#went to bed w a headache and woke up with an even worse one

[kakejiszkas]

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[kittyhazelnut]

imagine being able to breathe through both your nostrils at once lmao couldn't be my congested self

[paganwitchisis]

"What Love Can Change" (WLCC) Chapter 9

Chapter nine: An Adventure into the Deep

Rated: E for Explicit!!

Pairing: AFAB Female Tav/Spawn Astarion

Words: 8,995

TRIGGER WARNING -Breeding kink, violence, descriptions of trauma, sexual assault, torture, suicide attempt and mention/idealization, self harm, starvation, depression, pregnancy, hyper-sexuality, and rape.

AO3 Link - here

Chapter eight link - here

*THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SMUT (and some action/adventure!) *

“What? No foreplay?” Tav joked as Astarion placed his daggers on the dresser before sliding his own wet pants and underwear off, baring himself completely to his wife.

“You’re going to get sick….or worse, you can get hypothermia. You need to get out of your wet clothes.” Astarion grabbed a towel and started towel drying his hair. Tav tried to yank her armor off since although the clasps were undone, she still needed to toss it over her head, but found she was having difficulty until Astarion came around to her side of the bed and helped her. Tav would be lying if she said she didn’t appreciate a naked man stripping her, but she let that joke lie as she knew there was still one more uncomfortable conversation left to be had in the wake of what had happened that night. Tav wanted to talk to her husband about his nightmare and to make sure he was okay, but before she could do anything, she was cut off. Her armor was taken off, but Astarion must have gotten frustrated that she wasn’t getting out of her clothes fast enough, so he began kissing her as he helped strip her of her remaining clothes. In the end, she also was bare, but the chill of the room and the cold fireplace along with her wet and chill skin made her shiver. Astarion tucked her into the covers while he began lighting and stoking the fire in the fireplace that had gone out in their absence. The night was young and dawn was far off still so it was still fairly cold out. Tav decided now was a good idea to broach the subject.

“Hey…Astarion? About earlier…you seemed to be having a nightmare when we found you. Do you want to talk about it?” Tav gently pried.

Astarion was able to get the fire to life and went back to his wife. He frowned and replied.

“It was a ‘what if’ nightmare, like you have sometimes. I dreamed I never got away from him…that I never met you… I was being punished by him for something when you woke me. I can’t remember what. Sometimes when I don’t sleep with you I get nightmares, too.” Astarion nervously laughed a little “I guess we’re meant for each other.” Astarion sat down on the edge of the bed next to Tav with a sad smile. Tav sat up, ignoring the chilly air and the shiver that ran up her spine. Astarion still noticed, even when Tav leaned forward, turned his head gently by turning his chin with her hand and claimed his lips. His eyes appeared to get darker and he watched her for a moment. He pulled back to speak.

“My darling, you need to warm up, and it appears there it something we haven’t done yet this honeymoon. Something I owe you. How are you feeling?

Tav gave him a toothy grin and replied.

“Well…the headache is gone and I feel better a bit thanks to the healing potion you gave me…or is that not what you meant?” Tav’s eyes drew themselves south to his limp and flaccid manhood.  Astarion knew where her gaze had gone and he chuckled.

Astarion pulled the covers back to show him his beautiful and sexy wife who lay there on the bed, her breasts pert and perky due to the chill, her ass and cunt achingly perfect and longing to be touched. Astarion didn’t, though. Not yet. So far, all their encounters have been an attempt to make love as fast and hard as possible, to satisfy basic needs, but Astarion had another need to satisfy.

Astarion climbed in under the covers and drew them back over her before claiming her lips once more. He positioned himself over her, laying his hips against hers so their flesh was touching. He braced his legs between her legs, her legs on either side of his hips. Tav wrapped her arms around his neck as the two shared a passionate kiss.

They needed to satisfy one very important need, and that was love.

Astarion placed his arms on each side of his wife’s head, their chests were pushed together as well and before long, and between slowly kissing each other and such close contact, Astarion’s cock began to rise. Tav was no longer chilly as she pulled away to speak.

“I thought you wanted to calm down ultimately with the sex?” Tav asked (not that she was complaining) as she felt the obvious rise of his manhood between her legs. She wished she could rub up against him at that moment and slip him conveniently in.

 Astarion kissed her chin and then her neck before replying “We haven’t done the one thing we both need.”

Tav stopped her lewd thoughts and grew curious “What’s that?”

“We haven’t made love,” Astarion dragged his fang against her neck “Real love.” Astarion knew better but he bit her briefly. He didn’t drink much in fear of hurting her. Tav moaned when he bit her. Astarion smiled, convinced that either she was a masochist or there was a reason he was unaware of. Maybe he conditioned her with all the feedings. She did after all come to him every morning with an offer to bite her before the assault.

“Slowly.” Astarion continued as he moved an arm to support him so he could kiss his way south. He kissed down her main artery which came as no surprise to Tav. He took in her breast and caressed her nipple as she moaned, intimately, slowly and carefully. “Passionately.”

Astarion came back up and kissed Tav once before he muttered one final word. “Lovingly.” At this, Astarion grinded his hard on against her soft flesh.

“I want to savor you one last time on our honeymoon, before we have to take on hags and other crazy adventures, before Gortash and these parasites, once and for all.” Astarion whispered in her ear after he pulled away from her lips mere moments ago. Tav smiled and brought her hands up to his ears and began massaging the tips of his pointy ears, making the elf moan.

“We still have one day left, you know.” Tav reminded him, tilting up to lick the lobe of his ear. Astarion gasped, dropping his head and giving his wife easier access to his ears. Tav licked up the edge up the ear to the tip, taking it in her teeth and gently nibbled. Astarion rubbed himself against her hip, panting as if he ran a mile. Tav pulled back to give equal attention to the other ear when Astarion pulled back.

“I have plans for us for the last day.” Astarion replied “I see you noticed what happens when you rub an elf’s ears.” he gave a lustful smile as he was on his knees, the cover falling off his back. Tav’s eyes raked down his body until her vision reached his very hard phallus.

“I had no idea that would happen until the pier tonight. It was a very pleasant surprise. If you get back down here I’ll do the same to the other.” she taunted and promised. “I should focus on you. After… after the last time, I want to show you how much I love you.” Astarion started to argue, but Tav wouldn’t hear it. She sat up, kissed him, and looped her arm around his head, tipping it down so she could clamp her warm lips on to the tip of his other ear. She flicked her tongue against the inside of the ear near the helix while she reached forward with her other hand and grasped firmly his erection.   

Astarion bended forward in response, his body reacting to the pleasure.

“You deserve pleasure just as much.” Tav mentioned before falling into a couple second giggling fit from Astarion lightly pushing her onto her back and seeing the sight of the very tousled vampire, a sight she usually didn’t get a chance to see much as he never let himself lose his cool. She smiled as she didn’t realize the ears were so sensitive and made him get to this state. She had no doubt they would truly make love like he said, but she knew it was going to take everything he had not to rush it. It wasn’t often Tav got the power in the bedroom when having sex with this man, but when she did, it felt nice, albeit a little guilty.

Astarion dared not touch himself as he didn’t want to devolve this into any of their last sessions. He loved her, and he was damned well going to show her that! Even if the little vixen was doing a perfect imitation of a sex demon right about now, milking him dry, making him reach new heights and giving him a really hard time keeping up with her desire. Astarion couldn’t believe it, but he couldn’t wait until she was no longer pregnant. If her sex drive was like this on a normal basis, he would shudder to think how he would keep up and support her then. If she wasn’t pregnant, he wouldn’t have to worry about having healing potions on standby for sex. Astarion scoffed, he never thought he would have to think that before. At least he would never be left wanting, Astarion smiled at this notion, trying to think of the bright side.

 Astarion leaned back onto the heels of his feet and used his hands to push his wife’s knees apart more. This gave him a succulent view. Astarion began kissing his way up Tav’s leg from her left knee and up her inner thigh to his prize. Tav relaxed back on the bed instead of watching him and closed her eyes. She trusted him and let them stay shut as she also let her legs slump to the side and gave him full access to her body. Tav kept her eyes closed but she could feel his breath over her intimate parts, so close yet not touching her. Tav longed to be touched but she knew he wanted to do this the right way. Astarion took his pointer fingers and pulled the labia softly away from the center of her sensitive place, revealing her engorged clit primed for him and her wet entrance. She was already partly ready for him but Astarion knew she wasn’t there yet, but she would be after he was finished with her. With the sides of her clitoris exposed, Astarion dipped his head forward and skillfully drew his tongue up the sides, hitting new nerve clusters and earning a gasp and his name being called by the woman he loved above. She drew her arms up to her head and held on to the sheets tightly beside her face while Astarion used his expert tongue to circle her nerves repeatedly in areas he usually didn’t touch often due to the silky folds of her skin hiding them away, paying particular attention when he ran the tip of his tongue up at the end to the center to the part that seemed unhooded. Tav was breathless and unsure exactly where to put her hands so she kept them clinging to the sheets like a ledge she needed to cling to for life. Astarion dipped his tongue inside her occasionally, tasting her sweet juices as he slowly inched her closer to escape. They were in no rush even though the events right before then made Astarion wish he could chase release as quickly as before. He didn’t, he wouldn’t. He loved her and he meant what he said. They needed to make love slowly and sensually. They needed each other.

Astarion repeated his actions a few times until he upped the speed of his tongue flicking the sides and long laps over her sensitive nub. He knew it was driving her wild as he wasn’t teasing her, he was building her desire, but at an agonizingly slow pace. Astarion didn’t want to have a repeat of before, though, and so that was why he ramped up his tongue, he then began to suck as well as the other motions, and Tav felt like a tightened lute string getting closer and closer to snapping. She wasn’t happy, though, because she still felt hollow. She loved what he was doing, of course, but she wanted more. Knowing how she felt between the rings and her breathy reactions above, Astarion pulled back, replacing the flat of his thumb to her nerve cluster and stimulated it as he took her lips again. Tav wasted no time and hooked her leg around his backside to bring their tender parts together, this seemed to excite the man who tried to keep things slow and tender as they rubbed against each other, his cock occasionally lining itself up and partly entering her of its own because of how they wound against each other. Astarion pulled back but Tav was the first to make a move. She went forward and took Astarion’s nipple to her mouth as she sucked and flicked it with her tongue. It was a different sensation, but it felt good to the vampire. Astarion moaned while Tav placed her hands on his buttcheeks and glided them up his ivory flesh until she could feel the beginning of his large scar on his back. Tav wished she could do something to make him feel good about that, and then she got it, an idea that he might agree to. This was something she could do after sex, though, as right now, she could see that both of them were just about through with foreplay. Tav was surprised when Astarion pulled back from her and he claimed her lips again, pushing her down on her back. Not a moment later she could feel the familiar fullness of her husband’s penis find its way inside her and she clutched on to him even more. It felt wonderful. Their kissing was still slow and sensual, very passionate and loving. His hands found their way under one of her knees, bringing her leg up for ease of access and the other went to hold her and bring her close which also brought him balance as he sultrily slid himself against the deep ache inside her, filling her over and over again. Tav moaned his name again which had been a mantra over the last few days. She was close to her end again, but not like she was before. Unlike before where they were chasing release, this had become somewhat of a slow build, and also unlike before, she wasn’t the first to crest.

Astarion couldn’t hold it in anymore when Tav took his lips and brought both her hands from his back to his ears once more and lightly rubbed the hollow of them. It usually never happened like this and he should have felt embarrassed, but he didn’t. She knew how to make him come and pulled him to his world shattering release. Astarion kept pumping himself inside of her, willing her to follow. He even reached between the two loving bodies and stimulated her clitoris and at the end of his throbbing and electrifying orgasm, Tav had cried out in pleasure as well.

Astarion chuckled, loving how stark of a difference that session was from all the other times they laid together. Sure, he was slow, with her the first few times, but there was no love involved. She was merely being manipulated for protection. Then, as things progressed and their relationship deepened, the way they made love had changed as well. Considering the next time they did and would have had slow and actual love would have been at the graveyard, it was unfortunate that it was not the same experience. Being in an open area and still so raw from Cazador, he was still processing and hurting in many ways. It was different, of course, and unlike anything he had experienced before, but not to the same degree as what they just shared now. The rest of the time and honeymoon he was busy showing her tricks or teaching her new things, utilizing the two hundred plus years of experience he had to give his wife a mind numbing experience, but it was obvious now that this was what they needed from the start. She didn’t need anything fancy, just him.

Astarion chuckled. Of course the toys he introduced to her he was such made an impression on her and the service she did for him on reclaiming some of his body and the pleasure he could gain with it he would never scoff at. He didn’t even realize he was still allowing Cazador to have control over him in different ways until that night. It would take time to sort out all of the trauma and to find true freedom and happiness, but as he looked at his wife, he was certain he would find it with her.

Astarion pulled himself free and out of Tav when she proposed an idea to him. All she said is she had an idea and she wanted to try something nonsexual with him. It would involve his back and whether or not he would trust her with this. He was a little curious what this could be as well as understandably apprehensive, but gave in to his wife’s request and laid down on his belly as requested. His wife went to her pack and returned with something in hand before getting back on the bed and sitting on his rear hind. Astarion grinned at this and how casual their intimate actions have been as of late before he felt a weird slippery cool liquid pour onto his back. It wasn’t much, she was telling him she couldn’t use much as it would get everywhere, but she never exactly told him what it was.

Astarion tried to look over his shoulder but Tav merely turned his attention back to resting comfortably on his arms and pillow before him when he felt her battle hardened hands, calloused with years of practice with a sword lay on his back with the liquid and begin to knead into his knotted flesh. At first it was a bit uncomfortable as his back was a mess of tense muscles and sore shoulders. His flesh was overly scarred from the carving from his former master and made it difficult to run her hands down his back easily with the extra layer of scar tissue there. This didn’t stop Tav. He wasn’t sure what techniques she was using nor how she knew what she was doing but after working out knot after knot on his tense and tortured back, she began caressing it with other motions of her hands. Astarion had no idea what she was doing, but it felt good. At first, he was concerned, of course, considering the last time he was on his stomach and someone was doing anything to his back, he was screaming all night as Cazador ripped his flesh without care or concern to inscribe the scar on his back. He trusted his wife, of course, but he wasn’t sure she knew that she was the first person he let touch his back since that traumatizing incident that long time ago. Of course, during intimacy, he was touched, but only for brief amounts of time. This was different. She was lovingly massaging his back and giving him a different kind of pleasure. She was giving him a different kind of peace.

Astarion wasn’t sure how this happened, but somewhere during her work on his back he fell into a trance. This was attributed to his level of trust with her, her skillful hands in making him feel good and of course the fact that he always felt safe and secure around her. He began to stir when he realized she was getting off of his rump and the pressure was no longer there. She took a clean towel and wiped him down of the oil on his back, at this point she had admitted to using weapon oil they used to sharpen and clean blades on his back as the mixture would allow for her to massage him without hurting his delicate skin. While he was asleep, she had apparently gotten a bath set up and led him there as she commented how cute he looked as he slept. Astarion just blushed a little and they got into the bath, tenderly kissing each other and touching each other as they got clean. Astarion was almost out of it, he was tired and the exhaustion of the day and nights events had taken their toll plus the massage was just what he needed until he heard her make a comment he had to talk to her about.

Tav was laying her head against his shoulder, the couple lounging in the bath as they held each other dearly when Tav reached down between them and felt between her legs.

“It’s such a shame we keep getting washed right after making love. I love having your seed inside me”

Although it should have made Astarion smile, it didn’t, and Tav, because her head was down on his shoulder didn’t see his concern. Now was as good a time as any to broach the subject.

“There is something about that I have to talk to you about, my sweet.”

Tav turned her head up to look at her husband and pulled away slightly so she could see him better.

“What’s wrong?”

Astarion tried not to look too worried, but he knew it was for naught. She knew him better than anyone else in his life and there was no use hiding anything with her. Plus, the chance of what he was concerned about happening was low, so in reality, it shouldn’t be a worry, but she had the right to know.

“We should talk about after this baby what you want in terms of children so we can plan as I think there is something you don’t know.”

“You lost me. What don’t I know?” Tav questioned.

Astarion sighed and took a deep breath before revealing to her something that was not common knowledge to those outside of supernatural world.

“It is…uncommon. Some may claim it is rare even but it is possible for a vampire to impregnate a human. Even a spawn like me. Granted if it was something easy, every vampire would be doing it to grow their armies, but considering how it is not common knowledge, it is safe to say that the odds are very low. At least through this method. There are other ways these beings can be created. The offspring are usually not even considered welcome among higher vampire society and are treated worse than spawn.” Astarion couldn’t bare to look at Tav as he continued to explain. “They’re called damphir and are half living. They age, can get disease and can die like a mortal unless they meet certain…conditions, in which case a damphir can seek out and achieve immortality, but from what I hear, that is difficult however not impossible. They are immune to the sun as well. Even though they don’t have most of the downsides of my condition, they still have the eternal hunger, just not as strong that I would have. They have to be very careful so as to not give into bloodlust. Other than that, they do gain enhanced senses and agility. They would still have fangs.”

At this point Tav couldn’t stand Astarion shying away, looking ashamed of the information he was supplying her and she encircled her arms around his neck and kissed him. Startled, he finally rose his head to look at her and see her smiling. She pulled back and asked a question.

“So you’re saying that its unlikely but there is a chance I can have your child in the future?”

Astarion placed his hand on her stomach before replying “You already are.”

Tav kissed him again as she wondered what she did to deserve this man. She considered the information he told her and she knew he was worried it would scare her based on his reaction but instead, it did the opposite.

“Astarion, After this one is born and I heal, I would like to have another.” She held his head in her hands as she continued to speak “If you feel the same way too, I want to have your children. I understand there will be complications…at the very least, and that I am unqualified to help them with the vampire abilities and hunger, but I’m willing to learn and try to help. If you want to have a child with me or two, assuming we overcome the astronomical odds and you choose to stay a father, I’d count myself as blessed to have your children and I want that as our future.”

Astarion wrapped his arms around his wife and rose out of the now cold tub, yanked a towel from the edge and made their way to the bed. He wrapped her in the linen and laid under the covers with her as he claimed her lips passionately. He was so enamored, he almost didn’t realize he didn’t give an answer.

Astarion pulled back and hugged her dearly.

“I’d be honored for you to have my children. I’m never leaving you. I told you that, and I already mentioned that even if you wanted twenty kids, I’d happily be their father. Like I said before, it isn’t common,” Astarion chuckled “However, with your sex drive, that may not stop us.”

Tav thought for a moment and held her husband in a tight hug as well, commenting back on the matter of that past weekend.

“About the sex drive, I know it’s a lot, and I don’t want it to be an issue. I am perfectly happy taking care of myself if it is too much for you. I know it is a bit…unusual”

“You make it sound like a challenge, and it isn’t unusual at all, dear. People just expect to see it out of men and not women for some reason. I’ve prowled the streets long enough to know that is not the case. You are perfectly normal and healthy.”

Tav broadened her smile and replied to his first comment. “I wouldn’t dare challenge a vampire. It wouldn’t end well. Now, we should get some rest before dawn approaches.”

The couple slept soundly that night, probably more soundly than they had in a long time.

When morning crest, Tav found herself hungry and eventually got out of her husband’s grasp so she could use the facilities and get some food downstairs. She left a note on the pillow after getting dressed and armor on, and although it was her honeymoon, she didn’t want to keep being stuck in the room. Astarion got to leave the room to eat, so why not her? It was still quite early so the Tavern was barely filled but still bustling considering it was the only upscale tavern in that part of the lower city. Many of the patrons Tav suspected never went home and were there from last night, judging by their inebriation and appearance. Tav walked over to the bar and ordered some food, finding the only open seat at the bar next to a older man with a lute who she suspected was a bard and on her other side was a class Tav had gotten used to being able to pick out easily based on the daggers, lockpicks and style of clothes meant for stealth. That person was a rogue. Whoever the rogue was, was for some reason interested in trying to speak to the clearly drunk bard but was interrupted when Tav sat between them.

“I’m telling ya! It is every vampire’s wet dream!! I can’t believe it hasn’t been found yet!!” The bard spoke brazenly and caught Tav’s attention immediately.

“But you still won’t tell me where it is!” The rogue hissed beside her, not even acknowledging the fact she was there and between the two of them.

“Of course not! You just want to sell it to the wealthiest vampire for a quick buck! Walking in the sun shouldn’t be something you sell to the highest bidder. Imagine the calamity of a higher vampire on the streets!”  The bard angerly retorted. Tav was now ignoring the food placed before her and paying attention to what was going on.

She needed that item.  

The rogue got off his chair, and out of instinct so did Tav. She suspected the rogue was up to no good and to no one’s surprise, lunged for the bard. Tav was not anticipating a fight when she came downstairs so she left her greatsword by the bed. Improvising as best she could she grabbed the wooden chair and directed it toward the attacker as she stepped between the two. The man who lunged at him almost ran into the bottom of the chair, his weight still clipping it and breaking some of the chair apart. Tav grabbed one of the legs that splinted off that, later she would find comical as the item she held looked like a wooden stake, but at this point she was alone and unarmed so she was fighting for their lives as the other residents fled or cowered under tables and the bar. The rogue got back up and Tav knew what to watch out for considering her husband was a rogue as well. They were not strength based and so they were great at other ways of fighting. She made sure to keep him in her line of sight at all times and keep the bard, who was hiding behind Tav and holding onto her leg as he crouched down, unharmed. The rogue threw some knives at her, she missed two of the three but with her leg being held by the whimpering music player, she couldn’t dodge the last and it hit her left arm. Tav grimaced and knew Astarion was going to be upset when he woke up later if she didn’t drink a potion before he saw the blood. Ever since the baby was a part of the equation, he has been very particular to keep all her blood inside of her and not spilled on the ground. Tav could get behind such a sentiment. Now was not the time to think about her husband upstairs. Now, she had a problem. The guards weren’t there and she literally had a wooden stake the size of a dagger to defend her and the bard from a dangerous villian. Fun.

Tav glanced around him and noted the rogue was below a chandelier, the rope tying it up was just off to the side. If there was just some sort of way to get there. Tav couldn’t go for it with the man attached to her leg, that much she knew, but maybe there was something she could throw? She didn’t have her bow with her either. She cursed the lack of foresight to bring her weapons with her. Before she could act, the rogue moved first, out of patience and potentially in haste. He stopped trying to go for the bard and saw her as the bigger threat. Maybe it was the adamantine medium armor that set her apart from the rest? Or the fact that she was between him and his target? Regardless she had to act fast. The rogue held his two daggers up and went to slice her throat and stab her chest. If he knew anything of the armor she was wearing, he would know the second attack was pointless and was to her benefit. The first hit, however, almost was a problem. He did graze her, but only barely. If it had been a little deeper, it would not have ended well. Tav knew this from all the times her husband fed on her. The second attack activated the effect of her armor and sent him reeling which gave her a chance. She shook off the bard for a moment and seeing as he was back under the very heavy chandelier again she grabbed the dagger stuck in her armor before he failed the attack and let go. She used her strength to dislodge it and then used it on the rope to cut the cord and drop it on the man. At this point the guard had shown and began to assess the situation, speaking to the innkeeper and then grabbing the rogue who struggled to lift the heavy item off of him. The bard rose after the common as Tav sank into a near by chair, her hand on her neck to staunch the blood. Thankfully she wasn’t bleeding profusely, but it was more than she liked. Her arm was still bleeding in addition.

The bard came to her and thanked her for saving him, asking why she got involved in the first place.

“Well…I’d be lying if I say it was only because it is the right thing to do. I would have helped you anyways, but you see, my husband….I heard about what you were talking to him about.”

The bard wondered what that had to do with her husband when he saw the marks on her neck on the other side of the wound she had, two pierced marks as if bitten by one of the undead.

“Wait…don’t tell me you married a vampire? You poor, poor, deluded girl.”

“No. Wait!” Tav interrupted. “He is a spawn who was turned over two centuries ago. We killed his master, Cazador Szarr about two and a half or three months back. He was tortured under that fucker for over two hundred years, was used and forced to do things he regretted. He isn’t bad, not like the others, like his old master. He loves, he cares even, and we’re going to raise a family together. I’m pregnant because of an assault. He didn’t have to, but he is is staying to be the child’s father. He isn’t like the others.”

The bard held his tongue as he couldn’t believe such a thing exists. Suddenly, a booming voice called out. “Are you okay? We should call your husband to come get you.” The inn keep mentioned before walking off.

Tav rolled her eyes. Just what she needed, her husband to freak out and panic. To make matters worse, the Flaming Fists were surrounding the establishment to figure out what had occurred and get statements. Tav felt fear after what happened to her not long ago. She felt her ring come to life and knew her husband was awake and worried. Tav handed the inn keep some gold for the broken chair even though he said they didn’t need to worry about it, and she tried to get up just to find the ground coming at her pretty fast. Before she could hit, however, familiar arms held her close and placed her back on the chair. Astarion knelt at her eye level and moved her hand off her neck. He scowled at the wound and he moved her arm to see the other nick she got as well. She knew the blood would bother him, but he showed remarkable restraint in not reacting to it. He leaned forward and kissed her sensually before pulling back to ask what had happened. Tav told him that she came down without her weapons to get some food when a fight broke out. She tried to protect a patron and got hurt in the process but that he was taken by the Flaming Fists. Astarion noted how upset she looked with the guard present and he held her close as she settled herself. She hugged him and didn’t want to leave but the wound still kept on bleeding. Astarion told her to wait a moment and he would be back with a potion of healing, kissed her, and left up the stairs. Unknowing to Tav, the bard was watching and Astarion's appearance was a giveaway to those who knew what to look for that he was a vampire spawn, the bard had spent many nights on the road in fear of his life to know about the supernatural. What was confusing was how he was out and about in the day.

The bard came up to Tav and asked that same question and Tav told him the truth. At this point, Volo had made his way downstairs and upon recognizing the man, told him in no uncertain terms that the story was his. This made the bard laugh a little as it was common knowledge the Volo would attach himself to any story that would propel him to the top. If he was with them, then this was a damn good story and what they said may have some truth to it after all. All the information made sense after all and lined up with what was already public knowledge. Maybe it would be in safe hands with them after all. The bard smiled wearily and handed Tav a piece of paper with instruction on it written in Common, and wished them the best. At this point Astarion had finally made it downstairs very upset. Apparently, he couldn’t find the potions and gave up, went to the main room to ask the others in the end and before he could ask, Lae’zel handed him a potion. Astarion had no idea how she knew, but it was getting on his nerves. At the same time, this potion was what they needed, so he was eternally grateful. He gave her it before grabbing a new plate of food, minus the cheese, and brought her back upstairs. She ate while a very worried Astarion didn’t like the fists crawling around right below them or the injuries to her. Astarion was shaking his leg up and down, clearly anxious when he came to a decision. He knew she fought with a great sword but extra precautions wouldn’t hurt. He also heard from others when he was down there with his enhanced hearing about how she got hurt. The person she was protecting limited her movement, and so she had no choice but to take the blows. This made Astarion angry and agitated. He knew she was the hero sort and would give herself to help others, but now? When she was with child, did she have to risk her life?

Astarion got up and went to his pack, looking through it. When they both got back into the room, they barely spoke except for Tav to show Astarion where in her pack the potions were kept for future use. Otherwise, tension filled the air as Astarion pulled something well worn out of his pack and went back to Tav who sat on the edge of the bed, her legs off the edge and he got on his knees by her right boot. On the back of the boot, he looked at the leather to see if there were openings for other compartments like his allowed him. Thankfully her boots did have a small space. Tav watched curiously as he placed a very sharp and unique looking dagger into the back of the boot with the handle up. She knew he was upset but she dared not broach the subject, however she had no skill with daggers except to very clumsily use them if necessary, like she did with the rapist in the basement long ago.

“I…I am so upset right now.” Astarion shook his head and walked over to the window and opened it to let the stale air and smell of sex out from the few days of fun they had. He knew he shouldn’t be angry, it was her nature, after all, and he knew that before falling in love with her and marrying her. He just felt so useless. While he slept, his wife could have been killed. Hells, she almost was! Astarion walked back over to Tav who had finished her food and placed it to the side. Astarion sat down in the chair across from her and spoke.

“I almost lost you both.”

Tav shook her head “You do realize that we have a few major battles left before we can settle down, right? That these were just nicks and I can get hurt a whole lot worse than that and we’d both still be okay? I’m not an invalid. I understand you’re worried, but since the attack you’ve been overly protective. I haven’t gotten weaker, I am still very much capable and just as strong as before!”

