#end up being very embedded in each other's lives and have a much more sibling esque closeness

[justkending]

The Number One Rule. Chapter 18.

Summary: Y/N has always been seen as “Steve’s rambunctious sister.” However, she grew up, graduated, and moved to London to study abroad for 4 years and get her bachelor's degree. The girl that returns looks nothing like the teenager that left, but don’t worry the attitude is still there and stronger than ever. What’s to come of the two grown adults that used to push each other's buttons, but now have a lot more in common than they’ve ever realized.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Y/N Rogers (Steve’s little sister)

Word Count: 3100+

Chapter Eighteen:

“Good morning, Sunshine,” Steve chuckled, bringing his mug to his lips as his sister walked in with a sleep ridden face. She gave him the silent bird before moving to the coffee pot. “I see your morning self hasn’t changed.”

“What are you still doing here? I thought you would have left for work by now?” Y/N asked with a tired voice as she walked to the fridge for creamer. 

He had ended up staying the night and sleeping in his old room that had been transferred into the guest bed. Him and his sister had been up late talking and catching up. 

“Eh, I’m going in a few hours later since I’ve been doing overtime recently,” Steve shrugged, leaning back and watching her sit across from him. She was wearing a giant T-shirt and some old pajama pants that she tiredly tried to straighten from their disheveled state. “What’s your excuse for not being ready for work?”

“I don’t have to be there until 9 today,” she answered with her eyes closed. 

There was a comfortable silence as the two sipped on their coffee and Steve read the newspaper. Looking over he saw her practically falling back asleep in her seat. 

“I guess I need to talk to Bucky soon…” He spoke up. Her eyes opened at that and she turned to him. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean now that I know the case, and now that I know you’re both happy, I don’t have a right to be a jackass anymore I guess,” he shrugged with a smirk. 

“I’m glad you came to terms that you were a jackass,” she chuckled, punching his arm playfully. “We’ve been waiting a few years on that one.”

“Hey, I can call myself a jackass, but you watch yourself,” he warned in a light manner. 

“Sure thing… Jackass,” she mumbled with a smile. Before he could start an argument, she diverted the conversation. “So, should I warn him, or-?”

“I don’t care. We have different shifts today, so I’ll see him tonight probably and talk to him.”

“Ok, then I’ll let you do the talking. I would warn him yourself though. He’s been a nervous wreck around this topic with you. Anytime he thinks about how we’ve hurt you, he gets upset and really anxious,” she explained more seriously. 

“I mean, I don’t blame him. This was a shitty kind of situation to go through, but mom was right. Neither side of the problem was handled well,” Steve sighed. “I’ll text him before.”

“Good,” Y/N nodded. “Want me to come?”

“No, I think we need to talk ourselves,” Steve sighed. “If you know what I mean.”

“I get it,” she nodded standing and grabbing her mug. “Well, I’m going to get ready for work. Mind if I come over tonight though? You know, when the coast is clear? Maybe we can all have a movie night like back in the day! Becca and Sam are invited too,” she pointed to him. 

“Sounds like a plan. You’re paying for pizza though. Since you have an adult job now, it’s only fair,” Steve said with raised eyebrows. 

“Hey, I-”

“You owe me,” he cut her off. 

She glared at him for using the given past situation as a way to get free food. 

“That’s low, big bro,” she deadpanned. 

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same thing,” he scoffed with a smile, going back to the paper in front of him. 

“Touche,” she nodded with a pursed lip. “At least text me when I can head over, so I don’t interrupt you guys' bromance session.”

“Shut up,” he groaned as she left the room. 

________

Once Y/N got to work, a few hours into her shift, she got a call from Bucky.

“Hey, B,” she smiled through the phone as she went through the loads of papers in her hands. 

“Hey sweetheart,” Bucky replied just as sweetly. “Guess who texted me today?”

“Hmm, Barack Obama?” Y/N responded. “Wait, no! Michelle Obama.”

“Haha, very close, but no,” he chuckled. “You’re brother reached out.”

“Is that so?” Y/N faked surprise.

“I’m guessing you guys' conversation last night went well considering your chipper mood?” he questioned. “Or they went horribly wrong and you’re just a really good actress.”

“We all know I can’t act even if my life depended on it,” she laughed, changing the phone to her other ear as she wrote some notes on a paper. 

“It’s true. You’re a horrible liar,” Bucky confirmed.

“I’m not even going to argue it no matter how much I want to,” she shrugged. “But I would say things went well. I mean we may or may not have gotten into a wrestling match on the front lawn, and mom might as well have dragged us by the ears inside to have a civil conversation, but besides that…”

“Oh God, Y/N… What the hell happened?” 

She just knew he was pitching the bridge of his nose on the other end. 

“Nothing too crazy. It’s just sibling fighting,” she waved off. 

“At least tell me you gave him a chance. You didn’t beat his ass too much, hopefully. You know we’re trying to win him over, not push him further away, right?” Bucky had a smile in his voice, clearly just joking around. 

“You know? Kids’ gotten stronger since middle school,” she noted. 

“I would hope so. He fought in a war and chases bad guys for a living. Can’t have scrawny middle school Steve doing that kind of stuff. He’d get a nose bleed just looking at the wrong guy.”

The two laughed for a little reminiscing at little Steve before he bulked up in high school. But after some joking, Bucky brought the conversation back where he started. 

“But in all honesty, I shouldn’t be too worried about tonight?” he asked. The nerves in his voice were clear to Y/N. 

“No, Bumble Bee. We talked it out, screamed it out, and fought it out. And in doing so, we had a good conversation. Thank Sarah Rogers for keeping us on track and not letting us walk away until it was resolved,” she assured, putting his mind at rest. 

“Ok, good…” Bucky sighed on the other end. A moment of silence went by as if he was trying to process it. 

“Hey, I know you guys still need to talk, but I do want you to know that it’ll be all ok in the end. Don’t get too worked up about it,” Y/N said softly. “26 years of being best pals can’t be ruined by this little bump. You said it yourself.”

Bucky let out a breath and nodded. “You’re right. It… It’s just, I hate that he found out how he did, and…” he paused. “It just kinda sucked seeing him that upset.”

“I get it,” Y/N nodded on her end. “But hey,” she added. “We’ll all be ok. Truly.”

“I trust you, doll,” he grinned. There was some distant talking on the phone and Bucky humming. “Hey, I have to go. Boss needs me for something. Call you later?” 

“For sure. Have a good day, and let me know if you need anything!” 

“Right back at you. Love you, sweetheart,” he slipped out the last part unconsciously. 

There was a moment of silence as the two were stunned. Neither had said the “L” word yet… At least not to each other…

“Uh,” Bucky stuttered out. “I-I-...”

“Buck-,” Y/N started in just as much shock. 

Another round of someone shouting on the other line that wasn’t Bucky came through through the phone. 

“I have to go! Talk to you later,” Bucky shouted into the phone. 

Before she could say anything else, the line ended and she slowly pulled back the phone seeing her lock screen blank. No words came out after that. 

She just stared at the screen where a picture of her Bucky, Becca, and Steve all were embedded in a bear hug together. An old picture, but one that she always loved and cherished with a group of her favorite humans. 

She also loved it because even though it was before Bucky and her had become an item, they were squished against each other. Bucky was smiling wide and caught in a laugh as he looked down at her, catching her from stumbling to the ground, and she was laughing as she gripped his arm to find her balance. Steve and Becca laughing on the side at her clumsy self, and the fact someone was always having to help her stay on two feet. Bucky having always been one of those top people in her life. 

She smiled down at the memory and couldn’t help but feel those little flutters move from her stomach to her chest and eventually make her cheeks heat up. 

_________________

Now he had two things to freak out about. One being Steve and his talk tonight. Yes, he knew he didn’t really need to after Y/N’s reassurance that things would be fine, but still. It was a strange conversation to have with your best friend. 

“Sorry I fell in love with your sister and hid it from you. My best friend of over a quarter of a decade. Not to mention you found out from me coming out of her room half naked after you thought she was home alone...” 

Yeah, that was going to be weird no matter how ok they were now… 

Then you add in, he just casually told Y/N that he loved her before hanging up the phone. He didn’t mean to. It just felt so natural in the moment! 

He wanted to make the first time he said it special, not just by accident…

God, his heart was racing and now he had four hours left of his work day to let those things just stir around in his head. Great. Maybe that 3rd cup of coffee wasn’t that great of an idea.

_______________

“So, everything’s good with you guys?” Sam asked after Steve let him in on everything.

“Yeah. I mean Buck and I still need to talk it out, but… I don’t know. I can’t be mad if they’re both happy at the end of the day. Happiest I’ve seen either of them in a while, if I’m being honest,” Steve shrugged with a small smile. 

“See, I knew that’d be the case at the end of the day. I tried telling Bucky that,” Sam shook his head as he finished up the dishes. “And sorry man about not saying anything. I didn’t think it was my place to,” he apologized. 

“No, I get it. This was their own thing. You were just being a good friend to Bucky and letting him figure this out himself,” Steve waved. 

“He’ll be home in a little. You worried?” Sam asked, washing his hands off. 

“No, if anyone’s nervous it’ll be Bucky. Y/N and I had a really good talk last night. No matter how upset I was before, I now know where they were coming from,” Steve sighed. “Did I agree with it? No, but we all have different ways we would go about things.”

“True facts,” Sam smiled. “Well, I’ll hoard myself in my room for a while until the coast is clear. Let me know if you guys need anything, ok?” 

“Got it. Oh, and Y/N said she was going to come over after with pizza for a movie night, if you want to join,” Steve pointed out moving to the couch. 

“I’m here for it,” Sam nodded, going down the hall to his room. “Call me when all is resolved.”

Steve nodded and plopped down on the couch skimming through the channels as he waited for Bucky. About 15 minutes later, he heard the lock turn and quietly the brunette made his way in with caution. 

“Hey,” Steve said softly, turning from the end of the couch. 

“Hey,” Bucky said with a soft smile as he put his things by the door. 

These were the first words they had spoken in over 2 weeks. They hadn’t talked since the whole fight in the backyard.

“How was work?” Steve asked, making small talk. 

“Nothing too crazy today,” Bucky shrugged, walking to the back of the couch with his hands in his pockets. “Oh, Lillian asked about you again.” 

“From accounting?” Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Only Lillian I know that’s obsessed with you,” Bucky laughed lightly. 

“God, I’m not ready for that…” Steve returned the chuckle. 

It got quiet after that. Not awkward, but not comfortable either. 

“So…” 

“Listen, Bucky,” Steve sitting back in his chair running a hand across his face. “I’m sorry, I punched you after-”

“Don’t be. I deserved it,” Bucky waved him off, coming around the couch slowly to sit on the opposite end. 

“Ok, yeah. You’re right,” Steve nodded with another small laugh. Again another pregnant pause. “I gotta know. Why didn’t you just tell me, Buck?”

He took in a deep breath before answering. “I’m sure Y/N told you, but we didn’t want things to have a bad falling out and it be awkward for everyone else-.”

“No, not that. Why didn’t you tell me that you weren’t going to do it from the start?” Steve interrupted.

“What?” he asked, confused.

“Y/N said that you guys went back and forth on not going through with this because you didn’t want to hurt me. I mean, maybe that’s not that big of a deal, but it changes things on my end some,” Steve explained. Bucky just sent him a blank stare. “What I mean is, when I first figured everything out, I was hurt because I thought you didn’t even consider me in your decisions. I know, it sounds selfish, but-”

“No, it doesn’t. You’re a part of the equation to some extent. Just like Becca is. But surprisingly Becca was excited and not freaked out about her best friend dating her big brother. It’s a little different being the big brother in the situation though,” he said softly. “It’s not selfish though Steve. If the roles were reversed and say you and Becca dated, I would hope you considered my feelings in the matter too.”

Steve was glad that he understood what he was getting at. He was worried it wouldn’t make sense or make him look like he thought the whole thing revolved around him. 

“Yeah…” Steve paused. “But you didn’t say anything about that when we did get in that fight. Why?”

“I don’t know… I guess I just wanted you to understand my feelings for her more than anything. I needed you to know that she wasn’t just some girl I was hoping to hook up with at some point.”

“I know you would never do that Buck. No matter how upset I was, I still don’t think that low of you,” Steve sighed. “And about that… I’m sorry I said you don’t deserve her… That was an extremely hard hit to the gut.”

“You were looking out for her,” Bucky said with pursed lips, but the pain from the past comment was clear. It didn’t feel good having your best friend who's been through thick and thin with you tell you weren’t worth something. 

“Yes, but that was a low blow and I said it out of hurt feelings. I was hurt, so I wanted you to be just as hurt. That wasn’t fair,” Steve concluded. “If there is anyone in this world that I trust to take care of Y/N just as much as me, it’s you Buck. I was just blinded by anger.”

“Understandably,” Bucky nodded, looking back at his friend a little less troubled. 

“Understandably,” Steve agreed. They stared at each other silently communicating. “I’m sorry.”

“If anyone is sorry, it’s me Steve,” Bucky shook his head running a hand down his thigh still slightly anxious. 

“How about we both agree that we didn’t handle this situation the best way,” Steve smiled. “I should have seen how happy you two were and not second guess how it happened. I shouldn’t have made it about me when you both clearly are what the other needs.”

“Steve-”

“Truly. You guys have been glowing the last two months with complete and utter happiness and I was so oblivious to pick up on it. I feel like a shitty brother and best friend.”

“You’re not a shitty brother or best friend. Not in the least,” Bucky said scooting to the edge of the couch. “You know that.”

“Y/N tell you we got in a fight on the lawn yesterday?” Steve asked with a small smirk. 

Bucky chuckled. “Yes. Said your mom about beat your asses out there too.”

“All because I was too stubborn to talk it out,” Steve shook his head while he threw it back on the back of the couch. 

“Eh, you said it yourself. We all didn’t handle this situation well,” Bucky chuckled. “She kicked your ass, didn’t she?” he said after a second. 

“Wouldn’t say that, but she must have worked out over seas because I couldn’t pin her like I used to. She was giving me a pretty decent fight,” Steve laughed loudly. 

“God, I would pay money to have someone get that on tape,” Bucky laughed with him. 

The two soaking up the now comfortable atmosphere. 

“So we’re ok, right?” Steve asked. “Leave all out petty, stubborn, and stupid mistakes in the past?”

“I’m fine with that if you are,” Bucky nodded. 

“Good. I’ve missed having my best friend around. I was getting tired of ignoring you,” Steve sighed, patting Bucky’s back. 

“You gave me good practice with your stubbornness for Y/N. Not that I haven’t been practicing with you both my whole life, but damn you guys are too bull-headed monsters.”

“We feed off each other's energy,” Steve shrugged with a smirk. 

“I know, it’s exhausting, yet entertaining all at the same time,” Bucky smiled as he moved his head side to side. 

A knock sounded at the door and they both turned toward the wooden panel. 

“Speaking of the devil,” Steve smiled standing up.

Bucky froze. 

Shit. One anxiety had been cured now, but he had almost forgotten about his second one...

(Tags for this series will be closing soon as it is getting pretty full, please send an ask if you want to be added:)

I’ll post on whatever chapter I decided to close it down here.

The Number One Rule (TNOR) Taglist:

@shadowolf993 @hello-i-am-daydreaming @jessyballet  @emmabarnes @kmuir1  @beautifulrare4leafclover @thefallenbibliophilequote @l0ve-0f-my-life  @shawnie--jo–jo  @asoftie4bucky @katiaw2 @sheeple @sznri @bxtchboy69 @taliarosej00 @bakugouswh0r3 @stopjustlovethemcu @babemendesxz @jenniereiji @taliarosej00 @loveyou5everr @natdrunk @im-a-light-child @stucky-my-ship @fairykimseok

My Lovelies forever:

@natura1phenomenon @lauravicente @kakakatey @traceyaudette @notyourtypicalrose  @laneygthememequeen @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @sandlee44 @thorne93 @thefaithfulwriter @marvelfansworld @essie1876 @greyeyedsmile14 @capsiclehan  @xostephanie @averyrogers83 @awesomenursingstudent @gh0stgurl @cs-please @carls1022 @jjlevin @rainbowkisses31 @carls1022 @anise-d-castle6 @deannotmoose @their-bibliophile @kitkatd7 @willowbleedsonpaper @mariaenchanted @snffbeebee @couldabeenamermaid @rebekahdawkins @alyispunk

Bucky Barnes Tags:

@chloe-skywalker @charmedbysarge @jbarness

@bellamy-barnes

Marvel Tags:

@thejourneyneverendsx @death-unbecomes-you @heyiamthatbitch @lizzymacy555 @iheartsebastianstan @srrymydood @xa-dia @redhairedfeistynerd @morganclaire4 @connie326 @captain-asguard @mollygetssherlockcoffee @teenagedreams-bucky @shower-me-with-roses​

#bucky barnes au series #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes modern au #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #marvel bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x reader au #bucky barnes x reader au series #bucky barnes x y/n rogers #bucky barnes x y/n rogers au #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes series #justkending #justkending series #justkending marvel #marvel #marvel au #marvel au fanfic

[imagine-otome-games]

Survivors Guilt [GI Childe]

Pairing: Childe x Fem!Reader [[3RD POV]] [[Heavy use of she/her]]

Warnings: Angst, dark-ish imagery, dark thoughts etc also kinda long since theres barely any dialouge.

!!SPOILERS FOR LIYUE ARCHON QUEST!! [[Vague but if you know you know]]

A/N: working on that diluc but uh this hit me sooo.. I wondered what would have happened if that fight didn’t go so smoothly..

;; a day in which all his debts were paid off with interest;;

 “ Pᴀɪɴᴛ ʙʟᴇᴇᴅs, ɪɴᴋ ʀᴜɴs, ɪᴍᴀɢᴇ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟᴏᴠᴇ..”

It was truly a sight to behold- something like a breathtaking scene in a famous novel. Poets and authors alike would try to replicate it, but it would never be quite the same- not as impactful.

No words could ever truly replicate the way he had screamed upon hearing the news. No painter could even come close to recreating the look in his anguished eyes- the rigid state of his entire body- the immediate stream of tears. However, who would truly want to? Words hit hard enough so an actual image would be pure torture and yet.. some found inspiration at the way this hardened Harbinger absolutely broke down for his love..

Even the strongest of people have their weaknesses and his lied with her..

“I promise I’ll be back soon.”, he had said, with pure confidence too despite it all. 

She had been so far from the harbor- she didn’t give him any hint that she would be on the waters that day. Even she had, what had ultimately happened was a last resort. He never intended to do it but.. perhaps if she had mentioned something that day.. he would have stopped himself.

If he was stronger- if he hadn’t allowed himself to be used..

The rage mixed in all that anguish was suffocating- each and every breath he took as he moved forward felt like it was searing his lungs. His legs felt like the bones within were made of lead, threatening to cave in on themselves. He almost wished they would- he wished they’d shatter- he begged to his current wounds to just end what was only the beginnings of his endless suffering.

Instead of hoping his death would happen in glorious battle he wished for it to be swift- for it to carry him home immediately, no matter how selfish it seemed.

He had a family, he had to think of how they would feel but now... now the blood on his hands was blood he was never meant to spill..

He always knew the true costs of his line of work would catch up to him.. Childe simply thought that cost wouldn’t be so high- so immediate. Or.. something of his own doing-

Once he made it to where the crowds had gathered- to the aftermath seen by all, he was gifted with burning daggers in his back by their eyes- a hint of pity accented within the obvious poison. They would forever be embedded in his flesh. None would be unaware of his horrific deed in Liyue harbor- the absolute disregard for innocents and his own dearest heart.

He wished the people would be more violent, but he knew they wouldn’t be. That was too easy- too merciful.

Within that crowd he found what he had destroyed. There, in the calm waters, surrounded by mourning citizens that knew her well... she floated calmly. Her calm face struck him hard- it was now dull, there was no life within her features- this was not like when she slept or when she turned her face to soak in the beautiful sun.

The reality of everything hit him so hard it knocked the breath and rationality out of him.

He had begged and pleaded and sobbed in vain- she had been gone all along. When he was told you were missing- lost at sea, deep in his very core he knew the waves had stolen her. Osial must have stolen her was what he allowed himself to believe for a time, but Childe was not that much of a fool. His own idiocy and failure to think rationally stole her from him. He did this to himself and now, in front of all of those which he wronged, he breaks.

He will never be able to see her smile- how is it that one person can have so many different smiles? So many expressions to miss and touches to crave and be robbed of. Childe would never hold her in his arms. He could no longer relish in the taste of her lips or her warm embrace on late nights. 

Her voice would no longer bring him back to life on the days he lost himself- he would be left to drown out at sea, just as he deserved. There was no future to look forward to- a time when he would get to call you his wife or perhaps the mother of his children- not even a time in which he got to live freely. To be just Ajax and not Childe, the Eleventh Harbinger of the Fatui. Nothing. There was nothing and perhaps it is selfish thinking- his family still lives but will they still adore him when they learn of his horrific deed- of what his job genuinely costs.

“ I ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇ, ɴᴇᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ..”

The screams were so painful that no one could bare to look for long, the cries so devastating others felt its harsh pangs in their chests. He cried like he was being tortured- cradled her head and damned the very skies for taking something so precious- something that was not for it to take- someone that deserved better.

The people of Liyue granted him the mercy of time with her. His only true gift from those he hurt. They felt the sincerity in his regret and pain.

Hours felt like mere seconds to him and in the setting sun the cold finally dug its claws into him. He could feel the blood in his throat and the raw sting in his eyes. His freezing fingers had to be pried from her lifeless body and still he begged. He pleaded for everything to be a lie- a cruel prank to get him to see how horrible that was of him.

How could she be the only fatality in all this- surely there were others on the water? Her little boat was not the only one out there. Not to say he wished the same fate of other innocents but... did it have to be only her? In the very boat he gifted her when he learned how she adored to just... exist in the middle of the ocean for a short time. To take in the salty air from its source and take in the scenery the archons gifted its people to see.

In the same boat that was now in pieces along various shores and in the unrelenting depths of the ocean. Lost to him forever, just like her.

Her sweet laughter from that day still haunts him, “I’ll believe you if you promise to go out to sea with me when you get back.”, she had said, bargaining with him as if she actually ever needed to. She could tell him to jump and he would have asked her how high.

‘I love you, Ajax. Be safe.’

So, he promised- crossed his heart and hoped to die. Then when would that debt be paid? How long must he wait to be in her presence again?

“ Aɴɢᴇʟs ғᴀʟʟ, ɪᴛ’s ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴜʟᴛ..”  

The picture painted of her for that day pierced through what was left of his now dead heart. He meant no offense to the artist, but it did no true justice for her. It did not encapsulate her like his cruel mind did. Her eyes felt lacking- the expression was so.. unreal. Yet, silent tears felt all the same.

This was it. He must let her go for good. This is all real- too real. His breathing becomes labored and soon he is doing his best to silently sob. Her painting becomes blurred and, in the midst,... it looks as though she is crying with him. Somehow.

‘You know I’ll always love you, right?’

“ Gᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ ᴏʟᴅ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ. ᴡᴇ’ʟʟ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ...”

“Traveler...”, he begins, “Do we have to do this every time? You know what I want... stop denying me for the sake of your own morals... please..”

The outlander looks at him, pity in the swirls of gold staring into his dull blue hues, “You know I can’t, Childe..”

He laughs bitterly, ignoring the way it hurts to do so, “You can- c’mon, it’s not that hard. Your sword is sharp enough. One good blow-”

“You need to move on somehow- take a break and grieve properly stop asking me-”

“Move on? Move on? I am a murderer- I killed her- I deserve to-”, he starts, voice growing angry and so very sad.

“You didn’t do it on purpose. You didn’t want her to...go.”, the outlander says, pools of gold growing brighter in concern, staring upon his form in the ground.

Childe was a mess of sweat and blood, on his back staring up at another whom he deceived, begging to be put out of his misery. Shamelessly so.

He laughs again, this time with a ragged breath, “It should never have been her- it should have been me. It was always supposed to be me first.”, he’s crying now, he’s sure of it. It always turned out this way, usually the tears are left out, “I was never- I never... she was never supposed to even be hurt because of me. Traveler I... I loved her so much- I still love her. I can’t let go- please. I’m begging you- please. End it- end me..”

There was no answer, just silence. There was no saving him and as painful as it was, the wandering traveler left him there on the ground. He never saw this traveler again. In the back of his mind he always wonders if the sibling was found. Was the journey fulfilled- was there a happy ending?

He hopes so. No one deserves to suffer loss in any way.

“I miss you..”, he whispers into the sky, knowing she resides somewhere far past the clouds.

The calm waves of the sea gently rock him in this small boat. There is only one destination for him. He is no longer welcome anywhere else. No one has said so, but he feels it within his soul. A piece is missing, and he will find it once more, one way or another.

“I’m coming home.. I hope you didn’t wait long..”, he says as the blackened clouds start to surround him. The sea below him darkens and he can feel the static of danger in the tense air. The waves start to come alive and he hopes they finally swallow him entirely.

This time, he hopes he will not be found by a pitying soul.

“ Tɪᴍᴇ ɢᴏᴇs ᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ..”

#genshin impact x reader #childe x reader #genshin Impact childe #genshin impact tartaglia #genshin impact #genshin impact fic #genshin x reader #childe #fatui #ari writes #hi hello #its meee #im sorryyy in advance...

[thebakingqueen5]

KW 2021: The Sea & The Sky

Day 7 for Kataang Week 2021 hosted by @kataang-week with the prompt The Sea & The Sky!

Don't mind me crying in the corner that Kataang Week is basically over, but anyways I'm super proud of this last oneshot and hope you all enjoy it!

Links: AO3 | FF.net

Summary: Another year, another, another week of prompts celebrating our favorite couple. Kataang Week 2021 Day 7: The Sea & The Sky. Katara was the sea, Aang was the sky, destined to meet at the horizon where they were bound together for all eternity.

Word Count: 1.7K (barely)

The sea and sky, two entities as old as time itself. In some ways, as contrasting as the night and day, and in others, perfect reflections of one another.

The sea has always been below the sky, left to gaze upon the brilliance of the celestial bodies embedded in it for all eternity and reflecting the light of the bright stars beyond.

The sky has always been above the sea, forever peering down into its depths for the miracles and mysteries hidden beneath, and guiding its steady waves as they crash upon the shores of the Earth.

The sea is the reason the azure sky is adorned with feathery white wisps floating high above the ground, and the sky, in turn, fills the oceans and floods the rivers with the very liquid that makes survival possible.

The sea fosters life beneath its steady, undulating surface. It holds flora and fauna of all shapes, colors, and sizes, and it was a point of fascination for the sky. The sky, in all its glory, could not sustain anything for long. Even the birds that rode over its swift breezes had to eventually land somewhere below. And yet, the sky was free, a vast expanse of space that extended beyond what the sea could ever imagine to be possible. It wasn’t shackled by the chains of the planet, and the sea almost envied it.

In the days of old, when sailors ruled the seas, the ocean and her gentle waves would push them across great stretches of nothingness, while the sky and his stars would aid in guiding them on their journeys. Without the sky, those explorers would be lost at sea, and without the sea, their ambitions would remain sky-high with their dreams of traveling the world doomed to remain just that- dreams.

The sea and the sky have always been connected. Together, they make a thriving world possible. And so it follows that those so closely bonded to their elements, Aang and Katara, would be similarly linked by the fabric of space and time.

Though he was the Avatar, Aang’s native element was that of air. He preferred to soar on his glider high above the clouds, and gravity was a laughable concept to him. True to his airbending disposition, Aang’s natural inclinations were to evade conflict and obstacles in order to move forward, like a leaf on the wind.

Katara was born in the Southern Water Tribe, surrounded by ice, glaciers, and the frigid seas of the South Pole. She wielded the element of water, adapting and accepting things as they came since water was the element of change. She would experience swells of emotion similar to the waves, but she always came down into a steady balance, an ebb and flow just like tides.

Aang and Katara were not each other’s antithesis, far from it actually, but rather each other’s complements. Had they been such stark opposites, their relationship would’ve been much more turbulent, having the highest of highs but also the lowest of lows. They needed not a sharp contrast but rather a soft blend to allow them to communicate with and learn from one another. It was this that allowed them to work so well.

When Katara was firm and unyielding like a tsunami approaching the shore, Aang accepted her stance and often strengthened it. Consequently, if the airbender was flighty and indecisive, Katara would be there to ground him and guide him to something he felt confident in.

