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eywamygoddesswrites · 1 year

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— 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓬𝓬𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓷𝓽 — (sully family x fem!sully!reader)

pairing: sully family x fem!omatikaya!sully!reader

tags: mourning, getting therapy

warnings: lowercase intended, implied character death, angst

a/n: characters are aged up! this is inspired by that one tiktok audio and then my curiosity got the better of me and turns out, it was a whole youtube series and i was hooked on it. i've been wanting to make a fic based on that audio for a while but didn't know what characters to use. hope you guys enjoy despite it being angst ㅠㅠ

a/n 2: do you want a longer version of this oneshot? look no further because i will be making a short series based on the youtube series called "LUCIDS" and the masterlist can be found here!

word count: 1.1k

+ gif not mine. ctto.

y/n had been keeping herself busy for the past 3 months. she did everything to keep her mind off of everything. weaving baskets and nets like it was a project to give everyone in the clan, fishing for meals that can have her family full for 5 whole months, collecting and discarding every foraged stuff she could get from her endless walks, riding her ilu further and further beyond the reef just to feel something.

being the oldest of the sully kids was tiring but even being a sister wasn't able to make her feel anything. it was much more numbing than it should be. it made her distant from them.

lo'ak couldn't meet y/n in her eyes. it was like if they looked at each other, the walls they both built would crumble the second their gazes meet. it was like strangers being forced to get to know each other after knowing the horrible crimes they both did.

kiri was very concerned for her older sister. y/n exerts her energy beyond her capacity, does dangerous explorations beyond the reef, and sometimes come back with cuts and bruises, and how she would skip meals to finish all the projects she 'needs' to weave. she was overworking herself and in the 3 months y/n was busy, she had fainted countless times eventually norm and max were called when it kept happening.

tuk missed her big sister so much. she missed collecting pearls by the shore and being carried around while exploring the forest. she was scared at how y/n looked now. from once being a bubbly young adult who was curious and eager to learn something new to a drained-out, almost dead-looking na'vi who would kill people if she saw them looking at her weirdly.

if the three were concerned, imagine how her parents feel. it hurt jake and neytiri to see their oldest overwork herself to distract whatever she was feeling. jake knew how it felt like and he wanted to help his daughter badly. but each time he tried to talk to her, y/n would push him away further and further. she even hissed at him to make her point.

neytiri was angry and concerned. why was her daughter pushing her own mother away when all she wanted to do was help? y/n shouldn't push her away because as her mother, neytiri understands her more than y/n knows, or at least that's what she likes to think.

it was like y/n became a stranger that the sully's just allowed to stay in their home.

when y/n was fishing for dinner, her mind had been wandering elsewhere. her eyes stared down at the net she held as dread slowly filled her mind. it was like her sight was enlarging in front of her until she hears a distorted voice call out her name. "y/n."

she pulled away from her trance, eyes widening as her breathing became slightly erratic. y/n breathed in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth before her attention went to ao'nung, or what looked like ao'nung by the shore.

"hey there! just a quick update. tsireya is still swimming with the ikrans, who were gliding through the mountains on their bellies, then they ate an eye of a seaweed. now, the ilus and tulkans are fighting for some reason." ao'nung said, he was far away from y/n but somehow she heard everything clearly.

"oh… wow…" y/n says, clearly not understanding a single thing from what the metkayina had just said.

"how's your existential crisis coming along?" he asked so nonchalantly.

y/n was bewildered to say the least. this was the longest time she had held a conversation for how many months now.

"uh… fine?" she answered back but it sounded more like a question. "good!" ao'nung exclaimed back before turning around to leave when,

"ao'nung!" y/n immediately called for him, who turned back around to look. "can… can dreams also have memories?" that sounded wrong. "i mean, can you still have dreams even when you're dreaming?"

"oh, y/n. what else are memories if not dreams themselves?" ao'nung replies, not making as much sense as the question she asked.

"what–" "alright then, more soon!" ao'nung cuts her off before running off to eywa knows where.

y/n was left once again with her thoughts. she turns back to the net she was holding, only for it to be gone. this confused her and when she turned back to where the shore was, the next thing she knew, she was sitting on a giant rock.

"do you blame yourself?" the same distorted voice that called out her name earlier asked. distress filled her veins as she looked to where she heard the voice.

y/n's eyebrows furrowed. "what?" she asked. she saw herself, an exact copy of herself wearing human clothes that norm and max wear with a pen and paper held in her hands.

"well, it's quite common in this situation for a patient to feel a kind of guilt." her copy said, voice distorting more and more.

y/n's mind was in turmoil. "what situation?" she asked. the same dread she was feeling came into full force. her chest became heavy as it caused her to not breathe well.

her copy had this concerned look but the smallest of a smirk appeared on her lips, the following words leaving the copy's mouth. "the accident."

that's when y/n was transported back to the day neteyam had died.

she was there when he was shot through the chest. she knew the bullet was meant for her but he pushed her away and in turn, the faith of death fell upon him.

while the rest of her family had cried, she didn't. instead, she felt numb and angry. no other emotions filled her body except these two. it had helped her kill some sky people and some avatars when she came back to save kiri with her parents but after that, all y/n felt was numbness.

the heavy routine she placed upon herself became the only thing that made her feel something through the numbness she felt. it wasn't enough but at least it was something.

the same distorted voice came back. "it's very common for people to invent blame or create a causality" then the voice became normal in an abrupt manner, and her surroundings turned to norm's lab where he used his avatar and where they were able to breathe normally. "when in reality, it was completely out of your control." norm's voice was soft as he talked to the young na'vi in front of him, who in turn was staring off through the distance.

the forest where she and neteyam grew up, only for her brother to never come back home.

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theorphicangel · 1 month

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𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐢𝐫��𝐮𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬. | 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐨’𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Tags: enemies to lovers, college au, smut, 18+, slow burn,

synopsis: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single, brooding man in possession of a good future in genetics, must be in want of a girlfriend.

Or at least a fake one to get his family off his back.

(college au & fake dating trope ft my favourite grumpy man who doesn't fall first but ends up falling harder. ouch.)

Taglist: @oharasfilipinawife @palesatan @yougavemeyourheartyouknow @amelialysm @crimin4llyins4ne @strawberryjuice9 @beezusvreeland @faretheeoscar @lunablackcosplay @t4naiis @peachey-pie @mcmiracles

chapter 4: lord of the lies

series | previous chapter | next chapter

“Tomato soup or chicken soup?”

“Well which one is cheaper?”

“Tomato.”

“Get that one then.”

“Have I ever told you that you're sooooo incredibly helpful?” Lyla mutters out, pushing the grocery cart as you stumble behind texting on your phone. You’re barely looking at where you’re walking as you text your mom.

Today, you had 2 missed calls that you genuinely missed. One occurred whilst you were on your shift and the other whilst you were in a lecture. Currently, you were relaying your excuses to your mother and failing to convince her that you were completely fine at college.

“Right, we need some yogurt and eggs.” Lyla announces, searching around for the specific aisles.

“Uh-huh.” you say absentmindedly, your neck still craned down to your phone. Due to this, you miss Lyla’s smirk as she peers over at you.

“And we also need an inflatable pool and trampoline for our backyard.”

You hum again, thumbs working at double speed.

“Girl, we don’t have a backyard. You really aren’t listening are you?” Lyla sighs. You hum again, still distracted. “You know what? I’ll just meet you at the checkout.”

You raise your head to look at your roommate, finally listening. “Right, we could do that.” You begin to walk over to another aisle to get some personal stuff for yourself before your phone rings.

Reading the caller ID, you internally panic at the sight of your mom calling you. Obviously by now she must be sick of texting you, wanting to hear your voice instead. Looking around, your brain goes haywire in trying to think of an excuse. After a few seconds, you reluctantly give in and swipe to accept the call.

“Hello?”

“Oh, what a miracle! My daughter finally answers the phone after ignoring me for almost a month!”

The sarcastic tone of your mother, echoes loudly in your ear. You wince as you beg to speak but she interrupts you.

“It’s barely been a month mom–”

“And you barely stay on the line for more than 2 minutes when I call you.”

“I'm just a little busy, I swear.” You grimace as you speak.

“You’re not having trouble paying rent are you? Because if you are then I could ask Uncle Robert for some money. Or is it trouble finding a job? Honey, if you’re having any problems–”

“I’m not having problems mom. I’ve found a job and I’m paying the rent just fine.”

Your mother ignores your reassurances, her intonation high in stress. “Is your roommate nice? Are they clean? Tidy? Have manners?”

“Yes, yes and yes. She's great.”

“Listen, I know you’re sick of me calling you but I just wanted to know that I– well we — get worried about you sometimes. You’re so far away from me and–”

“I know, I know and I promise to call more…I’m just really busy, y’know with work and shifts and lectures and homework and…”

“I’m sure you have time in your day to call me honey, even if it’s just for five minutes.”

“I really don’t–”

“I hear all these stories about college kids getting up to no good and I just get so worried that you’ll get caught up too—”

“I’m really not—”

“Is that why you don’t call me? Because you’re out with bad people?”

“What?” You frown at her comment. How the fuck did she jump to that conclusion? ”Mom, no I’m not with bad people. In fact I’ve made some really good–”

“You just need to tell us if there’s a problem because clearly there is one if you’re not calling me as frequently.”

“Mom–” you can barely get a word in edgeways as she interrupts. You hastily avoid people in the supermarket aisle, becoming increasingly frustrated and overwhelmed in a matter of seconds.

“Just be honest sweetheart, you can tell me anything, you know that right?”

“Mom will you just listen to me—” you attempt to speak, your tone becoming even more desperate as you simultaneously try to make your way past a crowd of people shopping. Why the fuck does everyone and their mother choose to go shopping at this store right now?

“I’m here for you darling, if you ever want to drop out of college–”

“Mom, I have a boyfriend okay?”

“What?”

You pause in the middle of the candy aisle, unable to ignore all the halloween candy already up on sale. A beat of silence passed on the phone. You pulled a face, full of absolute disgust at the words that you had just said aloud to your mother. Your mouth was agape, unable to give a reply.

You swallowed thickly, your mind still panicking.

“What did you say?” your mother questioned.

Yep. You were in it now. No take backs.

“I–I have a boyfriend.” you repeat, your voice shaking. You weren’t even aware of what you were saying anymore.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”

“It– it all just happened really fast.” you blurted out.

“Is he a good guy?”

“Uhh–yeah, yeah.”

“What’s his name honey? Oh! You can bring him over for us to meet at thanksgiving!”

Shit.

“What was that honey?”

“Nothing Mom.” you pull another face at her almost hearing you curse. The next words leave your mouth in a flurry of unintelligible language.

“Ineedtogonowmom,I’llcallyoutomorrow.”

“Promise me.” she quipped quickly before you could hang up.

“I promise.” Was that another lie? You can’t tell anymore at this rate.

“Okay, stay saf–” You hit the hang up button before she can finish.

Shit. Shit. Shit. What the fuck did you just do?

Your body is frozen. You're standing in the middle of the aisle, unable to comprehend what you have just done. People merely walk past you and you’re only brought back to reality by the sound of Lyla’s voice.

“Are you alright? You look like you’ve just committed the worst crime on the planet.” If lying to your mother ever counted as the worst crime of humanity then you deserve to be punished for the rest of your life.

“I’m fine. Did you need anything else?” You changed the subject as soon as possible. Not just for Lyla’s sake of not catching on but also for your own. You need a distraction from what had just happened.

“I think we’ve got everything, unless you still have stuff that you still need to grab?”

You shake your head.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lyla raises a brow, a concerned look appearing on her face.

“M’fine.”

“Let’s go to the checkout then shall we?”

You’re left trailing again this time instead of your phone, you’re distracted by the thoughts that were running through your head.

How the fuck are you going to get out of this one? And where the fuck are you going to get a boyfriend from? You’ve completely dropped yourself in a lie that you cannot physically maintain.

You watched on silently as Lyla began to pack on the items onto the checkout treadmill. Anxiously, you chew at your nails, running over the conversation with your mother once more.

Oh god, oh god, why did you say that? You’re so stupid, stupid, stupid—

“Looks like you’re having a good day so far.”

Immediately you’re coaxed out of your thoughts by the sound of a stranger's voice addressing you. It was the till worker.

“Huh? Oh me? I–”

“I was joking by the way. You do not look like you’re having a good day at all.” The man points out, swiping the items.

“I agree.” Lyla hums, packing the shopping items. Suddenly you felt useless, looking around for things to do. Anything to get this attention away from you. The till worker seemed to be young, around your age you’ll assume.

Glancing down at his namepin, you squint to see the bold text say ‘Peter’.

“I mean I’ve been having a pretty bad day myself. First, I got in late because my alarm didn’t go off because my phone died. I mean I have no idea why my battery always runs out when they release a new version of the phone, it’s stupid really. And then I dropped cans of beans on my foot whilst stocking which hurt like a total bit–”

“Oh god, that happened to me once.” Lyla interrupts.

You frown. “When has that ever happened to you ly’?”

“I was in Mexico–”

Peter suddenly gasped, scanning through a pack toilet roll. “You know my roommate Miguel actually–

“Miguel?” You blurt out suddenly.

“Yeah, do you know him?”

You freeze, the eyes of your roommate and the cashier now on you.

“Something like that. But uh– of course you might be talking about a completely different person.” you awkwardly chuckle. You hoped to the heavens above this was not the Miguel that you were thinking of.

Peter frowns. “Is he tall and mean?”

You nod wordlessly.

“Yep, that's him then.”

“Oh god, you won’t believe what he did to her–” Lyla begins before you slap a hand across her mouth. Peter raises a brow quizzical, pausing his movements.

“Nothing! He’s done absolutely nothing. He’s a great guy.” You lie through clenched teeth.

Peter studies the two of you before swiping through the last few items. You quickly pack them into your bags hoping that Peter will brush off the weird behavior from the two of you. Lyla stares at you for your weird behavior, wondering why you had lied but she picks up on the signal and decides to say nothing more. For now.

And thankfully Peter does move on. “Yeah, he really is a great guy. I mean once you’ve survived the grumpy side of him that is, but I think he’s beginning to show off his sweet spot now. He didn’t even snap at me this morning, so that’s a good sign right? Compared to last week he was reallyyyy pissed off and I have no idea why— oh, that’s it, your total is $35.71.”

Lyla rummages for her purse and your hand is removed.

“That’s great, that’s really great to hear.” You say almost robotically. Deep down, you begin to wonder how a guy like Miguel copes with Peter. They’re practically opposites.

“You’re a first year right?” Lyla asks, tapping her card on the reader.

Peter hums, “Studying biochem. How about you?”

You barely listen to the conversation between Lyla and Peter as they both gush about… STEM things. You think you’ll have to forcefully drag Lyla away before she starts talking about her coding club again.

“Hey, you work in that cafe on campus right?”

You’re caught off guard when Peter asks you this question. Unfortunately you make it clear enough that you were not listening to the conversation. “Yeah, yeah that’s me.” You cringe internally, thinking that perhaps Miguel has already told the story of your horrible barista skills. You can picture it already, the two of them laughing at it on the couch together, mocking—

“I rarely see you in the cafe…” you point out, shaking your head subtly as if to physically get rid of that vision.

“Oh.” Peter murmurs, a shade of pink beginning on his cheeks which lead to the tips of his ears. “MJ serves me most of the time so…” He avoids eye contact with you, drawing up the receipt for Lyla.

Ah. You’re quick to get it. He’s got a crush.

“Well it was nice to meet you Peter, feel free to come join us at Coding club.” Lyla reiterates. “Every wednesday 6pm, the computer suite!”

“Noted.” Peter does a little salute at her.

Lyla’s already making her way out of the store and you’re not far behind until you abruptly come to a halt.

Turning around, you swiftly make your way back to Peter before he serves the next customer.

“Hey Peter, can I ask a favor from you?”

lmk if you would like to join the taglist!

#angel writes #under no circumstances fic #miguel o hara #miguel o'hara atsv #atsv headcanons #atsv miguel #atsv x reader #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel x reader #miguel o'hara #miguel spiderverse #miguel x reader fluff

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satoru-is-the-way · 1 year

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Avatar!Quaritch x Na'vi! Reader.

MASTER LIST (AVATAR WAY OF WATER)

" Given Enough"

(Series!)

SPOILERS FOR AVATAR 2

A/N: PLEASE READ. So I have decided I am in love with Avatar Rick Quaritch. I can't help it. So here is my mini fanfiction. I will be basing the character and her village on Mayan culture-ish because well I am Mayan. It will still have Eywa and all the Avatar stuff, just more in-depth to another culture and their ways. I may borrow some animals from Avatar TLA because of the tribe idea I have. So if you recognize some of the animals that's why. I will be using the Yucatan Mayan language but with translations side by side for their own dialect. Any questions ask me!

Warnings: Smut(SOME chapters I will add a warning), cussing, murder, derogatory names, death, depression, and more when added.

Tag List: @the-wanderer-2022 @zootsutra @anyzandy @kneelingforvillains @dioriez @mylovelyreblogs @dinobae-replyacc @voodoogoul @freshmoneyalmondathlete @thedumboneforsomereason @world-dominating-kitty @scarletpines @sofiebstar @vampire-hunter @cypherpt5fttaehyung @strangerdeeznuts @simpingfor-wakasa @tranquiiit @ellieparker @girlblogger2002 @happycupcakeenthusiast @willow-sages

IF YOU WANT TO BE ON IT ASK!

Summary:

(Y/n) (L/n) is the Olo'eyktan'a first born and future Tsahìk. She was raised to be a strong leader in wait of her time to be chosen a mate and take her mother's place. Their tribe is large in numbers and strong-hearted. There is not much known about the people, the Kaminaljuyú. They had little contact with humans before Jake Sullivan sent them back into the stars.