“You keep being the hero when you should be thinking of our child! You were alone, who was going to save you down there today? No you are not an invalid, but you need to make better choices.”

“What are you? My father? I am more than capable of saving myself. I did that this morning, didn’t I? You tell me to stop being a hero but if I stopped being who I was, then we wouldn’t be where we are now then, would we? If I was selfish or uncaring I would not have reacted well when you first tried to feed from me. We would not have ended up in a relationship, and if I didn’t give a damn about others, especially you then I am sure you can imagine what would have happened when faced with decisions with the drow at Moonrise, Raphael’s deal and going after Cazador. I do all that because I am me, and doing all of that and being me is just as much a part of me as being the hero as you claim. You knew that going in. I can’t, nor won’t change who I am. I love you, Astarion, but you’re driving me crazy right now. It is stifling.”

Astarion was too worked up to think things through logically and threw his hands up as if he was done with the conversation. Tav made the next decision, seeing as how he would not budge.

“I love you. I’ll be back.” Astarion was going to interrupt, however Tav beat him to this. “I will take a few of the others with me. We both need to clear our heads. I’ll be back later…assuming you want me back by then. Otherwise I’ll be with the others in the main room.” Tav grabbed her great sword and her bow/arrows before leaving the room with her pack and potions. Astarion didn’t get a chance to reply before she left. He sent a message over the rings telling her not to be late as he still had a plan for their final night for their honeymoon and it was during the evening. Now with Tav out of the room, Astarion started to feel guilt over their fight. Astarion was upset and figured he probably should go out and hunt. Was there one more juice box in the basement for him? Of course, but he needed to cool off. Astarion began to get ready.

Meanwhile, Tav had gathered Karlach, Gale and Minsc. and decided that even if he wanted to be stubborn and obstinate that she was still going to help him. She pulled out the piece of paper while she was clear of the ring and so they were a distance from the tavern, fearful he would know what she was up to and began to figure out the instructions. Tav read the instructions and filled in her companions. At first when she recruited them to help her, they had all apparently placed bets on whether of not she would be able to walk at this point based on the noises coming out of their room. Apparently Karlach and Jaheira stood to win a lofty amount by the sound of it since she was still on her own two feet.They had also heckled her about how she and her husband both sported matching hickeys on their necks. She joked with them about how jealous they were and that he is now a taken man, most of them laughed, although Halsin said that didn’t mean much to some as some could enjoy sex with many. She laughed it off like he did as he mentioned more nature jokes, but secretly Tav wondered if he still wasn’t bummed that she turned him down when he wasn’t about having an open type of relationship with the three of them, as the group had made their way to Rivington, the first stop along the path to find this item that would allow Astarion to walk in the sun, Karlach let it out that Lae’zel was purposely trying to mess with Astarion and it made Tav laugh a full belly laugh. Apparently they couldn’t really hear the couple much, with a few exceptions, but the group started making a game of it. A drinking game. Karlach thought it was really cute what they had, and although Tav did talk about their fight and part of why they fought that morning, Karlach and Gale gave sound advice that this was the first meaningful and real relationship the vampire had. There were bound to be a few hiccups along the way. They did repeat what her husband stated many times about communication, and it was then, while following this hand drawn map around the outskirts of Rivington, that Tav disclosed to Karlach (as Gale was helping Minsc figure out his directions) about the possibility of having Astarion’s children and what it meant. Karlach was understandably curious, cautious, but excited for her. By the time Gale had joined with Minsc, it was starting to become mid-afternoon. Tav was worried that if she didn’t find this place soon, that they would have to call it off or else Astarion would get suspicious. She wanted it to be a surprise for him. Plus, they had plans for the night. Tav went to turn and follow the map when she fell down the side of an embankment. Her boot slid down the mud to the bottom leaving her relatively unharmed. The others called down to her, worried about how she was. It was an opening in the earth beneath the side of a large ruin of what used to be a fortress or castle, maybe. She looked around in the dusty and dank cellar-like area and noted the ground was made of wood, and she appeared to be in a manmade structure. She called up that she was ok but she thought she had stumbled upon the entrance. Carefully, the others climbed down and joined her before they opened the large ornate looking doors. The room they walked into reminded Tav of the mansion Cazador lived in. t was similar in decoration yet much much older in style and in obvious decomposition. Wherever they were, it was a lot older than anything they had seen before.

It was very dark, so the group were thankful their weapons at the very least had a glow about them or in Tav’s case, her crossbow literally was on fire, thanks to Yurgir, but didn’t hurt her to wield. They cautiously explored the area and true to Tav’s form, she grabbed everything they could so they could sell later. She was so thankful they could send things back to camp when their packs got full. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the packs or if Withers secretly took pity on them, Tav always suspected there was more to that old beef jerky than he was letting on, but the option was very helpful. They finally entered a room and she perceived a room with many traps. One problem was, she couldn’t perceive all the traps. Thankfully Minsc had Boo so Tav was able to throw Boo across the room, who strangely enough didn’t seem to get hurt from being flung several yards away. She couldn’t see him, but before anything could be done, Tav, Gale and Karlach were thankfully near the door as Minsc ran forward, triggering every trap he could find as he yelled Boo’s name as he barreled ahead like some crazed ram. Thankfully that man was pure muscle because most people would have died from the surviving aftermath. Minsc got to the other end where Boo had flipped a switch, deactivating two single, solitary traps that Minsc had somehow managed to not hit. Thank every God and Goddess in existence that, that man could take a hit and had potions with him. After they got to the end and passed what looked like vats of congealed old blood, the smell being overwhelming to poor Tav’s pregnant nose, they arrived at what looked like the final door due to the ominous looking presence. The door reminded her of Cazador’s because like his, it did not have a way to lock pick. You needed a way to open it separately, but there was no way the same trick would work twice, would it? Surely, vampires change the way they do things every once in a while wouldn’t they? Tav, since she was picking up every single sellable item on the way in had a ring with an old insignia on it. The insignia was too hard to make out in the dim light, but once Tav placed the ring in the door, it unlocked, proving that not only had their security not really changed, it was actually easier back then because she didn’t have to find a dictionary to open the dang door with it as well. Tav pushed the door open slowly, not knowing what to expect. The room was surprisingly bright as part of the ceiling had given way to the elements some time ago but in small pieces. Nowhere near large enough for them to escape out of, just enough for rays of the evening light to seep through. Tav cursed, she was late for her meeting with Astarion.

Once the doors opened up, however, they were in for a harder bargain than they thought. Before them lay bodies of what looked like zombies, similar to Thrumbo, the servants of Carrion and a decomposed body on a throne before them. Although they could see in the room, the room was fairly dark and so when the zombies began to wake up and protect the crypt they had just intruded on, it became a cause for concern. When the group, between magic, weapons and a flying rodent took a few of the zombies out leaving one behind and it activated a scroll of revivify, things became a whole lot worse.

The group watched as a chill ran up their back and fear crept through them as the body on the throne started to sit up. The body began gaining muscle and skin until it started to look very much undead before them. Tav could tell just like the others what they were facing. They were going to have to fight a full vampire, and not just any vampire, but a master vampire.

Tav knew she wanted to do this as a surprise for Astarion, but she really wished she could have him with her right about now. They were not expecting to go up against something like this and this was not the party composition she would have used to do so if that was the plan. The ring came to life and Tav looked at the ring and reached out to her husband, searching to find him.

Outside of the dank lair, Astarion had grown concern when there was neither hide nor hair of his wife when the time was getting later towards the late evening. For the time being, there was still some sunlight but not for much longer and he was very worried. The only condolence being that the companions his wife took were still out with her as well. A pit of dread had formed in his stomach and he raced to find her. All he knew from the others is they left in the direction of Rivington and from there he was able to track and piece together from people who witnessed them and tracks that they went to the outskirts of the local area. They went farther than he felt they were safe doing considering the Absolute’s army outside the gates, but he followed them still. Once his ring sprang to life and he heard the panic in her voice, he knew something was wrong. He followed her directions but she was panting, breathless and grunting. Occasionally she would gasp or cry out in pain and so Astarion would rush farther and faster. He found the entrance and immediately could smell and tell he was in a vampire’s crypt, and a very old one at that, but what in the world would they be doing here, and why would a vampire be here of all places? He doubted Cazador would allow a competitor to live in such close location to his own palace if that was the case. Astarion concerned himself with this another time, he raced inside to find the end room and his wife on the left hand side, Karlach giving her a potion and Gale distracting the creature with Chromatic Orb in the thunder capacity while Minsc took a hit. Astarion burst onto the scene which seemed to have snapped the creature to it’s senses.

He looked around and gave an eerie smile, a smile that made Astarion think of his old master.

[mac-kd8]

                                                 Law x pregnant readers

Waking up, (Name) only felt tired as if she hadn't slept in months.  She  just blamed it from the late nights of working and nothing else. Not even realizing when she woke up it was already in the afternoon and the Heart Pirates were currently eating in the galley.

With a loud groan (Name) took off her Pj's and walked into the shower, she gasped slightly when the water presser felt a little more sensitive on her chest than usual.

(Name) shrugged it off, thinking it was because she was still healing from the last battle she took part of, so she didn't think much about it. Propping herself next to her captain like she always does, she quietly ate her late lunch while trying to keep her eyes open. Law being the observant man he is, grew quite worried about his beloved wife acting so fatigue. "Are you alright?" Law asked, trying to act he wasn't concerned. She only nodded before face-planting into her food with a loud smack. No one panicked or thought it was something to worry about, guessing (Name) was just having a narcoleptic attack.

Later that day, (Name) was currently laying on her bed while reading a book. Feeling like she was about to throw up, she put down her book next to her and quickly opened the bathroom door. She then puke out all of her lunch and maybe last night dinner as well into the toilet. Wipeing her mouth, (Name) then headed toward the sink to splash some cold water on her face.

Feeling a familiar presence, (Name) then turned her head to where Law was currently standing with a worried expression on his face. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess it's just a little food poisoning." (Name) said while scratching the back of her head.

"Alright but let me know when it gets worse."Law stated as he exited the bathroom.

(Name's) heart almost escaped from her chest when the submarine started shaking and yellow lights started flashing. Running onto the deck she could already see a battle taking place with men in white and blue uniforms on one side and men in colorful hats and white overalls on the other side. Unsheathing her twin katanas, (Name) then started cutting one marine after another but for some strange reason she already felt like she was out of energy. 20 minutes into the battle, with a large pant for air she finishes off the last of the marines before wobbling back to the submarine's doors.

"Damn why am I already out of breath, those marines were just small fries. My training methods haven't changed one bit, why do I feel so weak. "(Name) muttered to herself in annoyance.

(Name) only pushed her food around on the plate, hardly nibbling then she looked around the room. Everyone was so cheerful and she couldn't help but smile.

"Not eating much I see." Law commented, leaning over to whisper in her ear. Not like he needs to, over the usually loud noise that the Heart Pirates made at each meal.

"I'm just not hungry." She responded.

"Strange and I thought for someone who was out of breath just by fighting a few marines would be starving." Law stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Is it not to your liking, (Name)?" The head chef asked, catching sight of Law's actions.

"It's good. I'm just not hungry right now"(Name) said as she pushed back the plate.

"I'll put it in the fridge until you feel like eating again,"The chef said as he scooped up her plate of uneaten food.

"Do you need to lie down again?" Law asked her again for the third time today.

"I'm okay."

"Could I get some orange juice though?"(Name) sweetly asked the cook.

Then immediately , the crew got back to their usual antics paying no mind to (Name's) odd behavior.

She got to her feet while squeezing Law's shoulder gently. "I'm going to read a book." She said before taking a sip of the juice.

She was hoping that it was simply a case of stomach flu and not something alot more serious.

(Name) was once again in the bathroom and vomiting all of what she ate yesterday, which was not that much. (Name) felt terrible , as would anyone in these types of situations would, however, she still didn't want to bring the matter up. Luckily, Law hasn't woken up from his deep slumber , which made her sigh in relief. Slipping back into bed, she then let her eyelids close as she slept all the way through the afternoon again.

Then that cycle of having no appetite and vomiting lasted for this day as well, which made Law start to worry even more about his wife.

"(Name)!" She picked up her head by the ship's railing in surprise as she heard her name being called by Penguin. Her stomach hadn't seemed to settle, and now she is throwing up into the sea.

She then turned her head to the mechanic, trying her best not to look sick.

Penguin walked up to (Name) getting rather closer, causing (Name) to become nervous.

"You look pale." Penguin commented.

"I haven't been feeling well the last few days Penguin. So I'm probably a bit pale." (Name) stated .

"You're sick (Name)?" questioned Shachi. (Name) nodded her head, however quickly realized what she had brought up.

"I'm only slightly sick, just a little headache. Really."

"You sure (Name)?" Law asked as he walked up to the swordswoman, worried about her health.

She then gave a reassuring thumbs up to everyone to show that she was okay. Though internally, she was kicking herself for lying to the crew, even more so to her trusting and loving husband. The crew soon believed the lie as they continued with their day, however, Penguin, Shachi, and Law didn't seem to be convinced, so they kept an eye on her.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it." (Name) thought as she ran to the bathroom for the third time this week. She still was getting lucky with Law having once again already left their room or sleeping, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before they really began to be suspicious.

"This will pass. This will pass."(Name) kept telling herself furiously as she finished with her recent vomiting episode. She picked herself up, taking in deep breaths trying to settle her stomach. As she looked into the mirror, she noticed that she is even paler than yesterday.

Putting on a brave face, she then walked out of the bathroom and went onto the deck.

"Land ahoy!" Shachi shouted as he pointed at the piece of land.

All of the Heart Pirates gather around the railing in a disorderly long line, and lean over it, while watching the island they were about to dock. They had docked at a unique island well-known in the areas as vicious wild blood thirsty animals live there.

"Yahoo, a new adventure!" (Name) said happily before walking off the submarine's plank. As she got closer and closer onto the island, she felt someone grabbing her shoulder.

"I think it's for the best if you stay back in your current state."Law stated with a worried look on his face.

She only shrugged his hand off. "I'm fine, I feel a lot better today."

Before Law could protest, (Name) had already made her way onto the island.

And then she left, not running, but walking kinda in a slow pace into the forests.

After some time had passed, both Penguin and Shachi had returned after a troublesome adventure with some saber-tooth monkeys. Law was starting to get a little worry since (Name) wasn't back yet, so he went the same direction she walked in.

As Law walked deeper and deeper into the forest he finally made eye contact with the swordswoman. "Help!" (Name) called out as she was kneeling onto the tall grass while clenching her slightly bleeding shoulder.

Law was surprised, (Name) never called for help unless it's something really serious or life-threatening .

Activating his Room he switches places with (Name) while killing the beast in the process.

While Law was carrying (Name) through the forest, she leaned away from his chest so she wouldn't get vomit onto his clothes

-x-

"I'm going to take a blood sample." (Name) nodded as she rolled up her sleeve allowing Law to apply the alcohol onto her skin then inserting the needle. Only taking a tiny amount, Law removed the needle and quickly placed a band-aid on where he poke her. "You can leave, I will give you your results as soon as possible."

She only nodded before leaving the infirmary room.

Law stood there from where he was sitting in shock, not knowing how to feel after reviewing the results of her blood test. It was a mix of happiness, relief, fear and mostly parental love. It took all of his strength not to jump down like a crazy man who just won the lottery, because it was the middle of the night and he didn't want to wake up his crew. When he finally made it to the doors of his room, he put on a calm face and slowly and quietly opened the door. "Hi Captain, so did my blood test turn out good?" (Name) asked casually.

"Yep, it seems that both of you are fine." Law said with a big goofy smile on his usually calm and serious face. (Name) looked at her captain in surprise and in slight confusion, even already knowing the answer. "W-what do you mean the b-both of us?" (Name) managed to stutter out.

"I mean our baby. You're 9 weeks pregnant."

He was in love with (Name), and the idea of her having his baby was ideal to him, but it was still a shock, they'd never even spoken or brought up the subject. He wanted a family, but the idea still scares him. All the memories of his mother and father, and his little sister Lami all stuck to him. Then, the struggles and problems of them being famous pirates with both of them having large bounties on their heads. And all of the struggles that their child will face as well, everything he, (Name) and his unborn child, everything they will face together suddenly hit him in one go.

"Law I'm sorry, I should have been more careful." (Name) said while sobbing.

Law quickly, but carefully picks her up and sits her onto his lap while stroking the spot where their child was growing.

"Sorry for what? Making this the happiest day of my life." Law said before kissing her still flat stomach.

(Name) began to cry more but it wasn't tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. "We're going to be parents. I'm going to be a mom."

"And I'm going to be a dad. " Law said while showering her with even more kisses. (Name) squeaked when Law gently swooped her off her feet and began sprinting across the metal halls.

"What the... Law?!"

"Your shoulder, your shoulder was wounded. You're staying overnight, no, 3 nights in the infirmary. What if the baby got hurt. What if the baby got killed?"Law started listing off the things that could happen to their unborn child.

-x-

"Everyone, we have an announcement!" Law shouted loudly to get everyone's attention who was on the deck.

"We're getting a new crew member." (Name) said while trying to hold back her giggles.

"Oh, that's nice, when can we meet them?" Penguin asked.

"Less than 9 months." Law answered which made everyone go completely silent.

"We're having a baby!" Both (Name) and Law shouted cheerfully.

They were all staring at the expected couple, completely dumbfounded.

Astounded, flabbergasted, shock whichever word to describe their expressions and the tense atmosphere. Law's hand started to turn purple just by how hard (Name) was squeezing his hand.

"CONGRATULATIONS," Penguin and Shachi shouted in perfect unison.

"This is amazing, this calls for a party!" A Heart Pirate exclaimed.

"No alcohol for the pregnant woman though," Bepo smiled warmly at her from Law's side.

"(Name), don't cry, " Law said, reaching around her shoulders to comfort her.

"I know, it has to be the unbalanced hormones. I'm just so happy, this is a new chapter of my life." (Name) said as she cried into Law's chest.

Throughout the day everyone was partying while congratulating the new parents-to-be.

"So who will be the godparents?" Bepo asked.

"We have already decided that Ikkaku and you will be the godparents of our child."(Name) answered. Bepo then lifted both (Name) and Law off their feet and gave them a big hug while crying tears of joy. "Thank you, I'll be the best godfather ever." Bepo said, which made everyone in the Heart Pirates stare in jealousy, especially Penguin and Shachi.

"You guys will make great uncles." (Name)said with a big smile while hugging both of them in her arms.

"Lucky bear." Shachi muttered.

The 2 mechanics' faces turned a deep shade of red when (Name) kissed both of them on the cheek. "Don't worry, there is enough love to go around."

Then out of nowhere, a large explosion could be heard across the deck.

"Heart Pirates, Give up now or prepare to die."A marine holding a megaphone demanded.

(Name) smirked before unsheathing her twin katanas as she got into a fighting stance.

"Do your worst.''She retorted before Law used his devil fruit ability to transport her back into the sub.

Law shut the metal doors, ignoring the loud banging noises that were coming from the other side.

"Law, you ass, I want to fight too. Let me out, let me out." (Name) demanded as she kept on banging her fist onto the metal door.

"No, as your captain and doctor I order you to stay back and let us handle this. You're pregnant, you need to take it easy for now on."Law stated, which made (Name) slump down in disappointment. She hated being useless, she wanted to fight, she wanted to help, she wanted to do something besides laying down and doing nothing.

"Oh great, 7 more months of being totally useless." (Name) muttered under her breath while sighing.

A few weeks later-

(Name) felt like she was already going crazy. She wasn't allowed to do anything and she meant she couldn't do anything. First, the large weights she and Jean Bart can usually lift with ease have been replaced with 5 pound weights and she wasn't even allowed to use them for more than 5 minutes. Law had also forbidden( name) in certain places in the submarine as well, which was almost one half of the metal vessel that was off limits for her.

(Name) also swears, Law has super hearing because when she decides to get out of her bed, Law uses his devil fruit abilities to teleport himself right next to his wife's side.

"Law, go back to work. I'm just getting a snack."(Name) protested.

"Then ask me or someone else from the crew to get it for you. You're still in your first trimester of pregnancy, there is still a possible chance of miscarriages or physical deformities or all sources of possible medical stated as he called forth his room again then instantly a jar of peanuts appeared in his hand.

"Here, take these and go back to our room." Was all Law said as he pointed the direction of where their room was located, as if she was completely clueless of where she had been living for most of her life.

Rolling eyes (Name) went back to her room while munching down on the jar of peanuts on the way.

-x-

When the Heart Pirates docked onto an island, (Name) thought she could get some alone time to herself while getting the necessary items for the future stages of her pregnancy. And it was a good thing too since her pants and shirt had been feeling tight lately. "Bye Captain, I'm going to do a little shopping." (Name) said before she jumped off the submarine's front deck.

"Room, Shambles." Law now had (Name) in his arms.

"What the hell Law?" (Name) questioned.

"I'm coming with you, " Law stated as he tightly held her hand.

"Law, I'll be just fine. It's just a little shopping, I'm barely showing." (Name) retorted while trying to slip her hand from Law's strong grip.

"Nope, as long as you're carrying my child you're stuck with me." Law said, securitly wrapping around his arm onto her waist.

After 5 medical and clothes stores later, Law's arms were both covered in shopping bags while (Name) just carried a single bag with a small bottle of medicine inside of it.

"Law, let me carry that for you. You know I can lift 1000 times my own body weight." (Name) Stated with an annoyed frown.

"I got this, I don't want you to lift even one eight of your body weight. Your-" (Name) then cut off Law before he could finish the rest of this statement. "Yeah, Yeah, I know I'm pregnant and pregnant women shouldn't be exerting themselves."

Smirking devilishly, (Name) came up with a small plan to get away from her overbearing husband.

"Hey honey, I really need to use the bathroom."(Name) said as she pretended her bladder was about to burst.

"Very well."He responded, then they headed to the closest bathroom.

Reaching down in her left sock, (Name) grabbed a screwdriver and began unscrewing the bathroom's top window.

When (Name) was finally outside of the building, she began to grin like she has been in prison for 20 years and just now escaped. She was free, she could do whatever she wanted without worrying about Law dragging her back to their room and making her stay there until the next day.

In a swift motion, (Name) unsheathed her twin katanas and blocked an attack from a familiar mask man.

"Yo... it's been a while, when was the last time we fought together."(Name)greeted, enjoying the weight and feel of her swords when fighting. "Too long and this time I will become victorious." Killer responded.

Killer and (name) have been rivals ever since their crew had first met. The 2 of them will always break into fights everytime when they see one another. But so far they're about even, most of the time their fights usually ended up in draws.

The fight soon stopped when Killer stepped away and put back his scythe blades into its case. "Hey what gives, why are you chickening out now! The fight was just about to get better." (Name) shouted.

"I'm not fighting a pregnant woman, I want to kick your ass at your best."Killer stated while pointing to her slightly rounded stomach. "Damn, I knew I should have put on more baggy clothing."(Name) thought to herself as she tried to cover her baby bump.

"You're a pirate, why should you even care? Pirates do whatever they want."(Name) exclaimed while pouting slightly.

"I may be a pirate but I'm still a man who doesn't like fighting weak women." Was all he said before walking away.

"I'm not weak...fight me, please! Law won't even let me hold a fork. Please, I'm only on my 16 week."(Name)whined as she tugged onto Killer's shirt.

"No, and you look alot more further along than that."Killer retorted which made (Name) gasp loudly of being called fat.

Before Killer had any time to dodge, (Name) kicked him square in the balls which made him groan in pain.

"Meanie!" (Name) spat out before taking off into the forest nearby with small tears running down her face.

"Ouch!"He groaned loudly, laying on the ground while holding his sore nuts.

-x-

Law was pissed. But mostly Law was extremely worried. He couldn't find his wife anywhere, but what really worries him is that the Kid Pirate's ship has been spotted as well.

What if the Kid Pirates took advantage of his wife's current state or even worse killed her on the spot.

No matter how much observation Haki Law uses, he didn't have any lead on where his wife is.

"Captain, we know where she is." Penguin reported.

"Yeah, Killer from the Kid Pirates told us she kicked him in the nuts and went into the forest,"Shachi added.

"And why did she kick him in the nuts, (Name) doesn't usually use low blows?"Law stated with a raised eyebrow.

"Well,"Penguin started off while scratching the back of his head.

"He kinda called her fat." Shachi answered.

In a blink of an eye, Law called forth his room and teleported himself into the forest. Without even trying, Law hears small whimpers coming from the top of a tree so he looks up and sees the person he was looking for all day.

"(Name!)Law called out his wife's name.

"Go away!" She screamed then resumed crying again.

"No, I know I've been a little too clingy lately, but it's only because I want the best for you and our future kid as well. And to be fair, I don't really blame you for running away from me, so that is why I promise you I will try my best to give you your space."Law promised as he kneeled down.

(Name) stopped crying and looked at her husband.

"Okay, I'm coming down now."(Name) responded as she started climbing down onto one branch after another.

She gasps when one branch snaps from her weight and she begins to fall, face first into a painfull fall, and Law swears his heart stops for 5 seconds as his throat hitchs.

"Room, shambles!"

When his wife's stomach was only inches away from hitting the hard ground, she instantly appeared in Law's arms.

"Law, I'm sorr-"(Name) whispered her husband's name.

"That was way too close." He then looked and touched her baby bump gently.

"You're never ever leaving my sight until that baby is out of you. That's an order." Was all he said as he started walking back to the sub with his wife in his arms.

-x-

(Name) found herself laying flat on her back in the medical bay as Law prepared the new ultrasound equipment.

"Damn, that's cold." She hissed when the clear gel made contact with her stomach.

"Sorry," he apologised half-heartedly.

"Usually I would just use my scanning ability, but I think it would be a lot more useful to check in like this."Law stated then he turned on the monitor. He moved the device around her stomach slowly with his eyes on the screen, instantly stopped when he saw a gray blob in the middle.

"There's our child."He pointed to the blob.

As (Name) looked closer at the screen, she cock an eyebrow when another blob had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Honey, why are there 2 of them?"(Name) stated while pointing where the 2 blobs were located.

"You're just seeing things, there is no-"Law stopped himself when indeed there were more than 1 blob. "We're having twins."Law whispered so softly that (Name) had to ask him to repeat himself.

"We're having twins. Yes,! Now you don't have to get pregnant again."Law said again as his wife just stood there in shock, not knowing how to process the new information.

"Wait, you're not satisfied with one kid." (Name) yelled at her husband in which he only nodded.

"Great. I already get smothered enough with one baby, I'm sure it's gonna get worse."

"It's now double," his lips formed into a smirk. "For now you're going to have daily instead of weekly check ups. And you're no longer allowed to practice swordsmanship with real swords anymore."

"Excuse me? No way, I've been holding swords since I was only 5 years old, you can't do that." She sat up sharply.

"You lost all of your rights when you started carrying precious cargo. Now you must be twice careful with our little ones." He brushed his fingers against her stomach before kissing it gently.

The more (Name-s) belly got bigger and bigger, the more cautious everyone, especially Law became. In only her 30 weeks of pregnancy, (Name) already looks like she could give birth any day now.

The Heart Pirates were currently docked on a winter island while (Name) only watched from a sideline.

"But Law, I want to play in the snow like everyone else. Please, I've been cooped up in this submarine for far too long."(Name) begged while giving Law the puppy eye look.

"Fine, but you need to bundle up."Law exclaimed.

6 layers of thick clothing later, (Name) walked off the Polar tang's deck with Law right next to her side.

Working on her snow fort for about 30 minutes, (Name) started to feel a sneeze coming along and tried her best to hold it in.

"Achoo!" She then covered her mouth, in hopes Law didn't hear it.

She sighs and doesn't even put up a fight when Law's room incases her, and teleports her into his arms.

"You're going back to the sub, I knew it was a bad idea to let you play in the snow."Law stated flatly.

And once again (Name) was laying flat on her back as she watched Law move the ultrasound equipment around her stomach for the fourth time this week.

"Is this really necessary?"(Name) questioned while pouting.

"Yes, unless you don't want our babies to be healthy. You're now forbidden to leave our bed until your cold has subsided. If you break any of those rules then I will bind you to the bed until your pregnancy has ended. Do I make myself clear?" Law questioned which only made (name) stick out her tongue.

"You 2 need to get out of mommy soon because I can't take another minute with your daddy."(Name) talk and rub to her rounded stomach when Law left the room.

-x-

2 weeks later and (Name) Was finally on her last trimester of pregnancy. "Law!" (Name) shouted his name loudly.

