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#Fine blue balls get my seal of approval
malewifevenom · 1 year
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Okay I changed my mind the stinky inky bastard blue balled weird mouth goofy ahh lookin ass bitch ain’t that bad he’s a fun villain and if he didn’t murder people I’d be slightly less insulted by his mere presence
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weirdmarioenemies · 3 years
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Rating all the Catified enemies in Bowser’s Fury!
With the release of Super Mario 3D World on Switch, we got a fantastic little game! Bowser’s Fury! It’s like a sequel to Mario Sunshine with 3D World mechanics, it’s a delight! it has the mod Sockop seal of approval! But that’s not why I’m here today, I’m here because this game gave us Cat versions of 3D world enemies! Complete with fur, tails and little cat ears! In this post, I’ll be rating these catified designs, as an excuse to show them all to you dear reader!
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Name: Cat Biddybud
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Starting off strong, Biddybuds are some of my fave Mario creatures, and this look fits them well, the paws and tail look natural on their spherical body! And the fur looks like a fine velvet!
9/10  Would pet.
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Name: Cat Blockstepper
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Blocksteppers are also already perfect, with their funny hats and their trumpet mouths. However, this cat form doesn’t give them fur, or paws or a tail at all! just some cat ears! Which I’m not even sure are part of their actual body! They could just be glued onto their hats, I hope it’s actually part of their bodies and they made little holes on the hats so they can poke them out.
4/10  Blocksteppers seem to have arrived too late at the Catification center, they only had spare cat ears left.
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Name: Cat Bob-omb
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Another one that got the short end of the stick! No fur, no paws, not even a tail! Just cat ears! Both Blocksteppers and Bob-ombs walk thanks to their wind-up keys, so perhaps they only get cat ears because these are not organic creatures! It still seems a bit unfair on the guys, just because they’re automated doesn’t mean they don’t deserve some fuzzy fur!
4/10  You deserve so much more Bob-omb.
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Name: Cat Boomerang/Fire/Hammer Bros.
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
The ears don’t look bad at all! But it’s still a very lazy catification, sure, they get fur but it’s so short it might as well not be there.
2/10
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Name: Cat Bullet Bill
Debut: Super Mario 3D World
This one’s an interesting case! They’re the only cat enemy not exclusive to Bowser’s Fury, as they appeared in the base 3D World game. Like Bob-ombs and Blocksteppers, they don’t get any fur, so this supports the inorganic creature hypothesis. However these guys DID get a tail! And they look so much better because of it! Why didn’t they give tails to Bob-ombs and Blocksteppers! I demand justice.
6/10  The tail almost makes up for the lack of fur.
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Name: Cat Bully
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Now THIS is a catification! Extremely long and luscious fur, you can TELL he grooms himself regularly! Cat Bullies also get a tail, ears, and paws, which fit in very well with their rotund body, as a matter of fact, their iconic horns got completely replaced by the cat ears! Which is a very bold move, but one I support wholeheartedly! Now, does this confirm Bullies are organic creatures? Even though they are clearly made of metal in their base forms? Perhaps the metal is an exoskeleton of sorts, as mod Chikako suggested, whatever the case, I’m glad they got the full fur treatment!
9/10 Fantastic ball of fur.
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Name: Cat Cheep Cheep
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
This is a fishy, with fur and cat ears, not very hydrodynamic, fishies are bullet shaped for a reason, but this is ok because they at least look cute!
7/10 Pretty standard catification but it works well!
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Name: Cat Coin Coffer
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Ouggoough.... Coin Coffer my beloved.... I wanna pet him so badly now... I guess sticking cat ears and fur on an orbular character just works!! And look at those paws! This is a novelty coin purse if I’ve ever seen one!
8/10
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Name: Cat Conkdor
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Well, this is certainly something, I adore Conkdor, another mario creature very dear to my heart. Not sure I love this catification though, the tail looks good but the cat ears look very awkward, and it’s very unsettling to see a bird with fur instead of feathers. But don’t worry Conkdor you still look great, it’s just not your style y’know?
3/10
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Name: Cat Flopter
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
I really like Flopters! they have a Bee-like body with Dragonfly-like goggles, and they fly like a helicopter! Very charming little dudes often forgotten.
The cat ears complement the goggles extremely well! They looked a bit too bald in their base forms. And I bet those paws make landing easier! Good for them.
8/10   Award winner for best use of Cat ears.
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Name: Cat Fuzzler
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Fuzzlers are already a delight, there’s not a lot you can do to improve perfection, and I guess the devs took that personally because this is a very light catification, I guess they couldn’t give them fur since they’re supposed to look spiky and not soft, but I still wish they did. They do have tails but they’re oddly short, more like a nub, they deserve longer tails! They’d look so good while rolling!
5/10  They don’t deserve a vestigial tail.
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Name: Cat Fuzzy
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Very lazy catification, their oily shinyness doesn’t play well with the cat ears and tail. I’m sorry little one...
2/10
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Name: Cat Goomba (Brown)
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
You might be wondering why I put their color in parenthesis, well, this is not the first Cat Goomba we got, 3D World has an orange Cat Goomba that actually pounces like a cat. The implication seems to be that the orange one is a Goomba that used a Super Bell, while this brown one is just a Goomba that got Catified by whatever catification forces are present in Lake Lapcat. Back to the rating, I love their little white/brown color scheme! Fits them very well, and they get little whisker-like stripes too!
9/10  Good Kittycat.
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Name: Cat Koopa Troopa
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
I really dislike this one, why are the cat ears on their cheeks? That looks like it would hurt? I don’t like looking at Cat Koopa for a long time, I think it would’ve been cuter if they put the cat ears on the shell! Maybe it wouldn’t make sense but it would certainly look nicer.
1/10  I can’t give out a 0 because look at that blessed smile...
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Name: Cat Magikoopa
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
The ears look very odd, like they’re clipping out of the robe. Very lazy catification. Almost unnoticeable.
2/10
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Name: Cat Piranha Plant/Creeper
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
I love these ones they look SO silly, just stick some ears on their orb heads and you got a great kittycat! The fur also doesn’t look unnatural, there are fuzzy plants in real life!
8/10  Would pet carefully.
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Name: Cat Rammerhead
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
I also like this one quite a bit! The ears fit well with their already ridiculous head, they just look like rounder spikes! It’s like they were meant to have ears! The lavender fur looks very nice. The tail also looks very cute, completely replacing their caudal fin, how do you seem with that buddy?
8/10  Very wet kitty.
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Name: Cat Skipsqueak
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
WOW!!! This one is basically perfect! This is the ONLY catification to change the colors of the base creature! And for the better! They’re now a very vivid electric blue instead of the dull light blue of their non-cat selves. This one’s also the only mammal enemy, so their cat features look completely natural and fitting!
10/10  Very cute fat catmouse.
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Name: Cat Snow Pokey
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Yeah this one’s arguably the laziest catification, their ears are barely visible too, but they still look cute and not unsettling! So I really can’t complain too much.
4/10
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Name: Cat Spike
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
Spike always has such an expression of pure existential dread I can’t tear my eyes away from it... It looks like he’s not handling the catification too well... He probably feels very weird being suddenly covered in fur. They did get a cute little patch of white fur on their belly, which I think is an improvement to the design!
7/10  Hope you’re ok there buddy.
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Name: Cat Splounder
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
YESSSSSSSS I LOVE SPLOUNDERS SO MUCH!!!! When I found out they got in the game I was SO happy, this catification is top notch as well! The cat ears fit in like they always belonged! And the salmon-colored fur is one heck of a look! They also got a long tail which hangs peacefully underwater, making them look like a cute comma!
10/10 Cat Splounder my beloved...
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Name: Cat Stingby
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
As we already know, putting a tail and cat ears on a sphere looks really good! So this guy is a winner by default! I think the paws are slightly unsettling since they’re just hanging there... Never to be used. But it’s ok, I’m sure they don’t get in the way too much.
9/10 Fuzzy bees are always a win.
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Name: Cat Seagull
Debut: Bowser’s Fury
To finish off this post! The most important introduction to the Mario universe by far! Cat Seagull!
This is positively delightful, they look so silly and mindless. They’re just vibing and I respect them so much for that. They probably don’t even know they have cat ears, but that doesn’t matter. Only thing that matters is existing and these guys are killing it at that!
10/10 I wanna live like you.
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oneoftheprettynerds · 3 years
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Belle Of The Ball: Dark! King! Steve Rogers x Reader
A/N: So this my first ever proper dark fic and I’m so nervous. I finished it but my mind thinks it’s garbage. so I’m gonna post this now when I’m feeling a random spurt of courage and am confident in my work. So here’s my masterpiece, cookies.
This is for Dark!MCU  Festive Fic swap hosted by @darkficsyouneveraskedfor  and @darkmcuficswap
My giftee is @hermesmaximoff Hope you enjoy it love!
Thanking @firefly-graphics for the dividers: both personalised and general.
There is also an amateur somewhat okay shitty poster I decided to make which is included at the end.  
WARNING: THIS IS A DARK FIC CONTAINING DUBIOUS CONSENT BORDERING NON-CON AND EXPLICIT SMUT. YOUR MEDIA CONSUMPTION IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. LOSS OF VIRGINITY, ABUSE OF AUTHORITY, BREEDING KINK ALSO PRESENT.
Summary: Invited to the Royal ball by the benevolent monarch, you could barely control your excitement to visit the Capital. While you were busy admiring his prosperous reign, King Steve was quite occupied getting enamoured by you. As you try to fulfil the King’s demands, secrets find their way out.
CHARACTERS + GENRE: DARK!STEVE ROGERS X READER, SUPERNATURAL STEVE ROGERS X READER (read to find out what), ROYAL AU, HALLOWEEN THEME (I tried for the request, hope you do like it)
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King Steve Rogers invites the princes and the princesses of all Kingdoms, near and afar,
To celebrate his several years of reign.
He requests thy kind and noble presence
At the joyous regale
of his auspicious ball
On the thirty first of October,
after sundown, in His Majesty’s finest castle.
Challenging thy with the unique theme of
A Halloween Masquerade Ball,
The King expects exceptional indulgence from all.
 The Most Grandiose Halloween Celebration is being organised with the spookiest of events within.
Come here if you dare.
“We have been invited to a royal party! My day couldn’t have been better!” Your elder sister exclaimed, jumping quite unladylike in your chambers, as you went through the details of the venue. You chuckled at her antics, knowing rather well that she would be scolded if someone else was present. 
“Emma, Mother has to approve first. As Lady Ava always says, don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
“As if mother would really decline an invite from the King, dear sister.” She rolled her eyes at you, not letting her enthusiasm die as you pondered over her words.
Your sister had a point though, the King summoning your presence was not to be taken lightly. The invitation came up handwritten in a scroll with the King’s wax seal atop it. It was placed elegantly beside a golden mask in a rectangular black box, that bore the Majesty’s sigil on the front.  
The theme of the ball wasn’t that peculiar if you reflected over it, the renowned monarch was also recognised for his distinct interest in eerie, unearthly beings. He was known for adventuring into haunted lands, mysterious manors and sinister soils, meeting up with people rumoured to be sorcerers and occultists.
Of course, the reason for his encounters was sometimes rumoured to be because of his familial distress, how he couldn’t find a mate to procreate with and conceive his own heir no matter what. Three females, who were pregnant with a progeny of his blood, none his wife though, had died during the first two or tercet months, reason unspecified why.  
Coming to You, you and your sister weren’t actual princesses, rather the daughters of one of the esteemed Ministers in the King’s cabinet. The benevolent King, however referred to the daughters of the town, more exactly, the Kingdom, as noblewomen. He held high reverence for the females and was the sole creditor to the improved condition of the women in this era. No matter how troubled his own life was, the King was the most merciful royal to be crowned to date, his people prospering under him.
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Your sister nodded eagerly to your mother, drinking in her words like the fine tea you all had in the afternoons, while you just smiled at her advice.
 When you both met your mother for dinner, you were surprised to find her already informed about the invitation. Her conformity to the celebration astonished you even more, but Emma’s zeal was starting to rub off on you too by the end of the meal. 
Your mother continued, “Your father mentioned The Majesty is looking for a wife, quite possibly. He has been insistent in trying to get a successor the correct way this time, by courting the lady who piques his interest. Even though this might be a rumour, or some gossip spun by the ladies of the Cabinet, you both should try your best to be graceful and presentable. Among the hundreds of guests, he’d be having over, on the off-chance, if Gods allow, that either of you manages to entice him, it will only promise you the most pleasant of all forthcomings. It would also do me and your father some good, if you managed to find some other suitable bachelor, from a nice background to engage with.”
Your sister had always been one with the more overactive imagination out of you two, while you had been the more serene and poised one. When she’d be out playing with the children in your town, you’d be talking to the younger toddlers, drawing with chalks on the side. For every kid she splashed with water in the nearby sapphire river, you made tots flower crowns. These were the values you both grew up with, and these will be the values you’d die with.
After days of shopping velvet fabrics and silk textiles, and bothering your seamster to make sophisticated and stylish dresses, you both neared your day of departure. After some instructions to you both to represent your father and town well, your mother bid you adieu. It was nerve wracking to not have your mother by your side, for an event as big as this was, but since you both had passed more than twenty name days, you were expected to be proper, independent ladies. 
With a heavy heart and some self, positive affirmations, you and your sister embarked on the voyage, which was filled with her chitchat.
You only hoped that the gala was as exciting as your family made it out to be. That it was just a King trying to celebrate his sovereign with some western festival integrated together. That the event would not be as unnerving and creepy as the last line of his invitation made it out to be. 
For some unknown cause, it did not sit well with you. Your apprehensive intuition made you wary of the invitation for some reason, but you let your sibling’s zest take you over. What benefit would fretting get you?
The ball was far more pompous than anything you’d have imagined in your little head. All the ideas that Emma had come up with during your journey, to anticipate the extent of extravagance for the ball, were all exceeded with tenfold finesse. You had travelled to faraway, distant lands with your parents, but the King’s mansion, with all the festivity happening, was truly a sight to behold.
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Entering The Capital had been the highlight of your excursion, you were sure earlier, but well you were proved wrong. Your father greeted you both when you had arrived, eager to see his angels after almost six moons, and had ensured you both got the best of the accommodations in the well-built, enormous fort. He introduced you to several of his comrades as well as their brooding, young lads and then, left you both to rest for the main event next eve. With two maids at your every beck and call, courtesy of your father, your time went smoothly and now you found yourself at the said Halloween themed celebration, staring around in awe of every little detail that had been so meticulously handled to make the event as dazzling as it was.
The servants were dressed rather ridiculously as cats, wearing some bizarre structure resembling cat ears, horribly short black dresses barely past their thighs and some whiskers draw using either coal or makeup, you weren’t sure. It was a poor attempt to make them appear feline. However, the food was as immaculate as everything else, entirely themed like only blood red wine, candied apples, chicken pumpkins, cheesecake brain, mummy muffins, some appetizer with bell peppers as jack-o-lanterns; these were the few that met your sights.
The hall was so grand, almost the size of three jousting arenas and playing fields combined with pillars having detailed architecture supporting the place. The walls were covered in scarlet, golden and black velvet drapes, the royal colours, and beautiful masquerade masks were pinned atop them, along the walls. Almost hundred round, white clothed tables filled the ballroom, with gold plated candlesticks and utensils upon them. The entire place had entertainers progressing around, the essence of it being magicians, clowns, contortionists, palm and tarot card readers. 
In the centre of the hall, was an empty space, reserved for the soon to be ensuing dancing. An orchestra on the side had beautiful instruments, playing soft melodies for now, reserving the upscale beats for later.
You had only read a few books on Halloween to be prepared but nothing could have geared you up for this. Your small-town self was gaping at everything with a childlike wonder while somehow your sister was quite composed and calm, somehow your roles had been reversed. 
Emma was wearing a blue gown, having several layers of nets and cloth, each a different shade of azure. She tried to dress as the mythical creature called mermaid, with crystal heels and a beaded neckline. Her masquerade mask had scales like fish, made using shining sequins. She looked so gorgeous, truly managing to look captivating.
You on the other hand were dressed like an angel, which you were against, finding it too mainstream and typical and wanted to dress like an enchantress with violet and jade colours, which your mother immediately negated. On demand of your sister, she let you wear a fluffy white ball gown, and had you made wings with dove feathers, an apparatus which was astonishingly light to wear. Using her art and craft skills, Emma made you a headband with two wires attached to a metal ring, shaped like an angel’s halo. The loop at top made of some special metal that glowed golden in the dark, making it look like a real, floating halo. Your mask had a fur lining on it, and silver sparkles were sprinkled all over you, with pretty makeup on your face, courtesy of your sibling.
The change in music brought you out of your reverie, as trumpets and harps began to hum, signifying the arrival of the King on the grand staircase. He had a crimson red velvet cape descending his broad shoulders, his tuxedo underneath could hide neither his long legs nor his bulging, protruding biceps. His black, shining shoes cost more than your entire apparel, you were certain. 
As your gaze ascended his masculine form, you were mesmerised furthermore with his high cheekbones, full lips tainted cherry pink, a Grecian slanting nose, sleek eyebrows, luscious blonde hair, a thick beard and the best of all yet, cerulean blue eyes, the prettiest you’d ever seen in the entirety of your small life. The ladies beside you, Emma included, had the same reaction whether they had witnessed his Highness before or not. Every female’s gaze seemed to flicker between his azure eyes and the Golden crown resting atop his blonde locks, flooded with rubies and emeralds and gemstones you weren’t sure your books had.
For a moment you felt his eyes land on you, which surprised you even more so, that you questioned yourself about it, but his cheeky grin and wink confirmed it, make you shiver involuntarily as heat spread through your face while a titillating stir ran through you, a first for you. His impeccably white teeth were clearly visible now, showing two elongated canines, which finally gave you a sense of his attire, paired with his blush lips, A Vampire.
He spoke a few words, eyes unsteadily wavering, observing different members of the gathering. He let the dances commence, partnering with his most suitable match at the festivity, the daughter of the wealthiest lord. After the first song was over, other couples joined alongside him while you stood at the side, observing everything. Only mere moments ago had your sister been courted by a young man, the two of them shooting each other coy glances since they had entered. 
A tap on your shoulder had you puzzled, you turned around focus landing on warm, brown eyes. You recalled him to be Lord Stark’s son, Peter, having met him yesterday at dawn. His familiar brown eyes gave you sense of comfort, which you liked, not being alongside Emma now.
“Shall we?” He asked, his cheeks ruby like yours were, as he extended the palm of his hand towards you. You giggled, smiling like a little babe who got extra cookies for dessert, and accepted his hand. Sauntering to the dancing arena, you only prayed to The Heavens above that Lady Ava taught you enough to embarrass neither yourself nor your guild.
Tracing his steps and following his lead, you did manage to dance without falling, which was a surprise seeing how spread out your wings were. You and him made easy conversation, about your hometowns and interests.  You saw your Father proudly looking at you and Emma, dancing with lads, you guessed, he approved of.
As the song ended and the orchestra played a transitioning tune between the melodies, a cough sounded beside you as you and Peter stopped. Your eyes widened as you nervously curtsied beside Peter, A ‘Your Majesty” falling from both your lips.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I share a dance with the most stunning dame here?” 
Peter politely stepped back, letting go of your waist, as The King’s wide stature more than filled his place. Your heart was beating rather loudly, blood pumping to your ears as you tried to make sense of what was happening. In your peripheral vision you could see the prying eyes of others looking at you both, ready to criticize you for one wrong move. Your father watched intently, a slight warning in his eyes to not mess this opportunity up while your sister comfortingly smiled at you. You tried to even your breaths and make sense of what he was saying, to not just stand and gape like a fool in court.
As the harmony played out, he swayed you around, lifting you up and twirling you around. Compliments spewed out from his lips, making you crimson like freshly ripened apples. You couldn’t keep up with your expression of gratitude through your words as he admired your eyes, your elegance and your ensemble which just couldn’t make him shift his eyes from you. 
After two songs had played out, he left as suddenly as he had come, with a promise to meet you later. You watched him dance with other maidens, who approached him when you were dancing together, entertaining every approaching lady like an excellent host.
You made your way to the side, hoping to get some liquor, or at least some fluid in your veins and not faint right there this moment. Emma came up beside you while you were having wine, and rubbed your back in a parental way. Her eyes communicated her understanding of how overwhelmed you felt at the instant. Her date and Peter soon came and kept you both company for the rest of the night. As duos danced and people got intoxicated, you had to call it a night on behalf of your sister, her incessant giggling make you worried for her inebriated self. 
You slipped her out before your father caught her and gave her a stern talking to and tucked her in her bed keeping a glass of water and some fresh fruits for her on the bedside wooden bench. You concluded retiring for the night yourself but only after assuring your father of your whereabouts and well beings. Before returning to the hall, you took off your wings and the halo, also opting to leave the mask behind as the fur tickled your skin. Your makeup hadn’t ruined in the heat of the hall, it was a miracle. You made your way to the Hall, hoping to find your father, assumingly drunk with all his entourage.
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Two hallways before the decorated ballroom were you pinned to the wall, one hand of your attacker covering your parted lips while the other held your face delicately, with a lover’s touch. A split second was all it took for you to be immobilised by this man and another by your wavering form to recognise the cobalt blue eyes and blonde curls. When The King was certain you wouldn’t scream, his hand left your mouth slid upwards, mirroring his other hand, with thumbs in front of your ears and palms resting on your cheeks.
“Your Majesty?” You mumbled back, your voice somehow even lower, afraid for yourself and even more so terrified to offend him.
“Say, would you come for a while to my chambers, the view of the creek from my balcony is splendid.”
His choice of words gave you an option, but his eyes, almost hypnotically told you there was only one correct answer.
“You are the one, I can feel it.” He whispered lowly but your heightened senses gladly picked it up.
You meekly nodded, your inner self surprised at your body moving of its accord alongside him, as your mind started voiding of thoughts like reporting to your father, checking up on Emma. You felt like you were trapped in someone else’s form and fought with an invisible force to take over the reins of your own body.
You did not fail to notice the lack of guards outside the King’s chamber and how every entrance managed to open itself. The King wasn’t lying about the picturesque scene though, as you stood in the balcony, hair getting ruffled by the strong breeze that seemingly came from nowhere.
Your body stiffened as King Steve came uncharacteristically close to you and slid his hands around your middle, his nose nestled in your locks, inhaling deeply.
His lips descended your neck, laying feathery kisses on his path as you stood there, unable to even move your hands or turn around. This out of body sensation was broken when you felt intense pain on piercing of your skin where your head met your torso. You suddenly gained all wits and enough strength to flail your limbs around but all your might wasn’t enough to even stir the man from his task. Your throat couldn’t gather enough energy to scream, though you doubted anyone would come. You started getting light headed and only then did he stop, carrying you in his arms to his widespread four poster bed, mattress as soft as sponge and sheets as silky as butter. Too weak to fight him off, you harvested all your energy in staying conscious as your gaze danced around, trying to make sense of every object present but not awake enough to notice too many details. The wine you drank did not make it any better.
As you laid on the stranger’s bed, you felt his body sit beside you, holding your neck; leaning down, his lips meeting yours for the first time. You did not reciprocate, neither did you have the strength nor the will, while his tongue slipped inside your mouth, roaming around like a traveller in foreign land.
As the kiss drew on, you felt some energy sidle inside you, enough for your mind to function again but not ample enough to fight off the brawny thief who robbed you of your first kiss. King Steve broke off the kiss and connected your foreheads together, his indigo eyes turning black in want, leaving you a frightening and gasping mess.
He backed away, sitting more straighter now as his hand drew back from around your neck and slid along your stomach, nearing the most intimate part of your body, even though there were still layers of cloth present. His hands did not stop there, however, and made their way downwards only stopping at the hem of your gown and slipping inside.
You shrieked out suddenly, becoming aware of his intentions quite late and grasped his wrist that rested now on your knee. 
“Your Majesty, I……I can’t-”
“Do you wish to refuse your King?”
You looked down, caught in the dilemma of wanting your safety and offending him once again. Your virtue had to be preserved till marriage, your mother had taught you, but on the other hand, the King’s words were the law.
“Answer Me.” The King’s cold voice broke through your thoughts, not a shout but still scarier than a yell.“
Your Majesty, I’ve never engaged in s-” You started tearing up, lower lip wobbling and body shaking at the thought of the future. You did not see this ending beneficial in any scenario. If you lost your virtue, you would never get wed but if you refused the King and he felt insulted, your family and your connections would be in the ruins, he held that much power over you.
Cradling your face with his other hand, he began again, “You think I’m not already aware, pretty one?” The man who was reprimanding you only few moments ago upon not answering him, had a smile on his face this time: not assuring or comforting, but malicious and sinister to its very core. “I could smell your untainted scent from my room, before even descending the stairs.”
“Your e-eyes..” You gaped again as colours morphed in his eyes, red now swirling around in the pools of darkness, his words lost on you as you felt your fear rising due to the inhumane action.
“For an intellectual, bibliophilic girl, you sure are oblivious, sweetheart.” He scoffed, looking unimpressed at you, “Come on, prove to me you aren’t heedless like the rest, draw the conclusion." His eyes held yours, again altering into hues of different colours, seemingly mocking you now. 
You don’t know how the thought jumped into your head, maybe because the two holes on your neck stung suddenly or because the automatically opening doors entered your mind, the contemplation that his fangs appeared so realistic and authentic the more you stared at them paired with the blood on his collar, not just the fresh red stain of your plasma but also the burgundy stain present there, giving his lips the cherry red shade you admired hours ago on his arrival at the event.
“This is not a co-costume, no-” You inhaled a quick breath, “you are a vampire.” Your face paled in realisation while he smirked proudly, tapping your knee in a weird, twisted form of appreciation.
“Tremendous, my dear. But only half, you see. My mother was one, yes, but my father, he gave me an even better ability, he was an Incubus.” You shuddered as the words sunk in, your only worry being staying alive now, when your life was in the hands of this sex demon, having the greatest of powers and strength. Your mind did not spend any time mulling over the existence of supernatural beings, only dwelling on possible escapes now.
“That is why even your untouched body couldn’t help but react to my form and it is also the very reason, that I can read what goes on in your mind, all your memories, your hobbies, every book you’ve read, your precious sister, Emma isn’t it? So please, do not even think about fleeing if you don’t want your family to suffer.”
The threat loomed in the air, nasty sobs wracking your body as his thumb came to wipe the tears off. His hands started undoing the lace on the front of your bodice as you sniffled. Managing to quieten down just a bit, you begged, “Please don’t do this, I’ll have nowhere to go if my family found about me partaking in this unholy deed before marriage.” You had little hope about him seeing reason but there was optimism nonetheless. 
“Darling, do not fuss that I’ll leave you unhinged and deserted after finding pleasure in your body, you are to be mine now. Essentially, you already are.” His lips claimed yours again as the front of your dress slackened, bundling around your waist.
You pulled back, surprised at his promise, “You mean that?” He nodded, coming to kiss you again. You turned so that his lips met your neck, tongue licking the salt residue of tears there. “In what sense?”
“In every sense you could think of and more. I’ll give you everything, make you my queen, would you like that?” He mumbled in your neck, tongue now soothing the two punctured cavities residing there.
You could feel yourself crossing your legs involuntarily, trying to caress the abrupt yearning in your intimate part, your underclothes dousing with wetness somehow. Steve smirked in your neck, sitting upright and playing his trump card.
“I’ll marry you and we’ll rule together with the plenty of successors you’ll give me. Won’t that make your parents proud? Isn’t that what your parents taught you? Catch the King’s eye?” You meekly nodded, his charisma of an Incubus winning you over. “I’ll make your father The King’s Hand and send your mother the finest of jewels and gems, satins and silks.” He looked over at your submissive form, looking at him with the innocence of a toddler, swayed by his promises.
“I’ll let your sister have a grand wedding with the man she dears. All you have to do is surrender yourself to me and be my Queen, rule alongside me. So I ask, will you?” You cut him off, your lips pressing against his as you tried to mimic his earlier movements. He held your waist, surprised but pleasantly so, crushing the layers of the rolled top half of your dress underneath his hands. You had very little idea about what bedding someone meant but you had this primal urge to not have any skin of yours covered or untouched by him.
Steve shed his cape and threw every cloth on his torso away, almost as eager as you to get skin to skin contact. Your hands tangled in his hair as he lifted you up and sat you in his broad lap, not before sliding your dress all the way down. As he broke the kiss and took in your body, parts of you hidden under the smallclothes, he let out a growl that frightened yet excited you with another shiver down your spine. 
He made quick work of his bottoms, his cock standing and reaching his muscled chest almost and you gaped. Your sister, Emma had informed you of men’s parts being far much smaller than what you had just witnessed. His member stood erect and proud, glistening as he pumped it with his fist. His eyes drank in your surprise and trepidation, getting amused and turned on even more. 
You still laid stretched across the bed, legs straight ahead of you while your torso rested on your elbows, eyes wary of his every next movement.  He eyed your scantily clad body, gaze filled with lust and nothing more and climbed between your legs, one hand coming down on your waist while the other grabbed the back of your head and pulled you into a possessive kiss, robbing you of your breath. Your mind was slowly registering the reality of it all, this was going to happen no matter what. You were going to sin by engaging in fornication. But is it really wrong if your benevolent king demands that of you?
His hand sliding from your face to your bosom distracted you from your chain of thoughts. He slid the cups of your garment revealing your nipples and took one in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it while his other pinched the abandoned one. You didn’t know if you should be more surprised at his actions or the rush of the feelings that ran through you.
He slowly released your nipple and trailed soft kisses down your stomach to your most intimate part yet, kissing it through the cloth there. His delicate touch was abruptly contrasted with him grabbing the fabric, tearing it into two and revealing you bare. 
You closed your legs out of instinct but his heavily muscled hand took them apart in a single push. He eyed you with a warning, to not obstruct him anyhow anymore.
“Let me taste that sweet nectar of yours, sweetheart. I really want to find out if it is as addictive as my senses picked it up, as sweet as the aura that surrounds you.”
And with that he dove into your pussy, his tongue roaming your wet cavern. Neither did you understand what he spoke of nor had you sister told you about the activity happening right now. But all you could do was focus on the astonishingly pleasant shivers running through you as you had an out of the body, more accurately an out of the world experience. You had no sense of the time that passed and how long you laid there clutching the silk sheets letting out mewls. But out of nowhere, something in you snapped and all your energy left you. 
As your blurry vision cleared and your eyes found his face, he licked his still glistening lips, his beard moist and wet but erotically so. He dove right into kiss again and you tasted your own sweet nectar for the first time ever. His hand roamed your body, grabbing your curves and caressing your soft flesh. 
One of his hands made its way down furthermore and spread your fluids along your folds, and then lined up himself along your hole. With a sudden push, you felt yourself being full like never before, and a sudden pain hit you as your face visibly flinched. Steve swallowed your grunts of pain with his kisses and started rubbing your bud above your linked bodies. 
The shudder that ran through you once again made you incapable of thinking, the ache slowly subsiding behind the pleasure you felt. When your moans filled the air, Steve kissed your collarbones and sucked leaving bruises there, and started thrusting again. As his movements became faster and consistent, and his callused hands rubbed you and pinched your intimate flesh, you ascended to another world. Each action of his introduced you to a new star in the wide galaxy. The same unknown descended upon you again as something snapped in your abdomen and you experienced pure bliss. 
“Going to make you the mother of my children, you will carry my seed and bring the Kingdom several heirs. This time I’ll succeed, you will be mine, my Queen in every sense.” His words made you clench around him and that was all it took for him to achieve ecstasy as well.
Your head lolled and your eyes met his sweating frame lying across the silk sheets as a sinister grin adorned his face again, “I need to fuck a successor into you tonight, you ready?”  