Katara was Aang’s earthly tether. When his head drifted up into the clouds, she pulled him back to the real world and allowed him to guide the four nations into an era of peace and prosperity. On the other hand, Aang showed Katara true freedom and what being unrestrained felt like. He brought her up with him on his glider and taught her to defy nature’s laws, to not be afraid to take exhilarating risks, and to keep her ambitions sky-high.

Their worlds collided like the brilliance of colors created as the sun set over the horizon, gradually leaving the realm of the sky and sinking into the sea. Some of their traits reflected each other like the sun’s rays on the sparkling surface of the water, and the others melded together well to make the glorious gradient that streaked the sky as night fell. Together, Aang and Katara created a rich harmony filled with overtones that mirrored the depth of their connection.

When they first met, that instant link, the bond that tied them together, was remarkably evident to all those around them. It was absolutely undeniable.

Though Sokka had mostly been joking when he had called Aang Katara’s boyfriend, there were still some astute observations lying under his exaggerated comment. Sokka knew his sister. She didn’t take to people too well, he had noticed over the years. Katara was protective, almost overly so, of the people she loved, and it was hard for her to let people in.

And yet here was Aang, a boy whom she had quite literally taken into her open arms without so much as a blink of hesitation, a boy whom she was ready to leave her tribe, everything and everyone she had ever known, and travel across the world for. It seemed so out of character. Katara didn’t usually make sense to her brother, but this was something different, something special.

Even Gran Gran had taken notice of the unique energy between them. “Aang is the Avatar,” she had told the Water Tribe siblings. “He is the world's only chance. You both found him for a reason. Now your destinies are intertwined with his,” and she was right.

That day, Aang and Katara had forged a connection that wouldn’t, that couldn’t, ever be severed. Breaking him out of the iceberg had been the catalyst for the rest of their lives together. Their adventures following only served to deepen and strengthen that link, allowing them to fall wholly and completely for one another and experience a love they didn’t know was possible.

Visiting Aunt Wu was the first time Katara had really stopped to consider how far their bond went and the strength of her feelings for Aang. She knew they had something unique, something exceptional, but she hadn’t ever thought it could run that deep. “The man you’re going to marry… I can see that he is a very powerful bender.” It made sense, didn’t it? The boy who had changed her life for the better would grow to be the man that she would spend the rest of her life with.

Their kiss in the Cave of the Lovers only further cemented the idea in her head, and a part of her began to believe that their meeting was fate, just like the tale of Oma and Shu. Aang, while still reeling from embarrassment at some of his words (“I’m saying I’d rather kiss you than die, that’s a compliment!”), also began to have similar thoughts, thinking that maybe they too had parallels to the starcrossed lovers and that the love that they shared would one day too be immortalized in legend.

The battle in the catacombs underneath Ba Sing Se seemed like an all too abrupt end to their story. It simply didn’t feel real. How could their link just have been cut off like that? No, Katara wasn’t ready to accept it. She couldn’t accept it. It went against the laws of the universe, it wasn’t possible.

She was going to do whatever it took to keep him there with her, and she did. She brought Aang back from the spirit world through the purest of love, light, and determination, and she made it her duty to never let such a thing happen again.

It was what allowed them to fulfill their roles as the Avatar and his waterbending master at Sozin’s Comet and have their kiss afterward, the early buddings of a relationship that would last a lifetime. Years later, they would go on to pronounce that love to all their friends and family, but, for now, they were more than just their fates.

Just as Aang was able to manipulate water along with his primary element of air, the heavens held clouds in its vast expanse of sky, connecting it to the sea. The sea sent water up in the form of vapor to create those fluffy masses above, and the sky releases the water that the clouds hold in torrents of rain back down to the ground, tying the two together in an endless cycle.

Similarly, waterbending was one of the many things that bound Aang and Katara. It was the reason they had met, the reason Katara was able to break Aang out of that iceberg, and it was the reason they embarked on their epic journey to the North Pole- to learn from the masters and even become ones themselves.

Waterbending linked them as sifu and pupil, strengthening their bond. Without waterbending, Aang may have never realized that fateful day of her adjusting his form of the effect she had on him, the full intensity of the pull, the attraction she held in his eyes.

Waterbending had made Katara especially attuned to the rhythm of the waves rising and falling, and it didn’t long for her to notice how her and Aang’s dynamic reflected it, ebbing and flowing in a delicate yet harmonious balance.

Their meeting had been fate, an event necessary for the survival of the world itself, but that did not define them. With each other, they were not their destinies. They were not the Avatar and his waterbending master, nor were they the beacon of hope for the future of the Air Nation.

No, they were Aang and Katara, two people who had defied all odds, overcome all obstacles, and quite literally gone to the Spirit World and back all in the name of love.  They were not the heroes who had saved the world, but soulmates, fated just as the sky and the sea were to meet at their own horizon. They were two people irreversibly linked to each other then, now, and till the end of time itself.

#kataang week #kataang week 2021 #kataangtag #kataang #kataang fanfic #the sea and the sky #aang #katara #aang x katara #atla fanfiction #soulmates #bc yes

[elsanna-shenanigans]

April Contest Submission #10: Green Like Flowers

Words: ca. 4,000 Setting: Modern AU Lemon: No CW: mild angst

The train whistled as it left the station. A piercing scream, cutting through the dewy darkness of early morning. Birds, startled awake from their nightly slumber, took to the sky. Fleeing like their wings were on fire, up and away from branches that were all but safe a few moments before. Their small black bodies quickly lost to a sky that had not yet been kissed by an unforgiving sun.

The engine chugged, rhythmically turning large, cold steel wheels. Pulling both itself and its posy of railcars along with it. Quickly picking up speed, outside one of the windows; a dog ran alongside the tracks. His tongue hanging outside his large muzzle, flopping with each bounding leap. He ran on a well-worn path, a frequent activity. The further the train went, the more he fell behind until Elsa could no longer see him. So too did the path fade. Giving way to leaf-covered ground and sparse trees. The click-clack of the train melted into nothing, like the ocean waves when one lives by the sea.

Elsa Settled into her seat but dared not to rest. Her mind racing fasting then the landscape outside the window. The train was still mostly empty, many seats were vacant. She glanced around, taking everything in without fear of looking creepy. The floor was carpet tiles, frayed on every edge but free of at least large debris. The seats, two on each side of the aisle, were a worn blue fabric. Each headrest was adorned with stark white doctor’s table paper. Fluorescent lightbulbs of varying shades of white and yellow had been illuminating the narrow walkways, now dimmed. Allowing the high-backed seats to cast long shadows.

A few rows back an older man sat slouched in his seat, his fedora, which had seen better days, was pulled down to cover his eyes. The ghost of a beard was painted across a jaw held tight by clenched teeth. Next to him, an older woman sat, knitting with the speed of a youth long past. She was counting to herself or perhaps singing. Her thin lips moving in unison with dancing needles. So the yarn was tugged and so too the corners of her mouth.

In another row a small child was fast asleep, curled into his’s mother’s side. The woman’s head tilted back, mouth agape. She wore what looked to be a brand new hoodie, a large sports logo plastered across the chest. It wasn’t a team Elsa recognized, the child shifted slightly, and they too wore a matching hoodie.

Elsa turned back so she was facing forward once more.  She glanced out the smudged windows to see the faintest hint of light, peeking over the horizon. And she took a moment to marvel at the fact she had to travel North, then West, then South, then West again just to reach the opposite coast. All the years of human advancements and there still wasn’t a train that simply went East to West. Instead, it zig-zagged across rivers, over the plains, and through mountains.

A movement to her left caused her to turn. A man about her age sat restlessly in his seat. Large headphones completely engulfed his ears. One hand clutching a phone, the other gesturing wildly through the air - pointer finger and thumb fully extended with the remaining fingers ever so slightly curved inward. His voice was barely above a whisper, Elsa had to strain to hear the words which were choppy, loose, but forever moving forward like a rushing stream over stones.

Just then the door between cars slid open, spilling the outside in. Chains rattled, wind blew, the click-clack of the track demanded attention. And standing there, a young ember, sparking as intense eyes surveyed the nearly empty train car before settling on Elsa and finally flicking to the seat next to her. The door closed as if in agreement and the woman floated over. Two copper veins of braids framed a speckled face. She smiled and sat down without asking.

“I’m Anna,” she said, it wasn’t a comment or an introduction, it was a commanding statement. She was Anna and whoever she was, Elsa had no choice but to deal with the sudden intrusion.

“Elsa.” She replied, trying to match the other’s tone.

This earned a nod from Anna, her head tipping back, chin raised for a brief moment before landing in neutral again. Silence settled like a heavy fog. Elsa was never good at small talk. Through the defining silence, she heard the ticking of knitting needles and soft rap lyrics start again. Nothing from the mother or child, this new woman’s entrance had not been enough to wake them from slumber.

“Where are you headed?” Anna asked, keeping her voice low.

“San Francisco,” Elsa replied, trying to ignore how much the woman’s eyes stabbed right through her.

“Oh what?!?” she paused to take a breath and bring her volume back down. “I’m going there too, maybe we can be train buddies!”

And suddenly the flames that protected the young woman from the outside world parted and Elsa saw, not a commanding bitch of a woman, but an innocence - a kindness that she hadn’t seen in a person in a long time.

“Buddies,” Elsa repeated slowly as if tasting the word for the first time.

This earned another smile from Anna, who had either not noticed Elsa’s lack of enthusiasm or chose to ignore it.

“Well it’s what like, 15 days to get from here,” she pointed beyond Elsa to the series of trees whipping past the window. “Aaaall the way over to there. So I think, it would be nice to have someone to talk to, have meals with, maybe exchange playlists…”

“I mean I don’t know,” she pulled her arms in like pulling a trenchcoat closed. She dared not to let the demons out nor let any new evil in. She hated meeting new people, hated that period of time when stupid questions are asked. Hated, even more, when the friendship was temporary, formed for convenience rather than growth. Why spend all that time putting cereal in a bowl piece by price only to find out theres no milk.

Elsa was not yet old in the traditional sense, but she had lived many lifetimes. Broken enough hearts and had enough hearts be broken, both from love and friendship, to waste even more hourglass sand on the freckled book in the seat next to hers.

“No offense but I don’t really know you.”

Anna laughed, a full-bellied laugh that had her eye squeezed shut and her head tipped back against the paper covering the headrest. Elsa felt her face start to numb and fought the urge to bounce her leg. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip and she turned her head to study the trees.

“We can be train buddies while we get to know each other. Like, we might as well anyway, seeing as we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other anyways.”

Elsa didn’t turn her head, “It is a long train.”  

“Yes and no, the length? Sure. But there’s the cargo cars, the sleeper cars, the dining cars, the private cars, and THEN there’s the passenger cars like this one. Sooo I think I’m gucci when I say; we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

“Gucci?” Elsa turned, pulled by the odd choice of word. She was met with yet another smile from her unwanted companion and she regretted turning at all.

“Yeah you know, ‘it’s gucci’ or ‘it’s all good’ same thing.” Anna shrugged but otherwise didn’t move, oblivious to Elsa’s inner turmoil and discomfort, instead, she used this as an opening. Like a racer who finally found a way to pass the leader.

“So, let’s just get all the weird basic stuff out of the way. I’m Anna like I said. I’m from Tennessee, born there, lived there, and went to school there. My favorite color is green. I don’t have any pets or siblings. My parents are divorced but they kinda get along. And I fly drones and do photos for realtors. In my spare time, I like watching movies and pretending to read.”

Behind them, the child resting against his mother stirred, his muffed words, likely exaggerated, were somehow loud enough to be heard over everything else. When his mother didn’t respond, he yawned louder till she awoke will a start. Immediately the child leapt up and took off running towards the door Anna came through. Elsa feared he would open it but he waited, bouncing on his heels till his mother, groggy with sleep and not yet aware of the world, shuffled over. Together they disappeared through the door.

“Aaaand you?” Anna asked. Elsa sighed, the reprieve caused by the commotion had ended and she found herself backed into a corner. She had to at least give some answer or she feared the girl would never leave.

“I’m Elsa, I am from the East Coast. I have a master’s degree. I enjoy the color blue.”

  A few beats passed, the train clicking along the tracks. The sun was higher now, its warm beams reaching out at greedy fingers, casting golden whispers within the other girl’s braids.

“Wait, that’s it?”

“Yes.”

“I told you so much more. Are you one of the people who can’t open up and I have to ask a bunch of questions to get them to talk?”

Elsa flinched, she was one of those people. But she didn’t like being called out so directly like that.

Anna smirked, catching the flinch. “I’ll make it less of an interrogation and more of an exchange, so it’s not so scary, alright?”

Elsa nodded, it was actually a good solution to this trap she was in, as much as it pained her to admit that.

“I’m moving to San Francisco or the outskirts at least. What about you?”

“More or less, the same.”

“I have a job lined up with a big real estate firm downtown, I start at the end of the month. And you?”

“At the end of the month, I will be starting my job as well.”

Anna sighed and shifted in her seat, readying a new approach like a hunter with a spear. “So why the train?”

Elsa felt her face redden and she mumbled a quick “I just felt like it.”

And in the spear went, embedded deep within. Its jagged backwards teeth holding it in place. It wasn’t a good answer. It was a very bad answer, one that said too much without saying much at all.

“Oh come on, that’s not an answer!” Anna waited a beat for Elsa to answer before pressing further. “So I’ll ask again, why the train? And this time, no mumbling,  I need you to say it… out loud.”

Elsa exhaled through her nose. And opened her mouth to speak before closing it again. She was at the crossroads of telling a stranger a lie or speaking the truth into existence for the first time. Giving a name to the shadow of guilt that hung over her, maybe it would let go and take with it this spear. Maybe still the light that so gently clung, in a smooth loving caress to Anna’s skin would, if only for a moment, grant her one kiss of its warmth. And so she chose the path, and took a deep breath, and pushed forward.

“I left my husband at the altar. I packed as much as I could into a few pieces of luggage, and hopped on the first train headed west.”

For once, since their meeting, Anna was quiet and Elsa suddenly felt the need to fill the silence.

“I left him my car and anything I didn’t pack, like the dog and my piano. I quit my pointless job as an actuarial analyst via email right before I boarded the train.”

Anna exhaled loudly and blinked purposely a few times before speaking, “You.. wow. Just left everything behind huh?”

“I wanted to get out of town quickly. I couldn’t breathe.” Elsa tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“So you chose probably the slowest mode of transportation to go across the entire country, just because you ‘felt like it’?”

“I figured it would be a fun adventure and give me time to think.”

Anna laughed, “You mean to brood?”

“I didn’t say that”

“Come on Elsa, you weren’t seriously going to mope and look dramatically out the window for 2 weeks were you?”

“Well, when you put it like that, I guess not.”

“Meaning, yes Anna I was but you called me out on it and now I don’t know what to say. Right?”

Elsa made a face, she had known this woman for less than an hour and she was already so far in her head that Elsa might as well charge her rent. But saying her, what she now saw as reckless and impulsive plan, out loud was freeing.

She felt warmth on the back of her neck and turned back to the window to see the sunlight set fire to a field of corn. Brown wispy tops of long green stocks danced in waves, long endless rows bent and swayed. A lone tree in the middle of the field broke the pattern, the stalks that had come to worship at its feet paid the price for being in the shade. They were shorter and more sparse, yet the further from the tree, the more they grew. The further away from the city, the train went, the more Elsa felt like those corn stalks away from the tree.

  +++

The dining car was busier, packed full of life and people. All of whom were in various states of dress. Some sporting loose-fitting sweats, wiping sleep from their eyes. Others in formal business attire, already on their third cup of coffee and 7th morning briefing. The clicking of their keyboards and monotone voices of video calls faded into the conglomerate of sounds contained in the frankly small space.

“Can I get you ladies anything this morning?” a younger woman in uniform asked, she placed two small, single-page menus in front of Elsa and Anna, who each sat on opposite sides of a small booth.

“A coffee and some toast, please.” Elsa handed the menu back, she hadn’t bothered looking, it was a simple basic order that she never struggled to find anywhere she went.

“Umm,” Anna on the other hand was scanning the menu up and down, trying to decide. “Orange juice and a coffee and a bagel with butter instead of cream cheese. Please!” the woman smiled and took her menu, continuing down the row.

It wasn’t long before the food and drinks arrived. Elsa put one sugar in her coffee and sipped it slowly. Outside the large, clean, windows of the dining car, there were vast sprawling fields. It had been only a few days since Anna became her companion and nearly that entire time, the train had seemed to be continually chugging through the same boring field. So much for seeing the country.

Anna dumped several packets of sugar and a few creams into her coffee before taking a large swig and chasing the hot liquid with orange juice. She made a face and busied herself with her bagel.

This is how their mornings went, and it was a comfortable enough routine.

+++

“So listen,” Anna said. They were back in their seats in the passenger car. “The next stop is going to be a long one, apparently there’s a delay further up the tracks and they’re holding us at this next station for a few hours.”

“Yes, I know this. I heard the announcement too.” Elsa mused

“Yeah ok but listen, they said 4 plus hours right? So I googled things around there and I found this!” she handed Elsa her phone, on it was a photo of a waterfall with text below that mentioned a hiking trail.

“I don’t hike, plus I don’t think we have time anyway.” “We wouldn’t BUT! This,” she jabbed the phone screen. “Is a 10-minute walk from the station. See it’s part of a hiking trail but the station itself is a rest stop for the trail. So we’re going.”

There was that commanding presence coming out again. If the waterfall was so close to the station itself, Anna did have a point. So Elsa agreed.

An hour or so later they were stepping off the train onto a dusty brick platform. To call this a station was being generous. There was a small building, which contained two single restrooms, and one vending machine that looked like it hadn’t been serviced in years.

A soft hand grabbed Elsa’s forearm and she found herself being pulled away from the building and towards the beaten path to the waterfall.

+++

“You know, when I left home. No one checked on me. No one text or calls. Not even from my would-be husband.”

“Not text or even a Facebook message?”

“Nope.” Elsa left out a sigh. “I’m not surprised honestly. People say I’m difficult to get to know. At the wedding, the bride’s side was nearly empty. The few people over there just sat there because the groom’s side was full and they wanted a better view.”

Anna picked up a small pebble and tossed it into the stream, it made a soft plop sound before sinking below the surface. “Why did you guys want to get married then?”

“Well,” Elsa chewed on her lower lip for a moment before answering. “When you’re in business people expect things from you. It’s incredibly outdated and sexist too. But you’re expected to have a wife or a husband, expected to have children, expected to own a home, or at least rent somewhere nice. Have a good, clean car, new tech, nice clothes. All those things.”

She paused to copy Anna’s move with the pebble but missed the water completely, the small stone disappearing somewhere in the woods.

“We met at a company gathering and didn’t hate each other. Our drinks were the same, we watched the same evening news, had the same mild interest in the local sports team. It was enough to bolster a conversation. We started dating a few weeks later.”

“What about the wedding?”

Elsa laughed or at least made a sound that was like a laugh. “We had been dating for 2 years. And when I saying dating, I mean we were each other’s plus one to events, and we had dinner together at the nice restaurants. He was up for a promotion, asked if I wanted to get married and I agreed.”

“Wait what, he didn’t romantically propose?”

“No, we were never really intimate. A kiss here and there, maybe a night over to relieve stress. But if I’m honest, we spent most of our time apart and doing our own thing.”

Anna picked up a stick and picked at the bark, her brows pulled together and the ghost of a frown on her face.

“Did you love him?” she asked quietly

Elsa didn’t answer right away, choosing instead to turn her attention to the waterfall. Finally, after a few long minutes of silence, she answered. “No. No, I didn’t love him. And I would bet everything I own that he didn’t love me either.”

This time Anna sighed and scooted closer to Elsa. “You deserve to be loved, Elsa.”

“I’m not sure I even know what love is.”

Anna stood and walked in front of her field of view. Hands on her hips. “Sure you do!”

Elsa responded by standing and making a face.

“Elsa love isn’t a contract, it’s not a business proposal. It’s work and it’s hard but it also good and warm. Love is telling someone about your day and them listening and offering advice. Love is watching a movie together and laughing at the stupid parts. Love is holding someone while they’re sick and telling them dumb jokes to make them feel better. Love is a lot of things, but what love isn’t is convenient.”

“He was very convenient…”

“But was he love?”

“No.”

Anna reached out and took Elsa’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. “It’s okay, you know? You’re going to be okay. Fresh coast, fresh start.”

“Fresh coast, fresh start?” Elsa repeated, confused.

“Yeah, you’re moving to the West Coast, fresh coast, to start anew, fresh start.”

“Fresh coast, fresh start.” Elsa said again, “You know what, I like that.”

Anna beamed and that warm feeling prickled on the back of Elsa’s neck again.

+++

“So we have the colors all picked out, purple and green. And my dress is white but it’s ever so slightly green like it will catch the light, it’s so pretty.” Anna said. They were back in the dining car, having just finished dinner. About a week had passed since the waterfall adventure and train was rolling again. This time outside the window the fields were broken by large rocks and streams. Anna had her phone out, swiping through photos of her wedding prep.

“You sound excited,” Elsa commented, taking a sip of wine.

“Oh, I am! It’s going to be a lot of fun…” Anna looked up suddenly and stared right at Elsa. “You should come!”

“You don’t have to invite me.”

“Oh please, we’re like practically sisters at this point. Like I know what brand of tampon you used and I know that you snore when you sleep.”

“That’s… that’s a weird thing to know.”

“Elsa, everyone snores, pay attention, I’m forwarding you the rsvp so you can fill out what type of food you want.”

Elsa had to smile as she pulled out her phone to answer the email. “What a strange trip this has been. One day I’m running from my own wedding, and now I’m getting invited to a stranger’s.”

“Not a stranger, a friend,” Anna added, smiling warmly.

“A friend,” Elsa repeated, genuinely returning Annan’s smile.

“You know I was just sitting in the dining car, having a coffee and playing a pointless game on my phone. When I suddenly just felt this pull to leave. And I followed it blindly till I saw you. Then it’s like everything clicked. I think we were meant to find each other.”

Elsa was quiet for some time, considering this. Anna had swooped into her field of vision and hadn’t left since. And for once she didn’t mind the company. That warm feeling was back and with it, Elsa found herself agreeing. “I think we were meant to find each other too.”

+++

In the morning they would be arriving in San Francisco and would be going their separate ways. It was likely they wouldn’t see each other again. Sure, they had exchanged numbers - but in a city of 3 million people, it was easy to lose a single soul.

She didn’t want to lose Anna though. This blaze of a woman who dared to knock down Elsa’s walls with a bulldozer. She had never really had a close friend, and as Anna, asleep on her shoulder, stirred in response to a dream - Elsa couldn’t help but wonder if this is what it felt like to be loved.

Anna shifted, reaching out her hand, searching for something. Fingers moved with a purpose, slowly curling and uncurling until their ship reached the harbor. And she wrapped them around Elsa’s hand, holding firmly, as if she was once again reading Elsa’s mind and was too, afraid to let her go.

Elsa decided then and there, that this time would be different. This time she wouldn’t close the door on someone. She gave Anna’s hand a slight squeeze, causing Anna to nestle into the old woman’s neck.

Elsa turned to watch the lights from the city fade into the darkness of the desert. Her neck was warm and this time it traveled down and warmed her whole body. She ran a thumb over Anna’s hand and smiled.

#elsanna #submission #April 2021 contest #prompt: break

[blade-king-luze]

"Unwanted End"

(OOC: A small story (or skit?) that I want to write out as I wait patiently for my mom's appointment to be done.

The layout will be REALLY weird considering this was done on phone. Inspired by an Inktober drawing I had done. I wanted to convey more of it.

Forgive me for leaving "Day 29" on it.

No dividers, nor summary! It will just have to get straight to the point!)

WARNING: Mild gore description, mild profanity

Feat. Luka Crosszeria

Music: https://youtu.be/jV3of8By4Y4

---

Heavy breaths was all that we heard between Luka and I. He was at a good distance from me as we could barely stay up.

Our swords were clenched tightly with our hands to the point where our knuckles turned whiter than the bones within us.

I won't lose to him ... I don't care how long this takes. He can't have the upper hand!

... How long were we fighting for? I'd lost track of time long before he summoned his sword and pointed it right at me before the storm had hit.

I readied my stance once more as he had done as well. We both hesitated, sweat began to pour down on the side of my face. Luka's breath became unsteady as he pointed his sword at me once again.

I will end this ...

All of the pain he had left for me to deal with. All of poisonous words that would have gone to him was all dumped on me. My innocence, gone after my reckless decision to fight along side my brother.

Shattered. Everything. My meaning in life, my family that was cursed since the beginning of our time. The traitor that stands before me making me blind with rage.

Everything. Everything.

He will--

"What are you waiting for, Luze?" Luka suddenly said.

"... What?" I responded. Strange. He was the one to initiate the fight. I focused my gaze at him as it was blurry for a moment of exhaustion.

My left eye sensed something was amiss about him. I tried to shake it off, trying not to let his emotions distract me. This was to be one of our end here.

But the more I glanced at him,

He appeared more different. His stance seem to be controlled yet holding back something. His eyes from what I can see from my high perception, seemed numbed.

Was he ... Regretting something?

I shook my head as I glared intensity at him. My voice growled from my indignation. "I should ask you the same thing. Stop hesitating and come for me!"

I heard a subtle scoff from him as I was slightly taken aback. I held my sword steadily and pointed at him. I felt like I was going to lose my mind. "What are you laughing about?!"

"... Nothing." Was all he said. He looked at me calmly. Did he just ... smile? "You've just grown so much from the last time I saw you." My eyes widened slowly. "... I would have to admit. You're quite diligent than I am. And you're very determined to get rid of me."

I gritted my teeth and glared intensely at him. "Shut up! None from which you say will have any meaning towards me!" I felt my hand shake from holding my sword tighter. "You'll pay for all you've done to us! All of the shit you left behind just for the sake of that Hume! What in seven hells do you fucking take us for?!"

Luka closed his eyes as he lowered his sword. He looked up again. That same solemn face ...

"... I understand that you're angry at me. More than what you have to go through after I left everyone.

No ... After I left you." I was taken aback. I gasped slightly ... He continued. "I know it would be beneficial to end this between us. We are Zess after all like I stated earlier, are we not? It's our duty to be in the frontlines whether we like it or not."

He readied his stance to charge at me. "Then let's get to it ..."

My breath began to shake. I felt my sword become unsteady. However, it wasn't from feeling rage this time.

... There was no turning back. I snapped back to my senses as I readied my own stance. I held my sword tightly once again for him to not notice my emotions.

This is the end.

I felt his movements before he could take action as he rushed towards me. I dashed towards him, our swords singing through as we pierced the air.

Our footsteps grew quiet, each step we take.

A moment passed ...

.

.

.

The sound of the blade cut through flesh and bone was heard. A metal clang echoed as a sword hit the floor.

A black sword was laid rest right by me on the floor. Both of us were standing right in front of each other, facing opposite directions from where we stand.

I stared widely at the sword on the ground. My eyes made its way as I saw red stained the floor right underneath me.

Underneath ... Luka. It came from my sword that made it's sharp ways through him. I looked up frantically as I gasped. My hand still grasping on the hilt.

Everything grew quiet around me. All I heard was Luka steadying his stifled breath as he struggled to keep standing. Blood continued to drip and stream down from my blade.

"N- ... no." I barely said quietly.

I felt my body being held tight. Luka managed to embrace me as I tried to hold him back, from keeping my sword to go deeper than it should have gone.

"No ..." I said in a whisper.

Luka grinned slightly. Blood now escaped his mouth and streamed down, staining my shoulder. "Th- ... This is what you wanted ... Right, Luze?"

"No. No, no, no, no!" My eyes blurred from tears swelling in my eyes. "Th-... This all a mistake! Ah-"

I felt his body stumbled downwards. He gripped the hilt with one hand as I desperately held onto him. "Luka!!" He barely laid on the floor as I held him in my arms, almost hugging him for the sword to not make any movements.

He scoffed shakingly as he opened his weary eyes slowly to look at me. He tried to smile but calmly. "The way you ... Called out. It- ... It was like when ... We were little. Go-Good times ... was it?"

"D-Don't talk!" I screamed. "Just let me heal you ... !" As I began to reach my hand towards his chest, he suddenly grasp my hand and pulled it away from what strength he had. "What ...?"

"It's ... alright, Luze." He said shakingly. "This ... was meant to be." He placed my hand right where his charm was. The black crossed charm with a ruby embedded in it. I felt Light magic emanating from it. My eyes grew wide as I saw it then looked towards him. "Take this- ... With you. Show- ... Your leader that the deed ... is done."

He coughed up blood as I released my hand from his grasp and held onto him once more.

