usually frequent the cafe, not unless they're here to cause trouble. And you've been avoiding Satoru for about a week now with no complaints from either of them, so you're hoping you can get in and out without being spotted.
It’s an easy walk out of the cafeteria building, and you’re on your way back to your dorm when a familiar nickname stops you in your tracks. "Hey, princess!"
Fight or flight kicks in, and unfortunately your feet cement to the ground. His presence grows stronger as he draws near, until you can sense Gojo right behind you.
"Been avoiding me, Y/N?"
It feels off. He never really calls you by your actual name. "Why do you care?"
A few seconds of silence pass. Then, "Guess I missed my pretty girl is all."
Your heart aches for a second, before you scoff. "Sure you did. What, it's not the same making some other girl cry?"
Gojo doesn't answer, and you finally force your legs to pick up, heaving yourself towards your destination.
"Sorry."
Aaand, they're stuck again. Blinking, your head eases to the side, catching sight of Gojo in the corner of your vision. He looks awkward, staring at you with hands in his pockets and scuffing the ground as he kicks at the concrete. A knot forms in your stomach, hearing him utter an apology without his usual sarcasm or malice. It almost makes you want to talk things over, until the pain of your previous encounter comes flooding back, and you leave him standing there by himself. Rejected.
Day turns to darkness, and Satoru is stuck with another night of humping his fist like a desperate virgin. Suguru’s out, no telling where, leaving him alone with regretful thoughts to torment him. The next day passes. Then two. Then three. Satoru feels like he's going insane, and it's not just because he misses fucking you on the daily. He never realized just how much of a constant you were in his life until suddenly you weren't. Fuck. He groans into his pillow.
"Maybe give her a non-half-baked apology, like a normal person.," Geto complains. "And stop making so much noise, you're distracting."
"Fuck off."
"Fine, she can stay mad at you forever for all I care. You're the one who can't get in her pussy, not me."
Satoru jolts up, jaw falling slack as he glares at who was supposed to be his best friend. "Wha–, you're still fucking her? I just saw her for the first time again like three days ago!"
A smile stretches across Geto’s face. "Do you think our darling is stupid? Why would I get punished for your wrong-doings, she knows I’d fuck her up for that. "
Gojo flops face-down back onto the bed. "Not fair. We should be suffering together."
"Hell no, this is a personal problem between you and Y/N."
He groans again, legs kicking in the air. "Suguruuu, what do I do?"
"...Give her a genuine apology? I coulda sworn I just said that.”
"I already said sorry!"
"Genuine, I said. Not lazy. Give her something she likes."
Satoru turns slightly, brows furrowed. "What, like flowers? I don't know her favorites."
"Sunflowers."
Gojo pauses, directing a curious stink-eye towards Suguru. "And how do you know that?"
"Because I asked?"
Satoru rests a cheek against his arm, thoughts wandering off as he thinks of all the things he knows about you. Small things he's noticed. Like how you wear necklaces more often than any other jewelry, what certain colors catch your eye, things you've mentioned in passing when arguing with him. And now he does remember offering you a random weed he plucked from the ground as a joke, and you muttering 'what the fuck? for future reference, i like sunflowers’ before walking away from him.
"Suguru!," the mentioned man jolts at the sudden bellow of his name. "I'm making Y/N a bouquet!"
"Right." Geto rolls his eyes. "Do you even know how to do that?"
"Do you?"
"Not really–“
"Excellent, cancel your plans tomorrow, we're going out to get flowers!"
Suguru sighs. "Fine."
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Both men, well Satoru, and a very grumpy Suguru after being shaken to consciousness, get up bright and early the next Saturday morning in search of a florist.
"Are these vibrant enough, ya think?" Satoru questions Geto, rubbing a hand over his own chin in contemplation. These flowers needed to be perfect, he wanted only the best for his ba–, you.
"These for someone special?," the lady behind the booth inquires. She smiles politely as she admires the golden petals. "A girlfriend, or wife, perhaps?"
"Uh–“
"Wife.," Satoru cuts Geto off. "So yes, very special, indeed."
He narrows his eyes at Suguru, who poorly muffles a chuckle behind his hand. "What?"
"Nothing. Didn't know you were married, is all."
Satoru shrugs, turning to examine the sunflowers again. "Hmph. That just shows you know nothing about me."
“I know you’re a jackass.”
“Anyway,” Gojo brushes him off. “I think these look terrific, perfect for my girl. I’ll take them all!”
Silence passes. The florist’s lids flutter in astonishment. “All of them?”
“Yep! This bouquet needs to be huge!”
Suguru places a hand on his shoulder. “I think that’s enough for several bouquets.”
Gojo’s grin widens. “Even better! Give ‘em to me.”
The looks both men get as they walk the streets with giant armfuls of sunflowers are…peculiar, but Satoru is too busy firing off his own praises on how he’s going to give you the best apology of your life to notice.
“I’m gonna make her cry!,” he beams, pauses, before adding, “Happy tears this time, though.”
Shoulders bounce as Suguru laughs, unable to stifle it with his hands full of shining yellow flowers. “She might just tell you to piss off.”
“Would it kill you to have some faith in me?”
“A little, yes.”
Geto curses under his breath. ‘Shit!’ as he goes stumbling forward right over Satoru’s foot, almost loosing his grip on the assortment in his arms.
“Hey, don’t you dare drop those.,” Gojo pouts. “These are for my wife, and they’re her favorite.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
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It takes Satoru hours before he’s happy with the final product. Along with countless tutorials on how to organize a bouquet properly.
“Hold it this way.,” he commands Suguru, who rolls his tired eyes, ready to catch up on the sleep he missed this morning. “There, perfect! Wait, hold on, let me just redo this.”
“Can you hurry up?,” Geto frowns at him. “You’ve redone it like a million times already, damn.”
“Hey, my marriage is at stake here, excuse me for trying to make this look like the best bouquet she’ll ever see!”
“I’m letting go.”
“Nonowait! Okay, I’m done, promise.”
The bouquet comes out stunning, given the fact it was whipped up by two college boys who’d never created a bouquet in their lives, and especially when one of those college boys was Satoru Gojo. He boasts to Suguru, who’s yanking a blanket over his head, how it’s “his best work yet”.
“Maybe be a little more humble when you give it to her.,” Suguru grumbles as Satoru heads out, eager to present you with the display of his apologetic affections.
There’s a certain pep in his step, an excitement Gojo doesn’t often feel unless it’s to see your pretty face. Elated can’t even begin to describe it. The image of your soft lips curling into a smile, eyes sparkling as you see the large array of your favorite flowers, pushes Satoru closer and closer to your dorm building, which stands tall before him. He can’t help but mentally pat himself on the back. Heart swelling, Gojo can see it now, this surprise is going to make you ecstatic–
“Gojo?”
He halts mid-stride, foot hovering in the air, arms loosening around the bouquet. Satoru turns towards the sound and there you are, standing ten feet from him. Your mouth is open in a small ‘o’ as you notice the gift in his hand. Both of you stand there for a moment, eyeing each other, before you eventually break the silence.
“What’s that?”
Satoru snaps back to life, fumbling terribly to stuff the large bouquet behind his back, and he damns himself for making something so awkwardly huge. You watch, biting back a giggle, as he tries to hide what you’ve so obviously seen already. He stutters “u-uh, nothing!’ as a few petals flutter down from his hard work, and he curses ‘fuck!’.
It's easy to sneak up on Gojo when he's so busy floundering with the bunch of flowers. Your mouth threatens to grow into a smile, teeth sinking into your lips at the outlandish sight of him struggling to completely conceal the massive bouquet from your sight. The sharp pinch of your fingertips on his shoulder snatches Gojo from his frantic thoughts.
“Is this your way of apologizing again?”
“No!,” is his instant reply, startling you until Gojo averts his gaze to the concrete. “I mean...yeah. You ruined the surprise.”
This interaction feels more routine, less delicate. The way his lips jut out in a pout, his teasing banter. Crossing arms over your chest, you give Gojo an unamused look. “Ummm, it’s huge. How did you plan on hiding that from me?”
“…”
Satoru thinks his heart stutters as you hold out your arms, hands gesturing for the bouquet, and he slowly reveals the assortment of flowers behind his back. Through his panicked, rushed efforts to hide them, the paper has torn, some of the flowers are missing petals, and some aren’t in the exact position he and Suguru had so meticulously arranged them.
“Dumbass.,” you huff, wrapping fingers around the stems, which are adorned with a crinkly, cream colored paper and a dark green bow. “I’m still mad with you.”
Satoru’s breath hitches as your fingers brush his, as if it's the first time he's ever touched you. He relinquishes hold of the bouquet. “You like ‘em, though? Don’t lie, I can tell.”
“Just shut up.”
He flashes you a toothy, boyish grin, one that makes your heart beat a little faster. “It’s all for you, my pretty Y/N.”
Eyes rolling, you intently study the bouquet, raising it to hide your flustered expression. A warmth creeps over your body at the way Satoru utters your name, like if he says it too loudly, it will break apart into glass pieces. The paper creases under your restless fingers.
“Thank you, Satoru.”
The flowers are striking, but Gojo doesn’t think they compare at all to your beauty. Blue eyes admire you, at the way you marvel over the bunch of sunflowers, beaming at how fresh and vibrant and downright captivating they are. You glance up to meet Satoru’s eye, and he rubs at the back of his neck.
“So, uh,” he starts, avoiding your gaze. “I’m sorry about what I said. Really didn’t mean to upset you that much.”
Your eyes narrow. “That much?”
“Well, you know you’re really hot when you’re mad, but I didn’t mean to do that–“
“And did I look hot then?”
