#it makes you want to turn into a void of nothingness | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chosok-amo · 3 months

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Sukuna that has a big fat crush on his lil bro Yuuji's upperclassmen friend that tutors him🤭💞

SHAPESHIFTED: RYOMEN SUKUNA

she was there, sitting beautifully and started filling the room, it was hard not to notice her glisten, when all the lights in the room— even the moon that peaks from the creek of the window darted like a spotlight on her, ‘your eyes might not be the color of the ocean but I get drown just by taking a secret glance, how do you do that? shapeshited and makes me fall in love with you?’

content warning: fluff, nothing else

sorry it takes me a lot of time to write this, I'm busy working on my thesis right now, and sorry I don't make exactly like your request but I hope you enjoy it 😊

THIS WAS FROM SUKUNA'S POV

UH OH, I'M FALLING IN LOVE

the moon is bright and the day is still young, i was just walking downstairs when i heard my brother's voice alongside a soft, feminine unfamiliar one. i kept my feet moving until i was able to see who the voice belonged to. she is sitting there with her small back facing me, body so tiny i'm afraid her friends had to lose her every time they were walking in the crowd. i keep on looking at her small frame until the brother of mine snaps me out of my own thought.

“sukuna.”

and just like that, she turned around, finally showing me how pretty someone could get with a honey voice like that. and suddenly, our eyes locked and if this is what people tell you about love at first sight i think they're having no idea what they were talking about. it doesn't make my head fuzzy and the world doesn't stop moving and the noise isn't running faded into the background like the movie show, but this? i feel hurt inside my chest like my heart alone wants to run and give it to her by itself.

she stands, showing me the biggest and the brightest someone could ever smile, it's beautiful, it's like a symbol of happiness, she looks happy, she looks like art even. and art was supposed to make you feel something, maybe that could explain why my heart is trembling. a quiet curiosity was planted into my chest, brain and I knew it was only a matter of time before she sunk beneath my bones, nurtured this deep-seated unfamiliarity into love so fierce, yet blithering, carefree and unconcerned, hopefully— that I would question if I had ever been in love before.

my hand becomes one with her, skin to skin as she takes my hand for her to hold— wishing it could stay longer after the void of nothingness hugging my hand back. she introduced herself to me but all I could hear was just the thunder underneath my flesh, underneath my ribs. yuji looking at me weirdly, doesn't get used to the way I reacted, i can feel his brown big eyes practically narrowing at me, but I choose not to pay him attention.

“she's going to tutor me, please don't do anything stupid or make too much noise,” he warned me. i flutter my eyes before catching a sight of him with his eyebrows up to his forehead. I rolled my eyes before waving my hand, and dismissed him off as if it meant nothing— well, It is, indeed. I'm a quiet person, unlike him, I'm not a menace to society. “yeah, yeah, whatever,” in boredom, i said to him and brought my feet to walk away from the living room to go to the kitchen.

i take a pack of cheese out of the fridge and slam it lightly on the counter. put pressure on the counter with my two palms before letting out a sigh. looking at the invisible living room, hoping my eyes suddenly had an x-ray superpower to take a glimpse of her again but to fail. “of course, what the fuck was I thinking?” a mumble under my breath could be heard. dramatically, I put my hand to my chest— hesitation felt in my blood. as I was feeling the thunder in my heart, I wail.

my knee abruptly turns into jelly, no longer having the ability to support my body as I slide down to the floor, back sticking to the wall of the counter. “what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck— what the fuck?!” I yell in whispered, finger pointing at my heart with narrowed eyes. “what the fuck is wrong with you?” I asked, hoping there was some machine error inside of me that's gonna be the cause of whatever was happening inside.

“you like her,” there's a whisper.

I laugh humourless, forcing myself. “yeah, bless her delusional heart,” I scoff while rolling my eyes. I do not like her, in fact, I despise her. her weirdly bright smile does not give me a whole damn zoo, her honeyed voice does not calm my nerves. she's not gonna be something I be thinking about for a whole week. she's just my brother's friend. just looking at her I can tell she's gonna be an annoying person and weird. “right, she must be a bitch,” I mumble, talking gibberish just so I can convince myself.

“she's beautiful, doesn't she?” that whisper again.

I went quiet for a moment, getting pulled by nostalgia back to a moment ago. my red eyes stared at nothingness dreamingly without I realized. the smile she gave kept replaying inside my head like a broken record, “yeah, she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.” the whisper could be heard, over and over again, hypnotising me to keep thinking about her.

“you like her, don't you?”

“do I?”

the whispered whispering in my ear as I felt a hot wind clouding my ear. and that time I realized that it wasn't my head tricking me, that wasn't some demon or angel like you see in movies whispering to someone. “oh you sure do,” again with the whispering. quickly I snap my neck to the side only to find yuji with his ugly ass face close to me. “what the fuck— Yuji!” he laughed as I jumped in surprise.

he stands straight as he puts both hands inside his pocket. “you look stupid, what are you doing sitting there?” he asks, smiling knowingly while his eyebrows arise. I cleared my throat before shrugging my shoulder, “just chilling,” I mumbled. he just kept looking at me for a while before rolling his eyes. “man, you're so weird when you're in love, so fucking weird,” he sight and walk away. i stand in second, “what the fuck do you mean?” I asked, feeling offended obviously. he just waved his hands nonchalantly without looking back.

“uh oh, am I falling in love?”

OH NO, I'M FALLING IN LOVE

“is that blood?”

she looked up at me blankly, no thought behind those eyes, looking dumbfounded as she battled her eyelashes like she was trying to process the information. “y/n, is that blood?” I asked again. “no?” she answered with another question. I rolled my eyes, “that's not a question you were supposed to answer with another question,” I told her, seeing her white skirt got stained with something red. she pulled her skirt, showing me a quite big scar on her knee, “i fell,” she whimpered as if she was about to cry. her big doe eyes looking at me with quiver lips. I bit my lower lip, trying to contain myself from laughing and cooing at how cute she looked right now.

“wait here.”

I patted her head before going to the kitchen and coming back with a box of first aid kits in hand. I sit myself next to her and pull her closer by her under the knee. “you're so clumsy,” I mumble— treating her wounds. I took a glimpse of her before looking down at her knee. a light chuckle left me without I realized. there she is, eyes shut tightly, one hand covers her mouth while the other one knead with eyebrows narrowed— oh god, she's so cute.

“don't laugh,” she wailed, hitting my shoulder lightly.

again, I laugh, “sorry y/n, you're just too cute— alright, I'm done.”

after, I brought my face to look at her only to find her face changed into bright red as if all of her blood was rushing to her head. “are you okay?” I asked, worried if her wounds might be the cause of her state. “—your face is red, are you feeling hurt?” I asked again. my backhand touched her forehead, “you're burning, should we go to the doctor? I think yuji—”

“you shouldn't say something like that so casually,” she finally opened her mouth but her voice came out nearly whispering. I feel my forehead frown when the confusion consumes me. “huh? what?” she stared at me for a while, and I never knew that ‘for a while’ could bring so many things to my veins. they're doing it again, the hurt in my chest, the adrenaline rushing through my blood. my heart beating so fast it's literally banging on my flesh, so loud I'm afraid she can hear it.

she smiles, “I'm fine.”

I cleared my throat as I looked away for a second before pointing at her skirt. “go change your skirt, it's dirty. yuji might take a while to come home and I refuse to let you ride your stupid bike again after the stunt you pulled,” I said. she's open her mouth, about to protest before I look at her with a stern look, making her change her mind in a split second without me even realising. so without saying anything I went to my room and came back with a black shorts. “thanks,” she mumbled softly as her hand reached the shorts before going to the bathroom. I wait for her to change and sit in the living room, switching the tv on.

for a few minutes, I sat there in silence until she was slowly sitting back at the end of the sofa. my mind went blank with the tv noise as a background sound while pleasing her with a glance one to two— she looked straight to the tv but I know she watched nothing. pretty little hands fiddling with the fabric of my shorts that she's wearing. and maybe that's not gonna stay mine any longer since she looked better in it than me. would it be weird if I wanted her to keep the short? especially when I'm not her boyfriend.

“did yuji know you're here?” I asked, not very fond of the silence that filled the room, also trying not to corrupt my mind with something I shouldn't think about. “yeah, but he hasn't replied yet, but we made a plan a week ago, so yeah..” I nodded. just like that we flew back again to where we were before— silences.

we stay like that for a good minute until I hear soft giggles, making me turn my head to look at where the sound comes from— her. her eyes were already looking at me, “why do you keep looking at me?” she asked. I was stunned, mouth shut as I realized I never looked away from her. “you staring, am I that beautiful for you to keep your eyes on me?” she jokingly said, another fit of soft giggles leave her pretty mouth, making me smile in return. I kept looking for a while then nodded, “yeah, you're that beautiful,” I breathe. and just like that her smile quickly faded into the void and faced the other way. I feel giddy seeing her shy state and this time, my turn to giggle.

“are you shy, y/n?” I asked.

she quickly hid her face with the palms of her hands, looking away. I move closer, “are you shy, y/n?” I asked again, teasingly as I poked her shoulder. a muffled voice of squealing could be heard. she moved her shoulder as I kept on poking her. I hold her wrist and pull it out of her face only for her to stiffen her hands and giggle. “oh come on, let me see that beautiful face of yours,” I laughed a little. she shook her head and again, tried to turn away. I kept on pulling her hands, and the moment I successfully pulled her hands away, it was already too late to realize that our face was an inch away.

her cheeks were crimson red, plump lips were slightly open as her hot breath touched my cheeks. and again, everything starts to blur, noise muffled to the background. I force my lips to put on a tight line for a moment as I look into her eyes to her lips, suddenly having the urge to kiss her. it's not like I don't have the urge to kiss her every time for nearly two months, but this time? I feel like I'm gonna die and regret the way I live for the rest of my life if I don't feel the softness of her lips in mine.

“can I kiss you?” so I asked, whispering.

“yes,” she whispered back.

I never realized a single word can mean so much to me. who knows an agreement from someone can make my heart beat so fast but this time I'm not afraid if she heard the beating, I want her to hear the beating, I want her to know that my heart already belonged to her way before I have the right to, as if it was hers in the first place. my eyes widened after the second I realized, oh no, I'm falling in love.

OH, I'M FALLING IN LOVE

“are you there?” a soft voice from the other side asks.

I let out a sigh, unintentionally making a cloud of smoke in the air while I hugged my body with one hand while the other one pressed the tiny technology in my ear. “physically yes, mentally is debatable,” I told her. shivering got nailed in my body, caused by the cold weather. I chew my lips, hoping it starts to warm soon. soft smile printed on my lips after I hear angelic giggles from the other side, “oh please, don't be party pooper, I'll be there with you in a second,” she said.

I waited a moment before my body got slammed into the tree by something tiny and soft. a hand pulled my neck before the warmness touched my lips. I let out a relief breath as I made a circle around the waist of her. my eyes closed, following the way her lips moved on mine. “that's not fair, y/n, you can't corrupt me with something like that,” I complained after the kisses broke. she smiles, “but you love it.” I rolled my eyes in annoyance before smiling back at her.

she opened her bag and pulled out something pink. my eyebrows instantly lifted as I caught her eyes sparkling. “what is it?” I ask, cautiously. she wrapped my neck with the ‘something pink’ that turns out to be a scarf. “It's cold, you should wear something to keep you warm,” she said, still smiling. “but it's pink,” again, I complained. this time, it was her turn to raise her eyebrows. “yeah, and?” she asked, looking confused as if I said something stupid with the oblivion. “i know it is pink,” she chuckled.

“i don't want to wear it, it's pink. I mean, did you even look at me? the tattoo on my face? the red in my eyes?”

she became more confused, “it doesn't match my vibe,” I told her, only for her to roll her eyes. “oh please, you look cute,” she sang happily, fixing the scarf around my neck. “but I don't want to look cute, please take this off,” I argued while trying to take the scarf off. she slap my hand in return, “but I made this for you,” she pouting, eyes almost looking like a dog. I was stunned, eyes wide open with her beautiful reflection in my iris. “you made this?” she nodded, still pouting. I let out a sigh, “fine.” out of thin air, the sparkle that was before lost in her eyes now bolting back, brightening it before I even realised.

under the cold weather, those eyes and all the sparkle made me feel warm. I could wear anything pink, from head to toe, I could do anything just so I could get to see those eyes simmering with the warmth of happiness. her and those eyes, I'm willing to kiss the ground she walked to, each step, if it means her eyes would be on me.

“kuna, come on, walk faster!”

she looked behind her— me, smiling with her hand that was covered with a thick glove waving at me. “be careful, it's slippery,” I told her. she stopped for a moment to hold my hand and softly dragged me to the fun fair. I watched her frame from behind, eyeing the way her body moved, gracefully like art in motion. her cheeks blended with crimson pomegranates as if all of the splendour of winter bent to her will. people say everything was a reflection of lights, and maybe that could explain her, she was the combination of all the prettiest light that exists.

she's beautiful and adorable and warm and everything in between. the first time you meet someone you're not gonna notice the waves of their hair, but the first I meet her I notice each wave, the way she stands, and speak, and smiles, her face becomes something I'll be thinking about next week, and five months ago I don't even know she exists but now i don't know if I'll still exist if she's not here.

she's more beautiful than any flower, she's like gold at the end of a rainbow, she's like a light of sunshine beneath the thunderstorm. just like the old poem said, If I had told the sea about her, what I felt about her, it would have left its shores, its shells, its fish, and followed me. its would have been filled with curiosity about the girl who's been shaking the sky and sea, the cause of my religiously praying when I don't even believe in god.

how does she shapeshifted like this? she becomes something I admire. the things that I usually overlook now become something that I desire. how did she do that? how did she make me fall in love with her?

oh, I'm falling in love.

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themusingsofacurlyhairednerd · 3 months

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Datura Pt 6

Summary: Reeling from a confrontation with Rhys, you find yourself at the whim of one of Amarantha's power plays.

Content Warnings: Canon typical violence, blood and gore.

Author's Note: It gets worse so it can get better, I am so sorry for the amount of angst I just put out into the world, there will be better things coming I swear.

Pt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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There is nothing but darkness; empty, cold, all consuming darkness. It holds you, carries you through the void as if it has a mind of it’s own. You have no desire to fight it, no will to struggle. It can move you wherever it sees fit; do whatever it desires. If it desires to consume you until you become nothing but the unceasing void, then you will allow it.

You float for hours, days, weeks, you’re unsure, time does not exist here. There are no stars, no light, no varying shades to catch your attention in the emptiness. It’s a shame you’re conscious enough to feel it, because it might have let you sleep more soundly than you ever have.

The darkness flows like a river, carrying you farther and farther away until it finally sets you down, the cold, stone floor beneath you biting through your clothes. As the mist begins to fade, shapes begin to come into view: It’s an alter, lit by thousands upon thousands of candles, their wax melting down the stone steps beneath the alter. Strange symbols have been carved into the sides, a language long forgotten, even in the history books. You manage to raise yourself onto your knees to get a better look at them, dusting your fingers over the markings. Your fingertips are claws again, your hands wreathed in darkness, like shadows, scales crawling their way up your wrists.

It’s wrong.

So wrong.

You’re not a monster! Your hands shouldn’t look like this!

“No! No!”

The symbols on the alter start to glow, spinning, the ancient stone groaning and moving as something from somewhere in the darkness starts to chant.

The scales continue to crawl up your wrists, your arms, spikes forming from your elbows. You try to scream but the sound that comes out of you is the thing of nightmares.

“Stop!” But no pleading will change what you’re becoming…

You jerk awake, screaming.

After your last interaction with Rhys you’d crawled under the covers to have a good cry and must have fallen asleep. You peel of the sheets, tangled around your limbs, and realize with horror that there are claw marks in the mattress, the stuffing scattered around your body. You jump out of it, stumbling, nearly throwing yourself onto the floor, trying to get away.

What have you done?

There are no claws at your fingertips now, no scales crawling across your body, it’s nothing but your own skin and the bandages Rhys had put there earlier. It’s normal. You’re normal. Right?

You stumble your way into the bathroom to wash your face. There is no monster starring back at you in the mirror, but you stare and stare anyway, the water turning cold as it drips off your skin into the sink. “You’ll destroy us all.” Rhys had said, the words an echo in your skull.

You can’t help yourself as you make a fist and slam it into the mirror, shattering it. The impact burns, but it can’t ease the ache in your chest, the yawning chasm you’ve been tumbling into for hours. There is no end to the fall, just nothingness for miles and miles, pulling you down into the deep, dark abyss. You have no way of knowing what’s at the bottom, if the dream is a warning of what sleeps there. You’re about to hit it again when the lock on your door slides out of place.

“What do you fucking want now?” You snarl, fully prepared to find the nearest object in reach and hurl it at Rhys’s stupid head.

But it’s not the violet eyed male you’re so used to seeing at the door this time; not the Attor either, but two shadow figures, made of mist and darkness, their features soft and feminine. Wraiths. They gently shut the door behind them.

“We’re here to get you ready for dinner,” one says in a soft voice.

The other is holding a long swatch of fabric. “The High Lord said you might need some help.”

You grit your teeth, “You’re welcome to tell Rhysand to fucking shove it up his ass.”

One of them giggles as she floats over to you, “I like you.”

The other sets the fabric, no it’s a dress, you can see that now, the fabric such a deep purple it’s almost black, on the ruined bed. She has no mouth to frown, but the way the shadows of what should be her head move makes you think she’s troubled by what she sees. “Amarantha will not be pleased if you show up wearing that to dinner.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose. You’d forgotten about the dinner.

“It’s an excuse to get dressed up!” Says the first, her shadowy hands reaching for the hem of your shirt. “It’ll look so pretty on you!”

The fact that Rhys had sent them is enough to put you on edge. He is either still so pissed at you that he can’t bare the thought of being in the same room as you, or Amarantha is still so pissed at you that he’s still trying to find a way to calm her down. Either way made you want to bury yourself back under the covers and never come out again.

“How’d I get into this mess?” You grumble.

The first wraith pulls your shirt over your head for you as the second says, “We must be quick. It’s best to not keep her waiting.” That’s all the warning you get before they start dressing you. They’re a bundle of activity as they move you out of your training clothes and into the dress. You can’t help but note that this fits you too, just like the others. It’s velvet, warm against the chill, with a tight bodice that accentuates your figure and then loosens around your hips and falls to your ankles. It glitters when you move in the light as if there are little stars woven into the seems.

It’s beautiful. Something from the Night Court. You want to tear it to shreds.

One of the wraiths brushes and sweeps your hair into a braid that wraps around your head, leaving a few curls loose to frame your face. The other cleans and adds a gloss to your nails. As soon as that’s done they’re swiftly applying powder to your face, coal to your eyes, and a brief swash of dark lipstick across your mouth.