After a wounded Quaritch retreated he stumbled upon their village encountering (Y/n). She was unsure of him at first but saw this could be a sign of peace if she helped him. Her father approved of allowing him into the village for now. But Quaritch had his own plan. Why not fool the king's daughter? Use her to become the leader of what seemed to be the largest clan he had ever seen. Starting a civil war amongst the Navi would be the easiest way to get to Jake and the while Sullivan family,since human power cannot do it.

But what happens when he falls in love? Does he follow through with his plan? Or stay dedicated to his kind, the humans?

Chapters:

1 -The Invader

2 -Flying is lesson one

3 -Seasons change (SMUT)

4-The Metkayina

5-Always the Fool

6 -Love (SMUT) (30th)

#avatar x reader #na'vi avatar #avatar way of water #jake sully #neytiri #sully family #water tribe #metkayina #omatikaya #Mayan #colonel quaritch #Colonel quaritch avatar #colonel quaritch x reader #avatar x you #Avatar x Navi

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sixhours · 1 month

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One Day at a Time - Chapter 8 - Beginning

Series Chapter Index | Read on AO3 | Complete

Rating: Explicit, 18+, here be smut Series tags: The Last of Us, The Last of Us (HBO), Joel Miller x f!OFC, Joel & Ellie, mostly follows canon, SMUT, gratuitous smut, dubious consent (drunk sex), unplanned pregnancy, fluff, references to past miscarriages, angst, hurt/comfort, romance, age gap (~21 years), childbirth, fluffy baby stuff, I've probably forgotten some so please let me know <3

~*~

The midwife is the first to notice that Anna’s startle reflex is inconsistent. When she suggests the baby might be deaf, Joel wants to write it off as the woman’s usual dour attitude, but as the weeks pass, it becomes clear that something is different. It’s impossible to make enough noise to wake her, she doesn’t turn her head toward their voices, and she’s inconsolable when they’re out of her limited line of sight. They spend several sleepless nights worrying, making loud noises and watching Anna intently for responses that usually don’t come.

There’s nothing to do about it, though, except wait and see…like her pregnancy all over again. One day at a time.

Anna is most content when she’s tucked into the soft cloth wrap, held tight against someone’s chest, where she can feel the soothing purr of speech against her tiny body. They get adept at going about their daily routines with the baby strapped to them like a marsupial in a makeshift pouch. She especially seems to like Joel’s soft flannel shirts and his deep, rumbly voice–he’s the best at getting her to nap.

Or, as Ellie puts it, boring her to sleep .

Ellie spends more time with them, enamored with her baby sister in a way Joel couldn’t have predicted. He supposes he shouldn’t be surprised, having watched her with Sam all those months ago, but her fierce devotion to this brand-new person in their lives makes him light-headed with pride.

Baby things showed up at their house out of the blue in the days after Anna was born; an antique cradle, bottles, more diapers, and a breast pump contraption that Charlie says makes her feel like a dairy cow. There are enough clothes to outfit a small army and mystery casseroles lining their freezer for weeks.

Tonight he takes one of the casseroles out and sniffs at it warily.

“Not sure about this one, kid,” he says to Anna, strapped to his chest. “Can’t be worse than that tuna surprise thing, though. House smelled for a week.”

The baby makes a soft cooing noise and sticks out her tongue in response.

“Yeah? Well, you didn’t have to eat it,” he mutters, turning on the oven.

“Talking to yourself again?” Charlie murmurs from the couch, snuggled under a throw.

“I’m havin’ a conversation with my daughter,” he says, stroking the baby’s head. “And you’re s’posed to be napping.”

She sits up, bleary-eyed and wan. “Can’t sleep. I miss her.”

“Hear that?” he murmurs. “Mama misses you. Maybe you should wake her up more often. Five times last night wasn’t enough.”

Joel wanders over to the couch and unearths the baby from her wrap to hand her to Charlie, who takes her with a smile and a soft hi sweet girl . Warmth blooms in his chest, followed by sadness; the two often go hand in hand.

Sarah never had this, he thinks, and he mourns what he couldn’t give her; the love of a mother, the delight of a new sibling.

But Anna has it all, in this family cobbled together from spare parts and broken pieces. Like the beginning of a bad joke— a widow, an orphan, and a childless father walk into a bar –where she is the most beautiful punchline he’s ever heard.

~*~

Joel comes home to find Ellie on the couch with the baby in her lap and a book on the cushion next to her, frowning in concentration as she flips through the pages. Anna is nine weeks old and more alert than ever, bright eyes taking in everything, and at the moment she’s fascinated by her big sister’s hands, moving in slow, measured gestures in front of her face.

“Where’s Charlie?”

“Your girlfriend is taking a nap,” Ellie says without looking up from her book.

“She’s not–”

He catches himself before he can finish his sentence and Ellie smirks.

“Caught ya.”

Joel sighs. “What’re you doin’?”

She flips to the book cover to show him; An Introduction to American Sign Language .

“Sam taught me some, but I found this at the library. I figured it can’t hurt to start early.”

His throat tightens and he blinks back tears. God, his kids have turned him into a walking fucking water fountain.

“That’s…a great idea, kiddo,” he says, squeezing her shoulder.

“I know,” she says. “Besides, you can use it, too, when your hearing eventually goes.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mutters. He bends down to boop Anna’s nose. “Your sister is somethin’ else, kid. I’m gonna check on your mo–I mean my–our–”

He growls as Ellie looks up at him expectantly, a wry little smirk on her face.

“I’m gonna check on Charlie,” he sighs. “Call me if you need me.”

He hears a whisper at his back.

“What’s the sign for ‘They are so fucked’?”

Ellie’s laughter and Anna’s quiet coos follow him upstairs.

They still haven’t talked about them . They share a bed, they care for Anna, and…that’s about it. The midwife mentioned something about “resuming sexual activities” and “birth control” and maybe even a vasectomy at their final appointment, and it had taken all Joel had not to laugh in her face. He hasn’t had so much as a hard-on since the kid was born, and Charlie is permanently attached to her when she’s not sleeping or eating.

It might have bothered him if he weren’t so sleep-deprived.

In the bedroom, Charlie is buried under the blankets. He doesn’t mean to wake her, but she startles when the door creaks open.

“Anna?”

“Ellie’s got her, it’s just me,” Joel whispers. “Sorry.”

Charlie sits up, rubbing at her eyes, holding her breasts as if testing their weight. “S’okay. She needs to eat soon.”

He takes a seat on the edge of the bed, smiles at Charlie’s mussed hair. He’s watched her closely over the last few weeks, hyper-alert for signs of depression, for the grief that he knows will never completely subside. A horrible little voice in the back of his mind insists that it’s only a matter of time before she leaves them.

Sarah’s mom made it four months.

But Charlie seems content if exhausted. They’re both exhausted, even with help. With Sarah he’d had the advantage of youth; with Anna, Joel feels every single one of his fifty-eight years…mostly in his back.

“Did you know Ellie’s teachin’ the baby sign language?” he asks.

“Mmm, she mentioned something about that,” Charlie yawns. “She’s smart, your kid. We’re raising geniuses.”

Joel ducks his head to hide a blush of pride. “They’re gonna leave us in their dust someday.”

We. Us.

He reaches out to cup Charlie’s face in one hand, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone. He could say it was all lust until now, but watching her with Anna makes him feel like a lovesick teenager. Charlie leans into his touch, meets his eyes, and his stomach clenches with a kind of pleasant ache he hasn’t felt in weeks.

Maybe he’s going to need to look into that vasectomy after all.

The moment is rudely interrupted by a wail, followed by Ellie’s voice drifting up the stairs.

“Hey, lovebirds! Your spawn needs a diaper change.”

~*~

Joel and Ellie are sprawled on the couch, her tucked into one corner and him on the opposite side, slouched down with Anna on his chest, a movie playing in the background. The baby won’t sleep in the beautiful hand-carved cradle for more than fifteen minutes at a time, preferring instead to slumber on a warm body.

There was a time in Joel’s life when he would have said they were spoiling her, but now, acutely aware of his limited years in a way he’s never been before, he’s decided Anna can fall asleep in his arms until she’s thirty if she wants. There is no such thing as spoiling her as far as he’s concerned.

He’s half asleep, trying to wait out the next hour and a half to let Charlie get some rest, when Ellie’s voice drifts into his consciousness.

“I think I get it now.”

“Get what?” he murmurs, barely able to open his eyes.

“Why you lied to me.”

He’s awake now. His head snaps up to face her. Ellie is curled in a ball with her arms around her knees, watching the baby rise and fall with the rhythm of his breath.

“If it were her…I’d do anything to keep her safe,” she says softly.

Oh.

His first instinct is to lie again, but something about Ellie’s expression and the way she’s watching Anna gives him pause. Between the two of them, they’ve cracked him open. He’s too tired and old to hold secrets.

“I’m sorry I lied to you,” he rasps. “I shouldn’t’ve done that. It was wrong.”

He meets her eyes, waits until he’s sure that she sees him, because she can’t just hear it–she needs to know it with her whole being, to believe it as deeply as he does.

“But I’m not sorry–I’ll never be sorry–for what I did. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat for you…or her.”

Ellie nods, but she frowns, her voice going small and tight.

“What if she was bit?”

The question drops from her lips like a bomb and Joel instinctively tightens his grip around Anna at the thought.

“Wouldn’t you hate me?” she whispers. “For not…for not being able to save her?”

“Never,” he says roughly. “I could never hate you, Ellie.”

“But…what if she could grow up in a better world? A world where you never had to worry about her…or Charlie…or anyone…getting infected,” Ellie asks softly.

He wants to tell her that none of this would have been possible if she weren’t here–their life in Jackson, Charlie, or Anna. He wants to tell her that she is the catalyst for everything he’s done right in his sorry life.

His girl, who wanted to save the world, had saved him instead.

But words are failing so he swallows his tears and puts an arm out. Ellie slides over, curling into his side, and he’s momentarily stunned by her solidity against him. She’s grown in the months since they returned from Salt Lake City. She’s taller, her face thinning out, more like a young woman than a child.

It happens too damn fast, he thinks, looking down at the sleeping infant on his chest.

He whispers the words into Ellie’s hair when his throat finally unlocks, watery and thick.

“She’s growin' up in a better world because you’re in it.”

~*~

“She’s finally out,” Charlie whispers, backing away from the cradle and collapsing onto the bed on her stomach with a groan. “I don’t know how one tiny human can eat so much.”

“I’ll take her tonight,” he says. “She can have a bottle.”

“You have patrol in the morning.”

“Can’t sleep for shit anyway,” he shrugs. “Did you eat? Caf’s still open, I can grab you something.”

“Mmm. Maybe later. I need about ten hours of sleep and a big glass of wine,” she mutters into the pillow.

“I can offer you six hours of sleep and a beer.”

“I’ll take it,” she yawns, then brightens. “Oh! I found something at the post today.”

She rolls over, digs in the nightstand drawer, then unearths a small black box and tosses it into his lap.

He blinks down at it, unsure if it’s the suggestion or the fatigue that slows his tongue. His heart quickens.

“Are these…?”

“Condoms,” she grins. Then she’s crawling toward him and straddling his lap, much the way she did the first time, and she glances over at the silent cradle. “We have a couple hours…should we see if they’re any good?”

“God yes please,” he breathes, all tiredness suddenly forgotten as her mouth finds his, open and wanting.

There’s laundry scattered around the floor, empty bottles and water glasses on the nightstand, used burp cloths draped over the furniture, and the faint smell of sour milk lingers in the air.

And all of it ceases to matter because she’s holding his face in her hands and kissing him, really kissing him for the first time in weeks. Not a peck on the cheek or a nuzzled brush of her lips to his forehead when she thinks he’s still sleeping, but an honest-to-god kiss with tongue and teeth and bite.

Soon she’s rolled underneath him and he’s supping long, languid kisses from her lips, eliciting sweet little moans and breathy gasps that have him thrusting his aching cock into her bare stomach, seeking relief in friction. Even with the condom to dull the sensations, this will be over before it’s begun if he doesn’t get a fucking grip, so he pulls reluctantly away to explore the rest of her body.

Breastmilk gathers in little pearls on the peaks of her nipples, sweet and thick on his tongue as he teases and sucks his way down her chest. He traces the silvery lines on her lower stomach with his nose, the places where she’s been permanently marked because of their daughter, because of him . The sight of her gently swollen belly and the velvety softness of the stretched skin only makes him want her more.

She whimpers when he tastes her, moans when he sucks at her swollen clit and laps at her folds until she’s writhing and coming. Then she’s pulling on his hair with an urgency he understands and he’s rolling one of the condoms on and sinking into her delicious heat. She’s so close like this, pinned by his hips and chest, pressed underneath him like a flower.

He can’t pull himself away from her mouth, can’t stop kissing her and tasting her and swallowing her cries. Her arms enfold him, rubbing languid strokes up and down the slope of his back, pressing into his ass, urging him deeper. He reaches for her hand and rests their entwined fingers above her head.

Mine , he thinks with every thrust, heat coiling in his gut, crawling up his spine. Mine, mine, mine.

“Yours,” she sighs, arching into him, answering the words he didn’t realize he’d spoken out loud. He presses his forehead against hers and stills, breathing hard.

“Yeah?”

His voice is ragged with emotion. Her palms come up to cup his face.

“All yours,” she whispers, then she kisses him and kisses him and he prays the condom does its damn job because he’s falling over the edge.

~*~

He’s still softening inside her, luxuriating in the feel of her mouth against his, when the baby wails from her cradle.

Charlie groans underneath him. “Already?”

“Well…we got fifteen minutes,” he mumbles, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

“Give yourself credit, it was at least twenty.”

“It’s like a sixth sense,” he mutters, pulling out with a groan. “Surprised Ellie’s not at the damn door, too.”

Charlie snorts a laugh, sitting up and pulling the sheet to her chest.

“I’m comin’, baby girl,” he says. “Hold on, I know…m’right here.”

But Anna can’t hear him, of course. He pokes his head over the cradle and she quiets. “I’ll be right back.”

She protests loudly when he leaves her line of sight again, totally abandoned. He disposes of the condom and washes his hands…now where the hell are his boxers? The din of Anna’s crying in the background has him stumbling over his feet.

Finally, he plucks her up out of the cradle and puts her against his chest.

“Hey, kid, you’re fine,” he rumbles against her.

She growls in response, all attitude, one tiny fist stuffed into her mouth.

“Think she’s hungry,” he murmurs, nuzzling the top of her head. “Want me to get her a bottle so you can sleep?”

“No,” Charlie says, two wet spots blooming on the bedsheet. “You primed the pump. I’m leaking all over myself.”

“Lucky kid,” he grins. “You get the real deal.”

“You just ate, sweet girl,” Charlie sighs as the baby latches. “Where does it all go?”

“Based on the laundry I folded today, I have an idea,” Joel mutters, crawling back into bed. He sits up against the headboard and pulls Charlie into his arms so she’s propped against him. She burrows into his shoulder and closes her eyes as the baby makes greedy little suckling noises. His free arm wraps around them, cupping Anna’s head, feeling the pulse of her heartbeat in his palm.

Maybe it’s the sex that loosens his tongue, or maybe he’s just too tired to worry over the fallout. He takes a deep breath.

“So I know we said…you’d stay until the kid is born…and that was, uh, ten weeks ago.”

“You kicking me out?” Charlie murmurs, playing with the baby’s tiny fingers as she nurses.

“No,” he says quickly. “You can stay as long as you want. I just…don’t want you to feel like you have to…or like we’re expected to be, uh…something we’re–”

“Joel,” she says, soft but firm. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Heat blooms in his chest.

“Yeah?”

She tilts her head up to look at him, silver eyes shining, and answers him with a long, sweet, lingering kiss that reignites the fire in his lower belly.

He’s definitely gonna need that vasectomy.

#fanfic #fic recs #joel miller #the last of us hbo #the last of us #pregnancy #babyfic

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bella-rose29 · 8 months

Text

Nikolai Lantsov x f!reader: Not Your Lover - Chapter 1

This will be a new series I'm writing! I'm going to aim to post a chapter once a week (there may be other things in between) because I have no idea how much time I'll have to be writing now that I'm back in the real world (🥲), but hopefully I can stick to that.

Taya isn't a real place, I made it up and I suck at naming things (that goes for the title of this as well, but I may end up sticking with it like with Arranged Marriages who knows).

Word count: 3.9k

Warnings: swearing, sexual harassment, barely proof-read

Tag list: @a-candle-maker, @bubybubsters, @el-de-phi, @hauntedenthusiasttragedy, @iambored24601, @itsyoboo-jassy, @karensirkobabes, @kentucky-criedfricken, @little8sun, @mvidaaaa, @nalie-98, @naushtheaspiringauthor, @notoakay, @pietromaximoffsbabe, @simbaaas-stuff

Nikolai hadn't slept last night, and now he was regretting getting up and going into town.

Everything was too loud for his aching head, and by the time he'd made it to the mechanic, he was ready to keel over and fall asleep right there.

"Can I help you, mate?"

Nikolai looked up, seeing a man in greasy overalls step through the back door.

"Oh, uh, I'm Dominik, here about the job?"

"Right, right, come in. Sorry about this," he gestured to himself.

"Don't worry about it, I'm used to getting my hands dirty, this is nothing," he flashed a smile, and the mechanic responded with his own.

"Good. Thought you'd just be another pretty boy wanting to get the girls in."

Nikolai laughed. "That's the last thing on my mind right now."

It was true, given what had happened last week. He'd had to end yet another short-term relationship because she'd cheated. Nikolai wanted something real, something more than just physical attraction, and apparently all the partners he was picking just wanted to jump his bones.

After a successful meeting with the owner of the mechanic (Fabrikator, but he didn't use his powers unless he had to) resulting in a job, Nikolai made his way into a mostly empty coffee shop, hoping for some quiet and a very large cup of tea.