“No! Well, you weren’t ugly, but I didn’t like seeing you so upset–, usually it’s a turn on when you’re all angry but it felt different that time and Suguru didn’t tell me until later you were having a super rough day so I figured I might have hit a nerve–“
You cradle the bouquet to your chest, thoroughly enjoying the clumsy flow of his words, determined not to dig himself a deeper hole or upset you all over again. His lips pause, and then Gojo interrupts another sentence with a new one, before the downturn of his brows as he catches your gleaming eyes.
“My point is that I’m sorry.” He spots the twitch of your frown. “I know you wanna smile, let me see it.”
You can’t help but grin as your mouth opens. “No I don’t. And I guess you’re forgiven, now get away from me so I can enjoy my bouquet in peace.”
“Wait, that’s not it!” Before you turn away, Satoru reaches into his back pocket to pull out a small, white, silk bag with a white ribbon securing the opening. “I got this too. Here.”
You recognize the design of the tiny sack from a rather expensive jewelry store, one you could only dream of buying from. And now here you were, in possession of something from that same store, mouth gaping open as Satoru snickers.
“You just gonna stare, baby, or…?”
The fabric of the bag is soft in your hands, smooth and easy on your fingers. Hugging the bouquet to your side, the ribbon loosens to reveal a dainty, silver necklace inside, adorned with a small, heart charm engraved with your initials.
“Oh, wow . .” You’re awestruck at how delicate and pretty it looks. Turning it over, you find a “G.S” on the other side of the heart. “And Suguru’s initials on the back? How sweet.”
“Don’t play.”
“Whatever.,” you giggle at his downturned lips. “It’s very nice, I like it.”
Satoru can’t help pat himself on the back. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it? Cost a hefty chunk of change, especially since I wanted it so quick and on such short notice–“
“Uh huh.” This big dummy. Your smile grows at the thought.
“–and you know I just had to get the best for my pretty girl, plus I got kinda hard at the thought of my initials on your chest–“
Gojo’s words catch in his throat at the soft press of your lips to his cheek. Blood shoots to his face, instantly, and you can’t help bursting into a round of giggles, barely gasping out ‘you look like a strawberry!’. He’s so embarrassed that the realization that you willingly kissed him of your own accord doesn’t even register. All Satoru feels is a burning heat on his cheeks and a tightness in his chest, desire squeezing a fist around his heart as you smirk up at him through a fit of laughter.
“You are really somethin’ else. Bye, Satoru, also learn to stop talking sometimes.”
All Gojo can do is wave as you depart, leaving you with a ‘see ya, princess’ as you disappear into the building, sparing him one last glance. His phone vibrates as you leave his line of sight, announcing a text from Suguru.
asshole🤮: you give it to her yet?
s: i thought the sleeping beauty was getting a nap in?
asshole🤮: she told you to fuck off, didn’t she?
s: stfu
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inkspiredwriting · 1 month
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Goodbye Five
A/N: I'll be honest with you when I wrote this, I cried. I had to watch that horrible five and lila scene again because I wanted the exact wording. My heart is still bleeding and I don't know if I'll take a break soon. I still feel pretty sick when I think about the whole Lila and five thing.
Warnings: spoilers for season 4 episode 5
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Y/N stood alone in the dimly lit subway station, her breath coming out in shallow, shaky gasps. The briefcase in her hand hummed softly, its temporal energy pulsating beneath her fingers. She had used it to escape the chaos of her own timeline, seeking refuge in another. But as she looked around, she realized that she had arrived in a place she never expected—a timeline where the love of her life, Five, was not hers.
She knew she had to stay hidden. The risks of revealing herself were too great, both for her and for this version of Five. So, she kept to the shadows, slipping through the timeline like a ghost. She watched from afar, her heart breaking with every passing moment.
It didn’t take long for Y/N to realize that in this timeline, Five had found someone else. And that someone else was Lila.
The first time she saw them together, her heart nearly stopped. She had been walking through a House, drawn by the sound of laughter. It was a sound she knew well, a sound that had once been the music of her life. But as she peered through the foliage, she saw that it was not her laughter mingling with Five’s—it was Lila’s.
They were in a greenhouse, surrounded by lush greenery and the sweet scent of strawberries. Five was standing by a patch of plants, carefully watering the fruits, while Lila stood opposite him, a mischievous smile on her face. Y/N’s heart ached as she watched Lila pluck a strawberry from the vine and toss it at Five, who observed it with a grin.
“If you keep this up, we’re not gonna have strawberries when the snow comes.” Five said, his voice teasing as he gently tossed the strawberry back at Lila.
She felt the breath leave her lungs as she watched Lila stumbled and Five caught her. Five’s eyes softened as he watched her, a look of affection that Y/N knew all too well. It was the look he used to give her, in another time, another life.
Y/N pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a sob as she continued to watch the scene unfold. it was all too much. She wanted to turn away, to flee from the pain that was tearing her apart, but she couldn’t. She was rooted to the spot, unable to tear her eyes away from the man she loved and the woman who had taken her place.
The strawberries were forgotten as Five stepped closer to Lila, his hands reaching out to cup her face. Y/N’s heart shattered as she saw the way Lila leaned into his touch as they kissed, her eyes closing as if savoring the moment.
“Don’t.” Lila whispered, her voice soft and full of emotion.
“Don’t what?” Five replied, his voice equally tender.
“Be weird.” Lila's voice was soft as she looked into Five's eyes.
“Was that weird?” Five’s voice thick with emotion.
“No, which is what makes it weird.” Lila replied,
And then, as if to seal their words, they kissed again. It was a kiss filled with love, with the kind of love that Y/N had once known, but now felt slipping away from her grasp. She watched them, her vision blurring as tears filled her eyes.
When they finally broke apart, Five rested his forehead against Lila’s, a contented smile on his face. and Lila smiled back at him, her eyes shining with love.
Y/N couldn’t take it anymore. She turned and fled, her feet carrying her as far away from the greenhouse as possible. She didn’t stop until she reached a secluded spot at the edge of the House, where she collapsed onto the ground, her body wracked with sobs.
The pain was unbearable. It wasn’t just the sight of Five with another woman—it was the knowledge that in this timeline, she didn’t exist for him. She was a stranger, a ghost from another life. And he had moved on. He had found love, and happiness, with someone else.
Y/N curled up on the ground, her tears soaking into the earth. The briefcase lay beside her, a cold reminder of the choices that had led her here. She had never imagined that she would end up like this—stranded in a timeline where the man she loved was lost to her forever.
As the night wore on, Y/N’s sobs slowly subsided, leaving her feeling empty and hollow. She stared up at the ceiling, her heart aching with a pain that seemed to have no end. She had thought she could handle anything, that she was strong enough to face whatever life threw at her. But this—this was too much.
She didn’t know how long she sat there, lost in her grief. But eventually, the reality of her situation began to sink in. She was alone in a timeline that wasn’t hers, with a man who didn't even know she existed. And even if she could go back, what would be waiting for her there? A world where Five didn’t love her? Where he was in love with Lila?
Y/N wiped her tears, trying to summon some semblance of strength. She knew she couldn’t stay here, wallowing in her sorrow. She had to find a way back to her timeline, to accept that this timeline was not hers to change. This Five had found happiness, and she had to find her five again, the five who loved her.
With a heavy heart, Y/N picked up the briefcase and activated it. As the familiar hum of temporal energy surrounded her, she cast one last look behind her. The memory of Five and Lila, laughing and kissing in the greenhouse, would haunt her forever.
“Goodbye Five.” Y/N said, a tear slipping down her cheek
And then, with a flash of light, she was gone, leaving behind a timeline where the man she loved was lost to her.
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darylssunshine · 3 months
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daryl x reader
“whoa hey, you’re bleeding.” reader maybe not realizing it until she looks down. falling into his arms and daryl callin for help. whump whump whumppp . set at the prison ?
Family
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word count: 1.1k
a/n: finally getting into the swing of things with requests. hope you enjoy anon <3
~~~
The sounds of people yelling and the banging of chain link fences echoed throughout the prison courtyard. You jabbed your knife through yet another walker, grunting as you pushed it through its thick skull. You, along with everyone else in your small group, including Carl, had been at this for at least an hour now, but it was necessary to keep the prison safe. Still, the constant stabbing motion had your upper arm aching. Probably acid and bile rising up from your stomach, too.
“I got the last one!” Glenn called out from the middle of the formation, sticking his knife right in the middle of the walker’s eye. Audible sighs of relief could be heard from the group, along with a victory ‘whoop’ from Carl. Standing right beside you, Daryl was flicking the excess undead blood from his knife and his hands, wiping the rest on his pants. He shaked a stray hair out of his eye then wiped a hand down his face, sighing and sheathing his now blood-free knife. 
“Jesus. Glad that’s over. Can’t wait to do that again tomorrow.” He scoffed, leaning against the fence and stretching his overused right arm.
“I know, right? My arm is killing me. Gonna have to… ” You trailed off, suddenly feeling a wave of dizziness wash over you. You leaned your arm against the fence for support and lowered your head, squeezing your eyes shut. 
Daryl stopped leaning against the fence and took a cautious step forward towards you. “Hey, you okay?” 
You immediately snapped your gaze back up to the archer, desperately trying to seem like you had your shit together. “Yep. Yeah. I’m okay.” You placed your free hand on your hip to simulate normality. That’s when Daryl looked you up and down and his eyes suddenly went wide.
“Woah, woah, woah, hey, hey! Yer bleedin’!!” He quickly stepped toward you, glancing down sporadically. 
You placed your hand on your stomach, discovering the right side was wet and sticky. It was, in fact, blood.
“Fuckin’ damn it.” You mumble, before going limp and falling into Daryl’s arms, him catching you by the armpits. 