"Nii-san!!" I suddenly cried out. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

Luka looked up to me as he opened his weary eyes. He smiled again. It felt sincere. "I- ... Never thought I would ... hear that again. You're still- ... little at heart I see." He rose his trembling hand towards my face and placed it on my cheek gently. He rubbed his thumb against it to wipe away the tear.

"I love you ... Luze."

My eyes widened as I felt his hand drop down. It made a thud as it hit the floor. His head, laid lifeless on my arms.

My breath began to shake uncontrollably. My eyes now staring down at the lifeless form now sleeping for eternity on my arms.

My twin brother. My older sibling. My only family member that I had the chance to see.

Gone. Everything I had.

Gone. Even him.

My sword began to fade away, finally releasing him and freeing him from his torment.

My eyes continued to stare blankly as I held onto him, hugging his body tight against me in an embrace. Tears drip down delicately.

I sobbed quietly still staring as I couldn't fathom at the moment when I struck my blade through him.

My sword was my blessing yet my curse.

It protected me while it harmed others. Ended their lives. Now it came to this.

Ending someone's life that wasn't meant to be thrown away.

Someone that the weilder knew, but could not let their bloodied hands come to rest.

It was our duty, yes. As the Zess to fight in the frontlines. But not like this ...

I didn't want any of this. None of this.

I didn't want to be involved against my brother at all. I was blind. I was engulfed with hatred. I was reluctant. I was desperate. I wanted to get out. I--

...

I wanted him back. Don't leave me alone. I won't know how to live. How could you leave me like this?

How could I have done this to you when I didn't want any of this?

I suddenly heard a piercing scream that shook the whole area, making the crows fly away, cawing at the misfortunate event that they had witnessed. I didn't know where it came from as I shut my eyes tightly, trying to get away from this hellish nightmare.

It was until I had come to my own realization as I cried softly, sobbing into soft echoes.

...

It was me.

#Unheard Words #Forsaken Twin #Luze #Luze Crosszeria #Luka #Luka Crosszeria #Uraboku #uragiri wa boku no namae wo shitteiru #Betrayal Knows My Name

[cherrywoes]

acanthus. (go.)

NINJA WERE NOTHING but trouble. That was what ran through Kuchiki Sachiko’s mind as she surveyed the rain pounding down over the miles of rice fields she owned. She had harvested what she could before it had gotten truly awful, a few sacks worth a pretty ryo with the shortages from skirmishes between Iwagakure and Kumo. It would line her pockets for a brief period, feed her children well enough until their bellies ached a little less, but it wouldn’t last—it never did, with conditions like these. She was fifty-six, going on fifty-seven, with her youngest only nine years old and, fortunately, her last. She had lived long enough to take part in wars and make her peace with them, and with another brewing on the horizon, she knew her days were limited, and her childrens’ even more so.

Sachiko almost loathed to lie to them; to stare into their innocent faces and wide eyes, so much like her own with her husband’s nose and ears, and tell them that, yes, everything would be okay, and that Kaa-chan would take care of them and make sure they had everything they wanted. It was obvious enough to her older children, twenty and twenty-five respectively, that she lied out of necessity, and they turned a blind eye to it and pitched in where they could. She might find a few ryo tucked into her worn, tattered shoes; she might find a couple stowed away in the pots and pans she rarely used, because they couldn’t afford so much food for a single meal; and she might even discover some hidden deceptively within the threadbare stuffed animals in the corner. She would deny the help if they asked, so they took stealthier measures to make sure she took it and never returned it. Sachiko, despite the offense taken at being perceived as unable to take care of her own family, would flip the ryo in her hands in thought, grimace at the image of ribs protruding out from under skin, and hide them away on the inside seam of her apron and sew it shut.

She had saved a hefty sum this way, obtained healthier, heartier meals for her children and grandchildren: deer in the morning, procured from the butcher down the street who used his former ninja skills for less than acceptable means; vegetables and fruit for lunch to replace what nutrients they had lacked in the years before; and for dinner, rice to fill them up and bone broth to wash it down, because clean water was only seen once in a blue moon. She would never give her children the feces-laced, cloudy water that the rest of her village was drinking that made them ill and, eventually, gave them enough parasites that eating wouldn’t be their first concern.

“Kaa-chan,” one of her children called for her. His tiny hands were embedded in the wash basin, their clothes turning the water dark with dirty, mud, sweat, and tears. When she turned to him obligingly, hand falling to her sternum, she saw he was not looking at her, but out beyond the rice fields, eyes trained on something she couldn’t see through the rain with her blurry vision. “There’s someone out there.”

Sachiko huffed. “Out in this weather? They’d have to be insane, or—”

She swallowed the words when the rain brought a dark red trail of blood to her porch steps, just shy of her feet. It cut a crimson swathe through the clear water, disappearing as quickly as she had seen it, but she knew the look of a lethal amount of blood, having seen it many times before. When she looked up again, peering above the rice, she watched the abnormally tall stalks—nourished by her kekkai moura—sway as they were pushed aside, and violently. When they bowed, they did not return to their former stance, and she stiffened as a head of pink hair became steadily more visible the closer they got. At the basin, she could hear her child drop the soap into the dirty water and get to his feet, coming to her side to watch as the intruder crawled through their crops and nurtured them with their blood.

“Kaa-chan, we should help them,” he said, after a minute, watching the same threads of blood float through the water as she had. “They could be really hurt!”

Her mouth pulled in distaste. It was, in all likelihood, a ninja who had found themselves fatally wounded and stumbled their way from the war fields and into their crops by accident. She knew how this would go: the ninja would approach them, offer them some halfhearted promise while delusional from blood loss, in exchange for healing or a safe space to stay; then, when all was said and done, they would apologize, for what they had said was untrue and something they couldn’t do, offer them a paltry sum of ryo or expensive ninja equipment they knew nothing to do with and couldn’t sell, and vanish back into forest, either ending up dead or somewhere they were never coming back from. Sachiko had been on the butt-end of a bad deal one too many times, and this was a risk she wasn’t going to take. Not again.

“If they really want help,” she said snidely, turning him around by the shoulders and pushing him inside,”they’ll make it to the door and knock. If I’m feeling considerate, I might help them.”

“But Kaa-chan, that’s cruel,” he said, as if he knew what cruelty was, but didn’t fight her as she wheeled him towards the kitchen and out of sight from the broken windows. “What if they die?”

Sachiko flicked him in the back of the head. “They’re ninja. They know what they’re getting into. Now sit and eat your lunch while I go get your siblings and nieces and nephews.”

At that, she watched his face contort and sour. “I still don’t understand why we have to keep Nii-san’s kids, too. Aren’t there enough of us as it is?”

She deliberately ignored his hypocritical comment—having gone straight from wishing to help a stranger and right to resenting his relatives for being in the same home as him— and made her way to the front side of their hovel. Outside, squealing and playing in the mud, much to her delight, were her six missing children, each one thoroughly covered in it. She doubted they even realized they were playing in a mixture of dirt, cow feces, and fertilizer, and brought her fingers to her mouth in a shrill whistle. They stopped and turned to face her with sheepish grins, the rain already clearing them of some of the swill they had just covered themselves in.

“Inside, children,” she said, tiredly. She was unable to produce anger when they were having fun, even at the expense of their own health. By morning, they would be moaning and groaning about chores and post-rain cleanup, but they had a little piece of normalcy, and would treasure it despite the consequences. “Wash off in the rain—and do not play anymore—dry off, and get inside. Lunch is ready.”

Their ‘lunch’ was running later than usual, running into their dinner, but there was nothing Sachiko could do about that. The butcher had no more bones to give her and she had only two hundred ryo left to keep them from starving, once again. In the big cities, like Amegakure and Konoha, that would be nothing but chump change, but in their village, it was enough to keep them fed for at least three weeks, provided there were no other extreme shortages in the supply lines. She patted her tiny stockpile of ryo in idle thought, feeling each individual piece and its engravings, and sighed.

If she was lucky, the ninja would die in her fields and might have enough ryo to get them through another month without incident.

When all of her children were clean and dry, they all sat down at the table and began eating their food: an assortment of various lettuces, spinach, tomatoes that she had cut the rotten spots off of, and corn that had seen better days but ran cheap in the market. She forewent her own meal and took up sentry at the window, eyes tracking the unusually still body face down in the mud. Right when she was beginning to believe they were dead, they twitched and pushed up to their hands and began crawling, and even from the distance and her bad eyes, Sachiko knew what an aura soaked in anger felt like. It had been some time since she had felt it, but this was potent, made her eyes sting with tears, and a finger of ice trail up her spine and through the part of her hair.

This was a ninja she wanted no association with.

She pulled a ratty curtain over the windows hastily. What you didn’t see wasn’t there, so went the old saying, and she desperately hoped blood loss got to the ninja before the night. When her son sent her a quick, knowing look, spooning another forkful of lettuce into his mouth and grimacing at the taste of tomatoes, she knew her hope was for naught: once she laid down to rest, he would be out the door and helping the ninja before she could blink. A hypocritical, sympathetic heart, he was—she wasn’t sure if he got it from her or his father.

When night fell and Sachiko laid on the floor over a thin blanket to rest, she knew she had been right when the floorboards creaked and the soft footfalls of small feet echoed through the room. She closed her eyes and hid them in the lumpy, hard pillow, clutching a fistful of ryo to comfort herself, and listened as he turned the knob and opened the door.

Instead of continued feet patter, there was a gasp, and then a loud thud that sounded suspiciously like a body hitting the floor. Sachiko was up and stepping over slumbering children before she had a second thought, yanking her child back from the door and pushing him behind her. Lying face-first on the floor, covered in mud and bleeding all over her already dry rotting floor, was a ninja. Pink strands of hair, dark with water, were plastered to the back of her head, obscuring the mask that was clearly attached to her face. It was a deceptively small figure, that was certain, but Sachiko knew that underestimating a ninja like this one would be her death—if said ninja didn’t die first. And this ninja was very clearly ANBU, one of the more dangerous breeds.

“You have to help her,” her child said, reminding her of that ill-made promise.

“She didn’t knock,” Sachiko replied, if only to be petty.

She could feel his glare on the back of her head, harsh and sharp. “You promised.”

“Fine.” After a moment, she prayed to the heavens that she wouldn’t regret this, and with a well placed shove, rolled the ninja to her back. Her breath caught at the strikingly familiar face—not quite Mebuki Haruno’s but a very close rendition—and half lidded green eyes, crusted with dried tears, rain, and mud. She looked, overall, like she had been dragged miles down the road and left for the crows. Something that felt a little like obligation welled in her belly, despite her aversion for ninja. “But you’re helping.”

Without waking the other children, Sachiko dragged the woman to a bare room, tossed down a sheet and sack of rice, laid her down, and got to work. She tore open the vest and discarded it in a corner to air out, the smell gradually turning from wet dog to rank sourness, and tugged up the girl’s shirt, but only after telling her son to turn around. She caught the tiny ends of petals sinking into her skin before there were open wounds, deep and crudely glued together, weeping freely onto her floor.

She grimaced and mentally counted the deep punctures as she uncorked a bottle of foul moonshine—her personal stash that she hadn’t touched in years—with a high alcohol percentage. She saw over twenty severe punctures, but there were easily thirty or so injuries interspersed in the same area, and poured the liquid over the wounds. It cleaned the skin around it and Sachiko was mildly surprised that it wasn’t a particularly deep tan she had, but such a thick layer of grime that it had almost sunk into her skin entirely. When she looked up to her face, her breath stilled in her lungs when she found a pair of bloodshot, green eyes staring at her warily, a hand halfway up and reaching for something hidden in her pants pocket.

Sachiko went still, her gaze darting from that hand to her eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief when said eyes rolled back into her skull and the hand fell to the floor, limp.

She did what she could. Some of it was beyond her knowledge; they were more than just surface wounds, and the poor girl looked like she needed a medical ninja more than some backwater farmer with a handful of ninja experience. She cleaned the area up and stitched them closed, adding the gauze she had found in the ninja’s sealing scroll (that she knew how to open, at least) and pinning them in place with senbon that didn’t look like they were poisonous and had been rolling around in the bottom of a pouch stuffed full of ration bars.

When she was done, she got to her feet with a loud complaint from her knees. She would be regretting that for a few days to come, but when her child peered around her at the still body in the room, she figured it was worth it.

“Let her rest,” she said, ushering him to his own makeshift pallet and laying down on her own. “When she wakes, then you can pester her.”

But when morning came, and Sachiko opened the door with a plate of food she had grudgingly made for their guest, no one was there. The sheet had been cleaned, somehow, and folded and put into a corner, only faint blood stains visible upon it. The sack of rice laid atop it, innocent, and even the floors had been scrubbed clean of blood. And there, in the center of the room, was a pile of ryo, haphazardly placed as if she had put it there as an afterthought, along with seven ration bars that had bloody fingerprints on them.

Sachiko harumphed and scooped the ryo up, placing it in her little pocket, and regarded the ration bars with a narrow glare.

“Ninjas.” She scoffed, turning and taking the plate with her. “Nothing but trouble.”

Sakura had no way of knowing what her unintentional savior had thought of her parting with a vital resource to her survival. She had shelled out three hundred ryo from her meagre supply of just over a thousand, and she knew she couldn’t afford to do this again—to go to civilians for help when they were already as troubled as she was. She had tiptoed through the house, inspecting it for any sign that it might have been tampered with, and only found signs of a starving and poor household. She had given them ration bars, as well, to replace the bottle of moonshine she’d found sitting by the door that she was now taking swigs from to distract her from the pain.

It was almost as if her wounds being clean was more painful than them being dirty, really. She took a final swig and corked it, ambling through the forest and avoiding the more social members of the village coming out to play. The woman had looked mildly familiar to her, but nothing immediately obvious was coming to mind for her, and so she dismissed it as something irrational. It wouldn’t do her any good lingering on something like that. She was now off-course from Amegakure and, of course, had no way to track Neji now—she would have to go by her instincts and make her way there, if there was anything left of them by now. War Ops, she recalled, were easily wiped out if taken unawares.

It reminded her of Sasuke, in a way—he had taken her unawares, and nearly killed her for it, as well. He might have missed her heart, but he had not missed another vital organ she might have needed, one day. Tsunade had given her a solemn look when she had woken up in the hospital, tugged down her gown, and exposed a grisly scar from hip to hip, and Sakura had known what had happened. He had cut deeply enough to wound her ovaries, and there had been no saving them, as much as her former mentor had tried. It wasn’t as if she had any prospects for a future husband; she had originally hoped Sasuke still harbored some flame for her, even after all that time. It had been in the hospital where her love for him had withered and died and turned into something more malicious.

Perhaps it had been then that her problems had started. Sakura’s hand went to her belly in thought, darting under her shirt and tracing the scar that still felt raw and fresh, even after almost a year of healing and a unique skin therapy. Her life had spiraled from there, devolving from a broken heart to exile and execution in the span of a few months—though she wasn’t so delusional as to think her chakra turning on her like that was because of a broken heart. It had to be something else, something to do with the seal on her head; the Byakugou didn’t just change like that. She knew that innately; even Tsunade had said as much, when Sakura inquired if she could change the shape into something less attention-catching, like a circle. She no longer had the well of medical chakra, but a violently shifting lake of chakra that sent a chill through her every time she tried to mold it into some confined shape. Her chakra control, excellent and above even Tsunade’s, was her issue, now. She would have to have the recklessness of Naruto and the blind trust in skill that Sasuke had before she could even think about touching that chakra. Not that she even wanted to to begin with.

She paused in walking down the trodden path of broken underbrush and dying grass. What did she want to do? Other than her selfish need to live, what else was there to do? She had no village to fight for, no one to fight for except for herself. She relied on having others to occupy her selfishness, her unnerving sense of right and wrong, but those lines had been blurred and her selfishness was starting to turn inward towards her own wellbeing. She wasn’t getting anywhere not touching the malevolent chakra within her veins, and avoiding the deaths her contract required would most certainly kill her.

Living, Sakura decided, just wasn’t enough for her.

But then, she thought, as she ducked underneath a set of branches and found herself at a fork in the road, what would be enough for her, in the end?

She ignored the tiny little voice in the back of her head whispering “Nothing,” as she avoided the path on the right and set off on the left, walling off the quick succession of imagery that depicted Sasuke Uchiha dead at her hand, mutilated in the same way he had left her, flashing through her mind.

Maybe one day, she would give her ex-teammate the beating he deserved. But for now, she was going to go to the War Ops camp and fulfill her contract’s stipulation; after that, if she survived the war, she would entertain the idea of killing Sasuke Uchiha.

And the darker part of her heart told her she wouldn’t mind a bit if he was dead.

五 (yon) | masterlist | 六 (roku)

#naruto #sakura haruno #haruno sakura #sakura haruno x kimimaro kaguya #kimisaku #kimimaro kaguya #naruto uzumaki #sasuke uchiha

[scoundrels-in-love]

I've dreamt about you (nearly) every night this week

The hour is too late, Jaime is too shirtless much on their videocall and Brienne's fantasies run away from her at mention of 'pillowtalk'. Also on AO3. Part of Braime Monthly Madness/Mutual Pining March.

She misses Jaime.

It’s frustrating to admit, but true nonetheless. While Brienne does enjoy the vibrating, ever-changing air of her profession, she discovered early that she needs at least a few reliable things in her life to keep her sanity and happiness. Working out on specific days, a call to her father at least once every two weeks, even if she has to keep it brief, a lengthy brunch with Sansa and (or) Margaery once a month or more often if their schedules allow it though they text and call each other plenty, are part of her subtle routine. 

Somehow, Jaime has become one such pillar of stability. Snuck his way deeper and deeper into her weeks with a wink and takeout box as he comes over for a movie night, with surprise visits to her set when they don’t share it. Embedded himself in countless ways that leave tiny holes through which blankness presses through, now that he’s gone for the third month, doing promotions for his newest movie and shooting a reality show in Dorne. 

It’s not the first time they’ve not seen each other for a while, but this is certainly the longest in the last two years. And so, she is lying in her bed, staring at her ceiling and trying not to think of how much she misses his voice and laughter, and definitely not about the photos of him shirtless on beach that had been plastered all over yellow pages and Weirnet that he had the gall to forward to her with a cheeky comment how he can’t let her forget how handsome he is.

(As if she could, as if her dreams aren’t often invaded by his smile, the warm light in his eyes that’s one spark from incinerating, his breathy laughter in her ear, his hand slipping lower ... )

She finally wrestles all the images away and feels sleep beginning to blur the edges of her thoughts when her phone begins buzzing. Her sleepy frown dissolves at Jaime would like to start a videocall.

It’s a little later than their usual calls, but she accepts. If she’s got to end it soon, at least she can do so after smothering some of her insatiable longing. “Hey Jaime,” she starts, but whatever was meant to follow dies on Brienne’s lips.

Jaime’s reclined on a pillow and he must be holding the phone with extended hand, as she can see most of his exposed chest, almost glowing in the warm light of lamps. Because he’s shirtless. And grinning at her in a way that’s a mix of faux innocence and glee, as if he knows exactly how her stomach leaped or maybe knotted up - she’s not exactly sure but it definitely did something. 

“It’s hot in here,” he offers as an explanation and she hopes she hasn’t been silent for as long as she thinks she’s been. She’s also utterly unconvinced and drops the phone to the side, much to his immediate protest, to shift her pillows so she can do this more comfortably and with less double chin inducing angles. Like seeing her face in the corner of the screen, compared to all, well, that, isn’t enough of a reminder that her fluttering longings aren’t meant to survive the frost of reality. But the one time she tried to turn off her camera, Jaime protested so loudly it almost convinced her he misses her face, too.

“It’s 11pm, Jaime, don’t you have early filming tomorrow?” she asks when she’s settled, trying to avoid looking at anything but his face, though it’s hard when the screen is comparatively small. Isn’t his arm getting tired?

“No. Besides, I just need to tell you what nonsense Lysa Tully pulled today - you know there’s no one else I’d rather complain to.”

She wants to joke that it’s because he has no other options anyway, but doesn’t because it’s true. Jaime cannot call his siblings to joke about the latest nonsense on set, Bronn would only ask for dirty parts, Addam’s probably predisposed with something of his own. Even Elia and Lyanna are not exactly available these days, enjoying their family holiday. Though he has found tentative friendship with some of her friends and co-workers, it’s not the sort for such late night talks. And in truth, there’s no one else she’d rather speak with after a long day, either. 

So, how can she deny him this? “Fine, I’ll bite. What did she do now?” 

One story turns into another and an hour later, they both have shifted to be laying down more comfortably (thank the gods, now she can lie to herself that she’s unaware how he’s shirtless beyond the frame). The conversation putters out bit by bit, replaced by warmth and sleepiness. Or perhaps it’s the first, the sense of safety, that brings about the second. 

“We should do pillow talks like these more often. In real life, too.” 

Suddenly, she feels quite awake. And thankful the dim light hides the blush burning across her face. 

There is no way his word choice is deliberate, but the want goes from thawed and simmering on low fire, to molten steel in a flash. It’s not just the images of him sweaty and mussed up that her brain unhelpfully provides based on his post-training looks, it’s also basking in warmth of his grin, discovering if she likes to be genuinely held afterward, the softness of his voice and his hair as she would brush it out of his face, trace hand down his stubbled jaw that has left a pleasant burn across her--

The word holds too much promise, if only in her mind’s definition. And not one she can clarify with Jaime.

Especially since he loves to tease her, has outright told her he loves to make her flustered. Flirts only to see her fumbling reaction, just as Margaery does (even now, that she has proclaimed Brienne to be ‘tragically straight’). 

So, Brienne grasps at something safe instead. “You fell asleep on my shoulder last time you were over,” she reminds him, smiling a little at the memory. One of the reasons why they don’t R.aven movies together when they’re separated like this is because nodding off at end of second or third movie individually just isn’t the same, compared to the way they slowly gravitate toward each other when sharing a couch until someone (usually Jaime) is falling asleep on the other. The other is that reading his typo riddled, rushed commentary and responding to it is incredibly distracting and makes Brienne miss half the movie. 

“Speaking of which, we both should go to sleep.” It’s past midnight and he might not have an early morning (which Brienne doesn’t entirely believe), she actually does.

“Five more minutes,” he asks, not unlike a petulant child, but she doesn’t have the heart to deny this mutual indulgence.

Brienne doesn’t know when the five minutes turn into maybe twenty or thirty and when they dissolve into dreamless sleep, but she wakes up trying to nuzzle her face into the phone which definitely does not compare to the comfort of her pillow. The clock informs her it is almost 4am and upon unlock, the videocall goes fullscreen once more.

She can’t tell if Jaime propped his phone up quite so right before she fell asleep or after, which would mean he didn’t end the call when she nodded off. The thought should be uncomfortable, and there are definitely twinges of embarrassment as she had had to wipe drool away from the screen, instead she feels detached from anything but a tender longing that cocoons her thoughts, tangles them up and drags them away from any logic. 

Perhaps this sleepy, slow warmth is poison that will kill her, but Brienne is willing to risk it, just to stay in this kind of liminal, magical space in which their lives cross with the impossible reality where their pillowtalks adhere to her wistful definition. 

He has twisted away from the phone some, she can mostly only see the pillow, stump and his profile at an angle. For a while, she feels content just to watch him, taking in his relaxed features and the calm rise and fall of his chest. Sometimes, she has indulged in looking when he falls asleep next to or on her, but the urge to touch becomes too much quickly. (Work is where the best of both worlds cross paths and she has cover easily available, but at the same time her mind is occupied with the task at hand.)

Here, she doesn’t have to cover the reason her touch lingers, is safe from waking the man with a finger tracing his lips or skirting down his neck to rest on his exposed chest. The thought of pressing kiss below his ear, to his collarbone, scraping teeth across the hollow of his throat doesn’t pull her closer to him like the world's most powerful magnet drags a huge, crude iron rod. (Merely because he isn’t tangibly there.) She can risk-freely think of the little noise he would probably make before opening eyes, pupils blown wide for more than the low light. “I thought we were supposed to sleep,” Jaime would say, voice husky like it sometimes dips when they’re alone in the makeup trailer, even lower still, but he would already be reaching for her. “Well, there is more than one meaning to the word,” she would say and -- 

Brienne pushes the end call button with speed that outraces her heart. 

There are things that can be squinted at until they grow blurry enough to be seen as ‘we are friends and he is a very attractive man, a stray thought or two is bound to happen’. (Though she has been with a friend, and it wasn’t even starlight during the day compared to the scorching sun that is Jaime.) And then there are moments that cross any and all borders of appropriate, of what she can afford. This is definitely of the second sort. Worse, not only it is the indulgence of the highest degree, it also skirts too close to being a creep. Shame washes away last threads of desire. 

Jaime deserves better than to be ogled while asleep and groped at in her fantasies. He is her friend, with his confusing comments and heated gazes and face she cannot get tired of in or outside work, and a smile that can fill her with dread just as much as bone melting gladness. And she can’t, can’t erase it from her life just because he is so lovable and so beautiful there is ache behind her breastbone, trickling all the way into her fingertips. 

She double checks if her alarm is on and then puts the phone on the bedside table. Tosses and turns in the dark, as if heaviness in her has somehow slipped into the mattress and made it all lumpy. But eventually, sleep reclaims her and when she wakes, a text from Jaime already waits for her (so much for not having an early morning): What happened to call

I guess it timed out or something. Maybe WiFi got temporarily disconnected. she responds after a respectable amount of time, right before she drives to the studio. It’s only a white lie, far more innocent than the real reason. But that doesn't help her rapidly growing guilt, at all. 

He texts back almost immediately: Shame wanted u to be the first thing I see when I wake up

And if she replies only hours later, with a random update of her day, it’s definitely not because me too rang so loudly in her chest that she forgot all other words. 

#Braime #Jaime x Brienne #braime ff #got #my fic #makeup artist verse #rainy writes stuff

[a-dark-kiss]

Erika Sigvaldon’s Biography

Basic Information:

Name: Erika Sigvaldson. Gender: Female. D.O.B: Winter 994AD. Species: Vampire. Physical Age: 28. Actual Age: 1,027. Date of Transition: 1022AD. Sire: Kol Mikaelson. Sexuality: Bisexual.

Physical Description:

Height: 5ft 7inches.

Weight: 70kg.

Build: Strongly built, yet still agile.

Skin: Quite pale or ‘fair skinned’, even when well fed.

Hair: Despite it being styled very differently over the years, Erika’s hair has always stayed it’s natural golden colour. These days it falls down to just below her shoulder blades and often has small, thin braids in it.

Eyes: Generally a deep shade of mossy green, unless she’s starving or is about to feed.

Significant Marks/Scars: There are various thin and pale scars all over her body from her time as a warrior when she was human. But there are a few far more noticeable ones. As a child, when living in the same settlement as the Mikaelson family, Erika was also attacked by a wolf in the surrounding forest. Four thick scars line the back of her left thigh, where Erika was mauled whilst lost in the dark on a full moon. The witch Ayana used herbs and powerful magic to cleanse the infection that soon had taken root in the flesh, but these left grizzly scars behind. Some years later (at 14 years old), after fleeing back to Norway with a nearby settlement, she was whipped ten times as punishment after stabbing a man in the groin when she was caught stealing leather armour. The scars from those lashings are not as thick, nor as grizzly as the ones on the back of her thigh, but they are much longer. The worst of which starts at the back of her left shoulder and goes diagonally all the way down to her right hip.

Personality:

As a human Erika was generally a kind hearted and thoughtful person, but her temper was known throughout her adult life as a silent storm of hatred and sometimes even cruelty among the people in the town she fled to in Norway. When she was turned her already unpredictable temper was amplified. But so was her compassion and her kindness. 

Hobbies:

Despite reading thousands and thousands of books over the centuries, Erika continues to have a deep love for books. Her home in London that she has had since the late 1700s has an entire floor dedicated to the books that she has loved the most and collected on her travels around the world. She did try her hand at drawing for a while, but she found that it didn’t soothe her soul the way reading did. And then, during the first world war Erika took it upon herself to find new and exciting ways to use the rations that were passed and traded between human hands. Whilst choosing not to eat herself, she fed those around her and became quite a good cook in the process, which soon developed into a passion for baking.

Abilities:

Being nearly as old as the Original Family has given Erika extreme strength and speed, along with very heightened senses. As with most vampires that have a steady diet of human blood she is skilled at Compulsion. Whilst she was a human, she had an affinity for animals and this only became stronger once she was turned, leaving her able to soothe a distressed animal with ease.