He'd used his best friend's name as a cover while he was here in the small port of Taya, not wanting to be swarmed by people hoping for the ex-King of Ravka to be their friend, or heighten his chances at being assassinated. While he might not be royalty anymore, he was still a valuable body with a large sum of money on his head. He hoped that Dominik didn't mind the use, but he figured that he could just go by 'Nik' anyway. He'd used a version of his father's last name as well, deciding that 'Lantsov' would be too much of a giveaway.

"Here you go, sir, enjoy," the waitress said, delivering his tea to his table.

"Thanks." He took a sip, relishing the warmth, and the bell on the door tinkled lightly as two women walked in. Nikolai felt the air leave his body as he took in the younger of the two, not quite understanding how one woman could be as stunning as the one in front of him was.

"I'm just saying! It could be good for you!"

"Ugh, it's not going to be good for me, mum! When has having a boyfriend ever helped me?!"

Interesting.

"I just think that instead of running around trying to get this grant, you should be focusing on your future, settling down, having kids!"

"Well maybe this grant is my future, mum!"

The whole conversation (argument?) had progressed into loud whispers, glances being cast around the small space to check that they weren't disturbing anyone. Nikolai was confused, wondering what the grant was and why the woman's mother couldn't see how much it meant to her daughter. Surely a compromise could be made?

The pair left a few minutes later, taking their drinks with them and having moved on to other topics of conversation.

Outside, Nikolai could see the town getting set up for the summer faire, gazebos and bunting being put up and lights being strung for when it got dark. Everything would kick off tomorrow afternoon, and Nikolai was looking forward to celebrating with everybody.

~~~

That night, after spending most of the day in the mechanic's shop working, Nikolai stumbled back home, exhausted from the sheer number of people that had come in needing things fixing. He understood now why Gregor had wanted Nikolai to start working so quickly, but looking around at how many people were actually living in Taya, there weren't many. Tourism wasn't big here either, which was understandable given how tiny this place was, and there was only one hotel (which Nikolai was staying in for the time being) that felt more run-down than the abandoned mansion overlooking the town square, and that was covered in ivy and half falling to pieces. Apparently somebody was trying to fix it up, but given how many people had been hit on the head by a falling beam (four, he'd been told, which was apparently too many for the small population), everybody was reluctant to help work on it.

Finally reaching his room, Nikolai fished out his key and, once inside, slumped onto his bed. It was lumpy, and the sheets were too thin, but it was better than being on the streets. He could have allowed Zoya to pay for a place for him, but he'd wanted to live life as he would have done were he raised by his real father, and given how much he'd enjoyed being Sturmhond, being unknown for who he truly was, Nikolai was happy to go off with a small sum of money to pay for his first few nights, get a job, and go by the name Dominik Opus.

It took him a while to get to sleep, despite how tiring his day had been, and while he tried to drift off his mind kept wandering back to the young woman in the coffee shop that morning, trying to remember what she'd looked like.

~~~

"Hello? Hello? Gregor? You here?" a female voice asked, and Nikolai looked out from under the carriage he was fixing. He recognised it, although were from he couldn't remember, and pushed himself out and up, wiping his hands on a cloth (that wasn't much cleaner than his hands) and turning around.

"Gregor's gone out, just me," he said, then stared in surprise at the woman in front of him. It was the one from the coffee shop, looking somehow more beautiful than she had the day before.

"Oh." Her face filled with mild disgust, and Nikolai wondered how bad he looked. "Well, I'll come back later then."

"I could take a message for you? Or you could hang around? He said he'd be ten minutes basically ten minutes ago, so he should be back any second now."

"I'm good, thanks. Bye."

Well that was rude.

Nikolai frowned, wondering how such a gorgeous woman could be so horrible, when he heard laughter from outside the mechanic.

"You been waiting long?"

"No, no! Seriously, don't worry about it! Here, the box you wanted."

Oh, so she could be nice to Gregor, but not him?

"Thanks, remember, if you ever need anything-"

"Be sure to ask. Yeah, I know. Oh by the way, who's the new guy?"

"Dominik. Goes by Nik most of the time. Why'd you ask?"

"He looks like he won't take it seriously, and I didn't want you to have to take the fallout for accidentally employing another fuckboy."

Ah. That's why she didn't like the look of me.

"It's not gonna happen again, alright? And he is actually good at what he does, for somebody who's not Grisha."

"Ugh, fine. But when this inevitably comes back to bite you in the ass because he's left you to fend for yourself while he goes around every woman in the village, don't come crying to me, Greg."

"Very specific situation, but sure. I'll see you later? I assume you'll be at your stall?"

"Yeah, I'll be there. Hopefully mum doesn't force any more men on me while I'm there."

"You know she just means well."

"Doesn't feel that way, but sure. Bye," she said, and Nikolai saw Gregor waving as he came back into the shop, box in hand.

"Who was she?"

"Y/n L/n. I'm friends with her mother, who's on the town council. Didn't seem to like the look of you much, did she?" He laughed, putting the box to one side. "She's not a big fan of people that look like you, so try not to take it personally. And she's a little frosty towards any newcomer in our town, since we barely get any tourists. I'm sure she'll be happier tonight at the faire, so don't worry too much about it."

"What's she do?"

"Owns the bakery next to the coffee shop." Nikolai knew the one (literally The One, since there weren't any others in town). "Really good baker, too. Shame there's not enough money in this place to keep all the businesses going. But," he shrugged. "People always need things fixing and can't be bothered to do it themselves. How's the carriage coming along?"

~~~

The afternoon was swelteringly hot, with it coming up on the height of summer, and working in the shop was horrible. Far too many people came in with things needing fixing, and while Nikolai and Gregor were glad for the extra footfall, most of the customers were women, having obviously broken something deliberately and wanting to see Nikolai.

One woman was particularly interested, and when she got to the front of the queue that led all the way out of the shop and down the road, Nikolai recognised her as the older woman from the coffee shop this morning, and Y/n's mother.

"Are you single?" she immediately asked. "Not for me, I'm married, not that some of the women here care. It's for my daughter, you see. She says she doesn't want a boyfriend, but personally I think the two of you would look brilliant together, hmm?"

"All fixed, have a nice day!" Nikolai passed back the clock that he had fixed within about two seconds (a loose cog in the mechanism), shooting her a wide smile that he hoped didn't show how badly he wanted to go home. Her smile faltered slightly, then came back twice as strong than before, leaving Nikolai a little blinded.

"I hope I'll see you at the faire tonight, my daughter will be helping me with my stall!"

"I'll be there," he responded tiredly, eyeing up the rest of the line and estimating how much longer he'd have to be here.

"Excellent!"

She walked off, a spring in her step, and Nikolai wondered how such a chipper lady had such a miserable daughter.

I suppose they don't get on too well, he thought, remembering the conversation they'd had in the coffee shop the morning before.

"I hope I'll see you at my stall," the next woman in line purred, pushing her chest forward into Nikolai's face, and he immediately wished he were anywhere but here.

~~~

Y/n was exactly where she wanted to be.

She had been trying for months to get a grant from the town council to do up the abandoned mansion in the square, hoping to turn it into both a bakery and a library with rooms at the top for people to stay, but with her mother in the top position and refusing to budge until Y/n had a boyfriend (she shuddered), there was no hope in sight.

After yet another talk from her mother about how finding a boyfriend might just be what she needed, Y/n had come to the mansion, and felt immediately calmed by the building. The creaking of the timbers wasn't exactly reassuring, but she'd had this dream for as long as she could remember, and being so close to actually achieving it meant that she was happy here. She'd be much happier with a grant, of course, but that wouldn't happen unless she got a boyfriend. She was absolutely certain her mother would already be eyeing up the blond fuckboy from the mechanic, thinking up wild ideas on how to get the two of them together, but he looked so perfectly like he was bad news that Y/n didn't even want to go there.

She sighed, sitting down on the crumbling wall that was definitely a safety hazard and pulling out her notebook. If she couldn't bring her ideas to life, she could at least draw them out (or write them down, her diagrams were atrocious sometimes). All around, people were getting their wares out for the summer faire, the one time of the year that Taya had any kind of tourism, and the narrow streets were already bustling with excited customers. Colourful bunting had been strung across the walkways, held up by lampposts and people's balconies, and lights were mingled in with the strands. Things would properly kick off at five bells, only half an hour away, and Y/n was dreading having to spend four hours next to her mother, no escape as she pointed out every single man within a fifty mile radius.

For now, she sat on the wall, coming up with new ideas or elaborating on old ones for when she finally got the grant (no boyfriend included), occasionally people watching.

~~~

Three hours later, Y/n wanted to go home.

Her mother had done exactly as predicted, and had, in an incredibly non subtle way, convinced every man that came to their stall that Y/n was the best they would ever do, and they should give her a chance.

While Y/n agreed that she was most certainly the best that they could do, she didn't want any of them to be giving her a chance, she just wanted them to buy the pastries that she'd spent the morning preparing. Being the only bakery in town, their produce was in high demand, so they had set up just outside their actual shop to keep a steady stream of baked goods coming to the stall. She was just creating an escape plan when she heard a squeal from her left, and immediately knew that she wasn't going anywhere since her mother had found 'the perfect man' as she put it. Turning, Y/n groaned at the dark haired man in front of their table, and immediately turned back to her right. That wasn't any good either, since the blond fuckboy was stood there.

"Oh, hi!"

He was too smiley, and so obviously one of those guys that would ruin her life, trying the nice guy act in an attempt to win a girl over. He'd probably had everything handed to him because of his looks.

"Hi. How can I help?" His smiled dulled a little at her lack of enthusiasm, but credit where credit's due, he was not backing down.

"One of these, please," he replied, pointing at a loaf of bread. She nodded, bagging it up, and should have realised what was going to happen when his eyes flicked over her shoulder in surprise.

"Is that your mother?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"She's uh... she's really going for him, huh?"

Y/n turned around again (she'd get dizzy if this kept happening), then almost dropped the bag at the sight of her mother chatting up the dark haired man from before, pointing at Y/n.

"I thought she was married? At least, that's what she said this morning."

"Why did you see my mother this morning?"

"She came to the mechanic with a very obviously not broken clock."

"She is married. She's trying to get somebody to date me. I think that's why she's so focused on my love life, because she has this perfect love story and thinks she can replicate it with me. Five vlachka, please."

He handed over the money, taking the bread from her in return.

"Is that why she won't give you the grant? Wait," his eyes widened. "That sounded creepy, I'm sorry. I just heard you in the coffee shop the other morning, and then Gregor said that she was on the council, and I just put that together and if I assumed wrongly then I'm sorry." He seemed apologetic, hands waving frantically.

"My personal life is none of your business. Thank you, goodbye." She was annoyed at how close he was to the truth.

~~~

Nikolai had spent the last half an hour eating his loaf of bread along with a selection of hams and cheeses that he'd bought, combined with glaring at Y/n from where he sat on a bench. He knew that he'd overstepped a boundary in asking the question, but he'd been curious and nothing more, and she had been so brusque in turning him away that it irked him. He understood that she might not want some random guy she'd never met before snooping into her private life, but she could have said it a bit more nicely than that. Nikolai had always believed in being nice to people, no matter how much you wanted their head on a chopping block, because you might be burning bridges before they were even built, but then again he'd grown up in a life of politics, and Y/n had grown up in the quiet port town of Taya.

Watching her interact with other customers was making Nikolai's irritation grow; she seemed to have very little problem with being nice to them, so why couldn't she do it around him? Gregor had mentioned that she didn't like people that "looked like Nikolai", but what did that mean? And why was she judging a book by its cover? Maybe once she got to know him, she'd find that he was actually a pretty great guy to be around. That might be his ego talking, sure, but Nikolai had spent his life learning how to be what people wanted, and it was annoying him that he couldn't figure out what Y/n wanted to see. One thing she definitely did not want to see was single men, coming up with excuses out of nowhere to fend off every one that was sent her way by her mother. Nikolai was sure that he was right, and that Y/n's mother didn't want her starting this venture unless she had a partner, and that was why she hadn't gained the grant. He'd also seen the state of the building, and knew that it was likely that her mother was concerned about how much of herself Y/n would put into this project, thinking by the time she was done there would be no time for grandchildren. He didn't know if Y/n had siblings, but assumedly her mother had expected little ones sooner than this, and time was running out.

Frowning as yet another man was sent Y/n's way (and told to leave by Y/n), Nikolai didn't notice the young woman coming his way until she was practically sat on him she was so close to him on the bench.

"Hi, handsome, not seen you around here before." He recoiled at her tone of voice and at the fingers she was trailing up his arm, doing his best to not look too disgusted.

"Moved a couple of days ago," he replied, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Where you staying? Because I've got room in my bed, if you like?"

"I'm alright, thank you. You'll get tired of having me there. Terrible nightmares that lead to me waking up screaming bloody murder. You'd never get any sleep." He smiled apologetically, hoping she'd get the hint.

"I wasn't planning on doing much sleeping, to be honest. But I'd be happy to comfort you if that's what you need?" Her fingers were still dancing on his shirtsleeve, and Nikolai was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable.

"Really, I'm fine."

"Aw," she pouted, and Nikolai didn't think he'd seen anything less attractive. "You are single, aren't you?" Sensing an out, Nikolai shook his head.

"Sorry, taken man. I think that dark haired guy is free though," he pointed at the man that had been at the bakery stall earlier, then packed up his things to leave.

"Who are you with? If you've only been here a couple of days then it can't be too serious, right?"

Nikolai didn't bother giving an answer, hoping she'd leave him alone. When she stood up to follow him, he internally groaned. His eyes darted around, searching for anybody that could help, and when he met Y/n's she grimaced.

"Need help?" she mouthed, pointing at the woman clamping down on his arm. He was surprised at her actions, and nodded. When she only shrugged and turned away, evil smile on her face, Nikolai huffed, then made a decision.

"Hi, darling. I'm gonna head back, alright?" Y/n whipped her head around to look at him when he tapped her shoulder, and immediately he felt the woman's grip loosen on his arm.

"What?"

"I second that, what?!"

Her mother was involved now, coming over excitedly as she let herself indulge the possibilities.

"I said I was gonna head back, darling," he repeated, a wicked glint coming into his eyes that thankfully her mother didn't notice. Y/n was glaring at him, and if looks could kill he'd be twelve feet under in a ditch, but she'd left him for the wolves (well, wolf), so now he was throwing her to the lions. Served her right, really, for not being nicer. At least this way she might get her grant, and he could get rid of this woman (who was still hanging off of him).

"You're together?" her mother asked, clapping her hands with joy. Nikolai nodded, frowning slightly.

"She didn't tell you? Darling, why didn't you tell her?"

He was enjoying this a little too much, but if it meant that she got a taste of her own medicine and he was left alone by all the other women, it was worth it.

"I didn't realise this was a thing, sweetheart," she ground out, not that her mother noticed. "Hello, Evelina. Pleasure to see you, as always. Get off my boyfriend before I dropkick you into next fucking month." She smiled sweetly, but malice was in her eyes, and Evelina left within seconds. "You sure you want to go back? There's so much to do!" Now her voice was cloyingly sweet, dripping with fake emotion.

"I've had a long day, and I'll have to be up early tomorrow. The faire's on for the rest of the week, so I'll have plenty of time to do the things I've missed."

"I have so many questions!" her mother chipped in. "When did this start? How did you get her to go out with you? Are you in a serious relationship? Have you had sex?"

"Mother! Saints!"

"Really only yesterday, it was incredibly difficult and I essentially bribed her, I'd like this to be serious, and no we have not. I like to get to know my girlfriend before I go there." At Y/n's snort, he glared at her, pinching her in the ribs. Her mother didn't seem to notice (yet again), too happy that her daughter was finally in a relationship.

"Well," she started, sighing happily. "Y/n, come on down to the town hall tomorrow morning for the meeting, and you just might get that grant!" Y/n's eyes widened, and she didn't say anything until her mother had walked away to serve a customer. Then she appeared to snap out of her daze, grabbing Nikolai by the arm (why did women keep doing that?) and dragging him into a back room in the bakery.

"What, the actual fuck, are you doing?!"

"Helping you and helping me," he shrugged in response, rubbing his upper arm where she'd grabbed him.

"How is this," she gestured furiously between the two of them, "helping either of us?!"

"Helping you, because you do need your mother to give you the grant, and the only way that would happen is if you got some great love story. Helping me, because I'd rather we didn't get quite so many people coming in to the shop with time-wasting repairs. It drives away the bigger customers. Also I think she wanted to eat me alive."

"Evelina? Yeah, she would have done. And you know what? I was content to let that happen."

"Oh I know you were, given you asked if I needed help and then shrugged and left me to fend for myself!"

"Ugh, you are a pain!"

"That's the best you can do?"

"I can think of many other words for what you are, all of them worse."

"Let me know when your brain thinks them up, yeah?"

"Fuck you."

"What, right here? Little bit risky, isn't it?"

"Saints! Do you even hear yourself? You are insufferable! Which is exactly why you need to go out there and tell my mother that you lied, and we are not together, and she needs to stop interfering with my life!"

"If I do that, you don't get your grant. I'll help you work on the building if that makes you feel any better, since nobody around here will, but if I go out there and tell your mother the truth, you can say goodbye to ever getting that mansion."

She paused then, blank expression on her face. Nikolai made to move towards the exit, and his hand was about to push the door open when she sighed and said "Wait." Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed again, looking everywhere but at him. "Fine. But we only go along with this for as long as I want to. When I think I have enough from the council that I don't need their support anymore, then this stops. If we cut things off within the week, mum will suspect something, and she'll call back the money. We need to be careful, we need to be smart, and you need to not make me want to kill you, because I'd much rather explain this whole situation than why I need a bag and a shovel and a plot of land."

"Understood."

"I still don't quite get what you're gaining from this, but I won't complain. Also I want the free labour you offered."

"It wasn't free labour that I offered, I'm expecting a little compensation for my time. And I said, it stops the unnecessary repairs and means that Gregor and I can work on the bigger stuff, like carriages for fancy people."