"Yes my darling, is there something you need." Law responded as he headed toward where his wife was currently sitting down.

"The babies are kicking, they're kicking again."(Name) said excitedly then grab's Law's hand to guide him where the kicking was happening.

Then the day when his children would be born.

(Name) woke up in the middle of the night when she felt a warm wet substance in between her legs and soon realized her water just broke.

"Law...Law." She shakes her husband awake.

"Yeah, what is it?" He muttered as he tried to rub away the sleep from his eyes.

"My water just broke."She then yelled in agony after she felt a contraction.

"Shit?!" Law then quickly moves to her side to help her into the wheelchair he had laying by for this day. "Bepo, round up the medical squad, it's time." Law shouted through a den den mushi.

"Whatt, I thought she wasn't due for at least another couple weeks." Bepo shouted.

"Well, the kids have decided to come now!" Law stated.

12 hours of shouting and a lot of pushing later, the first one came out.

"She's a beautiful girl!" Law said before handing the bundle of joy to Bepo.

"Come on just one more push." Law said then he could see the head of the baby.

"It's a handsome boy," Law said before handing the other baby to Penguin's arms.

"Law, what should we name them?"(Name) asked as she panted for air.

"Rosey for our baby girl and Corazon for our baby boy." Law answered, then placed a sweet and tender kiss on his wife's forehead.

"You need rest now, I will take care of them in the meantime."

[cinnamon-bunni]

fun fact: i wrote this all while listening to Positive ☆ Dance Time on loop :) also this fic, which i made quickly in one night, is so much better than my first chapter of my other fic (and the second one too lol) (also this was not reread even once soooo there will be mistakes but oh well <3) i also wanna say this probably takes place between chapters 3 and 4 (both i havent written yet haha ^^;) so i'll probably post this onto ao3 then. just so yall know timeline stuff lol anyways, hope y'all enjoy it <3

Word count: 1.5k Warnings: idealization of suicide

When Kim woke up, the first thing that greeted him was darkness. The second thing was a headache. A horrible way to wake up, but as something Kim was familiar with, he stopped caring.

In an attempt to sit up, his head tried to kill him. So, he went back down with a thump. And not a soft one either, since the couch–because he was on the couch, not his soft and comfortable bed–was more wood and springs rather than cushion and sponge. It made his back ache, in a way that made him want to scream. But alas, he was too tired to, and instead closed his eyes in hopes of falling back into a blissful sleep. It wasn’t going to happen, Kim knew that, but sometimes he liked to cling onto small hopes.

It was silent for a while. Kim almost believed that maybe he fell back asleep, if it weren’t for every part of his body hating him. His throat was dying for water, his head was throbbing, his skin was prickly and felt fake as it rubbed against the shitty fabric of the couch, every single one of his muscles ache, and his brain wanted to turn off and never turn back on. Maybe it would be better if it did just turn off. Then at least he wouldn’t have to deal with days like these.

Turns out, hangovers made everything about a hundred times worse. But that was Kim's fault, wasn’t it? He made that choice, and now he had to deal with it. That’s just how the world works, Kim. He could just hear his dad’s lectures in his head. It made him want to throw himself off of a cliff. And he thought about it, and it didn’t seem that bad of an idea. The world would keep moving either way, no matter if a cockroach like him was at some bar getting drunk or drowning in a river. As long as it was something that would kill the noise in his head, then he didn’t care.

The front door opened. The loud creak announced someone’s presence, and it made Kim squeeze his eyes shut. The action made his eyes hurt, yeah, but he really didn’t want the possible light to pour in and force him to face the world. He didn’t want to, not yet.

“Ji-Ho?” Oh. He didn’t even realize his sister was here. It made sense though; it wasn't like anyone else had access to his apartment. Her voice was quiet and soft, unlike her usual pissy tone she used at him.

Right. Hana. His sister who wrapped up his bloody knuckles after getting brawls or just beating the shit out of punching bags while drunk. His sister who rolled him onto his side after officially passing out. His sister who dealt with his shitty living style and shitting apartment for the summer without much complaint. His sister who always tried to make his world brighter, even if she was bad at it. His sister, who seemed to care about his well being.

Kim forced his eyes open. It was hard, but he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but light was effectively blocked out with the curtains. Some of it still snuck in from underneath the short curtains, and it hurt to look at it. He really should just get used to it by now.

“Ji-Ho.” His sister spoke louder now, probably expecting an answer. It made him wince, but look at his sister.

“What?” God, his voice was so hoarse. He really needed to get something to drink. 

“Don’t you have work today?” Kim furrowed his brow. He probably did in all honesty, but that didn’t explain why he drank so much when he knew he had work. Maybe he just stopped caring. That seemed to be a recurring theme. 

Oh well, wasn’t like he was gonna go now. He’d rather die than step foot into the WVBA. He didn’t even think he could take a step outside of his apartment, much less get in a good set of work clothes, get his ID, and deal with the idiots down at the association. Maybe his sister could keep him company.

Hana then turned on the lights, and Kim wanted to do nothing else but kill her. He pressed the heel of his palms against his eyes, but the damage had already been done.

“Hana,” he groaned, falling to lean against the arm of the couch. “Why would you do this?”

She scoffed, and he could hear her eyes rolling. “You’re so dramatic. Maybe if you drink all the time you wouldn’t be having these problems.”

He grunted at that as a response. He listened as she moved what sounded to be plastic bags, and opened up cabinets. Maybe she went shopping–it was something he knew he needed to do, but always ended up pushing it further down in his to-do list. Maybe now they could eat proper food, like canned soup and frozen pastries. 

Kim, by using every bit of his willpower, pried his eyes open. His eyes took forever to adjust to the harsh light, but he tried. He listened silently as his sister put away what he could only assume was groceries, and focused on how horrible his muscles and body felt.

“Are you still taking me to the match today?”

Huh? What match? Kim didn’t remember there being a match. “What’re you talking about?”

“Don Flamenco’s match!” she exclaimed, as if it was obvious. She slammed a box of chocolate Pop-Tarts on the counter and spun around to face him. “You promised me that I could watch all of Flamenco’s matches in person!”

Oh yeah, he did, didn’t he? He even bought all of the tickets. He didn’t remember that last part, though.

“And I have to go and watch today’s match, because he’s going against Little Mac! I need to see how it goes down in person, Ji-Ho!”

Honestly, Kim wanted to see that for himself, too. Watching Don Flamenco get his ass handed to him by some seventeen-year-old kid would be hilarious. And it would be a good enough time to take a quick detour to buy another pack of cigarettes–he was sure he was getting low, and he hated the feeling of a light box in his pocket.

But also, the idea of going somewhere that was packed with screaming fans made him feel sick. He didn’t want to go into a stuffy room filled where he would sit shoulder-to-shoulder with people who cared too much for some dumb sport. He hated the idea of getting up and forcing himself to go somewhere.

“Can’t you just go by yourself?” She was sixteen, Kim was sure she could handle it. She didn’t need a chaperone to follow her around. She really didn’t need him.

The stomp she gave made him flinch. He hoped the downstairs neighbors didn’t mind some good ol’ ceiling shaking caused by his sister. “What? No fair! You promised you’d go with me!”

“When the fuck did I say that?” No way did he actually make the promise. He never makes promises he knows he won’t keep.

“You said so when I first got here! Now c’mon–it doesn’t start until a few hours, so you have plenty of time to sober up or whatever you need to do.”

God, he didn’t want to go. He wasn’t going, he just couldn’t. Kim knew he was weak because of it, yeah, but the thought of going made him want to pull his hair out and walk into the ocean.

“I’m not going, Hana. You can go yourself.” Oh, now she was angry. Her face was actually getting red and everything.

“That’s not fair!” she yelled. Jesus, was her voice always that shrill and loud?

“Don’t really see the problem,” he replied with a shrug. “You get to enjoy a boxing match that has Don Flamenco in it without me hovering over you all the time. You should be ecstatic.”

“But-”

“Tickets are on my dresser,” he continued. “So don’t forget them when you leave, yeah?”

“You’re horrible!” He shrugged off that one, too. He felt numb to it all. Maybe that wasn’t a good thing, but it made it easy to talk to his sister.

He didn’t even realize that she left until the door slammed. Kim hoped quietly to himself that she grabbed the tickets–he knew she’d regret it if she didn’t. But he didn’t care enough to check.

Now that he was back to being alone, Kim ended up laying back down. He wouldn’t be able to sleep, not on that horrible couch and with his back problems, but closing his eyes felt nice and relaxing.

He knew she was looking forward to it. He knew the WVBA was probably trying to make sure his position was being covered. He knew a few of the boxers were probably wondering where he was. But Kim couldn’t bring himself to care.

He just didn’t care.

[bookstantrash]

A/N: I am so very sorry for not updating for so long. I know I said I’d try to update more frequently while I was on uni break but life happened lmao. Classes are back, but I’ll try not left y’all hanging for so long.

You can check here Pemberley’s Lake, Hooked on You, Smells like petrichor and paper, The Sound of Music and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, part one, two, three, four and five of my Nessian Pride and Prejudice AU.

That being said, I hope y’all enjoy this chapter! We got a little bit of fluff, sprinkles of angst and a lovely plot twist ✨

Bloody Day and Ominous letters

Nesta woke up with the worst headache she had ever had in her entire life. She really should not have drunk as much as she had last night but as she saw her friends and Morrigan having fun that little voice inside her head — usually her mother’s or grandmother's saying Do better, Stop being such a disappointment or Your only purpose is to marry well so forget about love — got louder and louder, judging her company and trying to make her feel ashamed.

But she had had enough. Her grandmother and mother had both passed away already. It was time to bury them for good. So Nesta took the wine bottle from Morrigan and drank half of it in one go, her friends cheering around her. And she had so much fun. Nesta would never have guessed that drinking could be so enjoyable, nothing like those uptight parties where the ladies sipped a lonely glass all night long while the gentleman lost count of theirs. The only downside was her killing headache and the fact that she had overslept, a fact she took notice of once she glanced at the wall clock.

She had just sat up on her bed —  massaging her temple to ease the tension on her head — when an insistent knocking on her door made her mumble a curse. No doubt it was either Emerie or Gwyn — maybe both of them — waking her up. Those two were quite used to drinking, so it was no surprise to Nesta that they would be up and about very early.

“Would you two stop it?” she said loudly, opening the door wearing only her chemise, probably having ditched her dress during the night while she slept “I have a killer headache and your banging is not helping at all—”

She stopped mid sentence when she came face to face with Georgianam, the young lady’s hand still raised to knock on her door, Cassian right behind her.

“Oh, I apologise Lady Nesta” Georgiana said “We had agreed that we would go on a nice early morning walk today, but when I did not spot Miss Archeron at the breakfast table I got worried.”

“Please do forgive me, Miss Georgiana. I had a bit too much to drink yesterday and ended up oversleeping.” Nesta quickly said, mentally kicking herself for her rudeness “I will be ready for our walk in a minute.”

“Lovely! I will be waiting at the parlor then!”

Nesta closed the door with a sigh. Her morning had not begun the best.

However, it was only while she was brushing her hair that her sleep fogged mind caught up to the fact that Cassian had seen her half asleep wearing nothing but her chemise and with early morning messy bed hair.

She definitely could not be allowed to drink more than two glasses of alcohol if that was how she was going to behave whenever she drank more than deemed proper.

When she arrived at the parlor ten minutes later, she could not help but avoid looking at Cassian.

“Mrs. Potts brought you a little something to eat” Georgiana informed, pouring Nesta tea “And also some headache medicine”

“Please thank her in my instead later, she is too kind to me”

“Oh, it was all my brother’s doing” Georgiana smiled in Cassian's direction, serving herself some cookies “He was the one who asked her to provide not only the medicine but also the food.”

“I appreciate the gesture, my lord.” Nesta hid her blush behind the teacup.

“It was nothing, my lady” was all he answered, refusing to look at her.

That made Nesta’s heart strangely hurt. She could not help but think he had been disgusted by her earlier appearance. Her hair was such a mess and her chemise was all wrinkled from sleep—

Wait. Why did she care so much of what he thought of her? Nesta Archeron was not one to give much attention to others opinion of herself, so why was she getting so worked up when it came to Cassian? Of course, one could not help but notice how he always looked so presentable, with his spotless clothes, hair combed to perfection every single time. She had never seen a gentleman’s hair be so… perfect. She could bet her first edition of her favourite romance that he had awfully handsome bed hair. And that he had a mint breath even when woke up. And that he probably slept shirtless, if the last time she saw him at midnight at his library was any indication of his sleeping attire.

Oh Mother, why was she now thinking about all of that? She waved an imaginary hand to disperse her not so proper thoughts, focusing on the small talk Georgiana was making.

Both Nesta and Cassian kept avoiding each other during their walk, which did not pass by Georgiana without notice, especially given how her brother had made sure to stay two steps behind them, giving the excuse he wanted to give both ladies “privacy to talk comfortably”, something he had never done. Their walk, however, was cut short when Nesta showed signs of being tired and admitted that her headache had not disappeared.

“I assure you it is nothing to fret over” Nesta told a worried Mrs. Potts when they came back “It must be from yesterday’s drinking. There is no need to call a doctor.”

“Nonetheless, I will ask Chef Ramsay to prepare some light food and my special hangover drink” the old headmaid said with a motherly expression.

Thanking Mrs. Potts again, Nesta went to her room to splash some water on her face in hopes of refreshing herself. But a painful jab low on her stomach made her freeze and the blood drain from her face.

~•~

“Just knock on the door, my Lord” Lumière said as he watched Cassian drop his hand once again. The maître d’ had been watching his lord pace in front of the parlor door for what must have been twenty minutes.

“I do not want to bother her. Maybe I should call Mrs. Potts or wait until the other ladies come back” Cassian ran his hand through his hair in distress. Emerie and Balthazar had gone out with Morrigan to visit some possible new business partners — her big circle of connections proving itself to be very useful in helping expand their business — while Azriel and Gwyn had gone to the town, which was helding a small music festival. Georgiana, on the other hand, had received a telegram from a friend who had returned early from their trip abroad, and she had promptly gone to meet them.

“This, dear brother, is your chance to speak to Miss Nesta” she had said before leaving “I do not know what happened to make you both so distant, but you better make amends. I already asked Emerie to design the gown I shall wear at your wedding.”

Cassian had told Georgie to mind her own business and stop being such a busybody, proceeding to stand guard outside the parlor.

“Leave the lord alone” Cogsworth hissed, elbowing Lumiére “Her ladyship has not asked for help so it must mean she is fine and does not wish to be bothered.”

“Nonsense, old friend!! The lady is simply too shy to ask for it and the lord too polite to risk disturbing her” taking a step forward, Lumière knocked on the door.

“What do you think you are doing?!” the major-domo whisper yelled, and Cassian was sure he would have throttled Lumière were it not for the faint voice coming from the other side.

“Please, do come in” Nesta said.

Taking a deep breath, Cassian opened the door, leaving behind Cogsworth and Lumière, who were trying very hard not to start a duel right there.

The first thing he looked for was Nesta.

Nesta, who was rather pale and was clutching a pillow very hard against her stomach.

“Are you alright?” he asked, not knowing whether to sit beside her or just stay standing a few feet away.

“I am” she said, although the deep breath she took had him thinking it was not true “Where are Gwyn and Emerie?”

“Gwyn went to the town festival with Azriel. An Emerie went with Mor and Balthazar to meet prospective business partners.”

“Are you really alright Nesta?” he asked again “You do not seem fine at all if I may say.”

“I assure you I am perfectly fine” Nesta insisted through clenched teeth “Where is Georgiana?”

“At a friend’s house. They returned early from a trip.” Cassian said, a bit annoyed she was asking for his sister when he was right there. It was a stupid jealous feeling, and he was not even more annoyed because he felt glad they got on so well.

“Do you know when any of them will be back?”

“I am afraid I do not know” daring to approach her, Cassian sat beside her on the sofa “But I am here. If there is anything I could do…”

“There is no need to bother yourself. I truly am—”

And that was when Nesta whimpered and clutched her pillow even tighter, doubling over a little bit.

“You are definitely far from fine sweetheart” Cassian said, rubbing her back in hopes of helping her, nevermind proper etiquette.

“It is really nothing. Just—”

“Just what?”

“Lady stuff!!” Nesta finally said, her whole face heating up like a fireplace.

“Oh. Oh! I see. I— I understand” he said, also a little bit flustered “Not that I actually get it but I have also experienced pain and—”

Nesta wished the ground would open up and swallow her. She was used to getting her period, it was a monthly occurrence. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, this time it seemed her body had decided to punish her more than usual. Not only had she gotten a killer headache — made worse by her hangover —  but she was cramping very badly, and they usually were not that bad. That was why she had gone to that walk with Georgiana, even though she was getting mildly uncomfortable soon after they arrived at the garden.

Not that she did not want to miss any Cassian time.

Him going with them had been a bonus.

A surprise, but not a pleasant one.

Maybe just a bit pleasant if she was being honest. Just a tiny tiny bit.

“I will stop talking now” Cassian mumbled, interrupting not for the first time her errant thoughts.

She wanted to die. To tell Cassian — even indirectly —  that she had gotten her period was the most mortifying she had ever experienced.

“I can get Mrs. Potts for you” he tentatively said, restarting the back rubs “She can get you some tea for pain. Or a bag of warm water. You can tell her anything, do not worry.”

Nesta managed to nod her head in agreement, despite her stubborn side that refused to ask for help from the maids or other servants at Pemberley.

Cassian himself went looking for the head maid instead of just ringing for her, assuring her he would be back in less than ten minutes. And he did come back in record time with Mrs. Potts, who gave her tea and pain tonic that she assured Nesta made wonders for stopping cramps. All the while Cassian hovered over Mrs. Potts, unsure of what to do.

“Do you require anything else? Maybe another blanket?” he asked after Mrs. Potts had left. He had made sure to bring back a blanket too and had even tucked her in with extra care “Or more tea? I can ask someone to come and bring fresh hot tea”

Nesta would never have imagined Cassian to be such an overbearing mother hen. He was being extra careful around her and it annoyed her beyond reason.

“Cassian, this happens every month. Has been happening since I was thirteen, alright? Can you please stop?” she snapped.

She regretted her words as soon as she realised how rude she had been and what exactly she had said. However, he was being so overweening. As if she was made of glass or was on her deathbed.

Yet all Cassian did was crack a smile and nudge a chocolate muffin towards her. Nesta had been in such pain and so quiet he had been concerned if Mrs. Potts’ pain tonic would really work. But there she was.

There was the feisty, sharp tongued and quick-witted Nesta he knew.

There was the Nesta he fell in love with.

He barely held his tongue back and risked blutering his feelings right in front of her. Again.

“May I get you a book then? It is a good way to pass the time until your friends are back.”

“Thank you. That would be lovely” Nesta gave him a soft smile, her previous embarrassment having died down a little.

He was gone and back in a record time, and Nesta delusioned herself into thinking he had raced to the library because he did not want to leave her for too long.

“I got the book you were not able to finish last night” Cassian said, handing her Sellyn Drake’s latest romance “And I also took the liberty of getting one of my favourites too. In case you finish this one quickly.”

She thanked him again, curious as to what book was his favourite, what made her even eager to finish her current read.

Turns out Cassian was a fan of epic poems, a fact that — combined with his admission of having read Sellyn Drake’s romances — once again made Nesta view him with new eyes. She had thought he would be more of a war strategy person, all business and serious matters. Yet it seemed that Cassian had a dreamer inside of him.

“How many times have you read this book?” Nesta asked as she turned a yellowed page. The book was old, but she could see it was very loved given its good condition.

“A lot of times. It was my favourite book as a child, and I could not part with it once I moved out of my childhood home” he gave her a smile “It was also my dear companion during long expeditions. I have most of it memorized.”

“I bet you charmed every single lady during your travels with your knowledge, wooing them with beautiful words” she teased, despite the small pang of jealousy in her heart.

You refused his hand and humiliated him, she thought, you have no place to feel jealous. Cassian is a wonderful gentleman, it is expected to have women falling left and right for him, not to say him pursuing them.

“You are actually the first person apart from my family who knows that I read poetry” Cassian admitted “And I also have never met someone that made me want to declare a poem to”

Nesta did not know what to say to that. They were bordering dangerous territory, something that seemed to happen more and more frequently.

And Cassian, seated right beside her, was thinking the same thing. He had allowed himself to get closer to him again, something that yesterday he had vowed to avoid, had tried to do that morning. But to see her in pain, uncomfortable and not talking to him hurt more than those moments in which he could see a life with her. Those moments with Nesta were a double edged sword: he craved and loathed them with the same urgency.

He would kill to have even a single moment with her.

He would die if he had even a single moment with her.

Nesta made him want to be selfish.

Made him want to declare poems to her, maybe even attempt to write her one.

At the moment, he could not help but recall a certain verse of the Epic of Gilgamesh:

What could I offer

the queen of love in return, who lacks nothing at all?

Balm for the body? The food and drink of the gods?

I have nothing to give to her who lacks nothing at all.

You are the door through which the cold gets in.

You are the fire that goes out. You are the pitch

that sticks to the hands of the one who carries the bucket.

You are the house that falls down. You are the shoe

that pinches the foot of the wearer. The ill-made wall

that buckles when time has gone by. The leaky

water skin soaking the water skin carrier.

To Cassian, Nesta was the goddess of love. And he was the one who could not offer her a single thing for she lacked nothing.

“Well, I will not disturb your reading any longer” clearing his throat to break the new tense silence between them, Cassian gestured to the book in her hand “But do feel free to make comments while you read, I would very much like to hear your opinions about it.”

And she did just that. Every passage she found interesting, each line that caught her eye and interpretation she had about a certain phrase, she shared them all with Cassian. Somewhere during their conversation that awkward tension between them disappeared completely, with Cassian letting his arm rest on the back of the couch, getting closer to Nesta. And Nesta somehow ended up getting closer to him too, almost leaning on his side.

It was all very improper. Cassian staying alone with Nesta, so close to each other and acting as a married couple.

But Cassian would let himself be selfish one last time.

One last time before they had to go their separate ways.

~•~

The day would have ended perfectly were it not for the letter that Gwyn brought once she and Azriel had come back.

While Emerie, Balthazar and Mor had arrived late in the evening — with good news of new partnerships being agreed on —  Gwyn and Azriel had come back much later, just when everyone had finished dinner. Nesta had not been too worried, she trusted Azriel to take care of Gwyn and her friend was not bound by the stifling high society etiquette, but she breathed a little easier when they finally arrived.

“Oh Nesta, we passed by the inn we were staying at before and the landlady gave me a letter addressed to you. It seems she had forgotten to send it to us yesterday when our things were brought here.” Gwyn gave her the letter once they had moved to the game room “She apologised deeply for it.”

“I understand, it is a busy season for them.”

“It is a letter from Feyre” Nesta furrowed her brows in confusion as she broke the letter’ seal, which she recognized as being the one representing Feyre’ status as Duchess “She sent one barely a week ago, I wonder what could have happened.”

Nesta had guessed it would be another letter from Feyre asking about how their trip was going, if she had seen beautiful scenarios and bought any souvenir for her youngest sister. Or even a curious inquiry about what she thought of Cassian. Feyre had been quite interested to know if they got along — she had always been a busybody and matchmaker, and since marrying Rhysand had tried time and time again to nonchalantly push her to Cassin. If she ever discovered that Nesta had already been proposed by Cassian — and that she had refused his hand — chaos would befall upon Nesta.

However, as her eyes scanned the lines, Nesta’s assumptions of its contents proved to be far away from reality. She felt her blood run cold, her heart stop beating and fear. So much fear.

“Excuse me” she managed to say, getting up “I need a moment.”

“Nesta, are you alright? What did Feyre say? You are very pale” Gwyn said, her voice full of worry.

“I am fine. Just cramps” she brushed off her friend’s worries. She did not want to make the others notice that something was off with her, she did not want to alarm Gwyn..

Yet as she exited the room she failed to perceive that Cassian had been paying attention to her ever since Gwyn gave her the letter. He was always paying attention to his surroundings, especially when she was around.

He left the room a few moments after her, trying not to raise suspicion to his attitude. He did not know where she had gone — Pemberley was vast and her room was too far away for him to not have caught her faster — but something led him to the small outdoor patio just left from the small gallery he had at Pemberley.

As he got closer and closer there, he heard the sound of someone crying, which made his heart beat faster and a deep fear grow inside him.

He arrived outside to find an unimaginable scene: Nesta crying. Crying as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest.

She was a mess, her careful braided hair coming undone, as if she had ran her hands through it in desperation.

“Nesta… Nes dear, what happened? Is Feyre alright?” Cassian did not care that she most probably left the room to cry in private. He was worried, he needed to be beside her, he needed to help her somehow.

“I— Feyre she—” she was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, let alone talk, making Cassian’s heart break in a thousand pieces.

“Shh it’s okay sweetheart. I am here Nes” he gently cupped her face, making her look at him “Take deep breaths with me.”

He took a deep breath, holding it in for three seconds before letting it go. He kept doing it until Nesta did the same, slowly calming down.

“Can you talk now? Do you want me to fetch you some water?” Cassian asked, tenderly brushing off her remaining tears.

“No, I— I can talk now” Nesta took another breath “Feyre is alright. It is Elain.”

“Elain? Is she sick? Talk to me Nes, help me understand”

Elain was the picture of the perfect lady in high society. With her numerous suitors, lovely and delicate behaviour — not to mention her singular beauty — it was hard to find someone who did not like her. Given that her hobbies — cooking and gardening — did not pose a threat to her health and well being, Cassian could not understand what would have made Nesta react so strongly. Perhaps Elain had fallen ill, something that rarely happened.

“No. She is not sick” Nesta shook her head “Cauldron, I almost wished she was sick.”

“Elain was…. Elain was kidnapped” she added, her eyes filling with tears again.

“Kidnapped? How?”

That made no sense, who would kidnap Elain? And why?

“She was going to visit Feyre. And when she didn't show up Rhysand went to search for her and—” Nesta started to cry, desperation filling her voice “They found her carriage turned over and hidden near the outskirts of the city. No sign of her at all.”

Cassian was speechless. He could only imagine how Feyre must be feeling after she got the news and hoped Rhysand was doing his everything to help find Elain.

“The coachman was killed and her lady in waiting was rushed to the hospital.” she cried even harder “This is all my fault. I should never have left her. We have no male relatives and Feyre is living too far from our childhood home. I was supposed to take care of her.”

“Nesta, it is not your fault. You could never have guessed something like this could happen.” he looked deep in her eyes, the blue in them even brighter because of her tears “Is there anything I could do to help?”

“I am afraid there isn’t, '' she whispered “I have to go back home. Try to hire an investigator, talk to Feyre and hope Elain is not disgraced by society rumors. Hope she is alive”

Cassian could only nod in agreement and wait for Nesta to recompose herself before they went back inside. Their friends were as horrified and worried about the situation as he and Nesta, and decided to go back right that moment. The staff noticed something was amiss and made sure to ready the carriage in record time.

“Thank you for welcoming you at your home” Nesta said, her complexion a bit better “I can assure you we all had a wonderful time here.”

“It was my pleasure. Have a safe travel and remember that Pemberey is open to you and your friends whenever you want to visit” Cassian helped Nesta get on her carriage one last time, letting go of her hand begrudgingly.

And as Nesta and her friends got farther and farther from Pemberley, as Nesta got farther and farther away from him and took his heart with her, Cassian felt a calm fury settle inside him.

He had some letters to write to some old friends.

•

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[buckysgoldenheart]

The Ways We Meet

Henry Cavill x Reader

Summary: While trying to avoid another man at an A-list event, you accidentally bump into Henry who has no interest in letting you go despite not even knowing your name.

Notes: idk, I thought it was kinda cute. Pov changes back and forth between Y/N and Henry A LOT. Implied smut (because I’m so damn bad at writing full smut).

Words: 2211

Y/N:

These events pissed you off, they really did. Despite being only a director’s assistant, you were forced to attend. And it wasn’t the tight, sparkly dresses you had to wear that made you miserable, nor the heavy makeup or the overcrowding in rooms that far surpassed fire department code. It was more that you felt out of place and always managed to have one creepy man sense that from a mile away with the intent to pray on what looked like your innocence. You weren’t innocent, by far, but you supposed the impression you gave off by the way you stood away from others, sipping the same drink for a half hour, made sense.

Usually, drinking in a dark corner at an A-list event by the time midnight came around kept you safe. Those creepy men surrendered to your disinterest in them, and ventured to find an easier, more desperate woman. But not tonight. Tonight, this one was persistent.