Weaknesses:

Erika always wears a silver necklace that has a lapis lazuli crystal embedded into the small locket pendant that protects her from the sunlight. Without it, she can be killed when in direct sunlight. Vervain will weaken her if she ingests it or is injected with it and if it touches her skin it will burn her just as badly as a ray of sunshine would.

Backstory:

In 997AD, when Erika was only a few of years old, she and her father, along with the Mikaelsons, travelled to a settlement in the New World. Her earliest memories are of running around the large white oak tree in the village – it was bigger than any other tree she’d ever laid eyes on. As she slowly grew up, she became closer to the youngest Mikaelson sibling; Henrik. When one of the other boys in the settlement pushed her into the mud, he was the first to defend her and they were nearly inseparable after that.

After Henrik’s death she withdrew into herself, not wanting to speak to anyone or do anything aside from walking through the woods as they had done together. Not long after he was killed, the Mikaelsons enlisted Ayana’s help in creating a faster and stronger being that would not need to be afraid of the werewolves. After the Mikaelsons had transitioned and were given the ability to walk in the sunlight, Erika’s father took some clothes and provisions and tied them up into a bundle, gave them to his daughter and told her to run as far into the forest as she could with the moon on her right shoulder. He told her that she would find another village, with people that would protect her if she told them her name.

Reluctantly, she did as he asked and waited for him to join her for days, until the leader of the new settlement decided that they were no longer safe, with the wolves coming every full moon and vampires that now had the ability to walk in the sun, they needed to get away. Rowan Sigvaldson was not heard from again.

After travelling for many weeks, they arrived on the shores of Norway, the country that she had been born in. Thankfully the family that had taken care of her in America had decided to take her in as their own. And as she blossomed into a stunning young woman she trained with the other shieldmaidens until she was just as good as their fiercest fighter. At twenty-two years old she was caught stealing leather armour from the tanners of the town, with the notion that she would use it when the other warriors went raiding. Instead, she was tied to two whipping posts and received a lashing for each bronze coin it would have cost to buy the armour outright – ten lashings in total. After the punishment, she was held there in the square for ten days as penance for the life she had taken when Erika had stabbed the man who owned the tannery in the groin with a thin dagger. But they did not break her and nor would they, no matter how many times she was ridiculed.

When she was finally untied, she fell to the ground and stayed there for hours; her body weak from starvation and exhausted from having to stand there for days on end. When she finally willed herself to move, she stumbled to the small home she had and had her closest friend rub a salve into the wounds on her back and then helped Erika bind them with cloth.

The next year, when the Vikings went raiding again, she bought a set of armour with what coin she had left from selling herbs and joined them on their journey. She was well known for her vicious brutality on the battlefield and her strength in a shield wall. From then on she was always taken with them, and continued to go wherever they went.

The years slowly went by, and when she reached the age of 28 a new threat had arrived nearby. Known only for it’s beautiful face and it’s curious habit of draining it’s victims of blood. People made offerings to the Gods, to help them overcome this new fear, but it had very little effect. More and more of them started to go missing; husbands, wives, brothers, daughters… Even the children. Erika had decided that she would not be afraid of this new creature, and she braved the dark to find it. When the face that revealed itself to be the monster, she saw him plainly and she knew him well. It was Kol. One of the Mikaelson brothers. She backed away slowly with her sword in hand, and her emerald eyes almost aflame as she watched him cautiously.

In the end, it didn’t matter how skilled she was with a sword. It didn’t matter how fast she was or how much courage she had. And the last thing she saw was a pair of fangs sliding out from his gums… And then she was surrounded by a black nothingness.

When she awoke the following morning, the sunlight felt like it was burning into Erika’s eyes and her skin, that was somehow even more pale than before, felt like she had sunburn all over her body. As the day went on, her stomach growled and felt as though she hadn’t eaten in weeks and her mouth and gums began to ache. Eventually - as she began to get too tired to fight it, she attacked a woman that had a grievous head wound and was bleeding. As she stood over the woman, who was then crouched down and whimpering, her eyes strayed to the graze on her head… And then she knew. Kol had fed her his blood and then killed her in cold blood. She knew enough about the vampires to know that she needed to feed soon, or she would just fade away.

Erika pulled out the dagger she kept down the inside of her boots and sliced through the flesh of the woman’s neck, grabbed onto her and then let the blood gush into her mouth. Instantly she felt the aches in her mouth stop, and the more blood she consumed the stronger she became and the hunger in her stomach died down. Once the lady was empty, Erika went to leave the hut but instantly flew back inside, the skin on her arms blistered from the exposure to the twilight sun. She looked around with a puzzled expression. The Mikaelsons had been able to walk in the sun, so why couldn’t she do it?

As soon as the sun had set, she dashed out of the hut and came upon the body she had drained to complete her transition and a man that had discovered it. Wrecked with guilt over the killing, she felt the blood rush to her eyes as they darkened. The man that was leaning over the corpse glanced up and yelled for help as he saw her. And in no time at all, she managed to find the mark of his carotid artery and bit into it with ease, satiating her hunger.

After her transition in 1022AD it took her nearly forty years to come across a witch that was willing to help her gain the ability to walk in the sunlight. After taking care of a few of the witch’s problems she was more than happy to enchant the lapis lazuli locket pendant she owned.

Over the last millennium Erika lead an extraordinary life, travelling all over the world and assisting in many wars. In the late 1800s, with money she had earned and saved, she bought a large house in London, with three floors, a courtyard and a grand garden. In this house, she has kept treasures and souvenirs from various time periods; including jewellery, gold coins and handwritten texts and rare prints of books. She spent the last few years back in Norway but has finally decided to return to her London home; the only place she ever felt truly safe in.

#the vampire diaires rp #erika sigvaldson #erika sigvalson bio #erika sigvaldson rp #rp #roleplay #backstory

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Burned Part 15

Summary:  Alfie Solomons is in need of a secretary. Tommy Shelby mentions a young woman in need of employment. From there the two step into a dangerous dance together.

Part 15: Serious discussions are had. 

         Alfie had some experience with caring for children. He helped his mother as best he could with his younger brother. But he was a bad influence on Adam and it showed early on. His mother urged her youngest to pursue a more respectable life so she didn't have two sons stuck in a cycle of crime. Perle encouraged Adam to focus on education and was extremely proud when he joined the military. Alfie didn’t do anything to pressure his brother into the life he led. If anything, he agreed with his mother and steered Adam away from a life of crime. The last thing he wanted was to have his baby brother’s blood on his hands. His mother would never forgive him.

           Adam Solomons was a family man. He loved his wife and son. He also loved his country and proudly marched off to war. His body was never recovered from Gallipoli. Alfie promised to look after Rose but she was distrustful of the gangster who was making his way through the ranks of the underworld. When he returned from the war, he had no family left aside from his nephew and sister-in-law. Rose, overwhelmed with grief and her reckless seventeen-year-old, took off. Goliath was dropped off on Alfie without any notice.

           He didn’t raise the boy though and couldn't teach him anything of much use. He was already too set in his ways.

           Alfie had been around Ollie’s children before. They all pounced on him the second he walked through the door screeching about lord knows what. They called him Uncle Fie and the oldest boy said he wanted to be a boxer, always trying to get Alfie to fight him. Aside from a tousle of the hair and the occasional piggyback ride, he was uneasy around them. Children were so fragile and vulnerable. He was accustomed to men who could survive a severe beating and get right back to it. Ollie’s wife would smack him if Alfie so much as uttered one swear around the kids. But Alfie saw the pride on his assistant’s face when his children were around. Ollie lived for them and he spoke so fondly about them. It made him wonder what it was like to be a father, lighting up at every mention of his pride and joy. To boast about their achievements and how they made him smile. To see Louise pregnant and thrilled to be a mother. It was tempting.

           Inglewood needed work before they could have any function, especially their wedding. But Louise was thrilled to take on the project. She talked endlessly about the memories she had in each room. How she bruised her knee sliding down the banister, the first pony her father bought her, the stories her mother would tell her at night, and the chocolate cake made for her birthday each year. She wanted to bring those memories back to life as best she could by reviving Inglewood. Improvements and cleaning were left to staff that Alfie hired after a strict vetting process. But Louise wanted to be involved because she felt protective over her home.

           Alfie had never seen her so interested in anything. She paid attention to the restoration process and even began gardening once the overgrown yard was cleared. He could fondly remember one of the early days they were there. Louise had gone out into the warm sunshine, clad in pants and one of his old shirts. She wasn’t afraid to get dirty in the soil and eagerly showed Alfie what she’d planted by the end of the day.

           She was happy and that made him as happy as could be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

           One week, Alfie returned back to Inglewood from Camden Town. Louise had stayed, working from the office that had just been redone and furnished along with a portrait of her father proudly hanging by his original desk.

           Alfie stepped out of the car and noticed a few kids bicycling down the driveway. There were three of them, a boy around fourteen, a girl about nine, and another boy that couldn’t be more than seven. They were dressed well, albeit most likely their play clothes, and he could guess they were from around the area.

           When they saw Alfie, they screeched to a halt.

           “Sorry, sir.” The oldest apologized. “This home’s usually empty so we ride up the drive and back.” He explained. The boy was the complete opposite of how Alfie was at the same age. Clean-cut, well mannered, and cautious.

           “S’alright.” Alfie didn’t see the harm with the kids riding their bikes up the way.

           “Are you moving in here?” The girl asked. Her blonde hair in a short bob with a silver clip parting her bangs to the side. “We live down that way.” She pointed past the front lawn of Inglewood where a foot-high stonewall divided the land.

           “Erm, yes, just doing a few renovations.” He nodded and felt out of his comfort zone. He had enough sense not to act the part of the big scary gangster boss in front of children. So that just left him as plain old Alfie.

           As if hearing his silent pleas for help, Louise stepped outside. “Alfie?” She had heard the car pull up and expected him to rush inside to embrace her. “Oh, hello.” She smiled when she saw the children.

           “Do you have any kids our age?” The youngest boy asked hopefully. “I’m seven ‘n a half.” He beamed proudly.

           “I’m afraid we don’t have any children, darling. We’ve only just got married.” It was a lie simply to throw a veil over the situation. Despite the distance between neighbors, word traveled fast in upscale country settings. None of the fashionable ladies of the manors would want to hear that Louise and Alfie weren’t married but still living together. It was the 1920’s but some people were still stuck in the past.

           The little boy pouted. “That’s okay.” Even though he was disappointed, he managed to keep the politeness instilled in them by their nanny.

           The eldest leaned forward, resting his forearms on the handlebars of his bike. “Mum will want to have you ‘round for tea.” He told Louise.

           “That would be lovely. Alfie and I will come and visit once we’re all settled.”

           Alfie furrowed his brow. Afternoon tea in Surrey was not on his to-do list. He cleared his throat and nodded. Whatever Louise wanted and whatever would make her happiest. “Yeah, we’ll pop on by soon. And don’t worry ‘bout us, you can ride your bikes wherever. We don’t mind, yeah?” He looked to Louise who was smiling.

           “Of course not.” She agreed.

           “Thank you!” The littlest shouted a bit louder than necessary and rode off. His sister followed, the wheels kicking up bits of gravel as they went.

           The other boy lingered, glancing at Alfie for a moment. “Well, thank you. Have a good day.” He nodded and went to catch up to his siblings.

           “So sweet,” Louise said softly and linked arms with Alfie to walk inside.

           “Yeah, proper posh kids, aren’t they? You like that when you were that age?” He wondered.

           “Well…I suppose.” She shrugged and led him into the office. “Wasn’t much else to do around here besides spending time outside and with friends.”

           He sat down on one of the couches near the unlit fireplace. Louise happily sat beside him, tucking her feet under her. “Were a lot of things to do in Camden growing up.” He chuckled. “Bad things, yeah, but things all the same. Was probably robbing people at his age.”

           Louise wrapped an arm around his shoulders and snuggled close to his side. “I think we might have gotten along. I got bored easily here.”

           “And you would be the beautiful posh girl that I would do anything to win over.” He nearly laughed at how sappy he was being.

           She watched the lines around his eyes wrinkle in happiness. Her fingers grazed over the nape of his neck, dancing along the edge of his hairline. “You wouldn’t have to try very hard.”

           He chuckled and stretched his legs out in front of him. “Well, m’fraid I won’t be a very good socialite.” It meant to come off as humorous but he couldn’t ignore the passing look the neighbor’s son had given him. Alfie knew he didn’t fit into that society and part of him was perfectly okay with that. But the other part was guilty about not giving Louise everything she wanted.

           “Alfie.” She sighed and turned his cheek so he was looking at her. “I don’t want you to change just because we have this home now. Where we are or who we’re around doesn’t matter. I just want you to always be my Alfie. And I never wanted to be a socialite and I sure as hell don’t want to be one now.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “All I want is to have a life with you.”

           “Lou…” He rested a hand over hers. His blue eyes shining with adoration and a bit of relief. “I don’t want you to ever change either.” He agreed softly.

           She smiled and touched her forehead to his. “I love you.”

           “I love you too.” He closed his eyes for a moment and let his thumb graze over the sapphire embedded in her ring. “D’you want kids?” He asked before he really thought about what conversation he was possibly opening up.

           Louise drew back in surprise. “I-well I suppose we haven’t talked about it.” She agreed without outright answering him. She wasn’t in the mood to strike up a heated debate over the issue. Especially when they weren’t even married yet.

           “I think we should.”

           The admission came out fast and for a moment, Louise thought she hadn’t heard him right. “Well, I…yes I agree.”

           They let the words sit in the air between them. They were thrilled that they were on the same page but both very worried in their unique way. The decision seemed much larger than anything else in their lives.

           “I just know you’d be a good mum, s’all.” He shrugged sheepishly and looked down at her hand still resting in his. “Like to have kids of me own.”

           “I think you’d be a wonderful father, Alfie.” Louise murmured truthfully. “You might not think so but I know how much love you’re capable of having.”

           “I could protect you both.” He vowed. “Would fucking never let anything harm you. I’ve made mistakes that put you in danger but I-”

           She pressed a finger to his lips. “You don’t need to explain yourself to me. I know you could take care of us, I trust you. You’ve earned my trust and I know we’ll be able to keep that as we create a life together.” Her voice was breathless with excitement. It was surreal to imagine Inglewood full of life again. Not the hollow, stone building that had been drained of the love it once held. But a child, maybe even more than one, running around the home and playing in the yard. A little boy or girl with Alfie’s beautiful blue eyes. She could easily picture the smile on her fiancée’s face as he picked up a little child that so closely resembled him.

           It nearly brought tears to Louise’s eyes. “I can’t wait for forever with you.” She whispered and took his face in her hands to kiss him.