"I'm not paying you. I've gotta use all that money on repairs and shit, so you can take your compensation and stick it up your arse."

"I was thinking more 'make sure you feed me', but fine."

"Oh," she blinked, clearly taken aback. "I can do that. I'm not cooking for you, though. You can do that on your own, dickwad."

"Dominik."

"What?"

"Dominik. Nik for short. It's my name. If we're going to pretend that we're dating, it might help for you to not call me 'dickwad'."

"Oh," she said again. "Makes sense. Y/n is fine. Anything else, I get the shovel."

"Got it. I think I might actually go back," he started, feeling the unease creep up his spine.

"You can't leave me here! Not on my own! Do you have any idea how many questions she's gonna ask me?!"

"Well where do you live then? I'll walk you back, then she can't get upset, right?"

Y/n considered for a moment, head tilted to the side.

"Fine, but don't get any ideas," she pointed at him. "I know how to make sure you never have children."

"That's... okay. Let's uh... let's go?" He hadn't meant for it to be a question, but he was taken aback by her previous statement. She nodded, grimacing slightly as she took the arm he had offered up. "You don't have to look quite so disgusted at the thought of having me as your partner, you know."

"Yes I do. You're not my type in any way, and I can't believe this is happening oh Saints." They'd stepped out, and immediately her mother had come over, asking a million questions.

"Mum! We're gonna go home, okay?"

"I'll walk her back, Mrs L/n," he smiled, and she immediately flapped her hands.

"Please, call me Y/m/n, since we're family now! I want to hear all about this," she waved her hands at the two of them now, "tomorrow after the council meeting, alright?"

"Of course, Y/m/n," he said, and he could practically feel Y/n rolling her eyes. He led her away, heading off in the direction she pointed him in, and tried to push the dread that was working its way through his body. "Where do you live again?"

"Not far. Next street, halfway down. I'm not too far away from the hotel."

"Okay."

She frowned, looking up at him. "You look kinda ill, are you okay? Asking purely because I don't want you throwing up on me."

"I'm fine," he swallowed. "I'll be fine." They fell silent after that, and not long after they came to a stop in front of a gate.

"This is me. Don't come back here or I'll stab you with my kitchen knives. Bye."

Saints, she was weird. And not particularly welcoming either. Nikolai watched her up until she was inside and he heard the door lock, then started walking towards the hotel.

The demon had other ideas.

He'd been trying to force it back down since the bakery about ten minutes ago, but now it wanted out. Nikolai couldn't be sure that it wouldn't go and terrorise people, and while he and the creature sharing his body had some sort of understanding now, he didn't know if he'd be able to control it if it went crazy. Finding a dark alleyway (probably not the best idea, but he had both the demon and his guns if anyone tried anything), he let it out, panting at the effort. It growled at him, clearly unhappy at having been suppressed, and Nikolai gave it the middle finger.

"You couldn't have waited a little longer, huh?" It tilted its head, studying him, then rummaged around in the rubbish in the alley. "Disgusting. You're disgusting, eating that." He huffed, then folded his arms and stood at the entrance, keeping an eye out for anyone that might be walking past and see the demon. He'd be screwed if that happened; everybody had heard about the king that released a demon upon the Fjerdan ranks a few months ago, and there was no chance that he wouldn't be recognised then. He wasn't sure how long the pair of them lingered in the alleyway, but by the time the demon was done, allowing Nikolai to take it back in, he was exhausted, and very grateful for his bed. It didn't take him long to fall asleep, and when he did, he dreamed of her.

Chapter 2

#grishaverse #netflix shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lanstov x reader #nikolai x reader #nikolai lanstov x y/n #nikolai x y/n

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floral-force · 11 months

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Sleeping Bounty - Chapter 10

We Are One

din djarin x f!reader

summary: Din and his princess get their happy ending with a wedding fit for royalty.

words: 4.5k+

warnings/tags: this is just extremely fluffy and self-indulgent. my blog and works are 18+ always. good friend Greef Karga, nervous!din, Mando'a, cute wedding stuff bc i'm a sucker for it

a/n: this is the final chapter in din and his princess's story. hold on for the epilogue, though!

read on ao3 | series masterlist

previous | epilogue

You stood in front of the tri-fold mirror nestled in the corner of your bedchamber, the right pane ending where a marble post began its arch to the ceiling, dropping to the other side and outlining the inlet where a chaise sat in the morning sun. One of your chambermaids picked up the tiered tulle slip laid out on it, arranging it over the circular pedestal the other dragged over and positioned in the center of the mirror. They let you rest your hands on their shoulders as you stepped up and into the opening, giving them thanks when you stood straight and still. The women pulled the slip up until the high waistband sat perfectly on the natural pinch of your torso.

Without delay, one kicked two wooden stepstools behind you while the other pushed the wearing your wedding dress mannequin over. They whispered to each other and smiled, their happiness deflating your anxiety a tiny bit. As they both worked at undoing the small buttons on the back, you tried to slow your quick pulse, closing your eyes and wrapping your arms around yourself. The air was cold and prickled your skin; you grounded yourself to that sensation, even if it was a little unpleasant.

You gasped when you heard the door creaking open, but you and the chambermaids were relieved to see it was just Peli and your mother. The fairy flew over in a rush, her full blue dress bouncing with the sudden change of speed. Your mother was close behind, her rich purple dress taking a pearlescent sheen in the sunlight with each quick step.

“Allow me,” Peli said, pushing her sleeves up a bit and waving her wand.

The chambermaids gasped in awe when the dress lifted into the air, the full tulle skirt flowing out in a halo above you. Without instruction, you raised your arms and closed your eyes as the dress was slowly lowered over you. When you opened them again, the women helped you put your arms through the delicate tulle bishop sleeves before getting to work on buttoning the back up.

Peli floated behind your left shoulder and your mother stood on your right, both women dabbing tears off their cheeks with handkerchiefs. The chambermaids finished, and you thanked them profusely before they walked to the right and towards the vanity across the room.

“Oh, Rose!” Peli clasped her hands and smiled with a quivering lip. “You look beautiful.”

“Absolutely beautiful,” your mother echoed, fingers absentmindedly smoothing the skirt of your dress. Her pointed golden crown glinted in the light when she tilted her head and smiled at you in the mirror. “You really outdid yourself, Peli.”

“It wasn’t all me. Your daughter was showing me how far she’s come in the art of making royal demands.”

You gasped and playfully threw your hand back at Peli with a scoff. Your mother chuckled.

The dress really was perfect. Peli had met your expectations and then flew to the heavens with them. The ballgown silhouette was delicate but full from its pink-hued champagne tulle lining. A layer of white tulle embroidered with Chantilly lace floral appliqués that wisped up from the hem to the bodice gave it an ethereal feel. You hadn’t specified what flower to use among the leafy accents, leaving it up to Peli. Seeing the briar roses among the dainty, leafy vines confirmed your guess as to what she’d pick—and they were lovely.

You smiled at how the pointed Basque waistline and sweetheart neckline with its modest plunging illusion inset perfectly accented your figure; it had been Peli’s idea to include these things, and you were thankful you allowed her to. The bodice was embroidered with the same white floral appliqués adorning the skirt of your dress, a few trailing vines dripping down to the tulle skirt. The lace motif curled around to an open back, small satin buttons trailing down your spine at the point of its subtle v-line. The pattern curled around the top of your off-shoulder sleeves and few smaller iterations of the lace roses decorated the thin tulle, while the cuffs were completely wrapped in the pattern.

Peli nodded at you in the mirror and smiled. “Turn around.”

“Why?” you asked, slowly starting your path with gentle movements to the left her despite your suspicion.

She winked. “You’ll see.”

She waved her wand, and you felt the back of your dress lift up. It was far easier for you to move, but you still did so with caution. She abruptly told you to stop when you’d almost made it around. Material dropped to the floor again with a light rustle, and you met Peli’s eyes. She tilted her head towards the mirror, and you looked over your shoulder to see a train of tulle flowing out behind you. It was speckled with the same lace motif and added to the dress’s delicate, feminine quality. The train was so long that it was spilling up against the mirror; your mother had had to take a few steps back and into the sunlight spewing through the inlet’s large window.

“Oh, Peli!” Your mother sighed, teary eyes trailing up from the embroidered train to meet yours, then to the fairy’s. “It’s going to look marvelous at the ceremony.”

You nodded in agreement. Tears you didn’t know had formed trailed down your cheeks. “Thank you, Aunt Peli.” You sniffed, taking her small hands in yours, voice wavering when you spoke again. “Thank you for everything.”

She didn’t need to say anything, and you didn’t expect her to. Your aunt had done so much for you, including bringing your beskar-clad fiancé to you—even if that was an accident. Peli pressed a kiss to your forehead, and you softly laughed when tears fell down her face to match yours. She shook her head and flew back a bit as she dabbed her cheeks dry.

“Goodness!” She exclaimed with a sniff. “I’m gonna waste all of my tears now and look like a mean old hag at the ceremony when everyone else is crying and I’m not.”

“You might not be alone,” your mother suggested after you had all finished laughing.

You went to turn and face the mirror again, Peli lifting the train with her wand so you could move and ask, “You don’t think the ki—er, father will cry?” You bit your bottom lip at your mistake; calling your parents by their titles was a reflex that you may always be chipping away at.

She shrugged, crossing her arms. “He may. I can count on both hands the number of times he’s cried. One of which being the night we…” Your mother trailed off and her face was suddenly painted with sadness. She took a deep breath and looked back up at you, shaking her head and softly smiling again. “Who knows? Maybe his daughter’s wedding will make him shed a tear or two.”

“Who knows!” Peli exclaimed from the other side of the room, your heads turning.

She was flying behind the chambermaids as they approached you, one of them holding a dark wooden box. It looked long and deep enough to hold a bushel of the crabapples that grew near the cottage you found yourself missing the past few months. The thought made your heart heavy for only a moment. You bit the inside of your cheek and fiddled with the diamond ring on your left hand. This was supposed to be a happy day; you couldn’t linger on your blue nostalgia.

When the women stopped a few feet away from you, your mother gently took the box with a nod, clutching it in her hands. The other held your shoes—a pair of clean, white satin heels—in her hands, waiting expectantly at Peli’s side. When Peli waved her wand and raised the front hem of your dress enough to reveal your feet, covered in thin, white stockings, the chambermaid crouched down and helped you slowly step into the oddly comfortable heels, smiling with you when you wobbled. You thanked her and steadied yourself; Peli took that as her cue to fix your hair with a swirl of her wand. The other chambermaid returned and started to add a little makeup to your face—enough to accent your features and match your dress’s soft, romantic look.

When it was all finished, your mother stepped to your side and exhaled, her shoulders sagging. Her eyes were glassy as she looked at you in the mirror, a rogue tear slipping down her cheek. If you weren’t wearing makeup, you’d tear up too. She stepped in front of you and took a shaky breath, saying your name three times as if she was reciting the end of an incantation.

“I want to give you this to wear.”

One of the maids brought over a small table, and your mother set the box down, her thumbs flicking two tarnished latches up. She kept the box closed and bit her lip. Her fingers traced over the intricate carvings of vines and leaves, fingernails catching on deep ridges. Your mother shook her head and chuckled to herself.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting a Mandalorian to give you back to us. Seeing you next to him—” her eyebrows knitted together— “I thought he’d taken you captive from Phillip and was going to hold you for ransom. Use our pain against us. If it weren’t for Peli’s testimony, I think Stefan would’ve had him hauled away. And if he hadn’t, I certainly would have.”

You could only listen and try to process what she was saying and why she’d chosen to confess her hesitancy and dislike of Din today. She looked up at your confused face. A gentle expression washed over her.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for my grave misjudgment. After seeing how he behaves around you, how he treats you…I think—no, I know he’s an honorable man.”

Your mother lifted the lid of the box, and you got a glimpse of a small, oblong package resting on top of something else, both hidden under brown paper. She gingerly started to unwrap the smaller item with the chambermaids’ help, and you gasped when you saw a fringe tiara, its dainty spikes of diamonds sparkling in the light. The brown paper was pulled back and carefully unwrapped to reveal a delicate two-layered veil; your mother had it draped over her arms and you saw the intricate lace embroidery around the edges of it.

“I wore this on my wedding day,” she said, meeting your eyes again. “I want you to wear it for yours.”

You could only grin at her and choke back a sentimental sob. She walked behind you and Peli followed her with a gentle hold on end of the veil. Your mother gently placed the tiara on the crown of your head, making sure it was in the correct position. It was heavy on your head, forcing you to stand as straight as possible; Din would probably tease you for it later. Peli flew over you to drape the blusher over you, the thin material reaching your fingertips. All four women in the room looked at you in the mirror, smiling and sighing. Your mother wiped a few tears off her face. You almost shed a tear yourself, but Peli gently tapped your bicep and joked that you’d ruin your makeup.

The collective adoration ended when there was a sharp rapping on the door.

“Your carriage awaits, Your Majesties!” A man declared.

Your aunt and mother turned away from the mirror and looked at you. Your mother took your hands in hers and squeezed as she said your name.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

You nodded. “I am.”

Din stood outside the ballroom’s heavy oak doors, shifting his feet and fidgeting with his thumb. Seeing so many kriffing people filing in for his wedding had put him on edge. He’d expected their stares and whispers, but it affected him more than those reactions usually did. Not only that, but he was also doing the unthinkable—he’d left his weapons in his room after his fiancée begged him to, saying her father was uneasy about how it might affect their relations with the kingdom’s subjects. She told him that she hated it as much as he did, but she implored him to do this for her. Weapons were his religion, but she was his goddess, and he would always do her bidding. Thank the Maker the king had told him a few days ago that he could keep the darksaber on his hip.

Greef Karga stood at his side and nudged him with his elbow. Din looked at him and saw the man’s concerned expression.

“Mando, relax,” he urged.

“How am I supposed to relax without my blasters?” Din snapped. He dropped his visor to the ground, nudging the toe of his boot against a crack in the stone. He sighed and clenched his fists. “I’m just…”

When he trailed off, Greef hummed with a smug realization. “The great Mandalorian bounty hunter, best in the Guild and a dragon slayer,” he teased, earning a snap of Din’s helmet in his direction, “is afraid.”

Din’s hands slapped against the side of his thighs, and he groaned. Under the helmet, his cheeks flushed from embarrassment, the tips of his ears burning. Leave it to Greef to see right through him and make him squirm. Din had come to consider the man a friend over the years, and he immediately knew he’d have Greef at his side for the wedding. Of course, the man gave him a wide grin and clapped Din on the arm and then nearly choked on his spotchka when Din told him who his soon-to-be spouse was. He’d also finally told Greef his name; it was only appropriate since he’d agreed to be the best man at his wedding.

“You know, it’s not a bad thing to be nervous, Din.”

Din exhaled, forcing all the air out of his lungs. He hung his helmet down and shrugged. The beskar felt heavier than it ever had before.

He looked at his friend. “I don’t even feel this way when someone’s holding vibroblade against my throat, or when I’m in unarmed in a fight against people who are.”

Greef gave him an understanding smile. “Feeling nervous just means you care.”

Din paused, then nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

The two men stood next to each other in silence, Din’s thoughts moving at hyperspeed. He had only just managed to capture one when Greef nudged him. Din followed where Greef jerked his head and saw the group of people walking up the wide stone steps to the doors. He saw their carriage drive away as the officiant reached the door, King Stefan and Queen Leah right behind him.

Din had breathed a sigh of relief when his princess told him there’d be no religion involved. She told him he could have another Mandalorian come and say their marriage rites alongside the royal officiant if he wanted. Din had refused; the covert had to stay hidden. Instead, he paid a visit to the Armorer and left her tasked with only one thing that he had to do.

The queen gave him a soft smile, her right arm hooked through Stefan’s left. She motioned for Din to walk over, and he did with shaking knees. They were both lavishly dressed; the queen wore a cape made of golden brocade while the king’s long tunic matched his wife’s purple satin dress, a black cloak with an intricate gold jacquard pattern all over it trailing over his shoulders. Stefan extended his hand and Din shook it. Din was thankful for this distraction from his anxiety, even if it made him feel a bit awkward.

“Din,” the queen said, “I noticed you don’t have any family with you.”

“Just Greef Karga, my…friend.” It was still such a foreign word to him. “The Mandalorian covert I belong to needs to stay hidden.”

“Even for your wedding?” Stefan raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t risk my covert. This is The Way.”

Leah sharply inhaled, her brow furrowing in thought as she looked up at Stefan. “If my husband is fine with it—” she gave Din a tender smile— “I’d like to walk down the aisle with you.”

Din waved his hands. “No, that isn’t—”

“Stefan is walking our daughter down the aisle,” she interjected. “I’d just be alone.”

They both looked at him expectantly. Stefan raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. Now he knew where his bride got her stubbornness from.

Din shook his head and shrugged. “Alright.”

“Good man.” Stefan commented, the threatening demeanor melting away. He kissed Leah’s hand, giving her a warm smile.

Leah walked in front of her husband and Din offered his bent left arm for her to take. She gently guided him to stand off to the right of the doors where they’d be hidden from view when they opened. The officiant directed everyone, her voice commanding and urgent. It reminded him of the Armorer and helped his body and brain settle a bit more. An usher stood across from the wedding party, presumably to direct them inside. Greef shook Din’s shoulder, making him turn around. He couldn’t help but smile at Greef’s encouraging grin, feeling a bit more at ease. Maybe having a friend wasn’t all that bad.