You didn’t know his name; never let him get close enough to tell you, but he followed you around, not so subtly watching you with a look in his eyes that had you nauseous. Every step he neared you was a step you took in the opposite direction hoping to evade his creepiness.

Henry:

It had been a long night, too long, and Henry wished he could just go back to the hotel and watch a stupid movie until the early hours of the Sunday morning, since there was no way he would get a good nights sleep with the jetlag still wracking his body from the morning before.

He was saying goodbye to a couple coworkers, patting them on their backs in a friendly gesture when his shoulder roughly shoved forward. He stumbled a step, and before he could turn to see why, a woman passed him.

Her body was wrapped a snug, shiny red gown, and she had curls pinned back into an elegant bun, and when she turned to apologize, she lightly touched his bicep, smiling politely before continuing on her path. His breath hitched but she didn’t notice as she was gone a half-second later, buried somewhere in the mass of bodies.

His lips were still parted, stunned, until a friend tapped his shoulder.

“Hey, are you ok?” The friend asked, to which Henry only nodded, then walked away in the direction the woman went.

It took time to find her, but when he did, something in his chest seemed to both tighten and lighten in sync. He watched her from a distance as she took a gulp of the drink in her hand then placed it back on the counter and ducked. Henry chuckled, but then spotted him: A smallish man slowly making his way toward where she was unsuccessfully hiding.

Henry quickly shuffled his way through the crowd, and just moments before the other man could’ve spotted her, Henry snatched her by the arm and pulled her into a corner. With his back to the wall, he faced the crowd, his arms holding her snuggly, chest to chest, until the man passed them by.

Y/N:

“You’re safe now,” A man said, drawing your attention upward, and your eyes couldn’t help but widen. Henry Cavill was looking at you with a playful smirk on his handsome face that you never in a million years would have imagined be directed toward you. “Remember me?”

“Shit,” You cursed yourself. “It was you I bumped into earlier.” What a way to make a first impression. How was it that you always managed to look like an idiot in front of the hottest actors at these parties? This certainly wasn’t the first time. Chris Evans could confirm that, and probably wouldn’t hesitate to.

“It was.”

“Oh God, I’m so sorry. I’m not normally so rude. I can explain.”

Henry’s shoulders shook as he laughed, and it reminded you that he still held you tight, with an odd protectiveness. “I think I’ve caught on to the situation,” He said. “Do you know that guy?”

You shook your head.

Henry casually nodded at your confirmation, that smile still on his face, but it slipped a moment later and you didn’t have to guess why. He looked back at you. “Do you think you could trust a stranger for a brief minute?”

“W-What?”

“Yes or no?” He quickly asked.

You blinked. “Yea, I guess.”

“Good,” He said, then slammed his lips to yours.

It shocked you but the feeling of having every part of your body pressed against his made you dizzy, and what was meant to force the creeper away, lasted much longer than the minute Henry promised. Many minutes longer. Enough minutes to give you the time to slide your hands up his chest until they settled on the back of his neck. Enough minutes to have him groaning when you softly nibbled on his bottom lip. Enough minutes to have your heart pounding.

You pulled back first when the embarrassment began to flood your body. Chuckling awkwardly, you stepped out of his arms, and said, “Um, thanks for the help…stranger,” then tried to disappear as fast as you could, for the first time thankful of the enormous crowd.

Henry:

She stiffened as his hand clasped around her wrist before she could get away, and when she turned to look at his face, she became no less tense. It made Henry feel uneasy. He liked her a little too much for how long he’d known her—which was nearly no time at all--and when he kissed her with everything he had, he thought it might’ve been enough to get her to stick around, at least for an extra minute or two.

He wasn’t arrogant. Yes, he’d had women tell him he was a good kisser, but he didn’t assume one kiss from him would have her falling on her knees, begging him to take her home. Henry just thought she felt something too. Perhaps more than one should from a stranger’s kiss, but enough of something to make her pause and question why it felt so damn good, just as he had for the millisecond before she bolted. It had him unwilling to give up so soon.

“Now where are you going?” Henry said, trying to hide the twinge of desperation in his voice.

“Sorry, I—”

“What’s your name?” He asked.

She blinked with her big, butterfly-wing-like lashes as if she hadn’t expected him to care. “…Y/N.”

“Ok, well, Y/N, I think that guy got the hint. You don’t have to keep running.”

“You never know.” She shrugged and anxiously bit the inside of her cheek.

“Right then, how about we leave?”

“What?”

“Do you like coffee?”

“…Sometimes,” One corner of her lips hesitantly turned upward. “Not usually at twelve thirty in the morning.”

Henry grinned as his thumb ran back and forth along the inside of her wrist. “Well, decaf is a thing, and I happen to know a place not far from here that’s open for another hour.”

Y/N:

You didn’t know how you managed to be pinned against one of his hotel room walls, but you were. You weren’t drunk from the little alcohol you’d had at the party, and the coffee certainly wasn’t spiked, but you still couldn’t explain how you were now moaning from the feel of Henry’s lips attached to your neck. Not that you were complaining.

“Goddamn,” He groaned against the skin of your collarbone as his fingers bunched the glittery fabric of your gown up until his hand could slip underneath. As it glided up your thigh, his palm left burns from its trail, and your skin grew hotter with each inch he made closer to your core. “You’re like an angel.”

You let out a throaty chuckle. “Hardly.”

Henry lifted his head and his hazy blue eyes met yours. “Hardly, huh?” He said as his index finger ran along the edge of your panties. He could’ve easily tucked a finger under that useless barrier and felt how wet you were.

“Yes,” You smirked, reaching your hand forward and undoing the buckle of his belt. “Hardly.”

Then you lowered to your knees.

Henry:

Henry didn’t even have to open his eyes to know that she was gone. He’d woken up a few times throughout the night, only to fall right back into peaceful sleep when he felt her warm body tucked into him. Each time, he tightened his arm firmly around her waist as she emitted little soft snores. But now, without the weight of her body next to his, Henry felt cold. Only the empty dip in the mattress where she’d laid for hours remained.

Her warmth was gone. She was gone.

And it stung a lot more than it should. He didn’t even know her last name or her age or, hell, anything about her. He knew he shouldn’t be as upset as he was, but he wanted to learn those things. To get to know her. Coffee the night before gave little insight to who she really was. That time was spent throwing flirtatious jokes back and forth, and if he’d have known she wouldn’t have given him the next morning to ask the important things, he’d have slowed himself down.

Fisting his fingers into his hair, Henry groaned at more than just the glaring sunlight streaming through the windows giving him a ripe headache. He shouldn’t be hung up on someone he barely knew. It wasn’t healthy.

Y/N:

God, you hoped you weren’t overstepping your bounds, or worse, being that girl who hangs around after a one-night stand long after the guy wants you to. You just…didn’t want to leave. He surprised you with his sincerity. He seemed to like you, though you didn’t know why, but you liked him, and, for once, you were willing to take the risk of sticking around for the morning after. It could be awkward. It could crash and burn. But if you weren’t going to be brave enough to see how the rest of the day could unfold, you knew you would regret it.

But, staying or not, it didn’t mean you weren’t going to hop down to the hotel lobby as soon as you woke to get your coffee fill. And based on what you saw last night, Henry liked his coffee rich and black.

Henry:

Who was he trying to fool? This was absolutely going to ruin his day. They’d had a rare chemistry that made him feel like he’d known her forever, and the sex certainly didn’t suck. Not even close.

Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, Henry sat up and rubbed his face with both hands. If she wasn’t going to be there, he might as well get dressed and go about his day. At least, that’s what he thought, until he heard the door lock click and the handle turn.

His head shot to the sound, and he was almost stunned when he saw her walk in, shakily balancing two cups of coffee, a danish, and a muffin in her arms. She jumped when she saw him looking at her, still impressively holding on to the breakfast.

“H-Hi,” She said. And, damn, Henry liked that voice.

“Hi,” He smiled back, and at the gesture he could see her shoulders relax.

He stood and walked towards her, neglecting his boxers entirely, just thrilled she hadn’t disappeared forever. She looked down and blushed, then averted her eyes as he began to unload the food from her arms, and one-by-one placed the items on the table. When she still hadn’t looked back at him, he chuckled and tucked a finger under her chin, tilting it up until she was forced to meet his eyes.

“Don’t be shy on me now.”

He ran his hands down her arms and grabbed both of her hands in his when she sighed and said “Sorry, I’m not…” She took a breath,” I don’t usually do this.”

“Hook up with strangers?”

“No, stick around the morning after. I kind of assume I’m not wanted, so—”

“You’re wanted here. Believe me,” Henry said fast, because those thoughts were the last he wanted on her mind.

She gaped, but then grinned wide and bright. “Really?”

“Definitely,” He said. “I want to know you.”

Y/N:

He wants to know you. Those words made your stomach flip. Though you took the risk to not sneak out at the break of dawn, you figured the odds of him not shuffling you out the door were unlikely to be in your favor. But you weren’t complaining about being wrong.

You grew embarrassed when you realized that dopey smile was still on your face, so you quickly wiped it off then grabbed the muffin and offered it to him. One corner of his lips quirked in unison with an eyebrow, and he gently took the offering from your hand.

“Thank you,” he said, pulling the paper down to take a bite.

“So, um…if we want to get to know one another, what do you want to do?”

Henry only smirked and said “Well…I’ve got some ideas.” He took another bite then licked the remaining crumbs off his lips, which was somehow more distracting than the fact that he was completely naked. “Half of them don’t involve clothes, though.”

[blazingparker]

When I’m Like This, You’re the One I Trust

hello my lovelies!! I’m here with the one-shot I wrote as a massive THANK YOU to each and every one of my followers. When I started this, I had just reached 100 followers and now there are even a few more of you! I’m so grateful to each and every one of you, and I really hope you enjoy this fic.

This was inspired by the song Blinding Lights by the Weeknd. The specific stanza is referenced in my author’s note on ao3!

read it on ao3!

---

It wasn’t often that Peter had a sensory overload, but when they did happen, they were...devastating. Physically, mentally devastating.

This was one of those days.

Peter woke up with a pounding headache, every brush against the fabric of his pajamas or his sheets feeling like fire licking along his skin. Tony was apparently making breakfast for them, evidenced by the fact that Peter could hear every clunk of a dish being set on the counter and the crack of an egg that fell into a sizzling pan.

Against his better judgment, Peter cracked open his eyes. The sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows of their bedroom was normally a welcome sight, warming his skin and making him feel like a cat stretching out into the rays. Today, though, it was a blinding assault on his eyes that made him whimper and try to curl away from it, only to be met with more burning sensation from the fabric.

“Good morning, Peter,” FRIDAY greeted him, and the young man actually let out a soft cry at that. The voice, normally bearable, was so incredibly loud that he could barely stand it. He reached his hands up to cover his ears, trying to do something -- anything -- to make it better.

“FRIDAY, activate Spider Shutdown Protocol,” a voice whispered, but to Peter it sounded like a normal volume. FRIDAY didn’t respond verbally to the command, as she was relegated to listening only while the protocol was activated. Immediately, the windows were blacked out and the light blocked from the room. The heater kicked in, since Peter had told Tony once that his inability to thermoregulate seemed even worse when he was like this. Though they made no sound, Peter knew the walls of their bedroom had been soundproofed as well. He wouldn’t have to deal with hearing all the sounds of Avengers tower as people began to wake up and go about their days.

“Hey, my love,” Tony whispered as he carefully sat down on the edge of the bed. “Are we having a bad spider-senses day?” He asked, reaching out as if to smooth his hand down Peter’s back before pulling away, realizing that might not be a good move right now.

“Yeah,” Peter whispered back in a hoarse voice, feeling tears prick at his eyes. “Sorry for ruining breakfast, it was really sweet of you to cook.” He hid his face in the pillow despite the pain it brought him, trying to keep Tony from noticing his tears. His boyfriend knew him better than that, though, picking up on how his voice wavered slightly. He might not be able to see Peter, but he knew him well enough by now to know how he was feeling even without that.

“Honey, no,” he murmured back immediately. “You didn’t ruin anything, hear me? If anything, you saved our frying pan from getting another egg burnt onto it. We’ll eat whenever you’re ready, and not a moment sooner.” Peter relaxed somewhat at that, summoning the energy to scoot closer to Tony in their bed.

“Okay. Thank you,” he whispered. After a few moments of silence, Peter reached out for Tony’s hand. Finding it, he guided it to rest lightly in his hair, sighing softly in happiness as the man began to ever so gently card his fingers through his curls.

“You’re okay with touching?” Tony asked, voice still soft as he continued his motions. Peter instinctively went to nod, but stopped himself and instead just turned his head towards Tony’s voice. He didn’t want to make his headache even worse.

“You, yes,” he clarified. “Anyone else...no.” Tony felt his heart swell at that admission, knowing that he was the one Peter trusted when he was like this. Not anyone else.

“I’m honored,” he said truthfully, smiling down at Peter in the dark. Peter blushed, instinctively turning his face away from Tony as though to hide it, forgetting there was no way his boyfriend could see it in the dark.

The two stayed there for a while, in the dark and in silence. Peter’s headache was still raging but the feeling of Tony’s hand in his hair and the darkness of the bedroom were steadily making things better. He was so grateful for Tony’s endless patience, how there was never a sign of irritation or restlessness. It was like there was nothing Tony would rather do than stay here with Peter - and knowing him, that was probably true.

“How about a bath? We can get those pajamas off you, if they don’t feel good on your skin?” Tony eventually suggested. Peter had complained to him before about the feeling of sheets or clothes on his skin when he was like this, unable to handle the sensation. When everything was too much, even the smallest thing made everything seem all the more unbearable.

“You just want to see me naked,” Peter grumbled back, but the amusement in his voice was clear. Tony huffed out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head.

“It’s too dark for that, Peter. But I won’t deny I always enjoy the view,” he shot back with a wink that his boyfriend couldn’t see. After much playful grumbling, Tony was able to help Peter up and out of their bed and move them to the bathroom.

“Okay, cover your ears, my dear. The water might be too loud. I’m still working on that dampener,” Tony said once they got to the bathroom, gently helping Peter hop up onto the counter and going to start the bath. He added Peter’s favorite bath bomb - eucalyptus and lavender, something Tony had made specially for him. Peter had loved the eucalyptus and mint scent from Bath & Body Works before the spider bite, but afterwards the smell and taste of mint had become unbearable. After mentioning that particular fact to Tony off-handedly one night, the mechanic had traded his Iron Man gauntlets for bath bombs and room sprays, determined to create something Peter would like.

Once the bathtub was filled, Tony turned off the water and immediately returned to Peter’s side. He helped the young man out of his pajamas, FRIDAY wordlessly increasing the lights in the room by just a small percentage so he could see and keep himself from whacking Peter in the face or something.

“In we go,” Tony murmured when they were finally ready for their bath, helping his boyfriend down from the counter and easing the two of them into the warm water. He leaned back against the wall of the tub, pulling Peter into his chest so all he had to feel was the water and Tony’s skin - not cold tile. Peter’s tense, coiled muscles immediately began to relax and the younger man let out a contented sigh.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re the best boyfriend ever?” Peter asked, almost in a daze as he rested in the water with Tony. There was no blinding light, no fire on his skin, no sounds except for the water and their shared breathing. Everything was so much better, and he had Tony to thank.

“Oh, you’re going to want to be careful with those compliments. The team is always bitching about the size of my ego already,” Tony joked, beaming when he earned a small little laugh from the man in his arms.

“Mmm, I’ll beat them up for you. I’ve already stolen Cap’s shield once, I’ll do it again,” Peter mused softly, smiling sweetly when Tony leaned down to kiss his forehead.

“My hero,” Tony murmured back, but his voice had lost all its playfulness in favor of sincerity. He wanted -- no, needed -- Peter to know just how important he was to him. After an episode like this, the younger hero could have a tendency to get in his own head, blame himself for “putting Tony out” or “making Tony deal with him.” The older man was hoping to get ahead of that this time - maybe prevent that guilt from manifesting at all.

“I’m so glad you trust me to take care of you when you’re like this,” he whispered. “I love you so much, Peter. So, so much. Every part of you. Good days and bad days.” Peter twisted in Tony’s arms, looking up at him.

“I love you too,” he said, voice a little stronger now. “Thank you for taking care of me. You-you make it better.” Peter lifted a hand and stroked Tony’s cheek, droplets of water falling into that impeccable goatee.

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Tony said with a soft smile, leaning into the touches on his skin and turning his head to press a soft kiss to Peter’s palm. The two remained there, whispering sweet things to each other and exchanging soft caresses until the water ran cold. Only when Peter started to shiver did Tony dare to move.

“Time to get you nice and warm, and maybe get some food into you. You feeling up to any lights?” He asked, climbing out of the tub and grabbing towels for them both.

“If they’re low, we can try it,” Peter agreed, smiling as he got out and was immediately wrapped in the softest, warmest towel he’d ever felt. FRIDAY brought the lights up just enough so they could see each other but it was far from their normal brightness.

“We’re okay?” Tony asked, drawing Peter into his arms and holding onto him before dropping a kiss to the top of his boyfriend’s hair.

“We’re okay,” Peter murmured back, tucking his face into Tony’s neck and pressing a soft kiss to the skin there. “Thanks to you.”

“Anytime, Peter.” Tony got to work on drying them both off and dressing them both in his clothes. Peter initially wasn’t thrilled, forgetting that Tony’s clothes always felt so much better than his own. His disappointment quickly faded when he was wrapped up in soft fabrics and Tony’s cologne.

“Breakfast?” He asked hopefully, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. Tony finished putting his shirt on and turned to look at him with a smile.

“Sure. What are you feeling?” He asked.

“Toaster waffles?” Peter asked, blushing a little bit as he glanced away. “The chocolate chip ones, maybe?”

“If that’s what my Peter wants, that’s what he shall have,” Tony said with a charming smile and a wink, holding out his hand. Peter smiled shyly back at him, reaching out a hand covered by the sleeve of Tony’s sweater. Their hands clasped together and the smile went from shy to positively radiant.

Sensory overload days were tough, for sure. But Tony always knew how to make them better, and Peter was grateful for that.

[plume-pigmented-pili]

Hey hey! here’s a little something I wrote for Eli a few months ago. They convinced me i should post it, so here i am lol

———

Tw: Descriptions of a Cold, sickness (non graphic), feelings unwanted, coughing, headaches, misunderstandings, hurt/comfort. Let me know if I need to add more!

Words: 5.2k

Pairing: Prinxiety (Written as Romantic but could be read as platonic i guess)

“Virgil is miserable. Its the middle of the night, and Virgil is stuck in bed, unable to sleep, with a horrible cold. The actual cold isn’t why he’s miserable, though.

Is it selfish to want to be cared for?”

—

Through Sickness and Health

Virgil could hear the clock on the opposite wall ticking just a tad too fast, and didn’t need to even look over at it to know it was way too late to be awake. Sure, he didn’t have the best sleep schedule, but at least he was usually enjoying himself when he stayed up, and it was rarely this late. It wasn’t even his fault this time.

But here Virgil was, laying in bed curled under all the blankets he owned, wishing he was dead. On paper, that sounds a lot worse than it really was, but who could blame him? The sweet release of death sounded like heaven compared to suffering here any longer. His throat was sandpaper dry, nose clogged with snot, and what felt like a small bomb went off in his skull with every movement.

That, though, wasn’t the main reason he was suffering.

He’d been sick before, he knew it would be over soon, but no physical pain could compare to the hurt he felt, knowing that the others knew of his illness, and didn’t give a single damn.

There was no way they didn’t know what was happening - even if he’d tried to hide it, which he hadn’t, it’s not like acting was ever his specialty - but not a single one of them had batted an eye since he came down with this stress induced cold.

Well, that wasn’t completely true. Patton had asked if he was feeling alright on day two, when Virgil had shuffled downstairs around three in the afternoon to grab a snack, hoodie flipped up as he dug around, his hands clearly shaky from fever yet he’d been too tired to try and hide it. He’d told Patton, in the least shaky voice he could muster, that he just wasn’t feeling very well.

In hindsight, it had probably been incredibly selfish of him to expect Patton to come to his aid and comfort him, maybe offer to tuck him in on the couch and make him something healthy to eat. He’d seen Patton do just that plus more when Logan or Roman were feeling under the weather after all. But despite knowing it was selfish, he couldn’t help the disappointment and sinking feeling he’d felt when Patton had simply responded with a gentle, almost pitying, “I’m sorry kiddo, thank you for telling me.” before walking away rather hurriedly, leaving it there.

The conversation rolled around in his head, as it had been for the past 5 days. Nobody had come to check on him, not even the resident fatherly side to see if he was feeling any better. He’d been downstairs one other time since that little exchange with Patton, but when he’d walked in on Roman and Logan talking casually in the living room, they’d both given him short, obviously forced smiles, and sunk out. That’d been on day three, and Virgil hadn’t gone back down there since. He wasn’t that hungry anyway.

Maybe they didn’t want to get sick? Or maybe they thought he was gross, and didn’t want to be near him. Did they think he would be rude to them?

All this thinking was making Virgil’s head hurt more. And it really didn’t matter the reason. They didn’t care, they clearly wanted to avoid him.

It hurt, worse than his actual sickness, having to stay away from everyone for days on end. It reminded him of the old days before he was accepted, when he wasn’t welcome anywhere else but the confinement of his room. He missed Patton’s warm greeting each time he walked into a room, or the rants Logan would get lost in that were strangely so calming. Most notably, though, he missed Roman.

He missed their stupid banter that always left him feeling more confident, and the never ending singing that Virgil pretended not to adore. Hell, he missed just talking to the creative side. He’d give anything just to have a conversation with him, just to lift his spirits a little. He longed for one of the warm, solid hugs that only Roman could give.

He would probably even give up his Disney posters, his entire MCR song library, or get banned from every Hot Topic in the country, just to be held and cuddled right at this moment. To be held in warm, secure arms, wrapped in the scent of cinnamon and roses, and drift to sleep knowing he wouldn’t be alone in the morning.

That last one had about a zero percent chance of happening, even if he wasn’t sick and contagious, but Virgil’s sleep deprived, fever ridden brain had decided to be sentimental, and Virgil couldn’t even stop it. At least he wasn’t gone enough to consider asking for any of that comfort he craved. it’d be easier for everyone to just wait in his room until he was better. Then maybe things would be normal again.

And that was his plan, until someone knocked on his door.

The anxious side’s gaze shot over to the clock, grimacing when the quick movement made his eyeballs throb. Who the Hell was knocking on his door at nearly 3:45 in the morning?

“Who-“ Virgil cringed at how his gravely voice broke, cleared his throat, then tried again. “Who is it?”

“I knew you were awake!” Romans voice, surprisingly enough, came from the other side of the door. He was clearly trying to stay quiet, but for some reason, he sounded really… relieved, and chipper. A second later, the Prince added a bit more bashfully, “Uh, unless i just woke you up by knocking, and if that’s the case I sincerely apologize, I didn’t mea-“

“No, I w’s already awake…” Virgil interrupted with a slight slur, groggy brain trying to keep up with what was happening. Being the embodiment of Anxiety, though, meant he didn’t get to stop being anxious just because he was sick. Why was he here? Was he angry? Virgil couldn’t recall doing anything that could offend anyone since he’d been self-quarantined, but then again, he couldn’t really remember his last name at the moment either. He mumbled to himself as he untangled his legs from the covers, cursing the universe under his breath because his head felt two times it’s normal size. Then he took a deep breath and sat up. He didn’t want to make Roman uncomfortable or grossed out seeing him all sick in bed, cause holy shit would that be embarrassing. He still didn’t look great, but it was a small step. “Come in Pr’ncey.”

The door swung open, revealing a timid, bed headed Roman, who seemed to relax a little when noticing Virgil sitting up in bed. “Hey there.. sorry to barge in, I hope i’m not bothering you.” he said, voice still lowered and really quite gentle as he shut the door behind him.

Virgil went to shake his head, but stopped himself before he could cause himself fucking brain damage and just shrugged instead. “ y’re not both’ring me. ‘sup?” yikes, all this sitting up and trying to look presentable business was making him realize how exhausted he was. His eyelids felt heavy already.

Roman took a few steps forward, keeping his eyes steadily on Virgil like he was waiting for him to keel over and die, or cough on him. It seemed pretty damn dramatic, even for Roman. “I… just wanted to check on you. I’ve uh, been a little worried about you, and i couldn’t sleep.” The Prince said, hesitant as he lowered himself on the foot of the bed.

Virgil blinked a few times, curling his legs up so his knees were to his chest to make sure Roman wouldn’t touch his feet under the 5 layers of blankets he had over him. Or maybe it was the sudden, treacherous hope that was rising in him, a hope he was trying to stifle. Roman was… worried about him? Roman of all sides? I mean, he wasn’t surprised that he cared, he and Roman were friends now after all. Virgil was just surprised he cared about this. He thought they were all in agreement to avoid him or something.

Virgil was about to open his mouth and say… something - he didn’t really know what he was going to say. It felt like his train of thought was chugging along through molasses - but he was interrupted before he could get any words out.

“Dude… no offense, but you look like actual death. And why in the name of Hades are you buried under so many blankets?” The Prince asked with what sounded like genuine confusion, at least for the second part.

Virgil huffed and pulled the blankets tighter around him, the movement causing him to shiver. He couldn’t decide what to focus on; The cold air on his back, the rising sensation of relief knowing Roman cared, or how weird that question had been. Quite honestly, Virgil wasn’t offended because he knew he looked like shit. he was just a little confused. He thought Roman would have known he’d look like shit. “What do you mean why do I have so many blankets. I literally feel like ’m freezing to death. ’s part of the package, shouldn’t you know this?” He practically deadpanned, not even for the snarkiness like usual. His speech was just dull.

But that only left Roman looking more confused, and probably a good deal more concerned if his expression was anything to go by. “I-... I didn’t know that, no.. I’m sorry. Do you want another blanket or something…?” he asked carefully, still awfully and almost painfully cautious.

And Virgil… was at a loss for how this could possibly be new information to Roman. it was pretty common knowledge even if you’ve never had a fever before. But instead of dwelling, Virgil once again stopped himself from shaking his head, sighing instead. “No, it won’ help.” he said shortly. The effort would be futile, but it was endearing that Roman at least asked. “Thanks though. That’s.. really nice of you t’ offer.” The anxious side offered a bit more quietly.

There was an awkward silence that followed, Roman shuffling his feet against the carpet slightly as he looked around the room. Virgil saw the other’s eyes catch on the pile of used tissues in the floor, another bout of confusion flashing in his bright green eyes, but he didn’t mention it this time. Maybe it was a lack of sleep making the Prince act so clueless at the moment. “I… I guess i’ve just.. i don’t know, everything is more boring without you around. Nobody to insult without actually offending them.” Roman spoke again after a moment, sending a half smile in Virgil’s direction.

A little smirk matched with a snort is what the Prince was rewarded with, Virgil's spirits lifted regardless of his misery. It felt nice knowing he was missed, and it made his chest warm knowing it was coming from Roman. For some reason, knowing he could make things more bearable for his counterpart was.. rewarding, in a way. And Roman looked proud of himself, before he continued a bit more solemnly. “You’ve been cooped up in here for so long, like what, 5 says now?”

That got Virgil to sigh, and maybe there was some defensiveness laying beneath the surface, made worse thanks to being miserable, but all he managed was a mildly annoyed side eye to Roman as he responded in a mumble, still doing his best not to run Roman off. “‘t’s not my fault.”

Roman was quick to shake his head, slight guilt in his expression. “I know! I-I’m not trying to make you feel bad, i guess i just- i don’t know, i’m just talking out loud… sorry.” Roman’s voice had quieted, eyes trained on the floor somewhat shamefully as he seemed to search for his words. “I just.. I just wish…” but once again, he trailed off, shaking his head and seeming to give up. “I’m sorry.”

“‘s fine, Princey.” Virgil mumbled back, eyes dropping to his lap where he picked at a loose string on his bedspread. Another silence followed, Virgil trying to sniffle as silently as he could. Despite how weird this interaction had been so far, and how slightly awkward it’s gotten, Virgil was honestly just trying to soak in the mere presence of another side while it lasted. He’d never liked being alone for so long. His stomach was starting to hurt for a reason aside from sickness. This sure was a good way to get Roman to leave early, the others were probably right for leaving him alone so far.

Suddenly, Virgil squeezed the blankets in his fist to try and stop a sudden tickle in his throat, the sensation coming out of nowhere. Unfortunately though, his instincts won out just seconds later as he was forced to cough, the sound gargled and gross even when he covered the whole bottom half of his face with his covers. Dammit, dammit, stupid fucking cough. And Roman just got there too. He wasn’t ready for the creative side to leave again yet.