His heart immediately started racing when he caught you and layed you carefully on the dying grass. The few that surrounded you stepped back to give you some space. He instantly got on his knees and inspected your injuries, praying to whatever deity was listening that you hadn’t gotten bit. After a string of mumbled expletives, he shouted, “I need some fuckin’ help over here!” To no one in particular, his frantic eyes never leaving your closed ones.
What he didn’t see happening behind him was Rick rushing to get Hershel, while Maggie and Glenn hurriedly grabbing a makeshift stretcher and bringing it to wear you laid. He quickly got to his feet and helped you onto the stretcher. He was by your side the entire time and throughout all of the noise and chaos, you could swear you could hear Daryl whispering, “They’re gonna be fine. They’re gonna be fine.”
You groggily opened your eyes and instantly felt a stinging on your right side. The events of the past hour flooded back, and you wince. You cautiously felt the area, and thankfully you felt a clean bandage.
Judging by the beige ceiling and the firm yet surprisingly comfortable mattress you were on, you had been placed in Hershel’s room. You slowly moved your head to the side, expecting to be met with an equally beige wallpaper, but to your surprise, you were met with a sleeping, hot headed, brunette, redneck.
He was spread out in a chair he had brought from the dining room. His head was lolled towards you, his hair in his eyes and snoring quite loud. You smiled, heart slightly skipping a beat at the thought of him not wanting to leave your side.
“Hey.” You rasped, cringing at your own voice. 
Daryl, being a naturally light sleeper, immediately blinked awake. It took a second for the fog of sleep to leave his brain, but it left fast when he realized that you were awake. That you were alive.
“Holy fuck. (Y/N.) Hey. How’re ya feelin’?” He rambled, scooting the chair closer to the bed and sitting on the edge of it.
“Like shit. But I’ll be fine.” You sighed in response. 
“Good.” Daryl said softly, letting out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. “Hershel said you probably got scratched by a walker. That true?”
You averted his gaze from his and started picking your fingernails, a nervous habit you’ve had since you were a child. “It happened while we were dealing with that hoard. I didn’t wanna make a scene.” 
You heard him sigh deeply and didn’t speak for a moment. You turned your head back towards him, and he had his head in his hand, almost willing himself to speak. He looked up and his eyes looked redder and puffier than they were before. “Why th’ fuck would ya do tha’?”
You slowly sat up in a somewhat sitting position to better look him in the eyes. “We all have to protect this place, Daryl! This family! It’s something that most don’t have these days.”
“We coulda had one less person in th’ family if you’d told me about tha’ any later.” He motioned to your wound with a nod of his head.
“You guys can function without m-” You were cut off from your half-joking comment.
“I can’t, ‘kay?! I can’t. So shuddup. Don’t say tha’.” He suddenly raised his voice a little, making you shut your lips and look at him with your full attention.
“Look. I don’t want ya gettin’ hurt. I care about ya. Always have.” He gazed into your eyes with such a fondness you could’ve started crying right then and there. And you would’ve, if he didn’t look away from you in sudden embarrassment. “Yer the only one who keeps me sane ‘round here.”
You sniffed, chuckling to cover up the tightness growing in the back of your throat. “That why you stayed and kept me up with your snoring?”
“Shuddup.” He repeated, sounding exasperated, but you didn’t miss the slight smile on his face.
He then stood up, flexed his probably sore neck, and put a reassuring hand on your shoulder. More heat blossomed onto your cheek at the sudden contact.
“Gonna go get Hershel now that yer awake.” He said softly before walking towards the door.
“Can you bring me dinner after pleeeeease?” You asked, your hands in a prayer motion and your eyelashes batting.
He turned around in the doorframe, his hands in his pockets.
“Sure. ‘S a date.” He drawled, winked, then walked away like nothing happened.
Maybe you should have thanked that walker before you stabbed him.
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blushstories · 15 days
Text
you hide an injury from joel after your patrol shift | hurt/comfort, slight angst
i had two versions for this and they will be split with a —— so please enjoy either or both!
five runners. five bullets. the run down store’s only light came from broken windows and missing roof tiles, and you’ve backed yourself into a corner so that nothing can sneak up on you. your torch casts shadows behind them and they approach in a line. you send a bullet through a head, a kneecap and its head, a neck. you duck one clawing at you and shoot up once from the floor. the screeching doesn’t end, and you pull the trigger again to hear an empty click. your heart stutters, your breath hitches, and you kick at the runner’s leg to send it to the floor, and aim another at its head as you scramble to your feet. you holster your gun and reach for your flipknife. but your pocket is empty. you dig into it a bit more, stepping backwards as the runner recovers, but it’s not there.
you want to scream. not in fear, in fury. a glint catches your eye and your torch has caught the blade of your knife on the floor. the runner charges, and you launch yourself next to your knife, slamming into the floor at full force. you grab it, roll onto your back and catch the incoming infected as it jumps on top of you. gripping it at its shoulder, you stab the knife into its chest, its neck, its temple, until it ceases its movements. its blood seeps through your fingers, dripping onto your chest. with a cry of relief you shove it off of you and wipe your knife on your jeans before pocketing it. its only when you try to sit up that you feel it. a sharp, hot pain in your side, forcing you to lie back again. you glance at the lifeless runner next to you, a distant pang entering your heart at the person they used to be.
you wince as you try to sit up again, inhaling sharply as you peel your shirt away from your side. and there it was, a neat shard of glass wedged into your skin.
—————— track 1 starts here ———————
“oh, fuck.” you sniff, blinking up at the sky. deep breath. removing it might make you bleed out, and you know maria could help you. not tommy; he’d blab to joel, who’s already not keen about you going on patrol on your own. but he has things to do in jackson, you couldn’t let him risk his life out here. it only takes one wrong move.
you lie back, and gently roll over until you’re on your knees, trying to keep your torso as straight as possible. using a nearby shelf, you pull yourself up. it’s fine. it’s not bleeding too much, just leaking here and there. you check again and swipe it up with your thumb. you’re not too far from jackson, you think as you reach your horse. riding on horseback would definitely fuck up your insides, so you decided on a gentle walk. you don’t have much daylight left though, so you try to get a move on.
the sun is kissing the horizon by the time you see jackson again, and the doors open as you approach, as if they had been waiting for you. your feet feel numb, and you’re trying to stand up as straight as you can without wincing. the intruder in your side causing a deep, aching throb. you let go of the reins and let your horse run off towards the stables, right before you hear your name echoing across the courtyard. tommy slips down the ladder from the watchtower like it’s slick with grease, his boots barely touching one rung before it’s met the other.
he bounds towards you, forehead glistening, and slams into your good side with his arms around you. you bite your tongue at the force, feeling the glass slicing into you more. but you mustve let some sound out, becaus tommy pulls away and holds you at arms length.
he breathes your name, eyes assessing you. “jesus. you look— joel’s been about to send a search party for you.”
“it’s not my blood,” you lie. then you sniff, briefly breaking eye contact. “not all of it. where’s maria?”
tommy freezes for a nanosecond, eyes boring into yours. he knows, but he doesn’t ask, using two fingers against your forearm to nudge you into following him. he doesn’t pay any extra attention, as you walk past jesse, dina, and ellie, he probably doesn’t want any sort of rumour to find its way back to joel. and for that, you’re grateful. you smile at ellie on your way past, hand hovering over your wound to hide the bloodstain that was yours. she smiles back, you think. you’ve turned the corner before you and tommy are alone.
“you can’t tell joel.” you say. just then, your foot lands in a hole of land a lot deeper than you’re expecting, sending a painful jolt through your right side, exploding into the wound. you catch yourself on a nearby porch as your knees respond poorly to the shockwave through your body.
“woah,” tommy grips your arms carefully, avoiding your wound. “you’re kidding. he’ll find out when you tell him.” he helps you walk the little bit further to his house.
“no way. he’ll never let me patrol solo again!” tommy looks at you, eyebrows raised.
“is that such a bad thing?” he pushes the door open and shouts for maria to clear the table for an emergency. you hear a clattering and tommy shifts beside you. “sorry, darlin’,” he murmurs, swooping beneath your knees to pick you up and place you on the table. you wince and swallow your cries of pain, hearing his whispers of “i know, i know. shh.” in your ear.
you feel a soft towel beneath you and maria’s supplies are spread on a small table nearby. she’s quick to business, slowly pulling up your shirt just enough to reveal the glass, which to your horror has dug itself deeper into you.
“it’s not that big, right?” you breathe lightly. but you eye tommy in the doorway, whose hand is covering his mouth, raking through his scruff.
“christ.” he says into his palm.
“i need your shirt off,” maria says calmly, and with that tommy spins on his heel and leaves, the door closing quietly behind him. you hold your arms up and allow maria to pull your bloodsoaked shirt off of you, before you hear a flannel being wrung into a bowl of water. it’s warm against your skin, the blood and dirt disappearing. but she’s delaying the inevitable.
she has a pillow under your head, and passes you a dry flannel.
“put it in your mouth,” she says. “i don’t have painkillers.” you do as she says as she readies two pairs of medium tweezers, a lot of gauze and some thread. you feel sick at the sight of it and prefer not to look. so you watch the ceiling as maria counts down, and on two, your skin feels as if it’s being ripped through by a chainsaw. you have to bite your scream into the cloth in your mouth, slapping a hand on top to muffle the sound even more. you’re gripping your own face with such force that you know you’ve left marks behind when maria pauses. she wipes at your forehead with the wet flannel and says she’s giving you a break. you shake your head as a tear slides down your temple and dissolves into your hairline.
“just do it, don’t care. hurts enough,” you mumble, head feeling as if it’s floating away.