The sound of the doors creaking open into the cathedral made Din’s stomach turn. The officiant walked in immediately after the first note of the opening flourish to what Din assumed was a processional. Not long after, Din walked forward with the queen, his hands clammy under his gloves. The usher motioned them to turn and walk, and Din nearly swore when he saw how far away the altar was. He could barely process anything after he took his first step onto the white carpet running down the altar the officiant was now walking up a few steps to. He kept his eyes straight ahead and focused on the waiting officiant, Leah’s hand occasionally giving the exposed part of his forearm a reassuring squeeze. The music filled his ears and covered the thrumming of his heartbeat in his ears. When they reached the base of the four steps leading to the altar, she turned to Din and took his hand in hers, giving him that soft smile his princess gave him.

Din took his place on the right side of the altar, his shaky breaths adding a layer to the music only he could hear. He watched Greef walk down the aisle to prevent his eyes from darting around the crowd. He nodded when his friend took his place at Din’s left side. The processional had become louder, its majestic melody crashing into his bones. Right as strings began to twirl up a scale, a crescendo building, he saw her step into the cathedral.

There was shuffling as the crowd stood and gasps of awe speckling the most triumphant iteration of the melody yet as she walked down the aisle towards him. He felt his throat burn and his eyes tear up, threatening to spill down his cheeks the closer she got. Her dress was soft and highlighted the curves he loved to hold, the color of the fabric perfect on her skin. As she got closer, he noticed the dainty lace flowers on her skirt. He assumed the pattern was also on her sleeves, but he was too focused on her gorgeous shoulders and collarbones to really care about her sleeves. Peli flew behind her, low to the floor, gently grasping her dress’s lengthy train in her tiny hands, but the way it splayed out perfectly behind his bride with little effort from Peli made him think she’d used a little magic, too. His bride’s lips were painted with an affectionate smile that made his heart swell, even if it was muted under a thin veil. The bouquet in her hand was full of white roses, thin, light green strands of tiny leaves spraying down the front and sides. Din swallowed and drank her in, committing the moment to his memory.

As the processional neared its end, Din hurriedly took his gloves off and shoved them in his belt, swearing to himself for nearly forgetting; he’d just been hypnotized by her. She ascended the steps with Stefan, stopping on the last one before the altar. He gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek and placed her right hand in Din’s open left palm.

“Take good care of her,” Stefan said with teary eyes.

Din nodded and Stefan walked back to sit next to Leah. Din and held onto her fingers as she stepped up to the altar and took her place across from him with a nervous smile. Peli quickly splayed out the long train of her dress and veil behind her down the stairs to show off its intricate embroidery, then flew over to take her bouquet before taking her place floating behind his bride. Rustling filled the air after the orchestra’s final note dissipated into the cathedral’s vaulted ceiling, and it was finally time to begin.

The sound of the officiant’s voice faded into the background as he stared at her, his chest warm and knees weak. The tiara she was wearing pointed up under the veil, and he felt a beatific smile split his lips into a grin. Her eyes searched his visor, her face radiant and brightening the room despite the veil. Not sleep nor tulle could dim her glow. She must have sensed his anxiety, because she took his other hand in hers and gave them both a squeeze. It instantly soothed him.

“It’s alright Din,” she whispered under the officiant’s booming voice. “Just breathe, baby.”

He wished she could see the way her words made him melt, how her voice alone forced every iota of tension out of his body.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered back, his throat dry and voice wavering.

It was all he could manage, but at least his compliment made her smile even wider. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side as she did, then opened her eyes after a few seconds and stared straight into his. Din loved making her flustered just so he could see her cute reaction.

He barely registered anything that didn’t involve him directly touching or speaking to her. All he could see was her. All he could feel was her hands—they were clammy, making him feel better about his sweaty ones. All he could do was stare and let his eyes wander over her so he could sear this moment into his brain and see it clearly for the rest of his life. Din’s heart hammered in his ears as he responded to the vows—saying “I do” just as he’d practiced—and it soared into the sky when she echoed his words.

The officiant looked at Din, flipping a page in her leather-covered book. She cleared her throat before announcing both of their full names.

She continued, “You will now recite the Mandalorian vow together.”

His mouth was suddenly drier than the sands of Tatooine. Din took a deep breath and squeezed her fingers, focusing on her soft smile.

“Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde.”

Din swallowed the thick lump in his throat, his eyes tearing up. The meaning of those words sunk into his soul, lifting it up to the sky with joy at the same time. The Armorer had told him it translated to “We are one when together, we are one when parted, we share all, we will raise warriors.” He had never felt more certain of something in his life; he meant every word, and his gut told him that she did too.

His chest also swelled with pride; his perfect princess had spoken the Mando’a vow as if she’d been speaking the language her whole life. And somehow, they’d said it in almost perfect unison. Every time they’d practiced—and even at the rehearsal—the timing had been off. The stars must have aligned so this day would go perfectly for them.

When they were given the wedding rings to exchange, Din suddenly felt self-conscious about his hands, and he remembered how large of a crowd had gathered in the massive cathedral. Her magical touch made him forget about it all; her gentle fingers and concentrated eyes grounded him as she slipped the black obsidian band on his ring finger. Her voice was solid and proud as she repeated the officiant’s words for the ring exchange. His hands were shaking as he did the same with her thin, modest band and then the diamond ring he'd proposed to her with. Din hoped his voice wasn’t wavering too much as he spoke. He relaxed when he noticed her chest tremble with a suppressed giggle as he made sure the stone sat perfectly on her finger; she’d told him that she thought his perfectionism was endearing a while ago.

After his last word, he realized the ceremony was over—but there was one last thing to do.

“By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!”

Din’s shaking hands gently lifted her veil and let it fall back behind her tiara, revealing her face and letting the tiara finally sparkle. She was even more beautiful now without the thin material obstructing his view. She was beaming up at him, her eyes sparkling as much as the tiara’s diamonds. Din bent his head forward and gingerly cupped her jaw in his hands as she placed hers on the side of his helmet, meeting his beskar forehead with her smooth one.

As the crowd cheered and the orchestra began playing a majestic recessional, Din pulled back and turned to face the doors, his princess doing the same. She waved down at her parents, then took her bouquet back from Peli before the fairy quickly took hold of the train and waved her wand to gently lift it mere inches off the ground. Din looked at his wife, offering his open hand; she gently bent her fingers over his, smiling when his fingers curled over hers.

As they made their way down the aisle to jubilant applause, she gave him a quick, smug glance. “I told you it would painless.”

“I think our definitions of pain are very different.”

She rolled her eyes and giggled, and Din clicked his tongue. “Careful, princess, or I’m taking you on a jet pack ride out of here.”

“Thank the Force our carriage is here,” she said as their feet tapped onto the stone steps outside, “because I’d wish you well on that solo flight and meet you in the ballroom for the reception.”

“My wife is so loving,” Din deadpanned.

“And my husband thinks he’s funny,” she retorted with a playful smile.

Din shook his head and held her hand as she stepped into the open-top carriage, waving to the crowd gathered across from the cathedral. Once they were both seated, Din took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her eyes fell on his visor, cheeks split with joy.

“I love you, mesh’la.”

“I love you too, Din.”

The carriage sped off for the castle, a new life waiting for them.

previous | epilogue

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@charlottetownwaffles, @theamuz, @graciexmarvel, @elinedjarin, @maddiedrmr, @kaqua, @fairy-tale-writer, @bbyanarchist, @hardlystrictlystarwars, @hrtsforpascal, @threeheadedlamb, @dindjarinsmut, @notsosecretspy, @djarinslove, @jellybeanstacey0519, @mymindfuckery

#the mandalorian #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #din djarin fic #mando x reader #my fic #din djarin x f!reader #din x you #din x reader #din djarin x princess!reader #mando x f!reader #mando x you #royal au #The Mandalorian royal au #sleeping bounty #sb #sleeping beauty au #fantasy au

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aadmelioraa · 1 year

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It's almost 2023, so I figured I'd share my updated The Last Kingdom fic recs since I have been meaning to do that all year. Below the cut you will find some shippy stuff, some introspective pieces, and a variety of characters featured (several of whom rarely get fanfic). I hope if this post crosses your path you may find a new favorite! I did limit my selection to complete fics, but you can find more recommendations, both works in progress and complete, under my ao3 tlk bookmarks. Happy New Year, and happy reading!

the leap by @irisdouglasiana

Season 5 cottagecore nuns fixit for Aalys and Aelflaed. Fixit fics are not usually my vibe tbh but this one is perfectly complex and bittersweet.

A Hard Story to Know by @wildwren

Post Season 5 fic. Aelfwynn processes her grief at the loss of her mother with the help of Aldhelm and Eadith. This fic broke my heart and mended it several times over.

no escape by @volvaaslaug

Wonderful Eadith character study and I adore the prose style as well.

come go with me by @wendy-daahling

Aethelflaed x Aldhelm political marriage (for MERCIA of course), slow burn with lots of delicious pining.

the drowned and the damned by @irisdouglasiana

Canon divergent AU centered around Osbert, Uhtred's youngest son. Addresses family trauma, cycles of violence, and legacy within the world of the show and does it in such a thought provoking way.

and, lord, she found me just in time by @jeynepoole

Hild x Iseult hurt/comfort bathing fic...so tender and so lovely.

a rope in hand for your other man by @jeynepoole

This fic is definitely for a niche audience, but if the idea of an Aethelflaed/Aldhelm/Aethelred threesome intrigues you, check it out...and there's more where that came from.

Meanwhile in Mercia by @skatingthinandice

This series is an absolute staple of Aethelflaed x Aldhelm fanfic and I am very grateful for it. Essential reading!

Daughter of Darkness by @ulfrsmal

Gen fic focused around Brida and Thyra's relationship and trauma that I, for one, desperately needed. *this fic is locked, you will need to be logged into your ao3 account to access...I still have a few invitations to send, if you need one feel free to DM me!

I go you go, my dear by alittlebitalexis

Two Osferth x Eadith fics for the Eadsferth truthers among us (no for real they were cute). Fluff and smut.

When the Party's Over by @wildwren

Aethelflaed x Erik College AU. Part of a series, read Part 1 first, I am just particularly attached to this part for...reasons.

The Maiden by @wildwren

Pirate/Witch AU for Aethelflaed x Skade. This fic is HOT and creative and HOT and gorgeously written and HOT.

To Curse a King by @pokeasleepingsmaug

Skade x Sihtric smut fic featuring magic and knife play. Very fun and sexy.

Saint of Shitty Reasons by @volvaaslaug

Edward Modern AU character study that hits 95% of my kinks.

Most CURSED among God's kin are aethelings by @wildwren

Aethelwold character study. A masterpiece though and through.

Lay Down Your Arms by @skatingthinandice

Aethelflaed x Aldhelm post Tettenhall smut, and a most worthy entry for the #GET IT AETHELFLAED tag.

clever-tongued by @tsukkinami

Aethelflaed x Aldhelm smut with wonderful tension and intimacy, it's just top tier! A classic.

in my dreams we survived by @irisdouglasiana

Hild character study, really lovely angst that makes me tear up every time.

poison by @irisdouglasiana

Brida x Skade enemies to lovers...need I say more?

fortune cookie by @jeynepoole

Competent stepdad Aldhelm, Modern AU Aldhelm & Aelfwynn bonding. A warm blanket of a fic.

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fizzyxcustard · 2 years

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Covert Eyes (15)

Fandom: Spooks

Pairings: Lucas North x OC (Amy Holland)

Warnings: Stalking behaviour, anxiety, language, sexual references, angst, heartbreak, gunshot wounds and recovery.

Summary: Lucas takes notice of a young woman, Amy, but his obsession and want to get to know her begin to spiral out of control. Amy knows that her recovery won't be quick, and she now has another decision to face.

Official soundtrack list: here

Comments/Notes: If you wish to be tagged in any of my tag lists for fics or characters, please let me know, and stipulate what you want to be tagged in. The above image was made by me using images found online.

I also wanted to stipulate, and I don’t mean to be rude, but if you ask to be on my tag list and never interact (even if just a ‘like’ on the chapters I post) then I will remove you after a few weeks. Please try and show some kind of engagement, or ask to be taken off my list if you’re no longer interested.

For those of you who have seen the series, I'm messing around with the timeline a lot. So there are characters who are in the story together who wouldn't have been in the series.

Amy knew that her recovery would not come overnight. A kind physiotherapist came to see her on the second day of being awake. The forty-something woman with short, red-brown hair and sweet perfume, helped Amy out of bed, while Lucas and Amy’s parents watched. Joan, the physiotherapist, held Amy’s arm, reassuring her to take her time.

Amy’s mother, Sharon, felt completely useless. She was watching her youngest child, her baby, struggle to stand up straight from the bedside and take her own weight. Sharon couldn’t help but choke with tears, and then felt the loving grasp of her husband’s hand in hers.

Lucas felt like a spare part, taking up space where he didn’t belong. It was Amy’s mother who had stayed the last two nights, demanding to be beside her daughter, even though the hospital generally didn’t like visitors at night, unless the patient was under eighteen. Lucas had taken Richard back to Amy’s flat, where the two men had started to get to know each other fairly well. The first night had been a little awkward, but Richard had asked Lucas for a drink and the two men had walked two streets up to the local pub for a pint. It had certainly helped break the ice somewhat.

Once Amy had successfully stood up and took her own weight, she hobbled to the bedside chair and sat down, wincing as she bent her body into the seat. The pain was warm and seemed to spread outwards all through Amy’s abdomen as she moved. Sharon dashed over and offered Amy the cup of tea which had started going cold. “Here, come and have a drink, love,” she said.

Amy looked up at her mother, whom she’d been told many times that she resembled, and felt nothing but gratitude. Three of the most important people in her life were all together in the same room. She hoped that Leah and Ruth would make it for the weekend when the doctors were planning on discharging Amy, all being well. “Thanks, mum. Do you want to go and rest tonight? Dad or Lucas can stay. I mean, none of you have to. You don’t have to stay with me.”

“We’re not leaving you by yourself,” Richard urged.

“I’m thirty two, Dad,” Amy countered with a smile.

“Don’t start giving me figures. You’re still my little girl,” Richard replied.

“Mum, please go and rest at my flat. There’s plenty of stuff in the bathroom of mine for you to use.”

A short while later and it was arranged that Lucas would stay the night, giving Sharon the proper rest that she needed. Amy remained in the bedside seat. It was a cheap, slippery material and every time she shifted, it made a loud farting-like noise. The sound still caused everyone in the room to smirk, reminding them all of the repressed children that they still were.

“I can’t wait to eat some proper food,” Amy mused. “The meals in here are horrible. I’m craving fish and chips, a big bag from the local by me.”

And that was exactly what everyone had for dinner that evening. Amy groaned in delight as she picked up a chip and put it in her mouth, the grease and salt tasting divine. The whole room was full of chatter and laughter as they ate, until it was time for Richard and Sharon to leave. They both kissed Amy on the cheek and bid her goodnight.

Once they were alone, Lucas pulled his seat in against Amy’s and took her hand in his. “How are you feeling? Do you need any more painkillers?” he asked.

“I’m constantly aching, but if I stay in this position then I’m okay,” Amy replied with a chuckle. “The nurse should be here in the next hour with my bedtime tablets anyway. Come here.” She beckoned him closer with the gentle wiggle of her index finger.

Lucas grinned and moved in, kissing her.

Immediately the kiss grew hot and Amy’s hands were in his hair, but before their kiss caused any more frustration, they both parted, panting. “When I’m back on my feet properly, we can go and get my ring.”

Lucas’ face beamed with disbelief and he gasped, then a tear fell down his cheek. “Are you sure…this is what you want?” His voice broke in sheer joy and he couldn’t help but chuckle and then cup her cheek with his hand.

“More than anything.”

***

The next morning, while Lucas was out of the room, a knock came to Amy’s room. “Yes?” she called out.

“May I have a few minutes with you?” a voice came, paired with the face of Ros.

Amy had spoken with Ros very briefly once she’d woken, and they had discussed what happened on the day of the shooting. Ros had made sure that Amy knew the cover story, and didn’t implicate Lucas as having any part of it. Amy nodded her head and watched Ros approach.

“I wanted to catch you while Lucas isn’t here,” Ros said, sitting down beside Amy’s bed. “With him in the room, it may influence your decision.”

Amy furrowed her eyebrows. “Decision? For what?”

“I’ve been in talks with our senior lead, Harry, for the last day or so about this. We’d like you to have some kind of role within our team. We’re thinking more desk based analysis at first, but in time, if you wish, then you can go out into the field. Your actions the other day and the fact that you’ve remained quiet about Lucas’ work has shown us that you’re quite capable of being part of section D. Your vetting is all clear, however you’d need our highest level of clearance, which includes quite intrusive questioning, so please take your time in making a decision.” Ros then took a white card from her pocket and placed it down on the table. “You can call me any time to discuss it.”

“Why do you think Lucas would influence my decision?” Amy asked.

“I know Lucas quite well, and he’d be concerned for your safety, which is only natural. But you’ve become a part of this now, and you’ve seen glimpses of the job that we normally keep secret. Make the decision for you, not for anyone else.”

***

Amy’s discharge came quite quickly, a day earlier than expected. She was scooted out of the room where she had been resident for the last week by her dad, sitting in a wheelchair, with her mum and Lucas either side of her. The conversation with Ros had remained in her mind for the last three days, replaying over and over. Of course Lucas would not want her to join MI-5. She had almost lost her life defending him, and was now being offered a chance to go into that very world where she had almost died.

Richard and Sharon were due to stay with Amy a further couple of nights and then travel home, but through the two days, Lucas could see that Amy was distracted. And by the time she had bid her parents farewell and wished them a safe journey back to Coventry, Lucas confronted Amy.

“Something’s on your mind,” he began. He sat down beside Amy on her sofa. “I’m not stupid. I’ve seen it for the last two days. Talk to me about it.”

Amy sighed and shifted, then winced in pain. “Please don’t get angry.”

“Angry? What’s going on?” Lucas’ eyes had grown wide and fear was beginning to creep into his gut and chest now.

“Ros came to see me a few days ago while you were out of the room. I can’t remember what you were doing. And she’s asked me to join your team.”