“S- Sorry, sorry ‘bout that. Shit.” He mumbled rather quickly, hoping to by just a few minutes longer of the creative side’s company before it was taken away again for who knows how long. His head felt like it was being split open, no thanks to the effort it took to cough. Who the Hell’s idea was sickness? They should be fired.

Much to his surprise though, when Virgil hesitantly looked up to gauge how put off Roman was by his display, he only saw an overwhelming about of worry, but even more importantly, alarm.

“Apologies, but is this like- normal??” Roman asked with eyes noticeably wider, studying Virgil's pained expression, hunched over posture, the mess of dirty tissues around, and the way the bright numbers of his digital clock on his nightstand was covered carefully, with a washcloth no doubt.

Virgil drew in a deep, slow breath through his nose as he rubbed on his temples to try and alleviate some pain, eyes closed and head tilted down. Roman’s ridiculous questions were just making his headache worse, and honestly he didn’t even understand how the Hell he was so confused. Was this his plan? To come in here and confuse Virgil and his already incapacitated brain? ‘Cause if so, he was doing a brilliant job. “Roman, what the hell are you talking about.”

It came out less like a question, more like a very tired statement, but he was answered with confused stammering, Roman gesturing almost desperately to Virgil and his state. “What do you mean what am I talking about?? Dude, you’re clearly not doing well. I mean, I wasn’t gonna bring it up, but you’re sweating like a sinner in church, you’re covered in a thousand blankets, you were just hacking up a lung and you’re barely able to speak right from, what i’m assuming, is a nose full of mucus!”

“Yeah, okay, I get it. I look like shit, Pr’ncey, enough said.” Virgil snapped, glaring up at Roman and accidentally moving his head up to look at him too fast, sending a flare of agony through his skull. He cursed under his breath and winced, but powered through it even as Roman lifted a hand to- to what, help? It didn’t matter, Virgil moved away from the effort. “No, don’t touch me, alright? I don’t wan’ your pity.”

Virgil knew all of this was coming out more aggressive than he ever would allow if he was feeling himself. Hell, even now he was begging himself to just shut up and stay calm. But after almost 2 full days with no sleep, and 5 days of nonstop pain, coughing, being unable to breath properly, the feeling of fire in his throat every time he tried to eat, and then on top of that, being shunned by the 3 people he wanted- needed, more than anything. Well, he really couldn’t stop his composure from cracking and shattering.

Roman looked ready to respond, seemingly struck with more pity than before, but Virgil’s hand shot up to stop him. “I don’t want to hear it, Princey. Why the Hell are you even here anyway? If you’ve missed me so much, why did you wait 5 f’cking days to come see me? T’ come ‘check on me’? And, by th’ way, so far you’ve really only been fucking with me and making me feel worse, so in reality it probably would ‘ve been better had you just kept up your streak of avoiding me like ev’ryone else!”

Virgil was breathing heavily, head pounding and lungs burning after raising his voice just a bit too much at the end of his rant. He replayed the words back in his mind, heart sinking when he realized how aggressive he’d gotten. He couldn’t slow down his breathing, why couldn’t he slow his breathing?? Jesus christ, he wasn’t about to break down on top of all that other shit he just unleashed. Perfect, he was just proving the other side’s point for them.

With his body now starting to shake, jaw clenched to hold back tears because this week has been bullshit, and he felt like curling up and disappearing, if not to escape his aching body then to at least escape the anger he knew would result from that whole verbal meltdown he just had. Obviously Roman would be leaving, but would he yell first? Tell him how annoying and selfish he was, and how he didn’t get to be a huge asshole just because he was feeling a little under the weather? Or would he leave in silence, just exit the room with that silent, cold anger that Roman only showed when he was really upset.

Maybe he’d tell everyone else what happened, how he’d tried to extend an olive branch, test it out just to see if maybe his illness hadn’t made him into a pathetic prick, but Virgil lashed out as expected and ran him off. Would Logan and Patton get mad at him too? Come in and tell him off for being so horrible to his own family, that he couldn’t even be a decent person for 5 minutes.

Maybe things wouldn’t go back to normal even after he’s recovered, all because he couldn’t just control himself.

“Virgil, what are you talking about?” Roman asked exasperated, and Virgil dragged his hands down his face. He meant to make more of a growl in frustration, but it came out closer to a pained whine. His eyes stung for a new reason now. He just wanted this to stop. Why wouldn’t Roman just stop?

“What. What am I talking about what. I can’t do this- this whole vague shit righ’now, jus’ spit it out.” He hated how short tempered he was sounding, but Roman didn’t seem to be fazed. Virgil could see the Prince waving his hands around in his peripheral, looking tongue tied.

“The- The part where you think i’m fucking with you?? Why you think we’re avoiding you?? Why you’re so-... so….” Roman trailed off, a look of realization crossing his face, which quickly turned to horror and guilt. “Wait a… w-wait a second, Virgil, are you- are you sick??”

To say Roman sounded appalled would be an understatement, his eyes wide in shock, brows drawn, mouth slightly agape. Virgil’s head spun, suddenly dizzy as his brain tried to figure out why Roman sounded so horrified- why he sounded so surprised. He couldn’t stand it, he couldn’t understand what was going on. He felt nauseous and he just wanted to sleep. Before he knew it, tears were trekking down his face, thick tears springing from his eyes making the pressure behind them even more unbearable. A sob tore painfully from his throat, instantly catching the Prince’s full attention.

“Oh my… Virgil-“

Virgil shrunk away from the Prince’s voice, curling up once more into a ball, trying to hide from everything. His lip wobbled, he could feel it, but he was too tired to be embarrassed or feel pathetic. He pulled the covers closer around him. “R-Roman, please jus’-“ He hiccuped on a sob, hissed through his teeth as the action sent a sharp pain through his lungs. “I don’ know i-if you’re tryin’ to joke ‘r somethin’, but— but ’s n- not funny, o-okay?”

Instead of speaking clearly at a normal volume, Virgil was nearly mumbling the entire time he was speaking, slurring through words even worse than when the conversation started. Was it just him, or was the room spinning? “Please, i… i need you t’...” Virgil huffed for breath, exhaustion wearing on him like a switch was just suddenly flipped. It nearly took all his energy to try and get a deep breath.

“Ro…”

Virgil was met with a warm, broad chest, and strong arms wrapping around him before he even knew he was slumping forward. His ears were ringing, drowning out what sounded like a familiar voice speaking to him. They sounded distressed, he hoped they were okay. What was combing through his hair? He couldn’t quite remember what was going on before then, but all he knew was, he was safe now.

Then, the world went dark.

———

Virgil came into consciousness a little while later, his brain the kind of blissfully empty that only comes after passing out, apparently. He couldn’t grasp where he was before, existing in a reality where there is no past for a few moments. His head was vaguely aching, like a dull throb faded into the background, and his lungs stung only a little when he breathed in deeply. In his sleepy state though, Virgil didn’t concern himself with those feelings.

Virgil couldn’t see anything, he noticed not long after, but he could hear murmuring and the distant sound of water running.

Next, he realized he knew he wasn’t in his own room anymore, both because this wasn’t his mattress, and the room didn’t smell like his own.

He could smell.. cinnamon… and peaches… and ink. Somewhere in his groggy brain, Virgil recognized the smell, but at the moment it was just out of his reach. It didn’t bother him, though, not when he was so relaxed and calm. He felt like he was one with the bed, and the soft, fluffy sheets encasing him.

A few more seconds of coming to, and Virgil realized his eyes were covered with something damp, and cool… soft too. It felt amazing against his warm skin. oh right, i’m sick, a thought entered his mind gently.

Then, a lot less gently, the events from before he passed out rushed to the forefront of his mind, practically smacking him in the face. Because yes, he’d passed out, right in front of Roman like an idiot, oh shit, why isn’t he in his room, where is he-

“Virgil? Hey woah, calm down buddy- here,” Virgil heard someone quickly cross the room, and tended his body for all of two seconds before the washcloth over his eyes was being lifted.

Virgil blinked blearily, squinting his eyes even though the room was almost completely shrouded in darkness, save for a thin line of light coming from the cracked bathroom door. Someone was sat beside him on the side of the bed, but he was too blurry for Virgil to make out details.

“There you are. Hey Hot Topic, how are you feeling?” the person asked, speaking more gently than anyone had spoken to Virgil in a long time. Strangely though, Virgil wasn’t upset by it. It was.. nice…

Wait a minute, he knew that voice.

“R- Roman..? I.. Where…?” Distantly, Virgil knew he sounded like shit, which meant he probably looked like shit, and directly after asking that half assed question, he realized he had to be in the Princes room. “Oh.. fuckin’- I passed out on you..” he groaned, moving his hands up to scrub the blurriness from his eyes.

It worked, surprisingly, and now that Virgil could see, he realized that yes, Roman was the one sitting next to him, and yes he was in Roman’s room, in Roman’s bed. He also noticed how tossed Roman’s hair was, and the bright red with little snowmen pajamas the Prince wore. They were really adorable.

“Yes, I’m afraid you did.. and I’m also afraid that I am partly to blame for it.” Roman sighed, casting his eyes down as he pressed his lips in a line.

Virgil’s brows drew together, and, because he was so delirious, he reached out to grab gently at Romans sleeve. “How is it your fault that I passed out?” he asked incredulously. At least he could speak properly now. Now? Now since when? Oh geez, “Wait how long have I been out? A few hours? Days? Years?! Did I fall into a coma?!”

The corner of Roman’s lip lifted in amusement, and he gently lay a hand over Virgil’s, on his sleeve. “No, no nothing like that, Dark Knight. It’s only been an hour or so. I.. hope you don’t mind, but I had to bring you in here. Your fever was… really high.” The Prince of Creativity said, solemn by the end.

“I think i’ve managed to get it down, so it’s not so dangerous anymore, but Logan will definitely have to keep an eye on it today.”

That got Virgil's attention. “Wait- Logan? Uh.. yeah, not to burst your bubble Princey, but I doubt that’ll be happening.” There was a slight bitterness to his tone as he wrapped his free arm around his midsection, and though there wasn’t as much bitterness as there usually would be, Roman still picked up on it loud and clear.

He inclined his head, as if in agreement, and Virgil stomach only sunk a little bit before Roman was speaking again.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Virgil. You see, there seems to have been a grave misunderstanding. This is how I’m partially responsible for your passing out, same as Logan and Patton are also partly to blame.”

Virgil’s eyes widened, breath hitching at the sheer ridiculousness of that suggestion. No!! How could it be their fault? He’s the one that got so sick and couldn’t keep himself healthy enough not to fucking pass out. He opened his mouth to say as much, but Roman held up a finger before he could get out a single word, silencing him.

“A few days ago, 5 to be exact, it came to Patton’s attention that you weren’t feeling yourself. He told me and Logan that you told him you weren’t feeling very well, and that we should all give you some space the next few days.” Roman said carefully. Ah yes, that conversation. The one that’s haunted Virgil for nearly a week. Virgil remembered it well.

With a hesitant, still very lost nod from Virgil, Roman continued. “It seems that Patton, and in turn, Logan and I, assumed that your strange behavior was linked to.. well, anxiety.” He gave Virgil’s hand a light squeeze, any sign of a smile gone and replaced with pained regret. The Prince swallowed, just as Virgil pieced it together.

“Because of these more stressful times Thomas is experiencing, we wrongly thought that you were having a rough week, leading to worse anxiety. So… we’ve been leaving you on your own, thinking we were helping you..”

Virgil.. didn’t know what to say. He looked up and found Roman’s red, sorrowful eyes. When he focused, he could see they were just a little bit bloodshot, even in the dark. Proof that he had previously cried, no doubt about this. When Virgil didn’t speak, still too shocked as his slowed brain processes this, Roman continued, quietly choking back a sob just after he averted his gaze to the floor.

“V-Virgil-“ he voice cracked. Virgil’s heart was sinking in his chest. Roman had never looked so heartbroken. “Virgil I’m so sorry, I had no idea you were sick, none of us did! I-I swear I didn’t know, I would have never left you alone if I had, Virgil, Star, i’m so so s-sorry,”

Roman was practically full on crying by that point, though he clearly tried to keep it to himself and stay quiet. Virgil was grateful for the effort, but there were much more important things to focus on at the moment. He may not be completely himself, but he still couldn’t let Roman be so sad.

It was because he wasn’t completely himself that Virgil automatically sat up (taking his time to do so, trying not to upset his head), and leaned himself right against Roman, chest to chest, looping his arms around to loosely hold Princey in a hug.

It all made sense now, why he’d been ignored all week, and why nobody came to check on him or try to help. He felt a little (read: a lot) stupid for thinking that anyone in his famILY would do anything but show him the upmost care and attention when he needed it. They thought they were helping, and honestly, had he in fact been having a bad week of heightened anxiety, giving him space would have been the right thing for them to do.

Roman was quick to return Virgil’s hug, though to his credit, his hug was a lot stronger and more secure than Virgil’s. He buried his face in Virgil’s hair, a steady stream of teary apologies spilling from him. A steady stream that Virgil hastily tried to end.

“Roman, it’s okay… i’m not upset, I promise it’s okay. I know you were doing what you thought would help me. Please don’t cry, Princey.” He said softly.

It might have been a few more minutes, or a few hours, that the two sides sat together in each other’s arms. Roman’s cries and apologies slowly quieted to a stop, though the gentle combing of fingers through Virgil’s hair only continued as they sat.

“Hey… Roman?” Virgil whispered after a few more moments, the whole mindscape quiet, save for the quiet sniffles from both Virgil and Roman every once in a while.

“Yes, sweet Midnight?” came an equally gentle response. Neither side moved, Virgil too content with his face snuggly buried against his counterpart’s shoulder, and Roman too content with having Anxiety safe in his arms.

“Would… well, you can say no, but would you mind.. if I stay in here..? I don’t… really want to be alone…” a hint of Virgil’s usual anxious tendencies showed itself despite the tiredness that was starting to cover the darker side. Instead of head-swimming exhaustion though, this time Virgil felt pleasantly heavy and relaxed.

Without uttering another word, Roman pulled them both down to lay their heads on the pillows, lifting one hand to gently flick his wrist and manipulate the covers around them. The light in the bathroom turned off with a soft click of Roman’s fingers, one that Virgil hardly registered as he shuffled somehow closer to the Prince, still tucked safely in his arms.

As he fell softly and smoothly into the first restful sleep he’s had in days, Virgil noticed that he wasn’t freezing cold anymore. The dull throb in his head had gone away almost entirely, and it felt that much easier to breathe. But most importantly, Virgil felt less alone than he had in a long, long time.

Needless to say, Virgil was feeling better already.

[hellothere-generalangsty]

Hello doll, it's Minty! 💚 I saw your requests are open and I simply had to dance into your inbox! I would adore a Bad Batch Western AU fix with Crosshair and the sentence prompt "If that wound doesn't kill you, then I will". I love you friend! 💚💛💚💛💚

Crosshair – Dust and Blood (TBB Western AU)

Summary: Every story need a beginning, a middle, and an end. This is the beginning, and it starts with a man who calls himself Crosshair.

From the sentence prompts:

22. “If that wound doesn’t kill you, then I will.”

Word Count: ≈1535 words

CW/ TW: Angst? Idk if you could say it’s angsty - it’s not happy that’s for sure but angsty? Idk anyway; western stuff, wounds/ injuries, (death) threats, pain, scars, blood

Tags: @mintywriteswritings @chaoticvampirejedi @loth-wolffe @m-o-o-n-s-g-o-o-n-s (thank you again for the help!) @dusk-dawn-and-stars @tacticalsparkles @imalovernotahater @canwestayinthisdream @wakeupjackthisisntfair @namesmox @badbatch-simp24 @lightning-wolffe @maddieskywalker @for-the-love-of-clones @m-e-w-117 @99squad @equalityforcats

@ladykatakuri @firelordillyria @andiebell2023

Notes: This is so exciting for me you can’t even imagine; thank you Minty for the request! I’m really happy to dive a bit more into the stories of the boys, and Crosshair’s arc is one I’m really happy to explore ^^

Also feel free to check Little One – Highly Suspect (you’ll find out a lot of their songs help me dive into that AU)

Dust.

This is how everything started, and how everything would end. He knew it the moment he jumped down his horse, a grimace of pain twisting his face as the dry coat of blood on his ribs ripped open once again. He tried to take a deep breath but stopped halfway, the pumping in his head becoming too strong to focus on anything else. He almost tripped on his feet, grabbing the beige mane of his companion to keep himself up; which made the horse neigh.

“Sorry, pal.” He barely muttered, unable to do more than loosen up his grip a bit.

Above him, an old sign falling into pieces, and a barely readable inscription on it; bleached by the constant exposure to the sun and the occasional rains.

Marauder Valley.

He walked through the entrance of the abandoned village – if one could call it a village – and wandered next to his horse, looking for shelter and a new shirt. His was tainted with red; dark and dried, smelling like iron and sweat. His wound wasn't bleeding too much anymore, but he could still feel a thin dash dripping against his skin when he was turning around or raising his arm.

It took him a few minutes to find the abandoned saloon, and the sight made him hum in a mixture of disgust and relief. A thick coat of dust was laying on the floor, and most of the bottles and tables were left to be; frozen in the middle of their usual occupations. A deck of cards was spread on one of them, and he came closer to take a better look.

Poker. And it was a good hand. Whoever played it knew what they were doing.

The wooden floor was lightly creaking under his feet as he walked around; and hadn’t it be for the few footsteps he was leaving behind, no one could have guessed he came here. He took a small hallway, leading to a few unsanitary rooms – barely big enough for a bed and a chair for most of them – and looked under the beds for a medical wallet or something he could use to patch himself up. His head was spinning a bit, but the clicking of a gun’s chamber and the cold metal tickling the back of his neck felt more important in the moment.

“If that wound doesn’t kill you, then I will.”

He slowly turned around, hands barely raised to show he intended no harm, and came face to face with a lady; probably in her mid-forties, small and chubby, and visibly determined to fulfil her promise.

“I need a doctor.”

“You won’t find any ‘round here.”

“Then a drink will do.” he shrugged, unimpressed.

“We’re going out and get you a drink then.”

She moved the cannon of her gun toward the main room, letting him open the way. He went in with the hope of getting some rest and medicine, and got back outside empty-handed and under the threat of an armed lady; bathed by the burning sunrays of a hot afternoon, in the middle of nowhere.

Nothing had changed during his little visit in the saloon but his state. He tripped on his feet, unable to focus on the stairs and the figure next to him, and fell on his knees next to his horse. The pain was getting worse; stinging and burning, the sensation of warm blood dripping from his open wound and straining his shirt even more; and the headache, the heat, the shivers-

“Alright, sit down.”

He dropped his weight on his behind, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Stay here. And don’t faint!” the woman warned as she walked away from him, disappearing behind the horse. His head felt too heavy, his veins pumping too hard to let him think straight. He let himself lay back against the dusty wooden floor, closing his eyes under the bright light burning above him.

He woke up when cold water splashed his face, making him jolt and grimace in pain.

“ Told you not to faint.”

“I didn’t.” he groaned, trying to sit again, the coat of blood ripping itself a bit as he did.

“Feel like y’can walk?” she looked down at him with a sort of irritated worry. He nodded, grabbing the guardrail to get up, slowly. “Good. Follow me.”

He stumbled a bit, trying to catch up with the woman. He thought he could handle it; he had gone through a lot to get here, and it couldn’t be worse than what he had left behind.

Or maybe it could be.

The loud thud of a body falling on the ground caught the woman’s attention, and as she turned around, a sigh escaped from between her lips.

“Great… Now I have to get the big guy.”

.

Waking up was painful, sudden. His ribs were on fire, his eye stinging – though the light was filtering through old curtains – and the remaining of his headache was still blurring his vision. He didn’t noticed the comfort of the mattress right away, neither the voices filling the room he was in.

“Ha, coming back to us. Told ya ‘t would work.” A deep voice commented in a smile.

“And that?” the woman’s voice asked, and he guessed she was pointing at his wounded ribs. He brushed the tips of his fingers against his own torso, realizing he was bare skin and wrapped in a bandage.

“Can’t do miracles. ‘Have to rest for a few days, go easy with manual tasks for a while.”

He let out a groan when he heard the recommendation, and tried to move his arms to push himself up and sit in the bed.

“I wouldn’t do that,” the voice advised in a laugh, “Unless ya want to open that wound ‘gain.”

He blinked a few times, and managed to see who was talking to him; a man, tall and visibly strong, dressed with dirty clothes and a squared shirt – probably a farmer. A scar was covering the side of his bald head and reached his left eye. The man was neither scary nor impressive, and seemed friendly enough.

He abandoned the idea of sitting, letting go of the light pressure he had put on his elbows and falling down against the mattress. His head gently buried itself in the pillow, and he let out a long, tired sigh.

“Who’re you?” he muttered in his breath, turning his head their way to look at them.

“’Name’s Cid,” the woman told him, “and he’s the big guy.”

“You know that’s not my name.” the man chuckled, and his voice filled the room with warmth and amusement as he looked at Cid.

“Don’t know your name, and couldn’t care less about it.” she shrugged.

“And you are?” the big guy asked, shifting his attention back to him.

He had expected the question, and he knew the simple answer would be to give his name. But he couldn’t stand the sound of it anymore, and his spite told him to go for that one instead. After all, it was “made for him”.

“Crosshair.”

 “Well then, welcome to Marauder Valley Crosshair.” The man smiled at him.

He didn’t feel like returning the gesture, but nodded nonetheless, out of respect and gratitude for their help. He scanned the room, bringing a hand to his face; a light grimace twisting his mouth as he felt the skin stretching on the side of his body.

His fingers ran against his scar around his eye, trying to sooth the stinging pain. It was still recent, bright red, not quite blending in with his warm skintone.

“Well, ‘gotta leave now,” the big guy smiled, grabbing his hat in hand as he walked toward the door, “but if you need anything, I won’t be far.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cid pushed him out of the room, following his steps, “we know. You,” she pointed to Crosshair, “don’t play stupid, stay in bed.”

And on these words, she dragged the door behind her, slamming it before her heeled steps hit the apparent stairs outside the room. Crosshair stared at the door for a moment, contemplating once again getting up, but he was tired, and the bed was comfortable; and these people didn’t seem to want him any harm.

He didn’t seem to want any harm either, right, “Crosshair”?

He groaned faintly at the thought, and his hand dropped from his face to his chest, barely grabbing the thin blanket above him. He was far from him; from them, and now he just needed to sleep the pain away.

Sleep the pain away. Sleep.

Don’t let them get to you. Because they will get to you.

He will find you, you know he will.

They did this to you. They will do worse.

You know that, don’t you, Crosshair?

He let out a frustrated sigh at the thoughts, and slowly turned his head to look at the window. The sun was shining bright behind the curtains, and he could see the dust floating in the rays of light filtering through. It was peaceful.

For now he was safe, far away in a lost, abandoned town, in the middle of nowhere.

For now.

[ticklygiggles]

A little help | BoKuroAka (n$fw)

Or “Lewd Side” pt. 2

A/N: Aaahh, I'm sorry for the long, long wait, Dani ( @danibby )! I honestly had so much trouble writing this because I felt the pressure of "Lewd Side" sjdkdkf, but it’s here now and I hope it meets your expectations!

Thank you very much for your support ☕!!

Summary: Akaashi woke up with a headache after partying the night before with his lovers, but it seems that he’s forgetting something big that happened last night?!

Words: 5791 (wow! Under the cut!)

Here it is dkdnf

He still didn't even open his eyes and already felt his head throb.

He knew it wasn't a good idea to go out to that party last night; especially because Kuroo and Bokuto had been abstinent from alcohol for a few weeks now, of course they would go crazy and drag Akaashi with them.

And Akaashi could never say no to them... so these were the consequences: a headache and a blurry mind with little to no memories of the night before. 

The only thing his tired brain allowed him to remember was Bokuto whispering in his ear while the three of them were in the bathtub:

"Keiji, don't fall asleep here," Bokuto said, his lips brushing against Akaashi's ear, making him shiver even as he remembered.

Why were they in the tub?

"You should do that to wake him up," Kuroo purred behind Bokuto and a chuckle puffed against his ear.

What was that?

"I think I will," Bokuto said with a teasy tone and then Akaashi heard himself giggling, the sound making him cringe as it echoed inside his head. 

That was definitely a dream. He didn't make such sounds in his right mind and he was sure he didn't make those sounds even when drunk. No way.

But that didn't matter right now, what mattered at the moment was the fact that not only his head was hurting, but also his arms and hips; he recognized that hip pain, though, they definitely had some fun last night, but his arms, why did they ache? Even the muscles of his stomach felt tense and sore.

He thought it was weird, but he couldn't recall anything from last night and thinking so hard was not only making his temples throb, but it also chased away his sleep, forcing him to open his eyes only to discover that someone had already open the curtains and the sun filtering through the window hit him directly in the eyes, making him shut them close again.

His head didn't hurt that bad, but it was hurting and, even though he had high tolerance to pain, headaches were the worst to him. They made him slow and couldn't let him think properly and- for God's sake, what was that damn sound? 

"WAHAHAIT! T-Tehehetsu! I don't- AHAHAH! Not thehehehehere!"

Akaashi's eyes went wide immediately, the sun blinding him a little, but his eyes quickly focused on the source of that loud laughter and his breath hitched: it was Bokuto. 

Torso bare, back perfectly arched, head thrown back as loud laughter bloomed past his lips. His hands were reaching down, trying to push those hands away from his stomach, where Kuroo clawed at the tight muscles around Bokuto's belly button, right where both Kuroo and Akaashi knew Bokuto was so painfully ticklish.

Had they been right there all this time?

"Calm down, Bo. You'll wake Keiji up," Kuroo purred and Akaashi felt his insides fluttering at the teasing tone of his voice.

"I cahahahan't! Plehehehease!" Bokuto cackled in hysterics and Akaashi couldn't take his eyes off from Kuroo's hands torturing Bokuto's belly; they were almost mesmerizing, knowing the exact techniques needed to make Bokuto shriek with laughter.

What was going on? Why were they doing this so early in the morning? On the bed. With Akaashi right there!

Akaashi gulped, feeling a certain part of him starting to react at such a scene. His brain screamed at him to leave like he always did when Bokuto and Kuroo started to feel too playful, but his hangover body wouldn't move at all, it was as if he was glued to the bed.

"Oya?"

Akaashi gasped, his eyes quickly looking up, finding Kuroo looking at him and a shiver ran down his spine. Why was he smirking so much?

"Did we wake you up, Keiji?" He asked and Akaashi thought that he didn't look like a kitten right now, but more like a panther ready to jump on his prey.

A sudden thought assaulted his head: he'd seen that same look before, perhaps last night? He didn't remember, but by the way heat started to pool at his lower belly, he knew that he did see this face last night.

"I told Kou to keep quiet," he said, his eyes turning back to look at Bokuto who was losing his mind, his hysterical laughter and shrieking turning wheezy and silent. "But it looks like he's too ticklish for that, don't you think, Keiji?"

"Ohmygahahahad! Stahahahap, Tetsu!" Bokuto begged, trying to roll on his stomach.

Akaashi's mouth nearly watered. His whole body tingled, his heartbeats picked up in speed, causing his cheeks to blush brightly.

This was bad. Akaashi was usually extremely good at hiding this, after all, there had been some other times when he couldn't escape a situation like this and he could keep his poker face and just live through the whole thing, but now, his body was reacting so wildly and so different, even his mind was going a little crazy, feeling ghostly tingles around his armpits and ribs-

Oh no.

Akaashi gasped.

Could it be that… no!

"What's this?" Kuroo said and Akaashi looked at him again, his eyes a little wide. “Are you hard, Keiji?”

No. Yes… he definitely said something. As his body finally reacted and he tried to cover up his arousal, Kuroo was giving him that know-it-all grin and Akaashi felt his face burning up, his mouth going dry.

Meanwhile, Bokuto was finally shaking with silent laughter as Kuroo did that vibrating claw that had always been Bokuto's perdition, tears of laughter already running down the sides of his face as his hands held Kuroo's wrists weakly, not even trying to push him away anymore.

"Bo, Keiji is kinda getting turned on looking at me tickling you," Kuroo said, and even though Akaashi's heart was beating like crazy against his chest, his tummy fluttered as he noticed how fondly Kuroo was looking at Bokuto as he tickled him to pieces.