“you could pass out. i am not having joel at my ankles for that,” she says, with care. she strokes your head lovingly, and purses her lips. she asks you if you’re ready and you nod.
“the whole thing,” you say, not daring to glance down. maria doesn’t reply, but she readies the tweezers. she takes a breath. and the pain returns. your body shakes as maria tries her best to steadily extract the glass, and you feel something dislodge. maria swears, and somewhere far away, you hear an argument.
the door slams open. the jolt in the room sends a searing pain through to your head, and your throat feels shredded.
“shit, joel!” maria shouts. he’d heard your screams due to the open kitchen window, and fought tommy while he was standing guard at the door.
“what the fuck happened?” joel shouts, stalking towards the table. tommy slips in front of him, hands on his chest shoving him back.
“wait; let her finish. you don’t want this to be worse. trust me.” there’s something serious in his tone that would even make you shut up. joel freezes, and watches maria dump the shard onto the table before starting on plugging the gushing of blood that’s just left your body.
with a deep throbbing ache remaining, you’re too tired to keep your arm up, dropping the cloth away from your mouth as you try to catch your breath. you consciousness is floating away, your eyes unfocused, breaths fractured. joel bats tommy’s arm away and he’s on his knees next to your head, smoothing the hairs away from your sticky forehead. you hold your breath as maria increases pressure on your wound, and joel takes your hand in his.
“that’s it, sweetheart, take it out on me,” joel mumbles into your temple. you squeeze his hand and groan in pain, feeling nausea creep into your throat.
maria’s recruited tommy. he opens a bottle of alcohol and douses a clean rag in it, muttering an apology as he sets your wound alight. joel watches in horror as your body convulses, sees the oozing wound and hoping the blood is only making it seem worse. your forehead is slick with sweat, and you’re only half conscious, murmuring his name while existing on a different planet.
“oh, baby,” he whispers, shoulders hitched high. you’ve started breathing heavily, and he doesn’t relax until maria begins stitching, then eventually wrapping your body. joel helps to hold you up enough, cradling your head and keeping your shoulders up. when maria cleans you up as much as she can, joel whisks you from the table to the couch, pulling up a blanket to your chin to protect your dignity.
when you come to, he’s on the floor, back to the coffee table. he’s kept his head up with his arm braced on his knees as he dozes. you stir, and he snaps to attention. your breath catches in your throat, and you can’t stop yourself blabbing, “joel, it was an accident, ‘m fine, please don’t worry.”
he wants to be mad, he really does. he wants to hit you with a “what were you thinkin’?” but you’re so tired, and your voice is all pebbly, and he doesn’t have it in him. he’s soft on you.
so all he says is, “i know. but i will. and we gotta talk about this soon.” you swallow the rocks in your throat, but you nod. maybe it’s time to stop being a lone wolf. an extra gun could save your life, after all.
———————— track 2 starts here ————————
you stare at it for a few moments in disbelief. heat pools behind your eyes and you take a sharp inhale. the runner twitches next to you and your heart flies into your mouth. you think your wound isn’t hurting as much as it should do, but you’re putting it down to adrenaline.
“fuck me, i guess,” you mutter to yourself shakily, pulling yourself onto your knees and hauling yourself up. should you pull it out? maybe it will fall out itself, it doesn’t seem lodged too deep. you wince with each step you take, and consider using your walkie talkie to call for backup. but you want to deal with this yourself.
the route back has a noticeable lack of infected, which you’re grateful for. your horse, gale, nudges at your shoulder when you seem to slow down, but the pins and needles in your feet can’t be reasoned with.
“‘s fine, gale. we’re almost there,” you say blearily, watching jackson appear dead ahead.
your feet drag against the ground, and your hand is slick holding onto gale’s reins. there’s a strange smell in your nose. pain. it’s metallic and stale, and your eyes feel too heavy for midday.
you don’t know how you find the strength to shout for the gate to open, but you do, and you slide in — they only open it a crack for patrols. you jolt slightly, thinking you’ve nicked the shard on the side of the gate, and with your next step you realise you have. your smile turns wonky, and instead of greeting tommy as usual, you settle on a wave.
you leave gale with the rest of the horses and stumble towards your house, where joel is working in the front yard. his muscles flex underneath his flannel as he moves a bucket of something to one side. he catches a glimpse of you approaching as he sets it down, and you try straightening up. heat rushes from the wound to your face, and you sniff away any cry of pain.
“hey, sweetheart,” he says, voice dripping with honey. he pulls off some heavy gloves and turns around with a smile, wiping his forearm across his forehead. it drops as soon as he sees you. his eyebrows set and his eyes narrow.
“what happened?” he asks, the words stale. you shuffle forwards, aming to dodge him.
“a successful patrol, if you must know. ganked a bunch of infected. i want a shower though,” you say, a little too fast. joel chucks the gloves to one side and doesn’t break eye contact.
“you’re standin’ funny,” he says. you try to play it off.
“you think i stand funny?” you feign hurt.
“knock it off. are you hurt? i need to know, baby,” his mask cracks. there’s a stab in your heart, and your side.
“i’ll get back to you on that,” you begin, sliding past him and climbing the stairs of the porch, using your arm more than your legs to pull you up. but you’ve crunched your side too hard, and you feel the shard begin to pop out. you’re glad you’re facing away from joel as your face crumples in agony, the electric hot wound sending prickles through your entire body. “but right now—“ you wince halfway, “i need a shower.”
the toe of your shoe catches the tip of the last step and you fly forwards, onto your hands and knees. you hear your name behind you and then you feel him. hands. on your shoulders, on your hips. you’ve frozen as the pain rockets through you, stealing your breath and your composure.
“fuck. jesus, fuck.” he’s turned you over and has spotted an angry red patch on your shirt. and it’s growing. he’s so mad. but your eyes are drooping and your eyebrows are all creased. so he bites the inside of his cheek in panic. he taps your cheek with his fingers. “stay with me, now. hold on sweetheart,” he says. you’re whimpering because you need to bite your tongue in case you scream. “you gotta—“ he sniffs harshly through his nose, “you gotta let me help you.”
his hand grasps your shirt and pulls it up. with wide eyes, he whips his head around to scan the immediate area, spotting ellie and jesse emerging nearby. he shouts for help even though his tongue feels numb. he can’t put pressure on the wound — for obvious reasons — but blood’s pooling onto the porch and he feels sick because if you don’t pull through, and the wood is stained forever…
footsteps thunder through your head, and there’s a murmuring that buzzes through your consciousness and you’re falling from joel, further and further.
you wake up in your bed. the sheets are soft and you feel clean. even though joel sleeps next to you routinely, he’s now slumped in a chair, arms folded tightly across his chest and chin falling into his neck. you lift up the sheet covering your body and eye the neat bandage around you, with only a faint patch of red seeping through. your throat is dry, and you feel so tired; a dry crackling at the back of your throat sends you into a coughing fit. the action jerks your wound which in turn remixes your coughs into cries of pain.
joel stirs, then, and his head snaps up. his eyes are bleary until he realises that you’re awake, so he reaches for a glass of water on the side and stumbles over to you. he slowly tips it into your mouth and the cool liquid tastes like gold. you tap his wrist twice so that he doesn’t accidentally waterboard you, and he listens. your coughs die down and you put pressure on your wound in case it makes it hurt less. and then he settles next to you.
“how’re ya feeling?” he says. you nod.
“‘M alive.” you aren’t sure what to say. there’s an elephant in the room, and you’re too scared to address it. joel isn’t, though.
“i don’t know why you’re so reckless. why you try to hide it from me.” he averts his gaze, but it’s clearly planets away. “i’m not putting you on patrol again,” he says. your jaw falls.
“what? but it’s the only job i’m good at!” you insist. “i didn’t say anything because i knew you’d say that.”
joel runs his hand down his scruff. “you could’ve died. hell, you almost did and it wasn’t even a fuckin’ infected.” you know he’s reliving something that you can’t remember.
“exactly, it was an accident. c’mon joel. next time—“
“there won’t be a next time. don’t you get it? next time, a clicker eats your throat. next time, runners take you down. next time, a bloater rips your jaw open—“
“joel, stop—“ you cringe at his graphic monologue.
“no, i won’t stop. you’re a smart girl; why aren’t you acting like it? i’m not letting you out of my sight,” his voice cracks imperceptibly, “m not gonna lose you.”
oh. that’s why he’s lashing out.
“you won’t. okay? you won’t. can we please work this out later? i’m very good at compromising,” you say, your hand finding his jaw and pushing him to look at you. he does, and there’s care in his eyes. he squeezes your hand and inhales steadily, blinking back something.
“okay, fine,” he says. “do you need anything?”
you shake your head, biting back a smile, “just you.” you pat the bed next to you and wait patiently for joel — now suppressing a smile — to stalk around the bed, toe of his boots, and lie next to you. you lean up against him as much as possible, already drifting again into sleep. there’s a soft kiss to your head, and you’re smiling in your sleep.
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ni-kisno1fan14007 · 2 months
Text
forbidden
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pairings: hopeless romantic prince!riki x maid!reader
warnings: suggestive, smut, fingering, size kink, unprotected sex, mild hair pulling.
He was the crown prince of the Far East, the future king of a people known for following their hearts, seeking romance and love no matter the consequence. They were the beacons of love and lust, the hopeless romantics of the bleak world they lived, lovers of poem, art and love itself. So it was no surprise when Prince Nishimura's eyes caught the sight of a maid, a simple common girl that scrubbed the floors of the castle and served royalty. From your thick dark locks, to doe eyed gaze, to your small frame, everything made him more and more smitten with you. He wanted you, he wanted to show the true meaning of love, spoil you with all the affection a girl could only dream of and show her a life that would put fairytales to shame.
