#you deserve the sun and the sky and to be able to feel the wind on your face

[chronosdawn]

Absolutely losing my mind over the thought of Wriothesley being like: "I don't want to keep you caged here, so instead I'll leave the door open and just hope you keep coming back."

[jasmineoolongtea]

"i think i'm in love with her."

"sure, you are."

geto suguru scoffs at his best friend's words. he's heard this spiel more times than he can count and he's sure this isn't going to be the last time he hears it.

"no, i'm serious suguru. i am."

satoru thinks, no, knows that he's serious this time. all those past times? those were just phases, passing fads he simply found himself swept up in the rush and thrill of them but he's sure he's got the real thing this time.

it has to be because 'love' is the only thing that can describe the way he feels when you grace his line of sight.

the sweaty hands, the shaky breath, the butterflies in his stomach and the way his heart beats so fast he thinks that it's going to fall out of his chest; satoru may not be an expert on romance but these are pretty much as textbook as you can get when describing the symptoms of being in love.

"then, why do you like her?"

suguru is still unsure if he can truly believe the other's grand proclamations, perhaps it's the sceptic in him, but he's going to give him a chance to prove himself; it's the least he can do as his devoted friend of many years.

"love her, not like, suguru." satoru quickly corrects him and suguru instinctively rolls his eyes at him. seemingly sensing that he's not going to budge on this stance of his, an exasperated sigh leaves suguru's lips as he begrudgingly acquiesces to his request.

"fine, why do you love her?"

"well, i'm glad you've asked." there's a shit-eating grin plastered on satoru's face and suguru has to fight the urge to jump up from his seat and wipe it off his face.

satoru brings a finger up to his chin in an attempt to mime being in deep thought. "where do i even begin."

"i love the way she laughs, the way she's so expressive when she's talking about something she likes, how her hair frames her face and the way she fiddles with it when she's nervous. i love the way she smiles when she's happy, like truly happy and you can tell that when the corner of her eyes crinkle up and do that cute thing that she does."

satoru's not even halfway through with his lovesick ramblings but anyone with half a mind listening would get the message that he's utterly head over heels for this girl. some might even be able to resonate with his words in a way that goes beyond just figurative.

it's stupid, really. suguru doesn't need someone to be telling him all of these things about you like he hasn't noticed them himself.

he's lost countless hours simply just taking the time to spot all these things about you whenever he's blessed with the privilege of seeing you and if he could, he would put down admiring you as a hobby of his (no matter how cheesy it sounds).

sometimes, he might even let himself indulge in a fantasy or two when he imagines a world where he works up the courage to be the one who brushes that stray hair away for you instead of letting the wind blow it away.

suguru knows he doesn't shine like the sun in the way that satoru does, he doesn't have this magnetic aura that magically makes everyone gravitate to him nor does he brighten up every room he walks in (he's pretty sure he does the opposite if you were to really ask him).

a part of him might say that he's more like the moon, quietly shining and illuminating the darkness in his own way, or maybe even the stars that dot the night sky but deep down, he knows it's wishful thinking on his part, truth be told.

that's why suguru only lets his daydreams remain as that, fleeting fantasies he might give in to from time to time, because he knows that you deserve to be the centre of someone's universe and to be unabashedly showered in the greatest and grandest of affection. more importantly, he knows that you deserve to feel the warmth of the sun on your skin and that is something he truly can't give you.

does it hurt? to be so aware of this fact yet still yearn for something so decidedly unreachable? if he said no then he would just be lying to himself. if he was going to be even more truthful, then he would stop grimacing to hide the pain of the knife twisting further into his chest when he sees someone else be so unashamed in their love for you.

but it's okay, he thinks to himself, he'll watch on from the sidelines and maybe one day he'll be able to be content with this fate he's resigned himself to.

pt.2 (slow dancing in the dark) <3

[psuedosugu]

2am ★

suguru geto x reader

synopsis: your friend (?) comes into your room at 2 in the morning because he can’t sleep.

notes: hes so precious i just wanna kiss him ahhhhhh

the glowing numbers on your alarm clock read 2:00 am. the sky outside your semi-open window shows pitch black while the curtain covering it occasionally flutters due to the wind.

you lie in your bed, still and unable to sleep due to the thoughts running through your head plus your efforts to suppress them.

these days, your mind seems to always wonder back to the star plasma vessel mission, to riko herself.

riko amanai. a young girl, no older than 13. she didn’t deserve to die. you can still remember the sound of the gun hitting her, the sound of her now-still body hitting the ground, and her cold lifeless gaze. what could you have done differently to save her?

moping about it was doing you no good, though, so you decided that you would stop thinking about it all together, which was easier said than done.

you stared up at the ceiling, trying to think of something, anything else. counting sheep was turning out futile. sleep. sleep. you just wanted sleep. it felt like you hadn’t slept in months.

the familiar click! of your doorknob turning snapped you awake. you almost never lock your room, but only one person would come in here so late at night.

“nnh…suguru.” you sat up to look at him.

“did i wake you up? i’m sorry.” he asks sheepishly. his dark hair is outside of its usual bun, cascading onto his shoulders and part-way down his back. his eye bags are obvious, he must be just as tired as you are.

“i can leave if you wa-“ he starts but you interrupt him. “you didn’t wake me up! i- i couldn’t sleep either and even if i wasn’t awake, you’re always free to come in here.”

he had already stayed the night in your dorm a handful of times so him still being nervous about it was confusing, but cute nonetheless.

“you’re too kind to me,” he says, a smile adorning his face. that smile. that stupid smile.

admittedly, when your mind wasn’t occupied with dead girls toppling onto concrete floors, it was usually filled with him.

you scooted over and patted on the space next to you. as you started to sink back into the warm sheets, he made his way beside you, sliding into the covers.

“how’d your mission tod- yesterday go?” you ask, turning your head to look at him. he’s gorgeous, so gorgeous, you think.

“mmh, about as good as it could’ve gone.” he sighs.

sometimes, you feel like he’s the only person who will ever truly understand. he was there, right next to you when it all went down. maybe that’s why the two of you are so close now, a trauma bond of some sort.

the two of you lay together, only a few inches in between. that space was slowly shrinking as you gradually shifted closer every time you stole a glance at him. it felt taboo, these feelings that you were having for him. you weren’t supposed to feel this way. not about him.

unaware to you, suguru had been having similar thoughts. as much as he’d try to deny them because you would never ever like him back, he thought, they always sprang back up. he was tired of having to hide them.

to him, you were the sun itself, the center of his galaxy. he was so lucky, he thought, that you let him in your space so often, that he was able to breathe in your presence.

your shoulders were now side by side, touching, and he didn’t say a thing. suguru’s comforting presence had your eyes drooping.

your mind started to wonder to what it would be like to sleep next to him every night, maybe in a house the two of you would own instead of these dorms. you knew were getting ahead of yourself with your white-picket-fence fantasies, but you were too tired to care.

half asleep and absentminded, you snuggled closer to him, burrowing your face into the crook of his neck and slipping an arm around him. maybe you were feeling bold. maybe you were too tired to fully comprehend what you were doing.

suguru froze, his heart threatening to thump out of his chest. he was sure you could feel it against you. could you feel it? could you feel his emotions for you? did you know? he wanted you to know. he wanted to spill his hear out, to kiss you like there was no tomorrow, to have you.

he needed this. he needed you.

“[name]?” he murmured. you let out a faint hum in response, teetering between the border of awake and asleep.

“look,” he braced himself. he didn’t know what would come out of this, if your friendship would survive. he didn’t want to lose you, the only one who, he thought, truly cared, but he couldn’t live like this.

“..I’ve been having these feelings….these feelings about you. i..I’m really glad we’re friends, but every time you talk to me i just don’t know. i don’t know if i want just this. i want more. i want us to at least try having more. i know its sudden but its how i feel.”

he waited in anticipation for your response, staring at the ceiling. a few moments passed and he called your name. “[name]?” he asked, “..please say something.” a few more moments passed and he heard a soft snore. he looked down and sure enough you were knocked out, your chest rising and falling.

he smiled, moving a piece of your hair out of your face. had you heard any of what he said? would you even remember? probably not, he thought. oh well. there’s always tomorrow.

his eyes started to droop too, and he slipped into unconsciousness to thoughts of you, you, you.

[solitary-traveler]

Stars Around My Scars

The scars on your wrists stood out to him though and he usually expresses great displeasure towards it.  “I don't like them” he frowns, “They reek of desperation”

Kabukimono x Gn!Reader

Notes: Hiii, so um let me clear a couple things first. I'm not able to post the second part for ascent to oblivion since I'm busy and exams are coming up. I promise I'll upload it as soon as possible. Take this simple gift for now. And yes this is a repost. Anyway, I just merged them together. That was a shitty decision honestly. Seriously, me and my impatient ass yesterday-

Art: @OogyPng (X)

Warning: mentions of self harm, i swear there's fluff-

The beauty of mortal life comes with its finite period of existence, that fleeting period before dissipating in the blink of an eye. 

Much akin to that of a firework display.

They explode, bragging their scintillating colors that douse the sun in jealousy. With an ear-piercing blast, it blankets the night sky, fluorescing like the moon as it gleams like the stars above.

If life was momentary for a puny human, why not make use of it?

Why not become a wanderer and travel the world?

You get to region hop and satiate your wanderlust. To encounter unfamiliar faces and attach their names to your expanding friends’ list. To pick up tidbits about riveting stories recounted by elders and children alike. The possibilities are unending, a spectacle waiting to be unboxed.

Yet there’s always the impending menace of falling victim to the grappling claws of solitude.

You’ve been plunged into that headspace a few times already. Despite your protests, the glister of joy and love you’ve gotten from simple things flickered faintly, the bleakness settling in. Your surroundings felt barren, as the dismal winds swept away every inch of ecstasy from within you. Your godforsaken history comes back to taunt you, a reminder of your internal demons who’s having a field day tormenting you.

“You’re so fucking petty it’s almost hilarious. So undeserving. Why are you still here? You’re not worth anything. And you’ll never be.”

“An accident? That’s a bullshit excuse.Without you, the accident wouldn’t occur. It’s all your fault. Everything is.”

“Everyone hates you. Why can’t you get that right? Everyone you talk to finds a fault in you that they don’t dare say to your face. But they know. They can’t help but judge you. Of course they would wouldn’t they? You’re a weirdo”

“A disgrace.”

“A worthless piece of shit.”

The thoughts bounce within your mind, endlessly toying with your emotional state.

You emit a burst of bitter laughter.

It‘s cold.

The temperature was rather freezing despite the incandescence the sun was offering. You can barely feel it radiate through your skin, as a pang smashes through your heart.

You don’t want to be cold.

Your gaze shifts to your sword resting on the patch of grass beside you.

Another benefit of wandering. No one would suspect that your scars are self-inflicted.

As far as you’re concerned, It’s only natural for wanderers to acquire marks that resemble cuts and bruises on their bodies. Incessantly faced with the turmoil of threats and hazards, scars are assumed to serve as tokens of the risk they have confronted on their previous journeys. 

Besides, it’s not like you wanted to do it. It just felt right. Like the self imposed wounds on your wrists belonged there. It felt as if the blade slicing your hand like paper was supposed to do it. That watching the red liquid flow out of it was because you deserved it.

At least you’re not cold anymore. Who knew blood could be so warm?

—-------------------------

The distant display of lights crackle against the tranquil night.

You flash a mixture of colors, expressing the turmoil of what you refer to as your emotions. Yet the speck of your allure was gradually dwindling. 

It wouldn’t take long before you vanish.

Like a pretty firework.

But what use is a pretty firework when it waves and dances all alone with the stars, concealed far from anyone's vision? 

What use is a pretty firework when they're just meant to blink momentarily and dissolve?

You got your answer when you met an eccentric puppet during one of your travels. Sweet, little Kabukimono found your dying spark and rekindled it with his saccharine smiles and candied words. 

You grasped the concept of how fireworks are meant to shine for others to see, for at least one person to view and relish. For them to admire. And for them to love.

And Kabukimono loved you.

There’s no denying that. 

Your traveling companion cherished you, always doting you with his presence. He would never leave your side unaccounted for and often offers you praises that you find doubtful.

“You’re so cool Y/N! You’re so efficient in fighting! Can you teach me??”

“I didn’t mean to stare! You just… looked pretty from here…”

“I just wanted to spend time with you! …Is that so bad?”

Much to your skepticism, you find yourself hesitating to swallow his words. They felt like lies, sugar coated phrases meant to lure you into a trap of false hope. False sense of security. I mean, who would find you this interesting? Who would want to be by your side? Who would want to constantly seek you out because they enjoyed your presence? Because they enjoy being with you?

Lies. 

Every honeyed statement that rolls out of his tongue are nothing but lies.

He was going to leave you. Sooner or later.

But for whatever reason, the puppet stayed. He would not tire from his sickening performance of pretending to care for you. He should visit the theater sometimes, given how top tier his acting skills are. He claims with a two faced, innocent grin that the place beside you was his, and only his for as long as you were together. He says he wants to know about you—to study and learn what makes you… you—all the while those deceitful puppy eyes stare at you whenever you recount tales from your journey.

You’re stubborn self refuses to acknowledge the fact that he’s showing you genuine affection. Authentic fondness.

Maybe… it’s not an act? 

You were perplexed. You aren’t sure how to navigate through the solution of this problem, considering how you have no experiences regarding this matter. You aren’t aware of what to do, of what to say. It was frightening really, venturing into uncharted territories. 

So you do nothing.

And Kabukimono remains by your side.

The puppet was nosey when it came to you. One time, he caught a glimpse of your scars when you attempted to snatch a fish for dinner, only to result in you falling into the water. You sure had plenty of them. He sighs, wondering how much they must’ve hurt. Poor you.

In all honesty, he pities you. You carry an aura of despair, a chilling sensation that never seems to go away. It was attached to you in a way, like a melancholic burden that lays upon your shoulders. A suffering the puppet doesn’t want you going through. 

He would often ask about the origin of your scars. You were quite reluctant at first, but his persistence was soon rewarded by one of your wondrous tales. He cherishes your stories. It was always enchanting to hear about different regions that he can not visit. 

The scars on your wrists stood out to him though and he usually expresses great displeasure towards it. 

“I don't like them” he frowns, “They reek of desperation”

In the young Kabuki’s mind, he notices that they don’t match the other marks on the surface of your skin. They were messy and painful to look at, like a blend of misery and torment was doused over that certain area. A mixture that can’t be dried, that can’t be removed.

He detested seeing you drowning in your sorrows.

An idea invaded his thoughts. He picks up a bright yellow marker from your bag and gently clutches your arm. He pops open the cap and uses your hand as a canvas, doodling little stars around your scars. This warrants an eyebrow raise from you, a look he just dismisses. 

“What are you doing?”

He flashes you a grin—one of the many precious expressions he loves to show off to you—as he huffs proudly, “I'm drawing stars!”

You were baffled. “...Why?”

“So that these little guys can protect you! That way, no more painful scars when I'm not around!”

When I'm not around.

A tiny smile tugs at the corners of your lips.

You were feeling a bit cold today. 

But Kabukimono seemed to have warmed you up in his own way.

For a moment, your inner demons  and insecurities were thrown behind a wall, padlocked there while Kabuki held the key. The world stilled, no movement dared to interrupt the serene moment between two wanderers who found solace in the presence of each other. 

Your gaze never left the indigo haired puppet as he continues to work on the stars. He was focused on it like it was some masterpiece he was dying to show to the world.

…Seriously, he's such a silly guy.

[satorkive]

SATURN ᯓᡣ𐭩 SASUKE

you hate this place.

the large gate to the outside world; the stalls lining up for customers; the heads of the hokages judging you; the people bustling around; your friends murmuring and exchanging stories with each other; the tall tower where the supposed protector resides.

you really hate this place.

sun rays shine on your figure as you lay down on the grass, pointing the clouds with blank expression. the area is peaceful and you're the only one present in this peaceful place.

"what are you doing?"

or not.

you do not acknowledge the voice who calls out to you. you just continue watching the sky and hearing the background chirping of the birds.

"you gone deaf now, [name]?" he stands beside your supine position.

you look up to him and see his eyes staring at you. you don't explicitly show but his orbs creep you out. not in a weird or creepy way, but with how empty and soulless it looked.

"what are you doing here, sasuke?" you ignore his question to you and fire back to him instead.

he pauses for a second before imitating your position.

great. now your peace is disturb.

you hear him scoff. "can't i go here and enjoy peace now?"

"no."

you feel his eyes burning into the side of your face. that's the only thing he can do to you. he wouldn't be able to force you out of this illusion place where you feel at peace.

uchiha sasuke. your childhood bestfriend. well, your ex childhood bestfriend. both of your parents were friends so they compelled their cute little children to be friends with each other.

sasuke's parents are dead so he probably had no reason to tolerate your presence near him. since the massacre happened, he distanced himself from all the people who he grown close to. especially you.

you tried to express your support and care for him, but he pushed you away.

you don't see any reason why you should cling to the old sasuke when he dies along with his clan so you let him go.

so, what is he doing now?

"i'm going to kill my brother."

you still.

"and how would you do that?"

"i'm going to orochimaru in order to gain more power."

you hum and let the breeze flows his words to the depth of your soul.

you know his revenge is all he has. what happened to him was very unfair. you understand that this is his mission and no one can sway him away.

you meet his eyes for probably the last time. you will never see each other again, and if you will, both of are in opposing sides. he reciprocates your action.

"and why are you telling me this?" you whisper against the wind who carries your message to his ear.

"because i wanted to and you're probably the remaining family... i have left."

he considers you as family?