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yandere-society · 3 years
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The Rabbit Hole
Summary: The Windy City in the mid-1920s is a spectacle of lights and sounds, roaring with the excitement of jazz music and swinging dance moves. Amid the brilliant stars of Chicago nightlife, there is a dark underground of secrets, mainly that being the mysterious Wonderland Ball you've been invited to participate in and be crowned the next "Alice". What you don't know is you may or may not be allowed to leave, per the Mad Hatter and a White Rabbit's desires. So, daring and brave as you are, you decide to take a journey down The Rabbit Hole and come face to face with high society - people - as you've never seen them before.
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Genre: Yandere; Historical Fiction/ Fantasy Based In The 1920′s; Smut; Thriller; Alice in Wonderland Inspired 
Warnings: Yandere themes, Mentions of drug/ alcohol use with/without consent, mentions of “gangsters”, light talks of selling your soul/ the devil/ religious “themes”?, sedative drugs used non-consensually, vivid dreams/nightmares, maybe light profanity? Smut: Non-protected sex (twice), creampies, oral sex (f and m receiving/giving), slight nipple play?, spanking, marking, bruising, slightly rough sex, use of a sex swing/ sex swing intercourse, f and m orgasms. I think that’s it. 
Pairings: Jeon Jungkook (White Rabbit) x Reader (Alice) x Kim Seokjin (Mad Hatter), Side Pairing of Johnny (Jonathan) Suh from NCT x Reader, Johnny x Jung Jaehyun from NCT.
Author’s Notes: This is not going to be a historically accurate piece. As much as I am an advocate for research and learning about the times of old, I am only human and I am short on time researching in between my full time job. I have grown up and currently live in Chicago and I have never written a story about the Windy City before so here I am, writing to you about the wonderful city I call home. I am doing my best to stay true to my writing as well as make it as accurate as one can, but please forgive me if there are faults in this story! 
We are not doing a collective Valentine’s Day event this year but the contents of this piece have been weighing heavily on my mind, so I asked if I could write this story for a little something-something. I hope you all enjoy it!
Written By: Admin 💖 @therealmintedmango​ 
Also, who do you think the other boys from BTS are from Alice in Wonderland in this story? I’d love to know! 
Stepping out of my very own vehicle my future husband’s family sent for me, I take in the sights and the sounds that Chicago provides this snowy afternoon. 
People waltz around one another and mingle about, snow crunching under their feet. The faint sounds of jingle bells float down the streets in the chilly air, it smells of popcorn and roasted nuts as well as the sludge of gasoline tainting the snow. A cold breeze gliding across the buildings nearly knocks me off my feet as I look up to my new place of residence, a new high-rise Michigan Ave. The stars above my head seem to sparkle in the dark sky, or are those just the electric lights from the grand buildings surrounding me? 
Curious, I think as I continue to have my sights set above the horizon. I’ve certainly strayed very far from the corn fields of back home. Inhaling the sharp, bitterly cold air around me, I feel a sense of dread almost wash over my senses. I knew what I was signing up for when I came here. Jonathan and I discussed it in great detail over the wire. 
The reality of the situation is finally sinking into my layers of clothing. 
Jonathan Suh, the grandson of Suh Realtor Industries Incorporated - which owns about one third of Chicago - has asked me to marry him. It was seemingly out of the blue too. I was going to spend the next years of my life trying to marry into the best livestock or vegetable farmer in town, not the filthy rich grandson in a large city. It felt like a dream when he called me and begged me to come as soon as possible. I suppose it pays off to be kind to everyone, especially when it felt like it was yesterday we were both in grammar school together. 
I drink it all in, the busy sounds, the cold night air that leaves me feeling bitter and raw standing in the street while snow begins to descend from the blackened sky. It feels foreign to me even though it’s only about two hours away from the farm. The breeze blistering in from the west sends a chill up my spine. 
This is a new beginning, I ponder to myself as I stretch upwards in the middle of the sidewalk. This is my chance at a better life, this is way better than being some poor, sad farm girl. That’s right! I’m going to be the wife of my childhood friend who just happened to be some rich playboy who has more money than he knows what to do with.
I’m going to be a Suh!
...Even if the whole arrangement is a sham...
“Miss, you are going to freeze to death outside!” Jonathan’s maids rush to usher me out of the cold quickly, but not before I accidentally bump into someone on the busy sidewalk. 
“I beg you to pardon me,” I mumble as I set my sights over my shoulder on a man dressed in a long coat with hair as white as the snow currently blanketing the ground. “You’ll have to forgive me, I am just enraptured with how bright Chicago seems to shine at night.” 
The man’s seemingly red eyes expand with my excitement, then soften. “No pardon to beg, Miss…?” He queries, a bloom of warmth spreading across his face.  
“Suh.” I smile as the men shout from my car they have finished unpacking. “Well, I am the future Mrs. Jonathan Suh. For now I suppose I am still Y/N Y/L/N.”
“Strange, I didn’t think he… Well, never mind that now.” His eyes linger on mine. “Johnny’s got good taste.” I hear him mumble under his breath in a deep tone, slurring his words together in a string. “Well, I can’t wait to see more of you, future Mrs. Jonathan Suh.” He says as he swings his coat behind himself and takes off down the street, the crowd and the night dissolving him like a pill in warm water. 
Curious and curiouser this night becomes, I think as the maids finally have enough of me standing about in the cold. 
“Do you know who that was?” I ask the hoard of them, hoping someone has the answer to my bump in the night with a rather odd fellow. My heart is beating but I’m not sure what for. I know my place. I know why he called me… My fate was sealed as soon as I got the wire from my future husband.
The collective flock shake their heads and mutter polite “noes” as they lead me up grand staircases of marble and through dim corridors at this time of night, leaving my brain a drifting piece of snow in the blizzard that will surely accumulate outside overnight. 
“Right this way.” A young redhead coos as she parades me up what must be my twentieth flight of stairs I’ve climbed this evening. “Master Suh will be so happy you are here at last!” They lead me into a beautiful room with the most lavish furniture I’ve ever seen in my life! Magazines and pictures certainly don’t bestow such fine items with quite the same honor as seeing such beauty in person. 
“Madam Suh has a full schedule for you this weekend.” One of the elderly looking women dares to swoon as she says, “Wedding planning, I’m sure, no doubt.” My coat is taken from me and I am given house slippers to wear. 
The flock - or really I should call them a herd of lemmings - all agree once more as a butler leads us through a hallway with objects of fine art, pottery, and paintings. Each item is so uniquely wonderful that it would make my brothers’ and sisters’ heads spin if they saw how perfect and polished everything is. How ornate and lavish! Am I to spend my life with fine, intricate pieces of art from all mediums? I wonder if Jonathan has created any of these himself? Would he allow me to paint? I wonder...
“Master Suh,” I inhale, realizing I am right at the threshold of a beautiful oak door. “Miss Y/N Y/L/N has arrived.” The butler announces. 
My body feels all fuzzy and nervous for some reason. It’s been many years since I’ve seen my dear friend from when we were still learning how to hop on a bicycle in the country where his family had a small house and property that butted up against my family’s by the little lake in the middle of a corn field. 
“Y/N!” A deep, refreshing voice purrs before he embraces me in a tight hug. “How was your ride? Did the car fair well, unlike the weather?” He chuckles as his tall frame dwarfs mine in comparison. The scent of him is most definitely cinnamon, scotch, and leather, which I’m not surprised. All fine things to smell of for certain. 
The maids all giggle and mumble their approval and the butlers look away, anxious to gaze upon a woman in another man’s arms. I suppose his gesture of a greeting is very rude, but I don’t mind. Being smack-dab in the middle of my siblings, I feel like nothing phases me anymore, even the hug Jonathan wraps around me. 
“Jonathan Suh,” I simper, pulling out of his embrace, “The ride was not too terrible, and my, how tall you’ve grown! And so dapper too.” I sigh earnestly. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“I hope you say that every day you wake up and I am there beside you.” Jonathan’s brown eyes seem to daze in the glow from the lamp lights in the sitting parlor. 
There’s nothing more I hate than an arrogant flirt, not to mention an arrogant flirt with money is all the more trouble. Is this really going to be the rest of my life? Living with Jonathan like this? So contrived and fake… it makes my insides twist. 
“I am rather weary though from a day full of travels.” I pretend to yawn, shifting out of his arms bit by bit and heading toward the door. “May I have the delight in seeing you tomorrow?” 
“Oh yes, you must be quite tired. I always get sleepy on car rides.’ Jonathan muses as he extends his hand to the door and the staff scramble into place. “Mr. and Mrs. Alan would you please escort Y/N to her room? I will be here but on the other end of the house until we are...you know-” 
“Goodnight, Jonathan.” I say almost too quickly after that, leaving almost as swiftly as I’ve come. 
Once my hair is down and I am dressed comfortably in my nightgown, I feel like I can take a deep breath again. It feels odd with my hair unpinned, sitting in a brand-new nightgown, overlooking the rocking waves of the lake and the snow that drifts down from the sky. Basking in the sill of my window from the beautiful lights and moonlight shining through my velvet curtains, I hope and pray that every night I spend in Chicago is not as forced and fake as this one has been.
-
I’m chasing something odd in my dream. 
I move between pictures hanging on the walls, through the bellies of grandfather clocks, I emerge through the darkness every time, chasing a little white rabbit with a cottontail through or around objects of grand design. I have never had a dream that felt so vivid and real, like I am actually flying through my thoughts, time of the utmost essence for some unknown reason. I can’t seem to escape a dark feeling looming around me and I feel slightly frightened that I will not catch the little thing. 
When I reach for the little dumpling covered in pretty white fur, it lurches forward, propelling my desire to catch up to the little beast. 
I descend deeper and deeper, the spotlight in the darkness focused solely on the bunny ahead of me. I can’t reach him, I’m not fast enough, my feet do not carry me quick enough. I call to the animal but it doesn’t hear me, instead it flies between two large velvet curtains. 
“Please!” I beg the animal as I pop through the hole in the curtains, shuffling through on my knees. “Where are you taking…me…” My question dies in my throat as I look up to find red eyes, his curly blonde hair waving at me from under a gold top hat, a gold mask from that of a masquerade celebration covering most of his face. 
But, I know that soft smirk well now. I’ve replayed it several times already in my mind like the fool I am. 
This is the man I met on the sidewalk. I gasp. But, why is he inhabiting my dream?
“Welcome to Wonderland, Alice.” A soft voice wafts from high above the two of us, making me shiver. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Why am I frightened? Surely this is not a nightmare. I was only following a rabbit and now I am here with these two men. 
Slowly, my eyes trail up the large mahogany platform, showcasing a very large, ornately plush gold and maroon seat which houses a man in an all green suit of the finest quality. He is also wearing a mask trimmed with greens and golds, his lush lips pinkened like he had just indulged in delicious raspberry jam pulled into a dark smirk. He sits with the side of his pale face in one of his hands, resting comfortably on the arm of the pretty chair. The man from the street sits on a swing that hangs high from the rafters, silently taking me in. An aura of power and class drips tastefully from every fiber of his being, weighing heavily upon me like he is a hammer and I am but a humble nail. 
“Good job chasing rabbits.” The man’s smile further stretches, his amber eyes boring down upon me, making my skin want to jump from my skeleton. “The next step is to find The Rabbit Hole.”
My eyes fling open, a train's loud horn blaring in the distance, the golden morning haze filtering from the curtains across the room. I jolt upward in bed, cold sweat beading my body, tainting the beautiful nightgown the Suhs have given me. I throw the sheets off my bed and clutch my forehead, musing the words of the man in all green over and over to myself in a frenzy. 
...What a dreadfully vivid dream...
-
I’ve been here for almost a week and I’ve lost count of the tea parties and luncheons I’ve attended with Mrs. Suh. The people and the houses and families they all belong to are getting lost to me in the wake of planning for a wedding. Though, I’m not sure how much I am actually planning. Merely pointing between two colors of table placemats and napkins or choosing between a flower or two. 
Tonight though, it is another snowy evening on the lakeshore, we are attending a jazz concert at the Sunset Cafe to see a wonderful show performed by the talented Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong who make the most wonderful music. I was practically buzzing when I heard the news that the Suhs would be taking me this evening. As always, Jonathan and his mother have only two options for me to wear this evening and I must make a choice between them. A silver, more A-lined gown that shows off more skin than one should in the winter with a mink-fur cowl or more fluttering, off the shoulder velvet cobalt-blue style of a ball gown with embroidered golden stars falling from the bust in waves of tulle. 
Call me old fashioned, but I choose the one that makes me feel like a princess, not the one that makes me fit in. My thoughts wander between which Suh picked out which dress for me to wear and the dream of me chasing a white rabbit. 
I can never seem to catch that rabbit nor have I seen the two men since my first dream. It relieved me, but it also scared me. 
A shimmering laugh that is made of moonbeams and stars pulls me from my spell of thought that engrossed me.
The Suhs are dotting and cheerful people, always looking out for their only son in this cruel world. They are wonderful and powerful in their own ways, working the men and ladies in the sitting room of the theater with just a glance or smile of their lips. Mr. Suh smokes a cigar and smacks Jonathan on the back as they stand in the corner away from the ladies. Mrs. Suh includes me in all her conversations, never wanting me to feel lost or dissuaded from a million questions by another matriarch of a well-to-do family. 
I can see why Jonathan doesn’t want to disappoint them or the good people of his clan’s name before or after himself.  
The room is hazy from the smoky cigars that the men all drag on in between their elaborate conversations about President Coolidge and his beliefs while the women discuss lighter subjects such as traveling to Paris and Morocco as well as tennis. I find my thoughts up in the cloud of smoke that hangs in the room. 
“Pardon me, ladies,” Jonathan places a hand gently upon my shoulder, “may I steal Y/N away for a few moments?” 
“The concert will begin shortly, Johnny.” Mrs. Suh smiles, casting her charms to her son who smiles with reassurance to his dear mother. 
“Don’t fret, mother,” Jonathan grins as she calls him his nickname, “I want to show her off to my college chums.”
Her eyes twinkle in delightful mischief as she swirls her glass of sweet liquor in her hand. “Just be sure to return her in one piece. Y/N has a long day ahead of her tomorrow.” 
More wedding planning I’m not privy to I suppose? Such is my life now. High society is fun and all but the pressure is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before… No, my brain is captivated once more by the dark aura of the man from my dream, looming and lingering above me, teeth glimmering in the lim electric light of the room from my lucid dream. That was true, pure evil pressure I wish to never partake in the feeling of ever again. 
Jonathan says nothing as he turns from her, ushering me away with his hand placed gently on my shoulder. We move silently and quickly through groups who mingle and giggle, alcohol strong in their glasses and upon their breath as we pass through the crowd of rich socialites. 
We stop at one group of gentlemen, but I am only introduced to one handsome man named Jung Jaehyun who fondly shakes Jonathan’s hand and winks at me. What an odd fellow, I tell myself as we dive deeper and deeper into the crowd of people loitering in the fancy sitting room. 
“I’m glad you wore the one I picked out.” Jonathan says so low that I may only be able to hear his words. Well, that answers that question then. “These men might eat you alive, so stay as sharp as a blade but soft as a lamb, understand me? They will not leave me be until I introduce you to them.” 
“Are they your friends?” I query with a whisper as he pulls me to the edge of the room where young men have beautiful young ladies draped on their elbows. 
I have never seen a lady look like they do, but I suppose it is fashionable and “kept up with the times”. I am not so appealing as these ladies are with their skin on display and their heels high, they attract my attention before the men who hold them up do. Their makeup is dark, yet shimmering in the soft glow from the electric lights from above. The fair ladies’ hair is cut so short, their sideways hats and feather headbands merely slip off their sleek and shiny hairstyles. I am in awe of the way they look and envy them for behaving and chatting so freely. 
“Do not be scared, but they are budding gangsters who run speakeasies.” My eyes widen with his words, but I do what I am told. “Please do me another favor, Y/N, and become the most desirable woman here.” Jonathan whispers to me before we approach the hoard of people in front of me. “I will set you free from this cage as soon as I can.”
I can only nod as my demeanor switches like that of a light switch. 
Walking up to these men and women I’ve never met, I invoke the acting spirit of Jane West for Jonathan. I demand my attention. I am the most beautiful creature in this sitting room, if not all of the world. I did not go to college but I am going to show you how well read and cultured I am. I am going to be a Suh and I command you all to bow down to me in this instant. 
“Suh!” A tall man with coiffed, sandy blonde locks beams as he steps away from his fair darling on his arm tonight. “You dog! I didn’t think you’d grace us with your presence this evening!” They shake hands and laugh at nothing vigorously as I look between the two before the blonde catches my eye. They are pretty amber eyes that remain half-lidded and surely dazzle in the glow from chandeliers above. He’s not as tall as Jonathan, but he is handsome. “This must be-” 
“Y/N Y/L/N.” 
A voice from behind the blonde says clearly, setting to be free from the shadow of Jonathan’s friend. 
It’s the white rabbit! I think as I try to hold myself together. He looks rather dapper in a white and gold waistcoat with tails, a top hat making him appear to be as formal as one can be. This is the gentleman I bumped into the streets, but I cannot press out of my head. I want to tell him to stay out of my dreams, but I fear he will think me mad if I declare such a bold thing without expressing my thoughts further.  
“You know of my future bride, Jeon?” I feel the grip upon my shoulder tighten and breath being held from above me. Don’t fret, Jonathan, I would never tell anyone. I promise. Your secret is safe with me. 
The friend with his hair as white as the fallen snow looks at me passively, eyes rimmed red like he can’t sleep a wink either. “I met her on the sidewalk, John, but we’ve never been properly introduced.” He bows and takes my blue-colored gloved hand in his white ones. He kisses the top of my hand and in this ball gown-like dress I am indeed fulfilling my fantasy of pretending to be a beautiful princess. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, future Mrs. Jonathan Suh.” 
“Y/N,” Jonathan says, exhaling the concerned breath he’s been holding in, his grip returning to normal as well. “These are my friends from college: Mr. Kim Namjoon, whose family owns one third of the city like mine does, and Mr. Jeon Jungkook, who makes up the triangle of the most powerful families of Chicago.” 
“At your service.” Jungkook says with a cheeky grin stretching across his face, kissing the top of my hand once more. 
The way he looks up at me makes butterflies trapped in my body flutter and flounce about. But I cannot swoon or succumb to a young man so openly. Jonathan is counting on me. 
“I’m delighted to meet Jonathan’s friends from his schooling.” I say in the same charming manner Mrs. Suh has produced all week. 
“Forgive me for this is a bold question, future Mrs. Suh, but, will you be getting a gown made?” Namjoon asks me as he sips his scotch on the rocks.
“I think tomorrow I am going for a fitting, yes.” I nod my head, smiling just the right amount. 
“Then it should be crafted by the finest in the Windy City, Kim’s Couture on the corner of Washington and LaSalle Street. Have you heard of the establishment before?” Namjoon queries.
“Indeed! I have!” I exclaim happily, my eyes wide as his stay half-lidded as though he is sleepy, though he smiles earnestly. 
“Then I must insist you have a treasured wedding gown made by my seamstresses.” He hands me a white business card with only his name upon it. I stare at it until he taps it twice. “They will take excellent care of you, I promise.” 
“Oh-ho!” A soft, almost melliferous voice rings out behind me. No... “This must be the infamous bride-to-be!” I know this voice! Fear rattles through me, making me tremble as I look over the shoulder Jonathan is not draped over to look at the mysterious voice. Time is slow as molasses as I face the man from my dream, clad all in a green waistcoat, vest, and top hat, wolfishly grinning at me. 
“Ah, this is my eldest brother,” Namjoon muses as the electric lights flash, indicating the performance will begin soon, “Seokjin Kim.” 
Kim Seokjin...
I feel like I know everything about this man yet nothing at all. He is the type of man who is a brilliant summer on the outside and stormy winter on the inside. The smile on his lips - that is the color of the inside of a cherry tart - is warm, yet cold all in the same breath. He appears to be a powerful man of high class, wrapped in an enigma of grace and power. But there is a scent of something malicious in the air as he closes the gap between us and gets down on his knee to kiss upon my hand. 
I’m not sure what made me do it, but something comes over me, the flight or fight instinct animals possess lurches out of me in this moment.  
“Why is a raven like a writing desk?” I ask, pulling my arm away from him.
Seokjin’s bright amber eyes slowly travel up my ball gown, disbelief and confusion colors his good looking features. 
Mouths open in shock and my heart drops, but I feign a lie, turning out of Jonathan grasp, and quickly say, “Forgive me, for I feel faint.” I run to the bathroom in the hall as everyone piles into the main room of the Sunset Cafe, heart pounding in my chest and cheeks on fire. 
I’m so sorry Jonathan, I did not mean to make a fool out of you. There is just something about the way Seokjin’s gaze is so feral that chills me to the bone. 
A hand rests upon Jungkook’s shoulder while he continues to longingly gaze at the door as if he was willing me to come back with his mind. “Don’t worry, Jeon.” Seokjin purrs in his ear, amber gleam set upon the door. “She is the one who chases you every night, not the other way around.” 
“I know, hyung.” Jungkook whispers as the brass begins to trumpet through the building. “When do we make our move?” 
“Soon.” Seokjin chuckles darkly, guiding the younger of the boys to follow behind him. “Very soon we will have our glorious tea party.” 
-
The subject of marriage has always been an odd one to me, I think to myself as maids and fashion consultants from the Kim’s dress boutique flutter and coo around me.  
My parents married but it was never for love. I knew that, my siblings and myself knew that, yet they both loved us all the same. My mother and father married as more of a “good match on paper” sort of situation, than they were truly, madly in love. Still, they never fought, my father never hit my mother, never drank himself silly, never talked to another woman. My mother upheld the same standard and raised us all with love in her hardworking heart. I knew she was aware that I haven’t spoken to Jonathan since we were young children and that I would soon be in the same boat if I accepted his offer. 
“A lifetime of money doesn’t equal happiness.” She told me. “You should marry for love, not for any green or gold.” 
I agree. I know this full well. I’m not one to be stingy or greedy by any means. I don’t want to be an actress in a picture show or model for a beautiful Channel garment. And though I do want love in my life, I want a secure future. I am the middle child of middle-class farmers. The best match I could have made besides this one was with a cattle farmer or a man who works in the stockyards on the south side of Chicago. 
It’s selfish for me to do this not only for myself but to my mother as well. 
But, I am here and like my family, I will be fiercely loyal to the man I will call my husband. If not, call me a bold-faced liar and take me and my words to the grave. 
Jonathan Suh is not a bad man for who he prefers in the sheets. I know that and have never felt such a way to treat someone less of me if they do prefer the company of one sex over another. I will not break the promise I’ve made to him, but I cannot help but feel like a songbird trapped in a tight, metal cage for the decision I’ve made to help him. 
-
Due to the poor weather Chicago has currently come down with, the wedding has been postponed until further notice. 
When I wired my family to tell them the news, my mother answered. I was a bit more than surprised that she almost sounded relieved when I told her the news. I promised I would wire soon and my younger sisters begged me to take them to the city to go shopping at Marshall Fields. My father sounded passive at first when the telephone wire was transferred to him by my youngest brother after he told me the family cat, Cheshire, had gone missing. 
Truth be told, I am also more than happy to exhale a breath and not worry about someone questioning me about my upbringing. Or having Mrs. Suh and the don of high-class ladies and waist-coated men galloping around every breath I take. 
I can finally relax, I think as I pull out a book in the study as Jonathan reads the Chicago Tribune on the couch across the way from me. We get along well, I realize. Silence suits us both. No tricks, not faking our way through hordes of important people. We have to conserve and save our energy for when we face the people mercilessly wanting to know everything and anything about us, good ole’ Jonathan and I... 
No, not Jonathan anymore… I am to be his wife, and he...my…
I peer at him from over my book on flowers, losing interest in the pages. 
Can I really pretend we are to be an item forever? Will one of us crack or slip up? It seems like we are stuck in a circle now, both of us floating in a pool of choices we will surely drown in.
Tap. Tap. Tap. 
Someone knocks at the door, plucking me from my fever of thoughts. I fully peer over the pages in my hands, pretending like I was in fact engrossed in the origin story of an author I enjoyed as a girl. 
“Enter.” Jonathan says without skipping a beat, not looking up from his black and white ink. His eyes scan the pages, following the drumming beat of the grandfather clock next to the roaring fireplace. But, now that I study him closer, I’m unsure if he was actually reading or just musing to himself like I was moments ago.  
“The post, sir.” Butler James reports as he opens the door, my handmaiden Emily gliding up to us with a silver plate in her hands. 
“Thank you, Emily.” Jonathan gives her a half-smile as he takes the single envelope off the tray, slicing it open with trepidation.  
I look at the blood-red colored wax seal as he flips the paper, revealing a knight chess piece glaring upside down at me. 
Jonathan scans the letter passively at first, his orbs lazily scanning the pages, then suddenly his eyes ignite with rage behind them. “No.” He says softly, red flushing to his handsome face. He rips the paper up into shreds then, aggression and hatred oozing from every pore for some unknown reason. He gets up as he throws the scraps in the fire with vigor as butler James, Emily, and I all stare at him like he’s grown a second head. “Don’t you dare go.” He warns me, irises blaring with unmeasurable loathing. “Those people are dangerous.” Jonathan practically snarls as he exits the room in a fit of rage, stomping down the hall as we look on stunned and slack-jawed at what had just happened. 
From what I can tell, Jonathan isn’t one to get upset easily or lash out so that letter must have set him off. But what could it have been?
It really has sparked my curiosity, that’s for certain. 
Where wasn’t I supposed to go and who was so dangerous?
-
I got the answer the next day as I read a book about traveling the jungles of South America. 
“Miss!” My handmaiden whispers like a hiss as she enters the study. “Miss!” 
“Yes, Emily?” I smile, putting my book down as she flutters to my side in a nervous frenzy. “What is the matter?” 
“I snagged this from the post, miss.” She hands you the letter you saw the previous day with Jonathan, the one that he got enraged over.  “Please open it quickly, miss, before the butler spots it! They want us to destroy anything with this seal on it!”
I do as I am told, opening up the letter addressed to both Jonathan and myself with the odd wax seal to find an invitation inside.
You Are Cordially Invited To Participate In:
THE WONDERLAND BALL 
A Masquerade Party To Determine The Next “Alice”
For Directions Follow Us Down The Rabbit Hole 
Knock Thrice For The Door Mouse To Let You Inside
Cheers, 
                                      The ‘Mad Hatter’ & Company
“How curious...” I muse as my eyes trail over the letter over and over, wondering what has Jonathan all in a panicked rage. “Well, I don’t even know where “The Rabbit Hole” is so I shan’t be going.” 
“Tis’ a speakeasy, Miss.” Emily says her eyes wide as she reads the paper with you. “They say it’s the most fun one in all of downtown!” She giggles. “Shall I fetch you a gown for the ball?” 
“No.” I shake my head with a small smile, hanging her back the letter. “If Jonathan said he doesn’t want me to go, I won’t.” I pick up my book as she slightly deflates, wanting to paint me up for the festivities I was invited to. “Please burn this now, Emily, so you don’t get in trouble.”
“Right away, Miss.” Emily bows a little before she heads out of the room, leaving me to daydream in the middle of the study in peace. 
-
“How long must we wait?” Jungkook pesters Seokjin tirelessly who looks down from his wooden pedestal in the back room of the very peculiar club. “I am afraid a letter and her dreams are not going to cut it.” Jungkook snorts, frustration flashing in his red eyes. 
“Mm, yes…” Seokjin rubs his chin with his white gloved hand, “Johnny boy has been hiding our little Alice away from our prying eyes, hasn’t he?”
“Yes!” Jungkook stomps his foot like that of a child, fists balled into tight fists at his sides. “And I was promised a maiden for all the hard work I’ve done for you!” 
Seokjin laughs darkly then, the sound echoing off the walls of his private chambers. “Jungkook, I’m not sure if you understand that poisoning people and taking out a few smaller families in our beloved city is considered hard work.” He stops then, Seokjin’s usually light voice dripping with malice when he says, “But, I suppose this is one way to end the Suhs and get the last jewel on the crown you are desiring in your attempts to rule the city.” 
“Is everything in place for the ball?” Jungkook grits his teeth as he stares up into the man who could end him in one go, but is choosing to help the young gangster. “Your magic won’t fail us now?”
Seokjin winks at him, spending him a flying kiss as he says, “It's going to be dreadfully delightful.” Ending the Suhs, managing to take out some more people in big crime families in Chicago, and adding one more perfect woman to his growing collection of pawns. 
Sure, he was mad and about to destroy several lives in the process, but hell if he wasn’t half brilliant and good looking while doing so. 
-
“Mr. Jeon!” I gasp as I peer at the man at my penthouse doorstep, covered in white flakes of heavy, wet snow sticking to his black trench coat and bowler hat. Everyone, even most of the maids were out this afternoon which is why I find myself in front of the door to the penthouse. 
“Good evening, Y/L/N.” Jeon Jungkook smiles as he looks down at me earnestly. “Is your future husband not at home?” He whispers as he looks around the empty foyer, red-rimmed eyes glancing over the dim electric lights in the hallway. 
I flush. My mind was hazy remembering my kiss with him and the other man that is never far away, Kim Seokjin, from the depths of my dreams. My dreams need to leave me be or I may turn into a codfish with the way they keep my head spinning. They haunt me so, the way my brain demands my nightmares to be replayed over and over like this. 
“I’m afraid not, he said he’d be out for the night, taking care of something important at the office.” I say with a fake sigh, shaking my head. Truthfully, he’s been acting very strange lately and I can't quite put my finger on the reason for his odd behavior. Ever since he got that letter… Come to think of it, I haven’t seen any post since that strange night. I’ll ask Emily about it in the morning. 
“I see.” Jungkook says softly. The grandfather clock chimes from the sitting room and I am suddenly aware of what time it is. I’m severely underdressed in my baby blue lounge attire, completely ill-prepared for meeting company. Books about faraway lands with princes and kings were the only thing occupying my time this evening and I’m embarrassed to even think that. “In that case, your outfit will just have to do, I suppose…”
Jungkook suddenly steps closer to me in one long stride, closing the gap between me and him. My heart skips a beat, his pupils dilate, my words run dry as he snakes one arm around my back, the other holding my chin with his thumb and forefinger. 
“Mr. Jeon-” I stammer, unable to call for help, now that this man has me in his grasp. 
“I have been willing you to come and follow me, to give into your darkest desires, but still you resist me.” The young man hisses down at me, brows knit with confusion. “You are the only thing anyone talks about and I cannot stand it any longer.” My mouth hangs open. His nostrils flare as he makes his move. “You will be mine. Not locked away in this tower while Johnny is out and about with another man. You will be our new Alice.”
Before I can say anything, he pours a vile from his pocket into my mouth, holding it above my arms so I can’t smack it away. It tastes like roast turkey and strong alcohol and I try to claw and get away but I cannot as Jungkook holds my mouth open; my tongue feels numb and my arms feel like jelly, going limp in Jungkook’s arms. The only thing I can remember before completely blacking out is the little tag on the side of the bottle that says “DRINK ME”, tied with a pink ribbon hanging from the tiny glass and the smell of his cologne which reminds me of musk with a dash of black pepper. 
-
Faint sounds of brass and strings pull me from my unconscious state in a flurry. 
My brain is working hard, producing series and strings of thoughts. Why did Mr. Jeon Jungkook do that to me? Does Jonathan know where I am? In the same breath, where am I? What was that drink? Have I been poisoned? I look at myself on the red heart-patterned bedsheets. I look fine. There is no sign or feelings that I’ve been harmed, no bruises, and most importantly of all, there is no blood. There is no indicator at all that I’ve been harmed at all, which makes me sigh in relief. 
But still, where have I been taken? This surely is not a room in the Suh residence. 
A room with no windows, a giant bed in the middle of the room, large wooden pedestals with various wax candles lit drip down the sides surround me, red velvet curtains drape the walls making the warm room seem even more dim, and a wooden swing all decorate the space I find myself trapped in. 