Oh how he dreamed of you, how he desired to feel you lips against his as he tossed and turned in his bed every night, wanting to feel your body against his, in every waking moment until the end of his days. He was ready to drop everything.. everything for you, his title, his birthright.. he pined over you since the moment he laid his eyes on your face. He had to have you, have all for himself. His heart ached for you, bleeding itself dry in moments of longing that had him questioning his sanity for being so infatuated with a commoner.
He stared up at the ceiling, before finally deciding to head off to find you, to confess his undying love that had his mind spinning, he wants to hear your voice.. no he needs to. His footsteps were quiet as he made his way to the servant's quarters, finding the door to your small room, and gently tapping on the door twice. Dressed in a thin white chemise you open your door, confused at who would be looking for you at the time where the moon reigned the skies. Your eyes widen at the sight of the crown prince wearing a simple white shirt that was buttoned down exposing his toned torso, and some pants that hung low on his waist. "My lord-", "No! no more of that, I need you my dear, my heart aches as if it only beats for you, as if my entire being is fuelled by your existence, my body craves your touch as if I might burn away if your fingers do not caress me!, I love you dammit!, I love you so damn much!' he exclaims. You simply stand there, your mouth agape, brain short circuiting at the sight of the crown prince confessing his love to you, a man that had any woman at his feet, now looking down at you with infinite hope.
Before you could even answer, his lips crash against yours, arms wrapping around your waist, and all you could do was give in, melt into his touch as he kissed you like a man starved. His foot pushing the door close as one of his hands lifted up your chemise exposing your thighs to him. "You have no idea how much I have craved you my dear, please let me have you.." he whispers against your lips gently pushing against small bed at the corner of the room. He pins you down, his knee between your thighs rubbing against your intimate area in a slow pace that had your mind melting, fingers digging into his arms. "My lord-", "no, please call me Riki, I need to hear your voice moan my name'", he asks almost begging as his lips touch the soft skin of your neck, making your mind lose its sanity. "Y.. Yes Riki..", whisper out softly, the name still foreign on your tongue.
You let out a gasp as his rips down your dress, exposing your breasts to him, the sigh was better than what he had imagined, an image he had conjured up during his lonely nights of shameful pleasure where he touched himself to the thoughts of you. He couldn't help but groan at the sight of you bare for him, displayed right in front of his eyes, breasts round and moving with each breath you took, down to your hips and thighs rubbing together in anticipation, god he needed you so so badly.
He spreads your thighs wide open, exposing your most intimate area to his eyes, slick and gushing out arousal from the tiny tight entrance as its walls clenched around nothing. He couldn't help but smirk, ego elating at the fact that you wanted him as much as he wanted you. His fingers gently touch you, rubbing circles around your entrance making your legs twitch in pleasure, small sparks of bliss coursing through your body at the contact. Your can't help but moan out as he pushes two fingers inside, making your eyes roll back in pleasure as he stretches out your tight hole, he had to make sure you were prepared to what he had in store for you. He loved you so much, having you at his mercy begging for release was something straight out of his wet dreams. Tight, gummy walls clenching around his fingers, greedily sucking him was intoxicating for him, his pants growing tighter by the second, his member straining against the confines of the fabric. He needed release.. and he was going to get it.
He manhandled you into position, with your ass in the air, face stuffed into the pillows, intimate area dripping with slick sliding down your thighs, all needy and eager for him. He slid down his pants and aligned himself against your entrance, fingers tangled in your hair.. as he slowly pushed in.. all you could do was let out a muffled scream into the mattress as his huge size split you in half. His hold on your hair tightening as he pushes in deeper; the tip kissing your cervix. He groans unable to hold himself back from the feeling of your tight warm walls wrapped around him sending him to an abyss of pleasure that he has only dreamed of. All he wanted right now was you, to take you, and that’s exactly what he did as he pulled his hips back before snapping his hips forward, making you let out a scream of pained pleasure. He moved frantically, thrusts sharp and unforgiving bruising your insides, but you took it.
His movements were uncoordinated, mind hazy while finally receiving the pleasure he has only dreamed of experiencing for the past months, once he could only imagine the sounds you would make as he made love to you, how you would cry out his name with each brink of ecstasy he brought upon your body and mind, and now he has it, all in his hands with his member buried deep inside the girl of his dreams.. he was over the moon. He could care less of that what he was doing was forbidden, a prince being intimate with a servant girl, but he couldn’t care, he didn’t care, he had you now, and that’s all that mattered to him as he had you twitching in his arms after reaching you high, taking in his brutal pace like the good girl you were.
He reaches his high, thick warm release spilling into your womb as he groans out, feeling your walls squeeze him for all his worth. Riki collapses next to you, pulling you close, strong arms wrapped around your small frame, keeping you safe right where you belonged. In his arms in his forbidden embrace.
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moonstruckme · 1 year
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hi okay hi you’ve probably seen me in your notifications for the last twenty minutes because i am absolutely obsessed with the way you write poly!marauders.
i was wondering if you could write something about the (fem)reader who slowly starts dissociating when things get tough and she’s not really present and while they’re concerned, they just show their love for her through caring until she comes back to herself. it’s completely okay if you can’t!!!
Thanks honey, I'm so glad you enjoy my blog! Love the pfp btw, I personally think that was Spence’s best hair. I know everyone experiences dissociation differently so I did some research and I hope this is alright! Many apologies if it’s not accurate
cw: dissociation, brief mention of sexual assault
poly!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 910 words
You’re grateful to Sirius for defending you. You are, but the man’s hand on your ass had caused some deer-in-the-headlights glitch in your brain, and the yelling that ensued only made you retreat further into yourself. You know, distantly, that it’s Sirius’ voice, and that he’s yelling for you, not at you. But it’s all noise to you, a ruckus that means danger, and then there’s movement, and more hands, and everything that would be too much if you weren’t so far away. 
You feel like you’re sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool, everything above the surface of the water muffled and distorted. What happens up there doesn’t concern you. It’s peaceful down here, even if there is a certain wrongness to it. You know you don’t belong here, not really, but you can hold your breath and try to make it last. 
“Baby?” a voice says. “Hey, you okay?”
“Don’t shake her, that’s not going to help.” You can’t tell if it’s another voice or the same. The comfort it brings you doesn't change, and you can’t force yourself to care either way. You can’t care at all, really, about anything. You wonder if you should be worried about that, but feelings are something out of your reach, and maybe it’s better that way. 
“Something’s wrong with her.” 
“I can see that, love. We’re almost home.” 
“You don’t think she’s hurt, do you?”
More hands. You want to flinch away, but it’s like you’re moving through a thick sludge. “You’re alright, dove, I’m just checking that you’re okay. Do you hurt anywhere?”
“Why isn’t she talking?”
“I don’t know. I think…maybe she’s just overwhelmed. I don’t think she’s bleeding anywhere.”
“Fuck. Shit, is this a panic attack? Do you think she needs a doctor or something?”
“Let’s just give her a few minutes.” 
There’s more talking, but you give up on trying to decipher it. After a while, something cushy comes up underneath you, or maybe you go down onto it. Your hand is warm, and then it’s pressed to soft fabric. “Feel my heart going in there, baby? Can you focus on that for me?”
You’ve made such a cozy home for yourself in your head that it takes you some time to realize everything around you has gone quiet. There’s a persistent bumping at your palm. 
“Don’t tight hugs help with panic attacks?”
“We don’t know if that’s what this is. What if it scares her?”
“Hey, angel, can you hear me? Come back to us.” 
The wrongness of where you are is starting to set in, the voices at the surface louder and more insistent. You think that maybe your chest is starting to ache.
Something moves your feet, and then you're touching something interesting. Soft and a bit rough, familiar. Carpet. 
“Breathe, honey. Good. Again. We’ve got you, take your time.” 
You’re conscious of your breaths first, the effort it takes to fill and empty your lungs. Then the plush material under your thighs; you’re sitting on something. Awhile longer, and you realize you’re blinking, your eyes intermittently dry and then not. Eventually you register your hand, pressed to a beating heart. Sirius’ heart. 
You don't try to speak yet as you take in your surroundings. You’re home, on the couch, and someone’s taken off your socks and shoes, your feet bare on the carpet. You don’t know how any of that happened, which is unsettling, but the realization that you can feel unsettled comes with a sharp relief. 
Sirius’ finger swipes over your wrist where he’s gripping your hand to his chest, and your next exhale is shaky. 
“Dove?” Remus’ tone is cautious.
“Sorry,” you say croakily. “I don’t know what that was.” 
Sirius sighs, letting your hand drop from his chest, and Remus grips your ankle from where he sits by your feet, stroking his thumb over your achilles’ tendon in a way that you suspect is as much for him as it is for you.
“Fucking scary, is what it was,” James says, voice thick with tears. “Can I hug you?”
You nod, and his arms come around you with his usual eagerness, though you notice his hands trembling just a little. You squeeze his shoulders tightly. 
“I’m really sorry.”
“Hey, no sorries, okay?” Sirius says, though even he sounds exhausted from what you’ve just put them through. “You obviously couldn’t help it. Do you feel alright now?”
“Yeah,” you say, though you’re unsure. You feel relatively normal at the moment, but the knowledge that you can slip into numbness that easily doesn’t allow for much comfort. “I’m just…really tired, for some reason.” 
Remus hums. “I think your brain was doing a lot of work just now. Makes sense you’d need a rest.” 
James releases you from the hug but only sits back far enough to see your face, his hands lingering at your waist like he’s worried you’ll slip away if he lets go. “Want to cancel dinner and have a night in, sweetheart?”
You nod, your throat closing as warmth rushes to your face. “Yes, please.” 