           Alfie wrapped his arms around her, letting her take his breath away like she had done many times before.

~~~~~~~~~~~

           Alfie stayed the night in Inglewood. Louise fell right to sleep but he was restless. The silence of the countryside was bothering him and his own thoughts were much too loud.

           So, he decided to take a lap around the home just to clear his head. He cursed the draft in the large halls and crossed his arms over his chest. The stairs creaked under him as he made his way downstairs. He passed through the foyer and wove through the parlor, the dining room, the front hall, and to the office.

           The large portrait of Mr. Barnes startled Alfie for a moment as he passed by the doors. He paused and decided to go in.

           Henry Barnes was a younger man when the portrait was painted. He had only just met his wife-to-be, but he was still the son of a wealthy aristocrat. He stood tall and proud like in the foyer portrait with his wife, Lily. His gentle eyes appeared to be looking down right at Alfie.

           The gangster faced the painting and took a deep breath. He felt like a Christian going into confession. “I know that…” He sighed as he realized he was talking out loud to a piece of canvas. Nevertheless, he continued on. “Maybe m’not the best for her. Could be better men out there, right, that she could be with. All I know is I would do anything to keep her safe and happy. Would fucking die for her in a heartbeat if I had to.”

           Henry didn’t move. The placid expression on his face remained just like it had for decades.

           Alfie ran a hand through his hair and nodded absent-mindedly. “Never loved anyone like I love her.” He mumbled. “Fucking hurts me chest when I think ‘bout it sometimes. Yeah, dunno if I’m enough. Or if I’ll ever be.” He swallowed hard and took a few steps back. “Fucking talking to myself.” It was enough to get the words out of his head though, and he felt a bit lighter as he left the office. No matter what insecurities he might have, he knew for damn sure he was going to marry the love of his life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

           While London was swarming with whispers of Alfie’s marriage, Camden Town had its own take on the matter. Simply put, Alfie was Jewish through and through. He was raised that way and despite his criminal activity, he would stay that way. Louise was not Jewish. Baptized in the Church of England, she had lost most faith in God. As far as Jewish law was concerned, they would not be allowed to wed.

           Ever since he hit puberty, Perle would say Alfie needed to find a nice Jewish woman to marry. He never did, most fathers didn’t want their respectable daughters around the hellish Solomons boy. That didn’t bother him because he wasn’t interested in settling down. As a young man, he was more interested in laying out his empire.

           Now that he had, Alfie only had eyes for one woman. Jewish law wouldn’t’ stop him. He tended to disregard all laws except his own.

           Ollie and Alfie were inspecting areas of the bakery, making sure everything was running smoothly.

           “Ollie, mate, can I ask you something?”

           “Of course, sir.” The curly-haired man nodded. He looked up from his checklist.

           “You said you and Shayna went to temple in Hampstead? What’s the rabbi’s name?”

           Despite years working for him, Ollie was never able to guess what his boss was about to say. But they normally didn’t talk about religion. Alfie celebrated holidays typically with friends of his late mother or Ollie’s family. Camden embraced him because he gave to the Jewish community. Men tipped their hats and greeted him politely. Grandmothers often scolded him, saying he looked thin and promised to bring him heaps of food.

           But they all knew what he did and how it conflicted with their shared beliefs. A busy man, Alfie attended temple when he had the chance. He sat in the back, a silent and domineering figure.

           “Rabbi Mayer?”

           “Right, you know him well?” Alfie continued to be cryptic.

           “I suppose.” Ollie shrugged. “He married Shayna and me.” He reminded his boss who had been present.

           “Thought so.” He scratched at his beard. “You think he’d be willing to overlook a few things?”

           Well, Ollie had been asked stranger things before. “Like what?”

           “Small bits ‘n bobs. Louise’s religion mostly.” He answered casually.

           Rose had told her husband about what the other Camden women were gossiping about. How was Alfie, a Jewish gangster going to marry someone of a different faith? Certainly, no rabbi would conduct the ceremony. So would he neglect Jewish tradition? That was simply unheard of.

           “And what if they have children?” Shayna had asked, throwing her hands up in disbelief. “It’s in his family. His brother did the same thing! He had some legal ceremony and never taught his son properly. Look at Goliath now.”

           Ollie could understand his wife’s opinion. The community struggled to keep their traditions and identity. But he also knew Alfie would do as he wished. Hence, why he was asking for a rabbi who would break the rules.

           “Sir, I’m not sure-”

           “Look, I fucking know.” Alfie cut him off. “Not s’posed to do this but I ain’t going back on what I said. I’m marrying her.” His tone was firm and unyielding.

           “Sir, even if he does marry you, everyone will know.” His assistant pointed out.

           He grimaced. “Fucking gossips.” He grumbled under his breath. “Fuck it. You go to the rabbi, yeah, and let him name his price. If not, I’ll do it me own way.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

           Louise was back in Camden that same night. She was getting dressed for bed when Alfie arrived home. He entered the room with a smile.

           “Love that color on you.” He admired the indigo nightgown she was wearing. It was one of many that Alfie had shipped in from Paris.

           Louise smiled. “You say that no matter what I’m wearing.” She sat at the vanity to carefully undo the pins from her hair.

           “Well, then.” He chuckled and stood behind her to rest his hands on her shoulders. “Maybe that’s ‘cause you’re beautiful in everything.” He murmured. “Also beautiful with nothing on too.” He touched his lips to her neck.

           Louise rested a hand over his. She nuzzled his cheek lovingly. “How was your day?”

           “Fine, nothing to write home ‘bout.” Alfie shrugged. He drew away and sat on the bed to remove his boots. Cyril curled up by his feet begging for a pat. He obliged, scratching behind the bullmastiff’s ears.

           “Evelyn was talking to me about the wedding.” She informed him.

           “Yeah?”

           “Telling me about Jewish traditions.” Louise turned on the vanity seat to face him. “We can’t be married by a rabbi, can we?” Guilt hinted at her features.

           “Well…” Alfie rubbed the back of his neck. “Not too sure yet.” He admitted.

           She played with her engagement ring, circling the band around her finger. “Maybe I could convert, that way we won’t be breaking tradition. I don’t want people looking at you badly because you’re marrying me.”

           Alfie frowned. “Lou, we just discussed this. I ain’t gonna make you change who you are for me.” He held his arms out for her.

           She gladly curled up on his lap. His arms cradling her close and keeping her safe. She rested her cheek on his shoulder.

           “I’m marrying you whether anyone likes it or not, yeah?” He kissed her hair. “Our wedding, our relationships, s’none of anyone else’s fucking business. If you want Jewish traditions then we’ll do them. Don’t fucking care if a rabbi’s there or not. Only care that you are.”

           Louise frowned and chewed on her lower lip. “But your family…” Alfie came from hardship. Most of his family had been killed because of their religion. Perle had fought against all odds to deliver her sons to safety and provide for them. She raised them in a Jewish community to keep the culture alive even if they weren’t in their homeland.

           “Lou, me mum only wanted me to be happy.” He assured her softly. “She probably would give me hell for it but at the end of the day, yeah, you make me smile. Not a lot of people can do that.”

           She gently touched the corner of his mouth. “I want you to be happy.” Her eyes locked on his. “Whatever makes you happiest.”

           Alfie could appreciate where he’d come from. He couldn’t neglect his past and what it took for him to get to the place he was. But of all the ways he had sinned, he decided that marrying Louise would be the least damning. “You make me the happiest.” He murmured and traced his thumb over her cheek. Her skin was warm, a faint blush forming under his touch. He briefly thought back to his monologue in front of her father’s portrait. “D’you ever get that feeling when your chest, right, when you love someone? S’like…” He scrunched up his nose in thought.

           “It’s some sort of ache?” She suggested because she knew exactly what he was talking about. Her hand pressed to his chest, right above his heart. “It hurts because you had no idea you had the capacity to love someone so much.”

           He nodded and let out a small laugh of fright. “Fucking afraid m’gonna wake up tomorrow and you’ll just be a dream.”

           “One day you’re going to wake up in Inglewood, next to your wife.” She lovingly rubbed circles over his shoulders and the back of his neck where he held all his stress. His tense muscles started to relax after a bit of coaxing. “Your son or daughter will run into the room to wake you up and beg for you to come and play with them.”

           He closed his eyes for a moment to picture the scene she was painting for him. “Sounds too good to be true.”

           “It isn’t. Because you deserve peace and happiness, Alfie Solomons.”

           He opened his eyes to find her looking earnestly at him. He tilted his head to the side and grumbled in protest. But he couldn’t argue with her. She held firm to her beliefs. “And that’s why no one can say anything ‘bout us getting married. ‘Cause you’re fucking perfect, ain’t ya? I’m going to marry you and our wedding, yeah, we’re doing it our way.”

           She cuddled close to him. “Don’t tempt me with a good time, Captain Solomons.” She teased softly and tucked into the crook of his neck.

           He chuckled and rested back into the pillows. “Go to sleep, love, we’ve got lots to do tomorrow.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

           Evelyn was thrilled. Life seemed to be going so well for her and everyone she loved. Alfie and Louise were getting married, it was about time, and they had given her a hefty raise to come work at Inglewood every other week. She adored being in the countryside but she could still go back to Camden to see Ishmael. The young man's face always lit up when she came back. He'd tell her how much he missed her and asked when they could see each other again. Things just seemed to be going so well. She was completely oblivious to the threat that Alfie and Louise were well aware of.

         That weekend, Evelyn was accompanying Louise to try on her wedding dress one last time and make sure everything fit. They were only going down the street, but Alfie insisted Ishmael and another young man go with them along with Cyril.

           “We’re not going downtown, we’re going to Nessa’s.” Louise told her fiancee, as he was busy sorting through shipment papers.

           “I know, I put a call into her this morning.” He didn’t look up from his work, his blue eyes peering from behind his glasses at Ollie’s slanted handwriting.

           “So I don’t need Ishmael and Nathan to come with us.” She said and knelt down to clip the leather lead to Cyril’s collar. Of course, she wouldn’t argue against taking him along. The mastiff’s tail wagged wildly, thumping against Alfie’s desk.

           “I’ll just be a block away, Evelyn and I don’t need to be escorted.” She argued and stood up.

           Alfie paused and dropped his papers to the side and opened the top left drawer. He pulled out a telegram and handed it to her without a word.

           Uneasy, Louise took the paper from his hand and unfolded it.

Dear Mr. Solomons,

I hope to hear from you. I will be arriving in London soon. Mr. Shelby and his family have been notified.

Luca Changretta

           She swallowed and absent-mindedly folded the telegram back to its original form. Her hands trembled. “What does he mean by notified?”

           Alfie’s jaw was tight from the worry he was attempting to conceal. He reached for his empty revolver and spun the barrel a few times to keep his hands occupied. At that point, he wanted to get rid of Luca himself just so the man didn’t interfere with his life. The gangster would be damned if that Italian did anything to disrupt his wedding plans. “I contacted Tommy, they’ve all received black hands in the mail.”

           “I’m not sure I know what that means.” Of course, she could guess it was nothing friendly. Cyril sensed her anxiety and pressed against her leg and nosed at her hand. She stroked his ears a few times to try and calm herself.

           “Death threat. Changretta’s marked them as dead, all of them.” He rubbed his eyes and placed his gun down. “Lou, m’not sure what he’ll do to get me involved.” He admitted wearily. The telegram had only arrived that morning but it had already drained him of his energy. “The Shelbys are fucking scattered ‘bout and aren’t speaking to each other like fucking children.” He sighed. “I need to play me cards right.”

           Louise wasn’t sure she liked where his line of thinking was going. “You better not be thinking about helping him.” She whispered.

           He put a hand over his mouth and averted his eyes. A clear sign of deception. “Didn’t say that, did I?” He muttered.

           “You were thinking it.” She accused. “Alfie, just try and stay out of it. You don’t have to team up with the Shelbys but you can’t help to kill them!” Her hand was wrapped tightly around Cyril’s lead as she tried to steer clear of an argument with him. She couldn’t risk getting into a fight a week away from their wedding.

           “Lou, I told you it weren’t that simple.” He stood up and walked around his desk to stand in front of her. He slipped the paper out of her hand. “Yeah?”

           Louise pressed her tongue to her cheek and exhaled steadily. “What are you planning to do?” It was the same question she asked months earlier when Luca sent the first telegram. But things had advanced even though Alfie had been static.

           “Wait.” He replied. “My focus is on our wedding. Changretta ain’t here yet so there’s no need to fret. The Shelbys will get their act together once they realize what they’re fucking up against. Whatever comes our way, yeah, we’ll handle it.” He lifted her chin gently.

           “I’m worried that your judgment may be clouded if Luca threatens us.” She admitted.

           A stormy look dashed across his eyes. “Sabini would be wise to inform them of the consequences.” His voice was low with anger. Even the thought of Luca going after Louise made his blood boil.

           She sighed and touched his cheek to distract him from his obvious displeasure. “I may be naïve to a situation like this. But I urge you to talk to me about it so you don’t make any unnecessary sacrifices.”

           Alfie had a feeling that she didn’t know how much he’d be willing to sacrifice if he was forced between a rock and a hard place. “There’s a Yiddish saying, right, ‘for a little love, you pay all your life’. I can leave this be.” He gestured to the telegram still in his hand. “You’ll go back to Inglewood tonight and get ready for the wedding.”

           Indeed they had spoken about traditions and which ones Alfie wished to respect. When Louise got word of her fiancee trying to bribe Rabbi Mayer, she had to step in and stop him from extorting a man of God. After the weekend, Louise would leave Alfie behind in Camden Town and they would be apart for a week for Kabbalat Panim. Now that she knew about Luca’s message, she was hesitant to leave just in case Alfie decided to make a move without telling her.

           “And what will you do?” She inquired.

           “Nothing.” He tossed the telegram onto his desk. “Just keep listening for news and stay neutral. Focus is on you, love.” He promised softly. “We’ll get married and be off to Paris ‘fore you know it.”

           “What about the Shelbys?”

           “Not much I can do, can I? Fucking got themselves in this mess.” He shrugged. “Tommy clearly has a plan, don’t he?”

           She nodded slowly. There was a knock on the door and Evelyn’s voice piped up from the other side. “Louise, are you almost ready?”

           “I’ll see you tonight ‘fore you leave.” Alfie kissed her forehead. “Try not to worry too much ‘bout all this. Nothing will happen until I decide what to do.” Of course, he couldn’t promise that. He had no control over what Luca did once he crossed the Pond. He could show up at the bakery door the same day he arrived with a proposition for Alfie. And he sure as hell didn’t have any clue what Tommy was planning. To say Alfie wasn’t worried about his wedding day being ruined would be a lie. He was desperate to make Louise happy and if his dealings interfered with that, he would be upset with the perpetrators, of course, but he’d also be upset with himself. She deserved a quiet life in Surrey with her husband. But with the danger looming, Alfie could only hope that they would have an interrupted wedding. After that, he could handle the chaos. He could take care of what he needed to and take care of whoever was in his way. Whether it was Luca Changretta or Tommy Shelby.

Permanent Tag: @sansajonsastark​ @giftofdreams​

Tag list: @vehement-care​ @kimmietea​ @eleventhdoctorsangel​ @fire-treasure-iii​

Masterpost

PB Masterlist 

#alfie solomons #alfie solomonsxoc #alfie solomons x oc #alfie solomons imagine #ofc #oc #tom hardy #tom hardy character #peaky blinders #peaky blinder imagine #peaky fookin blinders #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinder fanfic #ollie #cyril solomons #luca changretta #tommy shelby

[the-girl-who-cried-novel]

𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒸𝑒𝓃𝒹𝒶𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝒪𝒻 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝓈𝑒 - 𝒜𝒸𝓉 𝐼

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒪𝓃𝑒: 𝐵𝑒𝑔𝒾𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔

𝒲𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉: 2,441 (a bit shorter than it will probably end up being usually)

𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: mentions of blood, violence (just some bow & arrow stuff, nothing too outlandish)

    𝒯he advent of Spring brought with it a sense of urgency for those that resided within a particular small cottage located in the remote woods of the Dalfe Wilds. They were to once more begin the preparations for the growth of their food. The last few years had allowed for a bountiful harvest at the end of each season, the bustling family that resided within the cottage had never been pressed for sustenance during the long winter months. One could attribute this apparent success to the presence of not one but two Faeries within the residence. Their connection with nature was unrivaled by any being. The success of the lands surrounding the cottage could be attributed to their assistance, or it could have been the doing of the wizard whose family had lived in the cottage for generations. He had a connection with the land and surrounding forests are a result. Yet… perhaps it was the presence of the young mother who had set out to raise her numerous younglings with all the love in the world. Her gentle hand was not limited to her children and lovers… it also strayed to that of the fruit trees as they sprouted, to the flowers as they blossomed, and to the multitude of vegetables that would soon be on their table. 

    Among her younglings, there were three who could lay claim to the title of first born. The young woman’s first pregnancy had blessed her with three children, all of whom were safely delivered by their wizard father. They were raised with a firm, yet loving, hand. The presence of their own magical powers was a large factor in their discipline. The world that they were born into was not kind to those of magical origin. In fact, most wizards and witches were not allowed any sort of freedom. Kingdoms had taken to either slaughtering them in cold blood or leashing them. Leashing was the formal term for the captivity and utilization that many sorcerers and sorceresses went through in the early ages. The original occurrence of magick had been met by the humans with fear and anger. Unrealistic expectations and general fear mongering by people who wished for power resulted in the witch hunts that plagued the world for centuries. The results of these witch hunts were catastrophic for those of the magical blood. Mages were either killed or enslaved. [This was where the practice of leashing began] There was no between for those that were unfortunate enough to be found out by the humans. This caused lots of mages to go into hiding… to hide their magical abilities… and avoid the human cities. Many found solace in the deep woods of the forests that were located outside the walls of the human townships. 

     It was in such a time that the triplets of Sterling Wave, the wizard who had fallen in love with the mysterious woman who appeared on his door late one night, were born. Their father, a mage who had evaded human capture, was not one of the mages that had decided to forsake their magic to survive. He did not believe in denying himself… or his children… his true nature. It was especially important at that time that they receive the proper training so that they did not accidentally expose themselves to the humans. Such was the way that the children had lived their lives for as long as they could remember. They trained their magick, under the guidance of their father, and grew in both power and character.

     Things changed when they were of thirteen years of age. They experienced their first run-in with humans. The encounter was… impactful- to both sides. That is putting it lightly. The two who were most directly affected were Aesir and Asynja. Aesir was the second eldest of the trio, and Asynja was the youngest. The two were out, having been tasked with heading to the closest town to purchase some materials that they could not make themselves at home. It was on their journey home that they encountered trouble. Asynja was struck by a stray arrow- a few human teens had been practicing their archery. The arrow imbedded itself into her shoulder, and knocked her off her feet. Aesir, who had always been partial to his sisters, roared as he rushed to her side. It did not occur to them at that time that removing the arrow and using magick to heal the wound would incite the teens who had wronged them in the first place. But fear is a strong influencer over the mind of the young and inexperienced. The group of four took aim at the two mages while Aesir was attempting to remove the initial arrow from his sister. Two of the four arrows struck, one embedded itself into Aesir’s thigh, the other flew into his arm. It was not well-done on the human teens’ part to provoke him so. 

     To understand what was about to happen, one must recall the majority of Aesir’s childhood. He had always been slightly volatile, balanced only by his womb siblings and then the little Faerie half-sister that followed him around when he was home. There seemed to be a pit of rage residing within him since birth, simply waiting for the right spark to ignite it. It was no wonder then, that when this event occurred he snapped. Aesir whirled around, staring the humans down as he snapped the arrows in half. He left the arrow heads imbedded in his flesh, not daring to pull them out and do more damage and incite excessive bleeding. 

     “You fire upon the unarmed?!” The words slipped free, a burning beginning in his chest as he stared them down. They quivered in their places, bowstrings now slack. “You lot, who not only shot a woman… but you fired upon the one who was to undo your mistake and save her life?”

     “She’s- she’s no woman! She’s a mage! The rules of chivalry do not apply to the likes of you!” 

      Aesir bristled at the comment, squaring his shoulders and puffing his chest out. The humans promptly turned tail and fled down the path, likely heading for the windmill that was nearby. Aesir shook his head, only to wince. 

     “Aes…” A faint voice hedged, though it broke off before anything else could be said. The young man in question jerked around, catching his sister’s eye. She was rather pale, her complexion resembling flour. 

     “Syn.” He rushed over to her, quickly dropping to his knees to reach her prone form. 

     “Aes… the wound…” Asynja wheezed slightly, the shallowness of her breathing becoming imminent. The very breath that filled her lungs seemed to be a large burden on her body. 

     “I see it… I see it.” Aesir sucked in a breath, mentally cursing every being in existence as he took note of the deep wound. Blood had trickled down her arm, staining the blue fabric of her sleeve a crimson shade. He bit his lip, bobbing his head as he stared at the arrow. Gods- if only he’d paid more attention when Papa had been teaching them about healing spells and protective runes. He had always zoned out for those lessons, never quite sure why their material did not appeal to him at all. He lightly grasped the shaft of the arrow, snapping it in half with little struggling. He threw the end with the fletching away. Now, it was simply half of the shaft and the arrowhead that was positioned stubbornly in Asynja's shoulder. She groaned at the jostling from the snapping of the shaft, her cloudy gaze staring blankly into the sky. The adrenaline of the encounter was beginning to wear off as well- bringing the overbearing throbbing of Aesir's thigh and forearm into focus. He mumbled a few curses beneath his breath, his own consciousness starting to swim from the bursts of pain that were sprinting up his arm and thigh.

    "Syn…Syn, how do I do this?"

     His desperate plea found no response from his sister, who from all appearances had lost consciousness. The arrowhead had mercilessly torn through quite a bit of her flesh, notching itself deep within the mass of her muscles. A steady stream of crimson blood had continued to bubble out from the wound around the arrow shaft, painting quite the scene on both her dress and the forest floor.

     Aesir clenched his fist, only to recoil at the burst of anger that responded from the muscles in his forearm that had been impaled by one of the two arrows he sported. He frowned. If only he had been a better student… better yet, if only they had shot him, that would have made much less of a mess of things. Asynja had excelled at the practice of the healing arts when they had gone over it, correcting a rabbit's broken leg with a few short incantations and soft strokes on its fur. He, on the other hand, had nearly killed the fox that was suffering from an arrow in its gut. In theory, the practice to go about removing and mending was very simple. However, the moment he had placed his hands on the arrow in the creature attempted to remove it as instructed, the arrowhead had caught on something. Being a youth as he was back then, he had simply pulled harder, ripping up who knows what in the process. He had been very pleased when he had removed the arrow, but soon found himself at a loss as the fox was losing blood very quickly. His father had to step in to save the poor creature's life. Perhaps that was why he was so loath to attempt to do so again… on someone he cared so deeply for… when there was no adept mage willing to step in and cover for his mistakes. He ground his teeth for a moment, staring down at his sister in somewhat of a helpless trance.

    A shadow appeared over her face, causing Aesir to jerk his gaze towards the source.

    All he was met with was a sickeningly sweet smile and a query:

    "What will you do to save her?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     After that, he knew not what happened. He had woken up in his bed, a gentle hand slowly patting his chest. His mother's ruby colored irises, tinged with worry, were the first thing he saw.

       "Nice of you to join us, dearest." Iggy had murmured, reaching up to cup his cheek- giving it a quick pinch before she moved away. Aesir followed her movements with his gaze, staring at her quietly as he attempted to gather his wits. His mother, called affectionately by those around her as Iggy, was wringing a towel in what looked to be a small wooden bowl.

    "Mama… Syn…?"

    "Shhh… Syn is upstairs keeping Alf busy. She is perfectly well. You, on the other hand, are the one who is not."

   As she spoke, Aesir had reached up to place a hand on his head. Now that the pressing fear of his younger sister's wellbeing had been answered, he was very quickly becoming aware of the pressure that had been steadily building beneath his skull since his awakening. He groaned lightly, closing his eyes against the pounding. A soft, cool, sensation overwhelmed the incessant throbbing the moment his mother's fingers brushed against his forehead. He sighed, the tenseness that had been building between his shoulders loosening.

    "It appears you are still not fully recovered." Iggy replaced her fingers with a cool rag. The effect was not quite the same, but it did help to diminish the amount of pounding he was being subjected to. Aesir wondered briefly if something was attempting to break out of his skull.

    "What… What happened, Mama? We were near town… and then…" His expression darkened considerably as the events resurfaced in his mind's eye. Still, he could not seem to remember just how exactly it was that he came to be here, safe and home in his bed.

    "You had quite the fright, I am afraid. Syn told me all about it. You were set upon by some wayward archers?" Iggy came over to sit on the edge of his bed, capturing one of his hands in her smaller, thin ones. "Thank you for taking care of your sister, Aes. Thank you for coming back home to me after such an experience. It could have been much worse, had you not done what you did. I must admit, I am quite proud of you."

    Aesir blinked at her, struggling with the haze that had settled over his mind now that the pounding had finally stopped.

    "…what did I do, exactly?"

    "You healed her… and then yourself. Your Papa and I had been under the impression that you did not take those lessons at all. We have been happily surprised."

    "If so…why am I in bed?"

    "To heal yourself and your sister from such nasty injuries, you had to have expended quite a bit of your source. At your age, I would hazard a guess that this was simply the natural course of things after such a expenditure. Now, enough talk. You must rest, and rest well. Your siblings have been eager to see their heroic brother." With that she stood, walking to the crude wooden door that separated his room from the main hall, "Don't worry, I've been keeping them at bay."

    As the door quietly closed behind her, Aesir slowly sat up in bed. His gaze wandered to the candle that was burning on the small wooden table beside his bed. On it, was a clay mug filled with water, a small bowl filled with ice, and the aforementioned candle. He removed the rag from his head, placing it into the ice bowl. He carefully picked up the mug, wincing a bit at the remaining tenderness in his forearm, before taking a few greedy gulps. His throat near stung from the presence of the liquid, but eventually the sensation smoothed out. Aesir placed the mug back down on the side table, pausing for a moment as the flame of the candle flickered wildly. For a second, he could have sworn he saw a feminine shadow on the wall opposite him. He blinked, and the image was gone. The candle burned steadily once more, and he was left to wonder if he had taken some of the bedtime stories he read to his younger siblings to heart. 

#descendants of the rose #dotr act i #dotr: aesir #dotr: asynja #dotr: iggy #writing wip #my writing #em writes #writeblr #medieval #fantasy #act i #chapter i #chapter one #wip #my ocs #my story

[yellowcanna]

Summer Sleet

Summary:

When Kamado Tanjirou first saw him, he was mesmerized. The young boy had never met anyone as beautiful as Tomioka Giyuu. Ink black hair with skin as white as the snow around him and eyes that reminded Tanjirou of the sea...he was the Omega of every Alpha's dream.

When Tanjirou's family was slaughtered at fifteen, he never expected to be pulled from the mundane life of a human and into the world of Alphas and Omegas. He also never expected that he only has five more years to live, much less falling in love with his mentor.

Rating: T

Genre: Yaoi, Fluff, Comfort, Omegaverse

Pairing: Tan

Author: Yellow_Canna

Chapters: 1/3

┏━━━━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━━━━┓

MAIN                 NEXT ▻

┗━━━━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━━━━┛

CHAPTER 1

SPRING SHOWER

When Kamado Tanjirou first saw him, he was mesmerized.

The young boy had never met anyone as beautiful as Tomioka Giyuu.

Ink black hair with skin as white as the snow around him and eyes that reminded Tanjirou of the sea…

He was the Omega of every Alpha's dream.

Tanjirou was fifteen when his family was slaughtered.

It was a bright and sunny day when Tanjirou descended the mountain to sell coals to the villagers. By the time he had returned, his family’s bodies had gone cold and the house bathed by the blood of his mother and siblings.

The only survivor was his sister, Nezuko. Tanjirou found her safely tucked in bed with bandages wrapped over her body and an elderly man wearing a tengu mask sitting by her side.

That was the first time he met Urokodaki Sakonji.

Urokodaki was a samurai wandering the land. He was just passing by the mountain when he encountered his family being attacked by bandits. Although he had swiftly dealt with them, he was still too late and Nezuko was the only one that survived.

Tanjirou never saw the bodies of the bandits.

Urokodaki had disposed of them, but he didn’t touch Tanjirou’s family out of respect. When Tanjirou began digging holes to bury his family, the elderly man helped. It was then that Tanjirou saw just how strong the man was. Despite his age, he could carry weight twice as heavy as his own body and was overall just way more efficient than him.

The man stayed with them for a week before he needed to continue his journey.

On that day, he turned to Tanjirou.

“Your father was an Alpha?” He asked. Although it was a question, his tone was certain.

“Alpha?” Tanjirou shared a look with Nezuko. Neither of them had any idea what the man was talking about.

“If you want to live, go to Sagiri mountain, boy," Urokodaki told him as he put on his straw hat. “Your time is running out.”

Tanjirou wanted to ask what the man meant, but in a blink of an eye, the elderly man vanished as if he was never even there. The two siblings were dumbfounded. They had no idea what had happened…how was it possible for a person to disappear like that? But the deep footprint within the snow reminded them that their eyes weren't playing tricks on them. 

A grown man had disappeared before their eyes.

With nowhere to go and no idea what to do, Tanjirou and Nezuko decided to go to Mt. Sagiri. They could no longer stay in the home they grew up in. There was no telling if there were more of those bandits that might come looking for their missing companion.

They had to leave.

Taking what little valuables they had, the two siblings set off on their journey.

The trip to Sagiri mountain was long, especially with Nezuko was still recovering from her injuries

When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, Tanjirou saw him—Tomioka Giyuu.

The man was standing in the field of white snow with his raven hair tied into a low ponytail. His split coloured yukata was blowing wildly in the chilling wind. Despite dressing so less, the man didn’t seem cold at all.

Those blue eyes were trained on Tanjirou for the longest time before his fine brows furrowed.

“How old are you?” His voice was smooth and the sound made something inside Tanjirou trembled lightly.

“I’m fifteen.”

“Fifteen.” The man muttered, more to himself than to the two children.

“Um, we were sent here by Urokodaki-san—”

“Come with me.” The man didn’t wait for him to finish. He turned his back to the two kids before he took off. Gasping, Tanjirou and Nezuko hurried after the man.

Fast wasn’t something Tanjirou could describe the man’s movement. Each one of his footprints within the snow was at least two meters apart. He was like a snow hare, hopping gracefully through the snowy field. It didn’t take long for him to vanish from their sight. The only clues they had were the light footprints embedded within the snow.

It didn’t take long for Nezuko to reach her limit, so Tanjirou stopped to carry her onto his back before he trailed after the footprints and the light scent in the air.

By the time they arrived at the mountain top, Tanjirou was completely out of breathe. The thin air at the mountain top also did nothing to help the burning in his lungs. Nevertheless, he stared in awe at the huge manor before him with the blue-eyed man standing by the gate with a bunch of people dressed in black kimono lined up behind him.