I can feel the color drain from my face when I realize that I’ve been here before. In fact, I’ve been here many, many times - almost every night. Not in the flesh but in my dreams. The only thing that is missing are the two men I see every night…
All the little hairs on my body stand at alert, worry coloring my thoughts, and I feign a small gasp in the large room. 
With a lump in my throat and my heart thumping so hard I fear it might try to escape my chest, I run from the room. 
My blue nightgown flutters behind me, time seems to slow as my bare feet carry me through the rooms from my dreams - though it’s backwards this time. I dash like a mad person, twirling and twisting my way through the room with mirrors on every side, seeing myself panting like a dog running so hard in the reflective glass. Though, I am happy to see I have no scratches upon my face either. I run through the room with clocks hanging all over the walls chiming and ticking at different times, springing through the belly of a giant, tall grandfather clock. I trip over the hems of my dress in the room with a long table in the middle which appears to stretch on for miles in this long room. There are various tea sets, cups, and pots along with tea cakes and sweet treats placed in a perfectly chaotic mess on the table as the eyes of various animal heads stare at me from their places hanging on the walls. 
As I shimmy through the small door leading to the room with the walls full of water and sea creatures from the ocean, I pause my panting and sputtering as I spot Mr. Jung Jaehyun with his back pressed up against the glass. He is moaning, panting himself, a masquerade mask dangling in his hand, legs wrapped around the waist of a tall man in a vest who is rolling his hips sensually into his. My eyes widen as I figure out what the two of them are doing quickly and avert my attention. My thighs rub together, a strange fire grows in my lower abdomen, and I know I shouldn’t be looking but there is nothing but pure bliss on Mr. Jung’s face.
I can’t stop, I remind myself as my feet continue to carry me through the rooms I know so well. 
Slinking away across a far wall full of lobsters without being caught, I hear Mr. Jung Jaehyun mewl one singular name, “Johnny!” I want to turn around, catch my “future” husband's side profile as he makes love to another man, confirm it’s him, but my mind flashes back to meeting Jaehyun for the first (and only) time and how they touched each other so fondly. Jungkook’s words ring in my words as I hear laughing coming from beyond the rooms filled with tanks and gilled beasts. 
Keep going. I can make it out of this place from my nightmares. 
The next room is filled with more people, though it’s hazy at best in here. There are giant hookah pipes in the middle of floor cushions, people with and without masks on touching each other so unabashedly, some naked, half-nude, or still in their ball gowns all laying over each other in a pleasure-filled party I was slightly jealous I haven’t been invited to. 
“Ms. Y/L/N?” A deep yet clear baritone purrs over the sounds of jazz music and groans of love-making. I  turn my head to his voice, feet skidding to a halt as I look at Mr. Kim Namjoon in his half-naked glory, navy blue silk robe hanging off his shoulders exposing a lovely chest, half-lidded eyes tracing my form like I am a piece of delicate meat he wishes to indulge in. “What are you doing without your mask?” He snaps his fingers, chuckling lightly as he takes another drag of his long silver pipe. “Twins, get her a mask!”
“Where am I?” I query as I feel the presence of two figures slowly approaching me out of the dim haze. “Who are you people?” It feels wrong to be here, to witness this. It doesn’t feel right. I feel out of place and my body is begging me to run and my legs tremble like a fawn. 
His brows furrow as he takes the tube out of his mouth, blowing smoke rings in my face. “Who are you to question me, Y/N?” He snickers as the “twins” catch my arms, placing a mask over my face as I struggle. “You are but another “Alice” to me. Take her to the ball, you two. The rabbit and the hatter are dying to see her, I’m sure.” They tie the mask around me successfully, leading me out of this room into the next one which I know is the one where the floor is a giant chess board. 
“Please,” I plead with the good looking twins who march on like the loyal soldiers to this strange cause, “what is all this?” The music and the chatter and maniacal laughing is growing louder as we prance down the hallway with portraits of people who are dressed in all white and all red. “I just want to know…”
“Suppose we ought to tell her?” The taller of the two says after a moment of silence between the three of us. 
“Suppose we ought not to.” The shorter one shakes his head as he carries on in the quest to take me somewhere. “Boss will be mad.”
“You are to be the belle of the ball.” The taller one says with a viscous boxy grin.
“The new “Alice”.” The short one with fluffy lips nods this time.
“Everyone keeps saying that, but I don’t know what it means?” I say as I hold my breath, about to waltz into the strange chess-board-like room. 
“The most beautiful, wonderful, talented, special, magical-” The taller twin rambles on.
“The most perfect woman at The Wonderland Ball is called “Alice” until the next one.” The shorter one states softly as he inhales a giant breath. They both let me go, pushing me forward as the drapery of the simple heart-patterned curtain gives way and I am standing at the top of a grand staircase while hundreds of people from below all gasp and stare up at me. 
As soon as I regain my footing a spotlight hits me and causes me to shield me eyes away from the bright light bearing down upon me. The upbeat music falls silent and I am acutely aware that I am standing here in my loungewear and not properly dressed to be at the forefront of attention this evening.
“And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for!” The voice that makes my hair stand up on end purrs as his lush lips soothe the microphone on the little stage they’ve set up for the jazz band to play on. Kim Seokjin, my eyes lock with his which dance with mischief, his smile greedy,  dressed to the nines in a rich green suit. “The crowning of the belle of the ball, the apple of all our eyes, the one that shines brighter than anyone in the picture shows, Ms. Y/N Y/L/N!” 
A roar of cheering, clapping, and brass music erupts as a white haired-man with a stretched, gummy smile that doesn’t fade takes my hand and leads me down the black and white staircase. The noises seemingly die in my ears as the man on my arm says nothing, grins like a cat about to catch a mouse in its claws. Time slows, people moving and waving at me become a blur as I see who is waiting at the bottom of the staircase. 
Mr. Jeon Jungkook. 
The man on my arm notices how tense I am and he ever so slightly turns his head and says to me in a deep voice, “They are not going to harm you. Jungkook is infatuated with you.” My cheeks heat up. “Seokjin is helping him accomplish his dreams because he signed his life away to the servitude of others for as long as he shall live.”
“Signed his life away?” I breathe, eyes never leaving Jungkook in a white waistcoat.
“You can’t get something for free in this world.” The cat-like man growls as we are almost there. “You’ve heard of an eye for an eye, correct?” I node slightly. “A soul of servitude so he can produce strange magic, according to him and the Red Witch of Underland.” 
My heart nearly stops realizing what has happened. “The devil?”
“Bingo, babe.” The cat-man chuckles a deep rasp, sliding his arm away from mine. “Have fun.”
“Now you kids have fun chasing rabbits!” Seokjin’s voice crackles through the microphone. “Everyone, enjoy the last few hours of the wonderland ball!” More hooting and hollering echoes in the building as I am exchanged into Jungkook’s strong arms.
“I thought you’d never make it.” He smiles from under his white mask at me. He takes my hand and leads me to be embraced on the dance floor. Seokjin smirks at us as he begins to sing a popular pop song everyone swoons at. 
“Would you like to tell me what this is all about?” I query with a sneer on my lips. “Why am I here? Why have you poisoned me?”
“I have not nor would I ever harm you.” Jungkook grips my waist tighter. “I merely gave you a strong sedative so that I could bring you to our wonderful palace.” 
“Why?” I question as he twirls me around his outstretched arm.
“Because from the moment I bumped into you, you have been the only thing consuming my mind.” He earnestly tells me, sorrow coating his eyes. “I’m not sure what trap Johnny has ensnared or tricked you in but I very much hate seeing him lock you away from the world.”
“You’re wrong.” I state angrily, glaring at him.
“He doesn’t care about you. He likes to frolic about with diplomats’ sons, not farmers’ daughters.” Jungkook smiles at me. 
“That’s not true…” I mumble, my eyes looking away from his red-rimmed ones boring down upon me. “I-I am marrying Jonathan for my own personal reasons.”
“Oh, ho?” Jungkook softly chuckles, leaning over, turning my gaze back to him as he gently caresses my cheek. “Do you really believe that, darling?”
“I do...I do! I-I came here willingly.” I tremble, my facade I’ve been trying to convince myself of  this whole time crackling under the pressure of his words. “I l-love…” My words linger as I look beyond Jungkook, looking up to see, “...Jonathan…” walking toward myself in the middle of the dance floor. 
“Jeon!” Jonathan says, Mr. Jung Jaehyun trailing behind him, eyes wide and scared when they find mine. The male in the waistcoat holding me turns his head to the noise, the brass music climaxing, the gasps of people Jonathan is stepping between couples dancing in the soft electric light from above - I feel like my heart is going to burst. My future husband pulls his arm back, fists clenched, ready to hurt Jungkook, and with an exhale I close my eyes fearing the worst was about to ensue. 
The electric lights in the strange ballroom give out in the same second. 
People scream all around me, a loud thud is heard and I feel like something unexpected is about to occur, the atmosphere heavy and full of invisible pressure. 
“Release the jabberwocky!” A voice echoes as chaos ensues. 
“Come with me.” A voice purrs, ripping me away from Jungkook’s arms. I feel almost empty as shouting and yelling break out in the middle of the dance floor. “I will protect you, Y/N, my crown jewel.”  My stomach pits hearing him say my name, tickling my ear like the serpent that led Eve to eat the apple of her demise. 
Kim Seokjin.
With a snap of his fingers, we are back in the room I started out this evening in and where my dreams always have me end at. I land on the bed in a huff and he ends up sitting upon the swing, looking at me with a triumphant smirk on his luscious lips. There is a certain air about him now that doesn’t seem so threatening, so serious now for some reason. Perhaps it’s him sitting upon the swing like that of a child? I haven’t the slightest clue. 
“Where am I?” I demand, glowering at Seokjin from across the way.
“Curiosity often leads to trouble, my dearest Y/N.”  Seokjin chuckles darkly, eyes roaming my body, a knowing look on his features. “I think before your marriage you are looking for a little trouble, if you catch my drift.” 
Trouble…
My mind completely spirals remembering the scenes of people entangled with one another, their mouths working in tandem with each other, their slippery pink tongues entwined in a passionate battle for dominance. Mr. Jung Jaehyun’s face twisted in pleasure, moaning and mewling as his lover - my future husband - was thrusting vigorously. 
A lightbulb finally goes off in my head. 
“You want me to give into you both then my dreams will end?” My voice shakes as I query to Seokjin who continues to lightly push back and forth on the swing. “Then you will let me leave?” 
His eyes flicker with a hungry vigor to them, gleaming in the dim candlelight. “Precisely.” His soft voice cuts the atmosphere like a sharp blade, leaving me with a chill radiating down my spine. “Let’s have some fun, “Alice”.” 
“As long as you promise I am to be set free from all of...this.” I gesture around the room as he makes a come hither motion with his fingers at me.  
“You have my word.” 
Somehow, I don’t believe him, but I am desperate for any way out of this wretched place I can find. 
So, I will use the body I was blessed with to the fullest extent.  
I am a loyal woman. I step toward the man on the swing, my hands coming up to the ties around my chest and my waist. His eyes spark with a ravenous hunger in the depths of his orbs. I know that I am not doing a decent thing. Seokjin snaps his fingers again, all his clothes disappearing but his green top hat, vanishing before my very eyes. I know I am more than what I am succumbing to right now. But my stomach does feel hot and my thighs rubbing together is making me feel faint for some reason. My garments fall to the floor in a soft patting sound and I lose my breath in the same moment.
Don’t tell me I actually want this…?
I stand in front of him on the swing and I can’t help but bite my lip as my eyes roam his pale figure, tracing down his collarbones to his sculpted abdominal muscles he has been hiding. Did he sell his soul to the devil to become handsome too I wonder?   
“So beautiful.” He revels looking at me unabashed, a wolfish grin spreading across his pretty face. Part of me wants him to touch me, to caress the underside of my breast, to trace the outline of my hips with his fingertips, but he doesn not. 
I have to remind myself this isn’t for me. This is for the man that has been tormenting me. 
“Get me ready for you.” Seokjin commands, smirk still spread across his face. I comply, dropping to my knees to be faced with a large member swinging forth from the middle of his legs on the swing. “And you will address me as “Sir”, understand?”
“Yes, sir.” I respond, biting my lip as I look from his eyes to his member once more.
“Suck.” He chuckles lightly, pointing to his middle and I can’t help but follow this simple instruction. 
I don’t tease him, though I’m not really sure I know what I am doing in the first place. I swirl the flat of my tongue over his mushroom-tipped head several times. He moans in response, his hands coming off the swing’s ropes to hold my hair from my face as I swallow him further down my wet cavity. My middle aches and pulses, empty, missing something as I steady myself against Seokjin’s thighs.
“Good little girl.” Seokjin hums, his sound voice making me feel appreciated. The sound vibrating through to my own middle, making me groan around him.
I bob my head up and down his long length, enjoying the way he hums and gasps in response to my efforts. It’s a little hard to breathe I think as I continue my pace, nose hitting Seokjin’s pubic bone, smelling the most intimate part of him.
My dominant hand grabs his member at the base, working him in tandem with my mouth. Up and down his thick member I go, reveling in every twitch and rumble that flies out of his throat. The swing starts to sway with my rhythmic movements, bobbing him back and forth with vigor, tears climb to my eyes.  The tip of him hits the back of my mouth, making me gag and choke on his wonderful cock. The heat was pooling in the middle of my stomach and I fear I am going to lose my mind. I pick up the motions of my mouth and hand, tears skating down my pinkened cheeks, his grip tightening around the base of my skull, digging into my scalp.
It burns… But, I also enjoy it. This feeling...so wet and tight and I feel so evil and sinful but the pleasure is driving me mad.       
“Baby girl.” There’s warning in his tone as I pop off his cock in an instant, looking up to him with big worried eyes. His head was leaned back, not focused on looking directly at myself, but the feeling of my lips and fingertips. “Up.” He commands once more, head twisting back to a comfortable position to stare at me.
I scramble to my feet, missing the feeling of him in my mouth already, not to mention aching for him in the middle of my legs. I rub my thighs together for some easy friction, knowing that it won’t help me much at this point.
Seokjin moves his hand to stroke against his giant member in his palm and I lock my orbs in place on the slit of his cock where a clear liquid was oozing out. My mind is truly hazy at best, as I just stand there and watch him stroke himself up and down in a lazy fashion. I bite my lip once more. 
I do want this. I am almost ashamed to admit that I want this man. 
“Are you going to be good and let me use you?” Seokjin’s dirty words make my middle pool and contort with more of a raging fire. 
“Y-Yes, sir.” I say again, cheeks hot and damp from sucking his cock moments ago. 
His nostrils flare, his cock twitches in his grasp as he motions to sit upon his middle. “I bet you’re so wet for me.” He chuckles, smile darkening with his words.                          
Seokjin eases me down on his thick member, my hole so wet, so slick, allowing him to stretch my clenching walls in an easy motion. I gasp, eyes popping out of my head. My nails dig into his shoulder blades, back arching with his giant, twitching dick tight inside of me. I wrap my legs around his lean waist, his pale skin flexing in the candlelight with his movements as he stills, letting my hips sink down into the base of his cock.
“Baby girl.” Seokjin purrs, breath tickling my ear as he throbs inside of me. “I need you.” He growls, littering the crook of my neck with sloppy kisses. He positions us just so on the swing, readying us to begin when he deems necessary.
“P-Please use me, s-sir-r!” I mumble in the base of his neck, feeling high on this pleasure-filled pain. 
“I live to serve.” 
I gasp as he starts moving his hips inside of my center, bucking up into my body with a fevered pace instantly. The swing moves back and forth and I feel like the motion is going to make me feel his body sliding in and out of me too well. I cling to him for dear life, my grip surely bruising him or harming him in some way as he slides in and out of my slicked out center at a brutal rhythm.
Tears find my eyes again as he nips at my neck, marking me up with tender love bites. I’m a howling, moaning mess, losing my sanity. I am finally full of Seokjin’s girth, filling me up beyond desire.
Seokjin kisses my lips then in his, melting our mouths together in a hurry. He holds my face in his palms, grunting and groaning for me, and only me. His tongue enters my mouth in search of something unknown, moaning into my lips laced together with his hot mouth connected with my pink tongue. He rolls his saliva coated tongue into mine in haste, need seeping into my senses, consuming my thoughts as he thrusts up in me, using the swing as a propellant to ease us forward and backward.
“Feels...so-o..good~!” I moan in between our passionate kisses. 
Seokjin just growls like a feral animal in response. The tip of his cock kisses my cervix continuously, brushing past a spot inside of me that instantly makes me quake. He rockets himself against me, rutting his body against my core in sync with his hips slamming into mine. Seokjin expels filth from his mouth about filling me to the brim with his seed, seeing my stomach swollen and full of his children, his warm breath hitting my ear making me shudder in response.
I can’t focus, my climax getting ready to pop at any moment. Wet noises fill the dark room, as Seokjin’s rough speed of his length in and out of my molten, wet center continues. My erect nipples swirl on his pale chest, circling quickly as he bounces me up and down his giant cock, swinging through the air like some sexual trapeze artist.
“Are you going to be good to me?” He asks me, smirk present in his tone, pace almost blinding now as he pushes in and out of me with a need so heavy and strong I can practically smell it rising from his skin. “Are you going to let me fill you up, my little doll?” Seokjin snarls into my skin.
“Pleaseeeee!” I practically scream, eyes flying open as he hits my center at just the right spot that makes me see white. 
“Ah-ah!” He tsks. “What do we say?”
“Please, sir!” I mewl and gasp, thighs quaking in his hold, my juices squelching out of me as he continues to thrust into my sensitive molten core. “Seokjin!” I cry while he growls into the scorching skin of my neck inhaling sharply as he slams his hips into my shivering body. “Sir!”
Seokjin grunts, cock spurting his seed into me with a need so raw, so feral he finds his footing hard to maintain on the swing, stilling us from moving about, holding my hips tightly down upon him. He sucks harshly on my skin as he too shudders and grunts, biting down on the crook of my neck, stretching my clenching walls around his member as he fills me with his hot white seed.
My cries of pleasure fill the small room, my pleasure-filled haze coming to a close as Seokjin shifts us - still joined together - to the bed in the middle of the room. I hold onto Seokjin as he keeps his seed inside of me, feeling like I just had the ride of my life on top of him. My climax dies down, my first high fading away, fog around my brain being lifted temporarily as my nails rake over shoulders I’ve definitely marked up. 
A cool, damp towel appears with a wave of his arms, stroking my middle with it delicately cleaning up the mess I’ve made. “How does it feel to be connected with the devil?” Seokjin sneers as he pulls out of me, making my center ache and twitch for him. 
My eyes grow wide and my lips part but before I can say anything Jungkook bursts in the room.
“Am I late?” Jungkook pants as he looks awestruck by me on the bed. 
“For a very important date.” I gaze back to Seokjin who is now fully dressed, smirking that soft, playful smile like he usually does at Mr. Jeon. “Don’t worry, I was just getting her ready for you, Jungkookie.” 
Jungkook eyes him with narrowed orbs, but buys the lie Seokjin is selling and proceeds to strip himself of his white waistcoat. “What is on the menu tonight?” His red-rimmed irises bore into mine and I feel self-conscious suddenly. He circles the bed in the manner like that of a wolf would as he finishes stripping himself of any dressy garments, though his slacks remain on. 
 “The one you most desire out of everything in this world.” Seokjin purrs, stepping up to take his seat on his pedestal high above us. 
Is he going to watch us?
“Fuck,” Jungkook growls, dropping to his knees in front of the bed suddenly. He pulls me closer to him by my ankles, throwing my thighs apart so my center is exposed to him in the rawest form. He stares at my glistening middle as I try to close my legs with a little, pathetic whimper.
“Don’t.” The rabbit-like man moans wantonly, holding onto my ankles loosely. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful, you know that, right?” His hands glide up my thighs achingly slow, holding me in pace for his eyes to ravage as they please.
The fire in my lower stomach has returned, hungry and ready to go for more.
His warm fingertips make it to my inner thighs, kneading the flesh there tenderly, so close to my throbbing core that I almost beg him with a cry to dip down into me, but I refrain, hanging on to every trace or brush of his hands against my scorching flesh.
“What do you want, my darling?” He groans into my inner thigh, lips ghosting my sensitive flesh there, inching closer to my heated skin with his upper body.
“Please.” I finally ask, begging, almost choking out the word, forgetting Seokjin watching us from above.
His dominant hand finally finds my nether lips, tracing them up and down with his two longest fingers but not exactly touching me where I am aching quite yet. “Please what?” He teases, stroking me up and down slowly, holding his feral gaze in mine, amber eyes seemingly on fire.
“Please, Jungko-“
He slaps my middle with little force or malice behind it, but I jolt, mewling aloud, wanting him to secretly do it again.
Jungkook goes back to tracing my lips in the middle of my body, smug smirk seated on his devilishly handsome face. “You are so wet, darling.” He slaps me again, though this time I want it more than I’d actually care to admit.
“Jung-” I choke on my words.
He slaps me again, this time with slightly more force behind his fingertips. I hiss out a breath, staring at him with my mouth slightly ajar, brows turned up, looking down at him with half-lidded eyes already.
“I have to have a taste.” He kisses my inner thigh as he slowly traces his thumb over my slicked out folds.
I let out a wanton cry as he hums into my thighs, growling low and deep. I swear there’s a smile in his voice as he works with his mouth and fingertip in tandem. “Mine.” He breathes, sucking on the sensitive flesh of my innermost thigh, marking me with a throaty growl.
“J-Jungkook..!”
I am a mess. I let loose a series of pants, breathless moans as he works my coil in the pit of my stomach tighter with every brush or groan he grants my hot body. I am melting under Jungkook’s touch, my body feeling sticky, arousal dripping from my middle while he circles my delicate clit.
His thumb was increasing his pace of gliding over my bundle of nerves, still slow, still making my breathing become erratic, but the desire for Jungkook to do more was driving me insane. I’ve had a taste of sex and look at me wanting more. I didn’t know if I could be in the position to ask for more. But I wanted him to place those perfect, beautiful sinful lips on my molten core. Jungkook’s breath fans over my middle as he continues to stroke me down there.
I miss the twitch confined to the middle of his pants from the man watching us from above with eager need. 
As if sensing my need, his tongue swipes a slow stripe through my folds, the cool of his muscle against my exposed center making me black out for a moment, the sensation far too much for me to bear with right now. His snort of laughter brings me back to reality as he swirls his pink tongue at my empty entrance.
Jungkook laps at my folds as if he is a starved man, hungry, desperate for his next meal. I keen, gripping onto the base of his golden torso as laps at me. I’d think grounding myself on top of Jungkook’s head would make me saner, gripping his strands of hair as he goes to town in my middle. But really, it makes me feel completely mad, like I’ve gone insane.
The feral, untamed animal-like noises that escape his throat drive me absolutely wild, my skin on fire with need and want. My nails cling to his scalp, dragging him closer to my middle as he ravages my core. He maneuvers his two longest fingers through the glossy slick, lubing his digits to breach my entrance.
“Jungkook!” I gasp, choking on my words as he makes a come hither motion with his fingers, splitting my velvet walls to open for him.
Jungkook swirls his tongue over my little pearl of sensitive nerves, lapping and sucking my flesh like he's never eaten a thing in his life. He continues his very audible growling and moaning, husk in his voice incredibly thick.
“Let go, baby.” He coos into my middle as I jolt and shake, his digits brushing past the most delicious spot deep inside of my clenching walls. “Give me your release.”
His words finally tip me over the edge.
I tighten my hold on him, gritting my teeth in the process. My head falls backward on the sheets, eyes screwed closed as Jungkook slurps every inch of my middle clean, not leaving anything to go to waste.
“Kookie,” I sputter out, the feeling of his tongue and fingers becoming too much for me. “I-I’m c-c-cumming-!”
As I say the last of my words, the world comes undone around me for the second time today, my tight coil finally popping. Blinding white stars coat my vision for a second, my body shivering and shaking as I drip out onto the flat of Jungkook’s tongue.
He laps up my sensitive hole up with more snarls, more feral noises escaping his body. Tears flow down my face as I unhinge my nails from his silky blonde strands, trying to push him away from my overly sensitive flesh with pathetic mewls of protest escaping my throat.
More. My brian prompts me to continue to sate my undying lust burning inside of me. I need more.
“Jungkook,” I beg while his tongue still explores my throbbing hole, giving my sensitive skin rapt attention. “Jungkookie. Please. I c-can’t.” I tug at his blinde hair gently, trying to get him to stop teasing me with his tongue.
He doesn't stop and I can only think of one thing to ask before I lose my damn mind with him between my thighs.
“Jungkook.” I shudder, high building up once more. “Please fuck me.”
Everything in the room stills, the only sound heard was our heavy breathing. 
He looks up from my sensitive core, brows knit together as he looks into my eyes with such a passionate gaze of uncertainty. My juices were coating the bottom half of his face, his blonde hair is in a state of disarray, as he proceeds to slowly rise to his feet, looking over me on the bed.
“What?” He questions incredulously down at my fucked out form. Jungkook looks at me as if I am the most fragile thing in the world, as if I would burst into flames at any moment. “My darling, my love, there’s no going back if we-“
“I know.” I smirk up to the gorgeous gangster in all of the Windy City. “I want this too.”
His nostrils flare, his eyes widen, and his gaze softens. Jungkook looks down at me with something akin to lust, which makes my heart rate increase...
“Up.” He commands, raw husk pouring out of his tone as he starts to undo his pants, the zipper noise almost jarring in the quiet of the night.
I do as I’m told. I’ve fallen far down the rabbit hole now, I think as I shift on the bed. Standing was a little difficult as he’s just given me one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. I keep my eyes glued to Jungkook. His hands travel sensually down his tiny waist to his slacks he unbuttons. I am gasping, unable to take my eyes off the very beautiful sight of his thick cock bouncing, finally free from the confines of his dress pants. The tip was red and angry, a bead of precum adorning the slit of his mushroom-like head. He was long, girthy, and I want nothing more than it inside of myself at this very moment.
Jungkook grips the base of his cock with his hand while he steps out of his pants, giving his shaft a few pumps up and down while I watch with an open mouth.
“I’ve dreamt of this moment for so long.” He confesses softly, reaching for me with his free hand. I inch closer to him, gliding my hands over his defined body, admiring his lithe, yet sturdy frame. My fingers hungrily trace every ridge, every contour of his golden torso. Jungkook was so warm, so wonderful, and I am slightly kicking myself for not giving into him sooner. “To have you,” he continues, kissing up the side of my neck. 
“Please.” I beg him again, eyes flickering back and forth between his. 
“Turn around.” He leans in to kiss me with passionate need. His lips molding into mine as I cling to him for more. I taste my essence on his tongue which makes me whimper into his strong hold. “I’m going to fuck you now, my love.”
Again, I don’t need to be told twice as he guides me to where he wants me, bending me at the waist so my fingers dig into the unkept sheets below, my backside open and exposed to him.
“So pretty for me.” I hear the grin in his deep rumble. Jungkook slaps my bottom, granting him a hiss to escape my throat. I whine when he does it softly several more times, making my head soar.
I hear him spit before I feel the extra saliva lubricant coat my backside, the cool of his juices combined with mine was driving me up a wall.
“Jungkook!” I gasp.
He groans when I call for him, pushing his fat head of a cock at my aching, empty hole, wanting him to finally join the two of us.
“Darling,” he sounds like he’s straining to hold back. “Baby, please, fuck!” He grunts, splitting my walls inch by agonizingly slowly. I moan as he stretches me wide, entering me like he owns me. 
He thrusts inside of me all the way with one snap of his hips suddenly. A cry leaves my lips along with a strangled one from the man inside of me. My eyes widen as I realize that he’s not going to go easy on me tonight, he’s going to fuck me on his terms. I was in for a wild ride this evening.
Jungkook leans the front of himself over my sticky back, pressing our heated flesh together more, growling to the outside shell of my ear, nipping the flesh under my lobe while sliding in and out of me with a brutal pace he’s set.
“Baby…” he moans in my ear, the deep purr vibrating throughout his body making my breathing hitch and sob. His hips snapping into mine with a rhythm, I swear, no human man could ever achieve. Liquid was flowing down my eyes as the push and pull of Jungkook slamming his giant cock into my velvet folds repeatedly already had me tearing the sheets in two with my nails.
“Jung! Ah! Kook!”
Seokjin glides his hand over his cock from above the bed, matching the rhythm Jungkook’s hips produce, enjoying the wonderful show. 
I gasp this over and over like a prayer falling from my lips. My eyes are squeezed shut, my body hot with the raw purpose to feel Jugnkook inside of my heated center. His cock pushes in and out of me at a fevered pace, making my vision blur, seeing far too many white stars.
My brain is fuzzy as he hits the spot inside of me that blinds me, pleasure swimming in my veins. My third climax was surely on the way. 
“Baby,” Jungkook grunts, one of his arms snaking up my torso, his long fingers finding one of my bouncing breasts. He starts pinching my erect nipple, holding on to me tighter as we slide back and forth off of one another.
My coil was wound so tight, I don’t know if I’d be able to last much longer. Especially not with Jungkook’s fingers attaching to my hardened nipple, his lips to the crook of my neck, and his cock slamming in and out of my clenching middle with a fevered need.
He bucks into me faster, my walls clamping down on him, my coil about to pop, about to burst forth again. I can’t hold myself up any longer, my legs shaking violently. My knuckles are turning white with how hard I am clawing at the heart patterned sheets.
“Jungkook! I-“ I mewl, but I don’t get to finish my thought. 
In a split second, Jungkook pulls out of my middle, flipping me over and letting me fall onto my back so I could be face to face with him. Jungkook climbs on top of me quickly, wanting to resume his feverish pace immediately, hunger and need in his amber gaze. He settles between my legs, pushing himself back into my slicked out center easily, restarting from where he last left off.
I gasp when he enters me, clinging to his shoulders, holding him while the lewd squelching noises in the room continue to grow, faster, louder. He grips onto my hips, guiding me at a blinding speed I didn’t know he could achieve. Is he a victim of the devil as well?
Sweat was pouring off our bodies, my brain unable to produce a sane thought as he grunts and moans my name, his red orbs never leaving my face as he rockets his cock into my folds like it was his job.
It happens again, the very right feeling deep inside of my body, the one that makes me grit my teeth, that makes me see hundreds of tiny white stars.
“Jung! Kook~!” I scream into the quiet room, tears flowing from my hues as I card my fingers through his blonde strands, trying to make a purchase on his roots.
My hands travel down his backside as he snarls, “I’m going to make you my wife! Not some wannabe from the Northside!” Jungkook huffs, his movements slowing down, one of his thumbs finding my folds again, circling my aching clit in hurry - a stark contrast to earlier. “I’m going to claim you as my own.”
Seokjin smiles like he’s just won the lottery, masturbating to the sight of both his clients intertwined, fucking onto each other with unbridled lust. He comes then watching his new toy’s back arch, breasts in the air, Jungkook’s frame pounding into her with hungry trepidation. 
I grab onto the ample flesh of his bottom, feeling the world come tumbling around myself once more. Letting my body shake and quake on top of the sheets, my third orgasm taking me by force. I feel complete - feel whole for some reason. I am so completely taken aback with the storm rippling through my body in pleasureful tremors, one right after the other, I cannot even begin to breathe properly.
He lets a feral snarl rip through his body as he pumps into my leaking middle a few more times, my whole being consumed by Jungkook. He leans over me, sucking my neck colors of purples and dark reds and I scream as his cock swells inside of my velvet walls, releasing his own essence into my womb, holding him there like a vice grip as he spurts his seed deep inside of me.
Once our highs come to a close, I run my fingers through his hair, his throbbing cock still joined inside of my middle. We both pant, holding the other for dear life, finally together, and fulfilled with one other. Jungkook kisses along my jaw, moaning my name, telling me what an amazing baby doll I am as his cock finally softens inside of my aching cunt.
“Bravo.” Seokjin claps as he walks down the wooden stairs. “You both did very well!” He chuckles darkly. I squeak in surprise. I forgot he was there and I scramble to cover myself with the soiled sheets. 