“Hey,” Sirius says at your tears, voice lightly chiding but full of concern, “what’s wrong? You sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I’m okay,” you promise, swiping under your eyes. “Just, thank you guys for helping me. That was really scary.” 
“I know,” Remus says, palm sliding up your leg as he rises to give you a hug of his own. “I know it was, honey, but you don’t have to worry. We’ve always got you.” 
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honey-crypt · 2 months
Note
alright hi hello me again with fanfiction request ??!! im in angst mood so hear me out
Elliott x farmer, where farmer comes back badly injured like,,, bleeding all over arm probably broken and Elliott freaks out he's just like 'you could have died!!!' and when farmer just laughs it off he just,, breaks down yk n cries for them bc he can't stand the thought of his love dying in the mines one day :((
anyway angst to comfort please 🫡
a/n: i'm not responsible for any emotional damage this fic causes :)
word count: 1.3k
warnings: graphic imagery, blood, elliott has a bit of a breakdown, farmer is really injured
summary: it was just another day in the mines, for you at least. not for elliott, though, as he finds you bloody and battered in the foyer of your home.
★ home is where the heart is - elliott x farmer ★
You staggered towards the farmhouse, as the fireflies and lamps lit your way to safety. High-pitched wheezes clawed their way out of your mouth and you struggled to conceal your heaving, labored breathing when entering the house. The door quickly shut behind you and you let out a sigh of relief. I’m home, I’m home.
The light suddenly switched on in the main room, “(Y/N)?” your husband’s voice called out to you. Shit, you thought to yourself, eye to eye with the redhead. Elliott hugged the sheer night robe close to his skin, his feet adorn with the bunny slippers you got him last month. Despite the pain, you managed to smile through it, “Hiya, hon.”
Elliott nearly fell to his knees at the sight of your bloody, damaged appearance. He walked towards you, legs almost jelly-like in their uncoordinated movement, and kneel before you, “(Y/N), oh (Y/N),” his voice was barely above a whisper, “What happened to you?”
You sniffled and promptly winced from the act, blood gushing backwards into your throat and making you stifle back a gagging sound from the sensation. Your nose was at an unnatural angle and your forehead was caked in a mixture of dry and fresh blood, as you bled the cut on your scalp. 
It was just supposed to be a quick expedition.
The sound of metal clashing against armor echoed through your ears. 
In and out, just in and out.
You sustained the first wound. 
I didn’t think there were gonna be so many. 
Then the next wound.
There were too many.
And the next.
Too many monsters.
And so on until you were battered and bruised, a walking corpse. 
“(Y/N),” your husband’s timid voice called out to you, “(Y/N), my love, what happened to you?” his voice wavered in and out. Every part of you hurt, from your head to your toes. You tried to adjust your position against the wall, but hissed lowly when a sickly ‘crunch!’ echoed from your arm. Shit, probably broken.
“I’m calling Dr. Harvey,” your husband leapt up to his feet and approached the telephone. You watched, as Elliott picked up the phone and dialed the doctor’s after hours number, but another episode of ringing in your ears made it impossible to decipher what he was saying. The vibrations and loud ‘boom!’ of explosive ammunition against slimes repeated in your mind. Probably still got some slime guts on me, too.
And you did, slime stained your shirt and pants in a putrid scent. No biggie, clothes are replaceable. Elliott returned to your side at just the right moment when the ringing subsided, “Darling, please,” he croaked, “What happened to you?”
“Just another day in the mines,” you mustered up a laugh, but the motion made your ribs ache. As gently as he could, Elliott scooped you off the ground and carried up the stairs to your shared bedroom. He carefully let you down on the bed, his robe now stained in slime and blood, and took a seat back to you, “Dr- Dr. Harvey will be here shortly,” the writer hiccuped, eyes glossy. 
“Thanks,” you hummed softly, relaxing into the soft mattress. Elliott turned his body towards you and stared, uncomfortably so. No words were exchanged over the next few minutes, the both of you unable to speak. Finally, Elliott took the initiative and whispered, “You could have died, (Y/N).”
You let out a series of wheezing, delirious laughs at his concern. That was all you could do, laugh. Elliott’s face shattered at the sight of you laughing, “I- I-” his bottom lip quivered. You held up your hand, the one attached to your functional arm, and answered, “Just another day in the mines, not my worst.”
Elliott fell silent and you attempted to fluff up the pillow underneath your head, “Don’t worry, hon. I can-” a sharp cry interrupted you, as your husband unleashed his tears. He hopped off the bed and onto his knees, burying his face into the satin sheets. You could only watch him wordlessly, as Elliott sobbed his heart out. 
“You could have died, (Y/N)! What part of that don’t you understand!?” he removed his face from the bed to yell. You winced at his volume, you never had witnessed Elliott in such a distraught state before. Elliott resumed his cries, “I could have lost you! You’re the- You’re the love of my fucking life and tonight, I could have lost you!”
Your eyes widened in surprise at the curse; Elliott rarely swore, he considered swearing to be a sign of ‘low intelligence’ that ‘one must resort to such profanity to convey a point’. Yet, here he was, cursing up a storm, “Do you not get how your actions impact others? Do you not understand how much you FUCKING mean to me, (Y/N)?!”
A knock on the door cut his rant short, most likely Dr. Harvey. Elliott rose from the floor and exited the bedroom, only to return with Dr. Harvey after a couple of minutes passed. The doctor let out a whistle at your injured form, “Oh, dear,” was all he could say, as Harvey initiated the treatment.
Elliott’s hands gripped onto the nearby vanity mirror while Dr. Harvey fixed you up, a few tears slipping out of his eyes and onto the oak wood. It felt like an eternity went by until the doctor finished up the last of your stitches and cleaned up the mess of bloody clothes and disinfectant, “Visit the clinic tomorrow for more pain medicine,” Harvey informed you before setting the blister pack on the nightstand, “And you’re on bed rest for at least a week.”
“Yes, doc,” you grumbled. Dr. Harvey gave Elliott one last nod and left your house, silence overtaking the atmosphere. You swore that the tense silence hurt more than your injuries, as you awaited Elliott to continue his yelling. 
Instead, your husband entered the en suite bathroom and the sound of water rushing filled the room. He then returned to your side with a cup of tap water in hand and grabbed the blister pack of pain medicine. Quietly, Elliott popped out two pills and held them out to you, “Open up.”
You sat up and opened your mouth, Elliott placed the pills on your tongue and held the water to your lips. With Elliott supporting the glass in one hand and your back in the other, you slowly drank the water and let it wash the pills down your throat; it left a bitter taste in your mouth. Elliott placed the unfinished cup of water next to the blister pack and crawled into bed with you.
“I’m sorry,” you managed to apologize to your husband. He sniffled a bit, the whites of his eyes bloodshot, but gave you a smile, “I love you, (Y/N). I- I don’t know what I would do if you died in such a way.”
“I’m sorry,” was all you could reply with. Elliott wiped away his remaining tears, “I love you. I love you with all my heart and soul,” his words shook with incoming sobs, “I love you, I love you, I love you,” he recited the phrase like a prayer. 
“I love you,” you answered, “I will be more careful, hon.”
“Promise?” your husband looked at you with his wet, puppy-like eyes. 
“I promise,” You reached out to Elliott  and touched his hand. He intertwined his hand with yours and the two of you laid on the bed, basking in the peace of the night. Tonight, you were alive. Tonight, Elliott had you next to him. 
Yet, your backpack laid discarded on the floor by the bed, three or so bottles of squid ink nestled inside. Perhaps, you would gift Elliott those bottles another day.
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kazliin · 1 year
Note
Hi! I like to make personal copies of fanworks I really love. I don't sell them or anything of that nature and only print out copies for myself. Is it okay if I bind your Rival series for my personal collection? Thank you!
Absolutely! And I'd love to see a picture of it once you're finished!
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sodamnradd · 29 days
Text
(slightly nsfw)
Yards away from the ramshackle cottage filled with people who don’t like him, Draco lets his himself cry. Snape dumped him here an hour ago and left after a private meeting with The Order.
Footsteps approach. Draco wipes his tears.
It’s Granger, carrying a bowl of lumpy pasta.
“I was saving the box for a rainy day but figured you could use it more than me.”
He stares at the offering, and scrunches his nose. “That’s revolting.”
She says, “I’m sorry about your father.”
Draco’s eyes sting. Then, since she still hasn’t left, he tries the lumpy pasta and finds it offensively delicious.
-
Two weeks later he’s playing Wizard’s Chess with Weasley when Granger appears, a bag strapped across her shoulder.
Weasley hugs her so fiercely, her feet lift off the floor.
“There are only two rooms,” says Weasley, welcoming her inside. “But you can share mine.”
She shakes her head. “The sofa’s fine.”
-
Weasley hurls a howling werewolf against a tree.
Draco stuns two more, searching the field frantically for Granger.
A scream pierces the air.
He doesn’t think before he launches himself between her and the feral wolf. Something sharp slashes his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Draco takes Granger’s hand and touches the port-key in his pocket.
They land in a heap, gasping atop each other.
She’s bleeding profusely. Her forehead, her cheek, her chin.
-
It’s not until he’s cleaned her up, using magic to sew the scar on her temple back together, that she discovers his shirt is drenched in blood.
She makes a fuss when he removes his shirt. “This is worse than my scar. You should’ve said something!”
“We’re not keeping tabs, Granger.” Truthfully, he’d forgotten all about it when he’d seen her hurt.
Her hands are gentle as she cleans his wound.
They receive word from The Order that the battle was successful, but Ron has been reassigned to a different safe house.
“I won’t have to sleep on the sofa anymore.” She jokes, her breath warm on his spine.
It’s the oddest thing, but his cock stirs. Just the idea of Granger in a bed makes him feel too tight in his skin.