"then i hope you get the justice you deserve."

he stares at you for a while, eyes jumping from each of your features. he probably asks himself why you aren't questioning his departure. he will be considered a traitor of konoha.

and honestly... you would rather be labeled as traitor seeking true freedom instead of slaving and dedicating your life to a place who doesn't care about you.

"you think there is a place where we can live happily?" you raise a question, not fully expecting an answer.

"because i can..." you reply to your own thought as your mind wanders to a place where you are content with life.

is this your way of coping against challenges thrown in your way? what even is the purpose of this life? continue being a child soldier? killing people left and right for the sake of false peace? everything you do is for the village; not for your family, friends or even yourself. because if you put someone above the village, you're committing treason and showing disobedience. if you have the power to leave this planet, you will.

but the only way to do that is...

"... to die."

you give him a smile. "how about you, sasuke? do you envision a world you can be happy? where you and the uchiha clan are peacefully gathering? unfortunately, konoha doesn't want you to prioritize anything but them. you give your life to the elders just for them to throw it away. isn't that sad?"

you stumble upon a word where it defines as a planet and almost has a myth undertone.

"i'll probably be better on saturn, don't you think?"

[libraryofgage]

A Place Like Steve in a Boy Like This

Part of: Steve Deserves Good Parents, Actually

Debbie and Fester Addams One | Two | Three | Four Rick and Evelyn O'Connell One | Two | Three (you’re here!) Harley Quinn One 10th Doctor and Rose One | Two (on the way!) Scooby Gang (there are plans for this one lmao, so plz be patient with me orz) Jedidiah and Octavius (from Night at the Museum) One Queen Clarisse (also on the way and also a modern royalty au cuz I got the urge to write one so bad lmao)

This AU was line-jumped on Ko-Fi, which means y'all got it sooner!

If you want to line jump your favorite series, you can learn more here

I hope y'all enjoy this part! It was a lotta fun to write, actually, since I got to talk about folklore I'm more familiar with lol

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

----

Steve huffs as he kicks a pebble down the street. It bounces a few times before settling on the sidewalk, doing nothing interesting enough to alleviate his boredom. He turns around, squinting against the sun shining in his eyes, and looks at his parents. His mother is speaking quietly to a woman with a shawl around her shoulders, both of them bent over some book that definitely should have been crumbling by now. His father idly taps at bricks on the building next to them, looking relaxed but alert.

Steve glances at the building his parents are avoiding, the one the woman with the shawl walked out of. It’s a pale, faded yellow, the kind that tells him the building is old, old enough to have seen wars and generations pass it by. Shingles line a low roof, but something that’s either incredibly durable wood or stone so old it’s turned brown makes up the vaguely mountain-shaped top that reaches to the sky. Steve studies the building, his eyes wandering until he sees the door cracked open on the side. 

He takes a slow step towards it, checks that neither of his parents noticed, and takes another. This continues until he’s in the shadow of the building, his fingers brushing against the wood. It’s cool against his skin, and the door isn’t nearly as heavy as it looks. He pushes lightly against it, an eager feeling building in the pit of his stomach as he slips inside.

A dimly lit hall made of stone sprawls out in front of him, and Steve hums softly as he passes by the paintings and scraps of scroll that are framed along the wall. He recognizes Hebrew on all the scrolls, but he doesn’t linger long enough to read any of it. Instead, he continues to walk, glancing through an opening that leads into a sanctuary. The opening is to the left of the bema, and he’s momentarily caught by the ark that contains the Torah. He can’t even see the holy scrolls, but something in his spine jerks and he’s overwhelmed by the urge to open the doors so he can gaze upon them. 

He’s already going to get in trouble for slipping inside, though. Maybe he shouldn’t make it worse. Steve grasps this thought tightly, holding it in his mind until he’s able to tear his gaze away and continue walking down the hall. Other than that opening, there’s only one door left at the very end. It, too, is made of wood and opens far easier than Steve expected.

Shafts of sunlight stream in through narrow windows, illuminating dust that floats in the still air of an undisturbed staircase. Steve looks down at the first steps, crouches, and drags his finger carefully over the stone. A layer of dust comes off, and Steve comes to the conclusion that nobody has been up these stairs in a long, long time. 

With a grin, Steve begins to climb. 

The stairs wind up and up, far higher than Steve thinks should be possible given the height of the building itself, but what does he know? He just focuses on climbing, on reaching the top as he passes narrow window after narrow window, breathing in stale air that stirs in his lungs and builds. Strangely enough, he’s not breathless from the climbing, but from something else entirely. He isn’t able to name that feeling until he finally (finally) reaches the top of the stairs. 

As he stands on the top step and looks over the loft spread out before him, he realizes it was anticipation. Like the stairs, this attic-loft is covered in dust, untouched by people for a very long time. A large window is opposite the stairs, allowing sunlight to stream into the area. The space holds a desk, a bed, more books than Steve has ever seen before, and a statue.

Steve stares at the statue, licks his lips nervously, and steps into the room. He doesn’t spare the books or anything else a second glance, instead making a beeline for the statue. It’s huge, towering over the twelve-years-old Steve even though it’s sitting. Its legs are crossed, and its hands are held palm-up just above its navel. The statue is round and smooth, not a straight edge in sight. It doesn’t have a neck, and its head is like a little bump on its shoulders, just big enough to hold triangle-shaped divots for eyes. Carefully placed next to the statue is a small clay jar and a paintbrush.

Without thinking, Steve picks up the jar and looks inside. Golden-hued paint shimmers inside, and Steve wonders how it hasn’t caked over or disintegrated after all this time. He tilts the clay pot a few times, watching the paint slide against the edges, and then looks up at the statue again. At second glance, he sees that the statue’s head is big enough for more than just its eyes. He could probably write on it, too. 

With that thought, Steve grabs the paintbrush and very carefully pokes his foot against the statue’s leg. It seems strong enough, so he climbs up, following the statue’s calf to its knee. From there, he carefully holds the paintbrush with his teeth so he can steady himself on the statue’s arm. Once he has, Steve pulls himself up onto the statue’s hands, finding himself at the perfect height to reach its forehead.

Steve holds the paintbrush and dips it into the jar. The brush comes out covered in the gold paint, and Steve pauses, looking at the statue’s forehead.

He remembers a story his mother once told him about this very city, this very building. It involved a statue like this one, a golem, that was brought to life to protect his mom’s ancestors. Steve hums softly and carefully paints aleph, mem, tav on the statue’s forehead. His mom will find it funny when he brings her up here to show her the “golem” he found. 

As he finishes off the tav, giving it a pretty little flourish just for the fun of it, the ground beneath him jerks. No, not the ground. The hands he’s standing on. Steve yelps, losing his balance and about to fall only to be cradled and carefully set on the ground.

Steve blinks, looking up at the golem to see it leaning down and staring at him expectantly. “Uh. Hi,” he says, breathless as he receives a small nod and wave in return. “Holy shit.”

Before he can say more, he hears a familiar voice in the distance shouting, “Steve! Where are you?”

Keeping his eyes on the golem, Steve sets the jar and paint down, scooting back along the floor until he reaches the top of the stairs. “I’m up here!” he shouts, hearing a muffled curse and the slam of a door far below. He sighs and stands, slowly approaching the golem.

“You’re really real,” he mumbles, stopping in front of the golem as he hears someone running up the steps.

He turns just in time to see his father reach the attic, guns at the ready, and panting from adrenaline and the climb. “What the fuck is that?!” he shouts, aiming the guns at the golem without thinking. 

“Don’t shoot it!” Steve yells, barely getting the words out before he’s scooped into the golem’s arms and completely covered by its hands. The world goes dark, and he’s pressed close enough to the golem’s chest that all he can smell is pomegranate and the old ink and paper of Talmud studies. 

“It’s holding you captive, and you’re telling me not to shoot it?!” his father asks. 

“It’s protecting him!” his mother shouts, her voice shrill and panicked enough about his father shooting a golem to make Steve almost laugh.

Steve wiggles around, tapping the golem’s chest. “Those are my parents,” he says, “Please let me down.”

After a few seconds of hesitation, the golem does, carefully and slowly placing Steve on his feet once more. Its hands stay on either side of him, looking ready to pull him back into its protective embrace. His father looks harried, but his mother looks awed as she steps forward. The golem allows her to approach, and she carefully runs her fingers over the golem’s arms. “This is amazing, Steve,” she says softly.

“Can we please step away from the dangerous statue now?” his father asks, taking a step forward only to stop when the golem suddenly stands and towers over him. “Uh, what’s it doing?”

“You’re not Jewish, Rick,” Steve’s mother says, looking over her shoulder. “The golem is a protective figure in Jewish folklore, among other things. It’s most famous stories are about keeping Jewish towns safe from pogroms. It’s wary of you.”

“I’m your husband!” Steve’s father protests, angrily shoving his guns back into their holsters, “And Steve’s father! We should be on the same team!”

“It’s okay,” Steve says, walking over to his father and taking his hand. “I just have to introduce you.” With that, Steve leads his father over to the golem, placing his father’s hand on its arm, and saying, “This is someone you should protect, too.”

----------

After explaining everything, with plenty of interruptions from the kids after they came running back into the living room to escape Uncle Jonathan’s gin, Steve’s parents demanded to see the lab where it all started. 

And now they’re here, standing in one of the lower levels, surrounded by dead vines that still haunt Steve’s nightmares on particularly bad nights. If he’s lucky, he won’t have one of those while his parents are home, but Steve has never really called himself lucky in situations that don’t involve life or death. 

The wall that once held a gate to the Upside Down is nothing more than charred cement, reduced to a jagged line of something Steve really hopes is soot and not, like, disintegrated demogorgon. He carefully makes his way through the vines, avoiding them when he can and holding his breath whenever he has to step on one. 

“Did you know this was a lab?” Rick asks, his voice echoing in the hall ahead of them. 

“Of course, not,” Evelyn replies, and Steve can picture the glare she’s aiming at him. “I wouldn’t have let our son live here if I’d known.”

“Well,” Eddie says, “I, for one, and very relieved Stevie lived here considering several of us would be dead without him.”

“Me, too,” Dustin says.

“Me three,” El says.

“I think Steve and I would’ve found each other even if he wasn’t in Hawkins,” Robin says, nudging Steve’s ribs with her elbow as she grins. “Platonic soulmates can’t he kept apart.”

Steve snorts and stops when he reaches the wall. He looks around and notices the corpse of a demodog a few feet away. Or, well, he thinks it’s a demodog corpse. “Stay here,” he says, tightening his grip on his bat as he takes a step closer to it.

“Hold it right there, young man,” his mother says, her tone bringing him to an immediate halt. “Your father will go towards the monster, and you will stay a safe distance away.”

“Gee, thanks for asking,” Rick mutters, rolling his shoulders as he makes his way over to the demodog corpse. He studies it for a second before just kicking the thing with his foot. Steve nearly jumps in to yank his father back, but stays frozen in place by Robin’s hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

His father kicks the corpse again, and Eddie suddenly asks, “Why do I feel like this is disrespectful?”

“Because it used to be alive,” El offers.

“It’s definitely not anymore,” Rick says, crouching down and using the barrel of his gun to push back one of the petals on its head. “Shit, what’s it need so many teeth for?”

“The better to eat you with,” Steve says, earning a snort from Robin and Eddie.

“And there were how many of these?” Evelyn asks.

“Dozens. Like, multiple packs, and they were all connected by this hive mind kinda thing,” Dustin explains, walking over to the corpse with no fear. “I mean, they weren’t all bad. Dart was okay.”

“He ate your cat,” Steve says.

“Yeah, and then he didn’t eat us in the tunnel.”

“I can’t believe you were facing these things and didn’t use your guns to spare some girl’s feelings,” Rick says, looking at Steve over his shoulder.

“I can’t believe you didn’t just use the golem,” his mother says, frowning as she turns to Steve. “I mean, you know where it is, dear. You know how to bring it to life.”

“A golem? Like…from Lord of the Rings?” Dustin asks.

“You had a golem? Why didn’t you tell me you had a golem?” Eddie asks.

“How did we not think of the golem? Holy shit, we’re dumb,” Robin says, smacking her forehead with her palm.

“I couldn’t trust that it wouldn’t hurt one of my friends,” Steve says, ignoring Dustin for now. “It would only protect me and Robin. If something happened to one of us, it would abandon the kids without question. What’s the point then?”

“Hello! Confused people over here!” Dustin shouts, getting their attention. “What golem?”

“You know,” Robin says, “like…of Prague.”

“No, still lost,” Dustin says.

Steve sighs, about to explain it when Eddie beats him to it. “The golem is from Jewish folklore,” he says, tilting his head as he looks at Steve, “It was created and brought to life by a rabbi in Prague to protect his congregation from pogroms and acts of antisemitism. There are debates on why he had to disintegrate the golem, though. Some stories say it started killing innocent people, others say it fell in love, and others say the congregation were using it to do chores instead of letting it focus on protecting them.”

“Yes, exactly,” Evelyn says, smiling at Eddie and nodding with approval, “The golem doesn’t speak much, but it can answer basic questions. According to it, Rabbi Loew removed its aleph because it requested to go to sleep.”

“Oh, so it just wanted a nap,” El says, nodding as though this makes perfect sense to her.

“You said you had the golem,” Eddie says. “Where?”

“At the house,” Steve replies, watching as his father stands from the corpse and drags Dustin away from it. “I keep it in the locked room downstairs.”

“You said that was your parents’ room,” Dustin says.

“No, you assumed it was, and I never corrected you.”

“Can I see it?” Eddie asks.

Steve looks up, meeting Eddie’s gaze. After a few seconds, he nods once and looks at his parents. “Did you see what you wanted?” he asks, “Can we head back?”

“Yeah,” Rick says, frowning as he nudges a vine with his foot. “I’ll come back later with Ardeth. See if he knows anything that might help.”

“What do we need help with?” Dustin asks. “The portal is closed for good. We closed it.”

“There’s nothing wrong with making sure,” Evelyn tells him, smiling reassuringly before turning back the way they came. “Now that Rick and I are here, we’ll do everything we can to make sure those gates never open again.”

“And if they do,” Rick says, bringing up the rear as the kids follow Evelyn, “we’ll take care of it. You kids don’t need to put yourselves in danger anymore.”

Something in Steve settles at hearing this, his next exhale taking all the stress that had made its home between his shoulders with it. For the first time in a long time, he thinks about something normal. He glances at Eddie and Robin and thinks about going to see a movie with them, drinking at the lake, and just being stupid teens that don’t have to worry about interdimensional monsters.

------

Tag List (there should be room still! So, if you’d like a tag, let me know!)

@trueghostqueen, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @thoughtfulbreadpolice, @mogami13, @blcksh33p1987, @beawritingbooks, @remus-is-trans, @your-confused-friend, @estrellami-1, @nburkhardt, @vacantwatchers, @yeahhhh-suga, @phantomcat94

@blackpanzy, @ape31, @croatoan-like-its-hot, @plantzzsandpencilzzs, @flustratedcas, @anne-bennett-cosplayer, @just-a-tiny-void, @disrespectedgoatman, @fallingleavesinthewind, @nymime, @nectandra, @moomkin77, @nadenia, @resident-disappointment, @copper-arrows, @romanticdestruction, @rowanshadow26

@nadenia, @northernlight-witch, @steddie-as-they-go,

[abibliophobiaa]

For a little Eddie blurb, the word of choice is lake.

700 words of soft eddie comfort after a heartbreak coming right up. mention: you wear eddie’s shirt.

best friend (maybe more one day) eddie munson x fem!reader.

-

He found you at the lake. Hair only partially dried, one of his ratty old Hellfire tees draped over your ripped shorts, sandals tossed haphazardly beside your hip. Saw your feet where they dangled over the dock. Toes dipped into water up to the ankles.

Your shoulders were slouched, arms folded around yourself.

And his heart ached, the deep kind that burned in his gut, made him angry because he knew you were hurting. For weeks you’d talked about the guy you were seeing. Someone you met at a coffee shop, a nice guy, the kind you’d had these little hearts in your eyes for that would appear whenever you talked about them.

Until he wasn’t a nice guy. Until he stood you up. Left you by yourself at Enzo’s. A girl in a dress, with nothing but love to give to someone who never earned it to begin with. A girl who loved those around her and never expected anything back, but damn it, Eddie thought you deserved the world.

That guy hadn’t been worthy to know you, clearly. Because anyone who knew you would be able to see that a heart such as yours, with a love so deep it couldn’t be contained, should be celebrated. Appreciated. Tended to, coaxed out into the light, given the space to grow.

Eddie hated him without even knowing him. Wanted to kick his ass into another dimension, but pushed that longing aside to seek you out. To try and remind you that the things people often foolishly overlooked were the things that he loved most about you. Wanted to love you back into the light in the only way he knew how.

The only way he could.

“Knew I’d find you here,” he said, Reebok-covered feet kicking at a rock before he’d settled down beside you. “I always come here too when I need to get away.”

You said nothing, and that was fine. His fingers tapped along the wooden beams below. Tugged at the fraying hem of the shirt falling over your thigh. Still water-logged and see through from the drenched swimsuit beneath.

“Went for a swim?” He asked, tipping his head back to look up at the sky.

Eyes squinted against those harsh summer rays. Warmth seeped into his black tee, but he’d endure the elements if it meant seeing even the barest hint of a smile across your lips.

“I needed to clear my head,” you murmured softly, voice thick and hoarse with unshed tears. He heard the sniffle that followed. The shaky exhale.

“Wanna talk about it?”

He turned his head to look at you. Watched in agony at the way your face crumpled. At the further hunch of your shoulders. His fingers curled around your kneecap. Shifted you just enough to draw your attention to his face. He tried the question again, and you shook your head. Brushed at your eyes as if he hadn’t seen the glimmer of tears on your sun-warmed cheeks.