“Okay, Kim,” Jungkook says as he kisses my nose, pulling out and picking up my clothes and handing them to me. He dresses in his undergarments and dress pants quickly, buttoning them up as he turns to the man all in green. “You had your show.” I listen as I dress myself with haste, back turned to the two men. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked: invested the money overseas, gotten rid of the competition and family in this lovely city, got you a new “Alice”, and even let you watch us play ball. I think it’s time to set us free.”
“Yes,” the mad man snickers, darkness clouding his tone, “you both have served me well. But nobody is leaving my perfectly curated speakeasy.” 
I turn around and my heart is dropping to the floor. Shock is written all over Jungkook’s face as I clench my jaw in guilt. 
“But, I’m afraid you both made a deal with me, and I don’t give up my new toys so easily.” Seokjin caresses Jungkook’s face in his pale hand, while holding my gaze with a sense of gentle anger. “You can’t always get what you want. But hey, look on the bright side: at least you have each other.” 
---
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this trip down the rabbit hole! Likes and reblogs are very much appreciated! 
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X me for Brettsey maybe about Matt meeting Sylvie's parents for the first time or Matt asking her parents their permission for marrying their daughter
Loved everything you have written!!
“Hey, you okay?”
Sylvie glances over at Matt who seems to be clutching onto the steering wheel of his truck just a bit too tightly. It’s early morning on Thanksgiving and they’re cruising through the highway on their way to Fowlerton to celebrate the holiday with Sylvie's family.
She notices Matt swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just, uh, a little nervous I guess,” he admits quietly, briefly looking at her before turning his eyes back on the road.
Sylvie lets out a startled laugh, “about meeting my parents?”
Matt nods.
“Matt, you shouldn’t be. I’m sure they’re going to love you,” Sylvie soothes, squeezing his arm.
She notes how he relaxes a little, loosening his death grip on the poor steering wheel, his shoulders sagging in relief.
“Tell me again what your parents like?” He mumbles.
Sylvie giggles before she turns down the volume of the radio and starts to give Matt tips, “okay, so Dad is a lifelong Colts fan. The words 'New England Patriots' are never uttered in the house unless it’s to bad mouth them. And Mom loves planting flowers in the garden out back and crafting, you know, scrapbooking, stuff like that.”
Matt listens intently, hanging onto every work Sylvie says.
It’s kind of adorable, Sylvie thinks, this man, who risks his life almost on a daily basis, running into fires and saving people’s lives, is anxious about meeting her parents.
When they reach the driveway of her parents’ home, Sylvie unbuckles her seatbelt, opens the passenger side door and hops out. When she looks over the shoulder, she sees Matt take a deep breath before he gets out of the car, like he’s trying to give himself a mental pep talk.
Okay, this man is truly adorable. Sylvie's sure he's met the parents of his previous significant others but the fact that he's still a bit on edge about meeting hers makes her feel like he really is taking this seriously. Not like she ever doubted he was though.
Sylvie grabs the bouquet of flowers for her mom and the bottle of whiskey for her dad while Matt takes out their overnight bags from the back of the truck. Sylvie loops her arm around his, smiling at him, as they make their way to the front door.
Before she knocks, she hands the flowers to Matt.
“Here, it was your idea so you should give them to her,” she winks at Matt and smirks at his slightly bewildered expression once he has the flowers in his hands. She raises her fist to knock but the door swings open to reveal an older blonde woman.
“I thought I heard something. Come here,” Sylvie’s mom opens her arms.
“Hey, Mom,” Sylvie says as she steps into her mother’s embrace, hugging the other woman tightly.
When Sylvie steps back, she introduces Matt.
“Mom, this is Matt Casey. Matt, meet my mom, Cynthia.”
Matt clears his throat before offering the bouquet of burnt orange roses and blush carnations to Sylvie's mom, “thank you for the invitation Mrs. Brett, these are for you.”
“Oh, call me Cynthia, Matt. And thank you for the flowers, they’re lovely. Now, come in, come in,” Cynthia says as she ushers them inside.
Matt exhales. One down, one to go.
Cynthia leads them both to the living room where an older man with greying hair is sitting on a recliner watching the football game. He glances over at them when they enter the room and breaks out in to a wide grin when his eyes land on Sylvie.
“There’s my little girl,” he booms, getting up from his spot and swiftly approaching them.
He pulls Sylvie in and Matt hears her laugh as she wraps her arms around her dad. It warms Matt’s heart almost immediately. Sylvie’s family seems so sweet and caring that it’s easy to understand how Sylvie grew up to be this amazing woman.
Sylvie and her dad are quietly talking before the elder gentleman notices him.
“Dad, this is Matt. Matt, this is my dad, Bob,” Sylvie mentions.
Matt holds out his hand, “it’s nice to meet you, sir.”
Sylvie’s dad quirks up an eyebrow as if appraising him before shaking his hand. His grip is strong and Matt thinks he’s silently communicating something along the lines of if you hurt my daughter, I have a huge farm where you will become worm food and nobody will ever find your body.
He tries to smile but it turns into a grimace. He wants to say that he’d never hurt Sylvie but he doesn't think that would be the proper first conversation. Instead, he presents Sylvie’s father with the whiskey he brought. It's one that Herrmann told him was popular with the older crowd at Molly's and he hopes it'll help with buttering up Sylvie's father.
Bob takes the bottle and grunts out a thank you before walking back to his chair.
Well, one of two isn’t half bad, he thinks. He still has time to turn things around with Sylvie’s father.
Thirty minutes later, once they’ve settled down and Matt has sufficiently teased Sylvie about her super pink bedroom with the Nsync posters, they make their way back downstairs and into the kitchen where Cynthia is making stuffing for the turkey.
“Hey Mom, how can we help?” Sylvie offers.
Cynthia looks up from her task, “yams, salad, pie, take your pick.”
Sylvie smiles before walking over to grab an apron from one of the hooks and putting it on. Matt is about to do the same by Sylvie’s mom waves him off.
“Matt, honey, you’re a guest. Sylvie’s aunts and cousins are dropping by soon to help so make yourself comfortable in the living room. I think that football game’s starting to get exciting,” Cynthia tells him kindly.
Yeah, honestly, Matt would prefer to help out in the kitchen rather than have to make small talk with Bob Brett, who seems to tolerate him just because Sylvie loves him. Matt notices Sylvie observing him. He can tell she knows he’s still nervous about everything. She walks over to the refrigerator and pulls out two beers and uses a bottle opener to remove the caps. She holds both bottles out to him.
“Relax, Matt, he’s just my dad,” Sylvie points out.
Yes, and Matt thinks that’s the issue. He really wants to make a good impression and he wants that seal of approval.
“Besides, if you can swing around on a rope rescue, this shouldn’t be a problem, Firefly,” Sylvie teases, beaming.
Matt chuckles despite being an anxious ball of energy, “you’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Nope,” Sylvie says before kissing his on the cheek.
So he squares his shoulders, takes the beers from Sylvie and heads for the living room.
Matt hands one of the beers to Sylvie’s dad who mutters a quick thanks, his eyes never leaving the television screen. Slowly, he takes a seat on the couch. He takes a sip of his beer watching the Colts trash the Texans.
“You seem like a nice guy, Matt,” Bob says out of the blue.
Matt turns to the older man, “I’d, uh, like to think I am.”
“Sylvie has always sang your praises,” he mentions, “even before the two of you got together.”
Matt raises his eyebrows at this information but smiles warmly at the thought that Sylvie’s been telling her parents about him for quite some time now. He can’t explain it but it makes him melt a little bit.
“And you get that look on your face at the mere mention of my daughter.”
Matt’s been told this multiple times by multiple people. How he looks like a lovesick teenager every time someone so much as says Sylvie’s name let alone when he’s with her.
“Well, sir, I really love your daughter,” Matt tells him sincerely.
And he does, with his whole heart. It’s terrifying sometimes entrusting your heart to someone but he’s not scared to fall completely with Sylvie because he knows they're in this together.
Matt can see Bob Brett tilting his head to the side, an unreadable expression on his face.
“That’s good to hear. Sylvie hasn’t been the luckiest when it comes to relationships. That last guy she was engaged to - I couldn’t tell her but I thought he was a jackass,” Bob confesses.
Matt chokes on his beer before glancing at Sylvie’s father, his eyes wide, taken aback by what he heard.
“You though, my money’s on you,” the older man continues, “so crack open that whiskey and call me Bob, please.”
Matt lets out a nervous laugh, “yes sir, er, Bob.”
Turns out, Matt didn't have to wait too long to win over Sylvie's parents.
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pumpkinpot · 3 years
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Hoshi
A/N: this is part of the Citrus Dome Sci-Fi collab. this is also pure fluff. no smut, no real angst. just spooky summer vibes and poly love. I hope you enjoy. (I’m sorry for grammatical errors in advance.)
synopsis: since beginning your relationship with Katsuki Bakugou and Ochako Uraraka you’ve developed a love for exploring abandon places with them whenever you three have time to explore. This time, so happens to land on a derelict observatory. (additional head canons for this story on my tik tok under pumpkinpots)
“It says here it was abandoned in the mid-nineteenth century due to the spike in light pollution with the growth of the city,” you say, pointing to the dome at the peak of the building. “All of the mobile telescopes were transferred to the university's observatory, while this placed rotted away.
Uraraka half listens, levitating sheetrock from the doorway and discarding them in the nearby field.
“Why just abandon it?” Katsuki asks, fiddling with varying lenses in his camera bag. “Couldn’t this have been a museum or something?”
“Yeah,” you agree, shifting a glance to make sure Uraraka doesn’t need help. “It looks like it was bought by a merchant in the eighties who wanted to turn it into a house, but he was indicted for tax evasion before the renovations ever finished. It hasn’t been touched since.” 
He scoffs with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Rich idiots.”
Uraraka brushes specks of dust off her palms across her cut-off shorts before urging us alone. “Shall we?” 
It takes two and a half pushes to nudge the door wide enough to squeeze through. The observatory opens to us with a groan of whining metal and the scratch of loose dirt on concrete. 
Centered in the main foyer, a gaping mural of blue and white cobblestone depicts a dusty map of astrology stars. 
Katsuki has to be coaxed with a promise to be flashed to pose under the Taurus constellation for a picture, meanwhile, Uraraka floats just above Pisces with a cute puffy cheeked expression. 
Names, small sayings, and symbols decorate the wall in vibrant graffiti, the place a cocktail of color and wild Ivy.
"It's a lot more lit than I thought I'd be," Uraraka says, stuffing her flashlight into her bag. 
Katuski keeps the light attached to his camera lit as he weaves in and out of rooms, zooming in on old books and broken equipment. 
We follow him through a puzzle of what seemed to be living quarters and small classrooms, ending in a half oval auditorium. 
At the center of the stage a white globe balances on a pillar of cement. 
“What’s this?” Uraraka asks. 
You touch where someone had attempted to derail the sphere like a baseball before trailing your eyes above the layered seating. “It's a projector ball. Technicians would likely project light from there into the ball to make it seem like the planet or star they were studying. That's why it's,” you knock on the sphere's cool solid surface. “Crystal.”
Uraraka shines her phone’s light into it, the shattered pieces reflecting shapes in a dim glow.
Katsuki points the camera into the orb, the bluish tint reminds you of the similar one in the abandoned lighthouse you’d explored with them two years ago. Though that one would have lit from the inside. 
Quickly you explore the base and second levels, eager to get to the actual observatory. It's evident where the renovations to make this a home had been started and never finished. Small cracks in the floor, sealed with caulk, loose wooden planks pillaring knocked in walls. 
It could have been a beautiful home, you think to yourself. 
Up the second flight of stairs gradually more and more light fills the space until you are bathed in the orange glow of early dusk. A large open scare slits the dome, edging with rust and ivy. The circular room holds nothing of true value, nothing left behind but broken tables and a ladder to the viewing balcony tailing the opening of the dome. 
“The big telescope that would have been here-” Uraraka says, fiddling with the screw holes in the floor, “- would have been a refracting telescope. It uses small bits of glass to magnify what you’re looking at, then is bent back through the telescope hitting the eyepiece. The other kind is a reflector,” she continues, “It's got a primary mirror at the bottom of the lens into a second mirror than a third eyepiece mirror. This one is mostly used to see the different parts of a star to see what it's made out of.”
Katsuki and you exchange looks of pure astonishment. "how do you know all this?" you ask.
She fishes a gum wrapper from one of the holes, tossing it to the side. “Before I was accepted into UA I was really considering going into astronomy. I thought it fit so well with my quirk, but the courses were too expensive.” 
"More expensive than UA?" Katuski asks, refocusing his camera. 
She nods, seeming just as dumbfounded as us. 
“Do you think it could work on my explosions?”
“If you were in space maybe,” you hypothesize, “but in that case, we probably wouldn’t see it for a long while.” 
He seems semi disappointed as if his evening plans had been somehow derailed.
You run your hands across the walls of the dome, dusk sun baking its metal frame like a soup pot. 
For a moment you just watch them. It’d been so long since the opportunity arose for the three of you to go exploring. With you still temporarily stationed in the American hero commission and those two workings in Japan it was rare to find time to skype let alone go on adventures. You were lost in the bliss of having your partners so near without having to scream about a lost wifi connection when your hand hit something protruding from the wall.
“What are these?” you ask, inspecting circular gears attached to a crank.
“It looks like the wheel to turn the dome,” Uraraka says.
Katsuki zooms in on the puzzle of rigid plates. “This bitch turns?” 
“Yeah, that slit doesn't move so the dome has to, to accommodate where in the sky they were looking.” 
Katsuki fingers the gears a moment, mapping its track all across the sphere. He traces along the parts not layered in rust until he’s back at the start. “Do you think it still works?” 
“Not without some serious lube and strong arms.”
“We’re one for two,” you suggest. 
Katsuki hands over his camera to Uraraka, positioning himself opposite you to push the lever, while you pull left.
At first, the dial stays put, its stance unforgiving, but after a bit more pull than push a deafening whine reverberating through the entire observatory. 
No visible move happens until the second crank roundabout when the shift of light against concrete becomes clear.
Katsuki’s eyes light with sheer amazement as the entire dome rotates around you. We are halfway through a full rotation before Uraraka shouts for you to stop. 
You push on the lever stilling its movements as quickly as you can.
She holds a finger head tilted to the side. “Do you hear that?” 
Your breath balloons in your chest as you lean in closer. The tiniest of whimpers echo around the dome from the viewing balcony. 
One after another you file up the ladder, hopping on the edge of the dome. Balancing on the concrete crease between the moving track and the rest of the building you search for the sound. 
“Here!” Uraraka yells from the other side.
 You sprint as much as you dare, teetering along the two-story edge. 
She squats over the body of a squirming animal, a tuft of fur caught in the track of the dome's rotation. She coddles its little frame, before reaching a hand out to you. “Y/n, your knife-”
Hesitantly you hand it over. She snips away the stuck pieces muttering thanks that none of the actual tail got caught. She folds the blade back into itself, pinching leaves and sticks from the animal's fur and tossing them over the side. 
She holds it up, floppy ears and a black nose making it a nearly recognizable creature. A puppy. 
He looks to be light brown, but that could be the soot. 
Katsuki checks around the dome for any signs of a litter or mamma, before joining us with a shake of his head. 
The pup squirms and with an open mouth, letting all sorts of noises tumble from his dirt-covered tongue. 
Uraraka floats the puppy to the floor of the dome, as we file down the ladder. You empty the contents of your water bottle into a cup for drinking and the rest onto its back for cooling.  
His fur peaks through white and brown spotted under layers of grime. 
“Well,” Uraraka says, “we’ve been talking about wanting to expand our family.” 
“I suppose there’s no better place to start,” you add, both of us looking to Katsuki for consensus.
He passes glances between the three of us. “Fine, but I get to name it.”
“Alright, but we get veto power.” 
“Explosion-”
“Veto,” you say in unison. 
He looks around puffy-lipped. “I didn't even get to finish.” 
“Explosion nothing,” Uraraka clarifies. 
He’s silent for a long moment looking around the space. “Hoshi?.” 
“Star?” you confirm.
“This observatory was used to study the stars, wasn’t it?” He bats.
You and Uraraka exchange a satisfied, yet surprised look. You hadn’t expected something so- normal. This is after all the same man that made you name your golden pothos “boom boom boi” in his honor. 
“I like it,” you say.
“Approved,” adds Uraraka. 
We better take our picture before it gets too dark,” he says, turning away so you can’t see the blush on his cheeks. He switches out his filming camera for a smaller polaroid, propping it up on the edge of a broken table. 
He runs back as the timer ticks down. He slides to your right side, Uraraka on your left. Their arms link behind you as you hold Hoshi up to your mid-chest. Clicking down from five you all give your cheesiest grins. A rectangular card spits from the bottom of the camera. 
Ochaco shakes it a few times, swapping you a picture, for a puppy. 
You wait for the picture to pixelate before opening the ninety-cent notebook of film slips and position it in the next available spot.
Urarka’s cut-off shorts and Katsuki's tanned shoulders are a stark contrast to the puffy blue coat and chunky knit beanie from the last abandoned mansion expedition last time. Before that, the three of us accidentally matched our windbreakers to Midoryia during a tour of The Ghost Candy Shop in Kyoto. We look like a group of tourists. 
The small book seemed to be filling quickly despite the rareness of time to get away. Memories pile up from when it was just Uraraka and Katsuki to when you became a staple to their adventures. They’d given you responsibility for the book to garner your importance to them in their relationship until the reasoning for the gift became nothing more than routine. You were theirs, and they were yours. 
Now a new member had sprouted in your little family, and if you squinted, you could imagine the rest of the pages being filled with the pup in aged years to maybe more as time goes on.
 Right now, you were happy with the three and a half of you.
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jwillowwolf · 3 years
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Magic and Miracles - Prologue
Tag List: @sandersidesbigbang @thomassanderssidesbigbang2021 @theimprobabledreamersworld
First Chapter > | Masterlist
This is a multi-chapter fic I've been working on for the last couple of months as a part of the 2021 Sanders Sides Big Bang. The original idea came from this post by @remy-please-come-back [thanks again for letting me use the idea 💜].
Summary: Ever present, never seen. Feared and admired by all beings. The life that bursts from the earth, the secrets hidden in stone. It dances in the fire’s flames; it gives the wind its mournful tone. Here it is, this is it. Defined yet unexplained. In the depths of the ocean, and of your own mind. In the veins of all creatures, including humankind. For magic is in everything, yet unknown all the same.
For the longest time, Logan wanted to learn magic. So, when he was offered the chance to study it at a new magic school, he decided to follow his dreams. Along the way, however, he'll learn about so much more.
Warning/s: food mention.
Characters: Logan, Emile, Remy, OCs.
Read on AO3
0 | The Underdog's Debut
Ever present, never seen. Feared and admired by all beings.
The life that bursts from the earth, the secrets hidden in stone.
It dances in the fire’s flames; it gives the wind its mournful tone.
Here it is, this is it. Defined yet unexplained.
In the depths of the ocean, and of your own mind.
In the veins of all creatures, including humankind.
For magic is in everything, yet unknown all the same.
Perhaps this was why people found it so intriguing from such a young age. They wanted answers to what magic was, and while they didn’t find what they sought, they did learn how it could be used to their advantage. Spells were created to do anything that their caster’s heart desired. From creating a small orb of light for reading in the night to manipulating a tidal wave that could crash down on your enemies.
Magic was something not easily understood, which was one reason why the Council of Wizards evaluated all potential magic users. They wanted to gage that these young mages could safely use the power they were wielding. If not, then they needed to be properly dealt with before things got out of hand.
This was a good thing, but also not because to learn magic safely you would need someone else to teach you first-hand.
Now that doesn’t seem like much of an obstacle, except the only established wizards were of the nobility, and therefore only worked with nobility. The system was pretty much rigged to make it hopeless for average people to learn and use magic. Or it was until our protagonist came along.
He rose from poverty to royalty, became a hero among heroes, and faced off against one of the greatest threats to humankind that ever existed! But I’m getting ahead of myself -sorry- let's start from the beginning, shall we?
Oh, but where to begin? Ah! We’ll start from his first test with the Council of Wizards when he was only a young lad of 15. It was the beginning of spring, which is when the COW always held the learner’s test. This test evaluated your magical potential and gave the council a heads up on how many new mages there were. Yes, COW, don’t ask me why they went with that acronym.
The ceremony was being held in the grand hall of the palace, and it was open for anyone from the Srednas Kingdom to come and watch. The test itself was rather simple but the festivities that came with it made things feel like a special holiday. Nobility and common folk alike were gathered to watch and see what new wizards would be taking on learning magic. There was even a small market of sorts set outside the palace to take advantage of the crowds and sell foods, drinks, and commemorative merchandise.
Inside, people were everywhere, talking excitedly to one another and trying to find good places to view the proceedings. At the end of the room, there was a dais with two thrones where King Thomas and his husband, Prince Consort Nico, sat to watch. In front of the dais were nine chairs for the COW members, who talked with the royals and amongst themselves. Even they seemed eager for what was about to happen, and yet no one knew truly how monumental today was going to be.
The event had begun the same as any other year. Noble children from across the land showed off whatever three spells they’d learnt for the test. Most were common tricks like lighting candles or making plants grow. A handful showed off with advanced versions of these spells, such as holding the flames in their hands or making entire trees grow. Still, regardless of how many times these spells were cast, the crowd watched in awe with each new user who passed their test.
And then a young man in a simple navy tunic and black trousers stepped forward. He looked to be in his mid-teens, the same as most of the young mages and walked with an air of subtle confidence. He had a slender form and soft features that pronounced his youthful appearance. His hair was raven black, swept neatly to the side, and his eyes were such a dark brown that they seemed almost black.
“Please state your name and title.” Silvia, the eldest council member, said.
“My name is Logan Picani.”
“Title?”
“I don’t have any.”
Silence fell over the hall. “Pardon?”
“I don’t have any titles.”
“How do you not have any titles?”
“I’m not a noble.”
Some people audibly gasped and began whispering conspiratorially to one another.
“Young man, you do understand what this test is, correct?” Allen, another council member, asked with a thinly veiled look of disgust.
“Yes sir, I do. I also know for a fact that there are no rules against my taking the test because of being a commoner.”
Allen frowned and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Silvia. “I suppose not. Well then, let’s see what you can do.”
Logan took a deep breath and then held up his hand, “Ignyght.”
The tip of his little finger began to glow with golden light. The crowd watched on in silence as he carefully moved his hand to draw the necessary rune with the trail of light that flowed from his finger.
Once the rune was complete, he spoke again. “Solhart.”
The rune turned stark white and then disappeared. For a moment nothing happened, then a small white orb appeared where the rune had previously been floating. This earned a few excited claps from the crowd and an approving nod from two council members. But Logan didn’t stop there.
“Groh.” This time the light from his fingers was bright green. He made a different rune then repeated the sealing word, “Solhart.”
The orb multiplied until nearly fifty of them were floating in a cluster before Logan.
“Stahwynd.” A deep blue light flowed from Logan’s finger as he drew the final rune. “Solhart.”
The orbs burst apart from one another like birds flying off a tree in fear. Some people from the crowd shouted in shock as the balls of light zoomed off in all different directions until finally, they stopped. Now they were floating all around the room above the spectators who gasped as they realized what Logan had done. The hall’s ceiling was pitch black, so the lights looked like stars in the night sky. It was a breath-taking sight that inspired many to cheer and clap for the young mage.
“Alright, please settle down,” Silvia called over the noise before looking at Logan with a thoughtful expression. “Where did you learn this?”
“I taught myself.”
Silvia nodded then turned to talk with her fellow council members in hushed tones. Allen and two others seemed upset, while the rest of the council were neutral if not mildly impressed. After a few minutes, she looked back at Logan with a soft smile.
“Mr Picani, you are officially granted your learner’s license. I hope when we see you again in a few months time, you will once more surprise us all.”
The crowd cheered and Logan nodded before walking away with a look of pride. As he made his way through the crowd, he received congratulations from many strangers. And then he was tackled to the ground by an enthusiastic brown-haired girl.
“You did it! You did it! I knew you could do it!”
“Everleigh, my ribs.” Logan wheezed, causing the girl to release him.
“Oops, sorry. My bad. Is your chest okay?”
“It’s fine.” Both youths got up with smiles on their faces. “I did it.”
“Yep. In a couple of months, you’re going to be an official grand wizard.”
“Considering I just got my learners, I don’t think I’ll reach such a title that quickly.”
“You just created a night sky in the palace ballroom! I think you’re underestimating yourself.”
Logan smiled softly, “Come on, we should head back to the bakery to celebrate.”
Everleigh nodded in agreement and linked their arms so they could walk side by side. As they walked, Everleigh excitedly told Logan about how incredible it had looked from the crowd, and what kind of reactions the people around her had had.
Logan was uncharacteristically grinning by the time they’d reached the bakery. Walking inside only made his smile widen as the smell of fresh bread and sweet pastries filled his senses. It was after all the smell of home, so of course, it made him feel warm and welcomed. His father, Emile Picani, was standing by the counter helping an elderly customer when Logan and Everleigh walked in.
“Thank you, dear.”
“Oh, I should be the one thanking you, Mrs Goldstone. The brownie recipe you gave me has become a bestseller.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Have a nice day dear.”
“To you as well, ma’am. Oh, Logan, Everleigh, you’re back. And smiling,” Emile gasped, “did you get it?”
“He’s a wizard!” Everleigh dramatically announced.
“Not yet, I still need to finish the second test in a couple of months. I do have a learners’ license though.”
“Well, I think this calls for some celebratory tarts,” Emile said, ushering both youths into the back of the shop where the Picani’s sitting room/kitchen was located. “I’m proud of you logan. That hard work really paid off.”
“Speaking of hard work, you are going to take a break, right?” Everleigh asked.
Logan looked away from her sheepishly. “Well…”
“Come on, Lo. You’ve been working hard non-stop for months.”
“Yeah, kid, you work with me in the bakery all day, then study well into the night. And don’t think I haven’t seen you pull an all-nighter here and there.” Emile chastised.
It was true that Logan had worked long hard to get to where he was. it wasn’t exactly a simple task when books on magic were hard to find, and what knowledge they had was even harder to grasp. Figuring out pronunciation for the initiation/sealing words and learning to keep his hand steady as he drew the runes.
It had taken him many long nights of studying by candlelight to figure out the spells he’d performed. But with Everleigh’s library apprenticeship and his own persistent nature, he’d managed to learn a good deal about the basics. And now it was paying off. He officially had a learner’s license and would get a chance to become a genuine wizard.
Then he could use magic to help so many of the villagers who couldn’t afford the high-priced assistance of other magicians. Medicinal potions? Enchanted prosthetics? Transition spells? He would be able to give all this and more at prices his peers could afford.
Logan knew that what he was doing seemed near impossible, but he was going to do it or die trying! …okay, so maybe Emile and Everleigh were valid in their concern for his health, but this was his best and only way to study magic.
Before Logan could argue this, however, a stranger walked into the bakery. He was tall and slender, with a bronze tan and confident bearing. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a clean white tunic, black trousers, and dark brown riding boots. His short curly hair was the same dark brown shade as the boots, and his eyes were hidden by black tinted glasses.
“New customer, how do you how do?”
The stranger smiled. “Hey there, gorgeous. Sorry but I’m not a customer today. Is this where Logan Picani lives?”
“Yes, that’s my son.”
“Son? No offence honey but you look too young and handsome to be a dad.”
“Is there something I can help you with, sir?” Logan asked, taking over the conversation for his blushing father.
“Ah, yeah, I’m here to offer you a very special opportunity on behalf of the crown prince.”
Logan and Emile gaped. “The crown prince?”
The stranger nodded. “My name is Remy Animosni, and on behalf of his highness, I’m here to extend an exclusive invitation to the Srednas Magic School.”
Logan frowned. “I wasn’t aware that there was a magic school here in Srednas.”
“Well, that’s because there wasn’t, not until now anyway. It’s something that the prince arranged to start this year with a few students to show how good it could be to the council. You particularly caught his interest today with your starry spellcasting, hence the personal invite. You would learn alongside six other students under me about everything there is to know concerning magic, from the full basics of spells to how you can modify your own enchantments.”
“That sounds incredible,” Emile said.
Remy nodded. “Yep, and not only that but you will be given your own room at the school and anything you may need or want during your stay will be provided by us, free of charge. The location of the school is just an hour out of town, so you could visit home on weekends if you desired. So how about it, kid?”
Logan was gobsmacked. The crown prince had not only seen him but was impressed enough to send an invitation to learn magic at a special new magic school.
“Wait, what do I have to do for the prince in return?”
“Absolutely nothing. The offer is completely free of any fees or deceptive dealings. I promise. The prince even sent this with me to make sure you could have physical proof if so desired.” Remy stated, producing a scroll from inside his jacket.
Emile and Logan both looked over the document and found no problems. It was a straightforward invitation for Logan to study magic at the prince’s new school, with promises to provide anything he could need while he was living at said school, and nothing more. The father and son shared a thoughtful glance. It was definitely an opportunity.
Emile smiled. “Do it.”
“Really? You think I should accept?”
“A chance like this only comes around once, and I can always hire someone if I need the help. Follow your dreams kiddo.” Emile said with an encouraging smile.
Logan bit his lip as he considered things. He really hadn’t thought today could get any better, then this happened. He was worried about leaving his dad, but Emile had told him to take this chance. And he was right about this being a once in a lifetime opportunity. Besides, Remy had said he could still visit the town on the weekends…
“Okay. I accept.”
---
A/N: thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this. I'll be posting two chapters a day until the full fic is up, so if you want to be tagged, you can just ask. [Also, here's a link to chapter 1]
I'd love to hear what you thought about the chapter if you wouldn't mind commenting. Thanks again for reading! Here's hoping you have a magical day 💜
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megashadowdragon · 3 years
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"AHHHHHHH! Save me, Seimei!"
Commentary:
Some get the Palm, Some get the Thumb.
India Lostbelt's coming soon to NA, so have a Buddha comic!
I know that outside of JRPG summons, calling down a deity to fix your problems for you is looked down upon in modern stories, but please give me this.
Something that's interesting about Buddhism in fiction is that in settings where the divine give palpable blessings, the guys asking them typically have to play ball with the deity they're asking help from. That is to say, unless you got some kind of demi-human composition or an artifact that lets you circumvent the consent of a metaphysical being, if you want their boons, you gotta play ball. You're not going to get extra wisdom or dexterity from Odin if you call him a rube, is what I'm saying.
But in fiction, mostly manga/anime, when you've got Buddhist bad guys, they can still do all the sealing rituals and offensive/defensive spells and other charms. Not just in Type-Moon stuff either; you can see this all over. Now there are a lot of types of Buddhism, none of them have flawless applicable manuals for morality or enlightenment, and they've shared and exchanged lessons with a lot of theological schools of thought and spiritualism. And I'm not claiming to be an expert on the subject. But I'm fairly certain that most of the major ones don't have "act like a supervillain" as an acceptable core tenant. If I'm wrong, please let me know.
So when I see like Douman or Sukuna throwing their weight around all willy-nilly, I can't help but think that because they haven't been struck down by Siddhartha, they take that as tacit approval of their actions. So I just thought it'd be funny if Buddha just randomly showed up to smite them out of the blue to show that wasn't the case.
Speaking of which, if Buddha appears in FGO outside of Sanzang's NP animation, I think it'd be funny if she was very casual about him appearing...because she feels like the Buddha is always with her anyway. ("Hi Buddha!"/"Bye Buddha!")
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Sanzang: Oh ... my ... gawd! It's Buddha! Oh Buddha, I wanted to meet you for sooo long! I have sooo many questions and- Buddha: Shaddap. Sanzang (froze with a grin on her face): Eh? D ... Did I offend you, oh great Bud- Buddha: Shaddap. (pointing down to the grass) Sit. Sanzang: Yes! (quickly taking a sit) Now what? Buddha leaned back against the tree, with his arms behind his head and continued his cloud watching. A few hours later ... Sanzang: Ano ... Lord Buddha? We have been sitting here for a few hours now. Is this the path to enlightenment? Buddha: Shaddap. It's fine. It's fine. Don't overthink it. Sanzang: Yes! I shall follow your lead then! (looking up at the clouds) ... that one looks like a duck. Buddha: ... so it does.