"Should I continue?" He asked softly and Bokuto shook his head, snorting once, twice and Kuroo finally stopped, letting the former Ace take a break.  

Akaashi wondered if he should escape right now, but he was suddenly curious about what exactly happened the night before. Did he actually confess his secret (a secret that he said he would take to his grave, mind you) to them? Did they make fun of him? Were they making fun of him right now?

No. They're not like that... Yet again, you hardly meet someone who isn't a five years old admitting that he likes to be tickled; even worse! Someone who likes to be tickled and gets off for it!

But... If he confessed and they didn't mind it... Did they actually t-t-tickle him last night and he can't remember?!

Fuck.

"K-Keheheheiji." Akaashi flinched. "You- yohohohou are s-so strong stahahanding that!" Bokuto said breathlessly as he cleaned the tears clinging to his lashes.

Kuroo laughed, sending a playful poke to Bokuto's tummy, making him giggle. "Why, of course! Keiji likes his tickles, right?" He said, wiggling his fingers at Akaashi, but Akaashi couldn't even flinch as he stared at them, blinking a couple of times and noticing how a soft pink blush started to cover their cheeks.

"Did we have... A shared dream?" Bokuto asked, looking at Kuroo.

Kuroo looked at Bokuto and then at Akaashi, also blinking a couple of times. "Hmm, could it be that you don’t... remember what happened?"

"I-" Akaashi finally found his voice, even though it sounded a little raspy, "I think I don't... Did I- What- What happened?"

The room was silent and Akaashi felt like he wanted to become one with the mattress as both his lovers looked at him intently, perhaps not believing his words.

"I'm- I'm truly sorry," Akaashi said, raising a little, his body still feeling heavy. "I'll... I'll try to remember," he quickly sat on the bed, feet touching the cold wooden floor. “Meanwhile I’ll- hah!” He gasped when he was dragged back to the bed by the shoulders and his face turned scarlet when both his lovers were looking at him with big grins.

"Oh no, Tetsu," Bokuto said. Kuroo was off him now, so he slowly started to kneel beside Akaashi. "Keiji forgot what we did!"

"That is a shame...," Kuroo answered, also finding his spot at the other side of Akaashi's body. "I think it's only fair if we remind him what we did, don't you think so, Kou?"

“I do think so,” Bokuto mumbled and Akaashi could only look at them with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. Bokuto licked his lips. “You were so naughty last night, Keiji.”

“W-Wha- Naughty-

“I think I’ve never seen you acting like that before, ‘Kaashi,” Kuroo said, not letting him speak. “It was really hot.”

“I don’t- I don’t remember, so-

“Don’t worry,” Bokuto said, holding Akaashi’s hand. “You’ll remember.”

They shared a look and right in front of Akaashi’s eyes, flashed the same scene, but it was dark outside and the only thing that illuminated the room was the dim light of the moon. 

Kuroo and Bokuto moved at the same time, each grabbing one of Akaashi’s wrists and lifting his arms up towards the bedposts. Akaashi shrieked, and he heard himself giggling hysterically in his mind, again: 

“We’ve done anything yet, Keiji.”

“We’re just going to cuff you up. Why are you suddenly so jumpy?”

He shivered heavily, licking his lips when he found his lovers’ lustful eyes staring at him. 

“Does this ring any bell, Keiji?” Bokuto asked, raising one of his eyebrows as Akaashi let out a soft sigh.

It did ring a bell, but his memories were still a little blurry and messy, but now he could tell that he did share his secret, and not only that, Bokuto and Kuroo indulged him with it; to what extension? He didn't know, but they were already at it again, and Akaashi's head was starting to feel light, his heart racing against his ribs, his lower belly heating up, his cock getting harder - might as well enjoy the moment. 

He hummed, “Are you not going to cuff me up?” He asked, a teasy grin pulling at his lips: if they already knew, why would he act all shy? “I still can’t fully remember, so maybe you should continue, don’t you think?”

“Bo,” Kuroo said and Bokuto hurriedly stretched out towards the drawer to pull out the cuffs, letting out a soft squeak as he almost fell off the edge of the bed. Akaashi bit his tongue to suppress a laugh, Kuroo actually laughed and Bokuto threw a pair of cuffs at his face, making Kuroo cry and Akaashi finally let out a quick laugh.

“Don’t waste your laugh on this, Keiji,” Kuroo teased as he grabbed Akaashi’s wrists and pulled at his arm. “You’ll definitely need all of it in a moment."

Akaashi felt his belly fluttering, nervousness growing in chest, making his lips tremble before a surprised little giggle escaped his mouth when Bokuto pulled at his other arm and cuffed his wrists to the bedpost. 

"There we go," Bokuto said with a smile and Akaashi shook his head a little, biting his lower lip and reflexively pulling at his trapped arms. "Do you remember now, Keiji?"

Akaashi shook his head. He was not lying, he really did not remember 

"Ah, but it looks like your body does," Kuroo mumbled and Akaashi gasped when he felt a hand cupping his arousal, his legs immediately closing together. "Oh? These legs didn't hide anything yesterday. Are they going to be like this, 'Kaashi?"

"P-Probably."

"Well then."

Akaashi let out another giggle when his legs were suddenly pulled apart and pressed to the bed so Kuroo and Bokuto could sit on them, straddling his thighs as they leaned down, hovering over Akaashi. 

For a moment, he couldn’t actually believe that something like this happened a few hours ago. He really must’ve been out of his mind to stand the anticipation these monsters were making him feel right now. He knew Kuroo and Bokuto enjoyed to tease, but they usually never teased him that much, not even during sex.

This new side was definitely so exciting to him and he couldn't help but softly start to thrust his hips.

"What did we learn yesterday, Bo?" Kuroo suddenly asked, eyeing Akaashi with a dangerous smirk and Akaashi tensed his legs under his lovers' weight. 

"Akaashi loves getting tickled," Bokuto started, smirking just as hard. "He really, really loves it,” He mumbled and being the soft boyfriend he was, he ducked his head down to press a tender kiss to the corner of Akaashi’s lips. “And he’s so hot because of that.”

"He really is," Kuroo nodded, letting out a soft chuckle, and Akaashi smiled softly at feeling Kuroo’s warm lips kissing him too. “What else did we learn?”

Akaashi let out a bright laugh when he felt a surprise tickle attack against one of his armpits; Bokuto’s fingers gently vibrating right at the middle of his underarm, making him jump to the side as laughter bloomed out of him.

“He’s got ticklish armpits,” Bokuto said excitedly, enthusiastically scribbling against Akaashi’s armpit. 

"Oh, yes," Kuroo said with a chuckle. "These armpits are just as ticklish as last night!" 

Akaashi shook his head, feeling his cheeks starting to warm up as a deep blush assaulted them. “B-Bohohohaha! Bokuto-sahahahan! Wait! WahahAHAHA!”

Akaashi shrieked when he felt one of his arms being pinned down to the bed and pushed up to expose the sensitive skin a little more; with a gasp, he saw Kuroo leaning down and he cackled, loud and bright as Kuroo started to nibble at his underarm.

“Kuroo-sahahahahan!” It tickles so bad, he wanted to say, but it really tickled so bad, he was tripping on his own laughter. 

“Oh! I want to try too!” Bokuto said, also pushing Akaashi’s arm further up to make his skin taut. 

“N-NO! NAHAHAHA! Ahahaha, n-not th-thahahat! Unfahahahir!” Akaashi cackled, feeling the maddening sensation of teeth gently grazing his skin travel all the way down to the tip of his cock. 

He tried to close his legs to hide how much this was affecting him, but Kuroo and Bokuto settled down on top of his legs quite nicely, preventing him from moving at all.

This really was getting into him already, but he was surprised when a moan escaped his mouth, before shrieking cackles bloomed past his lips as playful fingers suddenly found his ribs; mouths still eating his armpits up. 

“Oh,” both tickle monsters purred against Akaashi’s skin, only adding to the tickly sensations as thumbs rubbed deep circles from his lower ribs to the highest. 

“W-WAHAHAIT!” Akaashi begged, shaking his torso and pulling at his arms, trying to break free from his restraints. 

“Aren’t his ribs more ticklish than yesterday?” Bokuto asked, his lips brushing against Akaashi’s skin, making him shiver heavily as his head tipped back with a soft snort. 

“They really are,” Kuroo answered, his thumb finding one of Akaashi’s highest ribs, the closest to the hollow of his armpit, and rubbing deeply against it, sending Akaashi into a fit of silent laughter. “Oh? What’s this? Does it tickle so much, Keiji?”

Akaashi could only nod as his hips thrusted weakly, the fabric of his underwear making the tiniest of frictions against his cock, precum leaking from his tip as he started to go a little insane thanks to the tickling.

Shit, he's been wanting this for so long. 

"Mohohohahahare!" Akaashi cried out when he recovered his voice, his skin covering in goosebumps. "Plehehehease, mohohohore!"

"Ah yes, this is exactly what you said last night, Keiji."

"I think he's remembering."

"Ah but there's something I do remember, Kou… Akaashi said that we didn't find his worst spot yet!" Akaashi moaned between his laughter. "And I think he wants us to find out," Kuroo purred before blowing a raspberry against Akaashi's armpit, making him shriek and flich to the other side, only to earn another raspberry that made him jump back to Kuroo and Kuroo raspberried him again.

"Ohmygahahahad!" Akaashi cackled, bouncing on the bed a little and flexing the muscles of his stomach when the fingers tickling at his ribs moved to the lower ones, making him giggle hysterically. "Plehehe- ah! Nngh!" 

A sudden suck to his armpit made him cross his eyes a little and he let out that delicious moan he made every time he was about to cum. Yes, so close to release, but a hand quickly wrapped right around the head of his cock on top of his clothes and he gasped.

"Wh-Why?!" He cried, circling his hips to chase that wonderful sensation, but it was gone and he couldn't do anything else but whine pathetically.

"You cannot come yet, Keiji," Bokuto said. "You did come yesterday night after we played with you for a bit… but today we should see how long you can take it, don't you think?"

Akaashi shivered heavily. He's never seen Bokuto looking at him with those eyes, there was nothing but desire and lust in them. He was looking at him hungrily, ready to eat him up at any second. 

He loved to be looked up like that. 

"Sounds like fun," he answered, his tongue lazy as he raised his chin a little, tensing the muscles of his jaw and exposing his neck, spots that he knew Bokuto loved to kiss. "Please drive me crazy, Bokuto-san," he mumbled, finding Kuroo's eyes when he raised from where he was kissing Akaashi. "Kuroo-san, too. Please wreck me."

Akaashi smiled as Bokuto and Kuroo shared a look and a giggle escaped him as they both looked back at him. In a blink of an eye, they both launched at Akaashi, one hand vibrating against his ribs, another one clawing at the center of his tummy. 

"Oh looks like this tummy is very sensitive," Kuroo chuckled as bright, hysterical laughter poured out of Akaashi's lips along with loud moans as two hands sneaked under his underwear: one hand massaging his balls, the other one rubbing against his erection.

Who was touching what? He didn't know, it just felt like more than two people were making him feel good all at once: tickling him, teasing him, wanting to draw every laugh and moan from his very core. 

It felt insanely fantastic. 

"Haaaah," Akaashi gasped. "N-Nohohoho! D-Don't- anghh, tohohouch thehehere!" He begged, his hips circling and wiggling as he grinded against that warm hand cupping his dick. 

"And why's that?" Bokuto asked, and Akaashi tried to answer back, but a soft cry bubbled past his lips when Bokuto's mouth closed around his hard nipple 

"No! Nohohoho!" Akaashi moaned and laughed, throwing his head back when the fingers vibrating against his ribs (now he knew it was Bokuto), found the highest ones and the ones at his tummy, (that was probably Kuroo), wiggled into his belly button, making him shriek and give a thrust to his hips, his cock trembling under the hand cupping it.

"Oh? Is your cute belly button sensitive, 'Kaashi?" 

Akaashi shook his head, cackling hysterically as Bokuto kept tickling his ribs, sucking on his nipples and, highly probably, massaging at his balls the exact way he knew it made Akaashi see stars. 

"It's not! It's nahahahaha- nngh!" Akaashi arched his back when he felt Kuroo's lips over his navel. "A-Ah! Kuroo-s-saaangh!" He babbled, desperately jerking his hips, feeling himself reaching the edge. "Your- Your tohohohongue!"

"What is it? Do you like it?" Kuroo asked, blowing a raspberry to Akaashi's belly button just as Bokuto grazed his teeth against his nipple.

"Hah!" Akaashi gasped. " Nnghh! I'll c-cum- I'll- aaaah, pl-please!" Akaashi nearly sobbed, feeling himself so close to his climax, but all attention he was receiving stopped at once, even the maddening tickling. 

Akaashi whined, his dick trembling and he thought he'd make it, he'd cum… but he didn't. "P-Pleeease!"

"What's wrong, Keiji?" Bokuto purred, his fingers gently teasing Akaashi's nipples. "Did you want to come already?"

Akaashi nodded, looking at Bokuto with pleading eyes. "Yes, please! Pl-please! Let me c-come, yes?"

Bokuto licked his lips and Akaashi followed his eyes as he turned to look at Kuroo. Kuroo was staring at Akaashi just as hungrily.

"What do you think, Tetsu?" 

"I'd love to let you come, baby," Kuroo said with a fake concerned voice. "But, you'll see, these pesky hips of yours… they just wouldn't stay still!"

Akaashi was not ready. He couldn't even understand Kuroo's words until it was too late. 

"WAIT! Wahahahait plehehehease! N-Nohohot there!" He shrieked when he felt a squeeze to his hip bone, his whole body jumping as loud giggled poured out of him. 

It was just a squeeze. A single squeeze to one, only one, of his hip bones. 

"I think we found the spot."

Akaashi widened his eyes. That was, indeed, his most ticklish spot. He knew it and he tried to keep it as safe as possible from every single person. Especially from his boyfriends, he knew that they wouldn't let his poor hips be until they made sure to draw all the laughter out of Akaashi. 

Fuck… he really wanted that. 

"I- that- that spot isAHAHAHAHA! Wait! Ohmygahahahad, wait!" There was absolutely no waiting. 

Hands were already latched to his hip bones, one of them (Kuroo's) squeezing and pinching at the sensitive spot, the other one (Bokuto's), rubbing deep circles with his thumb. Akaashi was sent to hysterics right away. 

He tried to hide that spot, and he did. He hid it for so long that even the gentlest of touch would make him go crazy, but now he had a full on tickle attack going in his worst spot and Akaashi almost forgot how to breathe.

It tickled. It tickled. It tickled. It tickled. 

It tickled so fucking bad! 

"So Keiji's hips are this sensitive, huh? Did you know, Bo?" Kuroo asked, noticing how the squeezing made Akaashi shriek.

"I didn't, but it's good to- oh!" Bokuto said and he stopped tickling Akaashi as he raised from the bed. 

"Bo?" Kuroo asked, also stopping.

Akaashi whimpered when the tickling stopped and he flushed brightly- it tickled so much, but it seemed like he really wanted the tickling in his hips to continue. 

"B-Bohohohokuto-san," he whined between pants and residual laughter. "W-Whahahat are y-you-

"Tetsu, why don't you take off Keiji's boxers, hmm?" He asked as he opened the drawer, rummaging inside, looking for something. 

Akaashi gasped and Kuroo chuckled, looking at Keiji with playful eyes. 

"As you say," Kuroo purred, lifting himself from Akaashi's leg and easily pulling off his underwear. 

Akaashi moaned as soon as his dick was freed. It looked painful: red, wet, pulsating. Akaashi loved the way Kuroo licked his lips and he teasingly thrusted his hips, making his dick shake a little. 

"Nnnghh, sh-shit!" He moaned deeply as Kuroo held his cock from the base and leaned his head to suck the tip into his mouth. "F-Fuck, Kuroo-s-san! AH!" A cry left his lips when Kuroo's tongue pressed against his glands in a hard lick. "Yes! Y-Yes! Keep going, please! K-Keep- aaah, no!" 

He sobbed when Kuroo let go of his erection with a smirk. Akaashi whimpered and shivered - he wanted to come. Why weren't they letting him come?! 

Bokuto hummed when he finally found what he was looking for. Both Akaashi and Kuroo turned his head to look at him and Keiji widened his eyes when Bokuto raised his hand, showing a bottle of lube with a smirk. 

"N-No mohohore!" Akaashi jolted, giggling already. "No more, plehehehease! I- I cahahahan't! It's- It's too bahahahad!" 

"Huh? Did you hear something, Bo?" Kuroo said, smirking at Akaashi. 

"I certainly didn't hear anything, Tetsu. Especially not a safe word," he said and Akaashi let out a strangled sound.

"I'll die!" He said, shaking his head and sobbing when they both sat on his legs again, pulling them apart, fully exposing him.

"It was nice to meet you, 'Kaashi."

The coolness of that thick liquid against Akaashi's heated skin made him shiver. He had to bite his lip, giggles building up in his throat as Bokuto poured lube on his hips, dick and even his inner thighs. 

He was not ready. He was still in time to use the safeword, but fuck, he didn't want to. He wanted to see how long he could stand this, he wanted to see- 

"SHIT!" He shrieked in a very high pitched voice before loud, hysterical laughter bloomed out of him. 

He didn't think the tickling would be worse after the lube, but it was. It was terrible! The fingers abusing his hips moved so easily and smoothly against his skin: rubbing deep massages, pinching, squeezing, vibrating, scribbling, just every single technique they could think off to tickle those poor hips. 

Akaashi was laughing, but he was also screaming and, for God's sake, he was moaning so much. 

"PLEHEHEHEASE!" He begged desperately, his cock sticking up, bouncing and wiggling to the shimming of his hips. "NAHAHAT THEHEHERE!" 

"Does it tickle here, as well?" Kuroo asked as his free hand found that very sensitive bone that connected Akaashi's legs to the hips at his inner thighs. 

"KAHAHAHA!" Akaashi pulled harshly at his arms and he jerked his legs so hard, he almost, almost, throwing his darlings off him, but he didn't and soon enough Bokuto's hand was joining in the fun, tickling his other inner thigh as they kept tickling his hips at the same time. 

He wanted to cum. He was going to cum. He was going to cum. He was going to cu-

"I have an idea," Kuroo said, gently touching Bokuto's arm.

The tickling stopped at once and Akaashi shrieked, residual laughter still making his body shake as he tried to catch his breath. He was a mess: Tears of laughter were rolling down his face. He was completely flushed, sweating, voice hoarse and his ears were ringing a little from laughing so hard. 

"Pl-Plehehease! N-No m-more tihihickling to that spohohohot! It's- it's too tihihihicklish, I- AH!" Akaashi thought that he never heard himself moaning so hard.

"Oh?" Bukuto mumbled.

Kuroo was suddenly holding Akaashi's dick again, moving his hand up and down, thumb teasing the little 'v' at the base of his tip.

"N-No! W-Wait! I'll come! I d-don't- ah!" Akaashi arched his back, fingers and toes curling when Kuroo pressed his thumb against the slit, rubbing it with a swift move that made Akaashi see stars, tears filling his eyes and saliva drooling from the side of his mouth.

"Already?" Bokuto asked.

"You'll see, Kou."

"Stop! I'll cum! I'll c-c- nnghhh!" Akaashi gritted his teeth, his eyes crossing and rolling back as he finally reached his peak.

It felt so painfully fantastic. Shit, he's never had an orgasm like this before. His body shook heavily and it felt as if he wouldn't stop to come never. He heard someone whistling and then someone chickling, but his mind could only focus on Kuroo's hand still pumping him, overstimulating him until Akaashi was squirming and whimpering.

"N-no! No! Stop!" He babbled with a soft cry as Kuroo teased his tip, it kinda tickled, but it also made his skin prickled with goosebumps. "K-Kuroo-san!"

"Okay, now," Kuroo purred and Akaashi was definitely not ready for what happened next.

Warm hands were back to his oiled hips and thighs and Akaashi never felt that overwhelmed before.

He gasped loudly and the sensation was so intense that he couldn't immediately laugh, but instead, a loud scream echoed through the whole house. He cried and then, after a few shakes of his hips, he finally erupted into loud, hysterical laughter.

"Oh, fuck," Bokuto whispered.

"No please! It's too bad! Too bad!" Akaashi screamed with laughter. He bounced and shook his hips, trying to dislodge those fingers from his ultimate worst spot.

"I once read that one person is more sensitive after an orgasm," Kuroo explained to Bokuto, Akaashi couldn't listen to anything beside himself.

He was going insane. He really was losing his mind, the tickling was so electrifying, it made his brain scream. It was torture, he never felt something like this before, he-

"Oh!"

He came again, but Akaashi couldn't enjoy that orgasm because the tickling didn't stop and Akaashi didn't think it could feel more intense than what already felt, but it did and that was his breaking point.

"Cream Puff! STAHAHAHAP!" He yelled and the tickling stopped right away, but Akaashi's laughter continued and his hips kept twitching slightly as he relaxed into the bed.

"Keiji, all good?" He heard Kuroo asking, but Akaashi could only nod weakly as both his lovers moved away from his legs. "Are you alright?", Kuroo asked again and Akaashi nodded once more, panting heavily as he felt his wrists being freed. 

"You did so, so good, Keiji," Bokuto said with a warm voice, making Akaashi open his eyes to sleepily look up at him. "You were amazing!" 

Akaashi puffed out what sounded like a soft chuckle before sighing when something cold was being pressed to his forehead. 

"Water, Keiji," Kuroo whispered, gently holding Akaashi's head to help him drink from the water bottle. Akaashi drank the whole thing at once, letting out a pleased sigh when he finished. 

"You are amazing, Keiji," Kuroo praised him, gently carding his fingers through his wet hair. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

Akaashi nodded, ultimately, that was the only thing he could do while he came back from the tickly subspace he was thrown in. He smiled softly and wanted to tell them that he really did enjoy himself and that he wanted to do it again very soon, but he couldn't speak. 

"Let's clean you up, baby."

Akaashi was cackling as they cleaned him up. He was so sensitive right now, that the mere touch of fabric touching his skin was enough to make him laugh nearly in hysterics. 

"Stop squirming so much, love," Bokuto said softly, a gentle smile in his face as he tried to clean up Akaashi's inner thighs. 

"It t-tihihihickles! Wahahait!"

"Hold it for a little, Keiji," Kuroo asked him, also smiling lovingly. "We're almost finishing."

Under his arms, his stomach, his hips, his inner thighs, even his dick, it all felt extremely sensitive and Akaashi thought he was going insane again, but they finished before he could blurt out another moan, (his cock hard again). 

"You're such a good boy, Keiji," Kuroo mumbled, laying down beside Akaashi and bringing him close to him, chest to chest. 

"You are so beautiful, baby," Bokuto purred behind him, sandwiching Akaashi between them. "You are so wonderful."

Akaashi felt his ears heating up at the compliments and he hid under Kuroo's jaw. "Th-Thank you… for indulging me."

Kuroo giggled, his hand gently cupping Akaashi's cheek. "Aren't we all in a relationship? Of course we would indulge you, Keiji. There was no need to hide something like this from us."

"We'll now have to do this many times because you were holding yourself back for so long!" Bokuto promised and giggled against Akaashi's ear when Akaashi let out a soft whimper 

"You would love that, wouldn’t you, Keiji?" Akaashi nodded, there was no need to hide it now. 

"Oh, I think he'd really like that," Kuroo said with glee and Akaashi squealed shyly: he was fully hard again. 

"Uh-oh, what to do?" Bokuto asked behind him, pressing kisses to the back of Akaashi's neck, making him moan softly.

"What should we do, baby?"

"Make me cum," Akaashi whispered, lifting his face from where he was hiding and looking directly at Kuroo's eyes, making him shiver. "I'll make you both cum as well," he promised, reaching down, inside of Kuroo's underwear to touch his hard cock. 

Kuroo grunted as he reached down to also touch Akaashi's. 

"Nngh, yes! B-Bokuto-san," he moaned, moving his hips back a little so his ass could rub against Bokuto's arousal. "F-Fuck me, please."

"Shit, Keiji," Bokuto mumbled and he quickly started to prepare Akaashi. 

"Ah! Y-Yes! Don't stop, please!" Akaashi begged, feeling another finger entering him and teasing that sweet spot within him as Kuroo's thumb rubbed his tip. 

"Don't t-tease! A-Ah, Bokuto-san! Please! Put it in a-already!"

Akaashi cupped Kuroo's tip and rubbed gently at it, making him moan deeply as one of Akaashi's fingers played with his nipple. 

"Kuroo-s-san, aah! K-Kuroo-sangh! Touch me m-more, please! M-More!"

Akaashi moaned deeply against Kuroo’s chest when Bokuto finally entered him, filling him completely. 

“K-Keiji, you feel amazing,” Bokuto said through clenched teeth, thrusting inside Akaashi, making him let out the filthiest of sounds.

Kuroo grunted deep in his throat and Akaashi looked up at him through teary eyes and bright red cheeks, “Kuroo-saaan,” he gasped, rolling his hand against the tip of Kuroo’s cock, just the way he liked it. “C-Come for me, ple-ah!”

Kuroo widened his eyes as he shuddered heavily. “F-Fuck, I’m-” Kuroo came first, hard and spurting his seed all over Akaashi’s stomach.

He gently tensed his hand around Akaashi’s dick and with a cry, he came next, trembling and holding onto Kuroo as Bokuto kept thrusting inside him, hitting that tender spot over and over, until Akaashi was drooling again, his eyes rolling back.

With a soft growl, Bokuto finally came inside Akaashi, his nose nuzzling on the back of Akaashi’s neck, breathing him in as Akaashi stopped trembling and his eyes could focus on Kuroo once again.

He was smiling at him. His cheeks a little flushy. 

“How was that, Keiji?” He asked, catching a stray tear falling from Akaashi’s eye. “Did Bo fuck you good?”

Akaashi nodded, his smile dreamy. “You both always fuck me so good,” he whispered, feeling his eyeslids heavy, his eyes rolling back for a different reason. 

“Don’t fall asleep, Keiji. We need to take a bath,” Kuroo whispered and Akaashi heard a soft chuckle from behind him.

“Maybe we should do that to wake you up?” Bokuto asked and Akaashi giggled, shaking his head. After all, he did make those sounds even with a sober mind. 

“Carry me there, then. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk in a while.”

The three of them laughed and didn’t immediately move to the bathroom, instead, they started a fest of gentle kisses and sweet words for each other: endless I love you’s and thank you’s whispered into each other’s ears as playful fingers made the other let out sweet giggles and perhaps some other little sounds.

Akaashi was still not completely sure how everything happened, but he couldn’t be more happy to share this little secret with the two people he loved the most. 

[sloppyplanetary]

Holding On to Fate, Chapter One

rating: mature (smut later), pairing: rick sanchez/morty smith, tags: memory loss, angst, summer knows, intergalactic road trip, content warnings: drinking, puking implied,

Morty groaned, face contorting into a grimace as he slowly woke up to a pounding headache. Sleep dragged at his eyelids, protesting the morning light shining through his bedroom window. He really didn't want to wake up- he was having such a good dream. The dream was already fading from his memory, but the warmth of a body, the feeling of security, and lingering rough fingers drawing patterns on his back remained, a much better alternative to Morty's current dry mouth and throbbing head.

But, all good things must come to an end. His mom opened his door and softly called his name.

"Morty? You awake?"

He rubbed his face and cracked open his eyes begrudgingly. "Barely." 

Beth's brow was pinched, face displaying a rare level of concern. She opened the door wider, and spoke quietly. "Hey, if you want to take today off from school, you can." She paused, seeming to debate her next words. "You don't have to talk about it. But remember, I know how it feels." 

Morty held in a snort as she left the room. He doesn't remember much of anything that happened last night, but his hangover made it obvious. Of course she knows how it feels, with all the wine she drinks. 

Morty felt a wave of bitterness. It was nice of her to not bug him about school, but she didn't even question why her sixteen year old son got drunk last night. Wait- why did he get drunk? He tried to remember what happened yesterday, but was hit with a fresh wave of nausea, barely jerking out of his bed and into his bathroom on time. 

Fifteen minutes later, he padded downstairs with a freshly brushed mouth in search of advil. The family was seated at the kitchen table, and their conversation abruptly stopped as soon as he rounded the corner. They all looked up at him, Summer off of her phone. 

"W-what?" Morty demanded, his patience wearing thin from dealing with his pounding head.

Summer raised her eyebrows. "Surprised you're still here."

"Where else would I- would I be? Mom gave me the day off of school." He took a seat across from Summer, noticing for the first time how big the kitchen table was. Surely they didn't need that many chairs- it was only the four of them, after all.