-
They play house for a few days.
Draco enters the kitchen one morning and falters when he sees her in his jumper.
“It was on the chair,” she says apologetically. “I was cold.”
“It’s fine.”
Seeing Granger in his clothes has a deeper effect than he thought. He’s hard again. Admittedly, he’s hard a lot these days.
-
They’re playing chess when Granger poses casually, “Who’s the last person you kissed?”
Draco says, “Pansy.” Without having to think about it. He meets her eye. “You?”
“Ron,” she says.
He tries not to wince, wondering if it was while they all lived together.
“Did you sleep with Pansy?”
His cock stirs again. He exhales. “Yeah,” he says, unable to ask the same question. He doesn’t want to think of Granger naked with another bloke. 
“Do you miss it?” she asks. “Sex?”
He gives her a telling look.
She makes the next move on the chessboard, cheeks aflame.
He shoves his chair back and, when she looks up, he pats his lap. “Come here.”
He thinks she’ll say no. That she’s merely curious and that her questions didn’t mean anything. But she doesn’t do any of that.
He watches, fascinated, as she rises from her seat. And when she straddles him, he’s pretty sure his heart explodes.
-
Sex with Granger makes war tolerable. He’s addicted after one taste. More. It’s all he ever wants. More and more and more.
On the sofa, on the counter, in his bed, in the shower, against his bedroom door.
Her body is lush and responsive. Her skin is gorgeous covered in his love bites. When she moans his name, Draco aches.
She’s doing exactly that, riding him furiously on the sofa with her hair tangled between his fingers, when the door swings open and Snape enters.
Granger gasps, ducking away.
Draco curses, plucking his shorts from the ground.
Snape turns around, giving them a few seconds to become decent. He’s ramrod straight and possibly not breathing.
“I’m so sorry professor,” Granger apologizes profusely. Her voice a little raspy. “We weren’t expecting you.”
“I would hope not,” snarls Snape, peeking cautiously over his shoulder. “I dare say, when we thought you two were occupied, this isn’t what we had in mind.”
Draco bites his lip so not to laugh. He’s not sure who’s more humiliated. Granger or Snape.
“Where’s the research?”
“One moment.” Granger dashes upstairs wearing Draco’s jumper inside out and backwards.
Snape says, “What are you smirking about?”
Draco shrugs, untroubled. “Nothing.”
“Attachment only causes distraction, Malfoy.”
“Or something to fight for,” he rebuts.
“And if she dies?” He sneers. “If you fall in love with that girl and something happens to her, you won’t survive. I know you.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to her,” he says firmly.
Snape narrows his eyes, realizing it’s too late for words of caution. “You fool.”
Draco says, “Don’t tell the others about this.” Because he knows they’ll separate them if they find out. “Please.”
Granger returns wearing trousers. She passes a ribboned scroll to Snape.
Snape stares in disdain, taking it after a beat too long. He glowers at Draco, his mouth forming a straight line. He says, “If you wish to survive, you’ll stop this.” Draco is about to protest, but Snape holds up his hand. “But as far as I’m concerned, I was never here. Good riddance.”
He slams the door on his way out.
Draco remembers the devastation of losing his father. Snape’s right. They probably shouldn’t.
And yet.
When Granger locks her arms around his neck and bursts into a fit of giggles, he melts.
To hell with it all. He’ll fight for them until the bloody end.
(976 words. Prompt: secret safe house relationship discovered by Snape from X).
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azsazz · 4 months
Text
Tethered
Azriel x Reader
Summary: Trying a little something different here...not sure how I'm going to explain it yet, but this fic is more of a fantasy aspect than my other fics.
Warnings: Mentions of burns and death.
Word Count: 3,569
_________________________________________
Pain.
The first thing you recognize when you come to is pain. That, and the darkness.
It consumes you from all angles, a darkness so deep and ancient it feels otherworldly. It coils around you like a frightened snake, smothering what little air you’re able to choke down. You blink once, twice, to attempt to clear your vision, but the black coating the space around you doesn’t so much as shift.
It’s how you know you’re in deep shit.
A sharp pounding pierces your skull, preventing you from shoving your shaky arms beneath your aching body and pushing to your feet. The feeling is worse than that of any wound bestowed upon you up until this point. Not even the King of Hel’s rigorous training or your mother’s disappearance had been so painful.
There’s a gnawing so deeply in your bones that you wonder if the feeling has always been with you, if you’ve somehow become accustomed to the feeling of your body screaming in agony.
Growing up in Hel, you should be used to such things.
Sunbursts spot your vision, the bleeding eclipses warring with the darkness. You hold your breath for a beat or two, trying to force your pulsing heart to calm. Exhaling slowly doesn’t help, only forces your breathing to become shakier.
It’s eerily silent, save for your panting breath. The screams of agony still ring in your ears, the King of Hel’s malicious laugh accompanying them as he splays himself across his throne, grinning at the two maidens sat in his lap.
As you scramble to gather your bearings, you wrack your muddled mind for where you might be and how you survived. You take inventory of as much as you’re able—the sharp flares of pain in your ribs, jagged and harsh with each inhale and exhale you take, and there’s a ringing in your ears that gives even the wailing spirits of Hel a run for their coin.
Hel. The last thing you remember was standing before your King, the sovereign of the underworld. He’d smirked down at you from his throne made of obsidian and bones, towering over not only you, but the entirety of Hel itself. The wicked curve of his lips and piercing dark eyes had only forced you down to your knees by looks alone.
You had not wanted to meet the gaze of your ruler, always hated his attention on you, but as one of his favored, you were often in his presence. Forced into doing his dirty work because of what you were born into, powers that were unlike anything in either Hel nor Haven, a one-of-a-kind ability he sought to take advantage of.
Your glittering quiver had been strapped across your back, and the image comes back to you vividly—clutching the grip of your bow as the King sealed your bargain with a red-hot hand to your skin and a wicked grin on his face.
A shuddering inhale makes your nose scrunch. You can still smell the remnants of your burning flesh beneath his palm.
You had nearly passed out from the pain. Maybe you did, because no matter how much you furrow your brows and wrack your brain, you can’t seem to figure out how you ended up where you are now, face down on the cold, hard ground.
Reaching out blindly for the bow that’s fallen from your fingers, you groan, the long sleeve of the silky white shirt you don beneath your armor brushes against the sensitive mark on your forearm. Your fingers creak as you uncurl them, rubble and debris scratching against your hand, burying deep beneath your nails as you search for your weapon.
The lightweight of your quiver is comfortable at your back. You choke down a shuddering groan as you lift your wings, biting your lip at the tenderness you feel at your back. They seem to be in one piece, as you twist them this way and that, only throbbing dully with bruises. Creatures of all sorts could be lining the darkness surrounding you, and you understand that you’re taking too long to rise, the shadows and nightmares of The Void keeping you off balance.
The King must have had one of his goons throw your hardly-conscious body into The Void after your bargain sealed. That’s how you ended up here. A spine cracking shudder makes bumps rise on your skin as your body stills.
Stories of The Void come rushing to you, and if you try hard enough, you can smell the lingering scents of the other worlds’—a smoldering smoke as black as The Void surrounds you, cloying your throat in thick waves as if trying to choke you, brand you with the reminder of where you are to return to. Cutting through the utter wickedness is the sharp perfume of something other, a fresh breeze lined with citrus that must be a figment of your imagination because there is no scent like that in Hel, nor breeze in The Void. It simply is.
It must be Haven, you decide. You only recognize the heavens from stories trickled down through the rift of worlds, from picturesque stories and secrets in shadow.
You haven’t known anything other than Hel. You cannot recall your father, hardly any of your mother, nor how you ended up in the King’s care. All you remember from your earliest memories are the soothing tones of your mother when you were young and scared, calming you in her arms before you ended up with the King, and the gleaming bow you never go without.
Forged by a millennia-old weapons-master, you’d been gifted the very weapon you seek now. No one knows how it had gotten to her—not even the King himself—only that the exquisite piece had come from the best battlement blacksmith Hel had to offer. You were no older than eight, eyes rounded with wonder at the sight of the gleaming gold bow settled on your bed, matching quiver and arrows accompanying it.
You shove the thoughts away. Your heart leaps into your throat the longer you search for your weapon. The pain zipping up your body help to focus you, and the strain threatens to give out as your fingers finally find the familiar metal grip of your bow. You hold on tightly and drag it to you, feeling the weapon for signs of damage.
Your bow soothes you as you trace your fingers across the solid gold riser. You know this weapon better than you know yourself. You could be blind and know the inside outs of your beloved weapon, like you are now, vision clouded with black as your fingers slide down the string, taut and flexible as ever.
Once you’re satisfied with the condition of your bow, you attempt to rise. The thick robes you’re clothed in had broken none of the fall. They’re heavy against your body as you struggle to gain your footing, stretching your wings wide to balance. The fabric brushes against your wound and you bite back a yelp at the pain that burns through you like a wildfire.
You had thought that without parents or a family to lose there would be nothing for the King to hold over your head, to force you into his tricks and deals, for him to rip away for his enjoyment, but the wretched ruler always found a way. You clenched your teeth so hard that you thought they would crack as you were forced to your knees before him, glaring daggers up at the beautiful ruler while he only grinned like a wolf, licking over those sharpened canines like he was out for your blood. Again.
He hadn’t let you agree to the terms of your bargain until you screamed.
Shoving to your feet, you splay your arms wide for balance. The harsh ground offered no grip beneath your boots and the blackness does little to help you stay stable. You try to keep your breathing calm when it sharpens as you look around. There’s nothing but the darkness and yourself, not a pinprick of light to guide you nor a sound to be heard. Not even your own thick-soled shoes make noise as you test a step forward.