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shewritestheblues · 4 years
Text
Old Thing Back (2)
Erik Killmonger x Reader
Erik runs into his old high school girlfriend and realizes how much love he still has for her.
Please Note: In this series, there was never a fight for the thrown between Erik and T’Challa. It’s all good between them. Erik became a Seal and used his pull to go to Wakanda in the hopes of just finding his family. Together, he and T’Challa founded the Wakandan Outreach Center in Oakland.
Thanks for the feedback and love. :) excuse any mistakes. enjoy.
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It had been weeks since you ran into Erik… or since he literally ran into you. Good thing you only went running on the weekends. That made it easier to avoid him if you spotted him again. But luckily, you didn’t. You purposely waited until about 9am to go running and you were sure that was why. If he was an early bird, he wouldn’t catch you.
The weekend at come to an end and you were successful yet again at not being run over by your past. You were ready to get back to work to be with your favorite mini humans. You had been a kindergarten teacher for five years and each year, you’d fall in love with your tribe of five year olds like they were your own. This year, your God Daughter, Bella was one of your students. You wouldn’t let Kelly enroll her into any other school. You practically demanded that little Bella be your student. 
You had just picked up your daily Chai Tea Latte from the cafe near Kelly’s house and you were arriving at her home to pick Bella up for school. You were running behind. Your class would be taking a field trip today and you took it upon yourself to make lunches for each student.
As you pulled into Kelly’s driveway, she was rushing out the door with Bella, running late herself. She was called into work early this morning.
“Thank you so much for picking her up, girl. I needed this morning shift.” Kelly says, strapping Bella into her carseat.
“Not a problem. Bella is my baby too.” You smile at the toddler. “Ain’t that right baby girl?”
“Yes.” Bella was all smiles.
“Alright.” Kelly sighed. “You will be a good girl today on your trip.”
“I will, mommy.”
Kelly kisses Bella and closes her door. She waves at you and you pull off, going to school.
When you get there, the bus taking your class on their first ever field trip was there waiting. You get Bella and the lunches out of the car and rush over to find your other students and your teaching assistant, Liza getting settled. You do a headcount to make sure everyone is there before the bus heads to its destination.
“I’ve heard so much about this place and what they’ve done over the summer for kids.” your TA states.
“Hmm?” You were zoned out, enjoying your morning drink.
“The Outreach Center.”
“Oh yeah. Me too. When I heard they were opening this Early Child Development Studio, I knew I had to bring our babies to see what it’s about.”
“I wonder if the King of Wakanda will be there today.” Liza sticks her tongue out making you laugh.
“He is fine ain’t he?” you smirk. “I would not mind becoming a Queen for him.”
“Miss Y/N? Are we there yet?” a small voice from behind you asks you. It’s Tyler. He’s one of your busy body students. He doesn’t like sitting in one spot for too long and is always asking a lot of questions.
You smile at him. “Almost Tyler.” You stretch your neck over the driver's seat to get a good look at the road. “We’re a few blocks away.”
And in just a few minutes, the bus turns into a parking lot next to the building. Glowing blue letters sitting above large, glass doors reading, Wakandan Outreach Center.
“Okay boys and girls. We’re here. Is everyone listening?”
“Yes!” they all answer you.
“Great. We're going to be good guests here. We will stay in line and stay together. Today will be a very fun day. If any of you have to use the restroom, come to me or Miss. Liza and we will find the nearest restroom. Are you guys ready?”
“Yes, Miss. Y/N.”
One by one, the kids jumped off the bottom step of the bus. They made a single file line and followed you into the building with Liza behind them, carrying the lunches. You were met with a beautiful, tall woman in red. Her smile was as bright as the sun. Her presence was breathtaking and even the kids noticed her. You and them were in awe of this gorgeous woman.
“Hello, I’m Mia. You must be the kindergarten class that’s supposed to visit the new Studio today?”
“Yes.” you excitedly shake her hand. Which was amazingly smooth and warm. “I’m Y/N. This is Liza and these are our shining stars.” You turn to your students. “Class 104, this Mia.”
“Hi Mia.” their tiny voices rung out, echoing through the lobby.
“Hello Class 104. Nice to meet you all.” Mia turns to you again. “We’re excited to have you today. Unfortunately, our tour guide, Sasha won't be in today but our Director of Youth Development is here and he’s offered to show you guys around today.”
“Okay, that’s fine. Who is--”
Mia looks to her left. “Here he is now. Mr. Stevens.”
Her words shocked you like lightening. But the person she referred to as Mr. Stevens, made your heart sink into the pit of your belly.
“Good Morning.” his deep voice boomed in your ears. The smile on his face was just as bright as Mia’s. He reaches out to take the box of lunches from Liza. “Could you take this to the cafeteria, Mia?”
You took a few deep breaths, calming your nerves. How is this happening? Why is this happening? You look to Liza who is gazing at him. He reaches his hand out to Liza.
“Good morning. I’m Erik.”
She shakes his hand and her bright cheeks begin turning red. “Um, hi. I’m Liza.”
Erik turns to you with a smirk and his hand out. “Y/N.” he states your name so matter factly.
“Hi, Erik.”
Liza looks confused now. How did you two know each other? She thought.
The smile on Erik’s face was contagious and you couldn’t help but to smile too. Your cheeks going against you. Allegedly. You playfully roll your eyes and avoid meeting his eyes. Your eyes meet with one of your students, Jonathan. He bounces his little brows up at you and winks. You bite back the laughter that threatens to come out.
“Class 104, this is…” You turn back to Erik. “Do you prefer Mr. Erik or Mr. Stevens?”
Erik drags his tongue over his bottom lip, eyes trained on you. He's aware of your struggles. “Mr. Erik is fine.”
“Class… Mr. Erik.”
“Hi, Mr. Erik.” your class sings in unison.
“He’s going to be showing us around today. Are you guys and gals excited?”
“Yes!” the cheery five year olds jump and clap.
A small girl from the back of the group makes her way to the front. She introduces herself to Erik.
“Hi, Mr. Erik. I’m Melody. I’m the line leader, so you can just show me where to go and I’ll take it from here.”
She places her small hand into Erik, shocking him. He didn’t know five year olds could be so damn bold. But he smiled at her and decided he’d go along with it. He gives you a knowing look. You shake your head and look over to Liza, who is trying everything in her to hold back her laugh.
Melody snaps at her class. “Get in line. Me and Mr. Erik will lead the way.” Her class follows her demanding instructions. Erik begins walking with Melody down a large hallway. You watch in disbelief at how your young student took charge as the line began walking away from you. You and Liza catch eyes again and this time, snickers escape from the both of you.
“I can’t lie,” Liza began, “Melody has game. I respect it. She just took your man right under your nose.”
“My what!” your words coming out a bit louder than expected. You see Erik peak behind him to you and Liza. The two of you were trailing the line of jumping kids.
Liza cuts her eyes at you. “You can play stupid with these babies but you can’t play stupid with me Y/N. I peeped how y’all were looking at each other. All cheesy and shit.” Liza swayed her body adding emphasis on her words.
“That’s a bad word, Miss Liza.” Tyler barked.
“My apologies, Tyler.”
You and Liza bite back more laughter.
-----------------------
Erik leads the class to two large doors with glowing blue lights and Wakandan symbols engraved on them. Early Childhood Development Studio. When Erik opened the doors, it was like a kindergarten teacher's dream classroom. It was neat with a modern decor style but still colorful to draw in a child's attention. The ceiling mimicked a dome with animated visuals playing on the tiles. Rows of white tables with small stability ball chairs. Each table paired with a collection of Crayola Crayons, Markers, Pencils and Erasers. In front of each seat, sat an iPad full of learning apps. To the right of the room, there’s a dry erase board and learning posters. To the left, shelves and shelves of children's books, neatly placed toys--Including a play kitchen, salon, tool boxes. There was an open space covered with a mat that would glow with the same blue color that was on the entry doors.
You and Liza were intrigued to say the least. Your students were in aw as well and being very vocal about it. Erik was pleased to see everyone approving of his design.
“As you can see here,” Erik began explaining, “each student would have their own iPad to stay up to date with the new learning apps that we are developing. We have plenty of utensils here for drawing and expression. The dome is designed for the children to gain an understanding of how the sky and the galaxy works.” he takes a step back to grab an iPad. He taps a few buttons and suddenly the room is darkened and stars and planets paint the ceiling. It’s so realistic that even you, for a second, thought that you were just casted into space. The children voiced their ohs and aws.
“Wow.” you mouthed, looking around you watching a meteorite pass by you.
Erik taps the iPad again and the ceiling goes back to normal. He walks over to the glowing mat, tapping on it and holographic visuals of a young woman with braids pop up. She jumps with joy.
“Hey Shuri, meet Class 104.”
“Hello class.” Shuri waves. The students are bouncing with excitement and wave back to Shuri.
“We have an experiment set up for you.” He tells the class. “Are you ready?”
“YES!” their screams bounce off the walls.
“They’re ready, Shuri.”
“Alright you little geniuses. Have you ever seen a volcano erupt?” Shuri asks as she walks over to a table.
You and Liza are completely mute. You couldn’t believe what your eyes were seeing. Is this real? Like live footage?
Shuri pours a liquid into the top of the volcano and it explodes a lava colored foam.
“Oh my gosh!” one kid yells out.
“My mama won’t believe this.” another says.
Erik laughs at the joyful reactions.
“There’s more where that came from when you guys come and see me later.” Shuri smiles.
“Thanks Shuri. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to come down.” Erik says.
She gives him a thumbs up and Erik taps the mat again and the hologram disappears.
“Erik!” you were stunned. “That was live?”
“Yes. We use holograms to do most of our communication. The mat is designed with vibranium, so it can’t be destroyed and we can use it for science experiments, communication, building blocks… I could go on but I’d rather show you over time.”
“Wow. This is perfect. More kids that come here and we’ll have hella little scientists running around Oakland.” Liza says.
“Why don’t we get them started.” Erik leads the children to the tables. Each of them picking a seat and tapping on the iPads. Erik gets each of them set up with a different app to explore their little brains.
You and Liza help with the set up and before you knew it, each student was in their own little world learning and actually enjoying it. You and Liza were probably enjoying the Studio more than the children.
------------
To reward your shining stars for being the amazing little learners they were, you and Liza figured that they should have some play time. This would be good for them to use up the rest of their energy before lunch, as well as give you and Liza a break.
As the children played with all of the high tech toys, Liza couldn’t help but to notice the set of eyes trained on you. She hid a knowing smile behind her water bottle as she pretended to take a sip and pretending even harder at listening to whatever you were talking about.
“Mhmm.” is all Liza offered to you.
Liza always has commentary to whatever topic you were babbling about so the lack there of caught your attention.
“Liza, are you listening to me?” you snapped with a bit of attitude.
Her eyes meet yours. “I’m not understanding how you are able to listen to you right now.”
“Excuse me?”
Liza scrunches her nose up. “You don’t sense the demon eyes glaring at you from across the room? Melody may have Mr. Erik,” she adds emphasis to his name, “wrapped around her little finger, but that man has been hawking you since we got here.”
You scoff. “No he hasn’t.” You look up and lock eyes with Erik. He’s sitting on the floor with Melody playing in his dreads like she’s his hairstylist. Just before you could react, Bella approaches you.
“God Mommy… I’m hungry.” she whines.
Saved by the Bella.
You look at your Apple Watch noticing that it’s just passed 11a.m. Lunch Time!
“Okay, baby girl. It’s lunch time anyways.”
Bella waste no time turning back to her fellow classmates and yells, “IT’S LUNCH TIME!”
The children go up on roars. It was adorable how thrilled they were about food. That’s something you could relate to on a soul level. The students line up with joy in their eyes. Erik walks toward you and Liza. Your heart begins picking up its pace.
“Hey. So, I figured we could squeeze some time in to visit our labs after lunch before y’all have to go. That’s cool?” he asked mainly you.
You simply nodded your head. You snapped your neck at Liza when you heard her snickering. Of course Erik noticed and he gave you a very toothy smile. His dimples were on full display and you did the only thing you thought you could… run!
“Alright 104,” you step around Erik and Liza. “Mr. Erik here is going to take us to the cafeteria.”
Bella takes your hand into hers. She looks up at Erik. “Hurry Mr. Erik. I’m dying.”
“Let’s go.” he leads you, Liza and the class to the enormace cafeteria. You were impressed. It was like a mini airport in there. Multiple food options. You immediately set your mind on Stir Fry. Liza’s eyes were glued to the pizza.
Mia met all of you with the class’s lunches. As the children got settled in their seats. you and Liza handed out each lunch and watched as they dug in. You and Liza sat at the end of the table to keep a good eye on the kids. As you began eating your food, a large presence approached behind you. You hear a clearing of a throat. You look up and see Erik with sly smirk painted on his lips. His hands were behind his back.
“Do you ladies mind if I join you?” he asks.
“Nope. Y/N doesn’t mind at all if you join her.” she winks at you. She doesn’t care that you were shooting daggers at her. “My baby-loves need me anyway.”
She rises from her seat next to you and she joins the class. Erik takes ownshipship of her chair.
“I have something for you.” In his hands held a box of brand new AirPods.
“Erik… You really didn’t have to do that.”
Ignoring your protest. “I was expecting to give them to you weeks ago but I guess I scared you away from the park.”
The disappointment in his eyes made you feel bad. “Thank you…”
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
It was more of a statement than a question.
“No--No. It’s just… you have to admit, it was kinda weird. Ya’ know, with the way things were the last time we saw each other.” You found the courage to look in his eyes again. Guilt. Regret. “You were the last person I thought I’d see. A lot of feelings that I thought were dead, surfaced and I--.”
“I understand.” he bit the side of his cheek. He felt the awkwardness between you two when he ran into you. He couldn’t deny it if he wanted to.
“But, the universe has a funny way of doing things.” you added.
“Yeah… I’ve always lived with that regret though. I wish I would’ve said something. Ran after you. I don’t know.”
There was a beat of silence.
“Where did you go?” you finally spoke up.
“College... Naval Academy and MIT.”
“Damn, Erik. I knew you were smart but I didn’t know you were that smart to just go to college at 16.”
A low chuckle escapes his mouth. “Yeah, “he continued, “When I became a SEAL, I got curious. I knew I had family in Africa so I decided to go find them. When I got to the Wakanda… they uh, they accepted me with open arms. My uncle--”
“Wait, wait.” you interjected. “You’re Wakandan?”
“Yeah.” a sly smile crept onto his face.  “T’Challa is my cousin.”
“WHAT THE FUCK!”
Your shock took over you. You had forgotten where you were and who you were with.
“Ohhhh, Ms. Y/N. That’s a bad word.” one of your students yelled out, bringing you back to reality.
You slap your hand over your mouth. “I am so sorry. I will not say it again. I promise.”
“You have to go in the time out chair, Ms. Y/N.”
You felt foolish for not keeping it together in front of your students. “I’m sorry guys, okay? Forgive me.”
Bella approached you. “I forgive you God Mommy.”
You rub her big puff on top of her head. “Thank You, Bella.”
“God Mommy?” Erik looks between the two of you.
“Yes. This is my GodDaughter who is also my student. This is Kelly’s daughter.”
“Kelly! Big mouth Kelly?”
“My mommy doesn’t have a big mouth.” Bella gathered Erik very nicely.
Erik throws his hands up in surrender. “My bad Miss Bella. She doesn't. I’m sorry.”
You send Bella back to sit with her class. You and Erik play catch up until lunch time was over. He took all of you to Shuri’s lab. Shuri showed the kids some of her gadgets. Before you knew it, it was time for you to load your class up on the school bus and take them back to school for them to be released to their parents. Strangely, you weren’t ready for the trip to be over. You internally told yourself that it wasn’t because of Erik but Liza made sure to constantly remind you that Erik was definitely the reason. You felt butterflies every time your eyes met his. It was like no time had been missed between you two. Yes, there was still an elephant in the room between you but this felt nice and if you had to be honest, that could wait. You liked the way he was making you feel.
You were doing your head count when Erik made his presence known just outside of the buses doors. You kindly asked Liza to make sure all of your students were counted for and you stepped off to talk to Erik… again.
He laid down a fly away from your bun. That took you by surprise.
“It was nice seeing you, Y/N. For real this time.”
“Same. I’m glad we were able to talk and things not be, ya’ know, weird.”
They exchange smiles before Erik spoke again.
“I know I’m shooting for the moon right now but I don’t want to miss this moment.”
You waited for him to continue.
“But um, I would like to link up with you again. Minus the work and students.”
He immediately noticed the look of uncertainty forming over your features. He was definitely shooting for the moon, you thought.
“I don’t know, Erik.”
“Hear me out. It’ll be just two old friends catching up and plus… I want to formally apologize for some things.” He slipped a folded piece of paper into your hands, making sure to allow his fingers to linger over yours. He looked you dead in the eye. “You don’t have to figure it out now. Just promise me that you’ll at least think about it, okay?”
A nod was all that you could produce as a reply.
He leaves you with a wink.
When you joined your class on the bus, Liza made kissy faces at you. You blew her off. Unfolding the paper revealed Erik’s phone number. You would think about it. It was the least you could do.
---------
You were arriving at Kelly’s to drop your God daughter off to her. Bella was great on her first field trip and you wanted to tell Kelly all about her growing little genius.
You relaxed back onto her couch, cuddling up with Bella. Kelly joined you two, thrilled to hear about their adventure. You went on and on about the Children’s studio, the amazing food and science labs. Kelly loved the futuristic things you were telling her. She wanted so badly to take a personal trip to the Outreach Center just for herself. She was a science lover and that was right up her alley.
“Oh my goodness, Bella baby. It sounds like you had so much fun today.” Kelly doted on her young daughter.
“I did, mommy. I even got to meet God Mommy’s boyfriend.”
Your head snapped to look at Bella like she had six heads.
“Her what!”
“Yeah. Mr. Erik.”
“Bella!”
“Mr. Erik huh?” Kelly looks at you with raised eyebrows. “Tell me more Bella.”
“He was nice. He let me and Melody do his hair. He took us all around and showed us a volcano.”
“That’s nice baby, but tell me. How do you know Mr. Erik is God Mommy’s boyfriend?”
“You’re going to listen to a five year old, Kelly?” you question.
“Hush up! Let the child talk.”
“Well,” Bella throws her hands up. “They were looking at each other like this.” She dramatically blinks her eyes and smiles really big.
You cover your face with your hands. You couldn’t believe your god daughter was throwing you under the bus like this. It really be your own people.
“Bella, why don’t you go change out of your school clothes and let me God Mommy talk.”
Bella runs upstairs to her room. You peak between your fingers to see if Kelly was looking at you. Of course she was with a devious smirk, waiting for you to spill the tea.
“Spill it bitch and don’t leave nothing out.”
You sit still in the hopes that you’ll disappear and she won’t press the issue anymore. But no luck. You were still very visible and your best friend was extremely patient. You pull yourself up on the couch.
“Fuck it. There’s no way out of this.” you say to yourself. “Mr. Erik is Erik Stevens.”
Kelly’s eyes damn near pops out of her head. “Erik fucking Stevens? You are lying to me.”
247 notes · View notes
marvelmadam08 · 5 years
Text
Jellybeans
Part of 100 Days of Marvel
Prompt 54: Don’t lick it/ Prompt 93: What’s behind your back
Synopsis: Chris eats a bunch of your candy before an interview, unaware that they're edibles.
Warnings: mentions of anxiety attacks, drug use, swearing, bad reaction to drugs
A/N: I do not know if Chris actually takes medication for anxiety, this is just a fanfiction. Also have no idea what he’s saying in the GIF below, but I’m assuming it’s ‘Fried eggs’
~~~~~
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To say you had a hard time speaking in public would be an understatement. Back when you were in school, if you had to give a presentation you'd stare at your classmates’ shoes the entire time. Which could've been linked to the small shoe obsession you had now, but that was a different story.
So how did you managed to make it this far in your acting career without a complete nervous breakdown during press tours and meet and greets? Edibles, medically approved, and perfectly safe. Not enough to get you completely incoherent, but just enough to calm your nerves, as long as you took the prescribed amount.
That's where you were now, in your dressing room, sneaking a few 'special' jellybeans, just before you and your other cast members had to take the stage and speak in front of at least a thousand fans and reporters.
"You okay?" Chris came up behind you, resting his chin on the top of your head, meeting your eyes in the mirror
"Yeah, what about you?" 
You knew how bad his anxiety was, there were times when his medication wasn’t enough to calm him and you had to pull him off to the side and help him get out of his head. When it was you, Chris would do the same, distracting you with inappropriate jokes and giving you his hand to draw small doodles on. It was how your friendship worked. Although you wished it would go further than ‘just friends’ but again that’s another story for another day.
“I’m good.” he glanced down at your hand “Ooh jellybeans.”
“Nope.” you smacked his hand away, sealing the bag shut “None for you.”
“Rude, if I had candy I’d share with you.” he gasped in pretend shock
“Good thing I’m not you.”
You knew Chris wasn’t a stranger to marijuana, but he always said it was in his party days and he would never do it again, which is why you never told him about your personal coping methods. 
“Hey guys, five minutes to go, we need you out here.” the stagehand tells you two
You carelessly tossed the bag of jellybeans on top of your purse, before pulling Chris out of the room. He tells you something about leaving his phone behind and having to run back to get it. While you waited for him to get back, Sebastian and Anthony walk up to greet you.
“First stop on the press tour, you ready Miss director?” Anthony nudged your ribs
“Stop that, I’m nervous enough.”
“You shouldn’t be, it’s a great movie, amazing script. And the cast is phenomenal.” Seb smiled at you
“Okay everybody, let’s get the ball rolling!” the MC spoke into her mic
Chris slid up next to you, waiting to be called up after Seb and Anthony. You didn’t pay him any mind until you caught him eating something colorful from his hand.
“What are you eating?”
He tucked his hand behind his back like a child “Nothing.”
“What’s behind your back? Chris, let me see.” 
He spun around while you tried to grab his hand, when he wasn’t letting up you tickled his ribs until a few jellybeans fell from his hand.
“Aw man, I dropped a yellow one, those are my favorites.” he continued to eat the ones in his hand “You’re holding out on me, these are good.”
“Chris, stop eating them.” you felt your heart rate increase with each passing second “How many of those did you eat?”
“I dunno a handful maybe.” he was handed a mic 
“Chris Evans!” 
“See you out there.” Chris tossed the remaining jellybeans in his mouth before taking off for the stage
“Holy shit.” 
“And now the star and director (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N)!”
If you had the option to stay in the shadows to let your brain catch up you would, but now your focus wasn’t on the people or the movie, it was on Chris and the massive trip he was going to have once the edibles kicked in.
“Shit shit shit.” you muttered to yourself as you hurried up the stairs to the stage
You were given the seat next to Chris, who was still cogent and alert for the time being. You, on the other hand, wouldn’t really take your eyes off him for more than minute, and you almost got away with it, until Chris pointed it out.
“You’re staring.” he whispered away from the mic, his head lolled to the side a bit and his eyes getting red
“Chris, I gotta tell you something.” you started
“Right (Y/N)?” Seb pulled you and Chris back into the conversation
“Come again?”
“I saying how well we all worked together on the set.”
“Oh yeah, like huge family. It was amazing to work with-” you stopped when you felt a finger flick your ear, you looked to Chris, all smiles and intently focused on your earlobe “Amazing to work with these guys, they really bring a-” he tugged on your ear again “playful essence to the set.”
“You okay there Chris?” the MC asked him
“Your earlobe is so soft.” Chris half whispers to you, ignoring the question completely “Earlo-oo-be.”
Oh shit.
“Chris?”
“Hm? Yes a question.” he grinned “And the answer.... never violence.”
“You okay dude?” Anthony asked him this time
“I’m feeling great.” Chris nods slowly before leaning over you and Sebastian to hold Anthony’s hand “How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“What’s wrong with Chris?” Sebastian whispers in your ear
“You know how bad his anxiety gets.” you tried to brush it off “I got it covered- hopefully.”
Chris throws an arm around your shoulder, pulling you into his side. “This woman right here is the best person I’ve met, sorry mom, she’s- just- awesome.”
You pat him on the arm and try to steer the conversation back on the right tracks. Chris’s hand lazily ran back and forth on your arm, sending chills through your body. If you didn’t like it so much you would’ve told him to stop, plus it was keeping him focused for the time being. And for the following ten minutes he was calm, switching between picking the lint off your dress, to rubbing his face, things you could play off as normal things.... and then it went south.
In the middle of Anthony answering a question, you heard a strange wet sound over the speaker, glancing back at Chris you saw him licking the side of his microphone.
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“Chris, stop that.” you pulled his hand away from his face, he quickly switched it to his other hand and continued to lick the mic “Don’t lick it.”
He chuckled giving you an overly obvious wink “Can I lick you instead?”
Your cheeks are flaming now, and the heat shot straight down to your core. A collective ‘ooh’ came from the audience, Sebastian, Anthony and the MC all froze mid topic.
“Laying on the charm pretty thick there Chris?” Sebastian said, in hopes to lighten the situation up
“I mean at least take her out on a date first, Evans.” Anthony laughed
Chris pulled you even closer into his side, lowering his lips to your ear, in attempts to whisper “I wanna kiss you right now, and raise a puppy together.”
“Did you say something Chris?” Sebastian glanced over to him
“Nope, he didn’t say anything.” you pushed the mic away from Chris’s face, he reached over and grabbed yours
“Show of hands who has a dog?” he pointed out to the audience, and about half the members raised their hands “I wanna pet them.”
“The dogs or the people?” Anthony questioned
“Yes.” Chris pressed the mic to his mouth again “All the dogs.”
There was scattered applause from the audience, Chris laughed to himself then relaxed further into the couch, resting his head on your shoulder.
“Okay, we’re gonna do fan questions right now.” The MC gave Chris a strange look
“It’s really hot right now. Is anyone else hot?”
A series of questionable mutters came from the crowd, Anthony and Sebastian gave you confused head tilts as Chris stood up, hands going to the top of his shirt, undoing buttons. Many, if not all the females in the room, started to cheer, chanting ‘take it off’, you hopped up in time for him to only get half done with his shirt.
“Chris, keep your shirt on.” you hissed pulling it closed
“But it’s hot.” he pressed his forehead to yours, resting his hands on your hips “You’re hot, let’s get a dog.”
“You have a dog.”
He gasped, those normal baby blue eyes were bloodshot red, his pupils completely dilated “I do? Is he here?”
“Yeah, let’s go see him.” you slung his arm back over your shoulder, then brought the mic up to your lips “Give us a moment, a few technical issues.”
Chris took the mic from you again “We’re gonna get a dog together!” he dropped the mic, leaning on you for support “Goodnight Boston.”
“We’re in Sarasota, let’s go see Dodger.”
You managed to get Chris back behind the curtains, helping him down those five steps would’ve been difficult, if he hadn’t jumped down them himself. You quickly followed behind him as he touched everything, muttering ‘Why Should I Worry’ along the way. When you caught up to him, you yanked him back in the dressing room, shutting the door behind the two of you.“There’s no dog in here.” he pouts
“Chris, listen to me.” you turned him around to face you “You have got to calm down and focus. Those jelly beans you ate- were edibles.”
“Well yeah, I couldn’t eat ‘em if they weren’t edible.” he laughed loudly and threw his head back
“No, I mean they’re laced with medical marijuana. The label says you’re only supposed to eat five maximum, and you ate a fucking handful of them. You’re higher than Spudnik right now.”
Chris finally caught his breath, nervously looking around the room. He started to scratch at his skin, his breathing getting heavier.
“Holy fuck, what the actual fuck?” he muttered to himself
“Calm down, you’re gonna be fine.” you steered him to the couch, he grabbed the nearest pillow and held on to it for dear life 
“I can feel my blood flowing in my body, is that normal? Why are these lights so- big. No not big, what’s the other word? Holy shit I’m freaking out right now.” 
“Are you okay?” your rubbed his arms “Just breathe.”
“Bright, the lights are bright.” he nods leaning back into the couch, his shirt falling open “It’s still hot.”
“I’ll get you some water.”
“No.” Chris pulled you in by your wrists “I haven’t a trip this bad in years, feels like yesterday. Why is time going so fast? Am I gonna die?”
"No, you’re gonna be fine.” you moved to sit on the couch next to Chris but he pulls you into his lap until you’re straddling him.
His hands were secured around your waist, and he laid his head on your shoulder. The only thing keeping you from full body on body contact was the pillow between you. But you could still feel his heartbeat slowing to its steady rhythm.
“Uh- you sure you’re okay?”
He nods again “How long does this last?”
“A few hours, but if you’re anything like me you’ll be asleep right after you eat.”
“Okay, okay, okay.” he sighed “Did I say okay already?”
“Mhmm, but it’s fine.” 
“You smell nice, you always smell nice.” he moved to bury his face in the crook of your neck, his lips lightly trailing across the your exposed skin. It sends shivers down your spine that settles between your legs
“Chris-” Your fingers ran through the short hair at the back of Chris’s head, his body started to relax a little, leaning into your hand and groaning softly. “Is that better?”
“Yeah, I like this, more than you know.” he paused “I want fried eggs... and a shitload of bacon.”
You chuckled, pulling your phone from your pocket when it starts to buzzing like crazy “Sure, we’ll get something to eat after the hall clears out a bit.”
“Do you think anyone out there noticed?” 
“Uh-” you scrolled through your timeline, cramped with headlines about you and Chris being in a not so secret relationship. Others hitting the mark, stating that Chris was in fact high. But over 25.7k people were rooting for the relationship rumors to be true
“Maybe a few people.”
354 notes · View notes
baldwin-montclair · 4 years
Text
Baldwin’s Nightingale (Part 14)
Characters: Baldwin Montclair/OC
Timeframe: After the S1 Finale, TV Show canon MOSTLY with some S2, Shadow of Night and Book of Life.
Summary: With just one day until the wedding, Alisha grapples with sceptical sisters-in-law, procedure and a deepening mystery.
Tag requests: @christi14 @poemfreak306 @pookie-cleary @hofficoffi @stormyheart326 @theshiningc @wonderlander594 @madamquacklemore
The Story So Far
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___
“She’s very pretty,” Stasia interrupted Verin’s focus on the doe she had in her sights, “pretty and sweet, like a little piece of cake!”
Verin knew when she was being baited and her sister had been prodding her since they saddled up their horses for the morning hunt.
The previous night’s dinner had been tense yet uneventful, filled with inane pleasantries between the myriad creatures taking residence in their family estate.
“It’s none of our business.” Verin shrugged instead, feigning disinterest.
“Quite right, and I think Ernst approves.”
“He loves music, he found an old violin piece online and she happened to be able to imitate it well enough.”
“More than well, she was very good I thought.”
“She is a daemon.” Verin practically spat the word like it left a bad taste in her mouth.
“That she is, and I believe father forbade us from straying from the Covenant, I doubt he’d be too please with one of his children mating with a daemon...or a witch.”
“If you are going to talk this whole time we should abandon the hunt and return the horses!” Verin snapped and Stasia simply gave her a wide-eyed look of innocence.
“My apologies, I have not seen my sister in so long, I was excited at the prospect of some conversation.”
Verin sighed, doubting her previous assumption and blaming it on her preoccupation with the state of the family.
“You’re right, I am sorry I snapped.”
“Understandable, Baldwin did choose Freyja, of all of us, to house-train the stray.” Stasia grinned.
Verin allowed herself a smile at their sister-in-law’s expense before regaining her propriety.
“You must not let him, or anyone, hear you speak about her in such terms. Whether we like it or not, she is still Madame de Clermont, God help us!”