“Do you want me to hold you?”

You nodded, and like he often did when you were sad, tired, or afraid, he hiked your thighs over his lap. Curled a hand around the bends of your knees and tugged you closer. Your body sagged against his chest, your side against his front, arms around his waist.

“He’s an asshole, you know?” He whispered against your hair. Felt your forehead dip further into the space beneath his jaw. “Anyone who knows you knows your heart. And anyone who would want to break that doesn’t deserve your time.”

You burrowed closer, arms winding tighter, knees curling into his abdomen.

“You know I love you, right? All of you. Even the parts you think people would hate. I see them all and I wouldn’t trade them for anything,” he explained, tucking your head closer to his chest. “You know why?”

You inhaled shakily. “Why?”

“Because they make you you,” he whispered, feeling you smile against his skin. “And I think you’re pretty fucking great.”

You remained silent for a while, and he’d allow it for however long you needed, for however long you wanted. He’d hold you forever if you asked him to. But you exhaled and fisted his shirt in your hand, tipped your head back a bit, and beamed.

And his heart splintered, because you were like literal sunshine to him.

“Thank you, Eddie.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.”

-

-

[kuromikuma]

Gardenia

Gyomei Himejima x female reader

TW: minor gore

wc-845

❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹

I finally finished it. This one was my third attempt and the longest one. I’m thinking of doing another part.

❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹

The sun shined brightly in the clear blue almost cloudless sky as Gyomei sat on the temple steps, the gentle scent of gardenias filling the air. He had grown accustomed to their sweet fragrance, a reminder of (Y/n) and her weekly visits.

"Gyomei-Sama," her voice, soft and sweet, interrupted his quiet thoughts.

He opened his eyes, a warm smile spreading across his face. "You can drop the honorifics," he replied, "just Gyomei is fine."

(Y/n) giggled, "But I like to call you that." She sat beside him, her hand finding his. He held her hand, his large fingers engulfing hers, and felt the warmth of her touch. She placed something small in his palm. Gyomei closed his eyes, inhaling the sweet fragrance, a delicate gardenia, its petals soft. "I'll start cooking." she said before standing.

The children, happy and full of life, were a constant source of joy for Gyomei. He had adopted them, taking them under his wing, providing them with the love and care they deserved after they were abandoned, lost family, or they weren't able to be taken care of. He listened them play, their laughter echoing through the trees outside the temple.

Dinner was lively, filled with chatter and laughter. Sayo, the youngest, sat beside (Y/n), her face lit up with excitement as she told (y/n) about  her day.

Later, as they prepared for bed, a sense of unease settled over (Y/n). "Gyomei," she said, her voice laced with concern, "Kaigaku-kun isn't back yet, and it's getting dark."

Gyomei, sensing her worry, rose to his feet. He reached for the matches, his hand finding (Y/n)'s shoulder. "You should go home now before it gets too dark. Kaigaku will make it back," he reassured her, his voice firm.

(Y/n) hesitated, her eyes searching his face. She knew how much Gyomei cared for the children, how he treated them as his own. She trusted him. But the growing darkness made her feel uneasy.

She nodded, "I'll come back tomorrow," she whispered, then turned and left the temple. Gyomei listened to her footsteps, his heart heavy with sudden worry. He lit the wisteria incense around the temple.

-

The next morning, the town was filled with hushed whispers and somber faces. The whispers grew louder, reaching (Y/n). They spoke of tragedy, of Gyomei, of the children.

"Gyomei...he wouldn't..." She couldn't believe it. Gyomei, the kind, gentle boy who treated the children as his family, had killed them? It was impossible.

Her mind raced, trying to make sense of it. She remembered his warm smile, the gentle way he would hold her hand. She remembered the laughter that filled the temple, the joy he found in their company. He wouldn't hurt them. He couldn't have.

(Y/n) made her way to the temple. She had to know the truth. It was eerily quiet. No laughter. No happy chatter. Just the wind blowing through.

As she got closer a strong coppery smell hit her nose. She covered it with the sleeve of her kimono, her eyes meeting a gruesome scene. The blood-soaked tatami and walls. Futons torn and askew evidence of a violent struggle.

Overwhelmed by grief and horror, (y/n) collapsed to the ground. No he didn't do this.

-

The scent of wisteria filled the house, heavy and sweet. (Y/n) layes next to her grandmother, on her side and holding her hand as they listened to the crickets chirp.

"It was the demons." Her grandmother whispers.

(Y/n) raised her head, her brows furrowing. She knew the stories, the whispers about the shadowy figures that haunted her family, until one day her mother disappeared. (Y/n) was just a baby. But she had always dismissed them as childish superstition. Stories told to scare you into behaving.

"The same ones that got your mother," her grandmother continued, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. "They followed her home."

(Y/n) felt a prickle of fear crawl up her spine.

"They said something about her blood," she tightened her hold on her grandmother's hand "Marechi."

-

(Y/n) sits in a garden watching four identical girls playing. After a strange man and woman stood at her front door asking if she is (l/n) (Y/n), the man, who told her to call him Ubuyashiki, told her about demon slayer corps. She believed him immediately after what her grandmother told her eight years ago.

Has it really been eight years?

She heard the crunch of the rocks behind her. (Y/n) stood up and couldn't believe her eyes. Gyomei standing in front her. She walks up to him. "Gyomei-sama."

Gyomei's eyes widened at the sound of her familiar sweet voice. He held out his hands for her. She notices the large scar across his forehead and how had grown taller and more muscular. His hands feel rough and calloused but it seems his gentle nature remained unchanged with the way he held her hands so gently.

Together, they walked hand-in-hand to his estate.

❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹ ❤︎₊ ⊹

/ᐠ - ˕ -マ Ⳋ

Thank you for reading

[ophelieverse]

Can you write something angsty for my boy Jace please?🥺

₊˚ˑ༄ؘ My bones are your bones.

Jacaerys Velaryon x fem!reader.

The blacks won the war.After his mother,Jacaerys became king and still,after all these years,he’s haunted by the ghost of his first love.

Also Jacaerys,Y/n and Baela deserved better😭

I’m back with whatever this is!Please be gentle with me and thank you so much for all the love y’all gave me!💕🫶🏻

Sorry for the errors and let me know what you think!🥰

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The sound of the rain is delightful.

It beats on the roofs,it ticks on the windows,falls from the downhill streets and huddled people to find a shelter together. Sometimes,tired and melancholy it gets trapped inside a pit and falls asleep.The sun, then, akes the rain away.Only the scent remains, he sky returns to its usual blue and the joyful birds return to chirp.

That afternoon it smelled of rain on the asphalt,but it wasn't raining,not yet.Even if the sky was already covered with clouds and the wind that was blowing was able to carry the scent of lilies that were blooming in the big garden of the castle.

King Jacaerys Targaryen,first of his name,was in his thirty two years of living and seven years of reign.Many things had changed through the decades,he grew taller,wiser and dutiful embracing his birthright as the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.After a bloody and destructive civil war between his family members,between ashes and bones,dragons and brothers,his mother reign was short and not very welcomed by the people.

Jacaerys was like a breath of fresh air,a young and smart man that,since the beginning,knew what he had to do.In his seventh year of reign,he didn’t only changed his last name,like his grandfather requested before his death,but after the war he was a completely different person.

Even rain,the sound and the smell of it,the feeling on the bare skin and the waiting to see it falling for the grey sky was different for him now.

Rain became much more than just water falling from the sky.It is a very underestimated element of nature,whenever it started to rain the world changed.It was raining the first time he kissed her and it was raining the day she died.

For Jacaerys,rain was a similarity of sadness.The sky changes to accommodate the bad mood and then it starts to rain slowly,a heartbreaking slowness that leads him to think as he look at it from behind the window.Exactly like pain,which hugged him slowly and then invaded him completely,soaking his soul.

But the worst rain is the one that comes suddenly,unexpectedly,when he was around and it starts to rain suddenly and he didn’t know how to protect himself from it so he could start running desperately to find shelter.Equal to the pain that hits him straight to the heart like a bolt of lightning in the blue,he couldn’t expect it,he was not prepared for this kind of pain so it spreads in him sucking in every hope of being able to smile in the rain

Everything gets darker,the rain murmurs it’s sad music in his ears and he no longer distinguishes the various scents that usually hover in the streets.The rain covers everything, it covers the noises,the scents and also covers himself.

The dropps of water are short-lived,who knows if in the stretch they make from the sky to the asphalt they are sad because they know that in a few moments they will disappear or if they decide to be happy for their last moments of life.

Whether it comes slow or comes suddenly,rain is always dangerous but never as much as pain. Because the rain ends and then the sun returns but the pain continues because it got under his skin.He could wash his soaked clothes and then he put them to dry and it's like they've never been wet,but he will keep feeling the pain constantly and he’ll like to tear his skin.

The rain in Jacaerys life was sadness,but from the rain he could always find a shelter,from the pain he couldn’t protect himself.

During that time of the day,late evening,an ancient sadness came up from inside him and he knew he didn't have to let her get where it really started to hurt.In the place inside himself where she was still alive,breathing and dancing with his deepest dreams,hopes and fears.

When Jacaerys became King he was only twenty five years old and,for a moment,he was getting better.For a moment he felt good.For a moment he wanted to live.For a moment he had hope again.And in a moment,when he got back at her house,in the gardens and near the lake,he had lost everything again.

He had gone back,the day after his coronation,and everything seemed to have remained the same.The bright light of the sun hitting on the windows,the sweet smell of spring in the air,the crystalline water.It was like in the past,the time he had fallen for her.

He could see some of the roses still blooming in the garden.Brown on the edges and bright in other colors,their petals drooping downward, dying just as their lives have begun.

They stayed past their time,and Jacaerys realized that she have too.Y/n presence was everywhere and it took his breath away,in a second it all came back.

He liked to think that everything was going better,that he was alright and had a new life with a new love in it.But he was wrong.What lived and died between them was still haunting him.

«You promised to protect her!»her father had screamed to him,pure anger on his old face but in his eyes the empty feeling of the pain of having lost his daughter.

«She is gone because of you!»her older sister had sobbed,holding a hand close to her chest.

Death its terrible.So terrible to lose someone.And if he didn't face it,if he didn't deal with it,then he’ll just end up losing himself too.But Jacaerys didn't want to heal.He didn’t wanted to let go,because the pain was the only connection to what he had lost.

When we lose someone to whom we gave all the love we had inside ourselves,at that moment everything stops.We may have a lot of other people around,of course, but in our eyes they will be invisible.We are convinced that nothing will make sense anymore,that nothing will ever be the way it was before.Together with that person we also lose ourselves a bit, denying ourselves the chance to move on.We darken more and more,shrouded in the shadow of our loneliness,forgetting that everything that is not watered,sooner or later withers.

For a moment,Jacaerys closed his eyes.In his mind he was still fifteen,together and in love with her.He liked to believe that they have never been apart,so that he could invent a new past to remember.He could imagine how things would’ve been different if she had been with him.

He imagined what life could’ve been if that day he had decided to take her with him at Dragonstone instead of leaving her behind at Oldtwon.A tiny voice in his head liked to tell him that he did it to keep her safe,once the war started and he was called back to fight.Another part of him,the one that kept him awake at night,tormented him with the heart wrenching feelings that it was his fault.

Y/n death was his fault.

«I’m sorry it ended this way.»was the only thing he could breathe out.

Her younger sister was a Septa,closer to the gods that Jacaerys had stopped to believe in,and the only one that accepted his presence at Y/n memorial near the lake where her body was found.

«Y/n has been dead long before she died.»her sister stated,her grey vest blowing in the chilly wind and her voice soft«The time she had spent with you was the most happy I’ve ever seen her.She was alive for the first time.»she confessed,her bright eyes locked on the cold stone on the green grass.

Jacaerys fell on his knees near where little violets were blooming,his vision was blurry with the tears that were streaming down his cheeks and he almost didn’t noticed the words written on her grave:

“My bones are your bones.”

Jacaerys choked a cry,remembering the poem that they had read together as he whispered«When my time is near,i will be burned with you.So i had desired my dusts to be mingled with yours.Forever and forever,to be able to lay with you.»he prayed.

«Your grace-»her younger sister was trying to comfort him,but he didn’t heard her.

«I had never loved anyone,anything in the way i loved her.»he sobbed,his heart was hurting so much that he wanted to rip it out from his chest with his bare hands«I would never love someone else like this.I can’t.It only happens once.»his hands were trembling as he traced his fingers on the stone pretending it was her face.

Her sister placed a comforting hand on his shoulder,her eyes wet fro the tears and a sad little smile on her lips«For some people not even once.Y/n was very lucky to be loved by you.»she whispered«Your love made her immortal.»as she looked around,from the birds chirping,the blooming flowers,with the awaking of the spring her sister was there.

Jacaerys shook his head,his brain was pounding against his skull,the air was like fire in his lungs«She is gone because of me.»he cried her older sister words.

«Your grace,it wasn’t your fault.My-»the young Septa tried,holding back a the urge to cry with a sad and apprensive smile.

The king choked a sob«You can put the blame on me.I already blame myself.»his eyes burned,his breathe was short«She was there,all alone,and she shouldn’t have.She should have been with me!»the skin on his face was itching,he wanted to take it apart,feel physical pain to numb the one in his soul.

He didn’t wanted her to be immortal if she wasn’t there with him.It was selfish,to dream of having her just for himself and so painful to have loved something that death had touched so easily.

«The gods have reasons-»her younger sister calm voice was interrupted harshly by his.

«What reasons?»Jacaerys almost shouted,turning his head up to look at her«If the gods are so merciful,what was the reason?Why couldn’t they just took some else?Why my Y/n?»he asked as she knew the right answer.

Her younger sister,now that he looked at her better,had the same eyes of his Y/n.But hers were brighter,warmer and full of life.Y/n ones,the last time he saw them up close,were white like sea pearls,cold and empty,dead just like the rest of her.

Her sister knelt besides him,a gentle hand on his shaking back gave him a warm familiar feeling«When we were children,my mother used to scold Y/n because she always preferred to pick the flowers that my mother had just planted»the young girl told him,giggling at the old memory«She said she liked them most because they bloomed with the first day of the spring,they were untouched and they were the most beautiful in the gardens.»she continued with a little voice.

«She loved to paint them.»Jacaerys murmured,closing his eyes for a second.

Her sister nodded«I think the Gods picked my sister for the same reasons.She was the most beautiful flower.»she then said,looking up at the sky.

The clouds were darkening,the chilly wind was starting to blow stronger.It was about to rain again.

«Then why?»he asked again«Why did they made us met and fall in love,if they had to pick her?»he couldn’t understand,this was definitely a punishment for his family sins.

Her sister shook her head«All that i know is that intense love always lead to mourning.»she whispered.

Legend has it that there is always a reason why souls meet.Maybe they found each other for reasons that weren't all that different.They were two souls who sought and found comfort in each other and it is not possible to separate. The reasons why they are united are not incidents.Maybe Y/n needed someone to show her how to live and Jacaerys needed someone to show him how to love.

Memory was an agony,but he remembered everything about the first time he had laid his eyes on her.All the things they did together and even though sometimes he wished he had never met her to spare his heart from this pain,he would’ve been lying to himself if he didn’t wish to do it all again and again just to be with her.

Jacaerys was fifteen,betrothed to his cousin Baela,one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen,fearless and bold.She would’ve made a good Queen one day,ruling by his side with a good heart and an open mind.Even though he was promised to her,Jacaerys had never wondered if he was capable of it,of loving someone romantically.

He had always thought that,for him,a prince that life was already planned by his parents for him,love would remain a utopia,that he would never be able to fall in love with a woman and he did not believe that he would ever have the chance to bond with a girl,not enough to love her.He thought he wouldn't even be able to recognize love.

Then,Y/n had arrived and it was her that he had recognized.Love was not a word.Love was her silhouette.Her height that paraded away from him and reached him on the other side of the corridor and then became her hair and the contours of the light that caressed them.Love was her eyes looking for his mouth and her teeth biting his lips;it was her voice greeting him distracted,while in her throat she still heard my saliva.

The love for Jacaerys was his Lady Y/n and thousands had died because of it.

In the Long Summer of his fifteen years,young prince Jacaerys flew on the back of his dragon,Vermax,from Dragonstone to Oldtown.As the future King,he already had duties and responsibility on his shoulders,one of them was to know and embrace his Valyrian roots.He had heard the whispers,seen himself and his two younger brothers to know the truth that everyone was afraid to talk about.

His mother,Rhaenyra,suggested it would be a good idea for him to study in Oldtown where history and philosophy met daily,where all of his ancestors had learned and whose presences still lingered in the streets.

Lord Penrose house was one of the most beautiful in the Citadel,with ancient paintings,beautiful gardens,big libraries full of histories and the most beautiful thing the prince ever saw in his life.Lord Penrose house was a place were young Lords and Ladies from all the Seven Kingdoms stayed whenever they where in the city to study,but among all the people that crowded the big place,his young daughter,Y/n,was the only one that glowed.

A light green dress hugged her body,clinging to her wet skin,as she emerged from the warm water of the lake in the middle of the central garden.Roses,daffodils and daisies were the most beautiful frame for the most beautiful painting, “The birth of a nymph”he would’ve called it and in that moment Jacaerys wished he was gifted with the capability of painting,to capture that instant forever.Carving it in his mind,heart and soul.

She was one of those beauties he couldn’t forget,because she screams like an earthquake, or a thunderstorm in her impetuous force.She had the charm of an unpredictable destiny.And he had lost his heart.