“I’d show you your reflection in the mirror, but…” one of them says.

You eye the shattered glass with a wince. “Sorry.”

The other fixes a stray hair. “You look beautiful all the same.”

You find yourself blushing despite yourself. “Thank you, for all your help.”

One of them giggles and then they disappear as quickly as they’d come, back to wherever the High Lord of the Night Court keeps his, what were they, subjects? Maids? You hadn’t considered that he’d have the people of his court here, especially not after what he’d said earlier about protecting them.

When the door opens again, it’s one of Amarantha’s guards waiting for you. That can’t be a good sign either.

You draw a deep breath as you follow him out. At least it’s not the Attor.

He doesn’t lead you back to the throne room but down a several sets of stairs, past rooms where you hear screaming coming from behind closed doors, into what feels like it might be the very base of the mountain. The floor is rocky here, the walls pock marked with little caves and crevices, some filled with little fires and more armed guards. Monsters you can’t name and things with dozens of eyes peer out at you through the cracks in the walls. Some hiss and snarl. Some scream at you to run away.

You’re heart’s in your throat, the train of your skirts clutched so tightly in your hands you think you might actually rip through it. What have you done?

The guard says nothing as he walks you through the halls. He only stops when you finally come to another humongous door, carved with old and fading symbols. Pillars hold up the roof above it, carved into the shapes of snarling wyverns. This is her dinning hall?

Two more guards stand at attention between the pillars, waiting for the signal from the first to open them. But as you’re ushered inside, there is no great hall waiting to meet you. It’s more of a cave, a single torch mounted to the wall, burnt almost down to the end. At the far end, a metal grate separates you from what looks like a tunnel, but it is too dark to tell.

“What is this?” You demand but the guard is already stepping back, the doors swinging shut behind him, and to your horror, being bolted shut from the outside.

“Hey!” You bang a fist on the door. “Let me out of here!”

But the doors remain locked, no sound coming from behind them.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. You will yourself to breath, to remain calm.

The grate at the far end of the wall slowly begins to slide upward, the ancient, rusted metal groaning and creaking from disuse. It makes the walls rattle as it opens, bit by bit. To your relief, no horrible monster comes climbing out from behind it, it merely opens until there is enough room for you to walk under it. There is in fact a tunnel, the path curving in strange directions like a living thing had been burrowing through the mountain. It smells like it too.

Rhysand had given you the wrong damn thing to wear, that was for sure.

You hike your skirts up with your hands and step into the tunnel, seeing no other option, but the sinking feeling in your stomach grows bigger with each step forward you take. It was a terrible, terrible mistake to challenge Amarantha this early.

The tunnel goes on for miles, twisting and looping the expanse of the mountain, often doubling back on itself like some sort of maze. You’re about half way through, the bottom of your skirts so caked in mud that’s your having a hard time holding them, that you hear a strange, scuffling sound come from behind you. When you turn to look there’s nothing there, but you can hear the echo of footsteps squelching through the muck.

“Hello?” You call, but nothing answers.

You move a little faster, trying to find a way out, your mind imagining a dozen different possibilities of what’s behind you. The chasm in your chest widens, beckons, the thing that prowls at the bottom of it stirring to life. It’s an effort to focus, to breathe, to try and keep it at bay while simultaneously trying to not trip over your skirts.

The tunnel veers so sharp and suddenly left that you slam into the wall.

The footsteps are getting louder behind you; you can hear the heavy rasp of breath too. It doesn’t sound fae, it’s heavy almost, like a creature’s might be.

You hike your skirts back up and run, fighting the mud and the building panic in your chest. Another left, then another, and there, at the far end, light pokes through. Light, so much brighter than any you’ve seen in weeks. You barrel towards it as fast as your legs can carry you, for as fast as you are, that thing behind you is faster. It’s running now too, the walls shaking behind it.

From somewhere beyond the light you hear Amarantha’s cruel voice call out, “Oh good, the entertainment is finally here.”

Shit shit shit!

Are you the entertainment?

Does it matter in the end?

You burst out of the tunnel, the light so blinding after weeks in the dark that you slip and loose your footing trying to shield your eyes. There’s a chorus of laughter above you, as if a large crowd is starring down at you. There’s too much light! It burns.

“Having fun yet, little mouse?” Amarantha coos.

And then something with claws latches onto your shoulder and hurls you across the space.

You don’t even have time to scream, have time to register anything beyond the flash of pain in your shoulder before a wall rises up to meet you. Everything spins as you slam into it and crumple into the mud. The cold seeps through you, plasters you dress to your body. You taste blood.

Something from within the blur of colors swimming across your eyes roars at you.

There’s a crowd somewhere above you cheering.

Trying to wipe the spots out of your eyes only smears mud across your face.

"Get up!" Rhys's voice echoes like a banging gong in your head.

"Stay out of my fucking head!" You slam the door to your mind in his face. Now he suddenly wants to be helpful? Bastard!

You stumble onto your knees, the mud sinking beneath your palms.

"Move!" Rhys has barreled right through the door in your mind like it's made of toothpicks, panic edging his voice. You don't have enough presence of mind to look up to wherever he might be in the crowd. Not when a jagged set of teeth latches onto the already gaping wound in your shoulder and drags you into the center of what you’re pretty sure is a pit. It’s breath is rancid, rotting meat clinging to it’s rows and rows of jagged teeth, clamping down on your shoulder as it shakes you like a rag doll.

You’re going to die here, shaken to death like a toy if you don’t do something. Amarantha certainly isn’t going to save you, not when you’d wounded her pride so thoroughly this morning.

The thing that lives beneath your skin calls again, you can almost imagine a hand reaching out of the chasm, dark and scaled like that thing in your dreams had been. It begs you to reach out and take it.

The pain in your shoulder is blinding, you’re sure you’ll loose that arm entirely if it doesn’t stop shaking you.

You reach out and grab the hand offered, you’re only lifeline, and the chasm does in fact split open. The darkness that lives there swells and fills you so thoroughly you wonder for a moment if you are dead. But then you’re blinking against the light and things start coming into focus, even as your body shifts and morphs. You have talons again, but they’re longer now, slicing through the chest of the beast like they have a mind of it’s own until it’s terrible jaws unclench and drop you. It whimpers as it eyes the dark mist leaking from your body and when you flick a wrist in it’s direction, scattering that darkness, it slams the beast into the wall.

It’s some sort of chimera, it’s great wings flared out behind it’s scaled body. It’s got more teeth and horns than the ones you’d seen depicted in books, like it’s been modified for whatever this great pit is.

The crowd is in fact situated above you, the pit and all it’s tunnels separated by a chain-link dome high above your head, there are tables and benches, and another throne for Amarantha, around the edge, all gaping at your display.

You manage to rise, legs shaking beneath you. The bodice of your gown is in tatters, clinging to your shoulder by no more than a thread, all your exposed skin covered in blood. You can barely raise your right arm, but your left, wreathed in dark tendrils of magic and clawed is clearly visible in the light.

The chimera growls as it stalks back over to you, crouched low, ready to pounce. You’ve sprouted fangs, you can feel them poking into your lip as you snarl back at it, now more animal than girl. Maybe Rhys is right, maybe you really are a monster capable of destroying everyone. You have enough time to finally mark the section of the viewing platform where all the High Lords sit, and you can feel that assessing gaze of his more than all the others. You spare him a glance because you can't help yourself, because for all the pain he's caused you, you want the final nail in your coffin to be the look of disgust on his face when he sees that he's right about you. But it's not disgust that you see at all, but genuine, unbridled fear.

"Don't stop," he urges. "Kill it now!" Not fear of you, but for you? This isn't the time to try and make sense of what games Rhys is playing. The back and forth games, the way he pushes you away but comes back on his own is something you'll have to deal with later, when there's not a monster snarling at your feet, ready to devour you.

You reach into that darkness inside of you, where all your confusion and anger goes, pushed like some sort of sacrifice to the monster that lives within. You grab it, will it back to the surface, and when the chimera lunges, you blast all that energy out of your fingertips. The wave of darkness that flows from you turns the creature into a bloody mist, no bones or claws or teeth left in it’s wake. The mist splatters across your skin; you can taste it on your tongue.

You might have had more time to freak out over it if a second beast didn’t come hurtling out another tunnel. There is no time to think, only to move, as you throw yourself out of the way of it’s claws and back into the mud.

"Good girl."

"Shut up, Rhysand!"

The crowd cheers on the new beast. This one is quicker than the first, catching itself and spinning back to you faster than you can blink. You don’t have time to reach for any of your power, only to raise a hand and your claws tear through the thing’s belly as it flies overhead of you. Blood and gore rain down on you as it crashes into the wall, whining.

It’s in your eyes, your nose, dripping down the back of your ruined dress. Good. No more Night Court clothes for you.

You haul yourself back up and slash at it’s exposed sides, it’s wings, any part of it you can reach with your claws. There is nothing to stop you, your claws slide through it like butter, spraying blood and no matter how your mind screams at you, you can’t stop. Your powers have taken over, it demands that you keep pushing. There isn’t much left of it by the time the third chimera makes it into the pit.

There’s no telling how many Amarantha has at her disposal. Judging by the booing and screaming of the crowd, maybe there isn’t that many.

You’re aware, as you finally leave the ruined corpse of the second, that something is happening to your eyes. They feel different. Things look sharper, clearer. They’ve shifted into something else, but you’re not quite sure what.

As the beast lunges for you, you lunge right back, a flurry of claws and fangs and dark power that makes mud and blood fly. The lights from the chandeliers far above your head sway and shutter, like you’re sucking the power from them, dimming the room. The darkness of the mountain is nothing compared to the void that lives inside you.

You black out for a moment, seeing nothing but darkness and hearing only the sound of your own wild roaring, and when you come to, you’re on your knees in the mud, panting, half laughing with delirium. And the chimera is in pieces before you.

The crowd overhead is on their feet screaming and cursing in disbelief.

You manage to drag your gaze over to where Amarantha sits on her throne, her mouth hanging open. Rhys is standing behind her, stone faced. At her feet, sits that male wearing the collar.

"Get up."

It's too much effort to fight him or push him out of your head, it's clear he's capable of getting in regardless. All those lessons he'd been toying with you, probably trying to lull you into a false sense of security so you weren't prepared for the next time he needed to get something out of you. It's exhausting trying to figure out his play.

Still, there's a small piece of you that knows he's right, that Amarantha is watching, waiting to see what you'll do. If you stay here kneeling, crying in the mud, she'll still take it as a victory, she still found a way to beat you. It takes all your effort to get yourself onto your feet again. Everything feels like it’s trying to push you down into the mud. You’ve never been this exhausted in your life. It’s by sheer force of will that you manage to stand and lock your knees so you don’t crumble back into the mud.

You’re sure you look absolutely disgusting. No one is going to point you out as the daughter of the King of Hybern. There is no princess here in the pit, only this clawed thing.

So, from one monster to another, you look Amarantha in the eyes, and raise your middle finger.

Flame and ice and wind explodes from her so fast that the crowd around her has to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

There’s another grate in the side of the pit, hidden by rocks and debris but you hear it open all the same. Two guards emerge this time to drag you out. No more beasts for you to fight.

You manage to walk yourself under the grate, but once it starts to close behind you, blocking you from the crowd's sight, you collapse against the wall. As you catch your breath, your claws slowly retract. The dark mist that wreathes your body begins to slow and settle. Your eyes readjust to the dark, to whatever they were before this all started. It feels like the chasm you split open shrinks back inside of you--a volcanic eruption suddenly bubbling back down into the mountain. It leaves you slowly, settling back beneath the surface as if it hadn’t just caused such utter chaos. Your hand shakes as you run it over your eyes, trying to clear away everything clinging to your face. What did you just do?

One of the guards grabs your arm and hauls you off the wall.

Your whole body aches, but the pain in your shoulder, your right arm useless and limp at your side is excruciating. Even the movements from the way they drag you makes it feel like your whole arm might just pop off.

You can’t focus on where they’re leading you, all your energy into staying upright. You hear doors open and see the lights shift and change as you’re lead through other rooms but none of it makes any sense to you.

“I’d like to go back to my room now,” you say, your voice raw. Were you screaming that much?

They ignore you as they continue to lead you in what feels like circles. It’s only when you see a shock of red hair beneath a glittering crown made of bones and rubies that you realize they’ve led you up to where the crowd had been watching your little display. Most of which is clear now. There are jagged icicles sprouting out of one wall, a body impaled on it, another crushed beneath it. The chain-link separating the room from the pit is partially melted, the remains of it swinging back and forth on the wind. Tables and chairs have been strewn about, some broken. There’s a few people moaning and bleeding on the floor, everyone else that could had scattered.

Amarantha remains shaking with rage in the center of the room, ice sprouting from her left hand, crackling and crawling all the way up her elbow, even as her other hand is wreathed in flames. Her eyes are so dark they’re almost wholly black.

The sight of her shakes some alertness back into your body, so at the very least you’re not about to collapse onto the floor.

Most of the High Lords are gone, save for a masked blonde who you can only assume is Tamlin. He’s wearing a collar too, the chain hooked into the floor beside her throne.

And Rhysand, half his shirt torched, is dabbing a damp cloth into a deep blister across his tattooed chest.

This damage is your fault, you realize with a sinking feeling in your gut. If you hadn’t challenged her, pushed her too far, none of this would have happened. Those people under the ice would still be alive and Rhys wouldn’t be hurt. You’re pissed at him but you don’t want to see him hurt. You don’t want to see anyone hurt. You had just been so on edge earlier, so focused on doing something to make Amarantha pay you hadn’t stopped to think about who she’d hurt in the aftermath.

“I’m sure you’re very pleased with yourself,” Amarantha snarls.

You can still taste the blood of those beasts in your mouth. “Thrilled actually,” you say because you can’t stop yourself. You can’t keep all these things at bay, it’s like they just slip out of you and no matter how much your mind reels and balks at it, it comes out anyway.

She moves so fast you barely have time to blink before she’s slapping the hand covered in ice across your face. “You stupid, little bitch!”

It burns as if it was the fire, but even if you wanted to hit her back, you can’t. You don’t have anything left in your body other than to hiss at the contact and try to retain your balance. The last thing you want is to end up on the floor at her feet.

Maybe it doesn’t matter in the end, because, despite all he’d said earlier, and despite the massive blister, Rhys manages to weasel himself in between the two of you. He’d been right about you and he still jumped between you.

“It’s not her fault,” he says.

The room shutters so hard one of the chandeliers falls from the ceiling and crashes to the floor.

“Get out of my way, Rhysand!” She screams.

“It’s my fault.”

The world stops turning for a second. He can’t be serious.

“I pushed her too hard training earlier.”

The lie makes your stomach twist, you sway on your feet trying to reach out and push him out of the way, to tell her that’s not true. But your body won’t move the way you need it to. Everything is sluggish and slow, all your energy reserves tapped. You’d overdone it.

“So you knew she could do that?” Amarantha says and her voice is so deadly quiet that you use the last little bit of your strength to grab Rhys’s wrist and try to pull him out of the line of fire.

“I suspected.”

“And yet you said nothing?”

There is no hesitation in his voice as he says, “No, I didn’t think it was necessary until we knew for sure.”

He needs to move. Maybe there is still some small chance that she can’t kill you, that she would have pulled you out of the pit at the last possible second just to save face with Hybern, but you’re not entirely sure Rhys has that same protection. New High Lords can be made. You tug on his wrist again, but he pays it no mind.

You’re only other option is to hope he can hear you as your stand at the edge of the hallway in your mind, the yawning, dark precipice beyond swirling in various shades of blue and black. “Rhys stop!” You scream. “She’ll kill you!” Damn him. As cruel as he is, as much as you want to hate him, you can’t stand here and let him do this for you. You challenged her and you had beaten her, whatever consequences came with that are yours.

If he hears you, he doesn’t acknowledge it either.

“We’re going to have a very long conversation about where your loyalties lie, Rhysand,” Amarantha snarls as she gestures towards the guards still hovering around behind you.

You’re so dizzy from he blood loss, crimson dripping off your fingers, pooling at your feet, that you’d forgotten they were there. When they move to grab him, he doesn’t fight it.

You can’t breathe again, reaching desperately for any bit of power you can reach inside yourself. He’s an asshole but you can’t let this happen, you can’t let her hurt him. But the chasm that was so readily open to you before is closed, nothing there for you to reach like you’d used every bit you had available.

This couldn’t be happening! Not now.

“It’s not his fault!” You say, but they’re already clamping irons down on his wrists, as if he’d been putting up any fight at all. “This is between you and me.”

She finally flicks her gaze off him to look at you, the corners of her mouth turning up in a grin. “Don’t worry, little mouse, you and I will be working very closely from now on to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

Mother save you!

“Don’t do-”

“Stay quiet.” Rhys hisses before the door that leads to him slams shuts and locks from the inside. He'd heard you, and then he’d locked you out.

You look back and forth between them. Spots are starting to form in the corners of your eyes and there’s pressure in the base of your skull. You can’t tell if it’s from the pain radiating in your shoulder or a headache from expelling so much power at one time. Either way, it’s like a countdown has started. You only have so much left to give before you collapse.

“Get them both out of here before I change my mind about being merciful,” Amarantha hisses.

One guard grabs your busted arm and you can’t help but scream as he gives it a yank.

Rhys lunges at him, snarling something you can't make out, but the other guard grabs him by the hair and yanks him backward.

You’re going to throw up or pass out, the pain making the room spin.

“As if I don’t have enough to deal with with my mate tonight,” she hisses and you barely have enough presence of mind to hear the growl the word drags from Tamlin. Mate. Amarantha is the High Lord of Spring’s mate. “You’re lucky it was you that brought him in today, Rhysand, or things might have gone quite differently.”

The room tilts and blurs and the floor is suddenly rising up to meet you. It’s too much!

The guard yanks you up by the back of your dress, or what’s left of it, the torn fabric tearing further beneath his gloved hands, and back onto your feet. You’re pretty sure you’re crying as he drags you to the door, but there’s so much caked to your face your not entirely sure if it’s tears, blood, or mud sliding down your cheeks.

“Rhys,” you whimper because there is no one else to beg for help, your powers as illusive as ever and damn Amarantha and her stupid court, but your terrified of what will happen to you and him if you pass out right here.

A familiar brush against your mind is the only answer you get as you're dragged back down the stairs. Those stairs, the guard’s boots, it’s the last thing you remember before it all becomes too much and you black out.

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

Tag List: @mariahoedt, @lovelydove, @twsssmlmaa, @sleepylunarwolf, @judig92, @willowpains, @daughterofthemoons-stuff, @annaaaaaa88, @myheartfollower, @uniquecolorwizard, @eternallyelvish, @waytoomanyteenagefeels

#rhysand x reader #rhysand x reader fic #rhysand x reader smut #rhysand x reader angst #utm!rhys #acotar #rhysand acotar #acotar fic #datura #my fics #my writing

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goldengirliez · 6 days

Text

oml, please help me, I can't stop thinking about giving head to Manila Mikey.