“Baldwin is not here, it is just you and I.”
“In that case,” Verin shook her head, “I must confess that I believe our brother has contracted whatever madness took the she-wolf’s mongrel.”
“Matthew was never exactly stable Verin, you know that.”
“Then what is Baldwin’s excuse?” Verin asked.
“Love?”
Verin snorted in derision.
“Our brother loves nothing. He appreciates a vanquished battle field, a brutal merger, a good vintage. But, he will do anything he can to protect our family, for whatever reason, it’s why father chose him.”
“Bound by-” Gallowglass started reading the embroidered letters on the piece of light blue ribbon Alisha was working before she turned it over and placed her hands over the words.
“Gallowglass,” she greeted, hoping her face was not as red as it felt, “I thought you were going hunting?”
“With Verin and Stasia?” He asked with incredulity as he took a seat opposite the daemon at the table of the small sitting room.
“They seem nice.”
“They’re not but they’re family.” He corrected.
“And Marcus-“
“He left this morning,” Gallowglass noted her troubled expression, “he’ll be back for the wedding tomorrow.”
“Good,” she nodded with relief, “need all the friendly faces I can get.”
“What is that anyway?”
“My motto.” She shrugged nonchalantly.
“We already have one and that is not it.”
“No, it’s mine.”
“Oh, okay, they’re usually in Latin, or French.”
“I cant read or write Latin, or French.”
“I could translate for you if you want?”
She realised that he was honestly trying to help, not poke fun, he’d clearly not managed to read the whole thing.
“No, thank you,” she covered, “I’m almost done and will not have time to make another.”
The last thing she wanted was for her nephew, regardless of his age, to translate words into latin for a wedding night surprise from his aunt to his uncle.
“Shouldn’t you be helping with wedding preparations?” He asked.
“I was,” she shrugged, “Ysabeau banished me for not making decisions quickly enough.” She smiled.
“Best leave her to it.”
“I’m getting that,” she agreed, “oh, and you’re being drafted in tonight, waltzing lessons.”
“I’d love to but if I so much as touch you there’s a good chance Baldwin will actually kill me tomorrow, which would put a dampener on the whole thing.”
“Don’t worry, demonstration purposes only. Nathaniel’s also being subjected to it.”
A beep alert went off on Gallowglass’ phone and he checked it before placing it back in his pocket.
“The groom has arrived.” He smiled.
“Baldwin, he’s here?” She jumped from her chair with excitement.
“Literally have never seen anyone so happy about the prospect of him entering a room!”
“Gallowglass!”
“Of course he’s not at Sept-Tours, he’s twenty miles away at one of his many properties. I told you, you can’t see him until the wedding.”
“Right.” She nodded and sat back down.
“Oh hell,” he swore, “have you talked to him?”
“No!”
“Auntie, you need to know that lying to a vampire is pointless at the best of times but you are one god awful liar, a human could tell.”
“Fine, yes, I spoke to him once, last night.”
“Who gave you his number?”
“Nobody, Nathaniel gave me the new phone and Baldwin called me.”
“He called,” Gallowglass stared at her in disbelief, “Baldwin called you?”
“Fuck,” it was her turn to swear, “I should not have told you that, should I?”
“Relax, my lips are sealed.”
“Thanks but, why is it so surprising?”
“He makes rules but he also follows them, it’s too easy to hold oneself to a different standard, he doesn’t, usually.”
“Usually,” she smiled teasingly, “oh you mean by marrying a daemon”
Gallowglass shook his head in frantic disagreement.
“Wait, no, that’s no what I mean, I-“
“Gallowglass, I’m messing with you!” She assured him.
“And I though Stasia was the family jester.”
Knowing that Baldwin was relatively close-by, twenty miles was not so far as before, somehow made her feel slightly more secure and able to enjoy the more jovial atmosphere of Ysabeau’s waltzing lessons.
Both Verin and Stasia had declined to attend, the former having left the estate and the latter choosing instead to remain in her tower.
The remaining residents had been trying for around an hour, getting progressively less serious and more giddy as the time wore on. Sarah and Em were easily garnering the most praise from Ysabeau, followed closely by Gallowglass and Sophie.
“Hamish,” Gallowglass exclaimed as a Daemon entered the main hall.
“If I’d known there was a party I would have come here first!” He commented, Alisha noting the accent to be Scottish.
“Believe me,” Ysabeau started with pained irritation, “this is pretty far from what I would call a party.”
“Nope,” Hamish gestured to the thickly bound leather folder in his hands, “lot of paperwork, much farther from a party than this.”
His eyes sought out Alisha and gave her a smile as he approached, offering his hand which she shook.
“Hamish Osborne, I come bearing gifts of signature related carpal tunnel.”
“You’re a daemon too,” she stated with surprise, “I’m sorry, it’s just, I’ve literally never met so many daemons in my life.”
“Hamish has been dealing with our legal requirements of late.” Ysabeau explained.
“Might I borrow the bride?”
“I suppose.” Ysabeau agreed, giving him an indulgent smile, she clearly liked this daemon.
“What even is all this?” Alisha asked as Hamish sat opposite her in the sitting room, the table between them and a pen beside the open folder.
“Most of it? Transfer of deeds, property, stock, patent of nobility-“
“Wait, what?”
“Both yourself and Ysabeau hold the title of Madame de Clermont but also Marchioness de Clermont.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“Purely ceremonial, it’s the rank of a Marquis’ wife and the de Clermont head is automatically granted the rank of Marquis and those under them Chevalier.”
“I’m no history expert but I thought that France had that whole thing where they like, killed all of the nobility?”
“It’s not French, it’s Papal.”
“They were given the title by the Pope?”
”Yes, for service to the church the de Clermont’s were granted this hereditary title to always be able to defend it. Pretty sure the actual land is in Tuscany, we’ll get to it.”
“Okay, let’s get this started.” She picked up the pen and Hamish opened the page to the signature line. She noticed Baldwin’s name was signed on the line just above.
Hamish picked up on her pause.
“Everything okay?”
“Mm-hm,” she glanced up before signing her name underneath.
Hamish was well organised, having small stickers on the pages that needed to be signed, he made quick work of getting through them all.
“I didn’t know Baldwin had any daemon friends.” Alisha commented after the last signature was complete and balled her fist a few times to stave off hand cramp.
“Baldwin? Hell no! I am a family friend but through Matthew.”
“Oh, that makes more sense.”
“Sorry, that was unnecessary,” he shook his head, “I’m sure he’s very kind to you.”
“But?”
“Matthew’s my best friend and your fiancé is not exactly kind to him.”
“I understand.”
“You do?” He asked doubtfully
“Not about their relationship, he doesn’t really talk about his family. But, I get to see a different side of him than you do, than Matthew does, or his enemies. I know he’s killed and that he can be cold, cruel, violent, he wouldn’t still be alive if he wasn’t.”
Hamish said nothing but the look he gave her was one of understanding. Knowing Matthew’s history and loving him anyway was something he knew not many people would understand.
“I’m not excusing the hurt he’s caused Matthew or anyone else, either in defence or malice, and they have no obligation to believe in a side of him they have never seen or think he is anything other than what he’s shown them he is. But, for the record, he is kind, and attentive, funny and incredibly sweet, surprisingly affectionate and very generous. He’s a good man, I believe that.”
Hamish shook his head with a sigh.
“It’s not easy to love a vampire, even less so a de Clermont I think, and I love Matthew like he’s my own blood...” he trailed off thoughtfully, “despite what he’s done, either in defence or Malice.”
She smiled a little at his repetition of her words.
“More than a few of our kind have shared their opinion on our friendship over the years.” He admitted.
“So you understand?”
“Unfortunately I think I do.”
“How...is he?”
“Baldwin?” Hamish asked and received a nod.
“Honestly, distracted. I don’t know him well, I’ve met him a handful of times but he definitely has something on his mind.”
“About time brother!” Verin called from her place on the reception room sofa as Baldwin returned from his post-hunt shower.
“What do you want Verin?” He asked wearily as he watched her get up from the chair.
“Freyja, really? You don’t say as much as three words to one another one year to the next and you trust her?”
“Her methods are more appropriate for the situation, Alisha is not a vampire!”
“No, she’s a daemon, she-“ she stopped, looking around, “is she here?”
“She’s not here Verin, you just left her at Sept-Tours!”
Verin looked around and located the source of the scent, a small box on the table.
She opened the box and went to touch the silk ribbon inside when Baldwin caught her wrist.
“Do not touch that!” he replaced the lid and stood resolutely in her path until she broke off to retake her seat.
“So that’s how you’ve managed to stay away. I was worried,” she stopped herself, “hoping rather, that the whole mating thing was a mistake, that you could be separated because she’s not your mate.”
Baldwin watched her before taking his own chair.
“She is-“
“A daemon, what would father say?”
“Verin-“ he warned.
“You’ve lived by his rules all your life, why now, why her?”
“A human, you mated with a human, Matthew with a witch,” he shook his head, “why is a daemon the line in the sand?”
“This is about her.”
“Of course it’s about her, it’s who we’re discussing.”
“Not ‘Alisha’, whatever manner of name that is-“
“Verin,” he cut off her meandering, “who are you referring to?”
“Oh, I see how mentioning a daemon musician might give you pause, should I narrow it down for you?”
Baldwin always had a soldier’s posture straight and solid, even seated, but her words made this even more inflexible and she questioned her decision.
“What is it you think you know?” He asked, his voice low and foreboding.
“The little Venetian spy, you were fond of her, I saw you both disappear together before the poor scribe was found dead. What did I hear you call her,” she made a performance of thinking, “Oscine, that’s it!”
“Fond,” he shook his head dismissively, “I had never met her before that night.”
“Oh, I know, but you wanted her, and would have had her, had the crime not been discovered. I would say that she wanted you too but, you know, Venetians, of course she did. Remember who found you both, brother.”
“You prevented nothing more than my hunt for some sport, you know how tedious those treaty negotiations could be!”
“I agree, they were infinitely tedious. For me! You loved them, which is why it was a surprise that you would miss the last one, to dally with a daemon.”
He didn’t respond, simply kept his breath and heartbeat steady, a very effective tactic in back footing an opponent.
“I was also surprised when I found you both in that store room, you left the party some time before I thought you would at least be caught in some kind of compromising position, but you hadn’t even persuaded her to take off that mask yet.”
“Given your particular skill set, sister, surely you would understand the value in taking one’s time.”
The barb was well executed and Verin felt her hackles rise before forcing herself to calm upon seeing the flicker of amusement in his eyes.
“To be fair,” Verin continued, “she was just about to take the mask off when I interrupted. I wish I’d been a bit later, so curious about what she looked like, weren’t you?”
Again, no answer.
“Two outcomes. Either she wore the mask because she was unbearably ugly, in which case, brother, you were taking a risk-“
“Sister-“
“Or, and much more likely, she was beautiful and the mask was to protect her from the attentions of unscrupulous admirers, like yourself!”
“Does this have a point?” He asked steadily, giving nothing.
“Yes, I told father about where I found you, and with who.”
“I guessed as much.” He shrugged.
“You’re not angry at being sent away?”
“No, had I not been sent away I would not have found Miyako, nor would I have a daughter, besides, I was distracted by my desire and I deserved my exile.”
“Punishment, that’s why you think you were sent away?”
“Speak plainly sister, my patience is not infinite!”
“Father thought you were developing the mating instinct, for beautiful Oscine.”
“That’s ridiculous, she was-“
“A daemon?”
“Someone I met in person once!”
“In person yes, what about all those letters before that when she was just a spy reporting to you.”
He knew she was fishing, she had nothing and he wasn’t about to confirm anything.
“Alisha is my mate, not some long dead spy whose face I never saw!”
“She was bitten, by Guillermo?”
“Yes.”
“Is that why you won’t drink from her heart vein or is there some other reason?”
Baldwin’s eyes darkened and his nostrils flared, giving him the appearance of a bull about to charge.
Verin knew she had pushed too far. The joining in blood was a more intimate act for a vampire than sex could be for a human. Vampires, however, only shared this with their mate and it was not a matter to be discussed with other vampires.
“Go back to Sept-Tours,” he spoke through gritted teeth, “and never, on pain of exile, bring up the spy to me or anyone else ever again, am I clear?”
“Yes Sieur!” She answered with the faintest him of sarcasm before leaving him with her words.
Rest well, it will be a long day tomorrow, and an even longer night!
Alisha, alone in Baldwin’s tower at the time of the message, smiled at his text and punched in a reply.
I look forward to the second more than the first. Can’t wait to kiss you again. Xx.
She realised just how excited she was to see her husband, after just a couple of nights apart. He was definitely mistaken about the effects of the mate bond.
“Alisha,” the knock and voice belonged to Freyja, “can I come in?”
“Uh, yeah,” she quickly slid the phone under her pillow, “come in.”
Freyja opened the door and looked her up and down.
“You‘ve spoken to him again, haven’t you?”
“I have not spoken to Baldwin today.” She answered truthfully.
“Hmm,” the vampire considered the reply, “well I know he doesn’t text...”
The tiniest inhale of breath from Alisha gave her away.
“We really have to teach you to lie better.”
“What, now?”
“No, I’m here to escort you to your ladies in waiting.”
“My-“
“The witches and the daemon, it’s customary for you to be chaperoned the night before the wedding, prevents any romantic rivals from stealing the bride.”
“Okay, besides maybe Count Dracula, who’s going to scale the outside of this fortress, full of creatures, by the way, and essentially kidnap me?”
“Obviously it’s not a problem the de Clermont’s have but it’s tradition, and I believe the group have devised some ‘fun’ activities.”
“You’re coming too, surely?” She asked Freyja.
“If you wish me to?” She sighed with a roll of her eyes.
“Of course. Should we invite your sisters?”
“Stasia has declined the invitation and I have no idea where Verin is.
“Okay, lets go!”
Alisha made it to the door.
“Wait,” Freyja called after Alisha, “I wasn’t snooping but I managed to see a letter on the desk, in father’s writing.”
“You can read it if you want, I don’t mind.”
Alisha wasn’t about to deprive Freyja of unread words from a deceased father as she was sure the daughter had read everything the father had written, probably more than once.
“Thank you but, it’s not that, I wanted to ask if you would like me to translate it for you.”
“What?” Alisha’s brow furrowed in confusion.
Freyja picked up the paper and carried it over to Alisha.
“Latin, but I’m sure you’ve probably translated it yourself using an online translation service already. I doubt it could convey the proper nuance Far intended.”
Alisha shook her head absently and looked at the words.
Not in English, just as Freyja said. The letters she initially studied as though deciphering hand-writing were actually written in an unfamiliar alphabet. However, with concentration she found the meaning became clear although the words themselves did not.
“Yes, I um-“ she started, thinking, “I used Google translate when I got the phone, I know what it says but, thanks.” She managed a smile.
“Alisha, what’s wrong?”
“Hmm,” she shrugged and took the letter, “just tired, distracted probably.”
It wasn’t a lie, she’d barely managed more than a few hours since Baldwin left and she could think of little else. Her sudden ability to read Latin was a mystery that could wait.
___
PART 15
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salted-barbed-wire · 5 years
Text
The Devil May Care
Chapter Seven
Summary: “The Devil may care after all...” Word Count: 1750
Prelude       Chapter One.      Chapter Two.      Chapter Three.       Chapter Four. Chapter Five.     Chapter Six. 
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The water stilled, the wind was silent, and the trees didn’t sway. I swallowed, every bone in my body screamed to run.
Aleister! My mind called out. Aleister, help!
“He can’t hear you anymore, love.” I turned to see Finn still lounging on the bench, “Your devil isn’t the only one with tricks up his sleeves. I just needed to speak to you alone.”
We stared at each other for a moment, Balor seemed to be waiting for me to do something. He was patient.
“Well, you’ve got me here, what do you want?”
Balor chuckled, “Come now, beautiful,” he shut his eyes and the blue had returned when he opened them again. “Why don’t you take a seat and we’ll have a chat?” He patted the bench next him.
“I’m fine standing,” I crossed my hands over my chest.
“I see why he took a liking to you,” Balor said. “I’m sure you remember our last meeting.”
I shifted between feet, “At the coffee shop?”
“No, no, little bird, we had a nice little chat in the evening.”
Your dream. “It was real.”
“Very real. If only that little beast wouldn’t have interfered.”
“That ‘little beast’ is my cat.”
Balor chewed on his lower lip, “I forget humans enjoy the company of animal companions. Pets.” He suddenly stood in front of me, toe to toe. “Perhaps you could be my pet?”
“There’s not a chance in hell-“
Balor’s hand struck out to grab my face, forcing me closer to him. He wore almost a snarl as his gaze poured into me. Balor glanced at my lips, “Oh but it would be Heaven to have you next to me.”
I pushed him back, pulling my face away from his grasp. “Why would I even entertain that idea?”
“As if you haven’t thought about it with him?”
I swallowed. “No. I haven’t.”
Balor chuckled, “So you haven’t been having dreams about him at night? Imagining him ravishing you? Maybe he’d let you torture a few souls too. I think a girl like you would enjoy it, if given the opportunity.” He tilted his head to the side, “You can’t even fathom the rush you get from tearing flesh apart. The smell of blood filling your nose. The sound of the sinner’s screams is absolutely delectable.”
“You’re sick!”
“Demon.” He shrugged it off as if it explained everything and turned away from me, “Surely you know all the sins your Devil has committed if you feel comfortable with calling me sick.”
I was silent.
“Oh, no? You mean to tell me the Devil lied to a little girl who sold her soul to him?” He turned to face me, his features twisted mocking me, “Imagine that.”
“You don’t know anything!” I shouted, trying to maintain composure.
Balor tsked, “I know enough. I can see you dying inside.”
“You’re lying.”
“No, Jackie, I am the last one to lie to you. I will always tell you the truth, because unlike Aleister, I have nothing to hide. I can see your soul slowly leaving your body, draining little by little.”
My fist clenched. Is he playing with me?
“I assure you; I am not. It’s pouring first from your heart, meaning you sold your soul for love, now, knowing how the Devil’s magic works and judging from the fact you told me you just got out of a relationship, I’m assuming the deal wasn’t worth it. But since the deal wasn’t for you, and was for someone you loved, your soul has a chance at redemption. Which is why he put you on this little mission I’m assuming, to trap me away in the godforsaken lake.”
“Redemption?”
“Yes, my dear.” Finn sauntered towards me. “What you did, selling your soul, that is a sin. The big man upstairs doesn’t approve of that. However, no matter what miniscule thing you might have offered yourself up for, it was a sacrifice for you loved one. It makes you half empty, unlike the other poor fools that demons and the Devil have conned into contracts. Normally, after a contract is activated, the person loses their soul and becomes a husk of shell in the shape of what they use to be. That why Aleister and I, and probably other higher demons, can communicate with you. It’s how I could enter your dreams. You’re an open door for the few of us that are left.”
My heart was beating loudly in my ears, “So that means- that means, I’m-“
“You’re half-dead,” Balor brushed a strand of hair out of my face. “He’s been keeping that from you, hasn’t he?”
My voice was muted, I didn’t know what to say.
“Strange,” Balor pressed his face into a lock of hair that he’d plucked gently from my shoulder, “Normally Aleister isn’t bothered by telling his employees the truth,” Balor moved behind me, hair still in hand. I could feel his chest against my shoulders, “now why would he keep that from you?”
“He didn’t want me to run,” I whispered. Tears were starting to form in my eyes. He did say I didn’t want to know.
“No, no,” Balor leaned to whisper in my ear. “He knew you weren’t going to run. He was worried you’d hate him. Aleister wanted to you to be loyal but most of all,” Balor spun me around to face him, “He’s concerned with how you see him.”
“You overestimate my value to him.”
Finn smirked. “The Devil may care after all, love.”
“I don’t care if he does or not,” my fists were balled up tight. “You BOTH can go to hell.”
Get your emotions in line! I thought to myself. You can’t get like this in front of the enemy. But was Balor really my enemy? He’s not the one that’s been lying to me.
“I’m not your enemy at all, my dear. I’m here to help.”
“How?”
“I might have a new deal for you.”
“I’m not signing anymore contracts.” I shook my head, “Please, just send me back.”
“Not until you hear my offer.” Finn said firmly. “You and I will defeat the devil. Put him in his place, remove my seals, and the world is yours, whatever your heart desires, you can have it.” He clapped his hands together and black smoke engulfed me. I stood next to Roman. There was a floral arch behind us, and he stood dressed in a tuxedo.
“Hey, baby girl,” Roman smiled, my heart tugged. “You look beautiful.”
I looked down and I was in a wedding dress, the one I had seen years ago in the shop down the street from our old apartment. It was stunning; so was he.
“You look like a princess!” Finn came up from behind Roman and put his hands on his shoulders, “he could be all your’s again.”
I felt like crying. My breath hitched.
“Or maybe you’d prefer a different scene?” Balor asked, clapping his hands again and smoke wrapped around Roman. When it cleared, Aleister stood in his place. My dress that was once white was burnt on the hems, turning bits of it black.
I gasped, “stop.”
Balor laughed evily, “Come now, princess. I’m just having fun. You sold your soul for love and you’re still chasing that fairy tale dream, aren’t you?”
I fell to my knees in front of Aleister who looked down at me with look of adoration and passion. “Be mine, Jaqueline. Forever,” he said as he extended a hand towards me.
The words sounded strange out loud, not what my mind had concocted before.
You’ve imagined this. My thoughts were loud and guilty.
Balor bent down closer to me, “There’s no shame in it, princess. Temptation is beautiful.” He put a finger under my chin and wiped away my tears with his thumb, “Just like you.”
“What do you want from me?” The question came out as a whisper.
“A simple Judas contract, princess. You complete his tasks as he requests them, ‘lure me into the trap’ then we’ll turn it around on him. If I seal his powers, he’ll be unable to defend his throne, making me king and I would rip the contract for your soul up the moment I had my crown.” Balor pulled me to my feet, “I can turn him mortal, make him your’s. If you want?”
“You want me to trick the devil?” I asked sniffling.
“You’ll be able to, with me on your side.” Balor wrapped an arm around my waist. “Come on, Princess, what do you say? You get your freedom, your soul, and your man. What could go wrong?”
“He could kill us?”
Balor rolled his eyes, “Please, he could try. As long as he doesn’t find out, no one gets hurt. If you refuse, I suppose I could just try to kill him instead.”
“No!”
The demon folded his arms in front of his chest, “You don’t think I won’t? After everything he’s done to me? He’s got you more wrapped around his finger than I thought. He must be hiding quite a bit from you about our past.”
“Like what?”
“Maybe you should ask him yourself, princess?” His grin was threatening.
I felt my body shaking. Balor would definitely kill Aleister, and probably me if I don’t help him “Fine, I’ll help you. But don’t hurt him, just make him mortal or whatever.” I grumbled, wanting out of his grasp.
“Of course, now, about that signature-“
“Where do I sign?” I asked.
Balor’s lips came crashing down on mine. Unlike Aleister’s, his were warm, like kissing sunlight. My insides felt like they were burning. His tongue snaked past my pout, tasting my mouth. “Mmm…” he hummed against my lips.
I did my best to push back, “Ok, I think that seals it. I’m your’s.”
His lopsided grin grew. “I like the sound of that, princess.”
“Can I we return to the real world now?”
Balor shrugged, “Sure, but two tiny, little things I need to do.”
“And that would be what, exactly? We already made a deal.”
“Aye, but I need some reassurance that you won’t spill the beans, as humans say. I picked up a few things from researching that son of a witch.” He pressed two fingers against my lips, eyes blackened again, “Secretum servare.” My jaw flexed under the magic before he moved those two fingers to the center of my forehead. “Good girl, one more.” My head ached under his fingers, “Apertum mihi.”
~~~
Chapter 8->
Tag List: @fangirls-gotta-fangirl @xladyxfatex @xbreezymeadowsx @rndm-fngrl-blg @nicolewoo @itsicantbelievethis666
19 notes · View notes
afterspark-podcast · 4 years
Text
G1 Episode 28: Transcript
Episode Show Notes
[This can also be found on AO3!]
[Stinger]
S: Okay, it's not actually a saber, it's a short saber, but-
O: Oh, yes, because that makes it better!
[Into Music] 
O: Hello, and welcome to the Afterspark Podcast, an episode by episode recap of the Generation 1 Transformers cartoon. I'm Owls!
S: And I'm Specs!
O: Today we're gonna be talking about episode 28: The Master Builder. Let's talk about giant robots today, shall we?
S: Sure. So we open with Powerglide, ace of the air, flying through the sky.
O: Skywarp fires on him with Starscream following close behind.
S: Now here's our main characters for this episode: Hoist and Grapple. They build stuff.
O: Theoretically. How much stuff  have  they been able to build during a war, exactly?
S: That is the question. Very much so.
O: Not enough, probably. [laughs]
S: Yeah. Grapple is an orange and yellow crane and Hoist as a boxy, green tow truck who sounds, you know, slightly like Shakespeare.
O: Dinobot called, he'd like his shtick back. 
S: They're building a model for a solar power tower to uh, harness the power of the Sun. 
O: It sparkles. 
S: Yaaaayyyyy [softly]
O: Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle.
S: Then they wheel their little model over to the main room to show Optimus.
O: Who is played basketball with Spike.
S: And, somehow, not completely murdering him or accidentally committing manslaughter which, you know, always a good thing.
O: Yeah. He is still getting the lingo, though, as he calls it “drooling” instead of “dribbling”. 
S: Well, he’s attempting it.
O: He's trying. Dad- dad-bot’s trying. 
S: Yup. 
O: Dadimus prime, if you will. [Laughter] 
S: When Hoist and Grapple enter the room, Optimus does the Optimus equivalent of “think fast!” and tosses the ball at Spike, who, when he catches it, you know just-
O: Falls over.
S: -Falls over. 
O: [Laughter] They attempt to sell Prime on their tower idea but he doesn't approve because it could cause problems if it fell into Decepticon hands.
S: It's a valid point. 
O: It is. Uh, so while this is going on Teletraan-1 declares condition ‘magenta’ because Powerglide has been shot down.
S: Do you think that's a Powerglide specific, you know, condition or something, or is just specific for that type of Decepticon attack? Any Autobot being shot down? 
O: We don't know. I don't know if they'll ever use this again. Somehow, I doubt it. Grapple, however, is dejected by Prime's react- rejection. Uh, they are sent to Powerglide’s location to fix him up.
S: So both, um, Hoist and Grapple only have one hand. They- they really, really need to be working together.
O: There’s only two hands between them. And poor Grapple wonders if he shouldn't just give up on building things and become a grease monkey.
S: Poor dude. Powerglide is able to take off again after, you know, the two guys work on him and get him up and running and then, um, our two trucks are two, uh, two trucks head back to base via a canyon.
O: They stop and chat about, you know, their mutual disappointment but are overheard by a sneaky Scrapper.
S: Wait. No, no, it's just all the Constructicons sneaking on them.
O: All of them! And poor Grapple is the saddest crane in the world. 
S: He's so dejected, man. Hoist does not like the vibrations in this location and suggests rolling out before, you know, they spot the Constructicons.
O: You know, lending credence to, they probably should have left before they spotted the Constructicons. Scavenger knocks a boulder in front of them to block their exit before they can escape, though, so… eh?
S: And then Mixmaster seals their other exit with concrete. 
O: That's gotta be some really fast setting concrete. 
S: He's a chemist. 
O: [Laughter]
S: He can presumably do that shit. 
O: See, this is what I'm talking about, though. The Decepticons just need to patent half their shit. They'll make enough money, they could  buy  a power plant or something. 
S: Yes, but that would be too sane and logical.
O: Again, they should just listen to Soundwave. You cannot tell me Soundwave hasn't had this thought.
S: Yeah but they probably have to purchase through a company but let's- let’s-
O: [laughs] Moving on! Or heading to commercial.
S: Yeah, as the two- as the two Autobots are buried in a landslide caused by Bonecrusher, um-
O: Don't worry, they're mostly fine. The Constructicons just wanted to talk, apparently. 
S: Ah, the relations between the factions. 
O: You know, that's a totally normal thing that Decepticons just want to talk.
S: Mm-hmm.
O: But with the amount of time Megatron shows up at their base wanting to talk, maybe I shouldn't make that joke. [laughter]  Eh?
S: So the Constructicons say that they've left Megatron and they want to help Grapple and Hoist build this solar power tower that they have literally just heard about.
O: Yes. Megatron and Starscream are watching this at the Decepticon base by way of a hidden camera that's inside of a rock, though. 
S: How did the Decepticons know to place that camera there?
O: I don't know. I'm so confused how that camera got there. It would be one thing if Laserbeak was spying on them but I don't even think it was that. Like, I’m pretty sure it’s a camera that pops out of a rock.
S: It's absurd. This show is absurd. Starscream continues to be a blazing hypocrite as he starts screeching about the “Traitors!!” but Megatron says to leave them to him. 
O: Hoist and Grapple are definitely tempted, but the Constructicons offer proof of their good intentions by letting them go.
S: Which, I don't know how much I'd believe that after being, you know, buried under a pile of rocks but I guess they weren't any worse for wear. 
O: I mean, they are giant robots. Maybe that's equivalent of being pushed into a sandbox, for all we know. [Laughter]
S: Maybe, oh god. So, Meg- when the Constructicons show up, Megatron proceeds to give them shit, but they manage to convince him that they were doing it just to get the solar power tower. They’re- they're tricking them.
O: I mean, seems legit. The Constructicons do need to offer further proof to Grapple and Hoist, though. so Megatron's like, “Then you must give them my most precious possession!” before laughing maniacally. So Starscream's aft, then? [Laughter]
S: [Softly] His-his Optimus Prime clone?
O: [Laughter] His Optimus Prime blow-up doll, you say? 
S: [Laughter]
O: Ehh… how many of those does he got? Really, I want to know. 
S: Costumes.
O: Costumes. That copy of him he had floating around. The clone he had made. [Laughter]
S: Yeah, there's so many options.
O: Yeah, I just- why? Why? I know why, but why? [Laughter]
S: The Constructicons return to Grapple and Hoist with, you know, metric fuckton of Energon in tow. You know, I think probably in Longhaul’s bed because poor Longhaul is just the hauler-monkey.
O: I’m still weirded out that this is his most precious possession. Like, if nothing else shouldn’t it be his fusion cannon, or something? 
S: He cares more about food than anything else, I guess.
O: I mean, okay, not starving is important. I don't know, it's still weird. 
S: Yeah, I don’t know. But, no, this is enough Energon to build Grapple’s Tower!
O: Grapple is now the happiest crane in the world.
S: He's a very- a very trusting dude.
O: Yeah. The Constructicons burst into a construction site and steal a bunch of building materials.
S: And here you see a human with a sense of self-preservation.
O: He doesn't argue with the giant robots stealing stuff. Smart man.
S: I think he just tears up the blueprints while crying.
O: He does! He does! He’s like, “Heargh...” [Laughter]
S: Poor guy. And so work begins on the tower. 
O: But back at the Ark, Optimus is playing basketball with folks more to his scale, as Spike coaches them from the sidelines. 
S: That's much safer, Spike.
O: Much. [Laughter] 
S: And oh hey, Tracks is here!
O: And then immediately injured while playing basketball, may we remind you, and Prime says it’s time for a checkup.
S: But apparently Hoist hasn't been around much lately. 
O: Gee, I wonder why? 
S: He's off having an affair with the Constructicons, with Grapple, and it's... gonna be awkward.
O: Very. Meanwhile, back with our illegal Tower, the Constructicons are stroking the fuck out of Grapple’s ego. 
S: Yep and due to the fact that Hoist is- Hoist and Grapple are missing, Powerglide has been sent out to find them. And find them he does, and their little construction site. And this little tete-a-tete-
O: [Laughter]
S: [Laughter] With the uh, Constructicons.
O: Their little home away from home, if you know what I mean. [Laughter]
S: Yeah.
O: And then Megs- wow, I'm reading the entirely wrong section. I'm serious, why am I miss-reading all the parts? Umm, [clears throat] Powerglide relays this back to Prime.