The silence doesn’t break and the prowling creatures that reside in The Void don’t stir. Beings of nightmares, you’d been told when you were only a child and before your mother was taken from you. Your imagination couldn’t be sated when you were young, always begging for more and more stories of the world outside of Hel, questioning why you weren’t allowed to go anywhere else.
You hated the fires and heat of Hel, always burning a spot in your mind or your skin. You craved more, to see the open sky instead of storming clouds of thick smoke that perpetually covered Hel in charcoal waves. You yearned to see the stars and the moon and the heavens of Haven, with their buttery sunrises and dreamy dusks.
Your mother’s face is a long-forgotten memory, but the stories she told are not. Tales of animals and creatures so large, fit with razor-sharp teeth and glowing eyes stalking around The Void, monstrosities that not even the King of Hel could conjure.
Okay, you remind yourself, shaking the worry from your head. It’s time to make a move.
You’re sitting prey if you don’t. The feathers are a familiar comfort brushing your fingertips as you reach over your shoulder, sliding a singular arrow from the quiver with ease. The gold tipped point sings as it’s unsheathed from its home at your back and you notch it in the bowstring with controlled practice. It’s a motion that keeps your hands from shaking and soothes your breathing, a warrior at the ready, should any of the nightmare’s attack.
As you move, you realize that making your way through the darkness is no easy feat. Not a sound to guide your way nor a flicker of a torch to assess your surroundings. There is only darkness and silence and it beats at you with each tentative step you take. Slow progress is still progress, you try to remind yourself, but you can’t help but feel as if you’re talking in circles, the maze of shadows spinning your sense of direction, offering no reprieve.
Even the scents of Hel and Haven have faded, though you feel better about the former washing from your senses. If only the perfumed scent of Haven remained—you’d gladly follow the trail right up to the heavens, King of Hel be damned.
It had once been a dream to see Haven in all of its glory…before you realized that there was no escaping Hel, no escaping the King and his sinful grins and wicked games.
A sound forces her to still, limbs locking up before you force yourself to steady your stance and take aim, squinting through the black. Your pointed ears perk as you listen intently, not daring even a shallow breath. A soft noise sounds, like a cloth brushing across glass. It’s fleeting, morphing all too quickly into a screeching, grating noise that reverberates in your bones. Talons. They. Sound so similar to those of the King’s hounds giving chase down the long halls of his palace that there is no doubt in your mind the creature stalking you could shred you limb from limb.
The noise ricochets against the hard ground of The Void, echoing off of the nothingness that surrounds you. It makes your head spin, torso twisting to follow the movement as you search desperately. For the source.
Standing frozen, boy taut as you strain to glimpse any sign of where the lurking creature may be, a barely recognizable purr accompanies the grinding claws. With the darkness of The Void swallowing all movement, it feels as if the noises are consuming you, echoing in all directions and baffling your sense further.
Glowing, white eyes blink open, startling you. Your heart skips a beat in your chest as you jump, tightening your grip on your weapon and swinging it in the direction of the lurking beast, the tip of your arrow aimed right between those bright eyes.
You don’t dare more, though the smart thing to do would be to release the sharp-tipped arrow the beast’s way, but the creature doesn’t move. It blinks slowly, sleepily at you with its gleaming eyes, staring at you as if it’s curious instead of the horrifying nightmare the King and others had warned you about.
You curse silently as it stands. You’re pinned by those unnervingly bright. Eyes as it bounds closer. A reflection of what you’ve heard the moon looks like lies within its stare, though you don’t think the creature has seen the luminous beacon in the sky either. In the low light reflecting from its gaze, you catch sight of the sharp teeth as the nightmare licks its maw, and the pointed talons that clack against the stone ground as it closes in on you.
You could run. You can turn around and spring through the darkness for your life, pray to Haven that you don’t trip over a worse dark-dwelling beast, but with the deep ache in your bones you know that you won’t make it far fast enough.
The King of Hel hadn’t been lying when he taunted you with how terrifying these beasts could be.
You wonder for a fleeting moment if the ruler of Hel even expected you to make it out of The Void.
Heart racing in your chest, for the first time since you’ve mastered your bow, your fingers tremble around the taut string. You can let lose an arrow between its glowing hot eyes. There’s no falter in your aim, even with the miniscule shake. If you will it, your arrow will strike true.
The prowling beast halts only meters from you. Your heart pounds loudly in your chest and the beast must be able to hear it beating against your golden breastplate from the way that it cocks its head and blinks up at you. It nearly reaches your chest and you swallow harshly, knowing that one wrong move will have the beast snapping at you. You hardly breathe as lips curl away from blade-sharp teeth that glint in the glow of its blinding eyes.
There are only a handful of seconds to decide your next move—to bare your own teeth and show the creature what you’re made of, firing the gold-tipped arrow, or stand down and hope that the predator does the same.
One breath, two, and you watch the creature lower itself onto its haunches. Your hands fall to your side in relief. The arrow is a surety in your grasp as you slowly sheath it back in place at your back. A surety that if the beast attacks, you’d be even more of a fool than the King ever claimed.
Following your movements with bright eyes, the growling of the beast falters, then quiets. It straightens, sitting taller, more menacing, and nearly meets your gaze straight on. It stares at you until your empty hand is back at your side, bargain mark throbbing as it brushes against your cloak.
You’re just as confused as the creature across from you, staring at each other like two sides of the same coin. It’s like you know the beast, seen it in your dreams or heard tales about it from your mother, but your mind is muggy, and you can’t grasp where the familiar feeling is from. You see yourself in its eyes, lost in the darkness with no light to guide you out.
As if the creature understands this, it dips its chin to study you.
Its breath is balmy against your throat and it sends shivers up your spine. Your lip’s part to gasp at the same time the creatures open to taste your scent, deciding if you’re a threat or not. The heaving breaths against your skin tickle, but there’s nothing funny about the way the creature stills, as if the raging beast wants to slash through your delicate flesh, to feel your hot blood sticky beneath its paws.
“Help me,” you dare whisper. It’s spoken as quietly as your voice allows, but the sound carries into the void as if you screamed it.
A howl answers that makes you flinch and itch to press your palms against her ears. It hadn’t come from the beast before you, who snuffs in response, its full row of teeth reappearing as its eyes narrow, staying tightly locked on you.
“Help me,” you plead, desperation clinging to your words. You need to get out of here, need to breathe the night air and see the real moon and feel its silvery rays upon your skin just once, you need to find somewhere safe so you can begin working towards what you came here for, why the bargain mark burns with every movement. Your freedom. It’s all you want from the King, from Hel, to be able to roam as you please, leaving the underworld to find something greater.
You want to remember something other than the harrowing sights of Hel, than the King’s sharp smile mocking you every time you close your eyes. The things he’s made you do, the things you’ve made yourself do. This cannot be the end.
You won’t let it be.
“I’m trying to find Velaris,” you continue when another yip joins the first. A hunting party, likely moving this way. The sounds are closer this time, but the darkness doesn’t allow you to gauge just how far they roam or how many there are. Your gaze sweeps around as if the soft light emitting from the beast’s eyes will allow you to see the others. The blackness leers in response, no longer the sinister silence but instead filled with a terrifying array of noises that will only enhance the harrowing nightmares that plague you. “I need to find the city.”
Your fingers tighten around the handle of your bow but the action does nothing to ease the worry eating at you.
Maybe it’s the raw despair in your tone or the glistening look in your eyes or the thunderous beating of your heart that makes the beast take pity on you.
Blinking up at you, the creature slinks closer, damp snout pressing into your hand. You hold back the flinch at the coldness of it, and it gives you a gentle nudge as if to say, ‘Why didn’t you say so?’
Releasing a sigh of relief, the beast allows you to press your hand to the top of its furry head as it leads you towards further darkness. The creature’s mane is soft and thick between your uneasy hold, leaving you to wonder if this being isn’t a menacing creature bred to hunt within The Void, but one that had been just as scared as you.
The howls of creatures around them die down as you’re lead through black. You don’t know if you should be breathing easier or harder when the noises die out completely, leaving your breathing and the clacking of the beasts claws against the stony ground as the only sounds as you walk.
Blinking, you are convinced your mind is playing tricks on you at first, as you begin making out different shapes. Black turns to a deep navy, then lighter until you can see silhouettes of trees and mountains beyond. The hard stone turns to soft earth laden with thick grasses reaching nearly to your knees.
The air is sharp, crisp with the oncoming scent of a storm. Your head snaps towards the sky, searching for a star, the moon, anything you can to ensure you’ve ended up in the correct place, but thick, rumbling clouds cover every inch of the star-smattered sky.
Disappointment floods your veins with ice. You’d been wishing to see for yourself since you were a child and your mother had spoken so highly of the bright splotch in the sky, and it has gnawed at you as you grew into the female you are now, proud and strong.
With a disheartened sigh, you turn to face the creature who’d been leading you through the darkness, only to find it gone. You hadn’t felt the beast slip from your grasp, entranced on the opportunity to see the beautiful night sky. It had disappeared on those stealthy paws, dipping from your hold and back into the swallowing darkness of The Void.
It looms behind you, an open, cavernous mouth that seems to creep slowly, consuming the trees and stars and sky. You wonder if it had somehow consumed the moon, if The Void is a living being all its own—a trap waiting patiently to devour what wanders into its well laid snare.
A shudder works its way up your spine as you stare. You know well that you will be back, when it is time to return to Hel with the King’s prize, and then and only then, will you have your freedom.
The word burns your skin just thinking about it. A time where you will be able to roam freely from the nightmares of Hel, doing as you please without the King there to loom and rule over you. The taste of the salty night breeze is only a tease of what you will soon have.
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