Idea from this drabble! ☆

02:53 pm

We all know how Mikey is, deep inside that apathetic shell of his, his empty heart and dull eyes, he's aching uncontrollably to feel anything aside from that void that consumes his senseless.

He gets so overwhelmed that he often forgets to eat, shower, and take care of himself with basic actions.

But he has you. His beloved, his light in the darkness, his anchor during the storm that keeps him grounded.

Even on days when intrusive thoughts caress his skin alluringly, you're there to keep them away from your man, you're there and keep him alive.

Just like today.

It's a hot, clammy day: no matter how many windows you may want to open, the air won't just come in to cool down your dripping skin, the oppressive weather creeps through your lungs and violates them, taking away the oxygen you need way too soon.

You're hot, you are bored and you're tired of waiting for your boyfriend to get out of the shower so you can get it all for yourself.

Your bare feet tap softly against the floor, quickly moving towards the bathroom where you left your beloved around thirty minutes ago, ready to scold him for taking so long.

You put your hand on the golden, rusty doorknob and turn it silently. Pushing the wooden panel open with a small "creak" sound, the humidity of the post-shower air invades your senses, inserting in between the fabric of your soft garments and dampening your skin even so slightly.

Your eyes immediately fall on the figure in front of you, seated on the glossy, black stool next to the sink.

Mikey's head is dropped low, his wet liquorice hair is covering his pale, porcelain skin: his onyx eyes are slightly visible to you and they are surely lost in nothingness. He's sitting still, not moving a muscle as if he didn't even notice you enter before.

You're not going to scold that poor angel for a fucking shower: you're going to scold yourself for not taking it with him. He often gets lost in thoughts and that's not a good sign at all.

"'jiro, what's wrong?"

You carefully step closer to him, crouching down to his level and cradling his fluffy cheeks in your hands: slowly blinking his eyes, as if was slowly waking up from a peaceful dream, he looks up at you desperately.

"Please, make them shut the fuck up".

Often the best way to silence your thoughts is to focus on something louder than the voices inside your head.

That's what Mikey needs right now.

Usually, he would let you suck him off to your heart's content but that's not what he needs right now: he needs to feel loved, cared about and seen. He needs to know he's there with you and not anywhere else lost in his mind.

You can feel the hardness of the cold tiles underneath your knees as you kneel in front of him, which is in contrast with the hotness of that cute, pinkish mushroom head of his shaft and the smoothness of his skin in your palm.

Manjiro's eyes are focused on you, just like you asked him to: they are completely blown out, his angelic face has a cherry red hue on his cheeks, and his lips are slightly puffy due to his constant biting in them.

When your tongue gently wraps around the tip and sucks on it harshly, squeezing with your hand the base of his dick (just how he likes it) his onyx irises roll in the back of his skull and his hand goes straight to his mouth, muffling with a hum one of his pretty moans.

Just when you take him deeper, your ears are blessed with his unfiltered voice, a desperate call of your name: you can feel his hardness make its way down your throat gradually, and the salty taste of his pre on your taste buds makes you salivate.

Just when his cock touches the back of your throat your eyes water and not because of the burning sensation or the ache of your jaw but because of his goddamn pretty face.

Manjiro's wet liquorice hair is sticking to his damp forehead due to the water of the shower he took; onyx orbs are staring deeply into your soul, flickering up and down your face not knowing where to focus; sweat is dripping down his defined jaw and sliding on his bobbing adam apple every time he gulps; his black undershirt is sticking to his string chest; his tattooed neck is stretched to the side as he can barely keep his head up due to how good you're making him feel.

He's a masterpiece and he's all yours.

"Baby... Y-You're taking it so fucking deep– oh fuck!"

It wouldn't take long for you to bob your head according to his liking when his calloused hand touches your cheek and smoothly runs up through your hair, gripping it slightly so it won't cover your eyes.

The burn in your throat might be becoming unbearable but having your man scream your name endlessly is what keeps you up: his whole attention is on you, you're the only one he's thinking about, you're the only one he's feeling.

You can feel him throb against the walls of your mouth, his veins pulsating underneath your skilled tongue: you take him out with a slurping sound and begin to fist his cock, squeezing the tip and gripping the base, fiddling with his balls, wanting to coo at him as a last push. Your sugar-coated sweet-nothings are the most sincere as you look into his eyes with heart-shaped ones almost: good boy, I love you, baby, this is all for you.

After a dark time that day, he's finally seeing stars.

Mikey's orbs shine with the tears that roll down his burning cheeks, his voice is desperate and whiny, unable to keep up with the pace you're setting just for him.

Wet, squelching sounds that echo through his ears along with your praises are like a melody and when his hand comes on top of yours as you keep on moving it fast, you know you've done the trick.

"Ah– oh, shit! B-baby, I- I'm- I- please".

As you kiss lovingly his inner thigh which is decorated with every shade of red because of the blooming love marks you gave him, he feels a shock of electricity run down his spine.

As a blissed cry of your name booms out of his chest, his eyes scrunch shut and his head gets thrown back, you're already there to put your mouth on his throbbing tip and keep his love seed into your mouth, safe and sound.

He takes a while to calm down, but when he does he doesn't hesitate to get you on his lap and hug you close, whispering with a heavy breath how much he loves you, how grateful he is for having you by his side and an endless string of thank you.

You're both dripping in sweat, fuming due to the heated act you had so the sudden thin, delicate breeze that comes in from the bathroom door makes you sigh contently.

Manjiro's the one to speak first "I guess we need to shower again", he chuckles... His genuine laugh makes your lips curl into a fond smile as you take his hand in yours and kiss his knuckles gently.

"I'll do it with you so I'll keep the bad thoughts away this time".

He loved the sound of that.

I'm experimenting with new kinds of writing so I don't know how I feel about this drabble: it was simply living in my head rent-free–

I hope you enjoyed reading this drabble!

English isn't my first language so I apologise for any mistakes!

Sending y'all hugs. ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ♡ ໒꒱ ⊹ ࣪ ˖

©GOLDENGIRLIEZ do not repost or modify on any platform.

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l0serloki · 1 year

Note

If you’re not too busy- would it be cool if I requested how the Val agents (Sova, Chamber, Cypher, Phoenix, Breach, and Harbor if you write for him- and anyone else you wanna add) reacting to the reader giving them the silent treatment!

Silence!

(Chamber, Yoru, Phoenix, Cypher, Breach, Harbor)

CW : GN!Reader, tiny cut (Yoru), drinking (Breach)

A/N : I’m blind and also haven’t been to bed so I didn’t even notice that you asked for Sova too.. I’m so sorry 😭

Chamber :

He’s going to pretend not to notice for a while. You want to play? Let's play.

“What is the benefit of ignoring me, my love? You are just making us both suffer”

He will buy you your favorite foods/something you’ve mentioned to “get in good graces”. He tries his best..

The tension in the air only elevated as you turned in your seat. It was late at night and you were working to repair some gear that broke in the field. Your boyfriend, Chamber, just happened to be working on his guns as well. You had started a little challenge to see how he would react to silent treatment after he ignored you one night. He was more resilient than he seemed, going a full day of basking in the awkward silence. The clicking of metal was the only sound breaking the void of nothingness.

“Y/N, if you are going to continue doing this I think I will lose my mind. I simply don’t know what to do anymore. Why do you insist on making both of us suffer?” Chamber’s voice cracked as his breath tickled your neck. You jumped at the sudden intrusion, tingles going down your flesh. When did he get this close? He was right.. this was getting to be too much.

“You’re right. Maybe I wanted to see you suffer a bit though.” You smirked as you turned to the man, finger tracing his soft skin. His chestnut hues widened at the sound of your voice, leaning into your warm touch.

“Your voice is music to my ears, mon amour.”

Yoru :

He’ll get moody. He probably won’t talk to you!

“Are you done being childish? Good. I hope you learned your lesson.”

If he notices you’re just teasing him.. he will have revenge.

Nothing bad, just him teasing you in front of the other agents or giving you a taste of your own medicine.

What had started as a little game to push Yoru’s buttons turned into much more. The subtle touches and the angered silence added a dark atmosphere to each day. His snide coughs and taps of his feet put you on edge. You knew that you would end up cracking before the man got out of his stubborn views.

Your fingers knocked against his comb, the metal cutting open your thumb. You hissed at the pain, bringing the cut up to your lips.

“Why are you trying to mess with my knife? Are you okay? Done being childish?” Yoru yanked your hand, eyes softening at the sight of you hurt. You relaxed at his touch, glad to have your snarky boyfriend back.

“Yeah.. I love you.”

“Whatever.. Love you too.”

Phoenix :

He will BEG for attention.

“Darling.. What did I do wrong?! Cmon.. Just tell me already!”

He’s so annoyed.. He leans in for a kiss and you move out of the way. He tries to talk to you and you pretend not to hear him. The audacity!

You’ll end up having to listen to him because he’s the type that will make you feel guilty.. he’s a sweetheart.

Phoenix had not shut up the whole ride back from the mission. You could only roll your eyes as you shuffled into your shared room, ignoring his words.

“Babe.. Are you even listening?” Phoenix’s voice raised an octave, watching as you climbed into bed. Your fingers reached for the bedside light, turning it off. Not even a second later, your personal heater hopped into bed behind you. His arms encompassed your form making it hard to get away.

“I don’t appreciate you ignoring me all day. I’m letting you know now that you aren’t moving from this bed till I get attention.. You hear that?” You could practically hear his smirk. You snorted at the remark and hummed.

“Yeah yeah, whatever dork. Go to bed.”

Cypher :

He will think it’s funny for a bit. You think this is a silly game? He does too.

The awkward glances and silence shared between you two is just a ticking bomb. One of you is seeing who will crack first. (Spoiler, it’s you.)

Cypher can be silent for days on end. He can keep busy with work or just sit and stay in his head..

“My my, look who actually has a voice! I thought you had lost it.”

When you had thought of ignoring Cypher it seemed funny. Well, that was days ago and it was no longer that humorous anymore.. He had noticed your little ‘challenge’ and joined, turning the whole thing into a battle. You wracked your brain with any kind of way to get him to crack first - to no avail. You sighed, hand brushing against your face in disappointment. You turned to the side to peer at your boyfriend. The blanket covered his legs, his nimble fingers typing away at his computer. You were desperate for his attention at this point, not caring much about winning.

A small noise came out of your throat causing his fingers to stop.

“Cypher..” You groaned and the man’s mouth widened in a grin.

“Oh dear, look who is crawling back.. Come here then, little bug.”

Breach :

He will roll his eyes at the antics for the first five minutes.. then he’s done.

“Okay babe.. Funny joke. It’s time to talk back now.”

He can and will be the loudest person ever/push all of your buttons. That only annoys you more and he quickly notices.

He ends up apologizing for whatever he did, begging you to be back to normal. You could imagine the sigh of relief when you laugh and say you were trying to get on his nerves.

“Don’t EVER do that again.. I thought I was going crazy.”

Breach and you were sat at the kitchen counter drinking with some of the other agents. He had already been on his fourth beer and spewing nonsense into your ear. You learned to ignore him as he got like this. He didn’t notice most of the time anyways.

“I told him that I could practically break anything.. Babe, hello? Are you even listening to me?” Breach’s voice continued to drone on as you tuned out. You were only brought back to the real world as he shook you.

“I may be drunk but it’s not that funny to ignore me. You sure you’re okay?” His eyebrow raised and you smiled.

“Yeah, sorry! Just out of it. Let's get you to bed.”

“Good idea, sweet thing.”

Harbor :

He’s reasonable and notices your silence! He backs off and gives you a day to yourself. After all, everyone needs time for themselves.

He checks in and sets food down for you when he sees you. He’s more just worried for your health.

You’ll have to tell him it’s a joke because he mostly just dotes on you and gives you worried glances.

“I thought you were having a really tough time! Don’t do that again, honey.”

You were curious as to how your boyfriend would respond to you being silent but that had more turned into guilt. He had given you space, understanding the need to be alone. Your heart melted when you woke up to water and some snacks and even when he came in to give you a kiss.

Making your way to the training room, you opened the doors. You snuck up behind the man, arms wrapping around his torso in a sneak-hug. Harbor grunted, surprised by the sudden intrusion.

“You are feeling better!” He smiled, eyes gleaming as he stared down.

“You’re too sweet for your own good. I just wanted to see how you’d react to the silent treatment. I’m sorry.” Your eyes softened. He only laughed, hand patting your head.

“Good. I’m glad nothing is seriously wrong, little wave.”

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glupikrol · 23 days

Text

uhm.... sekaistuck

Here's my analysis of n25's classpects, I also made art of them, and changed the godtier designs a bit to fit them better, made it a bit more personalized.

Kanade - Sylph of Time

Sylph is a class that heals with their aspect, or creates the aspect in others.

One of the symbols of the aspect of time is music.

So you probably know where I'm going with this, Kanade wishes to save as much people with her music as possible, no matter the cost, even if it takes a toll on her physical and mental health. She spends as much time as possible on composing, to get more time she consumes energy drinks and eats instant noodles.

Sylphs have natural understanding of their aspect - Kanade is a composing prodigy, at the age of 10 she was making better music than her father, and in area conversations it's revealed that she's a living timer, she knows exactly when the light will turn green because she counts the seconds and never misses.

When she promised Mafuyu to keep composing for her, it made Mafuyu keep trying to look for her true self. So in classpect terms, she literally created more time for her. Her music also brings comfort to thousands of n25 listeners, keeps them going. Kanade is a patient person too, she has no problem in giving Ena more time to work on her art if it means it'll be better, in this case she's the most understanding in n25.

Mafuyu - Maid of Void

Maid is a class that is burdened by their aspect, and is also 'made' of it. It's often interpreted as a class that creates their aspect for themselves.

The aspect of Void symbolises emptiness, nothingness, the unknown, shadows, secrets, lack of meaning, but also infinite potential and hidden talents. It's an aspect of people lost in the dark.

So the Maid of Void creates nothingness, is made of nothingness, and is burdened by nothingness, which sounds weird but actually fits Mafuyu very much. She literally created empty SEKAI from her true feelings - how cold and empty she feels. She also keeps n25 and her true feelings a secret from her mother. And regarding the burden of nothingness - she is tired of not knowing who she is, she is tired of coldness and emptiness she feels in her chest.

But I don't think Mafuyu hates what void represents, she likes the calm and quiet of empty SEKAI, she cares about her empty aquarium, she does find some comfort in nothingness, it's just the fact that there's too much of it.

But it's not all sad and gloom, Void is hidden potential and talents, which Mafuyu has tons of, to the point it makes Ena jealous.

Ena - Prince of Space

Prince is someone who works hard and relies on outside validation. Basically Ena.

Space is associated with arts and crafts, it's about creating material stuff you can touch.

I don't have a coherent analysis here, just trust me bro. I really can't explain my thought process here as well as I want, so I'm just leaving you the short classpect description, check out the sources if you wanna know more about the classpect.

Mizuki - Knight of Heart

Knights are people who put up a front to hide their weaknessses and insecurities. They're also the guardian of their aspect.

Heart is an aspect of identity, Heart players live rich inner lives and are invested in self-discovery, they tend to be dramatic and often struggle with being misunderstood.

Mizuki does everything they can to hide their problems under their bubbly personality, they don't want to be too bothersome to others. When Ena is worried about them, Mizuki feels like they're a bad person. They've been hurt in the past, and struggle with anyone getting too close, essentially, guarding their Heart.

It may be hard to notice at first, but Mizuki is one of the most emotionally intelligent characters in the cast. They did self-discovery, they do self-retrospection, and in turn they understand other people better. They're quick to pick up when something is wrong, or when someone feels down - they see the little things. Mizuki was the first character to notice mafumom's weird behavior too.

Sources:

@classpect-navelgazing - My main source, I recommend checking them out because their theory is different than the classic view of the classpect and is pretty interesting. Very well made too! I think their aspects descriptions are better than the canon ones lmao.

@dahniwitchoflight - I used some of the elements of their theory too - most notably the bits about Maid and Sylph class. Good to check them out if you're interested!

The extended zodiac quiz - It has a lot of problems and I don't consider most of it canon, but the moons description and time's description are fine imo.

These sources are condtradictadory, yes, and while reading them you might notice that I didn't stick to some of the descriptions that much, but doing this little analysis I kept in mind that in the end the classpects are more about the vibe than anything else (but also not really, you see, it's complicated)

#sekaistuck #project sekai #pjsk #homestuck #kanade yoisaki #mafuyu asahina #ena shinonome #mizuki akiyama #sylph of time #maid of void #prince of space #knight of heart #classpect

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that-foul-legacy-lover · 9 months

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Blessed Heir of the Abyss (Abyssal Prince Childe x Reader) Part 5

Synopsis: After centuries of conflict, Teyvat and the Abyss are attempting to make peace with one another. To solidify new alliances and let go of past grudges, the Abyssal Prince Tartaglia will choose a spouse from the people above to rule over the Abyss with him.

That spouse happens to be you, an ordinary, Visionless citizen of Liyue.

Chapter Four: Of Stone and Scales

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Warnings: Descriptions of illness and pain, allusions to crying and fevers, coughing, SLOW BURN

~ * ~ “What a conundrum this is…” Through the haze and smoke of your fever comes a gentle press against your forehead, the touch of soft and delicate hands ghosting over your skin like a butterfly’s wings. They’re cold- too cold, at first, and you flinch away- but the chill turns soothing against the heat of your sickness, and you let out an instinctive sigh of relief as the neverending pain recedes, even just slightly. The same careful touch holds the back of your head and lifts it upwards, prompting you to sip from a small ceramic bowl. You comply without a thought, barely tasting the sharp bitterness of the liquid as it slides down your throat, and those wonderfully gentle hands settle your head back down onto a plush pillow before pulling away. Your brow furrows as panic rises in your chest, wanting desperately to reach for and take hold of this singular moment of comfort, to bask in its sunshine forever. Please, stay. “Honestly, what were they thinking, bringing a mortal from Teyvat to the Abyss? The elemental whiplash…” A steady voice cuts through your distress like a knife, and the knot in your stomach unravels. Just barely you can place the sound of footsteps on wood, delicate clinks of glass and pottery, and dried leaves being crushed together. “…It’s enough to make an Adeptus seriously ill, much less a human.” In the sludge of your consciousness you open your mouth to speak, only to fail and let out a few awful, wracking coughs. Fail… yes. That’s all you seem to do now. The murmurings pause, soft taps of shoes growing a bit louder, and a cool hand rests on your arm, now speaking directly to you, “Rest, my friend… you’ll need your strength.” They squeeze your arm; once, twice, and what little vision you have fades as you drift down into a murky ocean of silence. A child laughs, her swing creaking, and a tiny green flower blooms from your fingertips. Everything blurs together as you return to nothingness. It’s the light that you sense first, shining through your closed eyes and filling the void with colors. You groan, shifting and pulling the covers over your ears in an earnest attempt to snatch a few more minutes of sleep, the bed cushioning your sore, aching joints. But the light merely shines brighter, birds twittering and giggling at your plight, and with a hiss of annoyance you relent to their joyous whims. Your eyes crack open and stare into the morning Harbor sun. With a gasp you fling yourself into a sitting position, only to double over as you cough and hack, tears springing to your eyes from the force, breath coming out as sharp wheezes. “Ah, you’re awake- Oh dear.” Someone hurries into the room to sit beside you, pressing a hand to your back and rubbing it up and down. “Let it out, my friend, you’ll feel much better afterwards.”