She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Beth hissing her name. Summer shot her a glare, and Jerry, sensing the rising tension, spoke up. 

"Well I, for one, am glad you're okay, you’re doing okay. Have some pancakes,” he said, gesturing to the stack on the table.

Morty glanced between Beth and Summer, who were still having an argument through facial expressions only, but he was too tired to deal with this. He grabbed a few pancakes and started eating them, tuning out the room. His mind wandered back to yesterday, trying to grab onto the last thing he remembered, but his head still hurt too much. Suddenly, the chair next to him being empty made him uneasy. He really just wanted to go lay back down and nap. Sighing, he pushed his half-eaten plate away and stood up.

“Wait,” Beth said. She went to the kitchen and returned with a blue gatorade and two small pills, holding it out to him. “Take these and drink this, it’ll help.”

Morty stared at it, a pit in his stomach telling him not to drink it, the color making his head swim worse. “Do we have any other flavors?”

Beth retracted her hand in surprise. “This is your favorite type. It has been for years.”

“Sometimes thing just- they just change,” Morty replied with a shrug.

Beth nodded and switched it out for a purple one. This time, Morty accepted it, and chugged half of it in one go. “Thanks, Mom. I’m going back to bed.” He slowly made his way back up the stairs, pulled his curtains shut, and fell into bed, only to land on something hard. He shook his blanket out to discover a strange small metal flask, the sight of which triggered another throb of his head. The empty flask got tossed across the room into the dirty clothes pile, and Morty finally laid down, sleep quickly reclaiming him.

*****

Morty still couldn’t remember what happened that day, and it made him a bit uneasy, but he wrote it off as getting black-out drunk. His headache faded, and he was back at school, going through the classes on rote. His nights were spent playing video games and watching t.v., but the feeling that something was missing from his routine lingered each night as he tried to sleep. Sleep was hard to come by, and his dreams kept repeating, fading as soon as he woke up but leaving those same feelings of comfort.

Summer was back to normal, Jerry was Jerry (albeit seeming happier for some reason), but Beth seemed like she was constantly tip-toeing around Morty. Her bottles of wine still made appearances at night, and occasionally, Morty would be the cause of an abrupt conversation end just by showing up in the room. It was frustrating, but he tried to ignore it.

One night, Beth cornered him, already a few glasses of wine in. "Listen, I know you don't want to talk about Rick leaving, but it hurt me too. At least he told you to your face, instead of leaving a note."

"What? W-who?" Morty asked, suddenly lightheaded.

Beth just laughed, an airy laugh that felt out of place. "Right. 'Just don't think about it'." She patted his head and walked off, still giggling.

Morty shook his head and retreated to his room. Beth's confusing behavior was worrying him a bit, and he had no clue who she was talking about, but his recurring minor headaches were worrying him more at the moment. It seems like they randomly come and go, without any obvious reason, and he was sick of it.

As he sat on his bed, his eyes landed across the room on the strange silver flask he found in his bed. His headache worsened, but this time he was angry, and stomped across the room the grab the stupid thing. He jerked it up and a splash sounded- it wasn't completely empty like he thought it was.

Curiously, he screwed open and sniffed it. It didn't smell like any alcohol he's ever smelled before, or anything familiar at all, really. It smelled like a thousand things that he's smelled before but couldn't identify now, even though he knew he hadn't. His head throbbed, but he didn't care. He had to taste it

Morty pressed his tongue to the opening and tilted it up, just looking for a drop. He quickly moved his tongue and chugged the rest of the flask when liquid practically melted on his tongue, tasting sweet and warm and comforting and almost immediately making his head stop pounding. He smiled, feeling at ease for the first time in two weeks, and laid on his pillow, empty flask in hand.

*****

Last night after the flask incident he actually got a full amount of sleep, and was staying after school in the library today, when Jessica approached him.

“Hey, Morty,” she said, smiling.

“Oh, J-Jessica! Hi.” Morty shut his book and stood up, waving at her. Maybe it was just a part of getting older, but recently, he hadn’t been getting the same waves of butterflies in his stomach that he used to get any time she came near. “What’s up?”

“Well, I’m free tomorrow, and that new science fiction movie is coming out, and I know you're like, into that stuff."

Morty nodded, confused, not remembering when he'd given her that assumption but rolling with it.

"So anyway, me and a bunch of friends are going to it, and we wanted to invite you."

A weird feeling spread through his body. It wasn't the same giddy anticipation he would've gotten a year ago, and the change threw him off. Did his crush just… go away?

"Earth to Morty," Jessica prompted.

"Haha, sorry, was trying to- to remember if I had something planned for-for tomorrow or not," Morty lied. "But I don't, so, sounds good!"

"Alright, cool! Well, I have your number, so I'll text you the deets later."

"You do?" Morty asked.

Jessica looked at him strangely. "Yeah, don't you remember that whole Healthy Morty situation?"

He didn't, but didn't want to make Jessica think he was dumb, so he nodded and laughed. "Oh yeah, that's good then! Yeah, just call- just text me whenever. Bye!" 

She waved and left the library. Morty's smile faded as she disappeared out of sight. Healthy Morty? Sci-fi enthusiast? Beth avoiding him, her saying something about someone named Rick, the strange flask, whatever Summer was going to say on that first day before she got cut off- his growing feeling of unease over the past two weeks peaked, leaving only one conclusion.

Something was wrong. Something was missing from his memories, and Beth knew what it was. Probably Summer, too. Jerry was debatable, but Morty figured his best bet was to ask Summer first. 

He grabbed his bag and nearly ran out of the library, eager to get answers.

[dreadpoetssociety]

Fevers Don’t Exist

TW: Fever ? (I’m not sure what counts for triggers so pls lmk if I miss anything)

Prompt: hi!! could u do one maybe where like, the reader is an actress on supernatural and she plays like their younger sister on the show or something and she gets sick at a con or something? Thanks !!

NOTE: Hey guys, I’m alive!!!! I know I have a lot of Spencer prompts atm, but it’s really hard to write them when I’m not like, hyper focused on Criminal Minds. I am going to try though! So sorry I’ve left so many of you in the wind, I am a very inconsistent person, my bad. But here’s this! It’s REALLY bad because I’m terrible at being realistic but like idk it’s something.

I really don’t even know what to put for tags on this. 

()()()()()() 

Ah, September. You knew what came along every September, and looked forward to it for the first eight months of every year. Secaucus, New Jersey. You loved every con you went to, truly. Everyone was so nice, you love staying in hotels, panels are such a great time, the whole thing. It's a great experience outside of the set to get connected with fans. And, they loved you almost as much as you loved them. You were typically closer in age, since you were still just a teenager. You also started out as a fan of the show before somehow snatching a role, so you really were with them at one point. Everything that excites them excited you just as much. And, you loved making friends with them. You weren't allowed to be reckless with your phone number, so you made a snapchat that you shared exclusively with con goers, whom you made swear to secrecy. It was like a club, and you just enjoyed genuinely talking to everyone. But, when you woke up that first morning, you knew it was going to be a long day. Your body ached, and you were still pretty exhausted. You had a fever, but didn't really know if it was a fever because you were still young, and God forbid you ever decided to recognize the signs of you being sick. It was almost like a form of denial, not knowing. You were sweating, but freezing, and your throat felt particularly dry. Your headache rested underneath your eyes for the most part, to which you just blamed on being tired. Your stomach didn't hurt, but you definitely weren't hungry. Even though you hadn't felt exactly 100% the past days before, and you obviously weren't feeling right now, you just deduced that it was all because you were tired, and had a late flight in. As a responsible person does, of course. You didn't even bother taking any medicine for it, because hey, you obviously weren't sick, you'd feel better in a bit, and you didn't have any, so why waste the time, right? 

You groggily got dressed and met up with "the boys" (even though they were all older than you) for the free breakfast downstairs, in a separate room, since fans did happen to stay in the same hotel. You grabbed some Cheerios, only to conspicuously throw them away after. 

"You good, Y/N?" Jared asked out loud, gaining the attention of Jensen, Misha, and Alex. You could feel their eyes burning through your skin. Or, maybe that was the fever. It had to be their eyes, you convinced yourself, you didn't have a fever. You were fine. 

"Yeah, why?" you asked, faking the perk in your voice and confused eyes. Your eyes felt really heavy, you noticed. 

"You just... You look exhausted. And pale." he said, "And you threw away that cereal without eating any of it." 

You looked down at yourself as an effect for what you were about to say, "Wow, well that's one way to make me self-conscious. I thought I looked kind of poppin'." you laughed slightly, trying to play it off. 

"W-wait, no that's- that's not what I meant! You look fine, I just-" he was embarrassed. You and the others chuckled.

"I'm kidding. I'm all good, just went to bed late, y'know?" you smiled. It was hard to try and mask the rasp in your voice, and doing so made you feel the need to cough, so you downed some water until it dialed down a bit. He nodded. In your mind, you blessed your acting skills, thinking you got away with it. What you didn't know was that Misha, Jensen, and Jared, as fathers do, knew every trick in the book, and each noted to keep an eye on you. Not to mention, they'd been acting far longer than you had, and could just tell when one switches into a character. They all figured that if you weren't sick now, you would be in days to come, and exchanged glances with each other, while Alex innocently continued to chew on his toast. 

"Well, if you're tired, I don't think you have a panel or anything for another hour or something, maybe you could catch up on some sleep then." Jared suggested. You shrugged.

"Nah," you said, "I've got photo-ops in like, twenty minutes. I should actually probably get going. I'll catch up later!" 

You left with a wave, and disappeared into the hotel somewhere. You stopped in your room, allowing yourself finally to set free the coughs living in the back of your throat. You blamed it on your throat being dry since you didn't drink enough water. Not on germs. So, you grabbed two water bottles from the small fridge in your room, and left, making your way towards the convention center.

  You felt slightly better during photo-ops, which just confirmed in your mind that it was impossible that you were sick right now. You smiled and talked to everyone. There was one girl, who introduced herself as Meredith, who stuck out in your mind. She gave you this super cool hand painted keychain, which you very excitedly put on your keys instantly.

"Dude, I've been looking for a cool keychain. Not just one of those janky ones you find at like 7-11, like a cool one. This is so exciting." you smiled genuinely. You had just recently bought yourself a car, and thought that your keys looked a little lonely, and searched for hours on Etsy for something to spice it up a bit. A weird obsession, thinking about it now.

She laughed, "I'm glad you like it!"

"Hell, yeah! Now, are there any poses you wanna do? Or do you just want to hit that casual look? I could make it look like I'm meeting you." you stupidly rambled. One of your traits that was so widely known was how funny and awkward (in a good way) that you were. It took you a long time to get to that point, though, because you were always anxious about meeting others. You still are every now and then, but it's different here. 

"I was just hoping to get a hug." she said, "If that's okay with you." 

"Yeah, that's cool!" you wrapped your arms around each other and shot the camera a grin. The girl looked a bit confused. 

"Hey," she said, quietly, "are you like, okay? You feel really hot."

Nervously, you replied, "Oh, no, yeah totally fine. I'm just wearing two layers, and it's getting spicy in here."

"Yeah," she answered, "don't push yourself, okay?"

"I won't, thank you. It was really nice meeting you!" 

"You, too! Thanks!" she waved goodbye and you moved on to the last few people in line. She was right, though. You realized that you felt worse than you did when you walked in. You thought it had gone away for a while, but now it was just amplified. You noticed you were cold again, but that you were sweating as well. It must've just been the temperature in the room. These conventions aren't always able to keep a steady temp in the entire building, right?

This day, you didn't have much to do. Most of your events were on the other days to come. You had one panel in a few hours, and then a panel with Jared, Jensen, and Misha a few hours after that, and then bam, the day was over. You just had to get through those two events. Just two. 

Two, events. And both were an hour. So, two hours out of the day. Rookie work. Yet, as your panel approached, the headache had expanded from under your eyes to anywhere that there was space to hurt, your throat ached and so did your lungs from how much you were going off somewhere to cough in privacy, your body felt heavy, you couldn't tell if you were hot or cold at this point it was some weird combination of both, your stomach hurt just slightly, the world was moving around you a bit more than it usually would, and the fever you "didn't" have had climbed a degree, probably two. And, at some point during the day, you got pretty congested. You felt like you could just fall asleep at any moment. Jared and Jensen happened to be walking by where you had been waiting by yourself, away from any congoers or employees, and noticed that even though you were leaning against a wall, you somehow were still swaying.

"Y/N?" Jensen called out, worried. You heard him, you knew you were supposed to respond, but didn't know how. Maybe you did have a fever, and maybe you sort of let it out of control. It was like you were comprehending them, but not at the same time. You heard everything, but it just swept right through your feverish mind. The walked in front of you and examined you within seconds. You felt Jared's cold, really abnormally large man hand sweep your hair back and land on your forehead. 

"J, she's burning up." you felt another hand on your face. You, quite exhaustedly, swatted it away. They couldn't figure out how it'd gotten so bad so quickly. You were sick this morning, but not to this degree. They knew then that you had just shrugged it off all day, and your teenage fever brain probably didn't even think to take any kind of medicine or anything for it, even if you were trying to hide it.

"I'm good. Just tired. Fevers don’t exist." you finally mumbled, taking a few deep breathes, which you hadn't really been able to do in a bit without being rudely interrupted by a bone-shaking cough. It felt nice, almost. The boys sighed at you and shook their heads. 

"Y/N, you should go back to your room and get some rest. We can bring you some stuff that'll help." Jared suggested. You shook your head and opened your eyes, which somehow felt even heavier.

"Nah," you said to them, "I've got a panel, I think, in like, I ‘dunno, some minutes or something. Something I-" you pushed yourself off the wall to try and make your way somewhere, but stumbled a step or two, which result in Jensen and Jared instinctively to grab you in order to keep you steady.

"Like hell we're letting you go to that, Y/N, you can't even form a sentence, or stand for that matter. You're out of your mind. We're going to bring you back now, we'll take care of your panel thing." Jensen stated pretty sternly. You were about to fight back, and they could see it, but you coughed a few times, and they could almost feel it in their own chests. You just nodded in defeat.

"Yeah, maybe I could just like, sleep, for an hour or two." you whispered, tiredly. The two were still holding you steady, and could see you already falling asleep before even going anywhere. 

"Or six, by the looks of it." Jared joked lightly.

"Poor kid." Jensen said to Jared as the were walking out of your room. They helped you get there, and you were gone before you even saw the bed, "Why do they always have to pretend like they aren't sick? Look where it gets them."

"Don't know, man. You can't talk, though. You literally tell people you are immune to illness." Jared laughed quietly, shutting you door.

"Well I am. I am the perfect example of health. I don't get sick." 

"Yeah," Jared rolled his eyes, "Right. Watch you catch what Y/N has. You practically carried her all the way here. There's no way you're escaping it." Walking towards the center, the back way of course, Jensen scoffed, "Please, germs take one look at me and know not to mess this up. And, by the logic, that means you're already infected, too. So, tell me, princess, what sort of soup do you want spoon-fed?" 

Again, Jared rolled his eyes, and the two laughed. They weren't making fun of you, they were making fun of each other, and knew that you would've wanted in on that action.

"Y/N probably would've destroyed us if she heard that. Something along the longs of 'You want me to tuck you in? Carry you bridal style?'" Jared pitched his voice a tone higher for it. Again, the two men laughed.

They made their way backstage of what's supposed yo be your panel, and informed the crew about what was going on. They were just going to fill in for you, probably tell a few embarrassing stories.

When they made their way through the curtain, the crowd shouted. They were obviously excited to see the two leads, but also were obviously confused. "Alright, you're probably confused." Jensen stated the obvious, "Because obviously, we look nothing like Y/N, and thank God she does not look like us." The crowd laughed.

"Anyway, Y/N can't make it today. She's really sick-" the crowd cut Jared off with a unison "awe." People yelled out that they hoped she felt better, tell her to take care of herself, and so on.

"Yeah, poor kid looked like she was just going to fall asleep right where she was standing. She literally tried to come anyway, like, kid, you're making no sense. Y/N couldn't really fight against us, though, so she's sleeping now." Jensen explained, "So we came here to chat in her stead, but just know she really was planning on coming. That kid loves you guys." and again, the "awe" rolled through the crowd. 

"If she wasn't sick, she could totally kick both your-" the last word was cut off, but was implied anyway, someone screamed from the crowd, which resulted in laughter.

"Yeah, probably. Even if we were stronger than her," sarcastically, of course, "she'd still beat us. Kid's too fast, and I'm too old." Jared laughed.

In the last ten minutes of the panel, Jared decided to give you call. Not only to check in on you, but so you could at least say hi to your crowd. When you heard the phone ring, you groggily opened your eyes and aimlessly reached for it.

"Hello?" you answered. Jared almost frowned at how sick you sounded, even with just one word.

"Y/N?" Jensen stepped in, "It's Jensen."

"Unfortunate." you sighed exhaustedly. It was joke, a really tired one, but still enough to make the crowd laugh.

"We're here at your panel, we thought you might want to say hi." Jared said loudly, holding the speaker of his phone to the microphone. 

"Panel?" you asked. Panel? What panel? Your delirious mind was clearly confused, "Who's that?" 

"Y/N, the con. The convention panel?" Jensen actually sounded worried. They probably should've thought to give you some sort of medicine to do something about the fever you had before they'd left.

"Oh," you closed your eyes again, almost falling asleep, before remembering finally what it was they meant, and after a moment, "Oh! Crap, the panel thing, I'm late."

"No, Y/N, stay there, we've got it covered remember? You can't come. You can say hi to them, though." Jensen interjected quickly.

"Okay, hi guys." you just followed as told.

The crowd responded with a series of hello's. 

"'M really sorry. I hope they aren't boring you." the two men could practically hear you closing your eyes. The crowd responded in inaudible chatter. Jensen and Jared walked from the mic for a second.

"Sorry if we woke you, kid." Jared apologized, having just realized they probably could've left you alone, "W also just wanted to check in. See how you're doing."

"How are you feeling?" Jensen asked, but got a mumbled word in response, "Alright, well, just go back to sleep, we'll be up there soon." 

Jared hung up the phone, and the two began to answer the last few questions and close up. They waved their goodbyes to the crowd, and started heading back your way.

"Jensen, you got any over the counters with you? Thermometers or anything? All I've got is Advil, and I don't even know what's really bothering her yet other than that cough and being tired."

"Yup. Danneel always makes me carry literally an entire medicine cabinet, just for these moments. I'll go get 'em and meet you there. It'd probably do her some good to eat something, too. I don't know if she's got like, a stomach virus thing going on, though." Jensen answered.

"I'll see what she'll say and let you know." 

The two parted ways, and Jared made his way to you. Even though he'd only talked to you just a few minutes before, you were dead to the world by the time he opened the door. The room was boiling, and Jared looked over to the thermostat to see that you'd at some point put it on to 90 degrees. 

"Jesus, Y/N, I know you've got a fever, but damn." he said, more so to himself than to you. He looked over at you after turning it down to see you curled beneath what looked like any blanket you could find. He came over and started removing the blankets slowly, and shook you gently to wake you up.

"Y/N, wake up for a minute, it's Jared."

"'Mm." was all you said, until you realized your layers of warmth had been moved, "What're doing? It's cold."

"Y/N, you're dripping in sweat. It's the fever making you cold."

"I don't have a fever." you retorted, "I'm good. Just tired."

"Kid, you've been tired the whole day. You've been sleeping this whole time." he tried rationalizing.

"I have?" you questioned, closing you eyes again. Jared put his hand to your forehead again. Somehow, it was warmer than the first time he'd done it before the panel. It was then that Jensen finally appeared, a whole bag of things in hand, "Could you bring the thermometer over?"

"Yeah, gotcha." He walked over and rummaged through the bag at the same time, pulling out a thermometer.

"Y/N, we need to take your temperature." Jensen said.

"No need." you said, "'M not sick."

"You are so obviously sick, I'm not asking." again with that stern voice. Jared gave him a "Hey, she's sick, back off a little" sort of look, but it had worked, and you let them take your temp. They were almost shocked when the thing beeped at 103.

"Should we take her to a hospital? That's way too high." Jared asked. 

"If it gets any higher, yes, but let's see if we can bring it down first." Jensen replied.

"No hospitals." you demanded, opening your eyes and glaring at them. 

"We aren't bringing you yet, Y/N, but I need you to eat this so you can take some meds." he held out two pieces of toast that he must've brought from his room. You hated toast even when you weren't sick.

"I'm not really hungry." 

"I know, but it'll help. You haven't told us what's bothering you yet, either." Jared responded.

"Nothing's-" you coughed a few times, a bit violently, "bothering me." "We can see that." Jensen said sarcastically.

"Everything's bothering me." you whispered, giving up.

"Your stomach hurt?" Jensen asked. You waved your hand from side to side to signal a so-so, "Think you'll get sick at all?"

"No, it's not like that, I don't think." you breathed out, another cough escaping you. You took a few bites out of the toast. It made you uncomfortable, but it was then that you realized you probably felt that way since you really hadn't eaten much that day or the one before, which probably contributed to the splitting headache. It didn't go away after, either though. You pushed yourself up. You almost fell over, but Jared put a hand out for you.

"Alright, good. Take this. I'm going to be frank, it tastes disgusting." Jensen handed over a small cup of liquid, "Sometimes, if you take it like a shot, it helps. But you shouldn't know how to take shots, but if you do it, I won't judge." And so you did, causing the two to chuckle slightly at you. 

"You were right, about the sleep thing." you slumped back onto the bed heavily, like a brick.

"When am I ever wrong?" Jensen asked, "Don't answer that, actually."

But you were already sleeping again, and the boys decided to stay nearby for now. The next panel wasn't for another few hours anyway, and they just didn't want you to be alone. Also, incase you were wrong about the toast, and it decided to make its return. Jared's phone began to ring loudly, to which he very quickly tried to answer so his obnoxious ringtone wouldn't wake you up again, not that you wouldn't have just fallen back asleep anyway.

"Misha? Hey, what's up?" Jared answered. Jensen walked over to hear what was going on on the other side of the line, but Jared just decided to put it on speaker.

"Where are you guys? I haven't seen you all day. Felicia, Alex, and I are going out for lunch, we were wondering if you guys want to come. I tried calling Y/N, but she didn't answer, so." he rambled.

"That's because Y/N's not feeling well." Jensen said, giving him a solution to his predicament of not being answered, "We're with her right now, so we'll have to pass."

"She's sick? Is she okay?" 

"Yeah, I think so. She's just got this crazy fever we've been trying to bring down. Thinking about it now, Jensen, we should probably check it again." 

"A fever?"

"It's been at 103 degrees for like, two hours. At least for what we know of. She's probably had one all day, but as a dumb teenager does, she just tried to ignore it." 

"If it goes up you should-"

"Yeah, we know," Jared said, "we're trying really hard to avoid that, though. Also, she'll definitely fight against it, I don't know." 

Jensen, from the other side of the room at the sound of a beeping thermometer, could be heard on Misha's end, "It went down, finally. 102.2."

"Thank God, I was getting worried."

"Should I come there? Do you guys need any help?" Misha asked.

"I mean you can, but I think we're good. She's just been trying to sleep it off the whole time, so not much is really going on." Jensen was closer to the phone now, "Like, she's got this cough, a headache, and you can hear how congested she sounds, but mostly I think she's just exhausted. I honestly don't know how because she's just been sleeping for hours."

"Fatigue."

"Yeah, poor kid. I don't think I've ever seen her so tired, it almost makes me tired to be honest." Jensen joked.

"Maybe you're just getting sick." Jared slipped in.

"Not possible. I am immune."

"Nobody is immune, Jensen." Misha sighed.

"I'm not nobody." he shrugged. 

"Alright, well, we're going to get lunch then. If you need anything let me know, and tell her I hope she feels better." Misha concludes.

"We will, thanks Misha." and with that, Jared hung up. For a few more hours, the two hung around. They were there when you woke from some fever dreams, and when you needed a cough drop, or twelve, and wake you up every now and then to check your temperature, which raised and dropped and raised and dropped, but currently was at a very steady 102.4. But, soon enough, it was time for them to leave for the last panel of the day, and unsurprisingly, you tried to follow suit.

"Y/N, we gotta go, but we'll be back in about an hour from the panel." Jared said. You took a deep breath and sluggishly pushed yourself to the side of the bed. Having been sick, and not having sat up in a few hours, the blood rushed from your head, leaving you dizzy.

"What're you doing?" Jensen asked.

"The panel. I missed the last one I should go to this one. I feel okay." you yawned, then coughed slightly.

"Y/N, really, you shouldn't even think about pushing it like that." Jared said. Jensen walked over to you, half on the bed, clearly trying to steady yourself just from the movement of sitting up. The spinning room honestly almost made the toast make a reprise, and you hiccupped, and held your breath.

"Hey," Jensen grabbed a can quickly, noticing, "are you going to be sick?"

Giving it a minute, it went away, and you shook you head no, causing a huge tension to leave the room.

"Alright, well, remember how you said I was right all the time earlier?" Jensen pun the can down.

"No, must've been the fever." you half joked, causing Jared to laugh. 

"Alright- well- okay, shut up. We agreed I'm always right, and that I was right about needing sleep, so I say you need some more." Jensen demanded rather than suggested. 

"Yeah, or at least lay around and do nothing. I can't imagine ever sleeping as much as you just did." Jared joked, pushing you very gently back down, with his hand on your back, knowing you would just hit the bed without it. Your eyes were heavy again, and your throat was painfully dry, and you coughed. Your aching head also agreed with the two of them to your dismay.

"Maybe just a bit more." you mumbled, "A few minutes."

"Yeah a few minutes, sure." Jared smiled, knowing you were probably going to knock out for a few hours once again. You opened your eyes again.

"You think," you coughed, "that they'll be mad?

"Who?" Jensen asked.

Feeling pretty sick, you said, "That I don't go? I don’t feel really good."

Ah, the fever comes to play once again, it seems, but the two felt some sort of triumph now that you've at least admitted to being sick, even if it's been hours. It concerned them, though, if you felt bad enough to admit it.

"No, they'll be fine about it. We'll be back soon. Misha or Alex might come in to check on you, alright?" Jared answered, to which you nodded.

They weren't gone long. You spent half the next day sleeping, too, until you could stand without swaying. You did sneak back to the con, against Jensen and Jared's orders, since you really didn't break that fever and cough for a few more days, only to be caught after a tweet of you at the con was trending and the cast caught wind of it. But, eventually, you were better, and got the chance to help Jared take care of an "always immune" Jensen. And he was more stubborn than you were.

[witchylixie]

[3:19am]

waking up with headaches was normal for you, and usually they went away after you ate something little. however, waking up at your boyfriends dorm, at 3 in the morning, with the worst migraine, was not normal. deciding to leave his bed, and sit in the living room where you didn’t hear any of the snoring, seemed like a good idea until you got into the living room and sat down.

sitting in the living room, you held your head in your hands, tears starting to stream down your face as the pain kept getting worse and worse.

“(y/n)?” you heard minho asked, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him with the pain in your head, “hey, w- are you crying?”

he’s now on his knees in front of you, trying to see your face. you nod at him, confirming that yes you’re crying, and you let out a weak, “it hurts.”

minho rest a hand on your knee, “what hurts?”

you let out a whimper, “my head. everything makes it hurt worse.”

minho lets out a sigh, “i’m gonna go get chan, okay?” and you nod, knowing felix needs his sleep. minho leaves and after a few moments, you hear chan walk quickly into the living room, knowing you have chronic migraines, immediately sitting by you, and pulling you into him.

“on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad?” he asks, softly, as to not make it worse.

“eleven,” you whisper, chan sighs and looks at minho.

“go wake up felix, we need to take her to the hospital,” he says, quietly enough where you don’t hear it, and minho nods, walking back into the shared room.

“minho went to get felix and then we’re gonna go to the hospital, okay?” and you nod, choking on another sob, and chan rubs your arms in a comforting manner.

“i know, i’m sorry i can’t make this pain go away.”

after a few minutes, you hear a slight thud coming from the room felix was in and you whimper at the noise. hearing two pairs of footsteps, you force yourself to look up and you see felix standing there, worry evident on his face.

“oh god, baby,” felix whispers, his heartbreaking at the tear tracks on your face, and he sits next to you, pulling you into his arms, and you choke back another sob.

“it hurts,” you whisper, and felix gently runs his hand through your hair, the other one on your waist, pulling you into him.

“minho said we’re taking her to the hospital?” felix asks, voice soft as to not disturb your headache more and chan nods at him.