S: Who then says, “Code Blue.” Which, I mean, what the fuck does that mean?
O: Consorting with the enemy?
S: We’re- we're learning so much about the color codes- coding system today and nothing makes sense.
O: No, it doesn't. Construction vehicles fly through the air as the Constructicons form Devastator.
S: This is to, like, put the finishing touch on the tower. And then Megatron shows up and shoots both Grapple and Hoist, who were just like, “Ah, we're betrayed.” 
O: [Singing] Did we mention we're betrayed? 
S: Yeah. Megatron does call their tower magnificent, though. 
O: Is it just me, or does he really seem to appreciate well bit- built shit?
S: What's not to appreciate about well built shit? 
O: I mean, you've got a point. [Laughter]
S: Cutting to the Autobots, we see Optimus leading the charge, with a group of Autobots in tow. With Spike riding shotgun in Prime's cab.
O: Because that's always a good idea. Ah, the Autobots shoot at the tower, a fight ensues.
S: The Constructicons reform Devastator in order to fight the Autobots.
O: Devastator now shoots eye beams. 
S: Let's just give all of these robots more powers when it's convenient, I guess. 
O: Remember, kids, when you're playing with your Devastator toy he can attack with eye beams.
S: After you've bought all six of the Constructicons. So you got to get all six of them to have Devastator, remember, kids.
O: You don't want him to be missing an arm, or a head, or any legs now, would you?
S: Or the torso. 
O: Well, they couldn't really connect there was no torso so I was going with their limbs, but yes.
S: That's true but, I mean, you can stick all of them in a potato. [Laughter]
O: Welcome to the world's weirdest Mr. Potato Head. Mr. Potato Head Constructor- Devastator. I- wait, he needs a better name but-but, Potate-dader or some- Potato-nader?
S: Devas-tater?
O: Devas-tator? Yes. [Laughter]
S: Devas-tater, god, with a hyphen. Okay, so Cliffjumper attempts to shoot his, ah, patented glass gas but it's just slapped away.
O: Megatron then pulls some binoculars out of his boobs to get a closer look at what's going on.
S: Titty-noculars?
O: At least they're not titty guns, I guess? 
S: How- I mean, why doesn't he use these-?
O: Ever again? Because we know what we're watching.
S: Powerglide it takes to the air but is met with Ramjet, who's almost immediately knocked out by Devastator, because Powerglide, if nothing else, is at least good at maneuvering. 
O: True and then we have Warpath, wham-powing with his way into battle.
S: Smokescreen then gets Devastator's attention and gets him to kick the tower by, I think, using his patented smokescreen thing?
O: Or being like, “Nananananana, I’m over here.” Something like that.
S: Yeah.
O: But Prime narrates this the entire time.
S: It really seems like Smokescreen shouldn't need to be told what to do.
O: He didn't, but the kids did. 
S: That is an accurate-
O: The Autobots shoot Devastator who falls onto the remains of the tower, and then it explodes. 
S: Megatron is very disappointed in this. He didn't- I mean, he- the guy didn't even do anything to get the tower, aside from turn up afterwards, but you know. 
O: He's upper management, Specs, he takes credit for  everything,  remember?
S: True.
O: [Laughter] 
S: Oh and don't worry, all the Constructicons are perfectly fine, despite the exploding tower because it totally exploded.
O: The Autobots dig through the rubble to find Hoist and Grapple, who are also perfectly fine, albeit a little Han Solo’d at the moment. Like, they look like they're frozen in carbonite.
S: Yeah, yeah that's pretty... yeah.
O: [Laughter] 
S: But don't worry, Brawn punches them to freedom. 
O: Ah, yes, we found another good use for Brawn. Grapple and Hoist apologize which Optimus accepts immediately, unlike when Grimlock apologizes about a good 90 percent of the time.
S: [Sighs] But he does punish them. And their punishment is to go clean up the mess they made, all by themselves.
O: Everyone heads back towards home.
S: Grapple picks up what remains of this original model which, I guess, he took there?
O: He must have.
S: Yeah. He and Hoist uh, commiserate a little before they, too, head out.
O: Including tossing the model on top of the scrap heap to deal with later. 
S: Avoidance. It’s a tactic. 
O: That's where our episode cuts, so join us next time for bugs! Bugs! BUGS!! Big bugs!!! Also, mind control.
S: So much mind control.
O: So much mind control. I believe we have some fic recommendations for today?
S: Yes, we do. Ok, so our first recommendation for today is “Waiting for a World to Rebuild” by Caius. It's in the G1 continuity, it's rated G. It’s... got some shippy implications. Pairings are Grapple and Hoist. Our characters are Grapple, Hoist, and Rodimus Prime. And, in summary, “Grapple’s been waiting and designing and redesigning. When did he have a chance to build? Written for the TF speed writing prompt ‘setting the world to rights.’ It's about 300 words written in about a half an hour, revised and reposted per the authors’ summary.” The theme is Grapple and Hoist, and it's a complete- complete fanfic.
S: Our second recommendation for today is, “And the Walls Came Tumbling Down,” written by Pteropoda (SilentP). It's also in the G1 continuity, it's rated T, it's not Gen, so there's some Shippy stuff. Yeah, that's more than Shippy stuff this it's very overt, it is the subject matter in today’s-
O: Grapple and Hoist are definitely definitely, definitely in a relationship in this fic.
S: Yes. So there are obvious pairings, and the characters are Hoist, Grapple, Ratchet, Bluestreak and Red Alert, and, in summary, “Hoist has said the wrong thing and he knows it, but it's difficult to apologize when Grapple seems determined to never look him in the face plates again. Of course, the rest of the Ark knows better. According to them, those two have been together since the dawn of Cybertron and they will continue to be a couple until the end of time. All they need to do is to get those two to realize it.” And, again, the theme is Grapple and Hoist, this time very specifically as a pairing, and it's also complete.
O: That one sounds good, I haven't read these yet but I really want to read that one. 
S: Yup, they were both good. And that just about wraps it up for us today.  Remember to check us out on Tumblr or Pillowfort as Afterspark-Podcast for any additional information, show notes, or links we may have mentioned.  You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter @AftersparkPod (all one word), and various other locations by searching for, “Afterspark Podcast,” such as AO3, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and Youtube, just to name a few.  Until next time, I'm Specs.
O: And I'm Owls.
S: Toodles!
[Outro Music]
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krsnlove · 5 years
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Butterflies
A/N: Prompt from @alj4890
Pairing: Amanda[OC] x Elliott [OC], Liam x Riley, Drake x Olivia, Maxwell
Rating: PG
Tagging: @alj4890 @thecordoniandiaries @vickypoochoices @cora-nova @darley1101
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Amanda studied her reflection in the mirror before frantically shaking her head. She slipped off the millionth dress she’s tried on tonight in a fit of frustration. The pile of clothes on her bed, chaise lounge, and floor seemed to grow as the big hand on the clock nearby ticked away. Nothing in her closet seemed right.
Not for tonight anyway.
A groan escaped her mouth as she searched her closet for a dress to wear. It was too late to stop by the boutique and she mentally chastised herself for allowing time to get away from her. Of all the days to be running late, it had to be today.
A rapid knock on her bedroom door startled the Duchess of St. Orella. Peeved at the disturbance of her search, Amanda grudgingly opened the door.
“Yes?,” her words came out with a touch of annoyance she immediately regretted once she saw the figure standing there. Her long-time butler stood at the door with a garment bag. He quickly gave her a short bow and handed her a sealed envelope before inviting himself into the room.
“For you, my Lady,” he announced as he delicately laid the closed garment bag on her bed. Amanda stared at the familiar hand-writing on the envelope and looked at her butler.
“Is there anything else I may assist you with?,” he asked. Amanda narrowed her eyes at him. She could see his attempts at hiding a smile but knew better than to pester him with questions. She sighed and let out a small chuckle before dismissing him and turned her attention to the envelope in her hand.
“What are you up to,” she murmured to herself. Opening the envelope Amanda ran her hand over the stationery on the sheet of paper folded in half. She read the words out loud to no one in particular:
“Saw this in a shop and thought of you. I bet myself you’d look stunning in this. Try to prove me wrong tonight?
-Elliott”
Amanda grinned to herself, rereading the note a few times before pressing the sheet of paper to her chest. Elliott was always doing something to make her swoon, as much as she despised that word and action. It was almost ridiculous how romantic the man is. Even from their first encounter, it seemed to be straight out of those cheesy romantic movies.
Her hands glide over the garment bag before pulling on the zipper. The sight of the beautiful royal blue gown carefully tucked inside stunned her for a moment. She holds the dress in front of her and takes in the features. The high slit bottom and low-cut top in a v-shape made the dress both complicated and elegant. It was perfect for tonight. The fact Elliott remembered her house colors made her involuntarily sigh.
Excitedly, she carefully slipped into the dress and made the final adjustments to her hair and make-up.
1 HOUR LATER
Amanda sucked in her breath and slowly exhaled as she descended the spiral staircase of her home. Tonight’s charity ball for Cordonia’s orphanages had taken weeks to plan but the outcome was always worth it when she would see the smiling faces of the children the money would be helping. It was a cause Amanda held close to her heart and always made her anxious.
But tonight’s gathering gave her another reason to worry over. She had invited Elliott to attend and he accepted. It would be his first at a Cordonian court event and him escorting her tonight would confirm the gossip that surrounded their relationship in the press.
It had been a few months when Elliott McKingley boldly asked her on a date and Olivia agreeing on Amanda’s behalf. Since then the days were filled with text messages and phone calls or video chats. Dates were random as Elliott’s main offices are located in New York City, a fact Amanda didn’t like to be reminded of, but being CEO of a Fortune 500 company made it both easier and more difficult for him to visit Cordonia.
She moves closer to the bottom of the staircase where Elliott’s handsome face is waiting for her. The black and white tuxedo he has on seemed to be made just for him as it tailored to his masculine body perfectly. His black curly hair is brushed to the side and the dangerous dimpled grin on his face completed his look. Amanda tried to hide her giddy smile sensing his eyes on her, watching every single move she made. Until finally, she reaches the bottom of the staircase.
“It’s exhausting being right, you know that?,” Elliott asked with an arrogant grin. Amanda let out a hopeless sigh followed by a small chuckle. “You look better than I envisioned in that dress,” he leaned in and softly grazed her cheek with his lips and suddenly her knees felt like jello.
“You clean up nice,” she looked down at his tuxedo. Elliott gave a small bow and then began to do a series of poses in his suit. Heads turned in their direction as Amanda’s laughter filled the hall before she clamped her own hand over her mouth.
“Come on. We have to get in there. We have the first dance,” she nodded her head towards the ball room. Elliott stood up straight and held out his arm for her before leading her into the room with the waiting guests.
“That’s my doing right there,” Olivia said with a smirk as she nodded towards the waltzing couple in the middle of the floor. Drake looked over at Elliott and Amanda before shrugging his shoulders.
“And that’s my doing over there,” he nodded towards Liam and Riley. “Which is better cause Liam outranks some average CEO from America.”
“Amanda outranks some waitress from America,” she shot back.
“Touché. But now that she’s a Queen,” he gave her pitiful smile, “mine outrank yours.” He tipped his glass to her in salute before taking a sip.
“Is everything a competition with you two?,” Maxwell asked with a touch of annoyance in his voice. Olivia opened her mouth to return a scathing reply but soon feels Drake’s hand on her thigh tighten its hold. Glancing at him sideways, he shakes his head no, and she closes her mouth but not before letting out a grunt of frustration.
“Oh look. Liam and Riley are joining Amanda. Let’s go,” Drake’s forced enthusiasm isn’t lost on either Olivia or Maxwell as Drake begins to pull her towards the middle of the dance floor.
“You know he’s still having a hard time with this,” Drake tells Olivia in a whispered voice as they move away from Maxwell.
“It isn’t my fault. He had the chance,” she whispered back. “It’s been months. He needs to move on!”
“I know that ‘Liv,” Drake’s voice is barely above a whisper now, “but let the man come to terms with this on his own without your gloating.”
Olivia begins to notice the stares from nearby couples at their harshly whispered conversation and purposely glares back in return. Since she and Drake have become a bit friendlier with each other these past few months, the gossip surrounding their relationship ran rampant.
“Duchess,” Drake’s voice softened causing Olivia to look back at him. “Do we agree? No more conversations about Amanda and the average looking American?”
The side of her lips turned upwards into a small grin. Drake could never acknowledge how handsome Elliot is much to her amusement. She leaned closer into him until her lips are inches from his ear.
“Okay Walker,” she whispered seductively, “but if you ever silence me again like you did earlier,” she paused for effect allowing the closeness fill her senses and tightened her hold on him, “I’ll destroy you.”
Drake grinned at the threat and looked into her eyes, “Is that a promise?”
A few feet away Elliott and Amanda watch the interaction between the infamous duo.
“What do you think they’re talking about?,” he asked.
“Knowing those two,” Amanda answered with a raised eyebrow, “Olivia probably threatened Drake and he’s loving it.”
“You have weird friends,” Elliot mused. Amanda elbowed his side emitting a small cough from his lips. “Pointy Elbows 3 Ribs 0,” he commented once he was able to find his voice.
Before Amanda has the chance to apologize she sees Adelaide charging towards them. Her eyes solely focused on Elliott.
“Lady Amanda!,” Adelaide greeted her and allowed herself to tear her eyes away from Elliott. “This is a lovely event. I’m sure we’ll be able to donate a large sum of money to the orphanages tonight,” she said before turning to Elliott. “And who do we have here?”
“This is a very good friend of mine,” Amanda began to make introductions and it wasn’t long before Adelaide coaxed Elliott into asking her for a dance.
“Will you be okay?,” Elliott asked in a low voice. Amanda let out a small chuckle at his genuinely concerned look.
“I’ve been to a million of these events. I’ll be fine sitting out for one dance,” she told him. “It might be even more,” she teased once she noticed Adelaide impatiently waiting nearby.
“I’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder while being pulled in the opposite direction.
Amanda kept her laugh to herself as she watched Adelaide dance with Elliott. A few times he had to move her roaming hands back up to his shoulders until she finally pulled him into a close hug. She shook her head no when Elliott looked over to her and mouthed the words ‘help’ when Adelaide tugged him close.
“You look wonderful tonight Amanda,” she turned around to the sound of the familiar voice. Maxwell stood  with a champagne glass in an all black tuxedo looking handsome as ever.
“Thanks Maxwell,” she greeted him with a smile, “You don't look bad yourself.”
“I try,” he said attempting a smile.
“Are you enjoying yourself tonight?,” she asked.
“I am. Annica won’t stop talking about how beautiful everything looks. You’ve really outdone yourself this year.”
“I’m glad she approves. Leave it to you to date Cordonia’s number one interior designer and to bring her tonight no less,” she teased. Maxwell let out a laugh and shrugged his shoulders.
“But I can’t take credit for all of this. Elliott has been such a huge help too. I think most of tonight’s success is because of him.”
Maxwell nodded his head and said nothing. It was proving difficult nowadays to not hear about Elliott.
“He’s lucky to have you,” Maxwell said in a low voice. Amanda acknowledged his statement with a small nod letting her gaze settle on Elliott.
“He is, isn’t he?,” she agreed with a teasing smile.
Maxwell follows her gaze to the American who has stolen her away from him. The one who was able to capture Amanda’s heart. The one who succeeded where he failed.
“Maxwell...,” her voice cut through his thoughts. He notices the troubled look on her face and gives her a reassuring smile.
“I’m okay,” he automatically replies.
“Are you?”
“I’m always okay Amanda,” he said before taking a sip from his champagne glass. “You look happy and that is what always mattered to me.”
“Maxwell,” her voice broke for a moment and she hesitated before continuing, “Please know...I never meant to hurt you.”
He flashed her a small smile and closed the distance between them until she was within his reach. Allowing himself to take in her facial features, the same ones he took for granted before and now haunted him in his dreams, he leaned in and whispered into her ear.
“You could never hurt me ‘Manda,” he said right before placing a kiss on her cheek. “You’ll always be my girl.”
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Chisaki Kai with a Fem!S/O who needs comfort
Trigger Warning: Mentions of past abuse
So, not many blogs write about darker themes and I know there are many people who need comfort and help, advice, someone to talk to, so... Yeah, I write comfort stuff for people who need help, who experienced any kind of past abuse, especially since I had my fair share of bad stuff happening.
Take care of yourself and always know that your own happiness is the most important thing in your life!! <3
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I know Chisaki isn’t the most romantic/sensitive persona and in canon I’m not sure he’d actually CARE much about anyone, but just like he cares about Hari, I think that there are ways to get to him, to see his softer side, as long as you’re not someone that he needs to use to reach his goal (ex: Eri’s innocence and purity never got to him because he needed to use her, so he never thought of her more than an object to use as he pleases)
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“Y/N, dear, today you’re going to be meeting Chisaki-san very soon, so get dressed in something appropriate and elegant, then come in the living room so we can greet him properly, understood?” my mother said sternly, looking at me with a cold stare. “Yes, mother.” I reply in a meek voice, hurrying to my room.
There, I make my hair slightly wave-y, put a thin, black headband, to go with my fire red hair, a white victorian shirt tucked in a long, black skirt that went just a bit above my ankles, put on skin-coloured stockings, black flats, and a soft jewelry set of bronze earrings, necklace and a ring, all sporting a gorgeous forest-green emerald, to highlight my eyes.
I quickly apply natural coloured make up, so I would have some colour and a slight blush to my face, added some white crayon on my lower lid to give the impression of big, innocent, obedient eyes, then went to the living room, where I got the seal of approval from my mother, who sat next to my father, on the sofa, both looking extremely strict and straight, whereas I had to stand up until this Chisaki man arrived, so I could be introduced to him, then I could fetch wine and other stuff that an obedient wife should do.
To be fair, I don’t really know strictly what I should do, but they’ll just tell me anyways, so it will be fine.
The clock struck 8 P.M. and the next second, the butler opened the door, revealing a tall man, with a lean body, dressed in a white suit, white gloves and a black mask, his eyes gleaming like gold in the Sun, incredibly intimidating, as if he could set the whole manor on fire with the flick of him hand, and he was welcomed to sit on the sofa opposite of my parents.
Before that, he shook my father’s hand, bowed to my mother, “kissing” her hand, then as he got in front of me, I did a low courtesy, telling him my name in a voice barely above a whisper, then he bowed in front of me, properly introducing himself to me, then kissed my hand, through the mask, just like he did with my mother, but not before stealing a longer look at me, his vibrant amber eyes looking directly into my innocent emerald ones, making me feel as if I was under a microscope, observed and analysed, like a hunter stalking its prey.
On the other hand, as I looked into his eyes, it seemed like everything around me was black and white, a complete lifeless blur, the only thing alive being his radiant golden eyes, that were, on the surface, unreadable, and yet, somehow gave off a menacing vibe, perfectly fitting for the Yakuza leader.
“It is my pleasure to finally meet you, Miss L/N. I have heard many wonderful words about you, yet nothing compares to seeing you in real life.” he said in a very alluring voice, yet his words seemed as empty as any broken cup.
“You’re too kind, Mr. Chisaki. I appreciate your word. You, as well, are exceeding any expectations existent.” I replied, looking down, an unfortunate habit I have developed over the years.
After the formalities, I poured wine in their cups and then I was told to wait outside, since I shouldn’t know of such affairs, and they only called me later to say goodbye, and found out I will be moving in completely at Chisaki’s base over this week.
Goodbye world as we know it.
I settled in my room, seeing that it was a huge dormitory with bathroom inside, everything extremely comfortable, and more, a side-room only for clothes, put my laptop on the bed and took out the few clothes I got with me.
As part of the deal, my parents promised to fill my card every week with quite a huge sum of money, so I can accommodate in this new place...Which means I can finally buy things I want, wear what I want...And kinda do what I want, to a certain degree.
NEAT!
In the evening, a knock on the door took me out of my thoughts and as I opened it, a bored looking Kurono was there, telling me that dinner was ready, and if I wanted to eat with him and Chisaki, since he was a bit free, or eat in my room.
Since I was going to live here forever, I thought it would be nice to get to know these guys better, especially my soon-to-be-husband, that is. I had a few huge worries in plastered in my head, all of them thrown at me by my own mother, that is, but I tried to pay them no mind.
“Oh, uh...Should I dress in anything more appropriate or something? I don’t want to offend anyone or-” I said, not realising I was rambling out of worry, until Hari put a hand on my shoulder. “Just like this is fine. There are no rules here of how to dress or anything, so anything works just fine.” he said in an emotionless tone, a bit surprised by my worries. “Really? Like...All kinds of outfits are okay here? Even those outfits teenagers wore outside when we passed by?” I asked a little too excited, not realising my eyes were wide in shock. “Uhm...Yeah, that’s okay. As long as it’s nothing indecent, anything works. Now, follow me.” he motioned for me to follow to the supposed living-room. “Then, if I am to order some things from the internet, where should I put the address? It obviously can’t come here, so...Where else?” I asked curiously. “There’s this place where we go every week where I think would work. I can just pick the package up or have someone send it here any time, if you want.” he replied, opening the door for me. “But since the card is on my name, would they allow someone else other than me to take it? I don’t really have much to do, so I can go take it myself so I won’t bother you! Just...I need some directions, since I’m pretty directionally challenged...” I chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of my neck. “I’ll take you there when the time comes. I will write the address on a piece of paper so you know what to write.” he mumbled, pulling out the chair for me to sit down at the small table. I thank him timidly, not really being used to that happening to me, then just as he too sits down, Chisaki enters the room, dressed in white vans, black jeans, a black shirt and a white loose tie, having the same white gloves, and weirdly enough, a beak shaped mask. Just as i was indoctrinated at home, I jolt to my feet and bow to him, greeting him formally, only to feel his hand on my head.
“Raise your head, Y/N. You are supposed to be my fiance, not my maid, so there is no need to act like one.” he said in a stern voice, making me sit back down. “O-Oh, haha, of course, I apologise. I’ve been told that’s the thing a proper wife should do, sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything.” I smiled awkwardly, biting my lip. “I see. I will keep that in mind. What I can say is that there is no need for any unneeded formality.” he replied, taking off his mask before he started to eat.
Nodding and humming in understanding, I start eating as well, slowly, trying to not to make any noise while at it, and when I finished, I waited until I got the permission to be excused from the table so I could start ordering stuff online. Kurono didn’t realise at first why I was shifting a bit in my seat, but Chisaki easily realised and told me I’m dismissed and that I shouldn’t wait for him to tell me what to do, since I have a mind of my own and I should use it accordingly.
Perhaps I should try and stop being so closed off, listening more to my intuition, rather than to my parents’ communistic indoctrination. So... Let’s buy cute, pastel clothes! Pastel pink, pastel purple, pastel blue! Lots of cute accessories! Goodness gracious, these are all just so cute!
I wonder if Chisaki will like these? Nah, probably not, he doesn’t seem like a person to care about these things. I am, after all, just a part of the deal he made with my parents. He marries me, and with that, a part of my parents’ business, since I will inherit it after they die.
Too bad that Chisaki doesn’t know some of these dark secrets behind this deal...
I dressed in a super cute pastel purple, fixed my light purple wig then went out of the room, ready to go out to the local Starbucks and enjoy a nice chocolate frappe with weird but fun name, then update my social media with cute pics. Three months passed since I came to be Chisaki Kai’s fiancee and truth be told, it was the most liberating thing I’ve ever experienced. It was weird, but I felt free like never before.
When I was with my parents, going out of the house was a strict no-no, unless it was some charity ball I was made to attend, so other rich people who had sons could see me...All for business deals, of course. But now, except for the fact that he’s always very busy, he has his own room, so my own dorm is my private space where nobody goes and I’m allowed to breath without anyone looking past my shoulder.
Plus, I can dress in whatever way I want and play video games! I am even allowed to fool around on social media, as long as I’m careful not to get caught or affiliated with the Underground, so it’s perfect!
After I finished my stroll around the park, I go back to the base, stopping by Chisaki’s office, to see how he is. As usual, of course, he was busy with paperwork.
“Sorry to disturb you. I got you a chocolate frappe from Starbucks.  I uh...Didn’t know if you liked it, but it’s sweet so I thought you might want try, maybe?” I asked shyly, showing him the Venti cup I had. “I’m not a fan of sweets. You can drink it, if you like.” he responded, not even looking up from his papers. “Uhm...Can I...Can I help you in any way? You’re always so busy and stressed...Uhm...A massage? Or...Any simpler task that I could do in your stead? I don’t really know if you’re sleeping and eating well, so I’m just checking...S-Sorry if I’m annoying.” I trailed off, looking away, which is when he raised his head and turned in his seat to look at me properly. “Come here, Y/N.” he ordered, motioning for me to approach him.
I slowly and unsurely made my way in front of him, between his legs, then he took the cup away, putting it on the table’s corner, so it wouldn’t accidentally ruin his papers, then took a hold of both my hands and looked up at me, his eyes boring into mine as if looking an answer.
“Show me your Quirk, Y/N. I haven’t asked before and your parents avoided this question like the plague.” he demanded in a dull yet strict voice. “W-Well...My Quirk is extremely boring and useless, so I can get why they never mentioned it. To them, I’m as good as Quirkless, which is a huge family disappointment, like my whole existence, that is, but...I mean, if you want to see...” I sighed, putting my hands under his, raising them so he could see well enough how a small, pink flower starts growing from his hands, looking gorgeous, frail and innocent. “Your Quirk is making flowers?” he asked, an eyebrow raised, seeming almost interested. “Yeah...Nothing important or interesting in any way, I’m sorry for disappointing you. I guess Quirks really define the person, in some way. I’m pathetic enough as it is.” I shrugged, letting my arms fall to my sides, looking away. “Don’t say that. Quirks are filthy, and everyone now is sick. They all need to be purged and cured. This, however...Is purity and I won’t hear otherwise from you or anyone else, understand.” he replied, holding me by the elbows. “U-Uhm...Okay, then...” I nodded reluctantly, not really knowing how to react. “In two days there is going to be a fake charity ball hosted by your parents and we are invited. Make sure you dress appropriately, since we will be attending.” he said nonchalantly, and I could feel all the blood on my face drain, my mind going dizzy a bit. “M-My parents, you say...O-Okay, I’ll do my best then...! I won’t disappoint you!” I tried to say excitedly, to hide me trembling form before leaving the room in a rush, back to my dorm, collapsing on my bed since my legs gave out.
My parents had a clear purpose for this, and it won’t really end well... Not for me, at least.
I  dressed in a simple but elegant long dark green dress, with a new set of jewelry gifted by Chisaki specially for this event, my arranged to fall down my bare shoulders in elegant fire waves, and my make up was nothing drastic, but the seductive cat eye was highlighted with the perfect help of the black eyeliner, whilst he wore a dark suit with a dark green tie, so we would match.
It’s needless to say that I was hyperventilating quite a bit, but I tried to hide it some way, my red lipstick making the contrast with my with teeth create a dazzling smile, so nobody saw my insecurities, especially not while I was still clinging to Chisaki’s arm.
We mostly stayed at the bar since directly, we didn’t have anything to do with this event, except for the sake of my parents, we had to attend, and we enjoyed drinks. Well, more or less he made fun of me for almost spitting white wine, since I found it incredibly disgusting, so sulking, I stuck to water, pouting.
Not long after, my parents approached us, so we got off the bar stools and greeted them formally.
“Y/N, dear, and Chisaki-san, how are you enjoying the party?” my mother asked, a wide and extremely fake smile on her face. “It’s very nice, thank you for inviting us, Mrs. L/N, it was very kind of you.” Chisaki said in a very formal tone. “Oh, no problem, we just missed our sweet baby Y/N! Ah, speaking of babies, what’s with this tummy? Oh, don’t tell me! Oh, it’s about time yo-” she looked so excited, thinking I was pregnant, but I started panicking really bad and put my hands on her shoulders to stop her thinking. “I’m not pregnant, Jesus, we’ve only been together for 3 months! Don’t speak like that, who knows who’ll hear?!” I stuttered, not really knowing what to say, since I felt like I was being beaten up with bricks. “Ahh...That’s a shame! I guess you just got a bit fat...But next time I see you, there better be a child in that belly of yours, young lady! It’s tradition, after all! Us, L/Ns, must carry the bloodline through generations! So of course, unless it’s a boy, you must not stop, you need an heir!” my mother commented, obviously disappointed. “B-But...I...W-Well...” I could feel my mind going completely blank with worry and my heart was about to get out of my chest. My lungs were burning and sweat was dripping from my forehead. Clear signs of a panick attack, and I felt like almost fainting. “Oh, darling, that’s no way to speak in front of Mr.Chisaki! He knows what’s the best course of action for his business, no need for you to talk for anyone! Come on now, you bothered them enough, let them enjoy the party, they are young, free and wild! Oh, before I go, I saw David around, don’t forget to say hi to him, like the good girl you are!” my father winked at us, then took my mother away, leaving the two of us in an uncomfortable silence. “What was that about, Y/N?” he asked, clearly irked by the conversation. “Pardon me, I have to go vomit...” I whispered before running to the restroom and barfing into the bathroom, crying as emotions and anxiety took over my very being.
I knew that was going to happen, why did I expect anything else? Now that I’m caught in between two evils, I will have to tell Chisaki about the business problems, and I can just see how incredibly bad that’s going to end. After a good 10 minutes I finally got up, my legs still trembling, then went to wash my face with ice cold water before re-applying my make up, grateful for the fact that I was inspired enough to bring the basic make up stuff in my purse. When I got out of the bathroom, Chisaki was leaning on the wall, waiting.
“Hi...Sorry for waiting so long.” I muttered, looking away, embarrassed. “What happened?” he asked in a passive voice. “Just...Had a panic attack.” I replied, not daring to look at him. “Your mother’s words triggered it. Why?” he interrogated me, wanting to find out what was going on. “Can we...Go home, please? I...I had to tell you, sooner or later, but...I was a bit afraid...I guess...It’s not very nice...” I mumbled, shifting in my place uncomfortably. “Very well. Let’s go.” he nodded, offering me his arm to take, like all couples do in this fancy place.
The huge problem was that on our way out of the ballroom, the person I dreaded the most appeared in front of me, a charming smirk on his face, as he looked down on me.
“Aww, if it isn’t cute little Y/N! My, you turned into quite the seductive vixen, don’t you think? I guess you grew up quite a lot since then.” he winked, which made me flinch and step behind Chisaki a bit, gripping his arm tighter. “I don’t know you, leave me alone, I have to go home, bye.” I said, my voice breaking as I tried to make Chisaki move, but he didn’t budge an inch. “Well, I have to go back soon too, my whore is waiting for me at home. I see you found yourself another hunk, hm? Is he any good? Clearly, not like me, but-” he started to trail, but by this point my grip on Chisaki’s arm was so tight that I may leave bruises on his skin. “CAN’T YOU GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR WAY, YOU PARASITE?! SCATTER OFF BEFORE I STEP ON YOU AND SQUISH YOU LIKE THE USELESS VERMIN YOU ARE!” I screamed at him, already at my limit, wanting to get the hell out of there before I have another breakdown. “So ungraceful...Well, I guess it’s no wonder why they so desperately wanted to get rid of you. But, remember, Y/N...All men are the same. You can refuse them all you want, but it wont be long before they take action.” with an evil smirk, he left the place, not before fixing Chisaki with his eyes, condescendingly. “We have a lot to talk about when we go home, Y/N.” he muttered, leading the way to the car. “Give me a break...I need to sleep 24 hours...And hopefully get into a coma and never wake up” I said the last part, hoping he won’t hear.
That night, he was patient enough to let me sleep and recover from the hectic night...But I knew that the next evening, hell will break loose.
I dressed up in a pair jeans, a green plaid shirt with rolled sleeves and black combat boots and went to eat outside, enjoying a nice pizza as comfort food, then went to walk around the city, listening to music, trying to gather my thoughts and words in some way so I won’t stutter in front of Chisaki...Too much.