You take the advice in stride, coughing and coughing until your head spins and your shoulders shake and you’re absolutely sure that you’re going to faint- but you don’t, and slowly the coughs fade away until you can breathe, gratefully inhaling a lungful of air. “There… how do you feel?” You turn and blink in surprise for what seems like the hundredth time this week, gaze landing on a familiar, green-haired figure. “D… Dr. Baizhu?” His snakeish eyes shine with delight, golden and amber and fire-colored, “Ah, you remember me! Good, that means your mental faculties are intact, at the very least.” “How couldn’t I?” You let out a laugh, hoarse but happy. “You’re the best pharmacist in Liyue! Zhongli talks about you all the time- he always recommends your herbal remedies if I have a sore throat.” Baizhu chuckles quietly, “He does, does he? Well, I certainly won’t disagree with him on that.” The jewels hanging from his glasses glimmer, and you have to stifle the urge to reach out and bat at them like a cat. There’s a squeaky yawn from a table across the room, and Baizhu glances towards the sound with a smile, “Ah, Changsheng.” He walks to the table, picking up a scaly white bundle in his arms. “I don’t think you two have met. This is Changsheng, my treasured companion- Changsheng, say hello to our guest.” The sleepy little snake raises her head, and you give her a small, hesitant wave. “Ah,” You jump slightly at her voice, her tongue flicking towards your hand. “This one is sick, aren’t they?” Baizhu nods, eyes darkening, “Yes, they are.” He sits beside you again, Changsheng slithering up to his shoulders and peering at you curiously. “Your mind seems to be undamaged, but…” he sighs. “…I am uncertain about the rest of you.” You stiffen, fingers weakly curling into your blanket, “Dr. Baizhu… What exactly happened to me? Why am I in Liyue? And why-” You’re abruptly cut off by a cough, and Baizhu hurriedly pats your back.

“The short story is that the energy and atmosphere of the Abyss caused you to fall ill,” he explains carefully. “Mortals of Teyvat and the Abyss do not mix- it’s an entirely foreign land to us, and the sudden change between above and below was too much for your body.” Baizhu’s expression turns grim, “The stress of your particular situation also did nothing to help.” “Oh,” You swallow thickly, your throat like sandpaper, then straighten your back with some effort. “What’s the cure, doctor?” “Rest, mostly. Preferably somewhere familiar and nonthreatening.” Baizhu smiles, a small pair of fangs peeking over his lips. “And please, call me Baizhu.” He sighs, quietly, “You’re quite lucky that you were only down there for a few days, my dear. Give it a week, and I likely wouldn’t have been able to save you.” You glance up curiously, “That reminds me, er- how did I get back to Liyue, exactly? Did someone have to drag my unconscious body up here?” “Ah, well-” “Your Highness!” The door bursts open, and Enjou ducks his head to float into the room. “Are you alright?! I apologize for not coming to your aid sooner, I fell asleep.” “Enjou?!” Your mouth hangs open in shock, then you burst into laughter that quickly devolves into coughing. “You- ahem- you brought me here?” “That he did.” Baizhu nods, holding you as you hack out a lung. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to see an Abyss Lector at my door, especially not at 1 AM.” “I am sorry about that.” Enjou bows his head. “It was an urgent matter, doctor.” “My dear sir, there’s no need to apologize! I’m very glad you got here when you did.” Enjou nods, hovering beside Baizhu, a bit awkward and out of place. He’s still wearing his glasses, you notice, and take a few quick glances between the Lector and the pharmacist. They almost mirror each other, in a way, with their glasses and elegance and worry for you.

“So, when do you think I can take them back to the Abyss?” Enjou breaks the silence after a few moments, and Changsheng lets out a low hiss. Baizhu clicks his tongue and shakes his head, gently stroking Changsheng’s scales, “Not for a while, I’m afraid. This whole situation is, frankly, a mess.” He gives Enjou a stern look over the top of his glasses. “They will need at least a couple of weeks to recuperate, and no less.” The Lector nods silently, his warm glow filling the room, “I will… see what I can do. The others of the Court are not going to like this.” “Enjou,” your voice is soft and scratchy. “I don’t want to die.” His tear-shaped eyes gleam kindly, and he delicately pats your shoulder with his claws, “You won’t, I’ll make sure of it. I’ll talk to the other members of the Court- they might be old fools, but they’re not entirely unreasonable.” You scoff, rolling your eyes, “I’ll agree with the old fool part.” Suddenly there’s a few quick knocks on the pharmacy door, and Baizhu tilts his head over his shoulder, “Ah, I might know who that is…” His quiet footsteps trail away, leaving you and Enjou in the bright, sunlit room, and you stare at the beams of light filtering through the windows. You’ve forgotten how beautiful it is, to see the dust float in the sun, casting patterns onto the floor, the comfort of being home warming your aching bones. The room smells of sweet flowers and bitter herbs and mint, and your eyes slide shut as you inhale, just barely able to catch the scent of rain and lilies from outside, splashes of bright colors dancing and swirling about. Familiarity washes over you, and you smile. “I should apologize for earlier,” Enjou’s voice pulls you out of your daydream, and you look up at him curiously. “I called you “Your Highness” in my panic over your state. I am sorry.” The Lector bows to you deeply as he speaks, somehow making himself seem smaller despite being twice your height. “Oh, it’s okay! To be honest, I was too busy choking to notice.” You smile tiredly. “Thank you… thank you for remembering, though. And for bringing me here. And for being nice to me.” Your thoughts spill from your mouth, one by one, a swift current rushing down a river.

“But of course! It is my honor to assist you, truly.” Enjou’s aura flares a bit brighter at your words. “And if it is of any help, I also apologize for my colleagues’ behavior so far. Including the Prince’s.” His voice lowers to a hiss. “He despises this as much as you do, but that is no excuse to treat you so poorly.” You feel your cheeks grow warm- warmer than they already are- and quickly cast your gaze to the blanket, thoughts tangled and muddled together, “Thanks, Enjou.” is all you can mumble, the thought of Tartaglia sending a fresh stab of fear and anger into your heart, your fists tightening around the fabric of your covers. “My dear,” Baizhu calls from the hallway, poking his head in with a satisfied smile, and the harsh fire in your chest dies down to an ember. “You have visitors.” As soon as he speaks a brown and crimson blur rushes towards you, dashing past Enjou and leaping onto your bed, “YOU NINCOMPOOP!!!” Hu Tao throws her familiar arms around you, already bawling her eyes out. “The first time I let you go somewhere without me and you almost end up dead! I may be a funeral parlor director, but your funeral isn't one I want to plan anytime soon!” Her grip tightens as she sobs into your shoulder, signature hat tumbling to the ground. “I didn’t exactly plan it!” You gasp through her stifling squeezes. “It just sort of… happened.” Your own hug feels weak and frail in comparison to hers, even more so than usual, and Hu Tao slaps her hands onto your shoulders, shaking you back and forth. “That is no excuse! Swear to me that you won’t die! Promise! Pinkie promise!” “Okay, okay! I promise!” Your head spins as she abruptly stops shaking you to look you right in the eyes, her fiery pupils filled with flowers and tears. “Good! And you better keep that promise, or else I won’t have anyone to sample my cooking or watch me destroy Xingqiu in poetry!” Hu Tao grins at you, but her eyes are dead serious, and you gulp nervously and nod. “And YOU!” Her head snaps towards Enjou. “You’re one of those creeps that took my best friend away! Why, I ought to lock you in a coffin and-” “Hu Tao!” You grab her arm, half coughing and half giggling. “He’s a friend, too, I swear!”

“Really?” She observes Enjou up and down, from the tips of his crown-like horns to his feet hovering off the ground. “Hmph, if you say so… but I’m keeping an eye on you!” Enjou raises his hands helplessly as she glares, glancing from you to Hu Tao and back again pleadingly, and you muffle a snicker. “She’s not the only one,” A deep, smooth voice emits from the doorway and you perk up, a wide smile spreading across your face as you meet Zhongli’s gaze, his presence casting a blanket of calm serenity over the room. “I will also be watching you closely, Lector.” Enjou straightens his back and bows, “Ah, hello Mor-” “Zhongli. Just Zhongli.” The man in question strides over, sitting in a chair by your bedside, long legs elegantly crossed. “I’m glad to see you are alright, little one,” Zhongli murmurs. “Well, mostly alright.” “It’s nice to see you too, Zhongli,” you whisper, and his gloved hands brush over yours to hold them firmly, heavy and comforting like the stones of Liyue Harbor. The corners of his lips are just barely turned up, but his draconic eyes glitter with warmth- for a moment, he almost appears tearful, but it quickly settles into pride and relief. “Gah, quit hogging, old man!” Hu Tao quickly latches onto your other arm, plopping her chin onto your shoulder with a pout. “You’ll have plenty of time to catch up with them while I’m busy helping our clients!” “He will?” You crane your head towards Hu Tao, blinking in confusion. “Of course, silly-billy! Baizhu says that you have to stay and recover for at least a few weeks- right, doc?” She glances up as the bespectacled pharmacist moves to stand beside Zhongli, and both he and Changsheng nod. “It’d be best for your health, my dear.” “Oh,” you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, feeling lighter than air. “That’s good, then.” Like the flick of a switch you fall back into a familiar routine, Hu Tao launching into a detailed play-by-play of what you missed while you were withering away in the Abyss, including her rap battle with Xingqiu and Captain Beidou taking everyone out for a joyride on the Alcor- not that it was very joyful without you, she insists. You bite your tongue to stifle a laugh when she goes off on a tangent about how Yanfei dropped her enormous law book on her foot when she received news of your departure- “Nothing broke, but it sure felt like something did!”- and Zhongli lets out a low chuckle at the funeral parlor director’s antics, a hand on your back in case you start coughing again. At some point Enjou tilts his head and excuses himself, bowing once to you and once more to the rest of the room before floating away like crackling fire.

Hu Tao sticks her tongue out as he leaves, and you flick her on the forehead, movements still clumsy from sickness. “Oh, and you have to come to Wuwang Hill with me and Chongyun! I’ve heard that there are some departed souls still hanging around, so I want to-” “Director,” Zhongli’s calming voice breaks through her chatter. “It may be best to wait until they’re feeling a little bit better.” You nod sheepishly, “Sorry, Hu Tao. I don’t think I could make it to the Harbor entrance right now, much less Wuwang Hill.” “Aww.” Hu Tao looks sulky, tugging at the ends of her long pigtails. “But the city’s sooo boring! I’m sure we can work something out-” “Excuse me.” Enjou hurries back into the room, and Hu Tao puffs out her cheeks, annoyed at being interrupted again. “I know this is most likely a bad time, but…” The Lector hesitates, and you frown in concern. “But what, Enjou?” He sighs and meets your gaze, reluctant and apologetic, “His Highness is here. He wishes to speak with his spouse.”

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moonmaiden1996 · 2 years

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Claiming his Queen Part 4

Masterlists

Maybe not my best chapter so far, but I LOVED writing it!

You wanted to shout as you raged against the prison you found yourself in, but the body remained unmoving.

At first, there was only darkness and a sense of bone-crushing loneliness. A sense of anxiety filled you, making it hard to breathe; you grew cold, shuddering in the nothingness, bile rising in your throat. There were voices, distant and faint like memories of something long ago forgotten. There were sounds of promises, laughter, love, and then the sounds of pain.

Then in a swirl of sand, grey eyes stared back at you in the reflection in the glass. That face, your face, was the very thing that plagued you for all these years. You were trapped behind the glass in the body of your tormentor.

You saw what he saw. Felt what he felt.

You had thought the pain in your body was bad, that dull, unrelenting ache that burnt through you but this was excruciating. It was like a blade pushing into your skin, dragging quickly up your arm, over your chest before harshly plunging into your heart, again and again, and again. You wanted to scream, wail against the pain, but you remained silent, staring out of the sphere and watching.

This void was only filled with pain: pain and Alex Burgess.

'She has been sent away; whatever you and she were planning will not work. Whatever you promised the stupid cow, whatever you gave her, I hope it was worth it for that small glimmer of freedom.' He spat before turning on his heels.

You watched powerlessly from behind the glass in the immovable body as the man you once thought of as an uncle threatened, begged and cried. Despite the thickness of the glass, you heard every word.

'What curse did you place on her?'

'I could give her to you; let her be your plaything.'

'What do you want? Answer me; you have been trapped for almost a century. Don't you want to speak?'

His visits were sporadic. Sometimes he wouldn’t even speak just sit in his wheelchair for hours, glaring at the being in the box. All you could do was stare back at those hating eyes.

You balanced on the edge of whatever this punishment was, but now you were floating, surveying the world beneath you. This place was dark and so cold. The smell of sulphur and decay lay dead in the air. As far as the eye could see everything was on fire; there were no flames, just the smouldering remains of a husk as the land bubbled and boiled away.

Beneath you lay a jagged rock carved by suffering and torment. Inside, a beautiful woman looked at the pale Morpheus, her eyes glossy in wonderment. For the moment, you were struck by her beauty, the smoothness of her skin and the shape of her face. A bitter filling chewed through your insides as you gazed at them. There was love in her eyes and hope as she reached out of thorn barbed windows, slim hands desperately trying to gasp at your soulmate—arms of completely perfect skin, with no scar, no burn, no mark.

'Do you not love me anymore?'

'No.' That voice was not the one she knew, it was cold, icy. Not the voice that you were familiar with, that warm rumble. ‘Your love was false; I now possess true pure love. I can no longer even see you.’

'Kai'ckul, please.'

Her cries continued long after Morpheus disappeared.

You had lost count of how many scenes you watched. The pain was too much, and it only worsened with every switch. You no longer had the strength to fight it; you were merely being dragged from one scene to the next.

'Sir, even with your belongings restored, this woman still weakens you; we know nothing about her; for all we know, this could be some trap.’ The voice came from a short woman with strange ears; she looked pained as she dropped a thick book to the desk of the room with a dull thud.

Morpheus was surrounded by books, eyes furiously scanning page after page. 'Lucienne, your concern is admirable, but if you ever speak of your future Queen with such disdain….' The threat was left hanging in the air.

'I apologise, My Lord; I am worried. This has never happened before.’

Your eyes shifted from the being face to the man whose eyes roamed the script, staring at the block of unintelligible scribbles. You can feel his rage and frustration surge through you.

'Is this all the books on soul bonds?'

'Yes, my lord, you have read everything. There is nothing left…..perhaps it is time to talk to your siblings….'

Weakly you watched the creature called Lucienne wince as she spoke.

‘No!…. I just need…I will visit her. It will sustain me till the Dreaming is repaired, and then I can bring my queen to me.’

You choked on a noiseless sob. Why was he showing you this? Why let you feel this pain? Soundless memories flowed through you. You pulled your arm towards you, cradling it to your chest, seeking whatever comfort you could from it. Squeezing your eyes shut tight, you tried to push away that feeling of emptiness.

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

The happy ping of the bell pulled you from whatever nightmare you had been placed in. The pain had ebbed away to the usual dull ached that pulsed slowly in your left arm. Your eyes flickered around the diner, frowning. There was a smell of bleach and burnt coffee, it was white and pristine, completely empty, save for a single waitress humming contently as she refilled the tomato ketchup bottles.

‘Even in the mundane, humans always find beauty.’ A chirpy voice cut through the hum. ‘I would have found a nicer dream to talk to you in, but Morpheus would find us too quickly as the Lord of Dreams. So we have to utilise the dying dreams of Muriel Gold; it should slow him down so we can have a proper girls’ talk.’ You stared at the woman as she reclined back in the plastic leather seats of the booth, taking you in with cool calculating eyes.

‘Where are my manners, little one? Forgive me; it has been a trying day. I am Death. Dream’s well, Morpheus’s big sister.’

‘Morpheus is your brother? Your Death, you don’t look like Death.’ You had always pictured death as a thing in black robes with a scythe.But this woman looked like the goth girls that used to hang out and smoke in front of your school.

‘You can thank Morpheus for that; I joked about his ruby once, and he manifests me in dreams as a robe-wearing skeleton. But that is my baby brother, always passionate about the things he loves, much like his apparent love for you.’ She laughed, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

‘You call kidnapping someone passionate!’

‘I called him passionate. Not smart.’ She narrowed her eyes at you, and you shrank back, there was something scary in her eyes.

‘He seems to think you are his soulmate. I think otherwise. I think you’re a cruel trick played by one of our siblings that will greatly hurt him. So I want to know if it is and if you have any part to play in this sick joke.’

‘I promise….all I did was make the stupid mistake of going into a basement. And I got branded by this mark.’ You pleaded thrusting your palm up towards her, the start of your mark just peaking above your sleeve top.

‘Hmmmm’ She looked pensively as she surveyed you. ‘Let me see your mark if you have nothing to hide.’

You hesitated for a second. It felt wrong to show her, far to… intimate for you to display to another. Even after all those years, you still remember the discomfort you felt after your parents made you endure skin graft after skin graft. That disgusting feeling of it being prodded and poked lingered inside you, you had hated your parents for subjecting you to that. Yet, slowly you place your arm on the table and turn back your sleeve till the whole mark is revealed.

Death stared at it hard, eyes roaming the brand; its angry red mark a harsh colour against your skin. You watched her carefully as flickers of emotion crossed her expressive face, never settling long enough to read. Her long finger swiftly rolled over your skin, causing you to flinch back.

‘Did I hurt you?’ her perfectly trimmed brow arched as she examined you fully.

‘No, it’s… sentative. It’s… uncomfortable when people touch it.’ You winced as you cover your arm again.

‘But when Morpheus touches it doesn’t hurt; it’s quite the opposite?’ she spoke as she leaned against the back of the booth.

You nod slowly, not trusting yourself to talk.

‘I have seen many soul bonds in my time, but never a brand like this. I guess I owe Desire an apology. It is true, how wonderful.’

‘Wonderful?’