“Have you said no?” Lucas asked. “Please tell me you’ve said no.”

“I’m considering it.”

“You cannot be fucking serious!” Lucas exclaimed. “After what happened to you?”

“And that’s exactly why they want me, and why Ros didn’t want you to be in the room when she asked me.”

Lucas stood up and grit his teeth. “I cannot believe they didn’t even talk with me. They’ve gone behind my back, discussing this.”

“They knew you’d react like this. It’s only a desk job, analysis apparently.”

“Which could later progress…”

“Look, I know why you’re pissed off,” Amy explained. “But I’ve caught a glimpse of the world you work in, and maybe they’re concerned I’d walk away and spill everything to someone.”

Lucas sat back down beside Amy and brushed the back of his hand up her cheek. “I love you too much to watch you risk your life every day. Even if you’re working a desk job, we can be compromised at any point. People know where the building is; it’s easy to find us. Aim, think long and hard about this. Don’t just jump into it. Training lasts months, even for analysts. More than likely your training wouldn’t even be local.”

“I know I’m stepping into your territory, and you’d have to see me every day…”

“Shhh. It’s not about that at all. I would love having you with me every day, but it’s dangerous. Do you really want to know the specifics of every job I do? Do you want to be plagued with knowing what might happen? Try and think about this from my perspective. How would you feel if it was me? You know that every time you go to work and you’re taking your life into your hands, and the person you love, who you’re ready to marry, and they want to become a part of that.”

“We’d both be on decent pay…”

“Oh, fuck money!” Lucas hissed.

Amy brushed her hand down his thigh. “Lucas? Please don’t take away the control of my own life. You tried to do it before.”

“This is your life,” Lucas whispered. “This isn’t me lying to you about my job to keep you safe. This is me trying to stop you walking back into the very thing that almost killed you a week ago. If I was a stronger man then I’d have walked away from you. I’d have made sure you were okay in the hospital and left…” He hung his head and began to weep.

“I never want you to feel guilt. What happened to me was the act of one person, not you. Were you at the trigger end of that gun? No. You didn’t shoot me.”

“But I didn’t take the bullet either. It should have been me lying in that hospital bed fighting for my life. Never you,” Lucas sobbed.

“Lucas?” Amy asked, shifting toward him.

Lucas looked up, his face contorted in pain and despair.

“I’d take that bullet again for you any day,” she said softly. “I gladly took it for you.”

Lucas cupped her cheek with his hand and smiled through his tears. “I’ve never known anyone as strong as you.”

That night and Amy lay awake in bed, propped up against high pillows. Lucas had been called into work for overnight surveillance, leaving Amy alone with her thoughts. Of course it was only natural that Lucas would protect her; that was a given in any circumstance. Even if she hadn’t of been shot, Lucas would have still been against her joining the team. This job would mean a new adventure, not the typical nine to five job that she was used to. The thought of being part of the security services excited her.

The next morning and Amy rang the number on the card which Ros had given her. After half a dozen rings, the line opened. “Hello, Ros Myers.”

“It’s Amy Holland. I’m calling to discuss the job offer you gave me the other day,” Amy said. She could feel the sweat accumulating on her palms and her heart speed up.

“It’s good to hear from you. Would you prefer to discuss this face to face? I can come to your home.”

Amy agreed for Ros to visit later that morning. And when Ros did arrive, Amy could feel her nerves building even more. The second in command of section D, Ros Myers was authoritative. Her posture and voice all screamed authority. However, the odd smile that she did offer showed the faint hint of humanity and compassion behind the cold exterior.

Ros agreed to Amy’s proposal of coffee, and sat down at her dining room table. “I know Lucas isn’t happy about this situation, Amy,” Ros began, looking after the younger woman who was still moving around the kitchen rather slowly. “Harry and I had a meeting with him this morning, and he’s got every right to be pissed off. I’d probably feel the same.”

“I know it’s not easy for him. He’ll always feel guilt for me being shot, but no matter how much I tell him that I’d gladly take that bullet again for him, it won’t stop the guilt. He has nothing to feel guilty for; Sarah did this to me, not him.”

Ros couldn’t help but smile at Amy as she placed a hot cup of coffee down. “Thank you. You’re a very pure soul, you know? I hope this job doesn’t take that from you.”

“How do you mean?” Amy lowered herself down into the seat opposite Ros very slowly.

“All of us come into this job feeling excited, like we’re going to make a difference, and don’t get me wrong, we do. The price we pay is worth it when you know at the end of the day, when you go home, that your country is safe. But it can harden you, make you suspicious of everyone around you. It almost gives you a sense that you know more than everyone else; they’re all innocent, ignorant to the evils of the world, and you’re carrying that ugly truth around with you. You’ve got to be absolutely sure that this is what you want. Don’t jump in thinking that it’ll be fun, because it’s far from that. It’s a serious commitment, and chances are, you and Lucas probably won’t even see each other much. If you ever did go out into the field, we couldn’t have you two working together for obvious reasons.”

“I know that. I understand how serious a role it is, and I’m still very interested.”

“Harry has agreed that we wouldn’t submit your documentation for processing for at least another two or three months. That’ll give you plenty of time to recuperate, and then hand your notice in to your current employer. Your baseline security has already been completed through your role with DWP, and partially with your vetting through Lucas. So your top level clearance would need to be passed before we can consider giving you full access to the building.”

Suddenly the front door shut. Footsteps came up the hallway, and then Lucas appeared in the doorway to the adjoining kitchen and dining room. “Ros,” he said simply.

Amy could immediately see the set of Lucas’ jaw. He was clenching his teeth, and instead of sitting down at the table, he remained standing in the kitchen with his arms crossed. “Come and sit with us,” Amy asked.

“I’d rather stand here,” Lucas replied coldly.

“Lucas, please let Amy make this decision for herself.”

“Oh, I am. This whole thing hasn’t included me at all, and I believe I should at least have known you were going to ask her to join the team.”

“Lucas, it was only Harry and I who knew. No one else was told,” Ros snapped back.

Amy got up from the table, but was ushered back by Lucas. “Go and sit down, love. I’m okay.”

Ros shook her head in frustration. “I think you’re being unreasonable…”

“Unreasonable?” Lucas asked in disbelief. “Unreasonable? I watched doctors resuscitating her!” His voice by now was deep in sheer disgust, highlighting just how livid he was. “I nearly lost her and it was because of this job. I’m not prepared to watch her walk into it like a sheep going to the slaughterhouse. She deserves more than that, Ros, and you know it!”

“No, Lucas. You nearly lost her because of a woman you had a fling with who couldn’t let go of a grudge!” Ros shouted back.

“Please, can we just leave this for now?” Amy asked, raising her voice over the shouting. “I’ll make my own informed decision.”

“Informed?” Lucas scoffed. “Like shit it’ll be informed.”

“Calm down, please,” Amy begged.

“Calm down? Have it your way, Aim. Join the team. But don’t be surprised if the wedding doesn’t happen because you’re being carried away in a body bag.”

Lucas stormed out of the room, and the front door slammed loudly.

“I’m sorry, Ros,” Amy said, in sadness and embarrassment. “Maybe I shouldn’t…”

“This is your decision. Not his.”

***

Follow Forever tag list: @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @xxbyimm @middleearthpixie @knitastically @linasofia @sketch-and-write-lover @guardianofrivendell @msjava1972 @asgardianhobbit98 @spidergirla5 @rachel1959 @meganlpie @lilacpulse

Richard Armitage tag list: @cryptichobbit @eunoiaastralwings

Covert Eyes tag list: @haly-reads

#Lucas North #Spooks #MI-5 #Fanfiction #Lucas North x OC #Richard Armitage

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halflingkima · 1 year

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Least Favorite Books of 2022

I thought I’d start on the lowest note so we can only go up from here. Plenty of these books are like. Fine. But they turned out to not be for me at all, which kinda punches you in the face when you’re expecting the exact opposite.

Also, by way of a content warning, a few of the books had unexpected (and sometimes graphic) SA scenes and/or student/teacher “relationships,” which I’ll probably mention because those are some of my book deal breakers.

Anyway, here’s my ranked 10 least favorite books of the past year (read this year, not necessarily published in 2022).

10. Kill the Farm Boy (⭐️⭐️) by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne In the tradition of Monty Python, a rag-tag bunch of unlikely heroes adventure to find (or resurrect?) the kingdom’s Chosen One and break a few curses.

This comes in at number ten because I’m mostly just disappointed that I didn’t like it. The audiobook is acted/narrated fantastically, and I found the premise promising. I did mainly read this simply because I want to read the second book, so my hopes weren’t exactly high, but the humor in this is just. Very much not to my taste. I appreciated the diversity and the tropes it was satirizing, but it never managed to satirize them to my satisfaction, I guess. For instance, there’s a woman in a chainmail bikini – who is a well-rounded, strong, independent character – but she does remain mostly in the chainmail bikini (for ~magic~ reasons), largely against her will. It’s a fun read for the most part, but I guess I wished it had pushed the envelope a little further. I do think I’ll read the second one because it’s more of a “same world” series and that is the one that interested me more in the first place, but my hopes aren’t all that high.

9. Nightshift (⭐️⭐️) by Kiare Ladner When cog in the corporate machine Maggie meets the mysterious and elusive Sabine at work, she follows her new friend when she switches to the night shift, upheaving her life.

This is low on the list because I don’t think it’s a generally bad book. I was just really unprepared for the direction of dark in which it went – there is a rather graphic public gang rape scene without much of any warning. I also felt let down by the concept of the “toxic female friendship” that the premise promised. It also falls into that trope/voice/genre that I call “millennial ennui” in which basically everyone’s depressed without recourse to recovery (bc the problem is late stage capitalism) so they try fucked up sex stuff. I think the book could work for certain audiences but it did not provide what I was looking for when I picked it up.

8. Rabbits (⭐️⭐️) by Terry Miles There is a game that blurs virtual reality and reality – and K, who has been obsessed with the game since childhood, finally gets a way in.

Another one that makes the list through fault of being simply disappointing. I’m so into meta-narratives (as we’ll see on the favorites list) and this one simply did not make me question reality enough. I wanted nightmares, I wanted existential crisis. All I got was a linear scifi narrative. I also maybe sabotaged myself bc I was rly bored abt halfway through and noticed that no [3rd person] pronouns were ever used for K, who narrates in first person. The simple solution would be that they’re a non-binary gender who doesn’t use pronouns, but knowing it was written by a man, I began reading through the lens of a male main character, which made everything just that much more rote and predictable.

7. Into the Water (⭐️⭐️) by Paula Hawkins A single mother is found at the bottom of the river where a teen girl was found six months earlier; the woman’s daughter and girl’s best friend is now in the care of her estranged aunt as the two of them attempt to unravel some answers.

This made me angry by not delivering the promise of the premise. Essentially, there’s this water fixture in down (sort of like a lake that the river feeds into/out of) that throughout the history of this little village, women have died/drowned in. It opens up with a callback to the witch trials of “if she floats, she’s a witch” but then does nothing to connect previous deaths to the current story. The story also deals with what women suffer through at the hands of men, which was expected to a degree, but there is a sexual assault and a student/teacher relationship, and while neither were extensively detailed, neither felt handled entirely correctly to me. Also, I was largely annoyed that the majority of the book hinged on everyone in this town hating the dead woman for wholly asinine reasons, most of which shouldn’t’ve have persisted after her murder.

6. All the Feels (⭐️⭐️) by Olivia Dade In anticipation of the fantasy show’s final season, Lauren is tasked with babysitting Alexander, the cast’s resident trouble maker.

This was just. Wholly disappointing. I enjoyed the previous book in the series, Spoiler Alert, and I like the premise of movie stars and plus-sized heroines but this one was so convoluted and confusing to me. First of all, there’s a line between establishing a heroine as “not conventionally attractive” and describing her as ugly or undesireable and I felt that it leaned far too much into the latter. Next, there was so much focus on lust and sex with so little payoff – spoiler alert, there’s not even a pegging scene 😤 which was the only thing i was holding off dnfing for. And finally, the actor+fan gimmick was nearly completely absent here. It also didn’t work that we’d seen the majority of this story through the other characters in the previous book and that their inner journeys were so frustratingly convoluted. Just overall upset by what this one did not give.

5. The English American (⭐️⭐️) by Alison Larkin When the English Pippa connects with her American birth parents, she moves to the US to try to discover a piece of her she feels is missing.

This in the middle of the list because it was middlingly bad. It’s a women’s fiction from 2008 with no real literary bent and a predictable plot. The writing style was fine but the characters were all insufferable and the story was stiflingly outdated. Probably wouldn’t have finished without the audiobook, which was quite well done.

4. After Alice (⭐️⭐️) by Gregory Maguire Alice’s friend Ada falls down the rabbit hole after her, while Alice’s family search for her above ground.

This one was just a slog, and I think the audiobook hindered more than helped. This read like the driest historical fiction, despite having actual scenes in wonderland and even catching glimpses of Alice herself. Makes me quite scared to tackle wicked, especially if the audiobook is narrated the same (old posh pretentious british) way.

3. Struck by Lightning (⭐️⭐️) by Chris Colfer High school senior Carson blackmails the most popular students in school to participate in his literary journal that will boost his college application.

I initially picked this one up because I couldn’t remember whether the book or movie came first. This story is very obviously initially intended as a film and lacks any depth or nuance I’d expect from a novel. The first person narration comes off as very juvenile while covering serious topics making the tone wholly (and unintentionally?) absurdist. Think this one should’ve stayed a movie, and I’m betting his fantasy books are much better.

2. Hitched (⭐️) by Carol Higgins Clark PI Regan and detective Jack are getting married, but just weeks beforehand, Regan’s designer dress (and four others) are stolen.

To be fair, this one is quintessential grocery store mystery/thriller fodder, so it was really no surprise that it’s bad. But it’s bad. What struck me is that the wedding dress mystery does not carry the story, though that’s what the synopsis implies. The writing is so simple and straightforward that there’s about 12 other mysteries shoved into the book to sustain a full-length novel. It’s supposed to be twisty and suspenseful, but the mish-mash cast and non sequitur mysteries are so fully disjointed that all attempts at suspense fall entirely flat.

1. How to Hack a Heartbreak (⭐️) by Kristin Rockaway Mel is stuck in the dudebro atmosphere of a startup incubator when she decides to build an app to log harassers and abusers from dating apps.

I have never felt so betrayed by a book as I did reading this. I had expected a general formulaic genre romance with maybe some insight into gender issues in the tech sphere. Instead it was a bottom of the bargain bin sex and the city episode moralizing that women were just as manipulative online/on apps as men. I didn’t mind the “fade to black” style, but the romance overall was negligible, and even the main character’s “finding herself” journey was shallow. It’d be one thing if this were a rebrand/new cover release of a book written in maybe 2002, but it was published in 2019. I can’t believe I forced myself to finish it and I regret doing that to myself and to this book.

#maddy's reads

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thesecretsofthemarsfamily · 10 months

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Welcome to the official blog for The Secrets of the Mars Family!

This is the official blog for the story The Secrets of the Mars Family by @smolldust. This blog is also run by smolldust. I use it/void/they/he pronouns and I’m aroace, enderhoard, and a minor.

On this blog, all stuff relating to this story that is posted on my main blog shall be reposted here.

If any fanart is made, feel free to send it in the ask box right here on this blog or on the smolldust blog! Or just tag me directly at either this blog or my main blog.

The ask box can be used for any questions you have for me as a creator, or for any questions you want to ask the characters directly. I may also take art requests. Please keep everything safe for work as I am aroace and a minor.

Also please be patient as I am still setting up this blog lol.

Tags:

art - for any art I make for the series

ref sheet - reference sheet for characters or other things (like a characters second form, familiar, new outfit, etc). Ref sheets will NOT be tagged as art for organization purposes.

[character name] - any art featuring a character will be tagged with said characters name

fanart - any art made by other people

asks - any asks relating to the series

update - updates regarding the series

New installment - any new official installment for the series (comic page, writing, animation, etc)

voice claim - posts related to character voice claims

text post - post relating to the series without art

writing - writing related to the story

ask game - post relating to an ask game

Major Characters (the main characters whom the story focuses on):

Callisto Mars

Castor Mars

Tempest Noctira

Lyra Mars

Elio Mars

Andromeda Mars

Orion Mars

Supporting Characters (characters who are prominent in the story but aren’t focused on):

Prince Malacai Abner (Elio’s boyfriend and prince of the kingdom)

Ghost Yun (Lyra & Kai’s partner in romance and crime)

Kai Rodriguez (Lyra and Ghost’s partner in romance and crime)

Nighttaker Wolfsbane (Tempest’s father)

Other Characters (characters who are a part of the story/mentioned/exist but aren’t really in the story all that much)

Tanrine Sunnedrey the Flame Twister (Tempest’s late mother)

Portia Anthe (Andromeda’s mother)

Samson Anthe (Andromeda’s mother)

Norma Anthe (Andromeda’s older sister)

Elara Flare (Norma’s wife & Andromeda’s sister-in-law)

Juno Flare-Anthe (Elara & Norma’s eldest child)

Zora Flare-Anthe (Elara & Norma’s youngest daughter)

Leo Mars (Orion’s father)

Ulysses Mars (Orion’s father)

Pluto Mars (Orion’s younger sibling)

#The secrets of the mars family #Smolldust #Update #text post

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bucketofbugz · 1 year

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Aus I post (Clarificiation)

MAIN AUS:

OTSL/One Turtle Short of a Lair/ "Splinterless au" [rottmnt au in which Splinter died on the way back to New York and the Teetles had to raise themselves, also they're two years younger and Mikey went missing at some point. Rewrites the series and will eventually rewrite the movie.] Characteristics: Prosthetic arm/face scar Donnie, neck bandana/mask bow Raph, Mikey being the only one that wears clothes, cloaking brooches Fic: One Turtle Short of a Lair on Ao3, Four Turtles Short of a Lair on Ao3 (Sequel)

GPR/Green Painted Ruins/"Personal TMNT iteration" [My own iteration of the Turtles. Contains temporary villain/Foot Clan Donnie and Foot Clan April, as well as April looking at Donnie and saying "yeah, that's my daughter now".] Characteristics: Original turtle designs, adult April, Karai, Raph not being transfem for once, Dimension X Fic: Green Painted Ruins (No chapters, temporary hiatus while I work out some stuff with Splinter) OTHERS:

MW/Mama's Wishes/"Big Mama Turtles au" [AU where Splinter left with Venus and Jennika instead of the four turtles and they were raised by Big Mama with Draxum co-parenting. They don't know they're mutants, and are under the impression they're Yokai and Big Mama is their biological mother. None fight in the Nexus, because this is a "Big Mama is actually a good parent" au.] Charictaristics: Turtles with Hair, all the turtles wear clothes, Raphsandra/Rise!Rasey, Draxum and Big Mama being good parents, Venus and Jennika Fic: Mama's Wishes on Ao3 (Three chapters, temporary hiatus while I work out some stuff with Leo)

MandM/Magic and Masks/"Cliche separated au" [Au where Mikey was the only one that Splinter could save from the lab. He got Leo out of the lab but dropped him in the Hidden City, where he went on for 4 years being homeless before getting scooped up by Piel's crew and later meeting April. Raph and Donnie got taken in by Witch Town and became witches.] Characteristics: Witch Raph & Donnie, pirate Leo, Mikey using all the original weapons Fic: None yet, one in the works.