Jacaerys was frozen,his dark eyes became big as two cups of tea,his cheeks redden as his gaze trailed on her small figure and on the exposed glistening skin.He had never believed in the gods,ora in any other form of deity,but right now he was more than willing to go down on his knees for just a taste of her.

«Are you in need of any assistance,my Lady?»the young prince just noticed the way the hem of her dress got stuck in the branches of the bush near the lake.

The girl didn’t looked at him,her wet hair were clinging to the skin of her neck and falling down her beautiful face«No,thank you.»she groaned as she tried to free herself and not reap the dress at the same time.

Jacaerys smiled at the sound of her voice,gorgeous just like her and only now he noticed that she was holding,in her left hand,two brushes«Are you sure?You seems like you could use some help.»he said with kindness and a bright smile.

Y/n huffed annoyed by the situation«I may be a damsel,but i’m not the distressed kind»she spit out«I don’t need your-»her voice stopped when she lifted her face to look at who she was talking to.

Jacaerys lowered his torso,leaned forward and with a gesture of his wrist broke the twig,then threw it in the middle of the lake.The girl immediately took steps back,surprised by the presence in front of her.She didn't know how to behave,she didn't know whether to thank him or pretend nothing happened.The focus fell on his stature,he was much taller than her and his shoulders could have lifted a trunk from how thick and wide they were.Immediately afterwards she lingered on his eyes,slightly closed for the first rays of the sun.She remained hypnotized by his eyes.Brown,dark.

And a normal person couldn’t add all the adjectives and facets of that color,but for someone like her it wasn’t just brown.Static, firm,her mind was motionless.She almost couldn't see the bottom of those eyes.

Brown and bold,yet rich and deep stood those eyes.

«Here»he said gently,offering his hand to here«Are you alright,my lady?»he asked then,with a worried tone.

Y/n nodded slowly,instead of accepting his hand she used her free one to lift her dress to walk out the water of the lake«Actually,there is something you could help me with my prince.»she said with a calmer voice.

Jacaerys smiled immediately«Of course»he said,«But first can i know your name?»he asked as he walked after her.

«I’m Y/n.»she informed him,barefoot and her dress wetting the floors of the porches«And you are princess Rhaenyra son»she continued.

He nodded«Indeed I’am.»

Jacaerys had visited the big as soon as he had arrived in the morning,Lord Penrose offered him a nutritious breakfast,a tour of the place as he introduced to the young prince all the brightest Lords and Ladies that were studying,but nothing of them could’ve compared with what he was seeing right now.

In a small room,away from the big art studio in her house,there was different canvases,canes of paint and dirty brushes.Y/n placed the brushes she had in her hand on a wooden table were they scattered some pencils and papers.

But what had caught his eyes was the painting right next to him.It was drew directly on the white - stoned wall,not on a canvas and it was not framed,but free on the bricks.

From the windows across the room the rays of the sun illuminated the work of art in all it full glory.A masterpiece it was,from the accurate paint brushes,the fluid technique,the colors that were chosen.It definitely showed that whoever paint it was an amazing artist with years of practice and love and devotion.

On the wall it was represented Gael Targaryen death,the thirteenth and last child of King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne.After the deaths of her parents,it was revealed that Gael had been seduced and impregnated by a traveling singer.She had given birth to a stillborn son,and overwhelmed by her grief,she had walked into Blackwater Bay and drowned.

Jacaerys stared at the painting,his ancestors,the young and frail princess was the center of the artwork.She is floating in a body of water.Her head is situated to the left of the composition,and her feet face towards the right-hand side.She is depicted in a beautiful,soft dress barely keeping her buoyant and her midsection is submerged in the water.

Her face is still out of the water,and he could see she had an almost listless expression;her eyes are staring out ahead and her mouth is slightly parted.She appears almost unaware of the fact that she is drowning.There is a necklace of purple violets around her neck and a small pink rosebud on its stem near her right ear.One of Gael hands is floating just above the water,her palm is facing up and her hand appear cupped,the other one is clinging to her empty and cold belly where once a life was supposed to be.

«Which one are you?»the girl asked suddenly,she was using one of the covers that were sitting on a chair next the window to dry her hair.

Jacaerys turned around confused«Uh?»he sounded lost.

Y/n giggled at his expression«I think one the princes is named Joffrey»she started,closing her eyes for a moment to remember better«The other one is Lucas or…no…i think his name is Lucien.»she murmured.

«It’s actually Lucerys and he’s my brother»he corrected her with a soft smile.

«I was close.»she sounded proud of herself and it made him smile even more.

«You were.»he reassured her.

«And you?»she asked.

«I’m Jacaerys.»he introduced himself.

Y/n stayed quiet for a second«Why are you here Jacaerys?»it was the first time someone asked him why he wanted to go to Oldtown.

The prince swallowed,licking his dry lips«I’m here to study,my Lady.»he informed her,standing still on his feet.

She pursed her lips,trailing her eyes on his regal figure«That’s what you told my father and perhaps what you told your mother.»she was reading him like a book without much effort«But why are you really here?»she asked again.

Her eyes were on him and for the first time in his life he felt seen.Something warm was spreading in his chest,his hands were sweaty as he looked at her coming closer to him.Her dress was still wet,hugging her perfect silhouette,as she walked past him.

«Why were you in the lake?»Jacaerys asked a question instead of answering hers.

Y/n was holding an annoyed expression but a little smile was forming on her face«I had thrown my brushes in it.»she explained.

The young boy looked even more confused now,walking around covered canvas with white sheets and empty easels«And,forgive me for asking,why would you do that?»he said with a chuckle.

«I will answer your question when you will answer mine.»she stated with a playful expression on her sun kissed face.

Jacaerys looked again at the painting on the wall,the purple eyes and silver hair that he never had and still,after all these years,were haunting him every time he looked at himself.The whispers,the nasty glances,the harsh words and his mother reassurances did everything and nothing at the same time to carve on him his true identity.

«I want to be part of something.»he immediately said,after taking a deep breathe.

His mother always told him that,not matter what,he was and always will be a Targaryen.He had a dragon that followed his orders and he was the heir of the Iron Throne.Yet whenever he looked at his family members he felt like an outsider,like he was admiring a beautiful painting from afar.If he knew something more about his family,maybe he could feel part of it.

Y/n sounded content with his answer but she didn’t added anything«I threw my brushes in the lake because my father wants me to marry Ser Gwayne Hightower.»she said suddenly.

Jacaerys cringed at the sound of his name«I can assume that it’s not what you wanted.»

The girl let out a frustrated sound,crossing her arms on her chest«All i want to do is to paint.»she murmured,looking around her small art studio.

«You can still paint after you get married.»Jacaerys stated with nonchalant advice.

«My father fell in love with my mother after he saw her paint in the streets of the Citadel.She was the most talented artist,but after their marriage she had never touched a brush again.»Y/n explained with a distant melancholy.

«We are not our parents.»Jacaerys started with a solid voice and a comforting expression«We can change and still decide what to be and what to do.Even if it’s all already planned for us.»he needed to hear these words as much as her.

«Don’t do that.»Y/n shook her head with a small smile.

Jacaerys smiled with her«Do what?»he asked.

«Make me become a optimist.»she answered«You will ruin my life and i didn’t invite you here for this.»she continued picking up the paint and the brushes that she needed for her next work.

«Why did you invited me here for?»he raised a brown.

As he looked at her,he realized that in a very short time that was a special feeling when he was with her,and he wished that wonder would remain in his life forever.

«I want you to pose for me.»she answered.

After a year in her house,that sensation grew stronger and Y/n was the one that showed him the city,Oldtown,in all its beauty.She was at his bedroom door one morning,a dark cloak in her left hand and a pile of commoners dirty clothes in the other.She was dressed as a boy,light brown pants that were too big for her and a maroon shirt.

«You have to be one with the city to enjoy it at it fullest.»she had told him,shoving the dirty clothes in his hands.

Something told Jacaerys that she was used to sneak out in disguised,to loose herself in the crowd and to be just like everyone else around.

«There is no other place like this in the world,my prince.»Y/n was walking beside him,the first lights in the morning and the ancient architecture framing them.«Sometimes walking in silence,I feel like I'm listening to the voices of those who filled these streets before me.Lives after lives,after other lives,for centuries,and I know that even King’s Landing and Dragonstone are made of centuries of history and people,but you can't recognize every moment of that story overlapping like this,one on the other.»she sounded so in love with the place she was born and grew up with,her eyes scanning every place that learned by heart in the years.

«I’ve never seen something so breathtaking.»Jacaerys confessed,but his eyes weren’t looking,weren’t taking in what the Lady next to him was talking about,they were fixed on the way her lips moved.

«Me neither,no matter how many times i walk here.»she admitted.

«Can i…will i be able to look at if forever?»he didn’t know what he was asking for,but he had to ask.

Maybe he was asking her to be always by his side,to always have something beautiful to look at.

Y/n nodded«Oldtown does not lose its pride,its sincerity,its sarcasm and the uncontrollable cynicism with which for centuries it has watched generations of the world fall in love with it,without ever breaking down.Breathe in Oldtown,Jacaerys,tomorrow it will already be different,tomorrow there will also be your smell,in a hundred years they will still feel it,here nothing is lost.»she reassured him with a gentle smile.

«We will be here forever?»Jacerys said,stood in the middle of the square,people all around them laughing and talking,different shades of colors and tunes of musics.

«We will be here forever.»Y/n repeated with a sincere and strong affirmation«Even when our bones will become ashes and our souls will leave this earth,you will always found us here.»then she took his hand,her fingers latching on his,their skins caressing each other,a silent promise as she started to walk again with him.

In the time they had spent together,Jacaerys had learned that one of Y/n older brothers became a Maester for the Citadel,her older sister was married to Lord Manderly son and was expecting their fourth child,her younger sister was studying to become a Septa and her younger brother was training to be a knight in the capital.

After the first kiss that they shared together,she opened up more to him«They already knew what they wanted,what to be in this big world.»Y/n said to him.

«And you?»Jacaerys asked her one evening.

They were walking slowly in the city streets,a cloak on their shoulders as she showed him all the beauty that history can offer them.Immortals and young at the same time.

«Me?»her sweet voice was surprised,her nose scrunching up in confusion.

«Yes.»he said quietly«What is it that you want?»he asked this time,keeping his gaze on her silhouette.

She seemed to think about,maybe a second or two,no one has aver asked her what she wanted «I want to live near the ocean,in a beautiful house with big windows so that i can watch the water.»she started with a dreamy look in her beautiful eyes«Oh and i also want a room,a small one,just for me where i can paint.»she continued with a small smile on her lips.

Jacaerys heart soared in his chest,a bright smirk on his face was burning his cheeks«Anything else?»he chuckled.

She nodded immediately«I also want you to take me fly on your dragon,»her small face heated up«to see the rest of the world with you.»she added.

«Thats what you want?»his heart was beating loudly in his ear,he almost couldn’t heard her.

But then she smiled brightly,like she was shy«Yes»she nodded again«Would you do it for me?»she asked with a tiny voice.

He pulled her to himself in the dark,under a building,an arch,a slit of the world,pushed her against the wall and kissed her.And if he had gone crazy,to kiss her under the eyes of so many people,she would let him do it and she would have been crazy the same way,or even more,if he had asked her.

«Sometimes,Y/n,»Jacaerys whispered on her lips,behind him the Temple of the Seven stood in all it magnificent«I get doubts about the existence of the Gods.»he confessed to her.

«What?»she murmured confused,opening her eyes to look at how beautiful he was so close to her.

«Shh,»he said,his hand holding her face and thumb against her delicate mouth,«I have doubts about the existence of the Gods.Then I look at you and think that the Gods,even just one of them,must necessarily exist,because Nature cannot be so diabolical to create something so beautiful and prohibit it.»He approached,squinted his thumb on her half-closed lips,and spoke in her ear in a hoarse voice that made her tremble«Nothing is like you and there is nothing that i wouldn’t do to make you happy.You want to see the world?I’ll buy it for you,i’ll give you every centimeters of this earth,every drop of water,all the clouds in the sky.»And it was almost a lament.

«Would you do it for me?»she asked again,she was breathless,cheeks red and hair messy but she was the most beautiful thing in the whole city.

Jacaerys nodded his head slowly«But i will only ask you something in return.»he breathed out,holding himself up with a hand on the wall near her head.

«What is it that you want?»Y/n nose brushed against his,her breath tickling his neck.

«You.»he said immediately«I want you to be my wife,i want you to be mine as i’m yours and even after our deaths our love can still remain right here where we stood.»his lips were on hers again,a way to keep this promise and to be forever tangled with her.

No matter how many squares there would be later,how many statues,staircases,temples, paintings or extraordinary palaces would await them at the end of that darkness,that smile of her as she pronounced a small«I do.»would always be a blasphemy screamed in the face of the Gods,or art,and nothing could ever be more beautiful.Oldtown was just a worthy frame.

Jacaerys never smiled again after that day.That’s was everyone said about him,a joyless man,severely marked by his experiences during the civil war that changed his life forever.The King could be graceful and courtly when it was required,but at the same time had a darkness within him that never went away.The guilt he felt over having abandoned and lost Y/n kept him awake every night.He had known love and it had broken his heart.

Even after years,when everyone moved on,how could he think of looking at and recognizing the same world as before,after loving in that way?How could he imagine going back to living any life after that,after Y/n? How could he think he was the same person?She had changed his name and stole his soul.There was nothing of him without her.

Jacaerys knew it wasn’t fair,not just for them,he had promised and dreamed a life with her but it also wasn’t fair for his wife,Baela,that was caught in the crossfire of a dying love that could never be replaced.

Jacaerys was a good King and a even better father for his five children,but he wasn’t a good husband.He tried his best,but that evening,the day before his thirty three Name Day,the Gods were indeed punishing for letting the day of his birth to also be the day he lost his love,he had spoken to his wife for the first time in the entire week.

Baela was wearing a beautiful dark red dress with golden embroiderers on,her curly hair were tied up on her head with the purest gems between them.She looked beautiful,the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms.

«What are you doing?»Jacaerys voice sounded distant,it made her flinch,stopping her hand before she could reach the handle to open the door.

«I was looking for you.»she stated,composing herself and taking a deep breath.

Baela stood right in front the door where Jacaerys kept hidden,on the inside,what his heart desired the most,something that he wouldn’t share with the rest of the world ever again so that no one could take her away from him again.

«I told you to not come in here.»his face was made of stone,always so serious and dark as he spoke lowly.

Baela nodded,never loosing her pride«I wanted to discuss the plans for your Name Day,before it is too late.»she cleared her throat and held her chin up.

«Not today,to now.»he simply answered.

«You always say this.»her tone was sharp,like her gaze on his taller and broader frame.

«And you never listen!»Jacaerys voice came out harsh,he closed his eyes for a moment when he saw her painful expression.

«Why would I?You never talk to me or even look in my direction if you aren’t forced to do so!»Baela accused him,it was the truth though,he couldn’t bare any of this.

Jacaerys let out a deep sigh«Just take the children to do whatever they want,let Laenor decide.I will join you later in the day.»he simply stated,moving across the room.

«Later in the day?»Baela scoffed,a sour laugh on her lips«She will still be dead tomorrow and the day after and for all the years to come,your children are here and alive and yet you rather spend your time in this tomb than with us!»her anger lashed out,but the silence her harsh words were met with hurt more.

Jacaerys had fire in his eyes.Baela didn't even think he knew how to scream and from that moment on she didn't understand anything.It seemed to her that she was no longer present: she was a spectator of the consequences of her stupidity and her profound naivety.Baela felt his hand squeeze her arm and drag her first along the the hallway,out of the room,and, then, across the lawn.She had always considered him calm,quiet,collected,he was yes taller,but she never thought he had so much strength.His gaze burned,he was out of his mind,yet his body remained calm,of an indefinite and chilling composure.

Hours later,as her husband locked himself in that one room,Baela was sitting in one of the terraces of the Red Keep,sipping some hot tea and looking at the beautiful city below her eyes. She was supposed to be a mask of frustration,humiliation and disappointment. Everything that had happened that afternoon went back and was rewritten,with the new eyes of deception and anger.Because it was what she felt and he understood it and repeated it:

«Not today,not now.» almost like a prayer.

«Hypocrite!Go to the seven hells,Jace!»she screamed as he walked away.Without voice, without strength,without momentum.Almost out of politeness.But he didn’t came back.

«Has he told you anything?»Rhaena asked with a small voice,sitting right across from her and a pitiful expression on her beautiful face.

«Jace never talks about her or the time he had spent at Oldtown.He never talks about anything.»Baela had whispered to her twin sister.

Rhaena gave her a sad smile,squeezing her sister hand«Maybe,one day,he’ll come around.You just have to give him some time.»she tried to reassured her.

«It’s been years and still he loves a dead girl more than he will ever love me.»Baela murmured,she felt bad for thinking these sort of things but seeing her husband,the man that she had always wanted so devoted to a girl that wasn’t there anymore made her heart crumble.

«You have to understand him.»Rhaena started,taking a deep breath«He wasn’t there to protect her and she died without giving him the chance to say goodbye.If i had lost Lucerys in the same way,i don’t know if i would be able to stay alive.»she confessed with a quivering voice and looking down.

Baela stayed quiet,swallowing the hard lump in her throat.She still remembered the night of her wedding,how happy she was when she first saw Jacaerys waiting for her at the altar in the Temple in the city,every girl in the Seven Kingdoms wished to have him but he was hers by the laws of the gods.Then,that same night,after he drunk all the wine he could’ve found,he went on top of her,did what he could and whispered in her ear a name:

«Y/n,my love.»