The lights above began to flicker and shift above you.

Death exhaled a long tired sigh. ‘It seems that our time has been cut short little one. I thought it would take him more time to locate us in this place. Interesting. I believe my dear brother has managed to locate us through your mark. This is brilliant.’ She smiled brightly. This time it reached all the way up to her eyes, that now crinkled tightly in joy.

‘Wait….aren’t you going to kill me?’ Wasn’t that why she had brought you here?

‘I find that offensive. Just because I am Death doesn’t mean I kill people; I deliver them to the next destination. But no. I am not; even if I wanted to, I could not take your life.’ She rolled her eyes.

‘Because your brother loves me?’

‘That and I have no idea what you are.’ She smiled excitedly.

‘My parents are human. I am human.’ That made sense right?

‘I never said you weren’t. But now you are so much more.’ Death paused, sitting forward, taking your right hand in hers. ‘Look, little one, this is…hard I can’t even imagine understanding how you feel. All of this is so new…brilliant but scary. But you need to accept that no human can physically spend this long in the Dreaming without going mad. No human can hold the soulbond of an endless. Yet, here you are, and that is marvellous. My brother is far from perfect, but maybe with you, he can finally be complete.’

Was she actually serious? ‘Please don’t. He is insane. He threw me into a nightmare.’

‘My brother is possessive and lacking in the romance department, so he doesn’t take rejection well, when hurt, he hates violently. You saw that for yourself. Mother and father were not the best role models. He can be cruel sometimes, but he loves madly and passionately, and he will worship you if you let him.’

"You can’t leave me with him; your brother is a psycho!" Was it just you that thought it was not normal to throw people in tortuous nightmares or into eternal prisons because they got a little upset?

‘Soulmate or not, you will not talk about my brother like that.’ You flinched back and she sighs. ‘Little one, I do not want to scare you, but you must stop being so human and embrace the truth. Morpheus isn't the man he was before his imprisonment. I like you and want to help but cannot intervene in this matter as I did with Nada.’

‘What do I do?’ you sniffed.

‘I dunno. But he loves you, and that’s all that should matter….. Ahhh, Morpheus, I was starting to believe you would never arrive. I believe our time is up, little one; your beloved has come to take you home.’ She smiled as Morpheus lurched into view, all darkness and cheekbones.

Home. Such a strange thing to call it.

A shiver ran down your body as you heard an inhuman growl fill the room; even the dreaming woman filling bottles looked up. Your core was on fire, the mark aching wantingly.

‘Sister, you have no business in my realm.’ Morpheus gripped you tightly, pulling you up and away from Death and shielding you behind him.

This ache was not like before. This was different; your whole body was throbbing. Coldness seeped within you.‘Morpheus, can we go? Please. I feel strange.’ You leant into him; cheek pressed against his back, your forehead an icy slab against him.

‘You heard her brother, take her home.’ Despite not seeing her she could hear the anxious voice of Death.

With that, you disappeared.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I hope the wait was worth it! Please let me know in your comments below.

I know some of you will be upset with Morpheus, so please don't hate me. For me, Morpheus is very childish and passive-aggressive and needs to learn how to play nice and function as an actual partner. But it’s happening- slowly.

But now I have a serious question for you, which needs serious contemplation as it could change the very fabric of our existence. Does Morpheus talks dirty in bed? He is an absolute beast between the sheets(obviously), but I am stuck on how vocal he would be. I can see him grunting depraved nothings in your ears and being very primal, but I can also see him being quiet and focusing on you too. What are people thinking?

@daydreamin1220 @jesllianaquilesrolon @ultimatreality @musemaniac42 @duhitzdae @songbirdcannabe @wt-fxckk @quillycrow @lemontails-blog @zafirina12 @alastorhazbin @witchybitch @thegreatestsandwich @buckys-pillow @sunscreenfeverdream @lu123sworld @asianfrustration13 @leighs-posts @elraeeee @intothesoul @sparklinglilac @lustreader69 @thraetor @fate-huntress @itshamleth @beautifulsoulsublime @bookohocolicsstuff @aurorarevenclaw1927 @winxschester @gingermous @scarlettmoon98 @nushy @nanadesudesu

@sinisterandfun @the-whispering-mountain. @ellie-xOxo @xixxala @theraggedygirl11 @poemfreak306 @sugarstone1999 @depressooexxpressoo @lovesickollie @andy-rocks @reallystressedhoneybee @theoddballinyourcloset @zaflrina12 @dangerousdreamkitty @chadekelevra @wandas-soulmate @yor72 @sugarstone1999 @heartyhope @thecrazytealady @louslous @minetticatinwonderland @thecrazytealady @deafeningnightmarecrown @kiki13522 @fantasylover-92 @weirddominatrixpop

#morpheus x you #morpheus x reader #darkmorpheus #Morpheus #morpheus x y/n #the sandman #sandman #king of dreams #dream #dreams x reader #smutxdreams

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darkfluffydragon · 19 days

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The Silver Tree

Phantasmagoria's Silver Tree is genuinely, one of Shadow Milk Cookie's only fears. He'll joke and laugh about it, but when he gained control over Pure Vanilla, the very first thing he did was cut that things down. He didn't taunt White Lily and Elder Faerie, he didn't even make a show about it. He went straight to the tree and destroyed it.

This is because of how the tree functions in the AU. It's quite literally an abyss. There's no ghost body to float around in the darkness, or eyes staring back at him. Inside the silver tree, you don't exist. You can't feel your body. No matter how much you move, you can't sense that you are. You can't see, you can't tell if you're blinked, you can't tell if you're breathing. Is he breathing? Does he even need to breathe anymore? No smell, no sight, no touch. Nothing to hear either, other than his drowned thoughts. No matter how much one screamed or begged to be freed, promised they'd change, cried about how he never wanted this and had tried to change this, there would be no change. He won't even hear his own voice, he can't tell if he's been talking at all. Every second there felt like hours, felt like days, like years, and yet only a second. There was no time at all, just eternal nothingness.

Eventually, he'd question if he existed in the first place. Is he dead? Was he stuck here forever? He can imagine scenarios all he wants, with a mental version of himself playing with puppets and acting out how his freedom would turn out, but how long before he forgets what he looked like himself? What he sounded like? He can't even remember what his friends looked like anymore. Just him and the void. No, not him, It's just the void.

Sometimes he'd hear things, see things. Of a continent he no longer recognises, of people, of heroes he's never heard of before. But they always seem so far away, he can understand them yet can't at the same time in a headache-inducing, eldritch way. Yet he continues, because it's better than not being at all.

Shadow Milk Cookie can be as evil as he wants now that he's freed. But first, he just wants to exist again.

#fyp #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #cr kingdom #crk #pure vanilla cookie #shadow milk cookie #phantasmagoria crk

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selfindulgentpixies · 4 months

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Answered prayers

Zhongli x GN!reader So i've been playing a lot of genshin impact recently and this idea kinda smacked me over the head. Not sure if I'll write more for Zhongli and Genshin impact but here's a thing at least. CW: GN!reader only they/them pronouns used for them, reader has a dendro vision, near death experience WC: 965

___

Warm blood seeps against your palm, passes between your fingers as your feet struggle to find purchase in the loose rain soaked soil. Each of your steps leave behind a small bloom, the power of your vision seeming to spill from you just like the blood you’re so desperately trying to keep within yourself. You supposed this was your luck to die alone after letting your guard down and getting ambushed by treasure hunters. The mountainous region of liyue was too unforgiving. You’d never make it to a village in time. Not in the rain slicked rocky terrain, especially not in the dark.

The earth gives way beneath your next step send you tumbling down a slope, smacking against a rock with a choked gasp and cry of pain, the first to rip itself from you, the blade that pierced you earlier having failed to do the same with the adrenaline pumping through your veins at the time. It’s only once the ringing in your ears fades and that you pry your eyes open that you realize you’re no longer in complete darkness, no now you’re cast in a soft blue light. Looking up it’s then you realize what had stopped your fall was the base of one of the geo archons statues. Timeless and unmoveable much like the mountains around you. You let out a humorless laugh, you force yourself to sit up, smearing a bloody palm across the stone base, your blood seeping into the earth below you. “Maybe I won’t die alone then huh? Will you keep me company as I slip away, Rex Lapis?” You lay your cheek against the cool stone, not caring that you’re likely speaking to no one but yourself. No one was around to hear. Your heavy eyes fall closed. Consciousness almost entirely out of your grasp you can hardly register someone stepping through the flowers blooming around you wherever your blood touches cracks in the stone, a morbid thing of beauty. You think it must be a hallucination of some kind or perhaps a dream as you pass into death when warm fingers brush over your cheek. Your lashes flutter open slightly, golden eyes the last thing you see before you lose the fight to keep your own open. What a pretty sight to see before you go.

___

You wake with a choked gasp, going to sit upright only to curl in on yourself. You’re warm, wrapped in blankets while hands gently press at your shoulders to get you to slowly lay back. So many sensations when all you expected waited for you was nothingness in the void of death. It takes you a moment to take in where you are. A room lit with soft orange light, all dark woods and teal and green accents. And then your eyes trail up and meet those same eyes from before.

“Careful now, the healer may have closed your wounds but they’re still fresh enough that you could reopen them.” The voice is a smooth rumble across your senses, the sort of voice that makes you want to rest your head on his chest and listen to him speak. The thought is inappropriate given the circumstances but it comes to you regardless.

You go to speak but your voice cracks out of your dry throat.

“Ah wait a moment.” He turns from you and seconds later he’s back with a glass of cool water to press against your lips while tipping your head up with his free hand. “Drink.”

The cool water is the best thing you’ve ever tasted and you’d guzzle it if the man holding the glass would let you. Once the glass is mostly empty he pulls it away and lays your head back down on the pillow. “Don’t want you to make yourself sick.”

You stare at him for a moment before clearing your throat and speaking. “Thank you.. If I may ask.. Who are you and where am I?”

His lips twitch into a soft smile. “You may call me Zhongli. As to where you are, you’re in a room at Bubu pharmacy where your care is being seen to.”

It’s a lot to wrap your mind around, you’d been so sure you were going to die alone in the cold downpour. Your lower lip quivers and the man’s expression shifts, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. “Did you save me?” You don’t actually need to ask, you feel it in your bones, see it in those eyes that he’s the one

“I did,” and his voice is almost achingly gentle, like he’s just realized he’s holding something fragile. As if you’re glass or a baby bird with a broken wing.

“How’d you find me..?” You can’t help the wetness gathering in your eyes, emotions crash into you and do your best to keep a hold on them but barely escaping a lonely death? It does something to you.

“Call it intuition, I was out and felt as if I should make a detour.”

You nod, not having the energy to question why he was out in a storm like that. “Well… thank you. Truly thank you, Zhongli.” You push yourself up somewhat and his hands hover, ready to assist as you bow your head slightly to him only for him to gently tip your head back up with his fingers on your chin.

“You are most welcome but truly there is no need for that.” He releases you. “Rest now. I’ll go get the doctor to see to you now that you’re awake.”

You nod and lay back, watching him as he goes out the door. You’d been so far in the mountains how’d he find you and get you to bubu pharmacy in Liyue harbor before you could bleed out?

___

Like i said above I'm not sure if i'll write more for Genshin impact or not but I wanted to get this idea down. Kinda surprised my first dip into the fandom was with Zhongli and not Kaeya or Diluc.

Ahhh not sure who to tag for this: @fushigurro @zorosdimples @strawberrystepmom I think all three of you are moots who play genshin impact

#zhongli x reader #genshin impact x reader #morax x reader #rex lapis x reader #gn reader #rossi writes

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aloneinthehellfire · 3 months

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Chapter Four: Two Can Keep A Secret

The Pariahs That Saved The World [masterlist]

Word Count: 4.8k

Warnings: mentions of death, tiny bit of gore/horror in the beginning (flashback), a little bit of angst

[A/N: omg almost a week late but it's here!! i'm so sorry for the delay, i've just come down from covid and iona (aka bestie) isn't actually to blame at all i just wanted to annoy her. okay enjoy!]

Two Can Keep A Secret

October 1982

“Hello?”

You call out into the darkness, seeing nothing but an endless void surrounding you. Dreams like this weren’t unusual to you, exploring the black nothingness before you wake up, alarm blaring. But it was different this time.

Because you felt someone watching you.

You’ve never felt so uneasy inside your own mind, squeezing your eyes shut. There was never a time you couldn’t escape your dreams, suddenly becoming aware of your consciousness and forcing yourself awake before the nightmare can really start. Except this time, you couldn’t escape. The longer it took, the harder it became to realise this was… just…….a……….dream…………

Something scurries behind you and you spin around, gasping into the thin air. Your eyes settle on the horizon, something red, shiny, beckoning you closer. Barely a second passed before it was right in front of your face; an intricate symbol on the stained glass frame. You had never seen it before.

You reach your hand out, fingers brushing against the doorknob, some kind of melody beating behind the door. It opened slowly with an echoing creak, a vision of a family standing around in the foyer, smiling. They were faceless, merely blurry projections of what your mind was assuming to be human. You’d never met them, never seen them before… why were you here?

And then a horrifying scream sliced through the silence like a cry of death.

The door behind you slams shut, making you jolt forward at the sudden noise. You try the doorknob again, but it’s locked now. Everything is quiet. Too quiet.

Shifting your body, your head cranes to glance over your shoulder and your stomach plummets to the ground, mouth feeling very dry. The family were no longer in a happy memory.

Blood was smeared across the floors, a man stood menacingly with a knife. He was humming a tune, striking every nerve in your body with the instinct to run. A woman and her children were on the floor, mouths moving in rhythm to the music but never awakening, like some kind of chant.

“Stars shining bright above you...” The man starts to sing with a low voice, his head slowly turning towards you. “Night breezes seem to whisper ‘I love you’….”

Everything about him felt warped from reality, some kind of veil on his human face flickering in and out to a horrific nightmare. There were claw marks all down his face, a hollow space where his eyes should be, blood dripping from his chin. And then an image of something burnt, red, winding. Both flickering in and out. In and out as he was slowly approaching you, some radio-like distortion warping into his own voice, a deep tone with a twisted malice.

“Birds singing in the sycamore tree….”

Your hands are now desperately twisting at the door, putting all of your strength into opening it. But no matter how hard you drove your body into it, the wooden barrier wouldn’t budge.

You pull your hand away from the door and glance over your shoulder, the murderer blankly staring at you. Then, some sort of ticking sound in front you brought you back, making your breath hitch.

The door was no longer there. Instead, a tall grandfather clock was speeding up through time, ticking viciously in front of you. The glass was cracked and spiders were starting to pour out of it. You stumble back, feeling the ghost of tears streaming down your face.

There’s an air of hot breath on your neck. With wide eyes, you slowly turn around to find the distorted image of the man barely an inch from your face. You tried to scream, but no sound left your mouth.

His voice was still low, leaning in and raising his knife.

“Dream a little dream... of me.”

The knife is plunged into your chest and-

And you wake up, sweating and panting, the constant image of death and macabre burnt into your subconscious.

It didn’t take long until curiosity took you over. The dream felt a little too real, too perfected to be some silly sensory experience your brain projected. You spent 10 hours in the library that day, cycling through newspaper articles, police reports, until finally you stumbled across something of substance.

VICTOR CREEL CLAIMS: ANCIENT DEMON KILLED FAMILY The Murder That Shocked A Small Community

The Creel House was a 20 minute bike ride from your grandparent’s house and so, thankful they were out for a meal, you decided to pay it a little visit.

You hadn’t expected it to be as big as it was considering all you had seen in your dream was the door and a foyer. Paint had chipped off over time, moss covering the flooring. The porch creaked under your weight and your breath hitches when you find the entrance to be completely boarded up.

What now? You mentally, sigh, looking at where the windows were also blocked by nailed down planks. You didn’t come all this way to turn back.

Determined, you hop down from the porch steps and follow the overgrown bushes to the right, squinting through the thick leaves for some kind of hidden entrance. The sky above you was a different hue of purple and orange, indicating the setting sun as the night slowly starts to creep in. You didn’t have much time before you were plunged into darkness.

As you approached the rear of the house, your eye catches something in the swarming ivy. You cover your hands with your jacket and gently start to bat them away, breath hitching. Another door.

On your first try, it appeared locked, making you sigh in frustration. Then, with a shove, it was only stuck with age and gave way almost instantly, making you stumble and cough into a cloud of dust.

Everything was covered in cobwebs, left exactly as it was when the house belonged to the Creel family. You found the foyer, relying on the restricted light from the windows to guide you around. You looked to the ground where the bodies had laid, eyes sweeping around the room to where you had stood in your dream, where the man had stood. You frown. Something was missing.

You weren’t sure why it was so important to you, but you searched the entire house for what felt like an hour. You explored the bedrooms, climbing the staircase begging there to be a reason why it wasn’t here.

Was the grandfather clock just in your imagination?

And then you spotted another staircase, leading further up the house. You vaguely remember the windows from the outside. Must be an attic, right?

Your suspicions were confirmed as you push against the worn door, floorboards groaning with every footstep you took. The air was colder here, prickling at your skin like a thousand tiny icicles. You look around, frowning. It still wasn’t here.

Something creaked from behind you and you spin around, relying on the last trickle of orange light from the sunset to observe your surroundings. No one was there. But that didn’t settle your nerves.

You felt like someone was watching you.

And you were right.

“Y/n.”

The voice felt like it was shaking the room, weaving into your brain like a horrific nightmare. You almost scream, heart pounding erratically as you start running out of that room, spilling curses from your lips. You never should have come here alone.

Your boots were almost slipping at your haste down the staircase, arm reaching out to grab the spindles and direct yourself back to the hidden door.

Never once did you look back, grabbing your bike and pedalling until your legs were sore. It was a stupid idea to have gone there in the first place, relying on what? A dream?

You never told anyone what you did, or what you heard. And the very next day, you handed in your assignment for extra credit to Mrs Click, forcing yourself to end your own torture and forget it ever even happened.

Present Day

You told Robin everything.

At least, you assume you did. You panicked so much about the possibility of ruining what potential friendship you could have that you must have blacked out during your explanation because the next thing you know, Robin’s hand is on your shoulder, thanking you for trusting her.

Her reaction was utterly mind-bending to you. Here you were, admitting you were a liar, and Robin wasn’t holding it against you, or making you feel any guiltier than you already do. In fact, her blue eyes were steadily on yours, flickering between your pupils in small but noticeable movements and making your stomach flutter whenever her lips-

“So, uh…” You clear your throat, feeling ashamed in yourself for even thinking it. This wasn’t you. You weren’t the type of girl to obsess over another person just because they showed you affection. “Are you… are you going to tell the others?”