I'll usually clarify in the tags anyway but wanted to make a post that talks about them because I can't shut myself up :]

#tmnt #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #aus #au #my au list #idk man #i'm new here

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midnightswithdearkatytspb · 3 years

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VelvetCardiganBucky’s Recommendations 2021: Week 17 | April 18th – April 24th

Welcome to week 17 of my recommendations, if you would like to be featured on a future list, I follow the hashtag #VelvetCardiganBucky, message me, tag me in your future works, or reblog this post and link to your story, one-shot, Masterlist, writing challenge, etc.

Be aware some if not most stories and writers on this list are meant to be consumed by an audience of those 18+. My blog is also an 18+ blog.

✨Page breaks are made @firefly-graphics✨

«Last Week

Week 18»

My Masterlist

My Fic Rec List of Mafia/Mob Bucky/Sebastian & Steve/Chris/Andy

Stuff I Posted This Week

Forever & Always: Stage 1 - Denial | Pt.1 » Bucky Barnes x Witch!Reader & Platonic Avengers x Reader — Y/N “Birdy” (nicknamed by her family), comes from a long line of witches and warlocks, living her days at the New Avengers Compound, alongside her friends. The Avengers are part of her family and her family is always welcome to the compound. Things for once seemed to be going well now that all was right from the attack on Thanos, everyone was alive, all was forgiven, friendships were thriving, that all ended when Birdy’s brother came calling with sad news, their mother had suddenly passed. These are the stages of grief Birdy faces, through the loss of her best friend, her protector, her mother.

His Favorite Day » Chris Evans x Reader — Chris’s favorite day of the year is your birthday.

Bucky Barnes

One-Shots:

*No Hidden Messages by @jobean12-blog » TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Reader — Sam sends you a picture of Bucky and the endgame is priceless. | Honestly I love me some dominant Bucky, and if Sam had sent me that picture I would have dropped my phone and been like yep that my babe. I was thinking something more dirty but I’ll keep that thought to myself. 😉

Sucker Punch by @buckyblues » Boxer!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader — Bucky thought he knew what was his, until he accidentally let it roam free. | Someone come dump a cold bucket of water on me please?

Someone Like You by @startrekkingaroundasgard » Bucky Barnes x Hydra Agent!Reader — Taken from their SHIELD prison cell, the reader finds themself alone with The Winter Soldier negotiating for their life. | I really enjoyed reading this, the sass of the reader and how Bucky handles them. It’s just so perfect. Nicola says there is more to come for this pair and I’m so very much looking forward to it.

(Mini) Series:

Happy & So Happy by @mrwinterr » Rockstar!Bucky Barnes AU x Female Reader — You meet your favorite artist and get more than what you bargained for. | The smut in this is hot and by the end you are hoping the reader gets a happy ending not a tragic one.

*A Tender Heart 💜 Pt. 3 by @river-soul » Alpha!Bucky Barnes x Omega!Reader — You’ve been sweet on Bucky since you started working at the compound six months ago. Normally quiet and mild mannered, an unexpected fight with a coworker brings Bucky into your orbit. [A/B/O dynamics and explicit sexual content, 18+] | I feel the love that is radiating from this story and I really love it and the little bit of smut we get in chapter 3 is perfect!

the (after) party by @buckycuddlebuddy sequel loft music » fuckboy!bucky barnes x reader — “why don’t we have this thing they call goodbye sex? one last time.” he leaned forward, his lips brushing your ear. “i’ll make it good for you.” | In some strange way it was therapeutic to read this but at the same time I felt bad for the reader in the first part. Second part you are rooting for her but still feeling bad. I will say the smut in this is perfect.

Just Like Dad Pt. 3 🦾 Pt. 1 🦾 Pt. 2 by @ladyfallonavenger » Bucky Barnes x Reader — Bucky finally confronts Steve and moves forward with his life. | Very sweet ending and I loved it.

Sweet Dreams 🥞 Pt. 4 🥞 Pt. 5 🥞 Pt. 6 🥞 Pt. 7 by @jedimastermelkor » Bucky Barnes x Reader & ? x Avenger — Your daily routine involves waking up in the morning, going to work and sulking at night. But then you meet the man you’ve fantasized about for your entire life, Bucky Barnes. At the same time, you’ve caught someone else’s eye and his first step in winning you over is to cook you breakfast. But will you be welcoming of that person’s affections? | I like how she named the puppy Pancake and the first thing the mysterious avenger gave her was pancakes. I don’t want to give too much away but things are getting really good and you find out who the mysterious avenger is in chapter 6!

Steve Rogers

One-Shots:

*Caught by @giorno-plays-piano » Bluebeard!Steve Rogers x Reader — If he kept you warm, saying words of love to you every day while he looked you in the face, you’d marry him even if in a year he hanged you just like all his wives in the dungeon of his castle. | It’s dark but in a soft way and it’s so good. I highly recommend you go and read it.

Drabble Request by @angrythingstarlight » Mafia!Steve Rogers x Reader — We find out how Steve and Reader met before they ever got in a relationship. Takes place before Tell Me What You Want. | I loved this so much, I was laughing and pictured this whole piece so vividly in my brain. Also I just want a part where Bucky teases Steve about that night in front of reader making her giggle, maybe at the wedding?

(Mini) Series:

*Yuánfèn 📖 Pt. 4 by @writerwrites » Steve Rogers x Reader — When you’ve lost everything and try to run away from your problems, you keep finding a way back to the one person who completely understands. Can you make another person happy with a broken heart? | I always look forward to the updates on this story. It brings me so much comfort and the relationship that is blossoming between the reader and Steve is beautiful and organic. I highly recommend this.

Misc.

Headcanons:

*Just Like Her Old Man by @rebelwrites » Chibs Telford x Reader — I asked for: Parents get called into school for a meeting due to their daughter fighting, and trying not to be proud. Taking them out for a treat after the meeting. | It turned out so great. If you knew me at my Sons Anarchy Days, you know I loved Chibs the most. This feed my love for him even more. Thank you Heather!!

One-Shot:

*A Simple Solution by @sweetlyscared » Andy Barber x Fem!Reader, Ari Levinson x Fem!Reader, Andy Barber x Fem!Reader x Ari Levinson — You and Andy had a purely sexual relationship for several months, and you’d started to grow attached to him. Unfortunately, life has a way of complicating things, and a chance encounter at a bookstore had you stuck between a rock and a hard place. | We all owe a huge thank you to Sweet Lee, for writing and posting this. She wrote our dreams out so perfectly, and if you haven’t thought of this now you can. It’s just so hot and good, I for one am very thankful.

(Mini) Series:

*Give In 🐈‍⬛ Pt. 23 🐈‍⬛ Pt. 24 🐈‍⬛ Pt. 25 by @overr-written » soft!dark!Lee Bodecker x Reader — She didn’t think she was anything special. So when the intimidating Sheriff takes an interest in her, she can’t help but feel a little unsettled. Her boring life is about to get a little interesting. | I love this series so much and the lengths that the chapters are. I really am going to be sad when this is over. I don’t ever want it to end. 😭

Seal Team

One-Shots:

Imma Take Care Of Your Body by @rebelwrites » Clay Spenser x Reader — Reader is the only female member on Bravo who also has a no strings attached relationship with Rebel. | Let me just say this is hot, like really hot. Give me a glass of water and let me cool down. Thank you Heather for blessing us with this.

Tier One Babysitters by @bravo-four-seal-team » Seal Team; Ray Perry x Naima Perry — Ray and Naima ask the team to watch 6 month old Jameelah. | I promise you will be laughing.

You Are Perfect by @rebelwrites » Clay Spenser x Reader — Clay tells you everything he loves about you. | As a big boned girl this meant a lot and has me wishing for a Clay Spenser to call my own.

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bella-rose29 · 6 months

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Not Your Lover - Chapter 8 (final chapter)

Gregor finally gets some backstory (been a long time coming) although it's actually quite depressing (I'm sorry)

shit goes down in this one (both bad and good)

ok edit: this is the last part of this series (I know 😭), there's a better explanation on the master list if you would like, but thank you to everybody who has liked, commented, reblogged, or even just read and enjoyed <3

Word count: 4.2k

Warnings: swearing, the mother is (you guessed it) still a bitch, mentions of death, mentions of a stillborn, grief, Gregor sees Nik as a son (I cried writing that honestly he's so sweet), the mother gets her ass verbally handed to her, idk what else there is other than it's only been proof-read once

Tag list: @a-candle-maker, @bish-lasagna, @bubybubsters, @el-de-phi, @hauntedenthusiasttragedy, @iambored24601, @itsyoboo-jassy, @karensirkobabes, @kentucky-criedfricken, @little8sun, @mrsklockwood, @mvidaaaa, @nalie-98, @naushtheaspiringauthor, @notoakay, @pietromaximoffsbabe, @shadowwolf202101blog, @simbaaas-stuff

As always, let me know here if you would like to be added to/removed from my Nikolai tag list <3

series master list

Y/n was having a shit day.

She hadn't seen Nik- Nikolai, since he'd told her who he was the day before, and she felt awful about how she'd dealt with it. It was irrational, really, since she knew that he wasn't Davor, but the doubts about what else Nik- Nikolai (Saints, that was still difficult to get her head around) was lying about were creeping in. Her mother's presence in the mansion at the moment was doing absolutely nothing to help.

"-and Davor says that he overheard the two of you the night of the faire, you know, when I found out that the two of you were 'together', and Davor says that he heard you talking about how you were going to pretend to date so that you could use me for your grant! And Davor says tha-"

"Saints, mother! Stop talking about Davor! 'Davor says this' and 'Davor says that', it's exhausting just listening to you!" Y/n was working on the third room, the deadline closing in far too fast for her liking.

Everything would be easier if Nik was helping.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts of him, and went on stubbornly ignoring her mother's incessant rambling, picking up a brush and painting the walls. The entrance hall and first front room were done, but they'd taken longer than she'd expected and now it was a rush to get the third and fourth rooms done in six days. In fairness, she only really had to put the final coat of paint on these walls and finish tidying up and then the second front room was done. It was the final room that was stressing her out, since it needed clearing out, floors replacing, furniture replacing, everything replacing, really, and she'd barely touched it.

Her father had promised to help, which she would be eternally grateful for, but even with somebody lending a hand Y/n had no clue how she would ever get the project done in time.

"You know, I should have expected something like this from you. You're a terrible daughter, do you know that? All I ever wanted was the best for you and you had the audacity to lie to me and take me for granted."

Y/n stopped her work again to stare up in incredulous shock at the woman that called herself her mother. "What? I'm a terrible daughter? You do realise that the only reason that any of this has happened is because of you, right? Because of your failings as a mother?" She stood up, hoping that she looked intimidating.

"How dare you insinuate that-"

"I fucking dare. Get the hell out of my property." Y/m/n wasn't moving, but neither was Y/n, and after a few moments the older woman seemed to realise that she'd lost this fight and left.

~~~

Gregor had smacked Nik for the third time that day, and it was barely lunchtime.

"Focus, boy!"

He felt bad about hitting him on the back of his head, but at the same time Nik hadn't been concentrating and was about to saw his fingers off, so Gregor thought that it was fair.

"Sorry," the younger man muttered, clearly still not with it.

"What's up with you?" Gregor asked, tone softening. "C'mon. If it's gonna stop you working effectively then we'll talk about it." Nik sighed, turning in his seat at the workbench, and for the first time that day Gregor could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

"I told Y/n. She didn't... she didn't take it too well. And Davor and Y/m/n have started going around saying we were faking it-"

"You were though?" Gregor said, confusion lacing his voice.

"Well, yeah, but the point was that nobody was meant to know that. Although I did tell you pretty early on which kind of defeated the point, but you're good at keeping secrets so I felt safe telling you." Gregor's heart swelled at the words and at the knowledge that Nik trusted him enough to share something he wasn't supposed to. It hadn't been long after Nik's first appearance in Taya that Gregor started seeing the man as a son, helping to fill the hole in his heart that had been empty for so long. His wife had died during the birth of their firstborn son, only for the baby to be stillborn. Gregor had been wrecked, despondent and reserved, and eventually he'd moved out to Taya, hoping that the sea air would heal him. Work had kept his mind off of his past, but every now and then he'd be reminded of the two of them and had to close the shop, sitting in his grief all day doing nothing but staring blankly at a wall and periodically crying, his head in his hands. But Nik, bright and shining Nik, had been the son that Gregor never got the chance to meet, and so knowing that Nik felt that he was somebody he could talk to filled the older man with joy.

"Anyway," Nik continued. "I said I'd give her space. It wasn't the best time to tell her, to be honest, because Davor and her- Y/m/n were giving her shit, and then Evalina appeared, and I think it was just a lot to take in all at once." Gregor didn't miss the way that Nik stopped himself from calling Y/m/n 'Y/n's mother', and he found that, despite having known the woman for years, he agreed that she had been too despicable the past few weeks to be called a mother to anybody.

"Well, can you still help out with the mansion? I know she's stressed about that since she's got a whole room left that she hasn't touched and maybe that'll help her figure things out?"

"I don't know. I'd have to go when she's not there, I think. Otherwise I'll feel that I'm pressuring her into an answer or something."

"Well, she normally gets back here around seven bells, and heads out around five in the morning to get the bakery open. Not ideal hours for you to go and help out at the mansion, but I'll let you slack off a bit in the morning if you're tired."

"You sure? Thank you, Gregor. Really. I was going to ask where she's staying, too. She's here then?"

"Yeah. I've got a spare bedroom upstairs. Not the nicest, but at least the heating works," he joked, knowing full well that the hotel heating was complete shit. He'd tried many times to fix it, but somehow (he suspected the owners were Grisha and deliberately breaking it to avoid paying heating bills) it always ended up worse than before. Nik huffed a laugh, a small smile creeping onto his face. "Come on," Gregor said. "Let's get this desk sorted, yeah? If I remember rightly they're coming tomorrow morning to pick this up."

~~~

That night, Nikolai made the short walk to the mansion.

The street lamps dimly lit the way, making the shadows lengthen and concealing people walking along the pavements, but Nikolai wasn't afraid.

Not when he had his demon on high alert for any sign of danger.

Thankfully they made it to the building without incident, although Nikolai could have sworn that Davor was following him, and once they were inside he let his demon out.

"You're helping, alright? You can fuck around a little bit while I get started, but when I need your help, you help, okay?" His demon nodded, stretching out his wings and immediately running off into the bowels of the house. Nikolai sighed, then headed into the back room to make a start on clearing the space.

~~~

"What the fuck?"

Y/n was standing with her father in the mansion just after eleven bells the next day, staring at the empty fourth room.

"Do you... do you know what happened, Dad?"

"Uh... nope. Looks like somebody wants you to get this finished though. Not sure why they wouldn't just... come and help during the day," he frowned, shifting the toolbox he carried. Y/n frowned for a moment too, until she realised who was most likely to do something like this.

"Well," her father declared, striding forwards. "Let's not waste time! We need to get these floorboards up and replaced! Come on!"

The next hour or so was spent doing just that, ripping up floorboards with much more aggression than was needed (both Y/n and her father were taking out their anger on the job), and by the time Y/n had to go back to the bakery they'd stripped the whole room and had made a start on laying the new boards. She was just stepping into her shop when Evalina appeared, and it took a tremendous amount of willpower on Y/n's behalf to not punch the woman in her stupid face right then and there.

"Hi, Y/n. So Nik is single, yeah? Because I would love to see what he's like as a lover."

"Fuck off, Evalina." Y/n walked around the counter, tying on her apron. "Unless you wanna buy something?"

"I'm not hearing anything saying I can't be with him, which is perfect! I'll go find him now!" She ignored Y/n's protests and pranced to the door, but didn't get a chance to open it and rush down the street because a woman had thrown her arm out. Holding the door closed, she raised an eyebrow at Evalina, her other hand resting lightly on one of the axes at her belt.

"You're gonna do no such thing, alright? Go and find some other poor sod to run after, because he is a taken man," the woman threatened, and Evalina paled slightly when an axe was lifted and held up to her throat, nodding so hard Y/n thought her head might go flying. Satisfied, the woman released the door and let Evalina disappear around the corner, watching her go, then turning to face the counter. "You're Y/n L/n, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Who are you?" she asked with a frown. How did this random woman know who she was?

"Tamar Kir-Bataar. You're in contact with Nikolai, correct?"

"No. Well, yes. Well, no. It's complicated," she finished with a sigh.

"But you know where he is? Because I need to find him and the little shit is being evasive. Does he ever open his mail?"

"Um, I don't- I don't know? Wait," Y/n frowned, picking up on something. "How do you know he's Nikolai?"

Now it was Tamar's turn to frown, clearly unsure what the situation was. "Because I used to work with him? Until he ran off into the countryside. Took a good while to track him down, sneaky bastard. He was always good at disappearing."

"Wha- okay." She huffed a sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Well, he's probably at Gregor's, the mechanic. Although he could be taking a lunch break, but I don't know where he'll be if he is. Why do you need to find him?"

"The crown needs him. Urgent business. I'm not obliged to say any more than that, I'm afraid. Thanks for the help," she smiled, heading for the exit. The bell on the door chimed behind her, and Y/n replied to an empty room.

"You're welcome."