It was the first time that Baela heard it,the only time that he spoke about her,before closing himself in his private chambers.

Baela was a living woman,his wife,the Queen and the mother of his children.Y/n was a dead girl,a corpse that,just like the Targaryen House tradition,was burned by the fire of his dragon during her funeral.And yet Jacaerys was still completely in love with her.

Baela hated her,his love,his Lady Y/n.She hated her,a girl that she never met and never will,with all the pain she had suffocated in the last years of their marriage,because it was her, because it was him,for all that they meant to each other.Because Y/n represented what Baela wanted to be and she enjoyed the one thing she wanted to have:Jacaerys’love.

She didn’t knew anything about this girl,only a name that her husband whispered like oxygen.Baela also knew that they met in Oldtown when Jacaerys went to study,when she had begged him to take her with him,she often wondered if things would’ve changed of went differently if she went with him,if during that summer,during that three years he had fallen for her,his betrothed,instead that with another girl.

In the long summer of so many moons ago,when Y/n was just a young girl that hated to be called a Lady even though her voice,just like the princesses of the fairytales,breathed roses and Jacaerys knew nothing about love and was certain of not many things in his life,they met for the first time under the sweet dark trees and with the perfume of peaches and honey in the air.

Y/n was everything a girl of her age,of her social status was not supposed to be:loud,inconvenient,wild and with always something to say.She had always been as fragile as porcelain but inside herself she cherished something strong and indestructible. Inside her heart she lived on the sadness that over time had turned into art.

And now that she was gone,she was like the paintings Jacaerys detached from the walls of his room after she left.She stayed like the rectangular marks left on the walls.

Now he looked at her image like he did every day,at the same hour,from the same spot,letting his dark eyes memorize every piece,very small detail that he so meticulously had engraved in his brain,in his heart.

Over the long and painful years,Jacaerys would often dream of her.His bright light in an ocean of darkness,whose despair mirrored his own,and whose love brought him a joy he had never felt,and have not felt since.

Years ago,this room was supposed to be her art studio,a reserved place where it was always sunny and bright,where she could watch the ocean,the way the waters shined under the rays of the sun and the waves crashed on the shore.A place where she could’ve taught to their children how to paint,where she wouldn’t have to be the Queen,just herself,just the person that he loved more than anything else in the world.

Instead,it became a tomb for his memory of her.Jacaerys had conserved everything she had gave him,the flowers she used to pick from the gardens,the little silly doodles that she made of them and her ghostly and everlasting presence.He thought that if he painted what haunted him,he could free himself of her forever.In all these years,he had never been more wrong about anything.

She was everywhere,in the air that burned his lungs,in all the salty tears that washed down his face,in the sound of the rain,in the laughter of his children through the corridors,in the flowers in the meadows,in the sun that welcomed him every morning and in the moon that accompanied him to sleep every night.

In his private chambers,in that small and quiet room,away from everyone else eyes and presence,Jacaerys had let in only the best artists,the most talented painters he could had find in the Seven Kingdoms.

It took years,after his coronation and arranged marriage with his cousin Baela,to finally find someone who was able to represent his biggest fear,the only thing that made his heart ache and beat again,that made his blood flow in his veins,his eyes water and his lips trembling with the whisper of a faint name:

«Y/n.»

His Lady Y/n was as beautiful as the day he had lost her,pale and serene.

Her image was painted right on the stone wall,not on a canvas and definitely not restrained by any frame.Jacaerys wanted her to be free by any restrictions and to occupy all the space,every centimeters like she did with his mind and all of his memories.

She was there,so close to him that if he wanted he could reach forward and let his hand,even his fingertips trace briefly the curves of her frame.But he never did,to touch her it would be a sin,a privilege that he had lost and he’s punishing himself for it.

She was there in the middle of a lake,just like when he first laid his eyes on her,when he first met her and felt his heart skip a beat,his mouth dry and palms sweaty.Surrounded by the awestruck swans,a nymph she had been,a real nymph like the ones he used to read in the ancient books,submerging her skin like roses in the crystalline waters.Her hips like a flower shrouded by foam seemed to turn golden,bathed by the light coming through the leaves.Her collarbones like wings spread from the base of her throat to the ends of her shoulders.A bird held down by skin.

She was paler than dead,her eyebrows were smooth and thin and angular like in every antique portrait.Her lips were pursed,her mouth scarlet red and her teeth set close together,her soft eyes were looking right into his,shining with the sweetest melancholy.Her face was turned,up in search for the light like the most precious flower.

Her marvelous poetry,her splendid sensibility her tragic and beautiful mouth made him quiver.Jacaerys was the King,but in front of her,of the beautiful,young and full of life girl that she once was before she had became immortal before his eyes,he was nothing but just the young and naive boy full of love that she once met.

A broken porcelain vase and a now dry,light pink dress,that still smelled like her,was all that remained in that room of the first time they shared a kiss and understood what loving someone meant.

She was love,Y/n was his love.

Jacaerys loved her way of seducing him,a flirtatious look,an indiscreet smile,they wete part of her weapons as a beautiful lady,of which he declared himself defenseless.

These were things he loved in her,he loved her flaws,the nobility of her feelings,her way of seeing life,he loved her optimism and the way she encouraged others,she was a miracle that fate has sent to give him inspiration with a beautiful smile.

Like a beautiful flower that opens its petals to receive the sun's rays after receiving the morning tuft.Like a beautiful flower,the one on a cliff,it resists the weather,drought,rain, strong winds,strengthening one's being,to face day by day,opening the petals to beautify the landscape,always with a beautiful smile.Like a beautiful lotus flower,which,regardless of where it grows,rises with great beauty.This is how his Y/n’s love was,that with her mere presence she give beauty,her journey she begin to sigh to hearts.

Before that day,before kissing her for the first time,Jacaerys have not noticed love.

But for Y/n,he was so easy to fall in love with.He made her feel safe,he made everything feel like an adventure with a hand always on the small of her back to guide her.He laughed at things easily,he was kind,gentle,sweet and thoughtful.He listened to her words and to her silences.

«Come here.»he said to her one day,opening his arms wide,and she went.

«Stay.»he begged her,and she stayed,she wished she could had stayed with forever.

They were in her art studio,it had been months since they met for the first time and since she asked him to pose for him.

Y/n stood there,proud,never in awe and with a beauty so brazen as to intimidate the centuries of literature and art that framed her.Even though her house was a museum,not a single item could’ve compared to her.

«Don’t look at me.»she murmured,even though her eyes were set on the wall she was painting she could still feel his stare on her figure«Keep your chin down and look at the window.»she instructed him.

It was easy for her to say,but it was hard for Jacaerys to do it when the only thing he wanted to look at it was her.Y/n was a few feet from him,her hair were messily tied up her head,but some of them still managed to fell down on her beautiful face.Her body was wrapped in a delicate pink dress,a white apron stained with paint,she was barefoot as always.Nothing out there,outside the windows,was worth looking when she stood there like a little goddess.

Jacaerys was sitting on footstool and he was trying his hardest to remain still and to look where she asked.The marigolds,the daisies,the tulips were so plain,Y/n skin was smoother than any of their petals,her lips plumper and her scent enough to drive him crazy.

«I thought that she was the one naked and chained.»Jacaerys observed as he took a quick glance at was she was painting.

On the wall next the door,it was represented Argella Durrandon and Orys Baratheon.She was the daughter and only child of Argilac the Arrogant,the last Storm King.After her father was killed in Aegon's Conquest,she married Orys Baratheon,the first Lord of Storm's End,founding the new House Baratheon.

They delivered her to Orys,naked and chained. Orys,however,covered her with his cloak and treated her chivalrously,the next day he had married her.

«She is.»Y/n muttered,cleaning one of her brushes to use a different color.

Jacaerys hummed,his cheeks were a little red«He is too.»he noticed.

The two people were naked,their body fluids like they couldn’t feel the heavy chains on their wrists and ankles.Holding each other,trying to cover each other with his cloak,their eyes locked and their lips a centimeter away.

«They are the same,is what love do to us.»Y/n told him,taking a step back to admire her unfinished work.

«My bones are your bones.»Jacaerys whispered,getting up and quoting an old poet that they had read together.

«Where you go i go,what you see i see.»Y/n nodded,continuing it.«Argella was given to him as a slave,but he freed her and made her his wife.Orys was a bastard child,but for her it was the first man that treated her like a person.They were both chained all their lives,they were the same.»she said,her eyes were soft like the sound of her voice.

Equals,on the same level.That what Jacaerys felt when he was with her,understood.Like he was missing a piece and the hole was filled whenever she was near,like he was drowning and she was air.A balance,something safe and comforting.They were the same,Y/n was chained by her father choices and Jacaerys was chained by his mothers.

«If Gwayne Hightower won’t let you paint,he’s a total idiot.»Jacaerys said suddenly,surprising her«Because he will miss how beautifully and uniquely you view the world.»it pained him to smile to her like that.

Y/n eyes widened,her cheeks were rosy as she tried to hide the way her heart was beating.Jacaerys was so much closer now,she could feel his shoulder touching hers,see all the dark shades of his eyes.

«The world is always beautiful,you just have to look at it the right way.»she told him.

Jacaerys shook his head«The world is beautiful when you look at it.»he said,his fingers were trembling as tried to reach for hers.

Their invisible chains were entangling on each other,every ring was forged with heavy duties,promises and responsibilities.At both ends a marriage,unspoken words that were trying to drag them away from each other.

But we can't be with anyone,we're made for a few people.Jacaerys was made for being loved by Y/n,she was made for being loved by him.On the same level,equals.His bones were her bones.

«Jace-»she took a few step back,knowing where it was going to lead.

They both tried in these months that they had spent together to not give in,to suffocate the burning desire that was growing between them.Anyone could seen that something was blooming,something pure and soft that needed to be protected by the harsh weight of reality.He was to be married to his cousin and to become King,she was to be some else wife.

«I think i love the version of myself that i’am when I’m with you.»he confessed,his breath was rapid«I love what I become,what I no longer hide,everything you make me reveal.»he sounded relieved but also in pain as he took in her ethereal figure.

«I didn’t do anything-»she dismissed him,she was becoming shy.

«I love everything about you,that's probably why i love myself when i'm with you.»his heartbeat was ringing in his ears,but he could still hear hers perfectly in tune with his«Whenever i’m with you i feel like i’m part of something.»he breathed out almost killing her.

Y/n made him feel at home,like everything in him was right.That yearning feelings,that desire to be part of something became real,he was part of her now.They spoke the same language,breathed the same air.She looked at him with different eyes and he couldn’t help to give her his heart.

«I think it’s about to rain.»she said,picking up the porcelain vase where the dirty brushes where.

As she made her way out of the room,a hand placed on her chest to keep her heart in it,she felt like she was about to explode.For Y/n painting was the metaphor for control.Every choice was hers:the canvas,the color.As a child she had neither a sense of the world nor a place inside it,but art taught her that our vision is only achieved with the will.The same goes for life. As long as she didn’t allow someone to get in her way.

Jacaerys went in the way.He was everywhere,he was her.The other half.She didn’t had control whenever he was around,her thoughts became his,her choices revolved around him.For the first time in her life she knew what she wanted.And the incessant and tormented desire of love,for her,was him.

He was walking fast behind her«Stop following me.»she yelled,quickening her pace,her face was hot and she was right,it was about to rain.

«I’m afraid I can’t.»Jacaerys said«My heart calls for yours.»it sounded like a lament.

Y/n immediately frozen on her feet,almost tripping on the stairs that were leading to the gardens«Shh!»she whispered looking around to make sure nobody had heard«There can be people everywhere here!»she warned him embarrassed.

Jacaerys was in front of her now,so handsome that he looked like she had drawn him«Do you think I care?I’ve been hiding all my life,I won’t hide what I feel for you.»he stated proudly.

«What you think you feel for me.»she corrected him,but when he took a step closer she didn’t moved an inch this time.

The gesture encouraged him even more«I know what my soul is been aching for.My love for you can’t even be contained in it.»he chuckled.

«Love is not measured my prince»Y/n had told him that evening,holding the porcelain vase in her hands,her beautiful skin gleaming under the cloudy sky and her hair messy from the sweet wind«it is not in what we do or say.Love is what we are.And I know who you are.»she had breathed out,almost as she was shy to admit it out loud.

Y/n didn’t seem to have noticed love too.As Jacaerys eyes cried out “I love you”,as in a sigh his heart fell exhausted,as with a smile of hers or with her sweet voice his soul vibrates.She didn't notice it with a caress of the tips of his hands,with the touch of his lips on her skin,with the intention of caressing her heart and kissing her soul.She haven't noticed that with her presence alone she changed his days,spring is in his heart even though the long winter was upon them.Y/n did not notice that:Jacaerys breathe her breath,it is oxygen for his desires,food for his feelings,fertile soil where the seed of love grows,he breathe her breath,in the preamble of a kiss,before savoring the nectar of her mouth,putting an end to a drought,with this expectation to feel her lips next to mine,selling their love with silent promise.

«We wasted so many months.»he had breathed on her sweet tasting,cherry colored lips«All we did was talk,while we could’ve been doing this.»he said,angry for her mouth again.

Y/n smiled in the kiss,he was the first to lain in«Have you been thinking about this?.»she asked,a hint of teasing in her voice as she caressed his sun kissed cheeks.

Jacaerys nodded his head,his eyes hazy,his heart was beating so fast he thought that it could escape his chest«Every time that i was watching you paint,all i could think about was kissing you senseless.»he admitted with a light chuckle.

He had spent many evenings in her company,in silent,taking or arguing about something stupid in her little art studio near the lake.Watching her being so passionate about something,the way her hair glimmered,her hands moving,all of her attention on what she was doing.He felt stupid for being jealous,to wanting her to touch him in the same way,to paint him and being passionate towards him in the same way.

The girl in his arms gasped,a little laugh tickled the back of her throat«Don’t you dare.You would’ve ruined my concentration.»she scolded him lovingly.

«Am i that distracting?»Jacaerys asked raising a brow,already knowing the answer to his question.

Y/n seemed to became smaller in his loving embrace and he pulled her closer to him,sheltering her«When i look at you,sometimes i feel overwhelmed that you exist.»she whispered,only him could make her feel so self conscious about herself.

She had never tried to paint what she felt for him,because to do it she would have to invent a new color.Y/n simply find comfort in the fact that he existed.When she sees him she got this feeling of relief,to known that she was alive and near him.

«You were right,it's going to rain.»he said,noticing how the sky had become darker«In every drop of rain there is a little hope;isn't that how you said?But then,what does that mean?»he asked with a small smile.

«It means that every drop of rain holds the promise of regrowth.»she answered«Every drop has its purpose,even if it doesn't know it.I believe that it can happen to us too to feel purposeless,but we have it.»she continued.

«Well,i have one now.»he said,caressing her chin lovingly.

«Do you?»she giggled.

«Yes.»he hummed«May i kiss you again?»Jacaerys asked,filling his heart with the feeling of her skin,supple and fresh,not blemished with the sickness that is death.

«Now?»Y/n said,looking around as she heard the sound of voices coming through the gardens.

And he smiled,that bright and slow smile again«Now is preferable,but i can do it for the rest of my life too.»he murmured before kissing her again and again and again.

But it was a lie,a horrible and disgusting lie.They didn’t have that time and she didn’t have the rest of his life.As she became dissolving flesh and melting bones,Jacaerys grew up in a man that wished to be alone with her once again.To be in that gardens,to watch her paint,to hear her voice and touch her young and precious skin again.

Jacaerys had dream of it again that night.

Y/n face,her familiar eyes.In his dreams she was still with him.Sometimes,when he touched her,her warmth seemed so real that he was out of breath.The eyelids trembled,the heart stretched and then tore in pain.He was bleeding in the silence of the night,alone,suffocating in the pillow the agony that during the day I tried at all costs to suppress.

He dreamed to hear her laugh.

«I miss you and i’m so sorry.»he whispered.His voice cracked.He hated it when it happened, because it made it even more real.It was like admitting that she wasn't there.That she would never be there anymore.That those memories were the only thing he had left.

Her eyes,her sweetness and her good heart.It had been a piece of advice,a perfume,a secretly given caress

Coming closer to the stone wall,Jacaerys,touched it.His fingers trembling like he had felt the cold water that was hugging her body.He couldn’t bring himself to trace his fingertips over her small figure,but he felt the itching desire to touch the painted water,to touch at least something that she had been part of and that loved.He doesn’t indulge it or grasp at it though.He gently absorbs a fleeting glimmer of something delicate that she had left behind,her love for the water,ocean,the lake at her parents house.Something that was part of her and just like her,he couldn’t hold it anymore.

How many things he would give,his crown,his own life to be the water that touched her skin,that held her so closely.Just once again,it would’ve been more than enough for him,to touch and feel her skin,inhale her scent just for a second again.

He kept his eyes were his hand was,he couldn’t look into hers but they were all he could think about.He memorized her face as if it was his mirror or a prayer that needs to be said every night.He would forget his name before he forgets her.

Then like a ghost,a mournful memory,she seemed to walk through the room,a white halo following her.Soft like a holy flower,her body seemed to be carved out from marble.Sparkly and calm eyes,her beautiful eyes,ruby lips,rosy cheeks.All her grace was in her vagueness,her voice was distant and soft,her manner languid,her features blurred and dreamy.She looked like a cruel immortal,finding her spiritual feast in the agonies of his dying heart.

The last time that he saw her was when he came back for her,after flying back to Dragonstone when his mother throne was usurped by his uncle,she was dead.She was killed and he couldn’t erase the imagine from his nightmares.It felt like he was looking at the painting of Gael Targaryen on the wall in her art studio.