Robin presses her lips together, eyes already travelling to where the others were arguing through the window of Bradley’s Big Buy behind the curb you sat on. None of you have really slept since last night, haunted by too many unanswered questions, knowing Vecna was directly below their feet. This morning, you were all up bright and early to collect some supplies for Eddie, and Robin’s heart hasn’t felt this low in a while.

She never had many friends. Truthfully, she blamed it on her personality. There was always a hint of sarcasm whenever she spoke, her jokes were either too dorky or too dark to be appreciate by her peers, and she loved to talk with the hope that if she keeps the conversation running long enough, they won’t notice how different she was.

Eddie Munson wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, Robin liked him. They’ve exchanged conversation over the course of the last few years in high school and never once has he made her feel like a freak. So, to know how helpless he is, she can’t help but feel for him. Because if people can jump to conclusions, pin an innocent man as a murderer… what hope did that give her?

Robin takes a deep breath, turning her head back to where you sit patiently, wide eyes begging for her answer. Are you going to tell the others? It was a simple yes or no. And most of the time, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut long enough to even warn the person she would be blurting copious amounts of secrets to, well, Steve for one.

Yet in the short time she’s known you, you’ve never given her any reason to not trust you. Not really. You had warned them of the danger and still come along to help them fight it. You had real reasons to be far away from here and yet you stayed. If anything, she thought you were the most trustworthy of them all. Because you were sacrificing so much more than just your spring break from college.

“Your secret is safe with me.” She smiles, revelling in the way relief pours from you in the form of a grin, suddenly reaching out and squeezing her hand just as the bell above the door sounds behind you.

“Am I interrupting?” Steve cocks a brow, juggling a paper bag on his hip, a smirk lifting the corner of his lips. Robin presses her tongue against her cheek, restraining her urge to literally bite him.

“It would be more surprising to find you were invited into a conversation.” You retaliate instead, and his smirk drops, rolling his eyes.

“Just… get in the car, losers.” He huffs, moving past you to the wagon and popping open the trunk, dropping the bag inside.

Robin’s heart yearns for your touch once more when your fingers slip from hers, following Max and settling beside her in the back, smiles gracing both of your features. Robin was never one for physical contact, unforgettable flashbacks to her parents ‘affection’ when she was a child; always strict, never kind. But with you…

She’s still stood by the curb watching the way you broke into easy conversation with the younger girl beside you when someone clears their throat. Her cheeks are already burning red when she turns around.

“You wanna… ride in the front with me?” Nancy offers, clearly ignoring her embarrassed flush. “I would ask Steve but he’d probably keep complaining about our mission without him.”

Nancy offers a smile, nudging her shoulder, and Robin feels surprised she even wants to spend time with her.

“Uh… yeah. Yeah, sure.”

They were about five minutes into the car ride before the calm wore off and everyone started arguing over Vecna. Nancy had turned on some music and told everyone to calm down and, much to her delight, everyone shut their mouths. Well, most did.

“I just think we aren’t taking that whole clock thing seriously, you know?” Steve mumbles through the chips he was currently crunching through. “He could have been a clockmaker?”

“Jesus, this again?” Dustin groans, inspecting the ingredients of a beer can and raising his eyebrows. “Wow, this definitely isn’t good for you.”

“Do you have to chew right in my ear?” You turn in your seat, glaring at Steve. He grabs another chip and places it in his mouth only to lean forward and bite down as hard as he can, grinning. “I hate you.”

“Feeling’s mutual.” He grins again and you turn back slowly in your seat, sporting a death glare that made Max laugh.

“Not to be a wimp, but can I maybe sit in the car for this visit?” Robin turns to Nancy after mentally battling with the idea of telling Eddie he was probably going to be in hiding for the rest of his life. “‘Cause this is gonna totally and royally suck.”

“It’ll be fine.” Nancy dismisses, trying to keep a cheerful tone.

“I just can’t stand to see those doe eyes of Eddie’s break again. I really, really can’t.” Robin says and you frown.

“At least he can drink himself into feeling better.” Steve suggests, still munching away.

“That’s what my mom does.” Max offers and you look between them, shaking your head.

“Okay, no, that’s not the silver lining we’re looking for.”

“Well, considering how messed up the poor guy looked last time we saw him, I’d say alcohol is probably the only silver lining he’s looking for.” Steve says and you scoff. “What, you saying you know him better than that? You weren’t even there.”

“Maybe I do.” You shrug and he twists his face.

“What does that-”

“Dude, you’re in a losing battle, they literally dated.” Dustin holds his hand out, saving his friend from putting his foot in his mouth.

Robin can’t help spinning around in her seat to face you, hiding her disappointment behind a curious smile.

“You… you dated Eddie?” She asks and you simply shrug again, looking at everyone.

“I didn’t realise none of you knew but, uh, yeah. Freshman year.” You explain, avoiding her eyes.

“Huh.” She settles back into her seat, feeling a horrific sense of dread pooling in her chest. You dated Eddie. Because you like boys. Like every girl in this town would.

“Freshman year?” Steve repeats, but you notice his eyes are on the back of Robin’s head, a look of concern woven into the crease between his brows.

“Yes, Steve. Can we talk about something else?” You shift uncomfortably, Max’s sympathetic smile consoling you in silence.

“What are we gonna tell him, though?” Lucas looks around, shaking his head. “We should at least know what we’re gonna say so we don’t end up confusing him even more like last time.”

“Why don’t we just give it a trial run?” Robin suggests, anything to keep her mind focused on not thinking about the heartbreak steadily creeping up on her. “Hey, Eddie. Uh, good news first this time, we got you some Dustin-approved junk food and that six-pack that you requested. Oh yeah, and we found Vecna. Only the bad news is that he’s in that other, darker, much scarier dimension that we told you about and the gate’s closed, so we have no way of getting to him, like he’s entirely shut off to us, so basically you’re screwed. And, no, I know, you were already screwed, but now you’re like, doubly, triply screwed.”

“Okay, wait, wait.” Lucas leans forward, frowning. “Maybe we don’t put it like that.”

“We’re one step closer to finding Vecna.” Nancy nods, taking a deep breath. “That’s what we say. That’s what’s important.”

“See, Robin? A positive spin can make all the difference.” Steve announces from the back.

“Uh-huh.” Robin rolls her eyes.

“That’s if he doesn’t mind those words coming from his ex.” Dustin mutters and she clicks her tongue.

“Oh shit.” Nancy suddenly says and you all turn to look forward, breaths hitching.

“Um… didn’t you say Eddie was hiding out here?” You ask, mouth feeling dry.

Police cars, news vans, and a hefty crowd were gathered in front of the lake house, swarming it with police tape. You all slide out of the car, following Nancy’s lead around the back of a van to hear what the chief had to say.

Luckily, they hadn’t caught him. But that luck was entirely overshadowed by the fact that someone else fell victim to Vecna last night, and now Eddie’s name and photo were shown for everyone to see.

The man-hunt had begun.

“Why would he go to Skull Rock?” Lucas ponders as you all follow Dustin and Steve ahead, tired legs taking you through the thick expanse of the woods.

“Isn’t that the high school make-out spot?” Robin asks before it feels bitter on her tongue. Did he used to take you there?

“It’s also where kids go to smoke weed.” You say, eyes focused on the ground in front of you.

“Huh.” She responds and Nancy glances between you both before changing the subject.

“Uh, so, Y/n?” You whip your head up, meeting Nancy’s eyes. “How’s college? Stanford, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s… good.” You shrug, smiling.

“You’re taking journalism?”

“Right.” You breathe, reminding yourself she wasn’t your enemy. In fact, Nancy was one of the kindest people you knew. You shouldn’t be holding a grudge over something that was never her fault. “I, um… I also decided to take a creative writing course, test the waters a bit.”

She smiles, eyes lighting up when you don’t dismiss her. “That sounds-”

“So why did you and Eddie break up?” Robin interjects and you suddenly breathe in too quickly, coughing on literal air.

“Robin.” Nancy gapes at her.

“What? I don’t want it to be any more awkward than it already is. His heart’s already breaking, I’m just- I’m looking out for the guy, that’s all.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Eddie and I are still friends. It was a long time ago.” You add, your heart skipping faster.

“Right.” She says, blinking. “Good, I mean. Good that you’re still friends. Because it would be weird. Not that it’s weird you guys dated. Although, I never would have paired you guys together. Not that it doesn’t mean you wouldn’t go for a guy- like Eddie! Like Eddie... Because, uh, like, opposites attract more often than not, right? Unless you like heavy metal and D&D and-”

“What Robin is trying to say is that we’re glad we’re not dragging you to someone you don’t want to see.” Nancy offers and Robin exhales deeply, nodding.

“Yep, what, uh, what she said.”

You don’t say anything after that and Robin scrunches up her face, falling just behind you and Nancy to mouth her frustrated screams at herself. Why can’t she just keep her mouth shut? Does she have to ruin every little thing and alienate every single good thing in her life until-

Lucas and Max are staring at her, a rush of blood adding pink to the tip of her ears. She awkwardly smiles and hurries back up to where you and Nancy walk in silence, looking amused at the arguing boys ahead of you.

“Dude, I’m telling you, you’re taking us the wrong way.” Steve stresses, looking at Dustin like he was a madman for thinking otherwise.

“It’s north. I’m positive.” Dustin says, waving the paper in his hands. “I checked the map.”

“You do realise that Skull Rock, it’s like a super popular make-out spot?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t popular until I made it popular.” Steve boasts, raising his brows. “Alright? I practically invented it.”

“I thought Dan Shelter made it popular?” You quip, already visualising the scowl on his face before he even turned around to aim it at you. “Right, okay, sorry.”

“An apology, wow.” He remarks, laughing. “The world really is upside down today.”

“Ha.” You roll your eyes, putting a hand on Dustin’s shoulder as you approach them. “But Steve’s right, we’re heading the wrong way.”

Robin frowns. So you have been there before. Her chest feels like it’s squeezing the life out of her and she takes a deep breath. She should have just stuck to small crushes like Vickie. At least then she wouldn’t have to deal with her aching heart until Friday night band practices.

“Finally something we can agree on.” Steve smirks at Dustin, breaking off the path much to Dustin’s objections.

A little further into the woods, Robin looks back to see Lucas and Max in deep conversation, somewhat happy but sad at the same time to see them so close. She jumps down from a tree root and groans.

“Oh my God, they’re so adorable, I just wanna squeeze ‘em, you know?” Robin says, making you and Nancy chuckle.

“Y/n?”

You all turn to see Max stood behind you, Lucas giving a shy smile before jogging ahead to find Dustin. Looking to the girls, you give them a small salute before slowly your footsteps to stand beside Max.

Robin can’t help but smile as you go, realising there and then, she was (for the first time in her life) in the need for girl talk. And Nancy was right there, ready to go. But she couldn’t just outright say it, right? She would need some way to talk about a relationship without talking about her relationship.

“If I’m permitted to see a silver lining in any of this end-of-the-world doom and gloom, it would be the rekindling of old flames that frankly never should’ve been snuffed out.” She points a smirk at Nancy who returns her implication with wide eyes. Robin’s face drops. “I didn’t mean that as a hint or anything.”

“Right.” Nancy turns her head and Robin thins her lips. Her first girl talk and she’s ruined it in the first 5 seconds.

“But if I did mean it as a hint, would that be so terrible?” She tries, suddenly a lot more interested in someone else’s relationship problems. “For me to wish for happiness for my friends?”

Nancy scoffs. “You think I’m not happy?”

“I… I’m sure you are. It’s just, the other day in the library, I mentioned Jonathan and you sort of flinched, or winced, or something like-”

“I didn’t flinch or... wince.” She defends herself, not well enough for it to escape Robin’s radar however. “Jonathan and I are fine.”

“Got it.”

“We’re good.”

“Right.”

Nancy stares at her for a little bit before a hint of conflict rushes over her face and Robin knows she’s finally hit ‘girl talk’.

“It’s just…” She starts, hugging the bag of groceries like a safety blanket. “He was supposed to be here for the break, and then he backed out at the last minute for some vague, mumbly Jonathan reason. And, to be honest, I’m not that surprised because I’ve been feeling him pulling away lately and- and I don’t know if it’s because we’re 2000 miles away or if he met someone new or what. And now I can’t find out why because apparently he’s blown up his family’s house phone or something. So, yeah, if… if the mention of his name caused a slight muscle spasm on my face, that’s… probably why.”

Robin offers a sympathetic smile. “Seems like a perfectly reasonable reason to flinch, wince, or something.”

“You said, the happiness of your friends.” Nancy recalls, smiling. “So… does that make us friends? As in, officially?”

“Uh, yeah.” Robin blinks. “I… I mean, right?”

“Right.” She chuckles, shaking her head. “Well, since we’re friends, is there anyone in… your life, that makes you happy?”

“Oh, uh…” Robin clears her throat, a breathy laugh showing her nerves. “Not really, no. No.”

“Really?” Nancy smiles in disbelief, “No one at all?”

Robin must have hesitated a second too long because Nancy is already tightening her lips, eyes light.

“Oh my- tell me.” She giggles and Robin can’t help but laugh, feeling somewhat bubbly inside at what could be her only female friend. “Please, I want to be obsessed with someone else’s love life for once.”

“Um, well, I don’t know what there is to say.” Robin blinks, unsure of how this could go.

“Just… tell me about him.”

Nancy smiles so innocently and it physically breaks Robin’s heart, cutting into a scarred wound only people like her ever could. Him. If only it were that simple.

“Well, uh, they- he, he…” Robin tries searching for the words, realising it was much harder to pretend she was crushing over a guy than it was to convince a director of an asylum that she was a prodigy in psychology. So, she spoke the truth as vaguely as she could. “He’s kind of new- in my life, I mean. I think I’ve seen him around school before but we never really crossed paths and that was fine because, well, I didn’t know what I was missing out on, you know? But, um, recently, I mean recently we got to spend a lot of time together, sometimes alone, and it- it… god, how do I put it?”

“It made you feel happier than you have in a long time?” She offers and Robin nods, scrunching her brows.

“Yeah.” She breathes, shaking her head. “I mean, it’s literally just… it’s weird, like, I haven’t even known him that long and yet I can’t stop thinking about him all the time until I’m literally sick of myself for not getting over it because we can’t work, it wouldn’t work, but also we could? Everything is mostly just a battle with myself because I can’t talk to Steve about him, like, what advice would he even offer me? Gel up my hair and say cheesy pick-up lines? No thank you. And I know I could probably just cut my losses and realise he probably doesn’t even like me back, but I can’t help just wanting him to be there like all the time, like on a- a personal level, so to speak. I wanna get to know him more, learn more about him but every time I try to I’m just babbling like a lunatic. I…”

She takes another deep breath, relaxing her shoulders. “It’s just a stupid little crush though, right? It’ll go away?”

She looks at Nancy like the girl will hold all the answers to the universe. There was a sly smirk on her face.

“Sounds like more than just a crush.” She says and Robin frowns.

“Wha- what? No, no it’s gonna… it’s just a crush.”

“A crush is like… like getting a little giddy when they come by but forgetting about them in moments that don’t have them in it.” Nancy tries to explain, tilting her head in thought. “But… but then there’s something more. Like... no matter how hard you try, you’re constantly thinking about them, about what it would be like to be with them. And then you’re noticing the little things about them, their likes or dislikes, if they smile with their teeth or have dimples. Mostly how they act around you and how scared but excited you feel when they’re sitting closer. And all this happens while your heart feels… sick, maybe.”

Robin is slowly nodding along, checking off all of her symptoms in a mental checklist.

“And when they’re not around you, you’re just waiting and waiting until you can see them again.” She smiles to herself and Robin bites her lip.

“Is that how you felt with Jonathan?”

“Yeah.” She says, adjusting the bag in her hands. “Before we started dating, I was feeling all of those things. And then…”

“And then?” Robin prompts, raising her eyebrows.

Nancy turns toward her with a knowing smile. “And then I figured out I was falling in love.”

Robin’s breath hitches in her throat, almost stumbling over another intruding tree root in the dirt. Nancy giggles a little, finding the humour in the situation. But Robin didn’t feel that. No, she felt sick. She’s crushed on girls in the past, loads of times even. So, when you came along being so nice and sweet and pretty, it was inevitable that she’d be turning a light shade of red whenever you batted your eyelashes at her, just like any other girl has. But she was wrong. Dear God, was she wrong. She didn’t have a crush on you.

She was falling in love with you.

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so-long-soldier-writes · 2 months

Text

Dog Days Are Over

kai parker x reader

summary: the post-wedding heartbreak never ceases. without him, life seems to lose its meaning. but despite your best efforts to depart and chase the void that seems to call to you, somehow you're held back. someone refuses to let you go.

tags: tw: su1c1de attempt & thoughts, blood, blood drinking, vampirism / transition, heretics / siphoning, emotional hurt / comfort, light angst, heartache, anger / mild violence, slow recovery, domesticity, friendships, found family, canon divergence, loosely follows plot of seasons 7 & 8

word count: 8.2k

a/n: I'm obsessed with found family x heretics, if you can't tell. I've had this idea for months and finally was able to execute it! (and by execute, i mean write the whole thing in 10 hours & edit for 2 days)

A subtle weight rests on your body; a heaviness in your chest makes it hard to breathe. You don’t fight it. In a couple of minutes, it won’t matter anyway. The wound in your stomach bleeds, soiling your bright blue shirt with a dark red tint. Your heart rate slows, and your eyes flutter. The world around you is getting darker by the second. The end is near, and you swear you can taste it. To whether it’s heaven or hell you are headed, you don’t mind. Or maybe, it’s nothingness. A void. Either way, anything is better than here.

Your short gasps for breath begin to even out as your heart fails. Pumping no longer seems necessary, so the organ quits. It succumbs to the state that your brain has been in for weeks: numb. Cold. Dead.

A glimpse of life flashes before your wilting eyes. A figure running towards you, putting their hands on your cheek. Your lover, maybe, greeting you for an eternity of peaceful nothingness together. Your lips part in the joy of seeing him. Blood trickles from your mouth; the wound finally shutting down your body. Your eyes close and you welcome the darkness.

<•>

The next time you wake up, it’s still dark, and you automatically assume it’s the void that called you home. The Other Side collapsed over a year ago, but supernatural creatures have died since, and nobody ever knows where they go. Here, presumably. To the dark.

After a moment, your eyes begin to adjust and you move to sit up on your knees. The ground beneath you is hard and cold, like cement. It is not at all welcoming or comforting, but maybe that’s how death is supposed to feel. You shrug, not caring yet. Soon, you won’t feel anymore. Soon, you’ll enter the void, or cross the Styx, or whatever is the last necessary step of dying. Soon, you’ll be free.

You stand, then stumble. One minute, your mind and soul feel empty, but in the next, an insatiable hunger takes over your body. It knocks you back to your knees. A whine escapes your throat. Death should not feel this way. Death is supposed to be empty. Something’s wrong.