"Take them in and organize a place for them to stay." The raven-haired man who was apparently the master of the place ordered before he vanished in a similar fashion that Urokodaki had. While the Kamado siblings were once more stunned, the people in black were not and escorted them into the manor.

That was how Tanjirou truly began his life.

Not the life of a child of a coal family, but the life of an Alpha.

The world they live in is populated by beings known as humans.

Within humans, there were only two categories.

Males and females.

These two were the dominant races, but in reality, there were three more types.

The first two were Alpha and Omega.

They have the appearance and forms of humans, but that was it. Alphas and Omegas have heightened senses far surpasses any humans. They can run faster than the eye could follow, they have the power to crush a boulder with their bare fist, and they can channel a special power inside their body, manifesting them during combat.

Alphas and Omegas were natural-born warriors with an average lifespan of three hundred years.

The two are completely identical in everything other than the fact that Omegas can give birth to children.

Lastly, there was Beta.

Betas are the offspring of when an Alpha or Omega marries an ordinary human. Betas were all born powerless. They were pretty much the same as humans, other than the fact that their body was still stronger than humans and their lifespan was as long as the same as the other two dynamics.

A long time ago, Alphas and Omegas were the dominant species in the land.

Humans were the lesser species that these powerful creatures never bat an eye at, as they weren't even worthy of their time. However, as Alpha and Omega strive for power and control, war eventually broke out.

The war lasted years, coming to an end with nearly all the Alphas and Omegas wiped out. Since then, the survivors lived out rather peaceful lives in secret—blending within the humans whose numbers began to flourish.

Nowadays, not many people know about Alphas and Omegas anymore. The only ones that knew were those with long family histories passed down to them. Even so, their existence was considered a myth.

Though there are still those who believed in such myths—the feudal lords being the perfect example.

In these war-ridden times, Alphas and Omegas were the perfect weapons to be used on their enemy. A single one of them could take down thousands of soldiers. Even bullets were useless against them with their superior speed and sturdy bodies. Just a single one of them can easily take down an entire castle. That was why the feudal lords that believed in the existence of Alphas and Omegas searched through the land for them.

Unfortunately for these feudal lords, their searches were bound to be fruitless.

Alpha and Omegas have known to hidden themselves quite well, and even if they were to be discovered, they can easily wipe out an entire army. The chance for the feudal lords to control them was zero from the very beginning.

On top of that, Alphas and Omegas have established their own organization and connections across the land.

There was no name to their organization, so they just called it the Corps.

The Corps was controlled by a single master whom everyone referred to as Oyakata-sama. Beneath the master were the nine leaders—the Hashiras. Each of these Hashiras was stationed at a certain part in the land of the rising sun, governing the region they've been assigned to.

Tomioka Giyuu was one of those Hashiras.

Under these Hashiras were ordinary Alphas and Omegas warriors, sorted into ranks from their strength. And under them were the Kakushis. The Kakushis were Betas that wish to become part of the Corps and have important tasks of serving under each Hashira and managing their households.

Though many Alphas and Omegas seemingly have gathered together, there were still many lost somewhere within the land, their origin and identities long forgotten.

Kamado Tanjirou found that he was one of those lost ones.

He was an Alpha, while Nezuko was a Beta.

To give birth to an Alpha and Beta, one of the parents must be an ordinary human and the other either an Alpha or Omega. Tanjirou’s mother was a human for certain. If she had been an Omega, there was no way she could have been killed by humans—which meant that his father was an Alpha.

Within Alphas and Omegas, there was also something else separates them from Beta and humans.

That is the growth spurt.

Due to their longer lifespan, Alphas and Omegas mature at twenty. The moment they’ve reached thirteen years old, their body stopped growing. During these years where their growth stopped, their bodies were quietly gathering and storing energy. On the day they turn twenty, this energy will burst out, reshaping the Alpha and Omega and they will experience excruciating pain.

Their flesh and bones will stretch and reshape, forcing them to turn into the bodies of an adult over one night.

This was usually a very safe process as Alphas and Omegas were born with strong bodies and have undergone intense training throughout the years to prepare them for the growth spurt.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Alphas and Omegas that had no clues about their identities. If left alone, their body wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of the change and they will die. Even if they were strong enough to survive thanks to their strong bloodline, they will become nothing but sick ridden adults more vulnerable to diseases than humans.

Tanjirou and Nezuko’s father was the perfect example of that.

Tanjirou only has five years to strengthen his body. If he didn’t make it in time, he will die or become just like his father.

◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌

The first time Tomioka Giyuu met Kamado Tanjirou, he didn’t know what to think.

When he had received a message from his mentor about an Alpha he found, he was expecting a child no older than ten.

He was most definitely not expecting a fifteen years old boy.

His first impression of the red-haired boy was less than good. He was weak—too weak. He lacked the physical strength an Alpha should have, and he even lacked the senses an Alpha should possess. His sense of smell was the only thing that remained from his Alpha bloodline.

The boy’s body wasn’t getting the necessary nutrient it needed, so to preserve energy, his body limited many functions he should have had.

The first thing Giyuu did was to write out a training manual. He needed to improve the boy's health as fast as he can. The boy didn't have much time left. Giyuu sent his orders to the Kakushis to make sure that Tanjirou finishes all the meals he’ll be given. Every single day, he could personally train the boy and tried to teach him their breathing techniques that all Alphas and Omegas should be capable of.

However, all of these were fruitless.

The boy’s stomach was only so big and can only shove down so many foods. With his body restraining his potentials, he can never get stronger no matter how much Giyuu trained him. His lungs couldn’t expand enough for him to perform any breathing techniques.

A month down, all Giyuu managed to do was beat the boy black and blue and caused him stomach aches. Tanjirou never complained or whined, but that did not mean that Giyuu didn’t feel the guilt.

The Water Hashira wondered if he was a bad teacher.

What exactly was he supposed to do?

Giyuu didn't know, as he had never taught children before. He had only trained full-grown adults that already knew breathing techniques. All he taught them was swordsmanship and that was still too early for Tanjirou.

Until he figures it out, Giyuu had Tanjirou rest for a couple of days to nurse his bruises. Even the boy's healing speed was slower than his sister. 

As Giyuu was sitting in his room pondering over what he should do, his eyes landed on a stack of letters on his shelves. After the Hashira took Tanjirou in, it was his duty to report to the master to register Tanjirou’s name. After that, words soon spread throughout the members of the Corps, informing everyone that the Water Hashira has finally taken in a Tsuguko. Naturally, the other Hashiras were the first to be notified.

Many of then sent congratulation letters—even Sanemi and Iguro, though it was obvious that their letters weren't written by them but their subordinates. Although their letters were just simple congratulations out of courtesy, the fact that they could be sent at all means the two Hashiras had approved it.

Giyuu looked through the letters before finding the one he had been looking for.

It was a letter that had been dyed into a sakura pink colour.

The letter from the Love Hashira—Kanroji Mitsuri.

That evening, a Kasugaigarasu flew out of the Water Estate.

The very next morning, Giyuu was welcomed with a cheerful Kanroji and a pissed off Iguro at his doorstep...

The Water Hashira stared, completely stunned as he was not expecting the Love Hashira to respond so fast let alone come all the way here.

“Well? Aren’t you going to let us in, Tomioka?” Iguro spat and narrowed those mismatched eyes to glare at the Water Hashira responsible for this unpleasant trip.

“Yes, yes! Let us meet your Tsuguko, Tomioka-san!” Kanroji gushed, adjusting the large bundle tied to her back.

Giyuu stepped aside to allow the two guests in before closing the door. When the Kakushi working in the yard saw the two Hashiras walking in, they nearly wet themselves and frantically got onto their hands and knees, paying respect to the pair.

“Gotou, find Tanjirou and have him meet us in the guest room," Giyuu ordered the head Beta who bowed and hurried off to search for the Tsuguko.

Giyuu led the two Hashiras into the guestroom and the Kakushis immediately prepared hot tea and snacks for the honorable guests.

“Thank you for coming, Kanroji," Giyuu dipped his head to the Love Hashira.

Next to Kanroji, the Snake Hashira twitched in irritation at being ignored.

“It’s no problem! I’m just happy that you’ve asked me to help!” Kanroji was smiling so brightly that Giyuu found it a little blinding. Not used to dealing with these types of people, all he could do was avoid eye contact. Thankfully, Kanroji didn’t even notice and pink flowers were practically materializing from her joy. “You have no idea how excited everyone was when they heard about your Tsuguko! Even Obanai-san was curious—”

“I wasn’t curious!”

“—about this boy!” Kanroji exclaimed, completely dismissing her mate as she gobbled up some snacks. “So where did you find him, Tomioka-san?”

“I didn’t. Urokodaki-san did.” Giyuu replied. “He came across them after their family was killed by bandits.”

Kanroji gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as sadness flooded over her face.

“Them?” Iguro arched a brow.

“He has a Beta sister.”

“What about their parent?” Kanroji asked. "Surely is one of their parents is an Omega or Alpha—"

"Their father was an Alpha, but he passed away due to illness."

“Illness?” Iguro narrowed his eyes. “Tomioka, don’t tell me your Tsuguko is—”

Iguro shut his mouth as his eyes snapped to the door. A couple of seconds later, a shadow of a person could be seen moving on the other side of the shoji before getting down onto his knees. 

“Tomioka-san, it’s Tanjirou.” The voice of a young boy’s called from the other side.

"Come in," Giyuu said, granting the boy permission of entry.

When the door opened, Kanroji stared with wide eyes at the boy that was revealed.

Tanjirou wasn't informed of their guests and looked a bit stunned.

When he saw Giyuu nodding at him, he shuffled over to Giyuu’s side and sat down with his back completely straight from the intense aura rolling off the Alpha Omega pair.

“This is my Tsuguko, Kamado Tanjirou.” Giyuu said to his two companions before turning to Tanjirou. “This is the Love Hashira, Kanroji, and the Snake Hashira, Iguro.”

“Kanroji-san, Iguro-san.” Tanjirou bowed to each of them.

“Such an adorable boy!” Kanroji swooned after getting over the initial surprise.

The Snake Hashira however, wasn’t so impressed as he turned to Giyuu.

“This kid is at least fourteen.”

“He is fifteen.” Giyuu corrected.

Iguro shot Giyuu a glare before shifting his eyes to Tanjirou who sat stiffly under his hard gaze.

“You should send him back to wherever he came from, Tomioka. Training him will be a waste of time.”

“Obanai-san!”

“He never received any form of training or ate enough to store up energy. There’s no possible way for him to survive the growth spurt.”

“Obanai-san, not in front of the child!” Kanroji reprimanded, but Iguro was done.

“This is a waste of time.” The Snake Hashira said as he stood up and walked towards the door. “I will wait for you at the entrance, Mitsuri.”

The door opened and closed. It only took a second for the Snake Hashira’s presence to vanish from the other two Hashiras’ senses.

Kanroji stared at the door, jaw slack, then to Tanjirou apologetically.

“I’m so sorry, my mate didn’t mean anything bad—”

"It's all right." Tanjirou smiled at the kind lady. “Thank you.”

If anything, Kanroji felt even more awful now. She looked to Giyuu who looked indifferent as usual.

“Tanjirou, leave us," Giyuu said, the coldness in his voice made the Love Hashira shifted nervously as she glanced back to the child. Thankfully, Tanjirou didn’t seem to mind Giyuu’s coldness. He just smiled at Giyuu, giving another bow to Kanroji before he left.

Once he was far enough, Kanroji slowly turned back to Giyuu.

“Tomioka-san, Obanai-san didn't mean anything bad. He just…" Kanroji groaned. “He just didn’t want you to get hurt.”

That’s right.

Iguro was thinking about Giyuu’s sake. Even though Iguro didn’t like Giyuu, he wasn’t the kind of person to sit on the sideline and watch him fall. The boy was doomed to die, so he saw no point in Giyuu investing his time and emotion onto the boy as he will only be hurt later on. It wasn’t that Iguro was being cruel. He felt for the boy, but his fate has already been decided.

Giving both of them hope at this point would just be cruel.

Despite how he acted, Iguro was kind.

“Tanjirou’s body doesn't have enough nutrient, so all his functions as an Alpha has been suppressed. He cannot learn any breathing techniques in his current state. I need some ways to increase his nutrient intake as fast as possible."

“Shinobu-chan might have medicines that can help with that but I don't think those would be enough even if he drinks them every day. He needs all sorts of nutrients and…oh!" Kanroji set down the large baggage she had been carrying this entire time. She the cloth, opening it to reveal countless books. “I brought these for you! When I heard you need advice for your Tsuguko, I had no idea what age he was in so I brought as many books as I can!”

Giyuu looked over the books and found that most of them were those foreign books from beyond the sea. The materials for the covers used were very different from their books and some even had pictures. 

Curious, Giyuu picked one up and found that it was a book for parenting. He looked over to another one and it was a fairy tale for kids. When Giyuu finally found a book he was more familiar with, he picked it up. The book was old and ragged with the page already starting to loosen from the string. Judging from the title, this must be a textbook from some school.

The Water Hashira has no idea where the Love Hashira got all these books, but he was thankful. Although these books may not be useful, she had spent her time gathering them for Tanjirou.

“Aha!” Kanroji gave out a victory shout as she held a book into the air. Giyuu couldn't tell what kind of book it was, but it's a book from Japan. The pink-haired Hashira put the book down and began to flip through the pages.

As she did so, Giyuu finally got a glimpse of the title on the cover and froze.

It was an Omega pregnancy guide.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand, Tomioka-san!” The Love Hashira blushed when she realized how misleading the book might be. “I just thought that if your Tsuguko is a newborn, this could be helpful!”

Giyuu just nodded, not sure what she meant by misunderstand.

“It should be here somewhere…” Kanroji mumbled as she flipped through the pages until…

“I found it!” She squealed and began to read.

Giyuu sat there, patiently waiting for Kanroji to finish reading what she needed.

“This is it!” Kanroji beamed as honeydew green eyes snapped up to him. “We can let Tanjirou-kun drink Omega milk!”

“Omega milk?” Giyuu frowned.

“Yes!” Kanroji turned the book around for Giyuu to read. "Omega milk is the most nutritious thing in this world! Not only that, but the milk also contains energy of the Omega! The stronger the Omega, the more nutrient the milk will have! If Tanjirou drinks Omega milk, then he can gather enough strength for his body to release the limit on his Alpha abilities!

Giyuu frowned as his eyes swiftly scanned over the contents on the page.

“We can ask Oyakata-sama if there are any Omegas that can—”

“How do you produce milk?”

“…Eh?” Kanroji blinked at Giyuu, wondering if she had heard right.

“How do Omegas produce milk?” Giyuu asked once more, looking seriously at Kanroji.

Kanroji stared at Giyuu for a long, long time before her face became extremely red with steam shooting out of her ears.

“Ueeeeh?!”

Giyuu blinked, unable to understand the meaning behind her reaction.

“W-wait, I think I have it somewhere!” Kanroji then began rumbling through the books again.

It can’t be that Giyuu was planning on doing it, right?

She was going to suggest asking the master if there are any Omegas that could send some milk to the Water Estate for the boy to drink!

She didn’t think the Water Hashira would take it that way! But then again, if it was Giyuu, then his milk will no doubt be of the highest quality considering his status as a Hashira…but Giyuu wasn’t mated!

On top of that, Giyuu himself only turned into an adult not that long ago! For such young and unmated Omega to nurture a child so old already…

And it’ll be awkward, wouldn’t it? Even if it’s just in a cup, wouldn’t it be hard for the boy to drink knowing where it came from?

“L-let me see...” Kanroji snatched up another book. This one was a guide to Omegas. She had brought it in case Giyuu’s Tsuguko was an Omega.

"Well…there two ways for Omega to produce milk. The first is through pregnancy, the second is if the Omega has a dependent child that needed to be nursed." She pointed at the last section on the page. "Just rub your scent gland over the Tanjirou-kun’s every day to let your body know that a child needs your care, and you should be able to produce milk!"

“…Thank you.” Giyuu said gratefully as he accepted the book. “Thank you, Kanroji.” He repeated, placing his palms flat on the tatami and bowed down. His action startled Kanroji who quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back up.

“Don’t be like that, Tomioka-san!” Kanroji shouted frantically while internally, she was practically gushing at how adorable the Water Hashira was. To think the usual cold and aloof Giyuu would behave this way!

All for the sake of his Tsuguko!

This must be the power of love!

“I’m a Hashira too! It’s my job to help everyone! Tanjirou-kun looks like a really sweet boy! If there is anything else you need, call me anytime!”

“Thank you.” Giyuu thanked again.

“Well, I should get going. I don’t want Obanai-san to wait too long.” Kanroji clapped happily, getting up with Giyuu following suit.

Giyuu walked the other Omega to the front door where Iguro was waiting. The Snake Hashira was leaning against the gate with his arms crossed over his chest. The Kakushis there were shaking like the autumn leaves, not knowing what they should do considering how it’ll be rude for them to continue working (or pretend not to see) when a Hashira was in their presence.

The dark-haired Omega was completely oblivious to his Betas’ grateful gazes as Kanroji ran over to her mate. With a few more exchanges of words, the two Hashiras took off with speed no one but Giyuu’s eyes were able to follow.

“Caw!”

Hearing the familiar sound of his crow, Giyuu looked up to see his Kasugaigarasu fluttering down from the sky. The Water Hashira held out an arm for the bird to land. The poor thing was clearly out of breath as it panted heavily with its black feathers ruffled. It was obvious that it flew back the moment it finished delivering the letter.

Compared to the abnormal speed of which Alpha and Omega could run at, the crow had done very well.

Giyuu rewarded the crow with a couple of gentle strokes on its head before ordering the Kakushi to give the bird some food and well-deserved rest.

◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌

Tanjirou was sitting in the garden, staring off into space when he smelled someone approaching. By now, Tanjirou had familiarized himself with everyone's scent, so he could easily tell whose scent this was. He turned and smiled at the sight of a raven-haired man walking up to him.  

“Murata-san!” He greeted brightly.

“Hey there.” Murata greeted back and sat down right beside him with a long sigh.

“You smelled troubled, is everything alright?” Tanjirou asked worriedly.

"That nose is amazing as usual," Murata commented. When Murata had first learned about Tanjirou’s nose, he was shocked. Could anyone blame him though? The boy’s body was supposed to be suppressing his abilities as an Alpha, yet he was still able to have such a good sense of smell.

Every time Murata thought about this, he couldn’t help but wonder who were Tanjirou’s ancestors. Whoever they were, they must be strong considering the strong bloodline running through the boy’s veins.

“Nah, I’m just glad those two Hashiras are gone.” Murata sighed. “I don’t think I can stand it if they start coming by often! Just Tomioka-san is enough to handle, don’t you think?”

“That’s not true!” Tanjirou shouted, leaning right into Murata’s personal space and forcing him to back up. “Tomioka-san is very kind and gentle!”

Murata blinked, staring at Tanjirou with eyes as wide as saucers before he broke out into a loud laugh.

“You’re the only one who can say that with a straight face!” His laugher gradually died and turned into a bitter. He looked over the bandages peeking out from under Tanjirou’s sleeves. He knew how battered the boy’s body was, given that he was there most of the time when Giyuu was whacking him into shape.

“Are your injuries recovering well?”

“Yes! I should be fully recovered in another five days!” Tanjirou answered rather enthusiastically.

“I know that Tomioka-san has been pretty harsh on you." Murata began, seeming to struggle with his wordings. "But he didn't mean anything bad. He's just—"

"I know," Tanjirou said with a soft smile on his lips. “Everything Tomioka-san did was for my sake.”

“As long as you know.” Murata let out a small sigh of relief. "I was afraid you might hate him for it or something."

“I would never hate him!” Tanjirou immediately shouted, causing the smile on Murata’s face to brighten.

The older Omega glanced around the rather empty garden.

“There used to be more of us here you know?”

“Eh?” Tanjirou looked at the older man.

"Alphas and Omegas all lived in packs." Murata sighed once more. "I guess you wouldn't know since this is the first place you've come to, but in other regions governed by other Hashiras, there are usually at least ten Alphas and Omegas living together. Everyone is like a family even if we're not related by blood, so we're called a pack. But here, it's only Tomioka-san and me. It gets quite lonely you know? That's why we're all excited when you came, Tanjirou!”

“Can I ask what happened?” Tanjirou asked.

“There was a huge battle here nine years ago. Both Tomioka-san was thirteen at the time and I was fourteen. Not all Alphas and Omegas joined the Corps. Because many of them grew up with humans, they have these…ambitions of taking over the land or something like that.” Murata kicked a rock under his feet and watched it landed not far from him. He heaved out another heavy breath.

“To those people, the Corps was the only thing standing in their way. Oyakata-sama disagrees with their ideals and is set on stopping them for the sake of Alphas’ and Omegas’ future, so I guess you can say that we have wars with those rouges. They waited until Urokodaki-san left for his annual Hashira to attack us. All the Alpha and Omegas here were children, so we must seem like easy targets…well, in reality, we are."

Murata leaned back on his hands and looked up the sky.

“Everyone fought…but I was…I was too scared. I was born in a Beta village and was found when I was ten. I was weaker than everyone else and had only learned the very first Water Breathe technique. My water was so weak you can’t even see it…”

The young alpha stared at the moisture gathering in the Omega’s eyes, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how. Murata sniffed as he used his sleeve to wipe his eyes.

“I was a coward…I was the only one hiding inside the house hoping Urokodaki-san would hurry back. That’s when Sabito-san suddenly appeared in front of me.”

“Sabito?”

“You know Tomioka-san’s half patterned kimono?”

“Yes.” Tanjirou nodded slowly. It was the first thing he noticed when he noticed on the Omega because it was so unique.

“Tomioka-san’s originally wore a pure maroon coloured kimono. The yellow and green patterned side belonged to Sabito-san’s kimono. Sabito-san was Tomioka-san’s adoptive brother. He was the strongest Alpha I’ve ever met…he was also the Tsuguko—the next in line to take over Urokodaki-san’s position after he retires.”

Tanjirou’s eyes widened at the information.

“Sabito-san handed me Tomioka-san who was unconscious at the time and covered in blood. He looked like he was going to die at any moment. Sabito-san told me to use the underground passage and escape with Tomioka-san. That time I hadn’t known…but everyone else was already dead. He left behind to buy us time to escape. I…”

Murata chewed on his lower lips as his hands rolled into tight fists. “I was useless and scared, so I did as he told without even thinking. Whenever I remember Tomioka-san’s reaction when he woke up and realized how everyone’s gone, I kept wondering what if…what if I hadn’t…”

“Then you and Tomioka-san would have died," Tanjirou told him. “You did nothing wrong, Murata-san.”

“You said the same thing as Tomioka-san.” Murata laughed as he wiped off some more tears. “I always wished Tomioka-san would blame me, but he never did. He still treated me so kindly…I sometimes don’t feel like I deserve it. Back then when everyone was still around, Tomioka-san wasn’t like this. He smiled a lot and even laugh with everyone.”

Tanjirou felt a spike of pain inside him as he heard of how happy and cheerful Giyuu used to be. In all of his time here, he had never seen Giyuu smile.

Not even once.

The Giyuu knew he was extremely strict during training, and while he was kind and gentle outside of it, his face would never betray his thoughts.

Suddenly, Tanjirou realized that he knew nothing about Giyuu.

Everything he thought he knew was just a small droplet in the vast lake.

“Murata-san.” Tanjirou looked up to Murata. “Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for?” Murata laughed as if Tanjirou had said some weird joke. He was still furiously scrubbing at his face, trying to stop the water from leaking out. 

“Murata-san really likes Tomioka-san, don’t you?”

“Well, he’s my Hashira," Murata mumbled, which made Tanjirou smiled even more.

“Tanjirou.”

“GYAH!” Murata screeched as his body jumped a meter high into the air. The moment he landed on his feet, he scrambled around to come face to face with his Hashira who was staring at him with those usual blank eyes. “T-Tomioka-san!”

Giyuu stared at Murata with a frown weighting down the corner of his lips. “What happened to your eyes?”

“E-eh? Ah, this?” Murata spluttered as he rapidly wiped his eyes until there’s nothing weird leaking out anymore. “Just some sand that got blown into my eyes, isn’t that right, Tanjirou?!”

“Ah?” Tanjirou blinked, looking back and forth between the two Omegas before hastily nodding.

“I see.” Giyuu’s voice was hush, but both of them were able to hear loud and clear. “I will have someone bring some clean water to your room.”

“Oh…um…thank you.” Murata thanked. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that Giyuu meant for him to wash his face and get the filth out. Seriously, why can’t his Hashira be a bit more straightforward with these things?

Tanjirou looked between the two Omegas and smiled at their interactions. But then he remembered how Giyuu had called him when he appeared from seemingly nowhere.

“Is there something you need, Tomioka-san?” Tanjirou asked.

“After you tidy yourself up for the night, come to my room.” That was all Giyuu instructed him before walking away. On the way back to his room, Giyuu called over two Kakushis, handing them a letter addressing to the Butterfly Estate.

That night, after a relaxing hot bath filled and cleaning his teeth, Tanjirou headed to Giyuu’s room. He didn’t need to knock, as the door to Giyuu’s room was wide open. The Water Hashira was sitting on his futon, quietly looking through a book with only the blue moonlight lighting the room. 

“Tomioka-san," Tanjirou called out from the doorway as the man closed the book.

“Come, and close the door.”

Tanjirou did as told. The moment he slid the door close behind him, the light faded away, shrouding the room in dark shadows. The young Alpha could barely make out the outline of Giyuu’s form in the darkness as he slowly made his way over. He was just about to stop when he felt his feet stepping on something soft and silky.

It took a moment for him to realize that he had stepped on the edge of Giyuu’s futon. He spluttered a string of apologies as he jumped back and took a seat in front of Giyuu.

"From today onward, you will sleep with me in my room," Giyuu informed his Tsuguko after Tanjirou had fully composed himself…

And then Tanjirou’s mind blanked out.

“…Eh?”

Tanjirou blinked once…then twice…

He waited, hoping Giyuu would give him a follow-up or something, but the Water Hashira didn’t seem like he had anything else to add. For a moment, Tanjirou wondered if he had heard wrong. As the silence stretched on, the boy’s heart was beating faster and faster until those words finally sank in.

"EEEEEH?!"

"We've come up with a solution to quickly allow your body to absorb the nutrient it needs," Giyuu explained and Tanjirou recalled the two Hashiras that were here early this morning.

“Omega milk is the best method at the moment to help your body recover, so you will be drinking that in place of your meals.”

Omega…milk?

“From today onwards, you will need to be in physical contact with me and I will need your scent so that my body can recognize that there is a child I need to care for. Once my body registers that, I should be able to produce milk.”

If Tanjirou’s face was considered red before, then it was now overheating.

He barely understood anything Giyuu had said other than the word milk.

What milk was he going to drink?

Whose milk was he going to drink?!

Kamado Tanjirou’s brain fried right here and there. He could only stare at Giyuu dumbly, unable to come back to reality.

“Let’s sleep.” Giyuu’s announcement was what brought the boy back.

Tanjirou could hear the rustling sound of the blanket being pushed aside and Giyuu was already getting ready for the night.

“Wait, wait, wait! Tomioka-san!” Tanjirou jumped up, only to step on the edge of Giyuu’s futon again. Due to his haste, he didn’t get his footing right and ended up tripping over the futon—crashing right into Giyuu’s chest.

The boy had fallen forward at full force, but Giyuu didn’t even flinch as the boy collided against him. Tanjirou had always expected Giyuu’s body to be hard and filled with muscles considering how much strength he has, but it wasn’t. He could feel the defined lines of muscles through Giyuu’s thin sleepwear, but Giyuu’s body was anything but hard.

If anything, his arms were warm and he was extremely soft to touch.

Tanjirou had learned about Alpha and Omega anatomies. He knew Omegas have better flexibility than Alphas, but never would he imagine that an Omega’s body would be so soft.

And the smell…

Tanjirou didn’t know if he was imagining it, but Giyuu’s scent smelled better and better each passing day. It was as if he was slowly getting drunk on this scent and immersing himself within it without realizing—

No, no, no, that wasn’t something he should be thinking of!

Tanjirou looked up, heart pounding wildly as he saw that gorgeous face looking down at him. Giyuu’s ocean blue eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, adding depths into those eyes as he leaned forward. Tanjirou was petrified as he watched that face coming closer and closer towards his. Just when he thought their noses would touch, Giyuu tilted his head and his face slipped by Tanjirou's—their skin just millimeters from touching.

“Relax, Tanjirou.” Giyuu’s voice whispered by his ears before Tanjirou felt their necks touched.

Tanjirou may have an acute smell, but that was only general smells. Due to the Alpha genes inside him being asleep, he wasn’t able to smell the special scent that Alpha and Omega produces. His scent gland was also underdeveloped—hidden beneath his skin until he fully changes into his adult form.

So right now, all it felt like to Tanjirou was just Giyuu rubbing that small bump on his pale neck against his.

To Giyuu however, it was different. The raven’s brows furrowed as his scent gland itched at the foreign scent latching onto his skin. Since Tanjirou wasn’t his biological child, his body wouldn’t accept the boy immediately. He will have to repeat the process a couple of times until his body familiarized itself with this scent.

Giyuu sighed as he switched to the other side and filled his other scent gland with Tanjirou’s distinctive smell. After that, he pulled a blanket over them both and rested his head onto the pillow with one arm wrap securely around the boy.

"Sleep," Giyuu ordered, already tired as he closed his eyes.

Tanjirou lay in his mentor’s arms stiffly, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened and why it happened.

Needless to say, Tanjirou did not get a wink of sleep that night.

◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌

“Thank you very much!”

Kamado Nezuko bowed to the two female Betas hat had knocked on the Water Estate early in the morning. Bidding them goodbye, she closed the gate with a large package in hand.

“Nezuko-chan, who was that?”

“Gotou-san!” Nezuko smiled at the sight of the head Kakushi coming over to her after hearing the door closing. “The people from the Butterfly Estate came to deliver this.”

“Oh!” Gotou’s eyes shone. “It’s probably the stuff Tomioka-sama requested a couple of days ago. Can you bring it to him?"

Nodding happily, Nezuko hurried off to find Giyuu. Much like Tanjirou, she also really liked the man that had taken his place to become their guardians. More than that, the Omega was doing everything he could to help her big brother—

“Uwaaah!” Nezuko screamed as she jumped back at the sight of her brother who was like a walking zombie.

“Oh, Nezuko, good morning…” Tanjirou greeted in the form of a wide yawn.

“Onii-chan, what happened?” Nezuko gapped at the dark bags under Tanjirou’s eyes. “You looked like you hadn’t slept for months!”

"Just three days," Tanjirou mumbled, rubbing his tired eyes.

Ever since Giyuu announced that they were going to sleep in the same bed three days ago, Tanjirou had not been able to sleep at all. The boy knew he wasn’t going to last at this rate. Tonight, he might seriously fall asleep which would be bad in so many ways.

He didn’t know why he was even struggling or what he was struggling with. He just felt like he shouldn’t sleep no matter what…

Tanjirou had never been so afraid in his entire life, just thinking of the possibly sent a chill down his back.

“Onii-chan?”

“S-sorry Nezuko, I uh…have to go!” Tanjirou hurriedly ran off, leaving a confused Nezuko staring after her brother.

“Nezuko.”

Hearing the call of her name, Nezuko turned around and saw Giyuu standing right behind her.

“Tomioka-san!” She gasped in surprise.

Giyuu didn’t say anything as his eyes shifted to the package in her hands. Remembering what she was here for, she handed it over to Giyuu who muttered a soft thank.

“Have you seen Tanjirou?”

“Ah, he ran off somewhere just now…” Nezuko replied honestly. Giyuu just nodded before he turned and walked off with the package in his arms. Nezuko briefly wondered if something happened, but she shrugged it off.

With Giyuu here, what could go wrong?

That night, Tanjirou found himself in the same, compromising position as he had for the past three nights. His smaller body was pressed against Giyuu with the older man’s arms draped over him. All of his senses were filled with Giyuu but his body was too tired and his heart no longer had the energy to pump as fast as the first night.

His eyelids were heavy and he was using all of his power just to not doze off.

He tried to think of many things to distract himself, but eventually sleep won him over and he fell into the blissful darkness.

It felt like ages since Tanjirou woke up feeling so warm and refreshed. His eyes were still closed, stubbornly refusing to open as he buried his face into the warmth pressed against him. He rubbed his cheek against the smooth texture of the warm object and sighed in bliss.

Just as Tanjirou was about to fall back into the sweet slumber, he caught a whiff of something within the air.

It was a refreshing scent of pine in the frosty winter.

It was Giyuu’s scent.

Tanjirou’s brain that was submerging into the darkness stopped.

He lay there, spending a good minute trying to process the new information when it suddenly came to him like a bucket of icy cold water. Raspberry red eyes snapped open to see the snow-white skin which his cheek was pressed up against. Blood rushed to his face so fast that it made him feel faint.