Such a cruel faith to be abandoned and to be killed by the two things she loved the most:his love and water.Y/n was dying,gasping for air,trying to breathe,falling deeper and deeper into the darkness as her fragile body sank under the cold water.One of the soldiers that sympathized for the Greens had his rough hands around her delicate,thin neck as he was drowning her in the lake of her house.Then he left her lifeless body under the cold rain for Jacaerys to find.A threat,a challenge.

That night Oldtown burned,thousands had died for his love.He did too,he loved her so much that he had let her kill him,he will always adore her like a drowned person adore the sea.

«You are here early.»her ghost spoke to him with a tender whisper.

Jacaerys closed his eyes,they were burning«I missed you.»he said with a shaky tone.

«You should stop to come here.»she told him,moving quietly behind him.

He shook his head«I can’t live without you,without seeing your face.»

«But i’m not here,i don’t exist anymore.»she remained him.

«My bones are your bones.»he repeated«This is more than enough for me,till what will remain of me will lay with you.»he gestured at the portrait he was looking at.

«I wish you shouldn’t be doing this.»she smiled sadly.

«Me too.»he suppressed a cry«I wanted you to be my wife,the mother of my children.I’m sorry that life couldn’t gave us this.»he was shaking.

Then he felt a caress,like the wind in the spring«I will find you in another one.Where we will be free by any chain and you can kiss me every time you will se me paint.»it was a promise.

He blinked.He felt the acrid sensation behind his tongue again.He tried to breathe but his heart slowed down with heavy,suffocating thuds,a bruise with every beat.He took a step back as if to withdraw from the pain,his eyes were squinting around,warm and lost.The pain of climbed into his heart and he tried not to deform under that weight,but it was useless.

The throat closed and the sight flatned.Jacaerys soul was crumpled.Y/n absence collapsed on me all at once again . Sometimes it didn't seem possible to him. Sometimes it was as if that day in the garden had never existed,as if he was still expecting to see her come in the door,greet him and take him home.Sometimes he even thought he saw it among people,behind a man's hat or over the window of his room.

It was just an instant,but his eyes deluded him and his heart fell for it.«Endure»whispered Y/n voice,and the pain reached an unbearable peak. He felt the rubble inside him asking him to scream,vent,burst once and for all.She was eroding me from the inside.

Soon Y/n would take everything:his soul,his eyes,even his voice.They say there are five stages of mourning.The first is negation.The rejection of the loss,the inability to accept such a radical shock.The others are anger, processing,depression and finally acceptance. Jacaerys didn't recognize myself in any.He didn't want to reject reality.He couldn't make it happen.He was under the illusion of getting by, suppressing a pain that then exploded like a caged creature.He had put a key to his heart, but suffering is not something he could tame.

It breathes with him.It feeds on his hopes.It drinks his dreams,his looks and his fears.It sits at the table and watches him eat.He could pretend not to see it,but it won't leave him. Every now and then it whispers something to him.It has the sweetest voice in the world,but it's a heart-rung song.He can't forget it.It learns to wait for him.And it fits him,just like a living creature.Learn to live in his own silence,fly through his nightmares,dig into the dark and take root.It looks more like him than anyone else.The suffering is him.I took a deep breath, crossing his reflection.The reddened eyes contained the pain that he could no longer suffocate.He kept strangling it,suppressing it, locking it up and gagging it in his most hidden ravines.

And looking at that familiar face in his soul,Jacaerys prayed that he could see Y/n again,one day.So as to show her the empty shell that he was without her — and then he would have caressed her,but with her own sweetness.Squeezing her until she merged with his heart,he would say to her:«Endure with me, because I can't do it alone.»

He had known love and it had broken his heart.

He had finally understood one thing:there are thousands of ways to die in the world.Those who kill you outside,and those who kill you inside.But there is only one engraved with your name and it beats in another person's chest.

«Stay»he whispered to her.«Stay in the room. Stay in this moment.Stay with me.»he pleaded.

But of course she never does.She wasn’t there anymore.She was immortal,stuck and framed forever in his heart and in between the art and history of the city they fell in love in.

[mamawasatesttube]

Hurt/comfort prompts, 28. "No one's mad at you."

28. "No one's mad at you."

In the end, Kara is the one who finds him, hiding behind the clouds somewhere over the Pacific.

“Everyone’s worried about you,” she says, settling onto the same strip of sky at his side. Her skirt billows in the frigid breeze; the sun glints off her wavy hair. Kon’s tried to get her to actually maintain her curls, but she just shrugs him off and brushes them out, saying between flights and fights, her hair always gets messed up anyway.

He makes a noncommital noise, rubbing his fingers along the ridge of Krypto’s brow. Krypto’s tail thumps lazily against his back. “Mm.”

Kara flicks his shoulder. “Oh, don’t do that.”

“Do what?” Kon glances at her, wary. If she’s about to tell him off for needing some space after Luthor tried to fucking violate his mind, again, he swears he’ll scream. It doesn’t matter that the control broke after less than ten seconds, that Kon was able to fight it off successfully. It’s that that fucking monster won’t stop trying to turn him into a weapon, no matter what he does, and he’s… he’s…

Ten seconds, and he leveled half a city block.

But Kara doesn’t say that. She just pretends to shudder, nudges his arm, and says, “The weird grunting thing. You’re spending too much time with that Bat of yours.”

…Oh.

Kon’s defensive, devastated thoughts grind to a halt.

“He’s not mine,” Kon mutters, cheeks heating. It’s—weird. You’d think a living weapon wouldn’t get humanizing characteristics like “picking up mannerisms from people he loves”, wouldn’t you? “And I was not Bat-grunting.”

“Sure, cousin. Denial is the first step.” Kara pats his shoulder.

They sit in a strangely companionable silence for a few minutes. Kon keeps rubbing Krypto’s head, scratching behind one ear and then the other. The wind whistles and whips around them; Kon’s jacket and Kara’s skirt flap noisily.

Her hand comes to rest on his shoulder again. “…Kon, no one’s mad at you. You know that, right?”

Kon bites the inside of his lip, hard. “I’m mad at me.”

He half-expects her to exclaim indignantly that he shouldn’t be, that it wasn’t his fault, that he can’t possibly think that. She gets mad at anything that seems unfair, including a lot of Kon’s thoughts about himself; he still remembers how pissed at him she was when he said he didn’t think he count as a real Kryptonian, not like her or Kal.

But instead… Kara just sighs. Slides her hand over and drapes her arm over his shoulders. Pulls him into her side. Kon’s stiff for a moment, but he’s never been good at turning away from comfort, even when he doesn’t deserve it. He’s weak like that.

“I know,” she says, the wind whipping the words from her mouth. “I still… Everyone tells me what happened to New Krypton—to my mother—wasn’t my fault, but even now, I have trouble believing it.”

It’s almost laughable. Kon’s half of a city block was far less damage than the destruction of the entirety of New Krypton; what Kon is feeling now is only a drop in the bucket compared to Kara’s pain. And that wasn’t her fault. This, today, was his. They’re not at all comparable.

“Say what I know you’re thinking right now, and I’ll spike you into the ocean,” she threatens.

Kon snorts. “Won’t say it, then.”

“Stop thinking it!” Kara lightly swats the side of his head. Kon almost laughs.

 After a moment, he sags further into her side. “…Thanks,” he mumbles. She only hums, threading her fingers into his hair, and for a little while more, they sit together in the wide blue sky.

[milkywaydrabbles]

Your work is amazing! It's a pleasure to read them. I would also like to ask. Could Alucard and the reader spend time with each other in nature, say during a picnic. =3

A/N: Thanks so much for enjoying my silly little stories ;A; thank you for the request, I love a good slice of life drabble with Alucard he deserves the world.

Alucard x reader just enjoying each other's company

The chilly autumn air ran through your bones,body shivering for a moment before snuggling into your cardigan. It was cooler in the morning than it would be midday, but you wanted more than anything to experience the calm of the early morn with the love of your life. You felt the warmth of his loving arms wrap around you, pulling at the edges of your sweater to make sure you were bundled up. "Are you sure you want to go out darling? We can have a nice breakfast inside" always worried about you. You should your head with a smile, bounding up the hill where you knew you’d see the most beautiful sunrise “hush now, and hurry up Adrian--we’ll miss it if we don’t hurry.” He huffed a laugh, and carried on with you anyways. 

The dhampir followed behind you with a smile, and started to set up your makeshift picnic at the top of the hill for you. Really, he’d do anything for you, no matter how silly it sounded. This was one of those times, really, it would be cold this morning--you both knew that. But you wanted to ‘spend quality time outside’. And really, how is he supposed to say no to you when you clearly are always thinking of him? He poured you a cup of tea (he was so smart for bringing a kettle pre made to make sure you were kept warm--you’ll tell him so for weeks after this) and brought you close to his chest after the both of you settled on the blanket. 

“Thank you for carrying everything up, Adrian.” You whispered, breaking off a piece of bread to feed him while he held you, kissing his cheek as he chewed. “Anything for you, my dove.” You both sat in near silence, the songs of the mourning doves and rustling of the leaves in the wind reminding you of the beauty and peace in the world. No matter the hardships, and tribulations you’ve both had to face within the last few months--it was worth it, living like this, with your soulmate. 

Alucard couldn’t believe this was his life now. After the death of his mother, the fall to insanity of his father, and all the other tragedies that befell him made him feel powerless--like that would be his life forever. That he would lead a life of solitude, of agony, of pain. He’d never find anything good in the world, ready to make his castle his tomb. And yet, you found him. You found him, saw the beauty behind those pained eyes, and pressed on no matter how much he tried to push humanity away. You were there, and you saved him of his own created fate. He doesn’t think he’d ever be able to tell you just how much he’s grateful. For now, he’d simply show you with everything he has how much you mean to him.

Your gasp broke through his thoughts, and followed to where your finger was pointing--the most gorgeous combination of colors you’ve seen in the sky. The sun was now rising, and the mixture of orange and red hues, the purple and pink splatters across the horizon, really was breathtaking. “Look at how gorgeous, Adrian, do you see?” You smiled at him for a moment before turning your attention again to the sunrise. His hands tightened around you, eyes never leaving your frame. “Absolutely stunning..” He whispered, smile on his face. As much as he appreciated the sky, nothing would ever take the place of how beautiful he thought you were. You turned to him again and saw the loving look in his eyes locking on to yours, you couldn’t help but let out a bashful giggle. “I meant the the sky, Adrian. Did you even look?” You teased, and he simply kissed at your face making you laugh more. “Of course I did, my love--but the most beautiful sight is already in my arms.” The two of you stayed up on the hill, enjoying each other’s company with giggles and kisses in between bites of food, hearing the birds chirp and small creatures scurry around you until the rest of the world woke up. Alucard was finally happy, and he would show you how in love he was for the rest of his life.

[cannibalsrider]

Ill betray you like a man

wc. 2,705

pairings: post timeskip! atsumu x mangaka!fem reader

warnings: mentions of alcohol,mentions of sex and hookups, unhealthy relationships, hurt/no comfort, actual pure pain, wtv else for tags I'm not sure

an: i rlly liked writing this i might make a part 2 for this if you guys like this but send requests if u have any characters and prompts you want written for!

Tokyo had seemed colder that night. The two of them sat on the curb in front of the bar where they and their friends had always seemed to be regulars. But tonight was different. It was just the two of them—no Bokuto, Meian, Hinata, or anyone else to steer the conversation. It was unusually quiet for them. The only light flickering between them was the click of her lighter as she let the cigarette hang from her lips. Atsumu moved his hands as if it were second nature to help her light it after she struggled and grumbled strings of incoherent curses at the wind.

“Thank you,” Y/N mumbled as she took a long drag from the cigarette. The smell seemed to relax them both after the long day they had. Atsumu gave a small nod as he watched her for a moment. Something in him felt the memories of high school returning—the late nights they would sit outside after a long day, or after losing to Karasuno in their second year when they sat in the cold night watching the stars just to comfort each other. It seemed like a recurring thing, them sitting outside together like this throughout their relationship and their friendship afterward. It might seem cliché to think about it, even after so many partners they’ve both had since high school, but something always seemed to keep them tied together as if it was fate for them to hurt this much.

“Thanks for the drinks,” he told her with a soft smile, earning him a nod.

“You always buy mine, so I just thought to return the favor,” she responded, flicking the ash from her cigarette. “Plus, you deserved it after today’s game. You did good,” she told him, the praise making him grin. Oh god, that grin always had her in a chokehold. How could he sit there and look so pretty after spending so long on the court? Why did she always want him the moment she was finally fine? It was like she had always known she was meant to be hurt but still be with him, to grow old together with her working on her manga and him in volleyball. It was supposed to be fate, right?

“It only went so well because you were in the stands watching us,” he blurted out, his voice devoid of the usual cocky tone he always wore but instead sincere, like the night he had first asked her out. She almost wanted to laugh at the thought that he believed she made him play better. She always felt like he was miles ahead of everyone in sports and some aspects of their former school life. He had always been the sun, and she was the moon. She always circled him, never able to catch up to his pace.

“You don’t need me to make you play better, Atsu. We both know you’re the star on that court every time you get on it,” she murmured, her voice soft and soothing to his ears like a lullaby in a drunken haze.

“You always made me play better ever since we were little,” he returned. At that moment, Atsumu just seemed to want to stare into her eyes for as long as he could, just to see the beauty he could always find in her no matter how drunk or sad she was. She had been the brightness in the night sky leading him back home. No matter who broke his heart, she would always be there to mend whatever the person broke.

“Because you’re my favorite player I’ve ever seen,” she hummed with a small smile. The cigarette lifted with the curve of her shiny lips, a small ring of red pigment visible if you looked as hard as Atsumu always had at her lips. To him, she was a goddess living among mortal humans, but to her, he was the mortal she always returned to, so that she could feel something away from the gods’ wrath reigning down on the mortals who had dared to anger them.

It was stupid, in a way, how Atsumu and Y/N had always sought out the other in the partners they had since their breakup on graduation day. It was like they yearned for a memory to stick with them of the other, even if it was forbidden for them to keep each other as they once had. The secret nights on the roof of the abandoned building near her house, or how his mother and grandma treated her as if she was more family than just a friend or their son and grandson's girlfriend—it was like she had wiggled her way into the hearts of everyone, even the lives of their upperclassmen and juniors. She was always there for them all but always seemed to stay Atsumu's number one fan.

It probably seemed so dumb to still hold onto the hope that he would ask her to stay with him, and they would become those grumpy old people who liked to yell at teenagers running all over their garden when they were with friends. Or how she always described her grandma and grandpa to be like—an arranged marriage still blossoming into love until their last breaths, out of pure devotion for one another. Maybe in another universe, he would have asked her to stay, and she would have stayed with him, and they lived out their dreams together instead of a loop of, "This is a one-time thing, Atsu. We can't get attached. We aren't seventeen anymore." He knew she wasn't lying; he was her favorite player, even with the wins and losses he had in high school. She was always his biggest supporter, but now it was a rare sight to see her at his games. She always found a way to make it up to him.

It was like he was the guard dog, and she was the sacrificial lamb who was always meant to be hurt from birth. He wanted to protect her from the fate she believed she was doomed to stay with till death. "That's a lot coming from someone who only remembers volleyball players if we went to school with them or if you met them while we went out drinking after games," he responded after a lick of silence. God, he must have looked like an idiot staring at her for so long.

"I was always more into art instead of sports, like you and 'Samu, but look at us now. We're all doing something that makes us happy," she said in response as she stared back at him. The air felt so stale, even with them sitting outside. For her, it felt like the lump in her throat she couldn't make go away just at the sight of him and that dopey smile he had since they were young. It all hurt too much to even bear, but she still did. She always would if it meant making him happy, no matter the cost. She had to, didn't she?

"Remember that poster you made for the volleyball club in our second year?" he asked her with a small chuckle. He remembered it so well for some reason—the look of her so excited to have helped her best friend get more popular in the sport he had grown in so much.

"Oh god, I remember it. I think it was one of my first pieces of digital art. I had mixed in with the yearbook club president's help. I still have some of the photos at my apartment, I think," she responded, exhaling the smoke she held in her cheeks. He had always thought they were so soft, even when she had little blemishes. It was always his favorite thing to touch, never in a wrong way, just in the idea that he always wanted to be close to her when she was near. Whether it was simple contact between them or just the knowledge she was there watching him at a game, even though she didn't understand anything happening, all that mattered was that it was them together. That's all it was. It had to have been; it couldn't have been more than it was.

"I'll have to come over and see them sometime. I'd think the social media manager would love to use some of my old pics for a throwback post or something," he huffed with a small grin. She perked up.

"There's a beautiful park not far from here if you wanna go for a walk. Since I'm pretty sure we both are probably too drunk to drive currently, Atsu," she said with a laugh that made his stomach churn with regret of the past. A smile turned up at the corner of his lip.

He stood up, brushing his dusty hands off on his jeans. “C’mon then, we’re not getting any older here sitting on the curb like we’re waiting for something to happen,” he told her with a smile, holding out his hand. She smashed the lipstick-stained cigarette on the concrete before taking his hand.

“I’ll show you the way. I found it when I was researching for a good location in this last chapter,” she told him, dropping the bud into a little cigarette can so they didn’t stay on the pavement.

“How did the readers like it, anyway? You never told me?” Atsumu asked, his tone curious. He was always eager to learn about how her manga was doing since she had always drawn stuff you’d think would be shoujo, not a story about a schoolgirl managing the troubles of normal life, like falling in love and meeting her soulmate, Kasai, from childhood. Even with all the pain and suffering they had caused each other since childhood, mixed with the looming threat of a man who could control much of Japan’s population as he searched for the power the girl held deep inside her—a secret not even revealed to Kasai.