“Hello?” You call into the void, not expecting an answer.

Instead, you hear a far-off voice, talking not to you, but someone else. “She’s awake.”

Fear thumbs in your heart. You put a hand over it, only to realize after a couple seconds that it’s not beating. The hunger increases as the sound of footsteps approaches. This isn’t happening. You can’t be alive; shouldn’t be. You chose death. Wanted it. Sought it.

But someone had other plans.

<•>

“Hello?” A girl calls out, maybe to you. She waits, then pulls back a small window, letting a little light in your supposed void. “Where are you?”

“What do you want?” You ask, straining. Your voice comes out weaker than you like it to be.

“I brought you something.”

“Nora, turn on the light,” another girl says.

“Would you like a light?”

No, you think. You’d like to be dead. But… you’d also like to identify your captors. “Okay.”

An overhead light comes on a moment later. You shut your eyes tight as it floods your senses, then open it once you start to adjust.

“Too much?”

“Was there a lamp option?” You sass.

“I could find a lamp,” the second girl suggests.

“We’ll find her one in a moment,” the first turns back to you, “can you see us alright?”

Finally, you can. Two girls peek through a window, one brunette and one blonde. They seem sweet, not like the high school mean girls’ type, but you’re still cautious. “I can see you.”

“Good. We have something for you.”

The smell of blood attacks your senses. Your hunger grows.

You make two big strides to the pair, before realizing something. You weren’t a vampire before, so why should the smell of blood excite you now? You stop, shaking your head. “No.”

“You have to drink,” the blonde urges. You have to complete the transition, she doesn’t say, despite it on her mind.

“No, I wanted to die. I tried to die.” You lock eyes with the brunette. “One of you turned me.”

“Y/N, you can’t die. You-”

“How do you know my name?! Who are you?!”

“That doesn’t matter right now, what matters is that you drink.”

“No!”

“Y/N, please!” She holds the bag further out to you.

Your weak body begs for you to drink, but your mournful heart refuses. “No!” You shout again. “I’m not drinking your blood; I’m not transitioning!”

“You have to!” The blonde agrees with her friend. “You’re getting paler by the second.”

“Good. Then I’ll have lived and died a witch.”

“You’re too young to die, Y/N. You can’t give up. He wouldn’t want you to give up.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Please, drink, and then we can talk.”

“No. You can’t make me.”

“I can,” she argues.

“You won’t come in here with me. With me so close to transitioning. That would be suicide.”

“Well we can’t let you die, either.”

You stand off with the two girls. They seem to communicate telepathically between themselves. It’s quite frightening to not know what they’re thinking. You stare at them, wondering who they are and why they care that you live.

“You’ll thank us later, Y/N, just drink.”

“I don’t want to live. If I wanted to, I wouldn’t have stabbed myself.”

“You won’t feel this heartbreak forever,” the blonde speaks, like a Hallmark card you didn’t ask to receive. You roll your eyes.

“I think we have to,” the first girl says, hand undoing the bag.

“I agree.”

Before you can ask about their apparent plan, they’re opening the door and swarming to you.

“Get out!” You cry. The blonde holds your left arm, while the brunette backs you up to the wall. “I don’t want it.”

“You’ll be grateful one day,” she sticks her promise to you again.

“If it’s not today, there’s no point. I can’t take this anymore.”

“Take it from someone who spent a hundred years in solitary confinement, I know loneliness. It hurts. It’s worse than a knife to the stomach,” she references your attempt. It’s still apparent on your clothes. “But life isn’t all sad. Sometimes it can be beautiful.”

“I’ve seen it beautiful,” you argue, tears forming in your eyes, “I've seen it, yet I’ll never see it again.”

“You have to trust us. Trust yourself. You can be happy again.”

“No.”

“Yes, Y/N, come on. Drink the blood.” The brunette holds the bag to your face, pinning you against the wall.

“No.” In a last ditch effort, you raise your free arm and smack the bag out of her hand. It flies, then hits the stone wall across from you and splatters. Her eyes go wide, and when she looks back at you, a triumphant look shines in your eyes.

“What did you do that for?!” The blonde shouts. “Waste a perfectly good bag!”

“It’s okay, Mary Louise, just means she’ll get a taste of the real stuff.” Before you can ask, the vampire before you is biting her wrist and shoving it between your lips. You fight, kicking and swinging, but the girls are much stronger. “Keep her still,” she nods to her friend, “just a little more.”

Your wrist starts to burn. You glance down for a second and see an orange glow emitting from the point of connection on your skin. “What-”

The brunette takes advantage of your parted lips and shoves her wrist further into your mouth. “Okay, stop,” she says, and the girl siphoning stops.

Your body is weak, but your heart feels strong. It doesn’t beat, but the blood filling your stomach powers it. The siphoning, however, tolls on your body. The girls let go of you, watch you daze, then gently help your body to the floor. You’re out like a light, asleep.

<•>

You’re much stronger the second time awake. Stronger, with a vengeance. First, you need to find out who those girls were, how they were able to siphon you, and why they wanted to keep you alive. Then, you need to find the nearest piece of wood and send your soul to the void like you had planned.

You look around, searching for anything sharp and anything wooden. You realize now that you’re in a cellar with absolutely nothing that could be used as a weapon, and the only thing in there with you is another blood bag. Angrily, you kick it and it splatters. The smell reaches your nose and you curse yourself for wasting it, now hungry. On the bright side, the violent act seems to let your captors know you’re awake. They walk gingerly down the stairs only a moment later, then switch on a lamp before opening the window.

“Y/N?” The brunette starts, tone cautious.

Your reply is bitter. “What?”

“I’m sorry we had to hold you down. We didn’t want it to come to that.”

“But you had to drink. We couldn’t let you die.”

“What do you care? And who are you?” Then, “and why could you siphon me?”

“If we let you out, will you run?”

“We can’t let her out, Mary. I don’t trust she won’t hurt herself.” You scoff. She turns back to you. “I’m Nora, this is Mary Louise.”

“And? How do you know me?”

“Well, we don’t, but we recognized you from pictures.”

“Pictures? What pictures?”

The girls hesitate. A name rests on their tongues, but they don’t utter it. Unbeknownst to you, they fear saying it out loud will drive you mad. Names have power, and in this case, a lot of it.

“Doesn’t matter right now,” the brunette, Nora, says instead. “What matters is that you get better.”

You laugh dryly. “I would’ve been better off dead.”

Mary Louise seems to get agitated at that. “Stop saying that! You have to live! He’d-”

“Mary, don’t say anything.” The girl quiets immediately.

“Why do you care so much if I live? Who’s he? Where am I?”

“Technically, you’re in the Salvatore house. The basement. We’d give you a room if we could trust you, but it’s too great a risk that you’d hurt yourself still.”

“Why the boarding house? Where’s Damon? Stefan? Do they know I’m here?”

The girls share glances but confess nothing. “You’re safe here. We are not going to hurt you.”

“That’s what people often say before hurting said captive.”

“You’re at more risk by your own hand than ours,” Mary retorts. “You stabbed yourself in an alley behind a dumpster. You’re lucky Nora and I sensed the blood.”

“Luck is not the term I’d use. If you couldn’t tell, I did it on purpose.”

They sigh as if they knew it was on purpose, but for some reason they’re not telling you, they still felt the need to save you.

You ask again, “why did you turn me? Why not just let me die?”

Nora hands you a new blood bag. “Drink this.”

Rolling your eyes more, you refuse. “No.”

“Drink, and we’ll give you answers.”

“C’mon, you’ve already transitioned,” Mary argues, “you might as well not dessicate.”

You know she’s right. Angrily, you snatch the bag and drink it down quickly. When you toss the bag back at Nora, she sighs.

“You’re a friend of a friend of ours,” she says vaguely. “He would want you to live. He’d want you to live your life and die naturally, rather than die young and heartbroken.”

“That ‘naturally’ part is no longer happening-”

“-which is not our fault,” Mary snaps, interrupting you.

“Mary,” the other calms, “patience. Yes, when you die, it will no longer be natural, but at least as a vampire, you have a shot at life again. In a sense, maybe, it’s a gift. You can leave if you want to leave. You can go where you want. You’re not bound by human laws or rules. You can be free.”

“I don’t want to be free. I don’t want anything if I can’t-” you stop yourself. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“I know. But someday, you’ll realize life is worth living, and you’ll be glad that you got a second chance. Take it from someone - both of us - who were given one.”

“Easy for you to say, you have each other. I have no one.”

“Maybe we can be someone for you, if you trust us.”

“Yeah, not likely.”

“Give it time, Y/N. We’ll bring you another bag later.”

As she shuts the window, you shout. “You didn’t even answer all my questions!” But they’re gone. The lamp remains on, but you’re left to your thoughts, alone.

<•>

The same cycle repeats for days. Weeks, even. The longer the mystery girls keep you locked up, the angrier you get. They arrive, open the window, practically force you a bag, spew bullshit about how you’ll get better, then leave. Two, sometimes three times a day. No one else ever visits, although one time, they had a third girl - Valerie - join them. She didn’t talk much, but she sure did seem to study you.

That day, after realizing there were more people in the house than just the two of them, you grow restless. Your mind is understimulated and bored. Your heart is broken and sore. You haven’t seen daylight in god knows how long. The next time Nora and Mary Louise come down, you’re ready to pick a fight.

You drink the bag without complaints, then send it flying back through the barred window along with a string of shouts and cuss words. They’ve given you the bare minimum of information, despite promising an explanation, and saving you from death just to lock you in a cellar seems cruel and unfair. They want you to live, yet treat you like a wild animal. They swear they’re protecting you, but you can’t see them as anything but kidnappers.

Nora remains calm throughout your rants, though Mary Louise looks on the verge of tears. It hurts, a little, to see her so upset, but if she could feel the agony you feel day-after-day, maybe she’d understand your pain.

After every last word on your mind is spat out to the girls, Nora gives you a look that you hate. It reads that she sympathizes; she cares, in her own way, but she keeps you confined for your own good. You hate to admit it, but she’s right. If they had even given you a pillow, you’d find a way to hurt yourself. Even if you kill yourself daily just to be unconscious most of the time. Still, you scream at them. How you didn’t ask to live; how you were ready to die; how you can’t live without him, and he’s gone. You think Nora doesn’t understand, but she does. They both do.

She doesn’t tell you she does until you settle. And when you do, she finally tells you all of it.

<•>

“Your silencing spells are weakening with her anger. She’s literally breaking them down, there’s so much pain in her screams,” Valerie tells the girls. “You better get her under control quickly, or Lily will have something to say about it.”

“She’s just facing the worst part of her transition. All the pain is hitting her at once, coupled with the fact that her lover is dead. Give her a break.”

“You shouldn’t have turned her at all, Nora.”

“Well I couldn’t very well let Kai’s girlfriend kill herself out of heartbreak. We owe it to him to save her.”

“Some people don’t want to be saved.”

“She doesn’t want to die,” Nora counters, “she just doesn’t want to live without him.”

“And now she’ll live forever without him.”

“I’m going to help her find happiness in this life. Even if he’s not here, she needs to know life is worth it to hold on and find something that makes you happy again.”

“A heartbroken vampire in love with a murdered sociopath can be a very dangerous thing.”

“So can a previously dessicated heretic still in love with her ex-lover from the eighteen hundreds,” Nora sasses. “She’ll be okay, she just needs time.”

“I bet Mary Louise won’t like you devoting so much time to a girl that’s not her.”

Mary enters the conversation from the kitchen. She leans against the doorframe, a small smirk on her lips. “Mary quite likes the girl, actually. She’s grateful to Kai for feeding us and busting us out of that god-awful prison world, and she knows how much Y/N meant to him. And, she likes seeing her girlfriend put so much effort into healing someone else’s broken heart.”

Valerie rolls her eyes, defeated. “Whatever. Just put up new silencing spells, because the neighbors will start to complain.”

<•>

That afternoon, the girls visit you and prepare themselves for a new string of cuss words. The modern day tongue seems to have many at the ready, and the pair are always surprised to hear the variations you spew at them. Although, when they open the window this time, they’re shocked to find you sitting criss-cross, in the middle of the floor, sobbing heavily. Your hands cover your face, and you seem to neglect to notice their presence. Nora’s heart breaks. In the moment, you remind her of Alice in Wonderland in her sea of tears. She recalls reading that book over a century ago and relating to lost little Alice. Now, she’s transported back in time as she looks at you.

“Y/N?” She asks cautiously. You look up, glance at her, but then dart your eyes back to the ground. “Are you okay?”

“How is life supposed to get better? How do I live after all this tragedy? Where do I go from here?”

“That’s something we’d like to help you find out, if you’d let us.”

“That’s why we turned you,” Mary adds, “so that you could find it, and have friends along the way. We want to help you.”

You raise your head back up to them. “I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough for it.”

“You are perfectly capable of living a life you can be proud of. You just need a little push to get there.”

“And how am I supposed to get there, living in here? In this cellar?”

“This is only temporary. This is for your safety, until you find it in yourself to want to live. ‘Til the desire to hurt yourself is gone, okay?”

“We have another bag for you,” Mary says, tossing it to you.

You drink it unquestioningly, and they prepare for the shouting. This time, however, it never comes. You only nod to the girls, then lie on your back and continue to cry.

<•>

A month after your transition, you finally settle. Most of the anger and tears have subsided, and the boundary and silencing spells hold without wavering. Nora and Mary Louise want nothing more than to tell you their full story, and they think you’re finally ready to hear it.

For the first time ever, you smile at them. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Nora says calmly. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I want to die,” you blurt out, but then sigh. “But okay. A bit numb.”

“You haven’t turned off your humanity, have you?” Mary jokes lightly.

“And be even more bored out of my skull? No.”

“Good. Bag?”

You shrug.

“Can we come in?”

Your eyes narrow at Nora’s request. The question is new to you. Usually, they stay beyond the cellar door. The last time they had come in with you, she force fed you her blood. But despite that memory, you don’t feel threatened by the girls anymore. They give you a strange sense of peace, like you could trust them, for reasons you don’t understand. “Sure,” you reply.

They join you on the ground, the three of you all sitting criss-crossed. Mary hands you the bag, which you accept and drink quietly.

“Y/N…” Nora starts, “we know you have a lot of questions. And while we didn’t want to give you any responses before, we think you’re ready to hear some answers now.”

You pause sipping your bag. “Really?”

“Well the hard part of your transition is over,” Mary says, “we’d really like you to trust us, and we’d like to have trust in you, too, so that we can let you out. But in order for that to happen, we have to know you’ll be safe in the world. No pointy objects, no wood.”

You turn to Nora. “Is that one of the questions you’ll answer? The real reason you want me alive?”

“It is.”

You nod. “I’m listening. And I promise, I’m okay right now. I’m not going to hurt you, or myself, unless I have reason. Truth be told, I don’t really have the mental strength for it.”

Nora nods, too, then, “why?”

“What?”

“Why is it that you don’t have the strength? What’s plaguing you? Why did you attempt to take your own life?”

“I…” your eyes already start to water again, “I can’t live without him. I don’t want to live without him.”

“And who is him?”

“I- I can’t say.”

“Can’t say because you fear our judgment, or can’t say his name out loud?”

“Both, I guess.”

“Might I say it, then?”

“I guess. If you know…”

“Y/N… we know it’s Kai. And we know because his… passing affects us, too.” Hearing his name out loud shatters your heart, but Nora saying she knew him catches your attention. You tilt your head at her. “The reason we were able to siphon you earlier is because we’re like him. We’re heretics.” You straighten. “We were trapped in the 1903 prison world. Kai fed us and let us out. We owe our survival to him.”

“He became a brother to us,” Mary adds, “was a brother to us. We’re all of the same family, with the same rejected gene, although a century apart. Besides each other, we’ve never had anyone understand us, and aside from Lily, no one’s ever cared to listen.”

“But how do you know me? You know,” your voice wavers, his name coming off your tongue weakly, “Kai. How do you know me?”

“Because, silly, he loved you,” Nora rolls her eyes gently, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Mary nods. “Once he knew we were trustworthy, he talked to us nonstop. Some of it was about the modern world or his own past, but he mostly talked about you. He had the strangest device, a phone, he called it, and would look at pictures of you until it died, and after that, he had one in his wallet.”

“And he’d tell stories. How kind you always were, how he came to trust you, and how you had started a relationship together.”

“The longer he spent there, the more worked up he was getting. He told us about 1994 and what had happened, and that he’d spent eighteen years in another prison world, just to end up in a colder, darker one. I think that’s where the wedding went wrong.”

You agree. “He told me his biggest fear was getting sent to one of those again. Being alone.”

“Not only being alone, but being without you,” Nora says. “We were there, but he still needed you.”

“And although we kept him company, it wasn’t the same.”

“Valerie didn’t help much,” Nora mutters.

“Valerie… the other one? Upstairs?”

“She didn’t approve of his crime to get locked in 1994. She seemed to have forgotten her own childhood, judging his like that. We all grew up similarly. Told we were abominations and cast away.”

You’re about to make a comment on that, but Mary beats you to speaking first,

“You didn’t flinch when I siphoned you.”

“Yeah, um,” you smile, a memory surfacing, “I used to let Kai siphon whenever he wanted.”

“It didn’t hurt?”

“I liked it.” You shrug. “Hurt a little, sometimes. Like a burn, but… I liked the feeling.”

“You say ‘whenever he wanted,’ so like, not only for spells?”

“Sometimes he just wanted to feel magic in his blood. I didn’t use my magic a lot, and knew he had been deprived of it, so regardless if he was performing a spell or not, yes, I’d let him siphon.”

“So…” Nora starts, “you said you didn’t use your magic a lot?”

“Not really.”

“So you won’t be too upset at losing it now that you’re a vampire?”

You give her a playful glare. “I’ll miss it, but I can live without it.” Her face lights up at your choice of words. “What?”

“‘You can live without it’. That’s exactly what I want to hear from you; that you know you can live, despite the tragedy, just like you said you fear.”

“Nora-”

“Sh, sh, sh, let me relish this moment.” Mary giggles at her girlfriend. “You want to fight the war inside your mind. You want to live.”

“I wanted to live with Kai,” you remind. “Alone…”

“You won’t be alone. We know what it’s like to be lonely. We won’t let you feel that way.”

“I just… it’s going to take some time for me to heal. I can’t promise it’ll be easy.”

“We’ve got your back, Y/N. Kai would have wanted you to live. We want that for you, too.”

You nod, still a bit unsure, but now aware that these girls aren’t going to let you out of their sight, so you might as well comply. “Can I stay here, then?”

“In the cellar or upstairs?”

“I don’t know.”

Mary rolls her eyes playfully. “C’mon, we have a room ready for you.”