~~~

Nikolai dropped his spanner when Tamar walked in and called his name, which was unfortunate because he was on his back, and therefore the tool fell on his face.

"Fuck," he muttered, clutching his nose.

"You alright down there?"

"Yep, all good!" he called, hoping she couldn't hear the pain in his voice as he pushed himself out from under the carriage he was fixing. "Not that it's not lovely to see you, Tamar, but what are you doing here?"

"Zoya needs you. We've been trying to contact you for weeks now, but you haven't replied."

"When you say contact...?"

"Letters, mostly. Have you just not been reading your mail, Nikolai?"

"I haven't been getting mail. And just Nik would be great. People don't know who I am here, stops any assassination attempts. Well, Gregor knows, actually, but I doubt he's going to kill me."

"...Okay. Well, we need you to be Sturmhond for a little while. Shit's going down with the Kerch and they're refusing to loan us money right now despite our crippling debt because they don't like Zoya being on the throne."

"But they were fine with it when I abdicated a month or so ago. Why are they complaining now?" He wiped his hands on a nearby cloth, frowning at Tamar.

"They've got some new people on the council, and apparently they're really anti-Grisha. We need you to convince them otherwise and get those loans." Nikolai sighed, bracing himself against the workbench.

"I can't just uproot my life here, Tamar. I've got... stuff."

"Look, your girlfriend will still be here when you get back. You'll only need to be gone for what, two weeks at most?"

"My girlfr- oh, you mean Y/n."

"Yeah. Who else would I be talking about?"

"I don't know," he sighed, exasperated. Everything was happening far too quickly and all at the same time, and he had no idea what to do about any of it. On top of all of that, he was apparently meant to be receiving mail, none of which had arrived. "Look, I can't leave now. I've got jobs in the garage I need to finish off and the deadline for Y/n's project is in five days. Just give me until after then, okay?"

"We can't wait that long, Niko- Nik. There's trouble in Kerch and you're the only one good enough at getting what you want to fix it."

"There's always trouble in Kerch. Can't you send our good friend Kaz after them? He could threaten them in the middle of the night with murder or something."

"Kaz won't do it unless we pay him an inordinate amount of money," Tamar grumbled, and Nikolai couldn't help but think what a good idea that was.

"Five days, Tamar. And I'll give my most convincing speech yet, how's that?"

"Fine. But I want you going straight there, no detours. We're already behind thanks to your missing mail."

"Yeah, I'll look into that. I have my suspicions on who could have been intercepting my letters."

"I'm going to make the journey back. Five days. And then you make a move," she pointed a finger at him, stern look on her face.

"Five days." Five days to finish the third and fourth rooms. Five days to get Y/n back onside.

No pressure, then.

~~~

That night, Nikolai headed back to the mansion, his demon scurrying across the rooftops out of sight from pedestrians.

He spent most of his time laying the rest of the floorboards, then painted the walls with a first coat in the colour that Y/n had left with a note saying 'Room 4 walls'. His demon was helpful, or at least trying to be, picking up a brush in his mouth and attempting to paint the walls, but when Nikolai saw how haphazardly the job had been done he gave a tut and let the demon wander off and explore the rest of the mansion.

It was strange, how friendly the two of them were now.

Since the events within the Fold things had been different, almost as if now that they were two beings sharing one body they had to learn to get along or go mad instead. Nikolai had previously thought that he'd never be pleased to see the demon, or enjoy its company when it was a reminder of what he had suffered at the hands of the Darkling, but every now and then when it went quiet in his head he grew concerned, or when it chased after its own tail like a dog he laughed, and sometimes, in the depths of the night when nightmares kept Nikolai awake, the demon would curl up around him, offering what comfort it could.

Watching it now, he wondered how they were ever not this close. It was sort of like having a large cat, Nikolai thought. One that didn't shy away from a spot of murder.

The sound of stones being kicked made both man and demon swivel their heads to the entryway of the mansion, and Nikolai paused with the paintbrush mid-air.

"Hey, easy," he whispered to the demon, hoping it would take the hint and stop growling. Footsteps sounded, louder than the stones, and after a moment Y/m/n appeared. Nikolai was surprised to see her, not expecting her to turn up this late at night. He felt his demon hide itself in a corner, the long shadows helping conceal its dark form.

"Hello, Nik."

"Y/m/n," he said tightly, suppressing a grimace. "How can I help you?" He didn't bother disguising the contempt in his tone, no matter how schooled his expression was, and she noticed.

"You can start by going home. This is Y/n's project, not yours."

"Bullshit. She's just the manager of it. Anyone can help."

"Well, she needs to grow up. A child's dream is just that. Perhaps I entertained her fantasies too much when she was younger, but this has gone on long enough and I need to put a stop to it. So, put the paintbrush down, and go to bed. She needs to do this on her own, and when she inevitably fails she'll come home. Back to me."

Nikolai couldn't stop the laugh of disbelief that came out of his mouth, and now he made sure that she could see every emotion on his face. "You really think that she'll go back to you?" When Y/m/n nodded he only scoffed. Maybe she hadn't heard him properly at the market the other day. "You are delusional. You put her down, crushed her, destroyed her, and made her hate you with every fibre of her being, and now you think that she'll forget every comment, every moment where you made her feel like she wasn't a good enough daughter, and act as though nothing happened? No, I'm talking," he said when she tried to interrupt, his tone hardening. "You have ripped your family apart, and there is no amount of grovelling that you can do to get it back. You tore our relationship, too. Yes, it was fake to start with, but our feelings are real. So real that it fucking hurts to know that she has a mother like you, because you don't deserve her. I don't deserve her, but at least I know that she's the best I'll ever do and that I need to worship her like the goddess she is. You don't recognise that you've done anything wrong. And if you ever talk about her like that again, I will make good on my words from the other day. I will find you, and I will ruin you. Because she is the love of my life, and if she'll have me, my future wife. There's nobody but her for me." He paused, chest heaving from the realisation of what he'd just admitted. "We're done here. You can go." Y/m/n looked surprised at the dismissal, but the authority that had crept into Nikolai's voice made her scurry off into the night, her metaphorical tail between her legs.

The demon slunk back into the light, nuzzling up to Nikolai's hand in what felt like pride and comfort, and he was so preoccupied with giving it chin scratches he didn't notice the second figure that had been lingering outside the mansion.

~~~

"Nik? You here?"

"He's out," a voice replied, and Y/n deflated slightly when she recognised it as Gregor. "Went to get lunch. He should be back in about-" he checked his watch, then said "ten minutes. Do you wanna wait?"

"Uh... yeah, sure. Thanks, Gregor." She perched on a chair in the waiting area, anticipation making her buzz with energy. She couldn't sit still, leg bouncing and gaze darting around the room, and every second that passed felt agonisingly slow.

After seven minutes (and thirty-four seconds, although she definitely hadn't been counting) Nik walked in, and he froze with his eyes wide when he saw Y/n waiting in the shop. She stood up quickly, opening and closing her mouth as she tried to start the speech she'd been planning all morning. Gregor walked back out into the main shop after disappearing into the back rooms to fetch supplies, and upon noticing the two of them stood staring at each other, he excused himself, offering up his office as a quieter space for them to talk. They accepted, clumsily thanking him at the same time and walking hesitantly over.

Nik closed the door behind them, and despite the large room Y/n felt cramped, the air heavy with the words she couldn't find the strength to say just yet.

"How have you been?" he asked, his voice quiet. He wasn't looking at her, and she was stubbornly refusing to look at him, but she could picture his exact expression.

"I heard you last night." She winced, not meaning to start there. He didn't say anything, and after a few moments of no sound but the clock in the office loudly ticking she braced herself and glanced up. "Nik? I didn't mean to say it like that. I just- the first night, when I came in in the morning and the room was clear, I assumed it was you, so I came over the next night to make sure, and also to talk to you, I guess. But then my mum was there and I was about to turn around and leave, but then you started talking to her and saying all those things and-" she broke off when he met her gaze, taking a breath.

"How... how much did you hear?" His voice was hoarse, like he was trying to hold back his emotions.

"From around when you told her she was delusional." She bit her lip, nerves taking over the small wave of confidence she'd just had.

"Right." Nik cleared his throat, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. "And... do- what-"

"I love you, Nik. And I wanna try being with you, for real. I can't promise that I won't be wary, and I can't promise that I won't doubt you at times, but I can promise that that isn't your fault, it's Davor's. And I can promise that should you ever propose, I'll say yes." He took a shuddering breath, a shaky smile forming on his face as he took a step towards her. Y/n wasn't sure who moved after that, but somehow they ended up meeting in the middle, arms wrapped around each other as he held her face and kissed her like he'd never let her go again. They parted after a while, taking heaving breaths and resting their foreheads against each other. Nik didn't move his hands from her cheeks, and Y/n slid hers up to cover them where they sat, linking their fingers the best she could.

"I love you," he whispered, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too. Just no more lies, yeah? I'm not sure I can handle that."

"Got it. No more lies." He went quiet for a moment and then said: "Is now a really bad time to tell you that I need to leave for two weeks?" Y/n pulled back so that she could search his eyes, huffing a laugh when she saw how concerned he was.

"I think it's a great time, actually. Does this have anything to do with that woman? What was her name... Tamar?"

"Yes. Apparently I'm the only one who can talk a nation into being cooperative. I've managed to make it so that I don't have to leave until after the deadline, though, so I can keep helping out."

"You didn't have to do that, Nik. Really."

"What, and leave you wondering where I'd gone? No thank you. You'd most likely murder me when I got back."

"I would never!" she exclaimed, laughing when he gave her a look that said he knew she was lying.

"Oh, you so would, darling." She'd forgotten how sweet the name sounded, sending her heart into a flutter.

"Hm, maybe," she murmured into his lips, moving her hands to wrap around his neck and hold him in place (not that he needed much encouragement). They only broke apart because Gregor coughed very loudly in the doorway, an unimpressed look covering up the smile he was attempting to hide.

"If the two of you could refrain from using my office as a room to fuck in that would be brilliant." Y/n snorted, and Nik nodded, both of them flushing at the thought. "Great. Nik, back to work. Y/n, I'll see you at dinner."

He swung the door shut behind him, leaving Nik and Y/n holding back laughter in the office.

#grishaverse #netflix shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lanstov x reader #nikolai x reader #nikolai lanstov x y/n #nikolai x y/n

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mouthfulloftoothpasterry · 3 years

Text

Meet cute

summary: going through harry and Loralie's normal day... until Harry meets someone.

warnings/ disclaimers: none :)

“Daddy!” Harry hears, tearing his head up from his big metal desk where he was looking over his students' art work. He teaches art at a primary school and is lucky enough to work in a school that has care for younger kids, so his daughter Loralie attends the preschool there. “Darling, why are you out of class already? The first bell hasn't rung yet.” At this school they have a three bell system. The first is for kids who ride the bus home, then the ones who get picked up by a parent or walk home, and the third bell is for kids who live further out and take the bus- the buses come back from their first trip and come around for them to take them to their long trip back home. The teacher's assistant always escorts Loralie to Harry's classroom after the first bell.

“I'm done!” she says, waving a bye to the teachers assistant whale Harry thanks her. He pulls her up on a chair next to the wooden stool he was sitting in, pulling her paisley printed backpack off of her and unzipping it to look through her folder. He looks over his class (full of seven and eight year olds) making sure they are all doing what they should be- reading a library book while they wait for their number bell to ring. He looks through some of the work she had done, the two pockets sorted into one that had her work of colorings, trying to write her name, and crafts. The other pocket filled with papers her and Harry needed to study together, her ABC’s, her numbers up to ten, colors, and notes to parents.

Harry gasps dramatically, pulling his classes' attention away from their books. “You got two golden stars today?!” he asks Loralie, making her nod, giggling. In her class they have a reward system, if the teacher or teachers assistant catches them doing a good deed they will reward them with a golden star sticker to encourage them to keep doing it, all the teachers here do it with the younger kids. Today Loralie was caught helping a kid pick up his crayons and then sat with a lonely kid while they were on the story time rug- now Harry is having a total proud dad moment reading the note her teacher had written him.

Just then the bell rings, “have a good night everyone!” Harry calls out to the first-bellers. He turns back to his daughter seeing her cover her ears from the loud ring of the school bell. Harry laughs, pulling Loralie to sit on his lap, ignoring the art he was working on. “So, tell me all about your day, baby.” Harry says, one arm wrapped her back and the other pulled her backpack down and shoving her folder and lunchbox into it. Loralie babbles on about her day for a while, ignoring the other listening ears and telling her daddy everything that had happened. She goes on about story time and how they had read one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish by dr.seuss, how they sang some songs, and how they colored until the third bell rings leaving Harry and Loralie all alone.

“We can't go home just get, baby. I've got a few things to do before we can leave.” Harry informs his daughter, pulling his earlier classes paintings off of the drying rack and stacking them so he could hand them out easier tomorrow. Loralie has no response, instead getting in Harry's big metal desk drawers and pulling out the couple of toys she kept here for times like this when Harry kept them after school a bit longer than she wanted. Harry lets Loralie help him when he puts the watercolor paints in the back storage room.

He hears feet on the steps leading to the art room making him peek his head out, reaching out for Loralie so she would grab his hand. He hears a bit of whispering, declaring it safe while he clasps his hand with Loralie and walks out. “Hi, could I help you?” Harry asks, looking at the mother and son. The woman politely smiles, her hand resting on her toddlers back- Harry knows him, he teaches the preschoolers art every Wednesday and he just had this little boy in his class today so he must be in Loralies class.

“Um, he left his folder down here today. It's got the baby shark stuff on it and it says Milo on it in gold sharpie. Mrs. Hannah had told me that it would probably be down here.” the woman says, their children apparently knowing each other because they are already talking. Harry was right, he is in Loralies class. Harry turns back to his desk with a smile on his face, “here.” he says, walking back. “I was gonna give it to Mrs. Hannah so he could get it back first thing in the morning.”

She smiles, taking it from his hands. She notes how his hands are rather large and stained in different colors of paint, even a couple of his rings have splatters of paint over them- but they all seem to be to be only for fashion not a wedding ring. “Thank you. And Mrs. Hannah told me what Loralie did today, she's such a sweetheart.” Harry furrows his eyebrows a bit, confused, “oh! Sorry, she sat with him during story time. He's kinda shy so it was really nice of her, she seems to really get him to branch out.” she looks down at her son and smiles seeing him talk to the girl.

“Oh, yeah. Thank you.” Harry smiles, finally letting go of the folder. She smiles, turning away and pulling Milo up on her hip, bidding the both of them a good bye. “Oh, I never caught your name.” Harry says, turning his chin up. She turned her head back smiling, “Y/n.” Harry smiles at her teasing tone, his cheeks turning the lightest shade of pink. “I'm Harry.”

Eventually Harry takes Loralie home, bringing them back to their small home. Harry knows its small, it got two bedrooms- one that isn't even used because Loralie sleeps in his bed with him every night (he's a single parents and he's not taking anyone home- it's just what happens), a small cramped kitchen, only one full bathroom then just a half one in the master bedroom, a normal sized living room, then a small dining room. It's not perfect but it's perfect for them, there are only two people, one man and a mini monster running around.

“Dinner then a bath, my love. You know the drill.” Harry hollers over to Loralie who is laying in the living room and playing with her stuffed animals while paw patrol plays in the background. He pushes over the markers on the table, setting down her plate waiting for her to crawl up and eat what he had prepared for her. She joins him soon, digging into the pesto pasta and fruit he prepared. “So, what was the best part of your day, baby?” Harry asks, smiling at his daughter and setting down his own plate while she sips at her sippy cup.

“Seeing daddy!” she yells, making Harry laugh. He smiles kissing her nose, “My favorite part was seeing you*, munchkin.” He smiles, making her squeal, shoving fruit in her mouth. Harry kisses her hand looking at her in adoration, he's so happy he has his little girl.

“Bubbles, daddy.” Loralie says, collecting the bubbles from her bath into her hand and blowing them. Harry nods, smiling, continuing to lather her hair. “What do you think about Milo, baby?” He asks, not being able to get his mind off of what had happened just before him and Loralie left.

Loralie looks up at him, “Milo?” She asks, her cheeks turning blush from the bath. Harry nods, giving her a warm smile while he cups his hand in front of her forehead to prevent any shampoo getting in her eyes before he starts to wash it out. “Nice.” She says, Harry nodding his head along with her.

Harry wishes he got to know Milo's mother a bit more. She seemed like someone that he would like. She was so sweet and her teasing tone made him even more attracted to her, she was gorgeous, and not to mention he didn't see a ring on her finger. Harry continues her bath, pulling her out and changing her into her pajamas. His mind wanders off a bit, thinking about the pretty woman he met today. He hopes he will see her again and little does he know she hopes she will see him again.

“Let's go to bed, baby.”

tag list: @romionefp @iaalien @hopeyoustaythenight @evanjh if you dont want to be on the tag list for this series please let me know but if you want to be on it please let me know as well !!!

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