“A lot of them got upset since I’d been on a break for like a week after spraining my hand when I got really drunk with Saeko and Yachi,” she answered with a soft smile. She always knew her fans could be a bit crazy. She was just glad she had always remained under a pen name, so her friends wouldn’t get harassed by people who didn’t like it or who did and would pester her siblings or parents about it. “But they’ll be fine. They always will be since I released a lot of new sketches for them to see. My editor says the fans really like them so far in this current arc,” she added, her smile never wavering as she led him down the blinding Tokyo streets lit up with different signs and billboards.

They walked towards what Atsumu knew was a constantly bustling area of Tokyo's back streets, full of natives and tourists alike. But who cared about everyone else? All that mattered to them was each other. Her footsteps made a soft crunch with each step as they got closer to the park. He could make out a swing set and a set of slides in the distance. The park seemed full to the brim with little toys left by children who must have visited before them.

“It’s really pretty, Y/N,” he told her with a kind smile. She ran over to one of the swings and sat down, as if she were a little girl once again with the same chubby cheeks, wanting to get to the swings first so she could make one of the Miya brothers push her. But now, she had grown into her body, those chubby cheeks transforming into the soft pillows of flesh that had scratched an itch in his brain he never knew he had the first time he cradled her face.

It was weird. The first time he remembered the two kissing was at a park eerily similar to this, when they had gone for a practice match with Nekoma. He remembered the cherry blossom tree right behind the set of swings, hanging over it like a shield to protect the life of a soldier who had fought through God knows what horrors. Instead, it was a tree soaked in the memories of its viewers.

Atsumu seemed to have wanted to be around her forever—the smell of cigarettes, alcohol, and her perfume strangling his nose. It felt comforting, knowing she was with him, even though it wasn't like how it was when they were younger. It was still something he would never take for granted again, as long as he breathed. He moved behind her, watching each movement he could spot as she waited for him to push her. “Do you think you would have stayed when I asked, Y/N?” he said, loud enough for her to hear. Her movements stilled, as if she was holding her breath as tight as she could, trying to wake herself up. Maybe God was just trying to torture her for the sins of her current and past lives, wanting to take vengeance for whatever she must have done. Maybe she had killed one of his angels in some form they had taken, or he just wished for her to atone for her sins in this form, having to face this question she always dreaded.

“You never asked, so I don’t think we’ll ever find out, Atsu,” she responded. Her voice seemed so lost, as if she was unsure if it was the right thing to say, but she had to respond. She couldn’t leave him like that.

Y/N shot up from her spot on the bed. Her body felt ice-cold, like it was all just a cruel joke her mind wanted to play on her. That night, she couldn’t remember anything except the vague memory of going out drinking with the twins and some of their friends from high school and the team after a match between EJP and MSBY—a seemingly nice reunion for them all, except for the drunk hookups that always happened between Atsumu and her. Every time, she would say how she hated him for what he did to her and that she didn’t want him getting attached again because it wouldn’t work in any universe. Y/N and Miya Atsumu would never be a couple. It would always fail, and they would never be happy with each other, no matter the blissful times they might share. It was all over. They couldn’t cling to the hope that the connection would be there just like it was in high school. She looked over and saw Atsumu passed out, half-naked, and noticed some of her clothes scattered on the floor beside his bed. God, this felt like she was back in college again, doing the walk of shame back to her apartment after a drunken hookup. But instead, it was like a human torture machine was her heart, always dragging the deep feelings of resentment from her heart she hoped would never surface again.

She grabbed her loose pieces of clothing from the night prior. Should she feel guilty leaving him like this? She had to have felt something deep down inside as she left his bedroom without saying a single word to wake him, but something in her knew he was probably wide awake. He always was. It was like clockwork—he would get up before her and watch her every morning after, like a love-stricken dog, just like how she used to be for him for God knows how many years, like a loyal dog following its master to its grave. Instead, she was just a girl who fell too hard and allowed herself to get hurt over something so stupid.

In the end, Y/N and Miya Atsumu would always be meant to fail—the sun and the moon never being able to meet as close as they needed to but always hoping and yearning to be with one another at a point in time. But it would never happen. It couldn’t. She had to hate him for tearing her soul in two and putting it on display for everyone.

[hexagonalhavoc]

Anything about a Lonely Wizard x winged reader that loves to fling him around in the sky? They kind of treat him like a dog with a chew toy, but if the dog was gentler, and had no teeth-

Play around with it if you want, maybe Reader is a bit silly. Maybe Reader is a bit goofy. Maybe all he is to them IS a chew toy 😈

Prized Possession

Lonely Wizard x Inhuman Reader 

[Author’s Note: I love this idea! This can be seen as either platonic or romantic. I also tried not to be too descriptive so you guys can have fun imagining what reader looks like but to me they’re a weird bird human combo like a harpy. Enjoy!]

     You belonged to no domain, underneath the command of no Scrybe. If this game is a puzzle then you’re a piece that fits no where. 

     Countless times you’ve tried to insert yourself within the game but everyone knows you’re not supposed to be here. You don’t fit Leshy’s aesthetics, you’re too alive for Grimora, too organic for P03, and too unruly for Magnificus. 

     The only one you have to call a friend is Rebecha, someone who understands the feeling of not belonging. But she’s too busy repairing bridges to hang out with you.

     And so you spend most of your time on a lonely place you call home. It’s the largest antenna on top of P03’s factory. You’ve decorated the structure with all sorts of things from all of the domains, an attempt to make this feel more homely but all the riches in the world couldn’t change that you’re the only one here. 

     Today is just like any other. You’ve decided to spend your time organizing your trinkets. You gently push another red gem with your hand into a pile with all the others. The gleaming gems and gold artifacts had to be your favorite thing to collect, you’d sneak into Magnificus’s temple frequently to see if you could get your claws on something shiny. Most of your extravagant collection is filled with things that look so pretty in the sun. You just can’t help it. 

     Your grand collection is something to be proud of and yet something feels like it’s missing. Within the inside of the metal rods that forms the structure there’s an empty spot, every time you tried to fill that spot it just felt wrong. Something special deserves to be there. 

     A huff leaves your lips as you gaze at that spot. It bothers you. You sit on one of the metal beams and let yourself fall back until you’re hanging upside down by your knees. The sun is starting to fall into the scenery, painting the clouds various hues of pink and orange. It’s a beautiful sight but there’s no one to share it with. You’ve always been alone but lately it’s been bothering you more than usual.

     Something flies over you and at first you’re willing to ignore it but you can see it circling the antenna and you realize that your arch enemy is back. A growl leaves your gritted teeth as your top lip is curls up into a snarl. Your wings spread out and flap several times to use the wind to push you back up. Your enemy is still circling but you wait patiently, your hands gripping the support beams as you crouch one of the platforms. Killing is not of an interest to you but you are territorial and you do know how to hunt. A part of hunting is being patient.

     Your enemy knows that you’re watching. Both of you are waiting for the other to make a move. 

     Then it swoops down. 

     It’s a lot smaller than you and is able to skillfully weave between the bars. You reach out to grab it but it moves too fast. Even though it’s gone as quick as it came you still notice that it stole something: Your most favorite gem. 

     A sound of frustration echoes in the silence of the landscape. “You greedy magpie!”

     In a moment you’re pushing yourself off from your claimed structure. Your wings spread out, the wind ruffles your feathers and keeps you in the air. Normally you didn’t have to deal with anything bothering because you were so high up. It made you forget that you shared these skies with these pests. You’ve never eaten a magpie before but you’re so angry you just want to sink your teeth into it.

     You have a larger wingspan that you can use to propel yourself forward but the magpie is much smaller than you. Every time you reach for it the bird manages to move away in the nick of time. Its stature also helps it weave through obstacles. It flies into the Scrybe of Beasts’ domain. The trees are grouped together so tightly that when you try to squeeze between two trees like you saw the magpie do, you slammed your wing against the tree. 

     A scream of both pain and frustration echoes throughout the scenic landscape. You fall to your knees, sitting there in the dirt for a moment before you start to angrily beat your fist against it. 

     “You haven’t won!” You scream out to the magpie who’s probably cozy in its next of treasures it has stolelen from you. 

     After your little outburst of anger you turn your head to look at your damaged wing. You flap your wings a few times to gauge how bad the injury is. It doesn’t look like anything is broken and you still have your full range of movement but it hurts like hell. If you want to fly painlessly you’ll have to stay low to ground. 

     But for now you decide that you would rather walk and let your wings rest up. The feeling of the dirt between your feet isn’t one you welcome but you don’t have much of a choice. You don’t really like it here. The sound of howling wolves and rustling in the bushes causes you to quicken your pace. To say you don’t like Leshy is an understatement. You tried to make friends with him once but it’s hard to talk with someone when they’re pointing a camera in your face.

     You’re able to navigate your way out and cross the bridge. Times like this really make you realize how much you take flying for granted. You intended to go back to your antenna but you still haven’t gotten over the loss of your precious gemstone. 

     Right across P03’s domain was magnificus’ temple. You could always sneak in and see if there’s anything new for you to steal. There’s no telling where he gets them from but frequently another artifact is added to his collection. Just the thought of getting your claws on another shiny thing causes you to move towards the temple. Usually you fly through one of the windows but given your current condition you should hold off. It’s not too much of a problem though as you’re good at sneaking around. 

     You manage to sneak in just fine but you’re disappointed. There’s nothing that looks worth taking and you’re starting to wonder if you wasted your time coming here. Maybe it would be better if you returned home so you could regain your strength and let your wing heal. 

     You’re about to leave but you see a door that you haven’t gone through yet. Usually the door is locked up with thick chains but today it’s bare. Your hand reaches for the door knob and you’re within the confines of a dark void. The first thing that catches your eyes is the forest green hat, and then the whites of someone’s eyes. Their figure almost blended in completely with the darkness.

     The figure approaches you at immense speed and your wings spread out in an attempt to make yourself look larger and more threatening. You assume that it’s going to attack but it stops right in front of you. its head cranes up to look at you and you bend your neck down to do the same. The hat makes the figure look taller but without it they probably don’t go any higher than your collarbone. 

     “At last…” The figure mumbles, the soft volume of its voice causes you to lean closer to hear what it’s saying. 

     “STIMULATION!” 

    It screams in your ear, causing you to reel back. Before you can trip over your own feet it grabs onto your clothing to keep you upright. It’s surprisingly strong for being so small. It looks at you with these huge eyes that remind you of a baby animal. 

     “Oh I’m sorry I didn’t meant to scare you! I just got so excited and-Wow! You have wings!? How fast can you go? Do you have to preen them? It looks like one of them is hurt.” You’ve always been told that you’re too hyper to keep up with but this being’s energy puts yours to shame. 

     It reaches out to touch your damaged wing and at first you’re hesitant. You assume that its touch won’t be very gentle but it surprises you by slowing the movements of its hand. The delicate touch makes you melt and lean closer. You’ve never had someone be this affectionate with you. 

     “What’s your name?” You ask the one who runs one of its hands through feathers, tracing the patterns. 

     “Lonely, I am one of the underlings of Magnifus  ” It responds in a less excitable tone. There’s something calming about petting your wings. It’s a soft sensation that it has never felt before. 

     A thoughtful hum leaves your throat at the name. You lift your head back up to look around the room. It appears to be only the two of you. 

     Lonely’s name makes you think of your current predicament. Then your face drops when you hear that familiar name. Out of all the people Magnificus has to be your least favorite. Being around him and his insufferable attitude is enough to make anyone mentally exhausted. He always has a reason to be cruel to another person. 

     “He just…locked you away in a dark room?” You question with a raised brow. It didn’t surprise you but it was still such a harsh thing to do to someone. 

     “It’s a test and there is a chance that I may be rewarded by gracing his legendary deck…” Lonely starts to trail off. In the beginning, he was willing to do anything for his Scrybe but he’s been in locked in that dark room for so long. He’s had to time to reflect and on what he really wants: And it isn’t being another tool to be used. He would much rather roll in the grass, feel the sun on his skin, take a sip of water. Anything is better than what he went through. 

     “…But I don’t care about that anymore.”

     Lonely looks down and you feel bad for him. It appears that both of you have a similar problem of being unsure of how to live in the confines of this game. It was so cutthroat, it wasn’t made for you guys. 

     You’ve never really comforted anyone before but you don’t like seeing him slumped over like a kicked puppy. You crouch down take the rim of his hat inbetween your teeth to take it off his head. That sudden action causes him to laugh as he attempts to grab his hat but you go back to standing up so he can’t reach it. 

     “Hey! Give it back!” He laughs as he jumps to try and get his hat. But you don’t let him. A smile spreads on your face as you start to run. Your new friend joins the pursuit. 

     The sound of clattering and crashing could be heard. Both of you knock over objects as you chase each other around like two rabid dogs. There’s a burning sensation in your lungs and your cheeks hurt from laughing but you don’t think you ever want to stop. You don’t think you’ve ever had this much fun with someone. 

     Once Lonely stops then you stop as well, both of you sit on one of windowsills to look at the world around you. It’s nighttime now. Your body is tired but your mind still has so much energy. 

     You stand up on the windowsill and test your wings by flapping them a couple of times. Your damaged wing still hurts but you have a better range of movement, it’s healing fast. At first the thought of leaving your new friend makes you sad but then you come to a realization. 

     “You’re coming with me.” The intention is not to be demanding but you’re not sure how else to talk to him. All you know is that you want him in your collection. The only things you put into your collection are things that you like and you like Lonely so it makes sense that he would be among your possessions, doesn’t it? 

     Lonely doesn’t mind too much as there’s nowhere else for him to go. Everywhere else he would just be seen as a nuisance but for some reason you like him and he likes you too. You’re so fun and free, everything he’s wished to be. 

     “To where?” He asks as he looks up at you stretching your winds. You look so nice bathed in the light of the moon and the stars.

     “It’s the coolest place you’ll ever see. It’s super high up so no one will bother us.” The thought of showing your new companion everything you’ve collected over the past few years makes you giddy. You’re sure that he’ll love your collection just as much as you do. “Have you ever been above the clouds? I know you’ll love it.” 

     Lonely’s head tilts up towards the sky. It’s pretty clear except for the thin slivers of clouds. He could already imagine the feeling of the wind rushing past him, to see how small everything looks when he’s up high. 

     “But what about your wing?” He asks but you just shrug, grabbing onto his hand and tugging him to stand up on the windowsill with you. 

     “I’ll be fine! Just hang onto me.” You smile warmly at him and for a moment he already feels like he’s high above the clouds. 

     Lonely stands on the tips of his toes and wraps his arms around your neck. Your arms wrap around him and once you’re sure that he’s secure you start leaning forward until gravity takes over and both of you fall off the windowsill. You’re used to the feeling of your stomach dropping but he isn’t. A little shriek comes from him and you have to stop yourself from laughing.

     Your wings extend out and push against the air, bringing you both higher into the air. It’s normal for you to twirl around while you fly but now you’re doing it to impress your friend who has both their arms and legs wrapped around you like a koala. His shrieks begin to turn into laughter as you dive up and down, taking the long route to get to your destination. You don’t want to stop and you’re sure he doesn’t to either. 

     But with your injured wing and the exhaustion of flying long periods of time you finally stop at a large antenna that is your home. You grab onto the bars and settle on the platform. Even though Lonely lets go of you he’s still giggling, his eyes creased up in delight. 

     “That was amazing!” He pumps his arms out as he nestles in a free spot in between your treasures and you almost let out a squeal of excitement. 

     You’ve finally found something to occupy that empty spot. 

[haileyywrites]

This is a rewrite of an old fic!

Summary: Every night you and Xiao are able to be reunited for a brief moment in time until the sun brings dawn and he is forced to lose you once again...

Pairings: Xiao x Gn!reader

Notes/Warnings: Reader is completely gender neutral and not described in any way! Poc friendly! Major angst! Established relationship? Minor mentions of death, but not really? Possible grammar errors!

You sat upon a large rock and quietly admired the night sky above you, the moon was full and shining brightly above. Liyue was always breathtaking, but at night it was all the more gorgeous in your eyes. At night it was silent and peaceful, the sky was light up by millions of stars with the moon as its center piece. The air was cooler and the wind was pleasant as it hit your face and blew back your hair.

A smile grew on your lips as you heard the familiar sound of approaching footsteps, you turned your head to see Xiao standing not far from you with his mask on hiding his beautiful features from you and his polearm still in his tight grip. His amber eyes bore right through the mask he wore as they stared intensly at you, you could tell. For some reason you were always able to read him like an open book...

“You came, after all.” You simply said with your lips curved into an even brighter smile, but no surprise was found in your voice.

As Xiao remained in his place at a distance and without reply you simply pat the space next to you; signaling for him to sit next you. He hesitated for a few seconds before quickly doing as you requested, letting his polearm go and finally taking off his mask. His face was void of any emotion, but his eyes told you a different story. They were always filled with so many emotions he wasn't able to or was unwilling to express.

You decided to ignore it for now and let out a dreamy sigh as you stared back at the scenery you were just admiring a moment ago. With him beside you the world seemed brighter and more beautiful... He had once told you he felt the same thing when with you, that you helped lessen the pain of his karmic debt.

“No matter how many times we do this, it never gets old. It's always just as beautiful.” You said.

As if nothing had changed - you wished to add, but chose to keep it to yourself. You both knew that wasn't true at all and there was nothing that could be done to change that. Oh, what you wouldn't give to have a second chance or even just a moment more time where you could feel his touch against your skin...