The boy scrambled up and tried to crawl away. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get far as his mentor’s arms were wrapped firmly around him.

“Tomioka-san!” If anything, Tanjirou was even more embarrassed when he saw those ocean blue eyes watching his every move without any hint of drowsiness from sleep. 

Giyuu didn’t speak. He just sat up, arms sliding off the boy to reach for his kimono, fixing the collar so that his chest was no longer as exposed.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Y-YES!” Tanjirou shouted as he scrambled up, face burning. “I—”

Tanjirou was about to bow down to express how sorry he was when a pale hand came into his sight. A long slender finger gently brushed by the dark bag under Tanjirou’s left eye, the touch tickled his skin like a feather.

The boy stilled for a couple of seconds—not even daring to breathe.

It was only when the fingers left his skin that Tanjirou looked up and his eyes widened at what he was seeing.

The corners of Giyuu’s lips were curved up slightly and those blue eyes had a gentle look to them as he stared down at him.

“Good.”

Tanjirou watched as Giyuu got up, catching a glimpse of those long slender legs, smooth without any hair, before the white kimono covered them up. Fixing the collar of his kimono, Giyuu walked out of his room just like any other times they slept together.

The young Alpha sat on the futon alone in the large room. His stared at the door where Giyuu had walked through, a little dazed. It took a couple of minutes, but once he snapped out, he quickly got off the futon and began folding the bed for his mentor. After putting everything into the closet and making sure the tatami was spotless, he ran for his room to get changed.

The moment Tanjirou stepped outside, he was stunned by the sight of the reddening sky.

This wasn’t dawn.

This was dusk.

To his horror, Tanjirou realized that he had slept for the whole night and day. Because his body being deprived of sleep, he slept way longer than normal! And what’s more…Giyuu had stayed with him in bed this entire time!

Tanjirou dropped down, crouching in the corner as he covered his reddened face in his hands, heart feeling so full that he felt like it was going to burst.

Once there was the first time, there will be a second time…then the third…

Since that day, sleeping with Giyuu became easier and easier for Tanjirou.

His heart will always beat like crazy, but at the very least the awkwardness was gone.

He even began talking to Giyuu as they lay in the futon together.

Most of the things he talked about were what he used to do before his family's death. He told the Omega about his father as well. Giyuu never speaks. He just patiently listened as those blue eyes trained on the young Alpha in quiet encouragement for him to talk. 

Tanjirou didn’t know when, but he eventually found himself looking forward to his time with Giyuu more and more.

The Omega has a homey scent that just lures him in and lulls him into sleep without realizing it.

It was nearly a month into this odd relationship that Giyuu finally felt a prick of pain in his chest—along with an irritating itch. 

He knew it was time.

His body had recognized that a child is needing his care and his body was producing milk. Giyuu stared at his chest that didn’t look all that different aside from the slight swells. His brows were furrowed as he gently pressed down on his breasts, and frowned at the bloated feeling underneath.

He looked down the book from Kanroji, trying to follow the instruction written on there. He pinched a nipple, trying to see if anything could come out, but there wasn’t. It was most likely not ready yet.

That night, Giyuu went to bed with Tanjiru as usual after soaking his glands up in the boy’s scent.

It was in the middle of the night that Giyuu shot awake to the pain in his chest. It wasn’t any intense pain since as an Omega he got high pain tolerance, but it was still uncomfortable. His chest felt so full that could barely get any air to his lungs.

He sat up, completely forgetting about the boy sleeping in his arms as Tanjirou rolled off Giyuu and fell face-first into the futon. The raven-haired man didn't pay the boy any attention as he looked around the dimly lit room. From the lighting, the sun was still hours away from arriving. 

“Tomioka-san?” Tanjirou’s sleepy voice called out as Giyuu looked down at the young Alpha. “Tomioka-san, are you alright?” Tanjirou was instantly awake when he noticed a bead of sweat rolling down his teacher’s face.

Giyuu was clutching a hand to the front of his kimono as he took in a small breath to steady himself.

"I think it's ready." He muttered, brows furrowed.

“What is?” Tanjirou asked, clearly having forgotten the whole reason he was spending the night with the Omega.

With a small sigh, Giyuu sat up, taking Tanjiou by the arm and pulled him onto his lap. Then after some thought, he pulled the blanket over them both. The book had said that the (baby) child would be calmer when enveloped in the adult’s scent.

Unfortunately, this only made Tanjirou even more nervous as he sat like a statue on Giyuu’s lap, not even daring to move an inch.

“T-T-Tomioka-san?”

Tanjirou watched with wide eyes as Giyuu reached up a pale hand and gently taking hold of his white kimono. His red eyes were rounded like saucers as the white fabric was peeled to the side, revealing the smooth surface of Giyuu’s chest. His nipple was hard, poking out with an obvious swell under it. Tanjirou’s mouth watered at the sight. He didn’t know why, but he felt a strange, primal hunger coming from deep within his soul.

Without even thinking, he leaned forward and wrapped his lips around that perky nipple.

Giyuu jolted a little the moment he felt soft lips wrapped around his nipples, followed by a wet tongue sweeping over the sensitive tip. His lips were pressed into a thin lip as he looked towards the side of the room��eyes focused on a vase placed there by the Kakushis.

His body tensed up when he felt the mouth on him began to suck. The raven-haired man frowned. He could feel some sort of blockage inside when his nipple was sucked, preventing the milk from spilling. He felt the mouth on him sucking even harder as tongue rolled the sensitive nipple around. Giyuu closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he tried to smooth out the tension in his body.

He had read this part in the book. After a couple more times, milk should start flowing naturally.

Just as Giyuu was about to tell Tanjirou this, a deep growl emitted from the boy’s throat. The Omega could even feel the intensity of the growl through the boy’s mouth latched on his nipple

The Water Hashira looked down and was met with a pair of dilated pupils.

“This is…!” Giyuu bit down on the bottom of his lips when the boy began sucking his breast hard.

This was the Alpha within Tanjirou—the Alpha that had been asleep for so long.

Giyuu reached out his hands, deciding that the best course of action right now was to comfort the boy. Tanjirou was clearly being overtaken by the Alpha in his blood. Words won't reach him in this kind of state, so he needed to show the boy that he was in a safe environment.

When the Omega’s hands got too close, Tanjirou jolted back with a threatening snarl. Giyuu ignored the Alpha’s warnings and just wrapped his arms around the boy. Tanjirou stiffened but didn't attack as Giyuu pulled the boy against him. He rubbed the Alpha’s soft hair and bared his neck to the boy, showing him how he wasn’t an enemy.

The growling eventually stopped before Giyuu’s nipple was trapped in that overheating mouth again. He held onto Tanjirou tightly as the boy began sucking on his nipple again. After a couple of harsh attempts, the blockage inside the Omega's breast was finally gone. Warm, rich milk was practically gushing from his nipple and into the Alpha’s eager mouth.

Giyuu shivered lightly. Being drank from was…an extremely weird feeling. He could feel the way the milk inside him was being sucked out. Thankfully, he was quick to get used to it and waited for the boy to finish.

When Tanjirou’s sucking turned back into teeth scraping against his nipple, Giyuu knew that his milk had run out. Tonight was the first time, after all. He wouldn't produce as much milk as he should.

The Omega grabbed the back of the Alpha’s collar, about to pull the boy off when Tanjirou suddenly grabbed both of his shoulders and shoved him down into the futon. Giyuu allowed him, observing calmly as the boy grabbed a fistful of his kimono and pulled the other side off, exposing the other pale breast which he instantly latched onto.

The Hashira let out another small shuddered as the process repeated. Ocean blue eyes stared at the child lying on top of him. Unknown to Giyuu, his gaze became impossibly gentle as he slowly threaded his hand through the boy's soft hair and massaged his scalp.

The more the boy drank from him, the weaker Giyuu was becoming. It was as if it wasn’t milk the boy was sucking out, but his own energy. Eventually, Giyuu became too tired. His hand fell from the Alpha’s hair as he closed his eyes, waiting for the child to finish.

When he felt those painful bites and tugs on his nipple, he knew it was done. 

Despite the boy’s hisses and growls, Giyuu’s grip was forceful as he pulled the boy off his chest. As weak as he may be at the moment, dealing with a feral child wasn’t hard for him as he fixed his kimono with his other hand. After that, he cradled Tanjirou within his arms and pushed the boy’s face into his neck, letting the Alpha smell his scent.

Just like how his body recognized Tanjirou as a child in his care, Tanjirou’s body that had been lathered with his scent over the past weeks has recognized him as his caretaker. It didn't take long for Tanjirou to calm down and his eyes slowly reverted to normal.

With the Alpha suddenly awakening like that, the body had taken a very heavy toll. Even though Tanjirou’s reasoning returned, he could barely keep his eyes open as he fell limply against Giyuu. 

The redhead let out a long, comfortable sigh. He rubbed his face into Giyuu’s scent gland before taking a deep breath.

“Tomioka-san smells nice…" Those were his last words before dozing off.

Giyuu checked the boy in his arms. Certain that he had fallen back to sleep, he laid the boy down onto his futon and pulled the blanket over his small body.

The Water Hashira sat there for a bit longer before he changed into his usual kimono and tied his hair back into a low ponytail.

He headed out as if nothing had happened to begin yet another day.

◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌

When Tanjirou had woken, the first thing he wanted to do was to crawl in a hole and died.

His face was bright red as he was curled under the thick quilt as if this would hide him from the world. His heart was pounding so bad as memories of what he did last night played in his mind over and over.

He couldn’t believe he had done that to Giyuu!

What he had done was practically assault!

He had no idea what came over him. He just…felt something inside him snapped, and then he lost all reasonings.

Tanjirou had no idea how he was going to face Giyuu from now on. He also didn’t know what to do with his sense of smell heightening. It was as if he had never known what the world had smelled like before and just woke up with the ability to do so. It was ironic, considering how his nose has always been his strongest suit.

The heavenly scent wrapped around him in the cover smelled so good that Tanjirou didn’t even want to move. He was completely enveloped within Giyuu’s scent. And within the Water Hashira’s usual scent, there was something else mixed in there.

It was something sweet and rich—similar to the taste of the milk that still lingered on his tongue.

At the thought of milk, Tanjirou’s face burned as he buried himself further into Giyuu’s futon. Unfortunately for him, once the memory began, it just couldn’t be stopped. Tanjirou didn't even know why he could remember everything so clearly when it had been so dark.

He could remember the way that dusky nipple with a tint of pink at the tip felt in his mouth.

He could remember how the skin around his lip felt…how soft and supple they were…

He could remember the way those blue eyes so calmly and gently watched him.

However, there was also something else he remembered. He saw it last night after pulling off Giyuu’s kimono. There was a scar on Giyuu’s left scent gland. It was a ragged scar with the skin there paler than the rest of Giyuu’s body. It wasn’t a large scar nor was it ugly by any means, but something just bothered Tanjirou about it that he couldn’t help but think…

“Tanjirou?”

“WAH!” Tanjirou screamed as he jumped up, blanket falling off his body as he spun around to find Giyuu sitting right beside the futon. “Tomioka-san!”

Before Tanjirou could think about how long Giyuu had been here, the older man brought his hand up to touch his forehead, making him freeze on the spot.

"You're a bit warm, but it doesn't seem like you have a feature," Giyuu noted as he retracted his hand. “How are you feeling?”

“E-eh? Ah, g-good I think?”

“After you drink enough, the limit your body has placed on itself should gradually disappear and you will start to notice changes to your body as well as your senses. If you feel any discomfort, let me know immediately.”

“Yes, I will.” Tanjirou nodded before a soft growl came from his stomach. “Sorry!” He apologized, blushing as he held his arms over his stomach as if that would muffle down the noise.

Giyuu looked at Tanjirou’s stomach for a moment before he sat down on the futon right next to Tanjirou. Before the boy could react, he was once again pulled onto the Omega’s lap. As much as Tanjirou wanted to lean away, thick blanket was soon wrapped around him, pulling his body right up against the Omega's.

“T-Tomioka-san, I could uh, go to the kitchen and—”

“There’s no need for that.” Giyuu calmly cut the frantic boy off. “This will be your food from now on.”

“…EH?!”

“Eating other food will only waste your stomach’s capacity. We need to get your body adjusted as soon as possible, and Omegan milk is your only choice.”

“Y-you don’t mean that I…that I’ll be drinking…f-from you for…?”

Giyuu stared at the jumble of mess the body had become in his arms. He slowly thought over the bits and pieces of words he was able to pick up, vaguely guessing what the boy meant.

“Four times a day should be minimal.” The Water Hashira stated. "Although whenever you feel that you can drink, come to me." 

"That's not what I mean!" Tanjirou felt like he was losing his mind. However, there was also an undeniable joy inside him for the opportunity to be close to the older man.

Giyuu wasn't going to keep denying a young Alpha from getting the nutrient he needs, so he pulled down his kimono, revealing those perky nipples and snow-white breasts that were swelled up once more. 

Tanjirou was blushing hard but was unable to take his eyes off as his stomach growled again.

The boy had to use all of his courage just to look to Giyuu’s chest while the Hashira himself was looking down at his Tsuguko, waiting patiently.

This time, Tanjirou didn’t lose himself to his instinct. He swallowed the saliva in his mouth before he leaned forward and gently wrapped his lips around the right nipple. With just a small, hesitant suck, creamy sweet milk flooded into his mouth.

Tanjirou drank the milk slowly, careful not to spill or hurt Giyuu. He had expected the milk to run out soon considering how there wasn’t too much last night, but it didn’t. To the boy’s surprise, it kept flowing into his mouth, drowning his senses with that sweet aroma. Despite Giyuu’s chest being the same size, there was way more milk in him than he thought possible.

Giyuu’s breathes had already become shallow as the familiar weakness returned to his body. The tip of his toes and fingers were starting to tingle with numbness, but he acted like nothing was wrong and just continued to hold the boy to him. This time, Tanjirou drank much more than last night, but Giyuu knew this still wasn’t enough.

The boy needed way more than this. His appetite will only grow.

To keep up with the milk production, Giyuu was starting to eat enough food for two people and stopped all of his daily training for his body to have the energy to produce milk. To improve the quality of his milk, Giyuu had been drinking the medicines Kochou had sent him every single day.

They don’t have enough time. Within the next four years, Tanjirou had to make up for all the time he lost growing up within the human society. 

As time passed, Tanjirou was beginning to become aware of his body’s changes.

His sense heightened—especially his smell—and his body’s overall physical strength increased. Drinking from Giyuu nearly five times a day, Tanjirou’s body was rapidly recovering.

That’s when the hellish training began.

There was no mercy in Giyuu’s training, but Tanjirou knew it was because the Omega was doing this for him. He only has four years to master the techniques Giyuu is teaching him which will aid him in surviving the growth spurt. Sometimes, the training was so bad that even Murata and the Kakushis avoided coming to the training field.

Every single day, Tanjirou would be pushed to the limit. His lungs felt like bursting all the time and even bones would be broken from the force of Giyuu’s wooden sword. Despite all that, Tanjirou took it without complaints and continue to undergo the Hashira’s harsh training.

"We'll stop here for today," Giyuu said, not even the slightest bit out of breath as he turned to his battered Tsuguko.

“Yes!”

“Continue practicing your breathing technique.”

“Yes!”

With that, Giyuu turned and walked away.

It was only after Giyuu left that Tanjirou allowed himself to collapse onto the ground. He stared at the orange sky as he sucked in the air around him. After resting up for an hour, Tanjirou went to the bath to get himself washed up.

Dressed in a clean kimono, he walked out just in time to see Murata passing by with large trays of food stacked over one another.

“Murata-san, are those for Tomioka-san?” Tanjirou asked as he hurried over to the Omega. After all, only Giyuu would eat such a large quantity of food. When Tanjirou first saw Giyuu eating so much, he was truly shocked. However, after learning later that Giyuu was only eating this much because his body needed them to produce milk, Tanjirou just felt warmed at the length Giyuu was willing to go for him.

“Tanjirou! Good timing!” Murata said as he struggled to look at Tanjirou with the trays blocking his sight. “Can you bring these to Tomioka-san?”

“Of course!” Tanjirou answered cheerfully. Despite just having met, Tanjirou already wanted to see Giyuu again.

It was a very strange feeling Tanjirou always had towards Giyuu. He didn’t know when it even started…

He wanted to see Giyuu at all times.

He wanted to stay by his side.

He wanted to be always bathed in the Omega’s scent.

Tanjirou knew this feeling, whatever it was, wasn’t normal. Never in his life had he wanted to be so close to anyone, not even his family. He had this urge inside him to spend every waking moment next to the man, but he knew that wasn’t possible.

Shaking the negative thoughts from his head, Tanjirou hurried towards Giyuu’s room. As he went, Tanjirou couldn’t help but turned his head away at the bitter smell of herbs flowing from the top tray.

While he couldn’t see if due to the tray stacking up so tall, but Tanjirou knew it was the same medicine Giyuu drank regularly. He was always curious why Giyuu had to drink them but never once asked since it wasn’t his place to.

When Tanjirou arrived at the door of Giyuu’s room, he set the tray of food down and gave the door a couple of light knocks. 

When he heard the response from inside the room, Tanjirou slid open the door. He looked in and found Giyuu sitting on the tatami, reading over some documents.

“Tomioka-san, I’ve brought your food.” The boy grabbed the trays and stepped inside.  

Giyuu set aside the papers, making space for Tanjirou to lay out the food in front of him. The first two trays were cramped with a variety of dishes that was too much even for three people finish. The third, however, contained a bowl of black medicine and a smaller bowl containing white substances.

Tanjirou watched as Giyuu picked up the medicine first. He held the bowl up to his lips, eyes fluttering close as he began drinking it down. Tanjirou watched as Giyuu’s head tilted back, his pale neck stretching out as his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in his movements, but Tanjirou could smell displeasure rolling off Giyuu himself. When Giyuu finished, he set the empty bowl back onto the tray. He picked up the bowl of rice in his left hand while his other took the chopsticks.

He may or may not have eaten the rice a little too fast—Tanjirou noticed.

The boy almost wanted to smile at his mentor’s reaction. However, at the thought of what Giyuu had drank was medicine, he couldn’t help but worry.

“T-Tomioka-san, are you… are you hurt?” He asked hesitantly.

"No," Giyuu replied as he used his chopstick to pick out a slice of salmon and put it into his mouth. He chewed slowly, making sure to break down the food before he swallowed. "These medicines help my body to better absorb the nutrient. It's to improve the quality of the milk." 

The moment Tanjirou heard milk, his face exploded into various shades of red. Despite how long it had been, he still couldn’t get used to the whole thing of drinking from the Omega’s chest. Now that Tanjirou learned one more thing to add to his list of what Giyuu had done for him, he felt even guiltier.

Despite Giyuu not liking the medicine, he still drank it for his shake…

“…Tanjirou.”

Tanjirou blinked at the call of his name. He opened his mouth, about to ask what Giyuu needed when a spoon was shoved into his mouth. Tanjirou felt his entire body shuddering with Goosebumps breaking out at the weird, spicy taste in his mouth.

He almost wanted to spit out the slimy thing sitting on his tongue but held himself back when he saw Giyuu staring down at him.

“Is it bad?” Giyuu’s brows were furrowed at the intense reaction on the boy’s face.

Tanjirou tried a couple of times before finally swallowing the thing. He panted heavily as his eyes shifted to the bowl of white goo in Giyuu’s hand.

“W-what is that?”

"Royal jelly," Giyuu replied, scooping a spoon full—the spoon that previously went into Tanjirou’s mouth—and casually put it into his own mouth. Tanjirou felt his face flare, but the terrible aftertaste in his mouth snapped him back out.

"It's rich in nutrients so I thought you could try it," Giyuu explained with his brows furrowed, seeming to realize how wrong he was. He looked at Tanjirou, then to the food laid before him, and gently set down the bowl and spoon onto the tray.

“Come here, Tanjirou.” Giyuu sat back as his legs stretched across the tatami, causing his kimono to open up from the movement, revealing those long and pale legs. Tanjirou swallowed nervously. He knew what his pose meant. With cheeks burning hotly, he nudged himself closer to Giyuu until he stiffly sat down on his lap. Then Giyuu pulled down his kimono to reveal his chest, causing Tanjirou’s blood rushed quicker despite having seen them so many times.

Even though Giyuu was producing so much more milk now, his chest was still the same, looking no different except the small swell underneath. Tanjirou wasn’t as ignorant as before now. He had seen the book Giyuu had been constantly reading and when he asked to look at it as well, Giyuu just handed it to him.

It was a guide for Omega pregnancy. Never had Tanjirou felt as awkward as that moment. However, since Giyuu already gave him the book, he made sure to read through the whole thing. It had been the right decision, as now Tanjirou knew more about how the Omega anatomy worked.

While female Omega develops milk the same way as a human would during pregnancy, male Omegas were slightly different. Due to the limited space in their chest, their breasts weren't capable of storing milk. It was only when a young begin to feed on them that their body reacts by rapidly producing milk to meet the child's need.

This efficiency, however, came with a cost. Omega milk itself was produced with the Omega's energy mixed within. To continuously produce milk would only add burden to their bodies. Every time Tanjirou drank from Giyuu, Giyuu was losing his strength—which would explain the amount of food he needed to eat and how much he slept nowadays.

Tanjirou looked up at Giyuu only briefly before his eyes fluttered close and lean in to take the hard nipple into his mouth. He sucked the breast tenderly, the sweetness of the milk erasing the awful taste of the royal jelly. 

Giyuu cradled him carefully within his arms, lips pressed into a line as usual as he waited for the young Alpha to have his fill.

Their days continued like this for days…months…

Two years passed in almost a blink of an eye.

Tanjirou had become strong.

He had mastered all the Water Breathing techniques—even the Eleventh form that only Giyuu could use. He has also long since mastered Total Breathe Concentration. While he still wasn’t as strong as Giyuu, Tanjirou was undoubtedly progressing extremely fast. There was already no worry as to whether or not he would make it through the growth. 

The Kakushis threw a celebration party for him when the Insect Hashira had personally come over to access Tanjirou’s health and confirmed that he will be fine. The speed of his recovery was unheard of in the histories of Alpha and Omega. That had a large part to do with the milk Giyuu provided him and Tanjirou’s strong Alpha bloodline.

Everyone was happy for Tanjirou. They were all relieved knowing he was fine now…but Tanjirou wasn’t fine.

He wasn’t fine at all.

It was a year ago that Tanjirou finally realized just what his attraction to his mentor was. However, he also knew better than anyone that Giyuu never saw him the same way. From the very beginning, Giyuu—like any other adult in the Water Estate—saw him as a child. The parenting books Giyuu had on his shelf were more than enough proof of that.

Before twenty, all Alphas and Omegas were considered children. To those who had fully grown into adulthood, there was no difference between seven years old and seventeen years old. With their scent premature and smelling like kids that needed to be protected, it was impossible for the adults to ever feel anything for them. 

Tanjirou’s own body was the same.

Although he knew about his feelings, his body was contradicting him. His body was unable to express his desire for Giyuu because it was the body of a child.

Now, every moment he spent with Giyuu felt like a sin.

Giyuu sees him as a child, so naturally, he wouldn't be cautious around him. He even changed in front of him one time, thinking nothing of it because he was simply a kid. Tanjirou was certain that if Giyuu had seen him as an Alpha, then he wouldn’t be so careless. The line between them would be clearer…it should be clearer.

Even now, after getting the result, Giyuu still wanted Tanjirou to drink from him for three more months as a precaution. Tanjirou didn’t want to. Despite how divine the milk tasted on his tongue, he couldn’t do it without feeling as though he was taking advantage of Giyuu.

It just felt wrong.

Everything felt wrong.

That was why Tanjirou decided that he had to get away from this place he had learned to call home—away from Giyuu.

If he continued to stay, Giyuu won’t ever see him as an Alpha. He’ll always see him as the child he had raised and protected, and Tanjirou didn't want that. He needed to go somewhere out of Giyuu’s supervision and become stronger than Giyuu. Only then he can come back and get Giyuu to look at him not as a boy, but as a man.

Tanjirou knew he was being selfish. Giyuu and the rest of the Water Estate had done so much for him over the years, but he couldn’t figure out another solution. He just couldn’t be close to Giyuu anymore.

It felt wrong to touch him.

It felt wrong to sleep by his side with the intentions that he has.

Everything was wrong. It made him feel despicable about himself like he was lying and taking advantage of Giyuu’s kindness.

Late in the night after the party was over, Tanjirou arrived in Giyuu’s room.

Giyuu was already sitting on his futon, undoing the hair tie around his ink-black hair and ran his slender fingers through the silky lock. Bathed in the blue moonlight, Giyuu was gorgeous.

“Close the door, Tanjirou.” Giyuu frowned ever so slightly when Tanjirou never moved from where he sat outside in the hallway with the door wide open.

“Tomioka-san.” Tanjirou placed his hand in front of him and bowed down until his forehead touched the wooden floor. “Tomioka-san, thank you for taking care of me for so many years. I’m grateful for everything Tomioka-san had done for me and Nezuko! I wish that Tomioka-san could grant a selfish request of mine.”

Giyuu frowned at the sight of his Tsuguko prostrating himself like this.

“What is it?” He asked.

“Please allow me to leave the Water Estate.”

Giyuu froze.

His blue eyes were blown wide as he stared at the red-haired boy.

“Come inside.”

Tanjirou obeyed. He entered the Hashira’s room and closed the door. He sat down in front of Giyuu, back straight and eyes determine. Even when meeting his mentor’s piercing gaze, Tanjirou didn’t back down...

“…Why?” Giyuu asked after a long time. His hands that were hidden within his sleeves were trembling lightly.

“Because I’m in love with Tomioka-san.”

“…?!”

That…was not what Giyuu had expected to hear.

"What did you say?" The Omega questioned, needing to confirm that he had heard right.

“I love you, Tomioka-san!” Tanjirou suddenly repeated loudly. As if fearing Giyuu would misunderstand what he meant, he continued. "I love you as an Alpha to an Omega!"

“Tanjirou—”

"Please don't tell me that I'm misunderstanding my feelings for you because I'm a kid," Tanjirou said firmly. This was the first time Tanjirou had ever cut Giyuu off, and the Hashira was genuinely surprised. “I know my feelings better than anyone. I love you, Tomioka-san.”

Giyuu wanted to tell him so many things…such as how that was simply impossible.

Tanjirou was a child. With his premature body, he wasn’t even capable of having any sexual desire. He shouldn’t know anything about love or develop that kind of feelings until he turned into an adult.

The raven-haired man sighed, feeling a headache coming already. How was he supposed to explain to Tanjirou that his feelings might just be a child’s towards his guardian? Should he call in Murata or one of the Kakushis and get them to explain?

“I know Tomioka-san won't believe me right now," Tanjirou said, his voice dropping a little as he gazed at Giyuu sadly. “That’s why…please let me leave, Tomioka-san.”

Giyuu stared at Tanjirou for a long, long time before he finally let out the words.

“Very well.”

He turned his head away, no longer wanting to look at the child. He was afraid that if he does, then something inside him will break.

Perhaps it was for the best. If Tanjirou leaves, his world will only become bigger. He would have the opportunity to meet other Omegas that were his age and realized that his feelings were wrong.

“I will have someone pack your things tomorrow. You can leave now.”

Tanjirou looked complicated by his mentor’s dismissal, but he bowed again and left quietly.

That night, Giyuu couldn’t sleep. He sat in his room, watching from the gap in the doorway as the sky slowly lights up. It was only when the first light of dawn spilled through the horizon did he move.

He pulled out some papers, a brush, and a small but heavy inkstone. He set these items onto his table and poured a bit of water into the stone. He gently picked up the ink stick and began grinding the stone until the water turned pitch black. Taking his brush, he dipped the tip into the ink, giving a brief thought over what he wanted to write before his brush touched the white paper.

That night, a total of ten crows flew out of the Water Estate—each of them carrying a letter on their talon.

When morning came, Giyuu stood at the main entrance of the Water Estate with all the Kakushis and Murata gathered behind him. When they were being told that Tanjirou was leaving, they were all dumbfounded. After all, they had just thrown a party to celebrate the boy’s health…why was Tanjirou all of the sudden leaving?

They all wanted to know, but no one dared to ask. They all lined up quietly behind their Hashira as Tanjirou appeared before them with baggage tied around his back and Nezuko by his side. Even though the girl was welcomed to stay in the Water Estate, she insisted on following her brother.

Giyuu had agreed, and have someone packed her things as well. However, both siblings denied most of the things they were given. All they took was a spare cloth, food and some money for their journey. The rest of the things they placed back into their rooms, showing that they have full intention of one day returning. 

It was such little thing that comforted Giyuu.

“We’ll be going then, Tomioka—” Tanjirou paused a little before he smiled brightly at Giyuu. “Giyuu-san.”

Giyuu didn’t react at the other calling him by his first name. He raised an arm as one of the crows perching on the roof flew down and landed on his forearm.

"Take him with you on your journey," Giyuu said and with a wave of his hand, the crow fluttered its wings and landed on Tanjirou’s shoulder. “He will take you to the headquarter of the Corps. You should go pay your respect to Oyakata-sama.”

“Leave it to me, caw!” The crow spoke in its raspy voice.

��I’ve also sent letters to the other Hashiras to look out for you should you arrive at their place. They each have their methods of training and use different breathing techniques. It will benefit you to train under them."

"Thank you for everything, Giyuu-san." Tanjirou said gratefully. Then, as if finally deciding something, the boy’s gaze firmed up. He reached out his hands, boldly grabbing the Hashira’s larger ones and grasped them tightly within his own.

“I will definitely come back after I turn twenty! By then, I hope that Giyuu-san will consider my feelings seriously!” With that, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Giyuu’s right cheek.

The sounds of jaws hitting the ground could be heard from the Kakushis and Murata. They stared in a mixture of shock, horror, and disbelieve at the young Alpha kissing their Hashira.

Giyuu was stunned by the boy’s action as well, hence why he just stood there not doing anything.

When Tanjirou pulled back, he was grinning from ear to ear. He took a small step back before the hands around Giyuu slipped away.

The Water Hashira watched as the boy ran over to his sister who bowed at them with a knowing grin. He almost wanted to reach out, to call out to the two children but stopped himself as Tanjirou’s words resonated within his head.

“Goodbye, Giyuu-san, Murata-san! Everyone! We’ll be back!”

And just like that, the Kamado siblings ran off with the crow flying over their heads.

Giyuu watched them go with a strange emptiness inside him. When he turned around, the Hashira was met with dozens of stares burning holes into him.

“What is it?”

He just wanted to ask if they needed anything, but when he spoke with his usual expressionless face and tone—and considering what had occurred—the Kakushis instantly shook their heads. Spluttering strings of nonsense that Giyuu couldn’t make out, the Betas all but fled as they returned to their daily tasks.

When Giyuu turned his gaze to Murata, the latter jumped as if he received some sort of shock and bowed a whole ninety-degree at him before fleeing with a loud, "I-I JUST REMEMBER I LEFT THE STOVE ON!"

Giyuu stared at the entrance that had emptied in just seconds. He gave one last glance back before he headed back into the manor that will from now on become a little quieter.

No…not quieter.

It will just be back to how it was, that’s all.

┏━━━━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━━━━┓

MAIN                 NEXT ▻

┗━━━━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━━━━┛

#tanjirou x giyuu #giyuu #giyuutan #kny fanfic #kny giyuu #tomioka giyū #Kimetsu no Yaiba #fanfiction #fanfic #tanjirou #tomioka #yaoi #kamado tanjirō #demon slayer #kny

[courtneytarynofficial]

For the DVD Commentary Fanfic Writer Ask!! You know I live for angst so please talk more about the fight between Diego and Klaus in the flashback from chapter 12 of What I Never Knew I Always Wanted. It's a little more than 500 words to do their whole conversation until the end of the scene, but. You could do it anyway still?? 💜

Of course! I honestly didn’t think anyone would ask me anything! I just shared this so that any of the other writers who follow me could post this too LOL 😂

Okay, soo...

What I Never Knew I Always Wanted

Chapter 12: Spill The Beans, I Need Deets!

In this chapter Klaus and Diego each have flashbacks regarding a pretty intense fight that occurred between the two of them a few years ago that ultimately led to the disbanding of their brotherhood and friendship (SPOILER **and TW for thoughts/attempted suicide** for anyone who has yet to read it: Klaus was in a very dark place in his life and did NOT want to carry on any longer living it, so he attempted to end it all.. but Diego found him and saved him just in time, effectively saving his life but also successfully pissing Klaus off because he did not want to be saved.)