<•>

Adjusting to your new life is hard. Living without Kai is hard. Living with the heretics, though, is surprisingly easy. They’ve taken you in as one of their own, filling in the void that Kai left, and treating you like family. Valerie is a little weary around you, perhaps wondering how you could love the man that killed his entire family, but Nora and Mary Louise don’t ever let her get far. She, too, deep down, is grateful for the escape that your lover brought them; she doesn’t let her disapproval of his crimes cloud that too much.

Beau is more similar to Valerie than the girls. He’s older than them and Kai, and has never been one to seek revenge, as told to you by Valerie. While Kai had a penchant for violence, and Nora had a heart craving retribution, the other heretics were much more level-headed. They wanted to distance themselves from their family more so than to make them pay. And although Mary Louise was one of these, she strongly supported her girlfriend’s needs, understanding how their coven’s treatment could make them turn cold.

Once awoken in 1903, Nora quickly admires Kai for his actions. Granted, he may have not gone about his revenge in the best way, but he refused to let his father win, and won himself. Nora wasn’t a twin, just a sibling in her particular line, but she had suffered as much isolation as Kai did. For him to break free from his father’s prison world, then complete the merge he was denied and become their leader, it didn’t take much convincing to get her involved in the break-free from 1903 plan. Mary, again, went along with her girlfriend. She was passive but had a similar childhood, and couldn’t help but see Kai as the brother she always wanted. She had one, but wasn’t allowed to speak to him, and so when Kai spoke nonstop to her, she felt adored by him. And it’s true, Kai loved them all like family, because they were.

Despite knowing most of the heretics, you never meet Malcomb, who was killed by Damon while you were still transitioning. Nor have you met Oscar, who is out running vague errands for Lily. Though you remain in the boarding house with the four until tensions start to rise between Lily and her sons.

Lily, rarely at the house, is nonetheless welcoming to you. She offers you a simple condolence when you thank her for giving Kai her blood. She says she wishes things turned out better, and regrets not being able to save his life. In a way, you tell her, she did, but that Damon took him away from both of you. All of you, rather, as Nora strokes your hair as you speak.

The warming party between Mystic Falls’ residents and the heretics is the day your new status as a vampire is revealed. The wistful shock in Damon’s eyes and the concerned delight in Bonnie’s is something you’ll never forget, although by this time, you’re too disheartened by either of them to address it. When Mary Louise whisks you away with a bottle of bourbon, you don’t fight. Enzo sends Bonnie a confused glance that you miss, but neither comment.

<•>

A lot happens in a short time following that night. Jo’s twins are confirmed to be alive with Caroline carrying them, something about which you’re still unsure. Valerie had a rendezvous with Stefan a century ago, and Julian’s confirmed a monster when his atrocious response slips from between her lips. For a moment, Mary Louise is hesitant to trust her, and Nora finds solace with Bonnie, but you, now permanently bonded to the two youngest heretics, pull them back together. Oscar is lost along the way, caught by the Salvatores who had just put down their own mother. Four funerals are held in a mere couple of months: Kai, Malcomb, Oscar, and Lily. One month after that, a fifth is held for Beau.

Caroline’s twins - well, Jo’s, ish - are born, with the help of the heretics. You watch from a distance, concerned way more for Caroline birthing two refusing siphons from her vampire womb, than for the twins themselves. In the end, only Beau is the one to not make it out. A previously estranged vampire hunter released from Alaric’s armory interrupts the introduction of life with a promise of death. Bonnie was the one to let her out, it’s revealed, so it’s only fair that she’s the one to get tangled in the mess and take her down. After that, Enzo and Damon are captured by sirens and made to perform the dirty work of the two ancient beings. Bonnie’s trapped in the middle of it, as is Caroline, and incidentally, as is everyone else in the town. Eventually, what’s left of the old Mystic Falls’ gang manages to rid themselves of the sirens, only to be faced with Cade, the Devil himself.

Though most of these details are blurry to you. Parts of the story are missing, like holes in a blanket. You’ve kept up with the general plot, but lost a lot of the story’s structure along the way.

That’s because seven years ago, right after the twins’ birth and Beau’s funeral, the heretics ran. Valerie escaped to Europe, and you, Nora, and Mary Louise headed south. You didn’t want to get mixed up in the turmoil, especially not with Rayna Cruz, then a vengeful Bonnie, on the loose, so the three of you disappeared with barely a trace. You’re still in contact with Caroline, and Valerie remembers to charge and connect her phone, she still talks to Nora and Mary Louise, but for the most part, you’re set far apart from your old life.

And surprisingly, you’re happy.

Life in the boarding house with the heretics was easy. Living with Nora and Mary Louise is even easier. You’ve taught them to adapt to the modern age, despite their unfamiliarity, but as it turns out, they blend in quite well. You have a thing for take-out; the girls love catching up on all the movies they’ve missed, so many nights are spent as movie nights, eating large amounts of take-out and binging movies all night. Of course, you also rotate cooking. Mary’s the worst. Nora’s the best. You’re in the middle, no talent of your own, for it’s Kai that taught you all you know about it.

Speaking of Kai… over time, you’ve been able to talk more about him. You open up your relationship to the heretics, sharing stories you’ve never told anyone, telling them things that most might consider TMI, but by this point in your friendship, there’s no such thing as secrets. They love it. They love laughing at the funny parts, and crying over sadder ones. They share memories and tragedies from their own pasts, sometimes relating to Kai, but sometimes, also, relating to you.

You share blankets on the couch and straws with drinks. You braid each other’s hair and rotate chores. You dance together in the kitchen, singing along to music both old and modern, with no neighbors to hear how undeniably loud you are. You’re happy.

<•>

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from Caroline, but when you finally do, she sends you a cryptic message that immediately pulls you to your feet.

Caroline: I need a favor. Call me when you get a chance.

Your eyes narrow at the text. Rarely does Caroline text with such seriousness, especially with such a long period of not speaking.

“What is it?” Nora asks, seeing tension on your face.

“Caroline… asking for a favor.”

“You don’t have to go back to Mystic Falls, do you? It’s dangerous there,” Mary worries. Talk of the Devil filled the last phone call you’ve had with the other blonde. Specifically, Kelly Donovan returned for one more dramatic entrance, a bell was rung, and the Devil got out. A second protection spell was put around the house, just in case, after that news.

“I’m not sure. One moment.” You dial her number, and only wait a second before she picks up. “Caroline?”

“Y/N? Hi.”

“Hi. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Kind of. I need you to come back to Mystic Falls as soon as possible.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“It’s… it’s about the twins.”

You shoot the girls an anxious glance as they overhear the call.

“Is everything okay with them?”

Caroline hesitates. “How soon can you get here?”

“Caroline? Are they okay?”

“Y/N-”

“Overnight. I’ll be there by morning.”

“Okay. Come to the armory.”

You pack a quick bag and hug your friends, then leave immediately.

“Be careful,” they wish you. “Let us know if you need help.”

“I will. I’ll be back shortly.”

<•>

You burst into the armory quite loudly, calling for Caroline. She races to your side a moment later, a finger over her lips.

“What’s wrong? Where’s the twins?”

“The twins are fine. They’re-”

“What?! Caroline, what the fuck?! I drove all night. I-”

“Come with me. Please. And be quiet.”

Still worried, but now a little pissed, you follow her down the narrow, dark hallway to the cells. You’re about to ask more questions, but then you notice a person occupying one of the rooms. “Who-?”

She spins you around by the shoulders, forcing you to look at her. “Take him and go. Wherever you are with the heretics, bring him with you. I can’t let him hurt my girls, but if he’s with you, he’ll stay away from them.”

“Caroline, what-”

“Cade is looking for him, and Stefan and Damon want to send him back in exchange for Elena’s coffin, but I know how much he means to you and if I were in your shoes, I’d intervene, too. Hell, I’ve spent the last three days compelling Stefan’s victims that they’ve been seeing things. We’ve all done questionable things for the people we love, and so I’m telling you to do the same. Get him out of Mystic Falls, now.”

When you turn the corner, Kai Parker is on the other side of the glass. His hand is raised as he siphons the magic from the walls.

“Caroline, will-” he pauses, noticing you. “Y/N?”

Your breath hitches in your throat. “Kai?” You turn to Caroline, searching for answers.

“He escaped when the Maxwell bell rang.”

“That bell rang days ago, you said. He’s been here ever since?”

“Damon told me you were dead,” Kai says. The glass begins to crack under his hand.

“We don’t have time for this,” Caroline interrupts hurriedly, “Y/N, you need to go.” She waves in Kai’s direction. “Break the glass, make it look like you’ve escaped, and get out of here. Just don’t think about coming after my kids, or I’ll make you regret it.”

Kai sets his jaw, then shatters the glass. Caroline blocks the both of you from the shards, and in the next moment, you’re standing face to face with the man you’ve missed for years.

“Hi, princess,” he greets.

You waste no time jumping into his arms, legs around his waist, burying your face in his neck. You cling to him tightly, wrapped in an embrace, until he sets you down gently.

“Caroline,” you start, “thank you.”

She smiles sweetly. “I love you. Now, go!”

“I love you, too. I’ll call you when everything settles.”

“You better.”

You take Kai’s hand and drag him out of the armory. A series of turns leads you to a side exit; an emergency door, but with the sirens already blaring overhead, you’re not worried about it.

“Y/N,” he pauses the moment you get outside.

“My car’s over here, c’mon.”

He doesn’t budge. “But-”

“Kai!”

“You’re a vampire,” he says, clearly confused. “What happened? When’d you turn?”

“What? You don’t think I could look this young seven years later?” You joke, tugging more.

“No! I didn’t mean that-”

“I…” your grip weakens with the look he gives you. “Can we please get in the car? Alaric’s going to notice you’re gone, and-”

“When? When did you turn?”

“After you died,” you confess, face falling to the ground. You can’t look at him; can’t stand to see the sadness on your face.

“How? Did Damon-?”

“No, Damon didn’t do it. I… I couldn’t live without you. It was too hard. I didn’t want to. I tried… someone had other plans.”

“Princess…” his voice trails off as he realizes what you mean. Strong arms reach for yours to pull you into his chest. “You didn’t… oh. Oh my god.” He tilts your head up to face him, but you avoid his eyes. “Who turned you? Dam-”

“Again, not Damon. I, um, can we go? Ric’s gonna come any second, and-”

“Who turned you, Y/N?”

“Nora.”

“Nora? From-”

“1903? Yeah. “

“Is she-? Are the heretics-?” Kai’s interrupted by shouting coming from the armory. You grab his hand once more and drag him to your car. He climbs in the passenger seat without question, and you speed out of Mystic Falls as fast as you can.

Not until you’re fifteen minutes from the armory, do you finally answer the questions swarming his head. You lower your speed to follow the limit, then take a deep breath.

“Nora,” he beats you to it.

“I killed myself,” you confess, “attempted, I guess. She found me, fed me her blood right before I died. She and Mary Louise took me to the boarding house, where they had been staying.”

“Both of them?”

You nod. “I wasn’t an easy project. First I refused to transition, then I refused bags. She had to pin me to the wall to get me to drink; I still fought, and Mary had to siphon me to weaken me enough that Nora could complete the transition. After that, I’d scream and cuss at them for keeping me alive. Nora would give me this cold stare, and Mary would cry, but neither gave up on me. Then, I flipped a complete one-eighty and cried for weeks. Nora said I resembled Alice in Wonderland in her sea of tears.” You chuckle now, but Kai has a feeling you weren’t laughing then. He sure isn’t laughing at all as you retell the story. “But finally, after about a month, I settled. I realized I couldn’t die, and they wouldn’t let me die, and I had to figure out how to live, now, as a vampire. I let them give me bags without a fight, and with time, talked to them.”

“Why did they save you, do you know?”

“That’s something I begged them to tell me for weeks, but they refused to say until I was ready to hear it. They loved you,” you say, stealing a glimpse at him, “like a hero, like a brother. They loved you, and heard so many stories in the prison world about how you loved me, and when Nora found me in the alley, she knew she had to save me because you would’ve wanted me to live. She did it for you. She didn’t want me - your girl - to die ‘young and heartbroken’.” You sniffle, tears forming. “She wanted me to learn to live a life I could be proud of, and she wanted to honor her admiration for you by keeping me here.”

It’s a lot for Kai to take in; he’s quiet for a few minutes. As he thinks, though, his hand creeps towards yours and takes a hold of it. He squeezes gently, then kisses your knuckles.

“The heretics,” he says, “where are they now?”

“Val’s in Europe, traveling. She didn’t want to be near Mystic Falls; turns out she has history with Stefan. Damon and Bonnie killed Malcomb before I could meet him, and Damon and Stefan killed Oscar, also before I met him. Beau was killed by an ancient hunter, whilst protecting the twins after Caroline gave birth to them, and-”

“Mary Louise and Nora?”

“I live with them.”

“What?”

“We have a little house on the border. Just out of Virginia, but barely considered North Carolina. They’re still together; had some bumps in their relationship, but they’re happy now.”

“And you, are you happy?”

“It took me a long time, but I found happiness within myself and from them. So I would consider myself happy, I guess. As weird as it is to say.”

“And me… if I were to join you, would you still be happy, after all these years?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve learned to live without me. You’ve found your place in this world, and friends. You’ve built a life for yourself.”

Slowly, you pull over to give him your full attention. Kai watches carefully, curious at what you’ll say. “Not a day has gone by that I haven’t missed you. I think about you every day. I miss the feeling of holding your hand, and hugging you. Kissing you. Hell, I miss the feeling of you siphoning me. No matter how happy I’ve become, there’s always been a piece of me missing. I figured it would always be missing, but as I sit here and look at you, I realize it’s not anymore. I love you, Kai, and I want you in my life, with me. I always have. I’ve learned to live without you, yes, and I’ve found people and things within myself that contribute to my happiness, but I will never be as good as when I’m with you.”

“Y/N…”

“And if your next question is about Nora and Mary, just know that they adore you way more than you might ever know. Nora admires you, and to Mary, you’re the brother she never got to know. They saved my life because they were mourning you, and knew I was, too. We all saved each other, in a way, and we’re all brought together because of you.”

It takes another minute of focused staring to process your words. You follow his line of sight to the steering wheel, but the moment you catch his eye, he stutters a response. “I-I love you. I’ve missed you, too, every day, and the thought of you is what kept me strong when I was in Hell. I need you.”

“You have me.”

“I won’t be easy, either. I can’t promise I won’t have nightmares from all the shit that happened there, but I promise I won’t ever leave you again.”

“I’ll help you through them. It’ll be okay.”

“You sure you want me in your life?”

“I need you just as much as you say you need me. Don’t ever doubt that.”

He nods. “Take me home, then.” He smiles. “Wait, after a kiss first.” Kai moves towards you as you turn twice, once to the wheel, then back to him, and takes your face in his hands. He kisses you with a passion equally sweet and rough, fingers grazing your skin and tangling in your hair. Your own hands find his shoulders, pulling him closer. After a moment, he pulls back, needing to catch his breath after such a long time of not kissing you. “Good? You need any more convincing to keep me around?”

“Shut up,” you joke, lighting hitting his chest. “Convincing? No. But I am gonna need you to make up later for seven years apart.”

“Well that I can certainly do.”

<•>

Four hours later, you pull into the long driveway that is your home. It’s nestled peacefully in the woods, away from most people, yet not so much that anyone will assume it’s abandoned. It’s cute and dainty, with colored tulips in beds in the front, and a red wreath hanging on the door, all compliments of Mary Louise. A bowl of food and water rests on the porch, to which Kai makes a face, and you explain that Nora’s been feeding the stray cats. You, on the other hand, are responsible for the hammock on the wrap-around porch. It provides a perfect spot for reading, or, more often, a place to daydream what life would be like if Kai never left.

Just like this, you’d think, but he’d be beside you, softly kissing your neck.

You don’t knock before entering. However, Kai bumps into the doorway, and you let out a quiet giggle at his confused expression.

“Nora?” You call into the home. “I need you to let somebody in.”

The door is open wide enough that Kai can see into the house, but he can’t see the stairs. Nora trots down the stairs a moment later, asking to whom you could be referring before she sees him for herself.

“Just a friend Caroline wanted me to pick up. Kinda like a stray puppy, actually.”

Mary giggles, half-expecting an actual puppy. But then when Nora comes to the door and her heart begins to race, her girlfriend gets worried. “Nora?” She hurries to stand beside her. “Oh!”

“Kai?” Nora asks gently. It looks like him, but she can never be too sure. She looks to you for confirmation.

You nod. “It’s him.”

“Hi,” he greets, signature smile confirming his own identity.

“Kai,” she says, tone full of relief. She rushes into his arms for a hug he didn’t expect. Nevertheless, he hugs her back just as tightly as she holds him. “Come in,” she invites as soon as letting him go.

Mary gawks as he crosses the threshold. “Can I-?”

He opens his arms again for her to hug him, and the two share their own embrace.

“What happened?” Nora starts, “how’d you-? Where-?”

“As I told Damon, then Caroline told Y/N, I jumped out when the Maxwell bell was rung. Damon tried to keep me hidden from Y/N, but Caroline had other plans. She let Y/N take me as long as I didn’t hurt the twins, to which I’m happy to let those little Gemini gremlins go if it means being with her.”

“And Cade?”

“Caroline called on the way; Cade’s dead. And Kai ate on the way, so he’s feeling better.”

“Earlier I felt like I could still be slipping back into Hell, but Cade’s grip on me weakened, and her blood gave me strength, so I won and got my footing back on Earth. I am officially a live-dead man once again.”

Mary chuckles, but Nora’s attention catches on a word. “Her?” You glance at the ground, a blush rising to your cheeks. Nora smiles. “Not twelve hours, and the lovebirds are sharing blood.”

“Match made in Heaven,” Mary laughs more.

“Completely inseparable,” Nora agrees. “Well, Kai, I hope you’ve made plans to stay, because now that you’re back, we’re never letting you out of our sight again.”

“You want me to stay?”

Nora had turned, but now she whips back around to face him. “What? Of course. Did you and Y/N-”

“We talked in the car! I thought you were okay with staying.”

“But Nora’s the owner of the house, I have to ask her, too!”

“Of course you’re staying, dork!” She’d learned that word the last couple years and always said it fits Kai; now she gets to use it on him. “Now pull up a chair. I know you’re the cook around here, but I made dinner, and it’s pretty good!”

The four of you take to the table where Nora pours bowls of soup. You settle around the chairs like a family separated for too long, but finally joined back together, never to be apart again, and it’s good. Your hands connected with Kai’s underneath the table, and he squeezes. Across from you, the girls’ own hands are held in each other’s. The joy and laughter around the table is something you want to be a part of forever.

#malachai parker x reader #kai parker x reader #tvd fanfiction #tw: sui attempt #light bit of angst #angst with a happy ending #heretic kai parker

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