“they usually never show how much pain they’re in, and the fact they’re crying from it, i rather be safe than sorry.”

you feel felix lift you into his arms and you whimper at the movement, “i know, sweetheart, i know. wrap your legs around me, okay? minho is gonna stay here incase the boys wake up and notice we’re gone, and chan is gonna drive us to the hospital, so i’m gonna carry you to the car, okay?” and you nod slightly. wrapping your legs and arms around him, you grip his shirt tightly, and his heart tightens as he wishes he could take your pain away.

arriving at the hospital, felix now has you on his back, your face buried in his neck, hiding from all the lights. chan helped felix get you signed in and checked out before going to the waiting room.

“has you head eased at all love?” felix asks, your head resting on his chest and his jacket covering your face from the lights.

you shake your head, and try to get closer to felix. he sighs, upset it hasn’t eased, and pulls you closer to him.

kissing your forehead, he mumbles, “i’m sorry i can’t take it away.”

chan leans over, “hopefully it won’t be much longer guys,” he smiles sadly.

you nod, and grip felix’s shirt tighter, the pounding increases for a second before it goes back to the way it was before.

“(y/n) (l/n)?” you hear a nurse say, and you feel felix pick you up, and you three walk into an exam room.

sitting on the bed with you in his lap, felix rubs your back, and the nurse smiles at the kind gesture your boyfriend is doing.

“so, what seems to be the problem?” she asks, and chan responds.

“they woke up with a migraine, and our friend came and got me, and they were crying from the pain in their head,” chan sighs, “they have chronic migraines, but they’ve never cried and it set alarms off in my head.”

the nurse nods, “we can give them an IV with some medicine and fluids,” she says, and then looks at felix, “can you lay down with them?”

you feel felix nod, and lay down on the hospital bed.

you feel felix tap your arm, “baby, turn your arm around so she can give you an IV, okay?” and you nod, turning your arm out, and feeling her clean the area and put the needle in. feeling the needle in your vein, you grip felix’s shirt tighter, and he rubs your arms soothingly.

“i know, love, i know,” he whispers.

after the nurse got through and told them that she’d be back soon to check on you, she left, and chan looked at you two.

“are they asleep?” chan asks, and felix shakes his head.

“no, but i think they will be soon, especially since they gave them an anti-anxiety medication,” he responds, and you move your head to his chest, looking at chan, smiling at him and he smiles back.

“thank you for bringing me here, and i’m sorry minho woke you up,” you said softly, and he shook his head.

“don’t be sorry, you’re family just as much as felix is. i want to make sure you’re in the best health, and if that means losing a few hours of sleep, that’s fine. i just want you okay,” he responds and you smile even wider.

“thank you chan, i love you,” you say, voice still soft, but now slightly slurred as your headache starts to fade and the sleepiness kicks in.

“i love you too, and felix, keep them. they’re a keeper,” chan says, and felix looks down at you, noticing you have fallen asleep.

“i will. they mean the universe to me.”

[whumpmatsus]

closer. [ Nenchuumatsu ]

In which Ichimatsu realizes that he enjoys being taken care of more than he wants to admit. Of course, the fact that he practically begs Choromatsu to stay while he feels bad is almost an admission.

The house is so cold tonight.

Or perhaps, just perhaps, it’s only Ichimatsu who’s cold. Because as far as he can tell, the temperature doesn’t seem to be bothering a single one of his brothers.

Meanwhile, he can’t seem to get warm no matter how hard he tries. He’s spent most of the day withdrawn from the rest of the family except for (or maybe including?) when he attempted to nap under the kotatsu. Choromatsu had to drag him out, insisting that one couldn’t sleep so close to an electric heat source, that Ichimatsu was going to end up burned if he did that, and chiding as usual, “What is wrong with you, Ichimatsu??”

Honestly, fuck if he knows what’s wrong. Apparently something given how he appears to be the only one freezing his ass off.

That’s the only odd thing he’s noticed so far today, other than being abnormally tired. But that part he chalks up to his selfish eldest brother stumbling in blind drunk last night and waking them all up, so it’s not too surprising. Most of the others end up sleeping on and off through the day, as well.

It’s just… unbearable. It’s like the cold has seeped into his bones, making his whole body stiff, and making him even grumpier than usual. The others markedly avoid him, seeing how irritated he is, probably too afraid of his wrath to ask if anything is going on.

He hates that more than anything. Although he likes time to himself and being left alone for the most part, he wishes someone would just ask. Then he could admit that, yeah, he’s not feeling so great. (If it’s anyone besides Karamatsu.) He might get a little fussing, some hands run through his hair or a hot cup of tea brought to him or a sympathetic, “Aww, poor Ichimatsu.”

That’s pathetic, isn’t it? He’s a grown man silently wishing for his dumb brothers to treat him like a little kid. If he really wanted it, surely he would just open his mouth and say so.

He… definitely can’t do that. Not without prompting. Not without being asked. That’s too Goddamn embarrassing.

That might be why, when he wakes up in the middle of the night, unable to stop shivering and feeling like his whole face is on fire, he doesn’t wake up any of his brothers.

Instead, he sneaks out of the futon like a teenager coming home after curfew, he goes into the other room, and he curls up on the couch.

Maybe one of the others will come looking for him. Maybe not. Maybe he could sleep all night here and not have to be near them. If he’s come down with something, it’s probably better that he tries to avoid them anyway, right? The six of them can bounce one stupid cold back and forth for weeks. They all just got over one. If he can keep from infecting any of them again, hopefully the house won’t be a fucking petri dish for the entire winter like it typically is.

He’s not sure how long he’s attempted to rest here when he feels someone’s hand, gentle and cautious, shaking his shoulder. “Ichimatsu? Ichimatsu, hey… how come you’re in here?”

Ah. It’s Choromatsu. The simple act of lifting his head causes Ichimatsu’s body to protest. There’s a horrible, squeezing pain clamped down on his teeth, and just breathing is painful; every inhale of air stings. He closes his eyes immediately, a clear grimace of pain etched onto his features.

Everything has gotten worse from when he initially woke up. His face is burning from the inside, and he’s got the worst headache of his life. It bears down like a vise around his head, stabbing from every angle. “Fuck…”

He doesn’t even think he has the energy to pretend he doesn’t want someone else here. His head is turned down against the cushions and an incredibly embarrassing whine forces its way out of him. “Don’t feel good.”

“O-oh… oh, gosh, that’s not good.” Obviously. But Choromatsu is trying, so any biting comments Ichimatsu might think up are kept to himself. “What doesn’t feel good? Is it your head?”

A nod is what he gets first, then Ichimatsu amends it by making a wide, circling gesture in front of his face. “All of it… I’m all stuffy… hurts to breathe through my nose… pain in my teeth…”

The cool hand of his older brother sets carefully against Ichimatsu’s forehead. It’s a welcome relief, though it doesn’t last too long. “Whoa, o-okay, you’re… you’re running a fever for sure. It sounds… like you have a sinus infection. Probably from that cold we all had last week.”

He can hear the frown in Choromatsu’s voice. “Is… that why you’ve been even more antisocial than usual? You’ve been feeling sick all day and didn’t tell us?”

“It wasn’t th-this bad before,” he says, defensively, as if none of them have ever used that excuse to chase off any of the others worrying. “I was just s… so cold… then I woke up and…” He huffs, trying to curl himself up tighter. “W-what are you even… doing up…?”

“Oh, Totty had to pee, and when we got up, we noticed you were missing. So I told him to go back to bed while I went to find you.” He runs a hand through his little brother’s hair. “Found you, hah.”

“… Yeah. You did.” God, when was the last time he was so tired? He wants to fall back asleep, but he just feels so shitty, he doesn’t think he can. A violent shudder runs through him, and as soon as he feels Choromatsu sitting beside him, he presses himself into his older brother’s side. “A-ah, I’m… I’m gonna freeze.”

Choromatsu chuckles softly. “Hmm, Ichi-sicle? Echh. You’ve got a fever, so it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to pile on the blankets…”

The younger of the two gives an absolutely miserably pleading look up. “J… just one…?”

“― Uh!” Choromatsu’s face reads as stunned, likely because none of them are used to Ichimatsu begging for anything. Especially for something as silly as a blanket. He reaches down to pat Ichimatsu’s shoulder in what he seems to hope is a reassuring gesture. “Well… I-I guess… a thin one would be alright. There’s probably one in the closet here…”

Within a moment, Ichimatsu is wrapped up, not too snugly… enough to take the edge off, though. He’s still shivering. His head still hurts. His teeth still hurt. Having something to tug around himself makes him feel a little better, so he’s relieved Choromatsu didn’t completely deny the request.

“There, how’s that?” he asks as he does a final adjustment to the blanket.

“I… it’s okay.” Ichimatsu wiggles himself closer to Choromatsu, because the other man feels a lot warmer than Ichimatsu is right now. “I still f-feel shitty. Like my head’s gonna explode.”

Choromatsu clicks his tongue. “Ah, yeah…” He tenderly strokes down Ichimatsu’s hair, eliciting quiet sighs from the ill sextuplet. Despite the fact that he thought any contact with his head would feel like hell right now, it… actually feels nice. Choromatsu’s touch is delicate, knowing how poorly his little brother feels right now. “I’ll see if I can get you to the doctor in the morning, okay? If it’s a sinus infection, it won’t get better on its own and you’ll need medicine.”

Ichimatsu nods, but his head just feels full and he winces from that little movement. As much as he hates going to the doctor, he hates being sick even more, so it’s a necessary evil.

It still feels like there’s no heat in the house. If none of the others feel it, however, it must just be his fever. How deceptive is that? A rise in body temperature is making him feel like he’s freezing to death? God has a sense of irony.

“Well,” Choromatsu sighs, pulling away, “if you really want to sleep in here, if it’s more comfortable for you… I guess I should leave you alone and ― o-oh!”

He’s interrupted by Ichimatsu pressing his head into his older brother’s side. He knows it’s not going to help, and yet, he certainly doesn’t want Choromatsu going anywhere. The other man is warm… plus… well… being by himself when he feels so miserable isn’t an appealing prospect.

“Oh… ah… Ichimatsu?” Things are silent for a moment, then he slips a hesitant arm around his younger brother. “Do you, um… want me to… stay for a little bit?”

There passes a moment where there’s nothing but the sound of Ichimatsu’s congested breathing. At last, he grips the leg of his big brother’s pajama pant and offers a small, self-conscious, “Y… yeah.”

The response clearly surprises Choromatsu, who gathers Ichimatsu against him like he’s some precious thing. “A-ah… gosh… of course I’ll stay with you.” He can’t remember the last time Ichimatsu spent any length of time huddled with anyone, except maybe Jyushimatsu. Even that’s a big maybe.

“Mmm.” Ichimatsu lets his eyes fall closed. When was the last time he just let one of his brothers care for him like this? Why doesn’t he let them do it more often? At the very least, Choromatsu is apparently willing to do so. “Choromatsu-nii-san… I’m still cold.”

“Oh, y-yeah, well… I don’t think another blanket would be a good idea. I… I don’t wanna make your fever worse.” His hand continues to caress his brother’s hair, making slow passes through the locks. Ichimatsu is sure he feels bad about saying no, particularly when some warmth is literally all Ichimatsu is asking for right now.

Ichimatsu hums in discontent. All he can imagine is some blissful heaven where he’s allowed to be wrapped up in something cozy. Where he’s allowed to sleep under the fucking kotatsu with no problems and no big brothers trying to stop him! “Can I have some tea?”

“Oh… oh, yeah, sure! Sure, I can make you some tea.” Choromatsu leans down to very, very tentatively brush a kiss over Ichimatsu’s forehead. The last time anyone did that kind of thing to Ichimatsu is so far in the past, neither of them can pull up an immediate memory. “Um, but… in order for me to do that… I have to get up.”

The very idea is a threat to the position they’ve just taken, so much so that Ichimatsu nudges his head harder against Choromatsu’s side. “No…”

“Shhh, shh, hey, it’s… it’s okay, Ichimacchan. It’s okay.” The understanding reassurances are coupled with another few swipes down his hair. Something about the way Choromatsu says it makes the growing panic in Ichimatsu’s chest calm down to barely nothing. “There, it’s alright. If you don’t want me to leave right now, then you’ll just have to wait a bit for your tea, that’s all. Does that sound alright? Try to get some sleep now, and then I’ll make you tea a little later?”

Ichimatsu nods groggily. He feels exhausted and ice-cold still and he just wants his big brother. Tea would be nice, but not if Choromatsu has to leave right now to make it for him. He’d rather have his brother than a cup of tea.

He eases readily into the almost-hug Choromatsu pulls him into. It’s been so long since he curled up with one of his older brothers, feeling small and fragile and safe. He forgot how nice it is to be taken care of.

“Ahaha… poor Ichimatsu.” Choromatsu rubs gingerly at Ichimatsu’s back, letting Ichimatsu muffle coughs against him. “It’s alright. I’ll take care of you. Try to get some rest, okay?”

“Mhm…” As Ichimatsu starts to drift off, he pulls his blanket a bit tighter. “Tea later, though… right?”

Choromatsu laughs and ruffles his little brother’s hair. “Yeah. Tea later. I promise.”

[teenwolffan-with-nolife]

The Witch and The Wolf Pt.37

Word Count: 2.949

Characters: Derek Hale, Cora Hale, Peter Hale, Lydia Martin, Ethan Steiner, Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey (mentioned), Aiden Steiner (mentioned), Kali (mentioned), Reader

Pairings: Eventual Derek Hale x Witch!Reader

Warnings: angst, some fluff, death

A/N: Season 3A is now complete

Masterlist     Series Masterlist

You wrapped your arms around Derek’s unconscious body, pulling him to the bed as Cora sat up, groaning.

You felt slightly worried, trying your best to ignore it. He was no longer an alpha, but both of them would be okay. If Derek ever woke up.

“How do you feel?” you asked.

“Good… what happened to him?” she asked, motioning to Derek.

“He’s fine. Well, he’s alive. He’ll wake up sooner or later,” you said, walking over to Cora as you wrapped your arms around her tightly.

“He better wake up soon. There's a full moon tonight, which means his time is over, and Kali is on her way,” you looked at the sun setting as Peter paced around.

“Maybe you guys should leave,” you suggested.

“I’m fine,” Derek groaned, sitting up as you tensed slightly.

“You’re not strong enough to take on Kali. You and Cora should get out of town,” you said.

“For once, I agree with (Y/N),” Peter nodded.

“We’re not running away,” Cora ran to get Derek some water as you opened your mouth to speak, getting interrupted by a call from Lydia.

“Hey, what happened?” you asked.

“We found the nemeton. But, me and Ethan are right outside the loft,” she said.

You furrowed your eyebrows, running to the door as you pulled it open.

Ethan stood nervously, Lydia standing next to him.

“What are they doing here?” Peter groaned.

“We’re helping you to find a way to escape.”

---

“No,” Derek started.

“Uhm, yes.” you crossed your arms.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No, we’re not running away.”

“Yes, you are,” you clenched your teeth.

“(Y/N), no-”

“Shut your stubborn ass up and get the hell out of here. You are not at full strength, Kali is coming here, right now. She's going to kill you. Peter is taking you and Cora to get another car, and then you’re out of here,” you continued to scold Derek as the rest of them outside the doors of the loft, not wanting to interfere.

“So what? You’re gonna hold her off? You and Ethan?” he scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Yes, we will. You’re leaving and you have no choice,” you pushed past him as he grabbed your arm, pulling you back as you glared.

“Then what if you get hurt? What if she hurts you?” he asked.

“She didn’t last time, she won’t this time,” you rolled your eyes.

You clenched your fist tightly, feeling an aching pain in your head as you tried to ignore it. 

“But now you’re trying to protect me,” he pointed out.

“Look,” you started.

“Will you just listen to me for five seconds?” he raised his voice.

You exhaled sharply, looking up at him. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt (Y/N), please listen to me,” he begged.

You stroked his cheek softly, breathing softly as he looked down at you.

“Somnum,” your eyes turned black, as he gasped softly, closing his eyes as he fell to the ground.

You closed your eyes, taking a breath as you walked to the rest of them.

“So, do we have a plan?”

---

“Isaac just said that Scott’s dad was at Argent’s house. He’s holding them right now,” you sighed, reading your texts from Isaac as you looked up.

“Okay, well, Derek and Cora are heading out of town now. I have no idea where Peter is,” Lydia shrugged.

You heard your phone going off again.

“It’s Stiles,” you said, reading the texts.

“Me and Lydia can hold her up. Aiden’s on our side too. You should go help your friends,” Ethan nodded softly.

You nodded, running off.

---

“What is it?” you looked at Stiles from the passenger seat as he anxiously drove through Beacon Hills.

“I’ve just had this big headache,” he sighed.

You looked outside the window, seeing lighting from the sky.

“Maybe I should drive then,” you offered.

“No, it's fine. I’ve just been feeling weird since we did that thing,” he sighed.

“What thing?” you raised an eyebrow.

“Sort of like what you did, when you lost your powers, the ice bath thingy. We made a sacrifice to the nemeton to try to find it,” Stiles swerved slightly, putting his hands on his head.

“Sorry,” he said.

“You did what?! You guys could've died! Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped!” you immediately scolded him.

“You were trying to help Cora,” he interrupted.

“I can’t believe you… you piece of-” you groaned, frustrated as you took a big breath, clenching your fist.

“Sorry, my head…” he swerved again as you tensed up, putting your hands on the wheel.

“Stiles?” he fell to the side, leaning on your arm as your heart began to race.

You could see the storm getting worse, hearing thunder as you turned the wheel, trying to keep the car in your control.

He laid unconscious on you as you pushed him aside as quickly as you could, trying to keep the car from hitting anything.

You could barely see the view in front of you, blocked out and covered by leaves and twigs. You winced as you heard someone screech, covering your ears with your head. 

“Oh shit!” you turned the wheel quickly, taking a deep breath before seeing the tree in front of you. You quickly moved, trying to shield Stiles as quickly as you could. 

“Stiles!”

---

You opened your eyes, groaning as you felt blood trickling from your wound on your head. Stiles continued to lay unconscious as you tried to push him up. You tried to move, finding a sharp pain shoot up from your leg as you screamed. You could see your eyesight blurring as you yelled out for Stiles.

“Stiles!” you yelled, watching as he jumped up. 

“W-What?! What happened?!” he yelled. 

“We need to get out,” you said.

He pushed open his door, falling out as he gasped for air. 

“H-How did this happen?” he asked, standing up shakily as he reached for your hand.

“Go find the nemeton and save them,” you said.

“I-I can’t leave you here. Y-You’re stuck,” he stuttered.

“Capitulum quintum,” you used your magic, forcing the door open as you fell out.

“I-I,” he stuttered, running his fingers through his hair as you stood up, leaning against the car, breathing heavily. 

“You gotta go to the nemeton on your own… Lydia’s in trouble,” you said.

“What? How do you know?” he asked.

“I heard her scream. Just go. Take your bat in case there’s any trouble,” you said.

He reached for his bat, grabbing it before he gave you a look.

“Your head’s bleeding,” he said.

“Go,” your voice was distorted as you clenched your jaw, pushing yourself up as your eyes went black.

---

You entered Derek's loft, immediately met with the faces of Derek, Jennifer, Lydia, and Cora. 

You noticed Kali’s dead body on the corner, along with Ethan and Aiden’s.

“You’re supposed to be on your way out of here,” you raised an eyebrow.

“You little,” Derek pulled your arm, harshly yanking you to the side.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” he yelled, pushing you against the wall.

“I was trying to save your life!” you yelled back.

“By hurting yourself?!”

“In case you didn't realize, Kali is laying there, dead, and I wasn't even here to begin with!” you yelled.

“Why is your head bleeding?” he asked immediately, scrunching his eyes.

You twisted his arm back, pushing him away from you.

“What the hell are you doing here, Jennifer?” you clenched your jaw.

“I need yours and Derek’s help. To kill Deucalion,” she said.

“Let the sheriff, Melissa and Argent go and maybe we’ll consider it,” you said.

“She said she’ll let them go if we help her,” Derek sighed.

“First, I don’t trust you. Second, we should just kill you right here, right now. Third, Deucalion will be at his lowest right now. The rest of his pack is dead, we don’t need anyone else,” you said.

“Except he’s not alone. He has Scott wrapped around his little finger,” Jeniffer retorted.

“Well, Scott knows what he’s doing,” you crossed your arms.

“You haven't seen Deucalion at his strongest. I have. That’s why I need your help. If we help each other,” she started.

“Forget it,” you shook your head.

“We’re doing it to save them, (Y/N),” Derek said.

“So then what happens when you go fight Deucalion? Kill Scott too? Scott’s on his side,” you scoffed.

“We’re not gonna kill Scott. Look, we have the eclipse in our favor. Deucalion will be powerless, that’s when we strike,” he said.

“She’s worse than Deucalion! How can you not see it?!” you yelled.

“Deucalion was trying to kill me!” he yelled.

“That was Kali! God, you’re so stupid! How can you trust a single thing that comes out of her mouth?! Didn't she abandon you in the hospital? Kidnap Melissa and Argent and Stilinski! Why are you still covering for her?! She killed 9 innocent people, and she’s gonna kill more,” you could feel your head throbbing harshly as you clenched your fists as tight as you could, almost 100 percent sure your palms were bleeding now.

He looked at you silently, crossing his arms. He scratched his forehead twice, giving you a look as you inhaled deeply.

“So, fuck you, Jennifer, and goodbye,” you rolled your eyes, walking out of the loft as you pulled out your phone, texting Derek.

---

Your hands were shaking as you took a deep breath, hiding outside the building, awaiting the eclipse. The plan was fairly simple, wait till they all lose their power and then use a spell to trap both Deucalion and Jennifer. 

Deucalion wasn't a bad person, you couldn't see him as one, for whatever reason. But Jennifer killed innocent people. She was selfish and only cared about power. You tried your hardest not to bring your own feelings into the reasons why you hated her. Derek cheated on you with her. But she did a spell on him, so it wasn't his fault. You kept thinking back to that fact, finding it hard to process that. It wasn't his fault. She manipulated him. 

But he hurt you. He said he never loved you, not her. He said the two of you were a mistake, not her. But he didn't mean it, did he?

His words continued playing through your head on repeat, as you tried to ignore him. You let your emotions overcome your and your powers, now you killed your dad. Now you're always angry and in pain. It takes all your might to not try and kill everyone around you. But it was different with Derek. It was more painful with him. It’s like he was your anchor.

You looked up, seeing the sky turn an orange hue as you jumped up. That was your signal.

You ran into the building, looking around cautiously. Deucalion was nearly unconscious, laying on the floor, Scott staying in the corner. Jennifer stood up, towering over a bloodied Derek as your eyes went black.

“Lignum unum,” you pulled Jennifer away from Derek, using your magic to hold her down on her knees.

“Saepem coici,” you put a small barrier around the two of you, trapping her with you.

“That was a bad idea for you,” she chuckled, strained.

You squeezed your fist tighter, hearing her gasp for breath.

“(Y/N), d-don’t!” Derek yelled.

You ignored him, clenching your jaw as you tried to hold her down.

“She has her powers still! The plan didn't work!” he yelled.

You continued trying to hold her down, taking a deep breath. You could do this. 

You could hear high-pitched ringing in your ears, wincing slightly as you attempted to hold the barrier together, attempting to hold her down.

“A te removere potentiam,” you continued going along with the plans, trying to stay strong as your head began aching from the noise.

“You can’t do that, (Y/N),” Jennifer began to stand up slowly, fighting your magic as you scrunched your eyes, trying to block out the sound.

“Oppilaverunt in perpetuum,” you let out a soft cry, saying one more spell as you fell to your knees. 

“Your little plan backfired. It’s over for you. Stupid move, trapping us both in here. Now you'll die all alone,” she fake pouted.

“Inter duo,” you saw her stumble backward, looking at you.

“If you kill me, you die too. I linked us,” you struggled to speak as blood began falling from your nose, ears, and eyes.

“No, no you didn't!” she screamed.

She turned slowly, blood dripping from her as well.

“W-We…. can both die in here…. or you can stop,” you gasped for air as you laid on the ground.

You let out a cry, feeling pain ebbing throughout your body as blood dripped.

She whispered something softly, as you felt something break inside you as you screamed in pain.

“(Y/N)?!” you heard Derek yell.

“Let go of me. Now,” she yelled.

“If you hurt me, you hurt yourself,” you cried.

“Then I’ll hurt Derek,” she said.

You turned to him, watching as she used her magic to hold him against the wall, struggling for breath.

“N-No,” you whimpered.

“Let me go!” she screamed.

“Confractus link Index!” you screamed, breaking the link between the two of you, along with the barrier.

She kicked you harshly in the stomach, throwing you back as you groaned, Derek immediately falling to his feet, running to you.

“I-I’m sorry… It’s my fault. I-I thought she was going to lose her powers. God, you’re bleeding so much,” he wrapped his arms around you, lifting up your head as he held it in her arms.

“I-It’s not… your…. h-how long left till the eclipse is over?” you asked softly.

“Now,” you heard Scott’s voice.

Derek’s eyes turned blue, growling softly.

Jennifer grabbed a vial filled with mountain ash, throwing it around herself to keep the three of you out.

“Let go of (Y/N),” Scott growled.

“Or what? You can't do anything to me,” she scoffed.

You saw a small blue light shining, from the corner of your eyes as you squinted, watching Scott try and break the barrier.

“S-Scott,” you whispered.

You gasped softly, watching as Jennifer collapsed to the side, backing away from Scott.

“Let (Y/N) go. Stop the storm or I’ll kill you, I don't care what it does to the color of my eyes,” Scott threatened, his eyes flashing red.

“He’s an alpha,” you said.

“Shh, don't speak,” Derek whispered, holding your hand as he took your pain.

“It won't do anything to mine,” you watched as Deucalion stood up, walking past you and Derek as he used his claws to slash Jennifer’s throat, in one quick motion.

You gasped for air as his body fell limp, holding onto Derek.

“She’s dead. She’s dead,” he wiped your cheeks softly, cleaning away some of the blood.

It was done. She was gone. It was over.

---

“So, demon wolf? That’s how you knew so much about me turning into a demon,” you leaned against the door, talking with Deucalion.

“Yes, and also, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve,” he put his fingers on your forehead, as you closed your eyes, feeling a warm sensation pulse throughout your body.

“Thank you,” you replied, slightly shocked.

“Of course,” he nodded.

“Is there any way to stop it from happening?” you asked softly.

“I’m afraid there isn’t. At least not to my knowledge. But I will tell you this, witches don't usually have anchors. Consider yourself lucky for him,” Deucalion motioned to Derek.

You smiled softly, pushing yourself up as you put your hand out.

“Stay good, Duke,” you smiled softly.

“Duke?” he questioned.

“What? It’s short for Deucalion,” you shrugged.

“Very well then. Take care, (Y/N),” he shook your hand, before turning his back, walking off.

You walked to Derek and Scott, both of them turning to you.

“How are you feeling?” Derek asked.

“Good, Deucalion healed me. What about you two?” you replied.

Derek nodded, as the two of you looked at Scott.

“Well, I’m apparently an alpha now. My mom’s safe. So is Argent and Sheriff Stilinski,” he sighed.

“Well then, time to go home?” you suggested.

Both of them nodded, linking arms with the two of them, resting your head on Scott's shoulder as the three of you walked away.

---

“I’m going back to South America,” you turned to face Cora, your eyes watering.

“You’re leaving?” you asked softly.

She nodded, as you wrapped your arms around her tightly.

“I’m gonna miss you so much,” you sniffled.

“Come with me,” she said.

“I can’t,” you shook your head.

“Why not?” she asked.

“Beacon Hills is my home, Cora. I’ve been living here for the past 19 years, I don't want to leave,” you said.

Cora froze for a second, before sniffling softly.

“You stupid bitch. Making me cry and crap,” she scoffed.

You laughed softly, looking at her.

“I’m gonna miss you,” you said.

“Well, you’re coming with me right now. Derek’s taking me to South America. You’re coming too,” she said.

“What?” you replied.

“You’ll be back in, like, a week. Come on,” she pulled you to the window, seeing Derek and Peter arguing about something, leaning on his car.

“Fine. But only if you promise to text me and call me like every day, okay?” you raised an eyebrow.

“Deal” she nodded, yanking your arm as she pulled you to the car, while you rolled your eyes.

“Hey,” you said to Derek and Peter.

Derek smiled at you softly, earning a glare from Peter.

“So, let’s hit the road, shall we?”