This was actually a pretty dark matter for me to write (I write a lot of depressing stuff, but still. Anything involving suicide or attempts at it just hits different for me as I have actually recently within the past years time lost a very dear friend to suicide, but I wanted to show that while times can seem and be so dark and it may seem impossible to see what good could possibly ever come from a situation, that there is always a brighter side and to not give up! If you or anyone reading this has ever had suicidal thoughts, please seek help if you ever have thoughts like this. Your life is worth it to keep fighting for it!) I was just picturing that Klaus in this story lived such a terrible life; he was emotionally AND physically abused by his father who constantly beat into his head how worthless he was, how he would never amount to anything. Klaus turned to drugs and became homeless at such a young age and never looked back. He had absolutely no real positivity in his life, everyone hated him (or at least made it seem that way) and made it explicitly known, and he had a deep seeded hatred for himself. In this story he didn’t have his ghostie brother Ben to help guide him through his journey of life because Ben is still alive, so he didn’t have that constant angel on his shoulder to help and encourage him. Klaus didn’t like drugs. He liked the escape that they gave him from his problems (ghosts, emotions, memories, himself) but he didn’t like them. He didn’t like waking up in crack dens with needles still embedded in his arms, or being carted off to rehab centers and being forced to face his fears. He didn’t like waking up in hospitals after each accidental OD and needing to face the wrath of his siblings (Or rather, Diego as he was the only one who ever showed up for those calls + was his emergency contact.) More than anything, Klaus didn’t like himself. He hated himself. He had no one to live for, no family, friends, nothing brought him joy and he was just in a really, really low place and decided he was done. And that decision at the time, knowing that he finally would be done brought him the first ounce of joy he’d felt in so long. Then Diego showed up, found him barely clinging onto life and rushed him to the hospital and saved him. Diego was terrified—he and Klaus, while estranged, had always been close, but he too didn’t like any of Klaus’s OD’s, or choices or lifestyle, but that didn’t change the fact that he was his brother and dammit, he loved him and finding him like that scared him to death! Unfortunately, Diego doesn’t process his feelings very well, so his fear turned into anger and instead of holding his brother and telling him that he loved him and that he was there for him and that he would be okay, he yelled at him. Klaus was already in such a vulnerable spot: he had just attempted to take his own life (which, by the way, no one knew it was purposeful! Diego just assumed it was “yet another overdose”) only to be forced to keep living it, and then his brother had the audacity to yell at him about it. Klaus didn’t ask to be saved, and he made sure that was known. (I’m very poor at explaining this, so I hope I’m doing an ok commentary on this, I apologize if not.) in the end, Diego said some things he instantly regretted (telling Klaus the next time he finds him like that he would leave him there to die, admitting that he was done with him, he was officially on his own again in this world. He had lost and forever would lose his support, his friendship, his brother.) And to make matters worse and only help further fuel Diego’s anger, so much so that he stormed out of the room because he couldn’t stand to look at Klaus—Klaus thanked him for that, and told him he would be doing the world a huge favor, because that was truly what he believed. Now, mind you, OF COURSE Diego didn’t mean any of this! He loves Klaus, he’s just got a hot temper and didn’t know how to react, it was the wrong reaction for sure, and he regretted it (and always regretted it—it has always been his biggest regret in his life!)

Of course, this was all years before Klaus’s daughter arrived and completely changed his perspective on life. She arrived and turned his entire world upside down—for the better. At this point, years later as Klaus is laying down and admiring his perfect, beautiful little girl he’s thinking back on that night where he almost gave all of this up. He’s thinking “had I died that night, I would have never had Riley, I would have never known what love is.” And because he is so thoroughly happy now, as he thinks back on those dark times, undoubtedly the worst time in his entire life, he cannot help but to be so unbelievably grateful for Diego. He saved his life when he didn’t want it, but in the end, it was the best thing that ever happened to him even if of course he didn’t see it at the time. (Also, yes, the brothers do get a chance to rekindle their relationship and it just makes their bond stronger than ever!) I hope this was good enough?! I suck at explaining things, so I apologize LOL I didn’t know what else to say. Dark times, man...dark times that still eventually led to a bright and beautiful future for this family. ❤️

#the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy fanfic #ao3 fanfic #tua fandom #tua ao3 #tua fanfic #ao3 #fanfiction #archive of our own #tw suicice #TW SUICIDE ATTEMPT #klaus hargreeves #diego hargreeves #tua diego #tua klaus #tua dave #tua klave #Klaus hargreeves is a father #ask #thanks for the ask! #hermitreunited

[ridiculousyoungicarus]

ALL YOU COOL PEOPLE, YOU BETTER LEAVE NOW 'CAUSE IT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN!! It’s your girl Katie, sliding in with one of my favorite children, Zander! This is Balo’s big brother, so... if you’ve already read her bio you’ve got a hint on what’s about to go down. Anyway, settle in, grab your popcorn, and judge me for spending six hours planning an injury for a muse, it’s gonna be a bit of a ride.

TWs: (Child) Abuse, Graphic Injury Depiction, Alcoholism (His Father's), Weapons (Knives), Stabbing (Being stabbed), Scarring, Surgery, Tobacco (Smoking)

Is that ZANDER DRISKELL? Wow, they do look a lot like DOMINIC SHERWOOD. I hear HE is an EIGHTEEN year old SENIOR who originally attended LUXOR Academy. Word is they are a REGULAR student. You should watch out because they can be CYNICAL and RESERVED, but on the bright side, they can also be RESPONSIBLE and PERSISTENT. Ultimately, you’ll get to see it all for yourself.  [KATIE, 23, EST, SHE/HERS]

Last Edit: 8/26/2020

❆ basics;

Full Name: Zander Kane Driskell Age: 18 Birthday: March 21st, 2002 at 05:16 PM Sexual Orientation: Bisexual, Biromantic (I swear every time I try to make a straight muse, they’re like “NOT TODAY SATAN” and end up being bi. I don’t know why or how, just that this is like the 50th time it’s happened.) Relationship Status: Single Occupation: Student Nationality: American

❆ classes;

 - Shakespearean Studies

- Astronomy

- Probability

- Spanish

- Physics

- World History

- General PE

❆ extracurriculars;

Baseball (Pitcher), National Honor Society, Book Club

❆ background; Place of Birth: Whatever fairytale land Balo came from aka Rochester, New York Hometown: Saratoga Springs, New York Traumas: Abuse (Constant/Ongoing - from his father) Addictions: Tobacco (Smoker)

❆ physical;

Face Claim:  Dominic Sherwood Eye Color:  1 pure blue, 1 blue and brown (sectoral heterochromia) Hair Color:  Brown (although he’s dyed it blonde before to match his sisters) Height: 5’11” Weight:  180lb Tattoos, Birthmarks, Scars, etc:  Zander has a few scars! (ONE and TWO) He’s also recently gotten his first tattoo. (LINK - slight nsfw warning, it’s the best pic of it I could find) (I’ll update this as he gets more because… at some point he’s getting more)

❆ zodiac;

Tropical

Sun: Aries Moon: Gemini Mercury: Pisces Venus: Aries Mars: Taurus Jupiter: Cancer Saturn: Gemini Uranus:  Aquarius Neptune: Aquarius Pluto: Sagittarius Lilith: Pisces N Node: Gemini

Placidus Orb

I ASC: Virgo II: Libra III: Scorpio IV: Sagittarius V: Capricorn VI: Aquarius VII: Pisces VIII: Aries IX: Taurus X MC: Gemini XI: Cancer XII: Leo

❆ relatives;

Father’s Full Name: Lance Driskell Father’s Status: Alive Father’s Occupation: Restaurant Owner Mother’s Full Name: Cassandra Driskell Mother’s Status: Alive Mother’s Occupation: Waitress at a local diner (not Lance’s place) Siblings: 1 Older and 1 Younger Sister, and an adoptive brother he selectively counts Driskell Children Oldest to Youngest:

- Ivan Marsden (22, kinda banished thanks Lance ya prick)

- Grace Driskell 19, in California for school)

- Zander Driskell

- Balo Driskell (LINK)

Here is a link to the Driskell family page if you’d like to know more about his family. (Yes, his is different than Balo’s!)

❆ misc;

Pinterest Section // Musings Tag // Playlist

- Zander really doesn’t trust easily and he constantly is questioning people’s motives, he doesn’t think the majority of people do things for him without wanting something in return and while he doesn’t always voice this opinion - you’ve got like ten dozen different brick walls to get through if you want to get  ‘inside his walls.’ It’s not impossible by any means (in my solo writing, there have been two non-sisters muses who’ve pulled it off, it’s 100% possible to do so) but it’s not easy.

- That doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about people however, he does feel empathy for others and it’s very possible for him to care about someone and not trust him. (Example: he can think of you as a friend but still be wary about your motives). Until he sees you at your worst / your rock bottom / he’s positive he knows what you’re capable of, he’s going to think you’re capable of horrific things, sorry.

- He doesn’t really discuss his feelings, he expresses them, he feels them, but he doesn’t want to talk about them.  The answer to why are you crying is always “I’M FINE” unless you managed to get through his walls.

- His sisters are very important to him, he’s in constant contact with Grace (just like Balo - is) and he tries to keep an eye on Balo when he can, intervening in ways she won’t find out about if he feels like he needs to. His parents? Not so much.

- He… may have a motorcycle stashed somewhere near campus.

- Zander’s usually willing to tutor if he knows a subject and you have a way of paying him. Something needs to pay for that motorcycle.

- Really big into space, he’s going to be Astronautical Engineer if he gets his way. (rocket scientist / rocket engineer)

❆ bio; TWs: (Child) Abuse, Graphic Injury Depiction, Alcoholism (His Father's), Weapons (Knives), Stabbing (Being stabbed), Scarring, Surgery, Tobacco (Smoking)

"Live your life 'cause when it's done, you ain't got no other one. When they sing for you, don't let them sing the blues."

Ever since Zander was a child, the Driskell name has always felt like a weight. Perhaps it was thanks to his mother, the reminder that as the only son it was his job to keep an eye on his sisters, perhaps thanks to his father, stumbling in with the stench of alcohol on his breath. Either way, even from a young age, he could always feel a weight on his shoulders. It was his job to make sure Balo was ready for school, to help Grace with her math homework when he struggled and help her with dinner. It became easy to resent them, his father for all the harm he caused, for the broken bones and terror he left in his wake and his mother for putting her head in the sand. Sure, his mother worked a lot, made sure to get her children gifts with her tip money, and she loved them enough to intervene when she was home, but she never left, never hesitated to lie each and every time one of the children went into the emergency room after yet another night where Lance drank and had the hankering to hear screaming.

Their parents would never protect them, so he made it his job. While Grace could handle herself, the youngest of the three children (Balo), needed someone to step in and intervene. It only became more and more apparent the older they became, especially after Balo saying a bit too much lead the family into moving in a hurry before anyone could get the ball rolling to properly look into what was going on in the Driskell's home and they moved to Saratoga Springs, NY.  However, the more he tried to protect Balo, the more their father tried to hurt her, and the more Zander had to intervene. When Lance adopted Ivan for appearances this became a easier task as the older boy helped him out with keeping Balo out of trouble.

The day he started to attend Luxor and had to leave Balo behind for a year was one he dreaded, and no amount of phone calls to his little sister made the school someplace he truly was okay with being while he was there, so he avoided everything and kept his head down. The only friends he needed were the book club and his teammates on the baseball team, and even then - most were nothing more than an acquaintanceship. It was easier that way, even after Balo followed him to the school the following year, it was the spot he was content with. Other than when his sister would convince him he had to meet her friends or he had to go to a social event, he was more than happy to stay out of it completely and focus on his studies.

The day he got badly hurt in a 'friendly wrestling match' wasn't a surprise to anyone while at home during the summer break after his sophomore year. The fact Zander came into the emergency room with a knife embedded into his left bicep, however, raised several eyebrows. For once in his life, he didn't comment on the excuses his mother spun, or try to help with an explanation on 'who did it.' He just quietly went through the required surgery and hid his breath of relief when the full range of motion returned in his arm after recovery. He tried to act as if he was oblivious to the deals that were made, his father attending AA in exchange for the state not pressing the charges Zander refused to press for the sake of his sisters.

He's been at Luxor ever since he started, other than an occasional school break, and getting to go home during the mandated stay over the summer to help with the schools merging due to having prior commitments to work for his father. 

#luxorintro #//I won't do replies with him until the follow is posted BUT given this took my entire day up I'm posting it early don't mind me #no chains won't hold me down ( musings )

[atlas-of-a-human-soul]

Αιώνια αγάπη (DT AU), pt. 11

11: Mount Olympus

Summary: Returning home is all but what they wanted. What happens when they’re faced with their father once more? What happens with Y/N after she’s been left on Earth?

Warnings: angst, swearing

Word count: 2.3k

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Special thanks to @mutuallynotmutual for being in the story as Alyssa, @leonardo-da-vinsheep as Perry and @daddygraysonsbitch as Sara.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Αιώνια αγάπη (DT Modern Greek god/frat! AU) MASTERLIST    

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Opening their eyes, Ethan and Grayson faced what they long forgot. Instantly forced to shed their human identities, they stepped forward in absolute shock, turning to one another as their eyes fill with tears and their hearts clench painfully inside their chest.

Apollo is the first to clutch his chest, feeling the fabric of his shirt is missing and his body is now exposed almost entirely. Hermes looks down, his own body bare and his ability to speak stripped away with the growing lump inside his throat.

"Welcome back." The roaring voice made the brothers flinch, turning to face the one it belongs to.

"Easy, Zeus. Let them adjust for a moment longer." Hera steps next to the handsome god who had been revered for centuries, and with good reason. His hair is shorter than the brothers remember, a little darker as the brown tones come to life in the light breaching through the clouds above, his eyes just as dark with the lack of thunder he usually used at all times.

"You knew this would happen!" Hermes spat, rushing forward with rage bubbling inside, his vision clouded by overwhelming emotion as he wishes to harm his father and inflict pain. He wanted him to feel even an inch of his hurt, to share the agony for it felt like he couldn't bare it any longer. He needed to lash out, to rip someone apart for being tortured now when he finally found his peace.

Apollo stumbles after his brother, desperate to stop bloodshed, unable to handle losing him too. At this point, the most loved god of all felt like he was alone, blinded by his own darkness as he too wished to tear Mount Olympus to pieces and return to Earth, but he was more logical than his brother. He saw reason, where Hermes didn't. He knew violence would breed violence and nothing good would come of it.

Grabbing a hold of Hermes, Apollo wrapped his arms around hid body like a steel cage, pulling him back, whispering: "Not now, not like this. We will take vengeance, just not today."

"Ah...seems like nothing changed over the centuries." Zeus shook his head, stepping forth with his wife by his side, chained to him for all eternity. Hera fought him on their punishment relentlessly, however, Zeus never folded. He held her as a silly woman in his mind, no respect for her opinions. She was a body to him, just like his many mistresses. Zeus had long stopped being worth of worshiping.

"However, I will keep my word. You two have already regained your power and influence, simply by stepping foot on this sacred ground. However, you are expected to resume your duties and perform them well...All but inter-dimensional travel for Hermes, of course." Zeus gave Hermes a pointed look, seeing the never-ending hate in his son's eyes grow and the pleasure it gave him was immense. He enjoyed knowing he found love only to lose it so fast. He wanted him to suffer -  both of them to suffer and writhe in pain.

"You will remain in the underworld and do your job down below. You will only come back when your sister needs a ride home. I will give you a day to adjust. See your siblings if you will." Zeus pressed his lips, drawing them in as his light stubble took the space for a moment.

"If your break the rules once more, you will be turned to dust. No more chances, sons." And with a single flash of lightning, Zeus disappeared with their poor mother, not even a lock of her blonde hair remaining in sight.

"I want him fucking dead, Apollo. I want them all dead." Hermes clenched his fists tightly, enough to break skin of his palms as his nails dug deep into them.

Apollo clenched his jaw, barely keeping himself up straight and his mind clear, forcing the words through gritted teeth.

"And we will kill them. All of them. Until then, you have unfinished business with dear uncle Hades and I...I'll make sure to check if there is anyone who would stand with us on this matter." Grasping each other's forearms, the brothers closed their deal with a simple nod and a look of understanding.

Their shared love, Y/N, loved them both so much that she couldn't choose, not in her heart and not in her mind. She saw them both as beautiful souls, redeemable. She had faith in them, begged them to not ask her to make a choice...she begged them to stay.

They never wished anything more than to go back in time and say they want her, not selfishly as they acted this time around, but together...shared. They would accept that if it meant they would keep her. This loss is too much for anyone to handle.

It was time to stop and look at their loses, regroup and attack. Maybe there was time yet to come back to their girl left behind. In every world, there is no creature as desperate as a human being on the verge of losing love.

Looking around the cold and empty hall of marble filled with sparkling gold and bushes of golden roses coming out the floor and walls like vines meant to give the place a richer tone. The glass dome above left little to imagination as their view of the sky isn't obscured.

Sighing, Hermes looked to his left, finding a black, warrior skirt to the side, his skull fashioned pendant on its chain.

Apollo found his body is already clothed in a golden, warrior skirt and gladiator sandals, his helmet spiked and left to his right. His body was no longer dusted with gold, his tattoos remaining on his skin - the only reminder he was human. He picks up his helmet, wandering off to the side, finding the familiar hallways that leads outside and toward the lookout point.

Apollo used to spend a lot of time at the edge, watching the humans, choosing his next victims carefully. He could barely remember how that felt, but he wanted to venture out and let himself relive the old days.

Walking by the golden roses, the bush now bigger than ever as the wind picks up and the specks of their golden pollen sticks to him as it used to. The sky above him is darker, a shade of blue he knew Y/N like, the stars around shining brightly as if they are trying to cast away the dark inside his soul. Letting his helmet sit beside him, Apollo sits on the edge and his eyes focus to where he last left Y/N at, trying to catch a glimpse of her beautiful eyes, just one last time.

Confused about his brother's action, Hermes follows after with heavy heart and heavier footsteps. The skull pendant swings with every step, hitting his hip each time. Hermes expected Apollo to find Artemis, Athena or even their mother if possible. Instead, he found his brother on the edge of the heavenly mansion, casting his eyes down toward a planted that looked vaguely familiar.

"Anything I can help with?" Hermes asked, genuine and willing to help. He'd do anything to make things better for both of them, to give them some hope in the cosmic joke their existence turned into. No one ever weeps for gods of the old, believing they're either dead or they've abandoned humans to suffer and die. No one understands they too hurt. They too wish they were dead.

Turning around, throwing a look over his left shoulder, Apollo nods, beckoning Hermes to join him on the edge.

"I'm trying to find Y/N. Come."

Lips parting, Hermes felt his feet move on their own devices, bringing him to his brother's side and sitting down to look for her himself.

"Do you think she's doing better than us?" Hermes asks, almost fearful to know the answer to that question.

"I hope so. We lost her...she lost us both."

Summoning the globe that helped Zeus keep track of them all this time, Apollo focused more as he watched the glass turn murky. Shaking it, the vision cleared, both of them leaning in to see it closely - just to have one look on her life.

"I'm fine, Sara." Y/N sighed, swinging on the porch swing she had installed in their newly build sorority house, her heart heavy but her lips spread into a smile.

"I know you say you are, but they both meant a lot to you. Today is especially hard." Sara tried to get the young leader of her sorority to open up, knowing well what it means to bottle things up until one explodes, obliterating everything in its vicinity.

Standing up, Y/N walked past Sara who remained seated, Alyssa and Perry who stood at the banister, walking down the five wooden stairs until she stood on the grass in front of the house. She could feel the worried looks exchanged behind her back, their care for her well being very much welcome, but unnecessary. Y/N couldn't exactly tell them the truth about Ethan and Grayson, now could she? How could they ever understand the pain behind her now tear-filled eyes?

Loving them felt like being one with the world. Like being on the craziest ride life had to offer. Like they were a comet that flashes across the sky once in a lifetime, leaving the wandering soul in a constant search of it, to see it once more, even if it knows the comet shall never pass the sky for as long as they live. To love them meant to have the secret of life at the palm of your hand and to lose that all at once.

These feelings she has for them can't end until her body ceases to function and her soul is released for whatever comes after. She hopes that somehow they are embedded into the very fabric of her soul, that the love they shared will endure. Even on her darkest days her love for them rides underneath it all, keeping her mind from sinking into the mire that claimed her in the past when she lost her mother. She knows that however deep she fears she has fallen, they will be there like solid ground to steady her, give her time to climb back into positivity. That's why she stands at her porch every morning as the first light shines in the morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of Apollo, her Grayson. And that's why she takes the same position at sunset, waiting for the last ray to leave the day for the darkness to give her a glimpse of Hermes, her Ethan.

"You keep saying you're fine, but it doesn't make us worry any less." Alyssa takes a step down, looking at her dear friend as she wraps her arms around herself, her hair flowing back with the wind.

"It's been three years since they've gone. I'm over it. I'm fine." Managing to keep her voice leveled, Y/N takes in a shuddered breath as a tearless sob shakes her body and a shiver runs down her spine. Closing her eyes, her lips part slightly, tears making tracks on her cheeks - two tears, one from each eye - one for each god.

"THREE YEARS?!" Hermes jumped to his feet, nearly falling of the edge as he gripped his hair in a state of shock, his heart pounding so fast he feels himself loosing ability to think properly.

"It took us three years to come back through the spell. She's been alone for years. All alone." Apollo closes his eyes, a faint, desperate sob escaping him as the vision of their girl faded.

She looked different, her hair shorter, her eyes darker and her face giving off the impression she's worn out from life's trials. She seemed...empty.

"We need to go back. NOW." Hermes growls out, kicking a rose until it rips from the bush and falls off the ledge.

"How? Huh?" Apollo grabs his brother by the shoulders, shaking him violently into silence.

"She's in danger if they ever learn she killed Hecate. She's in danger because they can use her as leverage to make us do anything they please! She's safer on Earth until we sort everything out." A voice of reason, Apollo calms Hermes enough to sit back down and look at the globe one more time, noticing Y/N walking through a saffron garden in front of their houses.

"Saffron?" Apollo wonders, confused as Y/N seemed to be over her lineage and saffron represented Hecate. It was her flower.

"Must be what remained of Hecate. The dust she turned into must have brought saffron fields all around the country to life. After all she was a goddess of not only death, but life as well."

Y/N looked up at the sky, smiling as if she could see them up there, watching over her, the wound on their hearts still fresh and bleeding, whilst her wound turned into an old scar that hurt once in a blue moon.

"Mommy! Mommy!" A child's voice comes through, cheerful and fast approaching.

Y/N turned swiftly, lowering herself to her knees until two little humans ran straight into her open arms, each on one side as she lifts them up and twirls them around.

"I'm right here babies. Right here." She mumbles, kissing each toddler once before adjusting her grip, both of them having their little arms over her shoulders as they looked up at the sky.

"Is daddy looking at us?" The little girl with sparkling brown eyes asks quietly, shyly looking up before hiding herself in Y/N's neck.

"Is he, mommy?" The little boy on her other side repeats the question more boldly, a mischievous glint inside them.

"Yeah. Once in the early morning and once at nightfall, my loves. Now come, it's bedtime!" She puts them down on the grass, chasing them back to the house.

However, the gods who couldn't quite comprehend what they're looking at paled, their hearts coming to a stop more than once, screaming in unison:

"WHAT THE FU-"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~       ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Tags: @mutuallynotmutual @lanadeldolans @xalayx @accalialionheart @gia-kerks @historyheart  @heyits-claire @daddygraysonsbitch @fallinginlove-16  @lanadeldolans @beautifulfound @thearachna-kid  @dinnerwiththedolans  @graydolan12 @justanotherfangurl272 @dxlansfxck  @godlydolans @flowery-dolan @dominatedolans @buckysjuicyplums @ethanhes @dolandolll @dolanstwintuesday

#ethan dolan #grayson dolan #dolan twins #ethan dolan x reader #grayson dolan x reader #apollo #hermes #dolan twins greek god au #ethan dolan au #grayson dolan au #ethan dolan x y/n #grayson dolan x y/n #dolan twins fanfic #dolan twins fic #Greek Mythology #GREEK GOD AU

[jacensolodjo]

They’re not interchangeable! A few scream as yet another clone dies, often needlessly. And no one even cares to get his service number right (hah, service number, mutters far too many, try product registration number), causing brothers to think a different vod had died in his place. 

They were born for this exact reason! Another screams back. And it’s true. It really is true. But that doesn’t make it right. They weren’t born to live, they were born to die. Shab, they weren’t even born. Even that was denied them. They grew in a tank, lived in an empty one. 

For some, the clones are the final nail in the coffin of the Republic. Proof the Republic has truly lost its way. They were born out of a diseased state. Democacy is supposed to care for all, to give all a voice. But the clones get no representation.

What about Mandalore? Some ask, now that it’s far more common knowledge the clones are of Mandalorian stock. Satine’s government doesn’t want them, prettying it up with how they were born in blood and death and Mandalore doesn’t stand for that anymore (”we’re a pacifist people now!” and yet some do wonder how the people of Mandalore managed to be so homogeneous to the point a clone of a Fett sticks out like a sore thumb). 

Dar’manda, a state of not being Mandalorian, often comes up, usually by saddened Cuy’Val Dar who remember what life was like before Galidraan. How can one be Mandalorian if they don’t even know it? If they can barely find Mandalore on a star chart? (Oh, but the Alphas and the Nulls can. The Republic Commandos can. They were brought up right. What is right anymore, though?) 

The Empire doesn’t do things any better. It offers no pension funds, no medical benefits, no right to lands or titles or anything, the barracks they sleep in is the maximum benefit given. The clones might as well not even exist off of paper that says they are mere property anyways. 

And so, old far sooner than they should be, clones find themselves barely eking out an existence much less actually living. Some manage (don’t call them lucky. Why should they be considered that? Simply because they happen to survive?) and others of course end their life how it began: in silence. 

The real heartache comes when it’s a clone saying exactly what others do: we were born to do this, we’re just numbers, it’s all for the glory of the Republic! 

But then, eventually, at least once, a clone wonders if he could swap places with a clone in a completely different field of operation and no one would even notice. Why should they? They’re interchangeable, the very same down to their DNA. But oh, the building blocks have constructed such a wondrous array of diversity. Brothers notice when brothers change. Brothers notice when brothers leave. Brothers notice when their brothers are thinking ‘why brother? Am I a brother truly? Must I be?’

When the war ends, and ‘peace’ reigns, every time clones take the initiative in caring for each other even and especially when no one else will, the civilians laugh. Silly clones, you need to just move on. Be good little soldiers, do your duty, then fade away. So much so that even saying you’re there for a brother, a sibling, a sister, is an act of defiance. The clones will not simply fade away. And kriff yourself for thinking they would. 

Yes, the clones were born in death and bloodshed. But they were created from the blood of a Fett just trying to make his way through the galaxy, always defying death. They were created, in a way, from an act of love. And they do not shoulder the guilt of the progenitor but rather the promise to survive. In whatever way possible. And the galaxy only has itself to blame that it broke the clones’ loyalty to a state, to a government, snapped it in half, so they could instead envelope their fellow clones in that loyalty. They are, in the new time of peace, all they have left. 

They are Mandalorian because the Resol’nare is practically embedded in their DNA. They exist entirely because Jango was Mandalorian. In the most convoluted of ways, and yet it doesn’t stop being true. 

Don’t fret over the Fetts. They don’t do it over others anymore. And the galaxy brought it on themselves. 

#Текст #i really need to make an image like my 'brace yourselves jacen is having feels again' #or my 'u need the manda' #but for posts like whatever this is #my writing #jacen talks clones #'jacen is this meta or--' listen i'm as confused as you are #i just started typing a thing and this happened so take it as u like lol #It's almost like a huge longform clone suggestion blog post or smth i guess idk lmao #like all posts tagged w/ jacen talks ___ & my writing ok to rb unless otherwise stated~

[aldridgebay]

Name: Lauren Miller

Pronoun: She/her

Age and birthday: 24, September 3rd

Residence Status: Local

Family connections: Brother - Eddie

Occupation: PhD student and store clerk at Heroes Hideaway   

Played by: Admin Emerald

From a very young age Lauren became fascinated with space.  Some of her earliest memories include watching documentaries about space exploration, moon landings, satellites being launched and planets.  Even times before she can remember the “things in the sky” would draw her attention and her brother, who is ten years older than her and whom she absolutely adored, and parents are full of stories of taking her out for a walk at night just so that she could see the moon and stars which calmed her down and made her eventually drop off to sleep.

It was called a phase, especially by her mother who wanted her to gain interest in dolls, dresses and other “girlie things” but the phase never ended and only became even deeper embedded as Lauren discovered ‘fake space’ like Star Wars and Star Trek.  Her favourite franchise remains Star Wars to this day and she will regularly drop references or quotes even though she knows it's unlikely anyone else in the small town of Aldridge will recognise most of them.  Her interests have expanded slightly and Lauren is proud of being a huge nerd, her references now encompass any and all pop culture franchises.  As well as her space obsession she is also an avid comic reader which makes her part time job at the Heroes Hideaway the perfect fit, this has only strengthened her already well established obsessions though.

To give some context behind her Star Wars obsession, she owns and has read every book and comic, played every game, seen every movie (many, many times), tv show, cartoon and short and owns *a lot* of collectables and merchandise.  Her mother calls Lauren’s bedroom more of a museum than a place to live and sleep and flatly refuses to allow anything Star Wars related to be outside of Lauren’s room - and Lauren is just fine with that.

Lauren still lives with her parents due to her continued studies and often clashes with her mother in arguments that are really over nothing and contain no substance behind them.  They love each other very much but they’re also both headstrong and don’t like to be told what to do and over the years have worked out exactly the right way to wind one another up.  Lauren’s father stopped trying to step in a long time ago and since her brother, Eddie, moved back into town Lauren has had somewhere to escape to there.  Watching him leave for university when she was eight was one of the hardest things she had to do and the lack of soothing influence of her older sibling only exacerbated the strained relationship with her mother as Lauren got older.

She is very prone to sassy remarks and sarcastic comebacks and will gladly give as good as she gets, her appearance and demeanour can often be described as fierce and she projects a tough girl attitude but is actually a bit of a softie at heart once you break through the tough girl exterior.  Lauren’s rebellious teenage years never really ended and she still dyes her hair bright green, plays music too loud and purposely dresses in a way she knows her mother hates.

Despite appearances, Lauren is very intelligent. She has a degree in Astrophysics which sprang from her early fascination with space and is even continuing her studies, she is now studying for her PHD at the same university where she got her degree.

When asked, Lauren will say her favourite ways to relax are listening to music or watching a movie, but she’s not opposed to a good party or night out to let off some steam, she is a student afterall.  When it comes to music she will gladly explain how the best bands and musicians come from Germany, the listener will need to make sure they have a few hours spare though as once she gets going on the subject she can get carried away.

Of course her other favourite pastime is “annoying the hell out of my brother”

Lauren likes pineapple on pizza.  Lauren has also taken years of kickboxing lessons as a way to keep active during her intense studies, she suggests people consider this before they start questioning her choice of pizza toppings.

What is their opinion about the boardwalk and it’s effect on the town?  Lauren loves the boardwalk, though that may have something to do with her brother’s positive experiences there.  Its somewhere she goes to escape and just be surrounded by laughter as well as the bright lights and loud sounds.  It’s not her favourite place though, she actually prefers anywhere she can gaze up at the stars, which has led to many occasions where she’s been found laying on someone’s roof just looking up at the sky at night. 

#emma dumont #new rp #literate rp #beach rp #small town rp #lauren miller #female #admin emerald #taken character