You looked exactly like you did back then... You obviously hadn't aged, but even your clothing and lenght of hair were still the same. Words couldn't describe the pain he felt while looking at you like this, so at peace yet unable to move forward so you could finally rest. He couldn't comprehend how you could smile so warmly at him...

Xiao knew he should never have gotten involved with you, but hearts rarely if ever listened to reason. He told you or more akin to warned you that he would be the death of you, but there was nothing he could have said to make you listen and back away when he craved you just as much. He might have not literally been the one that stopped your heart from ever beating again, but he might as well have been since he was the one who failed to protect you despite his promise.

To him this was simply bound to happen; it was inevitable. He could never have a normal or a happy life with you, the life you deserved but he didn't. He knew this from the beginning, but you made him believe that your love could overcome every obstacle. Your love only caused pain for both of you even if you didn't think so, but like you he couldn't find it within himself to regret loving you. He could only regret how it ended and how it still effected both of you.

Even after death you weren't ready or able to move on. When Xiao discovered this he was even more distraught, he wasn't able to properly grieve you properly or move past it and onward with his life. It was then that he made you another promise despite not being able to keep the last one he had made. Due to failing to protect you; he would spend the rest of his life helping you move forward so you could finally rest in peace.

But after centuries of attempts and nothing to show for it, you both gave up. Xiao feared he had cursed you to forever being unable to move on by tainting you with his karmic debt, but you believed it to be your own selfish desire to not wishing to go where you cannot be with him... Though grim; you were patiently waiting for him so you could go together. Xiao felt that he didn't deserve to spend the eternity with you, but it was what you asked of him. Was it selfish? Yes. But neither of you were able to move on, in life nor death.

Coming to this lake was something you had done when you were still alive. Nights were the only time you both had a small amount time to do so, so now you only appeared there during the night. Back then you would lay beside him for warmth and eventually you would fall asleep with your head resting against his shoulder. Xiao would spent hours examining your features up close before raising you into his arms so he could bring you back home. Leaving you was always the hardest part for him, he wished he could simply lay beside you until noon like other lovers...

You watched Xiao's features carefully as he sat beside deep in thought, his mind was consumed by the knowledge of your death. Every time he saw or even thought of you the moment of you dying in his arms would play over and over again in a loop of agony and pain. Your hand gently reached to hold his to pull him back to you, his body jolted and his golden eyes widened in surprise from the contact. He stared down at your hand and how it was glowing a light blue.

“I can't feel your warmth...” He said softly. Such sadness in his voice made your heart ache.

You didn't respond, instead moving your gaze to the sky. His eyes followed yours; moving up from your joined hands to do the same. Taking in the same sky which he had watched with you for centuries and would continue to do so for even longer. Closing his eyes he could almost pretend that everything was still the same, as if nothing had changed...

It wouldn't be long now until the sun would rise over the horizon and take you away from him again. Soon he would have to say goodbye to you like he always did each and every night. Shattering what was left of his broken heart over and over in a cycle of misery that would continue until he fulfilled his duties to this world and would be able to join you...

Your attention was brought back to him as he turned his body towards you, his calloused hand softly brushing your cheek like he always did. You swore you could actually feel his touch from it. His longing for you seemed to finally begin slowly surfacing, after hundreds of years. Just as the first rays of sunshine began reaching for you, he leaned in and captured your lips in a kiss that you both desperately longed to feel.

So much was told by such a simple action - all his sorrows, anger and love proclaimed to you without uttering a single word as you faded away from his grasp... Leaving him to bitterly watch the sun paint the sky in bright colors of dawn that took you away from him again and again, making him pick up his polearm to protect the lands of Liyue as per his contract until the next night that he could be with you. Even if for a brief moment.

A/N: I've wanted to rewrite this for a long time! I'm planning on doing the same for some of my other fics, but I will be posting my request rules soon if anyone has any requests!

Feel free to like, comment and or reblog! Any interaction with this post is greatly appreciated <3

[skzoologist]

Hii! How are you? Congrats on 100 again! You deserve that and much more,

So for the event I would like to request the prompt "Awh, but come oooon, he's sooo cuute!" ☕🧋,

Human!SKZ and Faerie!Bae

(Focused on Bae, Jisung, Chan, Minho pls)

-🐿️

word count: ~1.4k

warnings: none

genre: fluff, crack

a/n: When you dropped this off, I already knew how it would play out instantly, the scene vivid in my head. The concept itself is cute, and I like how it turned out! I can only hope you'll like it too, and thank you for taking part of the event, it means a lot 💜 I only just now noticed that somehow my banner completely, on accident, matches with your requested members. My preferences are showing I think- 💀

Please let me know if I left a warning or anything out, I will add it in! Reblogs, likes and feedback are greatly appreciated!

!I don't condone anyone stealing my work and posting it anywhere without my permission, or feeding it to AI!

!This is just fiction, my interpretation of Stray Kids. By no means is this how they are and how they behave in real life!

It was a chilly autumn day, the sunshine  playfully bouncing off the vibrantly-coloured leaves and the morning dew that briefly stopped there for a quick break. And while the wind had a certain, cold bite to it, Bae was still drawn out of his little hut that was carefully nestled between branches, perfectly out of view, no matter from which angle you tried to look at it.

Of course it was well-hidden, faerie folk was only a thing of legends and myths amongst the circle of humans.

With a sleepy yawn and a little rub at his eyes, he grabbed his bag and tossed it across his shoulder, smoothing out his now slightly wrinkled clothes. His kind had always been careful about their looks, never wanting to look anything less than their best. That was why Bae’d put on his favourite pieces, the glittering fabric loosely hugging his form and granting an almost ethereal glow to it.

After one last look in the mirror and double-checking his bag’s contents, he unfurled his translucent wings and took off, into the vast city of humans.

It didn’t take long for Bae to arrive, despite his tiny stature and the distance he had to cross over. That might have been because he loved to sneak into the place regularly and just quietly observe these exceedingly unique and different creatures, especially if you compared them to the ones living in the forest.

The streets were always busy and lively, even at night, lit up by all kinds of lamps and lights. That was his favourite time to just sit down somewhere, concealed, and to simply soak in the different sounds and feelings. Hours would go by quickly, as he either just watched, or even drew into his little sketchbook, the sky desperately wishing to shine its stars through the smog-filled atmosphere.

Regularly was Bae joined by an animal or two, the creatures more easily sensing him, even through his concealing magic. He didn’t mind, of course not, the fluffy friends never harbouring ill intent. If anything, they wanted his body heat and gentle scratches, enjoying the sensation of his hands gliding through their fur or feathers, only happier by the glitter that’d usually gotten left behind.

And just as he was watching the sun fully rise, a cat purring and putty in his hands, he’d heard voices. Quite loud ones at that, sounding a bit distressed on the empty streets. 

Given how Bae’d decided to stop at a relatively empty place, surrounded by more nature than the others, it immediately drew his attention in. The shout he’d first heard sounded almost pained, sensitive ears able to pinpoint the emotions hidden inside even from far away.

Wanting to investigate, because it both intrigued him and somehow simultaneously pulled at his heartstrings, he petted the cat’s head a final time and bid it a silent farewell. An appreciative meow could be heard in response, pulling a small smile onto Bae’s lips as he was carefully flying down towards the distraught sounds.

The closer he got, the clearer it became that yes, something really must have happened, because someone sounded like they were on the verge of tears, only something fragile preventing their tears from falling.

The faerie’s eyes landed on a trio of boys; one cradling his leg, one assisting him, and the last one kneeling beside them in blind panic. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the seemingly injured one who was now openly crying, instead the kneeling boy’s face was glistening with rivers of tears, apologies endlessly flying out of his mouth, no matter how much he was gently hushed and comforted.

Taking a seat on a tree branch right above them, Bae folded his delicate wings and watched, trying to make sense of the situation.

The problem seemed to be an injured ankle, the one who sported the injury quiet, merely grimacing in pain. His hair shared the same shade as an oak tree’s bark, the strands hiding dark eyes beneath. The one who was trying his best to help had curly hair that shined in a similar colour, although this one was more akin to a pine tree’s skin, deeper and duller. His lips were pulled down, sadness residing in his own chocolate orbs, despite the serious aura that veiled him.

And the last one…

Well, he looked like he was about to have a panic attack, chestnut hair gripped between shaky fingers, pulled from their residence.

Normally, Bae would do nothing in a situation like this, after all, his kind was hunted and kept as pets, and that was only the best possible scenario. It wasn’t his problem, he had nothing to do with it, and yet…

And yet, he found himself flying down, concealing magic slowly unfurling and revealing his tiny, softly glowing form.

The faerie all but ignored everyone and their reactions, his goal to erase the root of the problem, nothing more. Bright light surrounded him, the intricate patterns in his wings shining with the same, deep blue shade as magic pulsed through his veins, concentrated into his hands. He carefully touched the injured limb, hovering above it for only a few seconds, the injury now gone in the blink of an eye.

Tired after the sudden use of healing magic, he let himself flutter down onto the silent male’s leg, letting out a muted sigh there.

“Did you really somehow luck out and get a faerie, a mythical creature, to help you out with your sprained ankle, Minho?” - the curly haired boy asked, disbelief clearly written on his face.

The previously injured boy, presumably Minho, just nodded, stunned into silence with his mouth left slightly agape. The third boy was in a similar state, doe eyes just widely staring at Bae, unmoving.

Right until he suddenly seemed to have come back to his senses, hugging Minho in relief and sobbing into his shoulder with another string of apologies. With the male being jostled, Bae was forced to fly up from his resting place, not happy about it at all. As if sensing this, the curly haired boy looked at him with an apologetic gaze, enough to ease Bae’s temper magically.

It was weird, how Bae felt drawn in by these people, humans at that. Almost like they were a safe place, something he’d been looking for all these countless years ago. As if they were a part of what he’d been searching for all this time, visiting cities throughout human history. He didn’t have an answer to this mystery, and probably wouldn’t have one for a good while. But what he did know was that he didn’t feel the urge to hide again, to conceal himself and erase their memories of their meeting.

While he’d been deep in thought, the boys started talking, quick glances thrown his way.

“So, Channie hyung, can we keep him?” - it was the doe eyed boy, excitement rolling off of him in waves, now that the problem seemed to have been solved. “Naur, absolutely not, Sungie! You’re talking about a faerie over here, we can’t just keep him!” - the curly haired boy, Channie, answered back, a deep sigh leaving him as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "Awh, but come oooon, he's sooo cuute!" - those dark eyes widened impossibly more, a pout taking its place on the boy’s face. “Naur! Sungie, we really don’t w– Minho, take that faerie out of your shirt’s pocket. Right this instant.” “I dunno what you might be talking about.” “You damn well know what I’m talking about.” “But he looks so cosy in there, doesn’t he?” “He could fly out if he wanted to, Hyung, just sayin’.”

With the biggest sigh, Channie, seemingly their leader, threw his hands into the air and muttered something about kids and how he would go bald at this rate. The other two, Minho and Sungie, celebrated, the former giving the faerie a candy he’d just unwrapped.

Content and happy with his place, Bae remained there, munching on the strawberry-flavoured candy as he let himself be taken away, knowing he wouldn’t come into harm’s way. It was a gut feeling, one that only strengthened with each smile sent his way, or with another snack gently held at the entrance of the pocket.

[dwoality2123]

Wait for Me?

A presence appears on his vulnerable side. He doesn't turn to look nor does he tense nor let his breath get caught in his throat. “Hi,” he whispers into the tranquil quiet.

“Hi,” he hears barely.

He hums. “Would you mind if you transfer to my other side? It's hard to hear you when your words are this gentle and quiet....and, I want to see you.”

It was quiet but he felt his companion move to his right side. Still, he does not turn to look at the tuft of brown hair better, or the ever-so-slightly blemished warm skin. He merely looks on, admiring the astonishing view that the high vantage point gives him. 

He sees hands fiddling, a rare sign of vulnerability that Zuko finds out of character—to give Zuko with trust he does not know he deserves. A long beat and Jet finally talks 

“Did it ever mean anything?”

“It always did, for me. My heart has always been printed on my sleeve and I am not dishonest enough to be able to fake such authenticity.”

Silence.

“I did lie to you. I have lied about my name, and my character. I have lied about my scar, and about a lot else. But my feelings were as true as the sky is blue. Please, do not doubt that aspect of me.”

Yet another meaningful silence, a moment for his words to settle in Jet's mind.

“It hurt.”

“I know.” And he did. To find that your lover is part of a nation that you so passionately hate. To find that your lover's people were the cause of your misery, the slaughterers of your family and of your friends and of your village. That is a pain pill hard to swallow. “And I'm sorry.”

But, at the same time, Zuko was a child younger than Jet when it happened. And Zuko's only part in that act of sin was his ignorance and complacency. He does not say these things, for he knows he cannot handle Jet's wrath right now. His bellowing voice and his words. 

“I hurt you too,” Jet mumbles almost too quietly for Zuko to pick up on, but he did. Mumbled with a cracking voice.

“You did.”

“I've hurt so many people.”

“You have.”

Jet bends over, forehead touching his hands from where they rest, clasped together, on the half wall before him. He takes a shaky breath and clenches his jaw. And then he straightens himself, moves his hands to grip the wall tightly instead, neck craned upwards and eyes blinking quickly. “What do I do?”

He turns to look at him—looks at the way his tanned skin glows warmly under the golden rays of the sun setting in the horizon, his straw-like hair that tells of a hardened life billowing with the gentle winds, and his brown eyes glinting with amber and hazel...yet dim and haunted. 

Reluctance outlines his hands as his pale fingers glows almost white in contrast to the gaunt cheek to caresses. A miniscule twitch in Jet's hands doesn't go unnoticed, the clench of his fists and the frightful and hesitant gulp of saliva. Yet, despite it all—the fears and the doubts and the distrust, he leans his cheek into Zuko's awaiting palm.

Zuko looks at him with soft and fond eyes, the gold of his eyes glowing brighter than ever with the concentration of the sun in them. Jet looks at him from under his dark lashes for a miniscule moment before looking to the colorful sky. 

Tentatively, Jet's calloused hands—and thin, thinner that it was before, thinner than it should have been, malnourishment highlighting the jutted bones of his knuckles—wraps itself around Zuko's, guiding it gently towards his chapped lips to press a kiss against his reddish knuckles that sends a message of a thousand unspoken words. 

Jet lets his lips rest on the back of Zuko's hand, and in his humble ethereal glow, Zuko sees all the reasons his heart started fluttering for the man in front of him. Jet's eyes are closed and his hand squeezes his a bit tighter, as if he was daydreaming of a universe beyond their knowledge or maybe he was reminiscing of memories that feel out of reach—too good to be true but no less real. 

And Zuko can only watch and ingrain the image into his brain for his mind to see and remember for all the days to come, to dream about in the star-filled nights, to feel when his memories slowly leave him in his old age—if he survives long enough to reach that.

But nothing can stay in the beautiful stasis for long, no matter how much he wishes it to, for time is never on their side and time will continue to take if he lets it. So he turns his hand in Jet's grip and watches him sadly open his eyes with a knowing and resigned glint. He holds Jet's chin and lifts it upward, commanding Jet to look at him. 

Then he goes back to caressing Jet's cheek, letting the pads of his finger ink all of his wishes and desires on Jet's skin, hoping he is open enough for Jet to understand—and he does, if the shaky exhale was anything to go by. Zuko smiles affectionately.

“Let them learn, Jet, let them learn to forgive. And if they cannot, then you learn to let go, to move on and move forward, to heal.” He gently brushes away the fallen lash on Jet's cheek. “Heal, Jet. If not for yourself, then for anyone else. And if not for anyone else, then for yourself.”

Jet's eyes gained a teary sheen and he opened his mouth a bit then closed it with an exhale, pressing himself deeper into the soft touch of Zuko's. And he opens his mouth again to whisper, “I don't know how.”

He gazes into Jet's eyes, thoughts swirling behind the amber hue of his eyes. To say: you will figure it out, that is a promise and that is inevitable. Try and you will succeed. Open your mind and see yourself and see the world, see, Jet. Look and you're going to find what you seek. But for you to be able to move forward, you need to let go, Jet. 

To tell him: you are not alone, not as much as you seem to think. And you will never be alone because I will always be there, at your beck and call. No matter what, I'll figure out a way to get to you.

Instead he says only, “you need to stop focusing on every bad thing and you need to start accepting the good things, or else you'll forever be miserable.”

“I don't deserve to…” Jet trails off.

And Zuko understands what was left unsaid. Because he's felt it so passionately, and believed in it for so long. And he knows it's not true.

“You don't need to deserve happiness, you just need to be. You've done awful things, yes, so make amends. You can't take it all back, but you can't swallow in despair forever.”

Jet looks at him, trying so hard to keep the tears at bay. He understands, just as he understood all of the messages sent in Longshot's language, all the words spelled out in Jet's eyes. 

He presses a passionate kiss to Jet's other cheek and answers, “I will wait. For however long it will take you. For however long it takes you to find yourself and then find me.”

“And if I don't show up?”

He was silent, tasting words and sentences in his tongue, turning them on all sides to formulate something of an answer. “I’ll still love you.” 

Jet hiccups and his breath hitch and tears fall down and he sniffles.

“But I’ll learn to move on, even though I’ll never stop loving you or learn how to. I’ll move on. And maybe we both would find someone else, but you will still be someone I have loved and I will love.”

“Even if I'm like this?”

“Yes.”

“I'm sorry.”

He presses a kiss to Jet's cheeks.

“I know, and I have never held it against you, but I have long since forgiven you.”

He presses their foreheads together.

“Say it and I will, Jet.”

Jet remains quiet but soon—”Wait for me, please....Zuko?”

He smiles as he feels Jet's breath against his lips. 

“Okay.”