I didn’t even realise evening came until the lamp posts started lighting up, so I sighed and made my way back to the base, only to be greeted not by my sort-of friend, Hari, but by Shin Nemoto.
“You are the worst thing that happened to Shie Hassaikai! Master Chisaki was wrong to make a deal with your kin!” he said, angrily, pointing at me accusingly. “Well...That’s not wrong, I know that. What’s it to you? I can’t change the fact that I’m a disappointment.” I shrugged, not caring much about what was happening. “I will tell master Chisaki what you’re hiding! Do you hold any important secrets?” he asked, looking into my eyes. “Yes, 3, quite important ones...Wait, why did I say that?!” I gasped, slapping my hands over my mouth. “That’s my Quirk, idiot girl! Now, what are your secrets!” he demanded, making me widen my eyes in fear, trying to force myself not to speak, but words just came out of my mouth. “My parents stopped sending me money in over 3 weeks, saying their deal is over for now.” I said in a strong voice, so uncharacteristic of me, but I could feel my eyes watering. “Why didn’t you mention that to anyone? Not even to Kurono or Chisaki?” he inquired, a sadistic look on his face. “Because they said they won’t send any more money if I don’t produce an heir...G-Gods...Y-You...Monsters...” I sobbed, tears streaming down my face. “Does Master Chisaki know of that?” he asked, shocked. “I-I don’t know the deal they made...But I overheard my parents saying that the second I’ll have a male baby, an heir, they’ll make him the heir of the company and steal him from us, just so they won’t have to pass on their legacy to us, but to the kid...Why are you doing this to me?! I was going to tell Chisaki these things just now, why do you have to interfere?! Who do you think you are?!” I asked, my voice broke so badly that it sounded like a whine. “Shin? What are you doing to her?! Chisaki’s not going to like this!” Hari’s voice, usually dull, sounded alarmed now as he got in front of me, trying to calm my sobs down. “She’s a traitor, Chronostasis! She just confessed her sins! She’s been plotting with her parents!” he yelled, accusingly. “I WASN’T! I hate them! They abused me all my childhood! This deal was what got me out of that hell, and I’d never do anything to betray Chisaki! I don’t want to go back there! I’d rather die and burn in hell forever than go back there!” I screamed at him, falling on the ground, sobbing. “So pathetic...Pathetic, that’s the only word to describe someone like you! You are not worthy of staying in Master Chisaki’s company!” he said in a low, threatening voice. “That’s enough, Shin! If Chisaki gets here, he’s going to be pissed off!” he warned, getting in front of me, protectively. “What’s all this mess here? I don’t appreciate this chaos.” a low voice that sent chills through everyone’s spines echoed throughout the base. “M-Master Chisaki, I was interrogated the traitor! She spilled all her secrets shamelessly!” he said, proudly of his achievements. “The way I see this, you used your Quirk on her to make her confess. Is that correct, Nemoto?” he asked, in a passive-aggressive tone. “I had to! She wouldn’t answer my answers! She was going to betray you, Master!” he tried to defend himself, but that only made Chisaki angry enough to use his Quirk to kill him, then bring him back to life. “Never. Lie. To me. Again. Or else you’re not going to get lucky enough to see the light of life again, got it? Now leave.” he ordered Shin, who was shaking. “Now, you two. What the hell is going on here?” he asked, trying to cool off. “I...Don’t really know, to be fair. I just got here and saw Nemoto being aggressive with her.” he sighed, annoyed at getting caught in the middle. “I see. Then leave, I need to speak to my wife.” he said, nodding at his childhood friend, who only nodded at us, taking his leave. “Get to your room, I will be there shortly.” he said, looking down at me, which made me scurry my way to my room, trying to calm down, washing my face in the bathroom. When I got out, Chisaki was sitting on the bed, looking straight at me, his eyes boring into mine as if he was trying to detect any lie or deception.
“Sit.” he motioned for me to take a seat next to him, which made me gulp and shift in my place. He hasn’t been in my room before. “Don’t make me say it twice.” his voice getting sterner, which just made me sigh and sit down, trying to calm down my fidgeting with my fingers. “You’ve never been this nervous while around me. Why is that?” he asked, wanting to see the explanation. “Uhm...No man has been in my room before...Not here, not like that, at least.” I tried to explain, hoping it was relevant in some way. “Are you afraid of men, Y/N?” he asked, his gaze not leaving my face. “Mhm...Men...Nice people too...They’re fake, all of them, just pretending to be nice before they use or backstab you. Nice people can’t be trusted.” I mutter, scratching my hand, out of habit. “I see...Tell me what you wanted to confess.” he said, his voice calmer than before. “First of all...Will you...S-Sorry...Uhmm...C-Could you please tell me what the deal was? I have to know how they lied you, so I can tell you the truth...” I replied, intertwining my fingers together. “They said something about making sure I have an heir to inherit my position in the future, so they could support him as well.” he mentioned, making me bite me lip. “What did you...Think about th-that?” I asked, barely audible. “I have no time for such disgusting things, and especially not for little parasites. Why would I even want an heir? Everything I do is for myself, for the Yakuza.” he explained, his voice getting slightly patronising. “S-So...Y-You...Don’t want an heir? Or...Y-You know...Th-That thing everyone talk about.” I stammer over my words, already feeling faint. “I’m not going to have sex, no, so if that’s what you were thinking about-” he started saying, as if he was denying me something, but my face was already washed with relief, tears falling on my cheeks again, before I put my hands on my face. “Thank goodness...I’ve been agonising over this since I came here...I was so scared about this...I was expecting everday something like that to happen...Because...Because that’s what’s been put into my head...That it’s the most important thing and that men can’t control themselves...And then...That thing with David...” I trailed, not even realising if I was making any point, until Chisaki rose an eyebrow. “That guy at the ballroom? The one you snapped at?” he inquired, curious. “Y-Yeah...He...He was the first person I was the fiancee of, y’know...My parents wanted to get rid of me so I can get them a male heir, adopt it, then leave all their fortune to him. That was the truth of the deal. That’s why my mother was so happy when she thought I was pregnant...Surprise, I’m just fat, haha...They lied to you...Just like how they lie to everyone around them.” I sighed, slicking my hair back, not daring to look at Chisaki, who I was sure was burning with rage by now. “So they lied. Very well. I suppose nobody told them not to go against the Yakuza. They will pay for it.” he said, a cold anger evident in his voice. “C-Can I watch too...? I really...Really want revenge too...I...Don’t want to go through that again...Will you please take me with you when you kill them...?” I asked, looking at him for the first time. “Fine. Is that guy in it too?” he asked, obviously already preparing his plans. “U-Uhm...Sort of...He uhm...My mother told him the same...And...W-Well...He was m-more than eager to...Uhm...Get more money, let’s say...Very...Eager...Until he realised he was infertile and my parents made him break the deal...Thankfully...” I confessed the one thing I never thought I’d have the courage to tell anyone, to the one person who seemed most unlikely to care, who so happened to be my husband-to-be as well. “Men with no honour or principals...That’s where this world has come to. Very well. Death is mercy for those like him, I have something far greater prepared for him. And you are going to watch.” he demanded, getting to his feet, ready to leave the room. “W-Wait! Chisaki! Uhm...Thank you...For listening! You...You saved me...And I owe you my life and freedom...So, I didn’t want you to get wronged in this deal. If you decide that I’m no longer useful to you and you want to kill me, it’s fine. But...Thank you.” I told him, as I got to my feet and grasped his hand in both of mine, looking up at him, with a small smile. “I’m not going to kill you. It would be pointless and it would go against the Yakuza Code.” he said, looking down at me, weirdly. “Can I...Can I hug you...Please?” I whispered, biting my lip, and surprisingly, I got an affirmative answer, which made me easily throw my arms around his torso, holding him tightly, his hearbeat soothing my senses. “You’re...Welcome.” was his response, faint, barely audible, but existent.
The most shocking thing he’s ever done in his life, probably a huge shock for him as well, was that he took off his mask, but his arms around me as well, then kissed the top of my head, and stayed there, in silence, letting me hold him until I got tired of it.
Chisaki Kai, the leader of the Yakuza, my husband.
He isn’t the most romantic, or sensitive person in the world.
Hell, he barely even care about anything in this world, except for his goals. But...I never imagined that even he could have a heart, enough to let me into it, and protect me the way he did.
From my parents, from my past, from my abuse, from my memories. He created a new place, a new home, with new memories and new dreams, as weird or evil as they are, but they’re still much better than what I had before.
I was finally free from the burning shackles that kept me chained in the dark void of bad memories and trauma.
He saved me.
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mamabearcat · 5 years
Text
Keys To Her Heart Ch 1
I was going to post a saucy snippet of an upcoming chapter, and then realised that I’d only ever posted a link to this story on fanfiction.net. Sooooo, I’ll be posting the first three chapters on Tumblr, and adding a Masterpage link. This is a Fairy Tail Modern AU set in Australia, with a touch of the supernatural. Mostly NALU, and will definitely be M rated. Lucy is in research mode, ready to write her first historical book, and has no time for Natsu, the hot fire fighter who has a side hustle hosting ghost tours. Together, they end up discovering more than they bargained for!
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CHAPTER ONE
Lucy Heartfilia glanced up from signing the cheque to find the real estate agent leering at her… again. She disguised her distaste with some difficulty, and handed the cheque to him over the desk. Mr Everlue put it into his pocket.
"So, what did you say brought you up to the mountains for a month my dear? A romantic interlude perhaps?" He leaned towards her and winked in a conspiratorial way. Lucy looked at him uncomfortably, shifting in her seat.
"I didn't say", she said raising her chin impatiently, but trying for a pleasant tone. "I'll be working."
"Ah, that's right, the book, on… bushrangers, did you say?"
"Yes", said Lucy, wondering if it would be rude to turn and march out of the office immediately. There was something about this man that made her feel inherently uneasy. But she needed to stay in Rose Cottage for her research, and this slimy man was the managing agent. Turning her gaze around the office, she caught the sympathetic gaze of the blue-haired receptionist on the front counter, and immediately felt a little better.
"Well, if that's everything I have to sign, I really need to get going, Mr Everlue", said Lucy, reaching down for her small backpack. "I still need to drive the rest of the way up the mountain, and it's getting dark."
"That is true, my dear. I did offer to escort you, and the offer is still open…"
"It's not a problem, Mr Everlue" Lucy replied hurriedly, rising from her seat. "I'm sure I'll manage."
He handed her a small bunch of keys. "Well, you can't say I didn't try", he smirked. "And you have my business card."
"And I'll be sure to call you if there are any problems", she answered, picking up her heavy backpack and turning to leave.
"You might change your mind after spending a few nights up there alone. I'm told the cottage is decidedly… spooky… after dark. You might need some company. Who knows what might be up there, lurking, just…
Lucy turned her gaze toward him and fixed him with an icy glare. He had the decency to look a little abashed.
"I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago, Mr Everlue. If you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do."
She turned and walked briskly out of the office, the bell on the shop door tinkling merrily as it closed behind her. As she turned, Lucy caught a momentary glimpse of her reflection in the real estate shop window. Her long golden hair was still confined in the thick braid she had put it in this morning, and her old leather jacket, checked buttoned shirt, jeans and boots, although clean, were looking decidedly scruffy. Her round, plain glasses magnified her brown eyes in her pale face, which were currently narrowed in an annoyed expression. Mr Everlue chose that moment to give her a final wave, wriggling his fingers at her, which did not improve her mood.
Lucy hurriedly swung her body around and stomped down the hill, slamming straight into something tall and solid. She immediately fell backwards with a thump, and felt the wind slam out of her, and her glasses fall from her face. There was nothing she could do but sit on the ground, like an open-mouthed fish, trying to gasp in oxygen.
"Are you alright?" a gravelly male voice asked. A blurry face appeared in front of her, and she felt someone kneel next to her, rubbing her back, trying to help. "This ain't an asthma attack, is it?"
Lucy shook her head dumbly, still trying to draw in breath, and finally managed it, making a most unladylike whooping sound as she did so. She moved her hands around beside her, trying to find her glasses, and her hand came to rest on a muscular leg clad in faded jeans. She felt her glasses being put into her hand by one much larger, and warmer than her own.
Lucy slid her glasses onto her face, to find herself focusing on the greenest eyes she had ever seen. They seemed like they would usually be crinkled in enjoyment and laughter, even though at the moment, they looked concerned. The rest of the face was equally striking, with high cheekbones, a generous mouth, and an unruly shock of dark pink hair. The owner of the face was still rubbing her back, and now that she was breathing, she felt a wave of embarrassment begin to wash upwards from her toes. Why was she always so clumsy!
"I'm fine", she snapped, trying to get to her feet quickly, a little too quickly. She lurched sideways, and the owner of the green eyes rose quickly and steadied her with his hands on her upper arms. She found herself staring directly at his broad chest, and had to tilt her head to look up into his face. Her stomach did a little flip flop, as his mouth curved into a smile, one that went all the way up to his eyes.
"You don't sound fine. Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere?", he said gently. She took a deep breath, and after trying to smile back unsuccessfully, shook her head, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She'd been in the mountains for fifteen minutes and had already managed to look like a total klutz in front of the most attractive man she had ever seen.
The piercing gaze of his green eyes seemed to scorch her, increasing the turbulent feeling in her stomach, and she turned her face aside, only for her eyes to rest on the taut muscles of his arms underneath his grey t-shirt where they had flexed to steady her. She wondered what it would feel like to be pulled into an embrace inside those strong arms. She immediately gave herself a mental slap and looked away, down towards her own scuffed boots. 'For heaven's sake, pull yourself together Lucy, what are you, a love-sick teenager!' she thought, and said aloud, "I'm sorry, I was in a hurry to get somewhere, and I just wasn't looking where I was going. Thank you very much for your help."
Green eyes dipped his head downwards, trying to catch her eye, and continuing to smile, said "It was my pleasure". He took her small hand in his own and shook it briefly, and then continued on his way up the hill, whistling cheerfully, his hands resting nonchalantly behind his head.
It took all Lucy's self-control not to turn around immediately to see if the view of him from behind lived up to the one at the front. After a few moments, she gave up the struggle and turned. She was rewarded with the view of dark pink tousled hair, wide shoulders, a narrow waist and muscular legs which seemed made to wear blue jeans. His stride was purposeful, but unhurried, and she allowed herself the pleasure of watching him for a few moments before a movement of his head made her quickly turn and scurry in the opposite direction. Just because he was built like a statue of a Greek god didn't give her the right to stare at him, like a piece of marble in a museum. And he was definitely not made of marble. She remembered the warmth of his thigh underneath her hand, the way he had firmly rubbed her back. Oh, and that smile… She gave herself a mental shake; she had no time for romance, even if he was interested. And of course, he wouldn't be. Beautiful people like him were never interested in her. She was the good girl, bookish, polite Lucy Heartfilia, who always kept her head down, and never did anything unexpected.
She continued down to the corner, where she had parked her battered pale blue Volkswagen beetle. A large furry white head with pale blue eyes was hanging out of the back window, and she could hear a strong curved tail beating a happy wagging rhythm against the cardboard box of groceries in the back seat. Her husky Plue gave a short sharp bark of approval that she was back, and did his best to wriggle his excitement within the confines of his dog car harness. She hopped into the front seat, and couldn't help turning to smile at him. When she had picked him up at the pound only two short years ago, he had been a tiny white ball of fluff, shivering in fear. Now he was a rambunctious ball of furry energy that constantly kept her on her toes. Life with a dog as big as Plue was never dull.
"Ok, boy, time to hit the road. Straight up the mountain, no pit stops until we get there. Rose Cottage, here we come, ready or not". She glanced over her shoulder to see the happy doggy grin on his face, and paused to give him a good scratch between his ears. "This is going to be our year Plue, the year we make all our dreams come true."
Lucy pulled into the overgrown driveway, at the very end of the curving mountain road. She was glad she had driven up the thin winding road for the first time before dark. Although it was sealed, there had been a sheer drop on one side, and it was difficult to see exactly how far down the valley floor was, filled as it was with tall eucalyptus trees and tree ferns, and she had no desire to find out for herself by plummeting over the edge. She got out of the car, and undid Plue's safety harness. He immediately jumped down, and started a sniffing exploration of the overgrown garden.
"Don't go too far!" Lucy called, as she balanced the box of groceries on one hip, while slinging her backpack over her other shoulder. She walked up the three steps at the front of the wooden cottage, and sniffed appreciatively at the small sweet-smelling yellow climbing roses that covered the posts of the front veranda, almost disguising the peeling white paint. She put both the backpack and the box down, and fumbled in her front pocket for the keys.
A big plain silver key opened the old lock with a little effort, and she opened the front door. A faint waft of lavender greeted her as she walked into the hallway. She peeked into a small bedroom on the left, with a quilted double bed, and old rocking chair and a cedar wardrobe, and then turned to see its twin on the other side of the hall, with two single beds and a carved cedar chest.
An exploration further down the wooden hall revealed a snug sitting room with faded but comfy looking red velvet armchairs on an old Persian rug, either side of a fireplace that included a small combustion stove and a supply of chopped firewood. She continued walking into a small wooden kitchen, painted pale yellow, with a scrubbed pine table and chairs. Off the kitchen was the bathroom, where an old white claw foot bath took pride of place in its dark green tiled surroundings. Although the furnishings were faded and worn, they gave the cottage a very homey feel. Lucy immediately felt a connection with the cottage. It felt like she was meant to be here, like the cottage had been waiting for her.
She stepped out onto the back veranda, and gasped at the view. At the end of the sloping lawn, past a little clump of birch trees, she could see the garden drop away into a rocky valley, giving her a view of distant farmland far below. The mist was beginning to gather as the sun set, lighting it with a rose and tangerine hue. The sunset intensified the earthy colours of the sandstone escarpment, and she heard the bell like call of a lyrebird from somewhere nearby. Lucy could smell the strong clean scent of eucalyptus and tea tree, and she took in a deep breath of air. She could feel the stress of the long drive from Sydney ease, and a tension that she hadn't realised she carried seemed to drop away from her shoulders.
A sudden howl and yelp from Plue had her bolting back into the house. It was late autumn, but there still might be snakes around that would not tolerate the inquisitive nose of a boisterous husky. Plue might be large, but he was just an overgrown puppy, and during his short life in the city, he had never come across a snake. She grabbed a handy broom from the kitchen as she skidded past, just in time to see Plue back out of the main bedroom, with his tail between his legs.
Lucy cautiously peered around the bedroom door, the broom held out in front of her like a sword. A cautious sweep under the bed and behind the door revealed nothing scarier than a few dust bunnies, and she was about to drop her guard when a movement caught in the corner of her eye made her heart beat in double time. She whirled around, just in time to see a small blue-grey cat, the colour of smoke, leap up from the top of the bed head and squeeze itself through a small slightly open window she hadn't noticed upon her first inspection. It paced backwards and forwards on the window ledge in the last rays of the sunlight for a few moments, purring and rubbing its face against the window frame, gave them a cursory glance with its almond shaped yellow eyes, and then jumped down into the garden. Lucy stood up on tiptoe to gently push the window shut with the broom handle, and turned to face Plue, who was looking decidedly embarrassed.
"Oh Plue", she laughed, scratching him between his furry ears. "We've both made fools of ourselves today". Her mind went back to a pair of piercingly green eyes, and a gentle smile, and amazingly warm hands that rubbed her back. A firm muscular leg under her hand, disconcertingly male, all male. She shook her head, as if to shake the memory out, and then said in a decidedly no-nonsense tone, "Plue, we have work to do."
It took no time at all to go out to the car to retrieve her suitcase and unpack the contents into the wardrobe, and after lighting a fire in the small stove in the sitting room, she moved on to the kitchen, putting away the groceries. A small leaflet remained in the bottom of the box, and she snorted as she picked it up and began to read.
"Join Natsu Dragneel, your ghost host with the most, as he entrances you with tales of misfortune and mayhem. Hear accounts of long-gone residents who can still be seen in numerous locations around the town. The stories you'll hear come from years of research, personal accounts and hauntingly real-life experiences.
Visit historic FairyTail Inn. Who's playing games in the cellar when the sun goes down? Is it the spirit of five-year-old James still looking for a friend, or is it the Grey Lady, still waiting for her walk down the aisle? See scary sights like Magnolia Cemetery, the final resting place of early settlers and convicts who succumbed to tuberculosis…or was it final? End your journey with a visit to Caddock's Leap Lookout. The Leap has a long history of paranormal activity. In 1870, the bushranger Mad Dog Caddock, leapt from the cliff rather than be captured by local law enforcement, and he is now believed to haunt the area.
Comfortable shoes are recommended so that you don't become dead on your feet during the brief walking portion. Dinner at FairyTail Inn is included in the price of your tour."
Lucy shook her head. There was no way that she believed in this sort of rubbish, but it would give her a head start to hear some of the local history this evening before she could begin her own research tomorrow at the local town museum. Entirely on a whim, she had called the number on the flyer when she had picked it up at the local grocery store, and made a booking for tonight's tour. Even though it would be ridiculous, and not the historically accurate account she preferred, she did want to hear a local telling of Mad Dog Caddock's death, though of course it would be 'glamourized' for the benefit of those going on the tour. If she was to get her book research completed in a month, she needed all the head start she could get.
Lucy walked in to the sitting room to check on Plue snoozing in front of the fire. As much as she would rather get straight into her pyjamas and make herself a hot chocolate, she forced herself to march away from the cosy glow of the sitting room to the bedroom. She pulled on a navy woollen sweater over her shirt, and after a moment's thought, dug a bright red beanie and scarf out of the drawer at the bottom of the wardrobe she had so recently filled, and stuffed them into her backpack. Plue should be fine for the few hours that she would be gone – he was in such a deep sleep from the exercise he'd had chasing lizards and birds in the backyard that afternoon, he'd probably hardly notice that she wasn't there. After leaving him a fresh bowl of water and his favourite biscuits next to his basket in the corner, she grabbed her car keys, ready to make the half hour trip back to Magnolia.
Natsu smiled as he walked up the hill to the local pub. That poor woman had been so embarrassed, you could have fried an egg on her face, she could barely look at him. Which had made it all the easier to look at her. And he had liked what he saw. A lot. Too much. He had really wanted to ask her name, what she was doing in Magnolia, because she was obviously not a local, but seeing her intense embarrassment, he'd decided that a chivalrous exit was the best course of action.
He knew everyone in the small community; they were a tight knit bunch. You didn't live in a small country town for twenty-five years without knowing everyone's business. She was probably just a tourist, up here for the weekend from Sydney, for some mountain air. There were quite a few bed and breakfasts here in Magnolia, who capitalised on city slickers who wanted a weekend away from it all. Yes, that was probably it – she was here with her boyfriend or husband for a romantic weekend, and had been in a hurry to go meet him somewhere. Lucky guy. He tried not to imagine how those beautiful golden curls would look like out of that braid, spread out on a pillow. Natsu stopped short. Where on earth had that come from! It wasn't like he was short of female companionship. If he wanted it. And he didn't. Right now, Grandeeney was his number one priority.
He walked into the pub, and greeted the few men already sitting at the bar with a nod, and received raised beer glasses as way of greeting in return. He sat on the nearest bar stool and smiled at the barman, who was deep in conversation with old Makarov about the latest football scores. Football was the only thing Macau took seriously, everything else would look after itself.
"Evening Macau", Natsu said, as soon as there was a break in conversation. "Are there many bookings tonight?"
Macau tore himself away from the football conversation, after a good-natured pat on old Makarov's arm, and ambled across to him. He retrieved a small battered notepad from under the bar, and after consulting it, and counting on his fingers, he replied "Seven. An older couple, John and Elsie Smythe, staying at the Victoria and Albert Guest House – they'd appreciate a pick-up, by the way, they didn't want to walk up the hill in the dark. A couple of boys from Hall's Gully are bringing their girls along, so that should be fun for you." Natsu rolled his eyes. Hall's Gully was a larger town further down the mountain where the local high school was situated, and every now and then a few of the older students came on the tour. Usually it involved a lot teasing from the boys, and screaming from the girls, and no doubt tonight would be no different.
"And the last one?"
"A woman. Lucy Heartfilia. She called me this afternoon on the phone to book, and paid with a credit card. Said she's here to research for some history book on bushrangers and was interested in local stories. She's staying up at Rose Cottage, but said she didn't need a pick-up, she could drive herself."
A sudden image of brown eyes, a cute slightly-freckled nose and thick golden hair forced its way into Natsu's head. 'No, that would be too good to be true' he smiled to himself. 'She's probably some older university professor or something.'
"Rose Cottage?" he said aloud. "I didn't think anyone was still up there, after old Mrs Evans died?"
"Ah, it's one of Jonathon Everlue latest purchases. You know how he's always going on about his 'portfolio'. After poor old Esme kicked the bucket, and didn't leave a will, Everlue snapped it up at the deceased estate auction. Got it for a good price too, including all the furniture. I hear he's letting it out to tourists. Knowing him, he's charging them like a wounded bull."
Natsu frowned, then shrugged his shoulders. Everlue was not well liked around Magnolia, and Natsu had his own reasons for disliking the man.
"Well, that's not a huge group, but it's better than nothing. Good thing I didn't give up my day job" he joked to Macau. "There's just enough time to go check on Grandeeney before I come back here".
"How's Grandeeney doing these days?" asked Macau. "She used to potter into town every day, but I haven't seen her around lately. Not even at the gin rummy game on Wednesday evenings. It's not like her to miss a chance for cards and a port and lemonade".
Natsu's face fell. "Not so good, I'm afraid Macau. You know she had that fall last year when she broke her hip, before I moved in with her. With the colder weather coming on, she's finding it hard to walk a long distance at the moment with her arthritis. She can get around home ok, but she doesn't like people seeing her use a walker, and she'd need that to get into town. I've been taking her out and about when I can, but you know how stubborn she is about being independent. The only reason she's letting me live there with her to keep an eye on her is because I told her I needed to save money for a house."
Macau sighed. "I'm sorry Natsu, I didn't realise it had got as bad as that. She's a tough old stick; I didn't think anything would get her down."
Natsu managed a weak smile. "Come over and visit one afternoon, and bring your cards. She can still beat the pants off me at poker. She'd probably like some new competition."
Macau chuckled. "I've been there once too often to take that bait Natsu. Remember that tournament we had in the pub a few years back? The boys have never let me live it down. I'll round up a few of the old folks who've been asking after her – we could come over for a gin rummy afternoon, if you think she's up to it. I'll even throw in a free bottle of port."
After a beer and a chat with a few of the locals, Natsu walked around the corner and down the street in the twilight to the comfortable old Federation house that he now called home. The front garden was still filled with all the old-fashioned cottage garden flowers that his grandmother so loved, and their perfume hung in the still air. The wide veranda held several Adirondack wooden armchairs, painted a crisp white, and made more comfortable with fat squashy cushions and crocheted blankets. A welcoming glow poured out of the windows either side of the dark green front door, and the huge brass doorknocker gleamed.
Just looking at this house filled Natsu with comfort. It had many happy memories for him. It was where he had grown up, and Grandeeney had always been there. After his parents had both died in a house fire when he was a tiny boy, his grandmother had come to the city to collect him, taken him home, and he had never really left. Of course, he had moved away to go to University after high school, and he stayed in the rooms above the Fire Station in Hall's Gully when he was on call, but Grandeeney was the one constant in his life. There was no way that he was going to let her down now that she needed him, whether she liked it or not.
The front door gave its characteristic groan on the hinges as he opened it, and he heard the familiar sound of knitting needles gently clicking, and his Gran calling from the kitchen.
"Natsu, is that you boyo? Come and give your old gran a cuddle. I've been reading up on the rising temperatures in Antarctica, and there's more than a few people that I'd like to give a piece of my mind!"
Natsu grinned. As a birthday gift, he'd given Grandeeney a laptop, and after some initial reluctance, she had embraced the internet with all its possibilities. Dinner was often spent discussing world events, or some crackpot scheme she'd come across.
He stepped down onto the slate tiles of the cosy kitchen, and walked over to the huge kauri pine table, where his grandmother sat in a comfortable armchair propped up on cushions. It was much easier for her to get out of the softer chair when it was next to something she could lean on, and as she spent most of her time in the kitchen anyway, she had finally agreed to move her favourite armchair there. She was surrounded by balls of different coloured wool, and from the looks of what she was knitting, no doubt he'd have a new scarf before the weather got cooler.
Natsu walked behind the chair and leaned down to kiss the top of his Grandeeney's head. "I can't stay long Gran, I have a tour tonight, but I'll be back in time for supper. What's in the oven that I can smell?" A delicious lemony scent was drifting around the kitchen, emanating from the old cast iron wood cook stove that his grandmother had staunchly refused to get rid of, even though he had offered to buy her an electric one. He made to open the door of the oven, and received a poke in the ribs with a walking stick for his efforts.
"Oi! Keep your greedy mitts off. It's a lemon delicious pudding, and you'll be ruining it if you go slamming the oven door." The cheeky grin she gave him as she poked him in the ribs again softened her words. She gazed at him over her the top of her glasses. "Are you sure you want to do a tour tonight boyo? My elbow's aching, I'm sure we're in for a storm this evening."
"Definitely sure" he smiled. "I have bookings, and it's not polite to keep your customers waiting".
"Oh well then, if you have to, you have to. But make sure you're home in time to tuck me in".
Natsu smiled at her again. "Of course, I'll tuck you in. But I'm really coming home for the pudding."
"Be off with you then, you rude lad" she grinned, taking up her knitting again. "Maybe you'll finally meet a lass that you can bring home for me to meet. You know I'd much rather be knitting booties than another scarf for you!"
Natsu rolled his eyes at her, before giving her a quick smooch on the cheek and grabbing some keys off a hook next to the back door. "Save me some of that pudding" he said with a wink on his way out.
Natsu leaned against the wall of the old sandstone pub. The rest of his tour group were all inside, being fed huge portions of steak and chips by the ever-hospitable Macau. He'd just wait outside for a few more minutes to see if his last guest was going to show, before rounding them all up to begin the tour. He rubbed his hands together in the chill air, before thrusting them into his capacious pockets, glad he'd remembered to bring his huge old army jacket. He was used to the cold, but this night looked like it was going to be a windy, stormy one. Gran's elbow was a very reliable weather predictor. He looked up to see grey clouds scudding across the full moon, and heard a distant rumble. The storm was still a good way away, hopefully it would continue circling until everyone was safe home in their beds.
He was just about to turn and head back inside to wait next to the fire, when a small battered blue Volkswagen lurched into view, with a grinding of gears. It pulled into the car park, and a petite woman in jeans and a navy wool jumper leapt out of the driver's seat. She made to sprint towards the door of the pub, then turned on her heel and opened the driver's door again, leaning across for something in the passenger seat.
Natsu caught a glimpse of a long shiny gold braid as it swung in mid-air, and couldn't help grinning to himself in the semi-darkness. He was going to get to meet his mysterious woman after all. He admired the heart shaped view of her behind in her jeans as she leaned across the front seat to grab a small backpack, and then winced in sympathy as she banged the back of her head on the opening of the car door. Rubbing her head, and muttering to herself, she turned and seeing him, immediately stopped in her tracks.
"Oh no, not you", she groaned audibly.
This story began as a straight romance I was writing, hoping to get published. Lucy was originally Cally, Natsu was Connor. I was halfway finished, and then I was hit by the worst case of writer's block I've ever had. I just couldn't finish it, and shelved it indefinitely. I decided to drag it out again a few months ago, and while I was re-reading it, I realised that the characters were really close to my favourites from Fairy Tail. So with a few name and hair and eye colour tweaks, plus a lot of extra content to take in some of the Fairy Tail arcs, this story lives again!
I debated about changing the location from Australia to somewhere else, but I really wanted to tell my bushranger story. So, as far as I know, this is the first Fairy Tail fan fiction set in the Blue Mountains, near Sydney, Australia.
If you’d prefer to read on Fanfiction.net, here’s a link!
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